Friday, December 26, 2014

Best of A Day for Daisies 2014!

A Day for Daisies has a Best of 2014 Bundle on sale for almost 50% off, it’s for a limited time only  - but contains some fabulous images that will be perfect for occasions all year long!  Be sure to check it out here!  



Veggies Just for You


Happy Boxing Day everyone!  In Canada we still hold to the British tradition of a holiday after Christmas called Boxing Day.  It used to be for setting out boxes for employees or those less fortunate...and somehow has evolved to become a crazy shopping day (think American Black Friday).  You will not find me in a mall today!  We had a lovely Christmas with my family.  I love seeing Christmas through the eyes of my children and my niece and nephew.  My nephew at 3, really got it this year and cracked me up with all of his excitement over everything.  He very much loves playing with my boys, and my 15 year old is especially patient and attentive to him.  When our son wanted a little break from “playing", my nephew said, “you have to come play with me some more!  You’re my best friend!”.  Our son said, “I guess I’m not tired any more” :)  

Today the Power Poppy team is showing off some inspiration for the Peeps of the Week contest.  My card will be for my Dad whose birthday is on Tuesday.  This clean design will suit him.  I used to spend a lot of time making really detailed designs for him, but he really doesn’t get it :), so less is probably more in this case. 

I used Power Poppy’s set, Farmers Market , stamping it onto XPress it Blending cardstock and Memento Tuxedo Black ink, colouring up with Copics.  The papers are Carta Bella Its a Celebration.  

I’ve dressed it up with some enamel dots, a button and twine and some washi tape.  



Here’s the girls playing along today:

Christine (you are here)




Have you been a Power Poppy Peep Yet? If not....

HERE’S HOW TO PLAY IN OUR PEEP OF THE WEEK CHALLENGE: All you need to do to get in the running for the Power Poppy Peep of the Week is use the linky below and share a new Power Poppy creation. Just that simple! It can be anything — a card, an altered item, a 3D creation, a set of cards, ANYTHING! We can't tell you how much we love to see what you create!

OFFICIAL RULES:
  • Use Power Poppy Stamps on your creation! 
  • Link up your creation using the Linky below (It helps us to find you! Although it’s not a necessity to win. We scour creations all over the web!).
  • Could you please mention the Peep of the Week challenge in your blog or gallery post with a link back to this blog post? We would sure love it if you did! 
  • We’ll accept entries up until Thursday @3PM EST and will announce the Power Peeps of the Week next Friday for our Peep of the Week post.



Thursday, December 25, 2014

Kitty Cat Sale...


Just a quick note to give you some insider information!  You don’t to miss out on the sale at The Cat’s Pajamas this week...it’s a 30% off sale!  And just because I love you - for my readers I’m giving an extra 10% off - use the code: mews14

Happy Shopping!  :)

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

A Sign I Give



Merry Christmas to each of my friends and faithful readers.  I’m so appreciative of your visits especially when I didn’t have a lot to bring you this month.  So today, I’m celebrating what Christmas is to me a day early on the blog.  Tomorrow evening we’ll gather at Church for our Christmas Eve Service and celebrate Advent, or that waiting come to life.  My Jesus born as a baby.  And I’ll get goosebumps and feel that rush of hope and purpose that comes as we sing, and light those candles from the Christ Candle, one light passing to the next until the whole room is lit.  As I look with wonder at my children watching them hold their candle and sing, I think of baby Jesus birth.  The amazing reality of Emmanuel, God with us, I am always deeply touched and so blessed.  

Today I bring this amazing image from A Day for Daisies called A Sign I Give, from the passage “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in the manger.”  Luke 2:12.  


Coloured with Copics (many!) and laid on a Spellbinders Circle die that I had put through a woodgrain embossing folder and then added White Craft ink and Vintage Photo Distress ink to.  On the textured blue panel I added embossing paste through a Tim Holtz stencil with glitter.  The beautiful sentiment is from the Power Poppy set, O Holy Night.  

I truly wish you a blessed and very Merry Christmas!  

Monday, December 22, 2014

Sunshine on the Shortest Day!

Do you need some inspiration for a last minute gift set for someone you love?  I have a tutorial today on the Power Poppy Blog with a card gift set I made for a gift exchange with friends.  I hope you can stop by and take a look.  Here’s a sneak peek!  Enjoy this shortest day of the year.  Way up North here...we’re so happy that this part of the calendar is turning over into longer days ahead!


Friday, December 19, 2014

Red Bird Lady

Happy Friday friends!  Yesterday I went to the Dr. for a recheck and xray’s on my knee and ankle fractures and woo hoo!  I get to take off the big brace I was wearing and start putting weight on two legs again.  I can’t tell you how good that is!  He said it could take up to a year to be full healed and my job now is to rebuild muscle.  I’ll be re-checked at the end of March and hopefully if everything is good I won’t have to have surgery.  Having two legs to use again is such an amazing feeling.  Hopefully that means things will get a little more predictable around the house and on the blog too.

I have a lovely A Day for Daisies design to show off to you today.  


This gorgeous lady is called Birds in the Wind.  Isn’t her hair just amazing?  I thought that for the Christmas Colour Challenge I’d give her some really dark ebony hair and contrast that with the red birds and the deep green dress.  After colouring her, I trimmed the image out and popped it up on these pretty papers with black lace and sparkly brads.  So elegant.  


I hope you’re enjoying your Christmas preparations or enjoying time with family and friends.  We haven’t done much at all to prepare with me recovering, so I’m looking forward to a little bit of shopping and decorating in the days ahead.   

Hope you can join us on the Traditional Christmas Colours Challenge yet this week as you’re tieing up last minute details.  

Here’s more inspiration from the ADFD Team.  


Christine (you are here)


Friday, December 12, 2014

Peaceful Posies

Greetings friends!  


A whole week has passed and I haven’t had a minute to make anything...until today.  I’m trying to do things behind the scenes to get ready for Christmas - but that’s still so limited because of my broken leg.  We don’t have any decorations up, and the only shopping I can do is online - with hopes it will arrive on time.  Crazy.  Out of necessity we’re really dialing things down this year and I’m really hopeful that it helps us appreciate and enjoy and celebrate the reason why we celebrate, Jesus birth.  

Ok, I have a lovely little design to show off today.  It kicks off a new challenge at A Day For Daisies, using Traditional Colours.  I used the lovely Deer Flower Garden set and only coloured up one of the deer.  I pulled out my prismacolours and went to work giving this cutie a little fur.  

The background is embossed with a Spellbinders MBossibilities (Holiday Magic), then I cut out a window in the panel with dp set behind him.  


With a pretty satin ribbon bow and sequins its all done!  


Please join us in the Traditional Christmas Colours Challenge!  And take a little hop on over to see the rest of the ADFD Team’s creations...


Christine (you are here)


Friday, December 5, 2014

Yellow Crocuses

If you’re looking for my A Day for Daisies post just scroll down :)  


I have a pretty little winter treat for you on this Power Poppy Friday.  Ever since I coloured up the Camellias in tones of grey and peach, I’ve wondered how the lovely little flowers in the Winter Pick-Me-Up set from Power Poppy would look in a similar style.  So, today I have yellow crocuses blooming from the winter snow.  

After adding some warm yellow to match these papers from MME Lost and Found, I die cut them with a lovely Spellbinders die (Radiant Rectangles) from XPress It Blending Paper, framing it out with Vellum.  


I’ve also added a vellum sentiment overtop using our Poinsettia stamp set and stamping in VersaFine ink for a really sharp impression.  The accents are seam binding and black faceted gems to keep it simple and classy.  



Now pop on by the Bloom Brigade girls playing along today and be sure to join in our Power Poppy Peep of the week contest.  All the details are on the Power Poppy Blog HERE.  



Allison Cope
Christine Okken
 (you are here)
Julie Koerber
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan

Doe a Deer


"Doe a Deer a female deer, Ray a drop of golden sun, Me a name I call myself....” are you singing yet?  :)  Today's new set from A Day for Daisies reminds me of this song from The Sound of Music, they’re called Deer Flower Garden and they are so precious!  

I played with this image that has three deer in it.  I thought it would be so fun to colour, and it was!  


With all those fabulous flowers in the deer antlers, I dug through my papers until I found this pretty Christmas paper and found this great pack from Memory Box called Brioche from a few years ago.  It highlights all the pretty flowers in the design so well, and still gives it that wintery feel.  

I played with this week’s Mojo Monday Sketch.  Otherwise, I kept things pretty simple because the paper was busy, adding only some pretty iridescent twine and rhinestones and little vellum hearts.  



Here you can see I tried to give their deer a little “fur” colouring with some texture flicking my marking along the paper.  Here’s all the colours I used below.  





Take a visit to the rest of the A Day for Daisies team to see their creative cards with this adorable new digi!  

Arielle
Broni

Christine (you are here)
Danielle
Juliana


Monday, December 1, 2014

Power Poppy December Blog Hop


Wow it’s December 1st!  We’re so excited celebrate by bringing you Power Poppy’s December Digi Release!  Haven’t these gorgeous flowers the last two days wowed you?  The Design Team has had a great time showing Marcy’s beautiful designs off to you.  

Now we’re bringing you one more round of beauty!  



I just had to colour these beautiful Camellias again.  I really wanted to give them some traditional colour in vibrant pink, with deep green glossy leaves.  I die cut it out with Spellbinders Grand Ovals  giving them some really elegant framing.  For more of that elegant and traditional look I added some black photo corners, then satin ribbon, black lace and gingham.  The design is actually quite simple so the flowers would shine.  



Here is another look a the colouring (so fun to do!).  Here are the colours I used...






Today’s we have a special treat too...Power Poppy is giving away an entire digital release!  Go around and comment on all of the blogs today and you’ll be entered to win!  Here is the fabulous Bloom Brigade...I know you’ll enjoy.

Allison Cope
Christine Okken 
(you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
and our amazing Marcella Hawley

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Camellias



Welcome to Day 2 of our December Digi Releases from Power Poppy!  Today's gorgeous flower we’re showing off to you  is one I wasn’t familiar with - being from way up north...but it’s beauty is amazing.  I think a trip down south is in order to check them out, don’t you think?  I also know you will really appreciate it’s beauty.   Camellias is a gorgeous design (available right now!)  illustrated by Marcella and here’s what she has to say about it:  

"Jewels of the winter greenhouse, stars of Southern gardens, and the state flower of Alabama, Camellias are a symbol of passion, desire and refinement. I was inspired by the Camellias from the gorgeous collection at the Linnean House at the Missouri Botanical Garden."

I chose to go a little artsy with this design..


I found a picture online with peach camellias and was thinking how pretty peach and grey are together so I decided to give this one the feeling of a tinted photo.  all of the leaves, and smaller blossoms are coloured in Cool Greys.  Then a touch of colour is added to those blooms with an R11 marker.  The largest blossoms I’ve given that full-on peach colour.  I think it’s a great effect.  



I’ve added the sentiment on light grey card stock.  What I love about digis is being able to resize them to whatever works with your design, so I shrunk the digi sentiment with the set down so it would fit perfectly in that little circle.  Sequins and sewing finish it off.  



Here’s the Copics I used to achieve the tonal colours.  


And now these wonderful women have more to show off with this amazing set.  



Allison Cope
Christine Okken (you are here)
Dina Kowal
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Back tomorrow with a fabulous Power Poppy Hop and a chance for you to win the WHOLE RELEASE!

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Winter Pick-Me-Up




A happy hello to all of you out there! We have such a treat for you today!  It’s brand new illustartions from Power Poppy and this month we’re all digi!  You will ooo and ahhh over Marcy’s work again this month.  They are so delightful to colour!  

Today we’re starting with the gorgeous  Winter Pick-Me-Up, and just to pick you up...it’s available right now!  

Here’s what Marcy had to say about this set,  "Imagine poking around a chilly pasture, gathering plump stems of snowdrops, crocuses with their grasslike foliage, all intertwined with the puffy catakins of pussy willow branches. If the thought of this alone isn't a "pick-me-up" in the middle of winter, I don't know what is! Well, maybe I do... coloring in this image giving the card to a friend.

I would have to agree with Marcy.  To match all of the 15 inches of snow we just had I wanted to create a little bouquet that looks like it was just picked from the glittering snowbank.  


I printed the image on XPress It Blending cardstock and then gave it life with some Copics, adding a soft purply-blue background with pointillism - one of my favourite ways to accent something and give  a delicate feel.  Then I used a Curved Border Spellbinders to trim it in a eye-catching way, adding lace to the panel and then mounting it on an embossed layer that I added a glittery strip to, using Scor Tape and glitter.  



Just some pretty rhinestones accent the design to give that shimmery snow feel.  

Here’s the Copics I used:  



And here’s the beautiful Bloom Brigade playing along today. 



Christine Okken (you are here)
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

Friday, November 28, 2014

Peacock Masquerade

If you’re looking for my Power Poppy post this week scroll down or click HERE.  


I’m back with a new design from A Day for Daisies friends!  Today we’re ushering in a Sketch Challenge that I think you’ll love.  I printed off this gorgeous girl from Doll Face 2 in the mask.  I knew I wanted to colour up her gorgeous hair and her mask just gave me that peacock feathers masquerade feeling that I wanted to capture.  

She just seems like she should be a red head to me.  So, that’s where I went with her hair, then I added the peacock feather colouring to the mask, feathering around the eyes and then paired it all with a peacock style embossing folder, sequins and gems.  


Here’s the Sketch we’re inviting you to play with 



I’ve added some vellum for the horizontal panel  in the design as well as felt and a prety bit of ribbon.  The sentiment is from Power Poppy - Sassy Succulents stamped in Memento Teal Zeal, which works really well here.  


Here’s the Copics I used - sorry the photo is a mite blurry - there are times where taking the pictures from the angles I’m trying with this crazy brace makes it challenging.  I think you can still see all the numbers though.  On the left are the colours I used for the hair, in the middle for the skin, and lips, and on the right for the mask.  

So, join us in the challenge!  

And here’s more fabulous inspiration from the rest of the ADFD team....


Christine (you are here)

Hope, Peace, Gingerbread


Hello Gang!  Hope you are enjoying this Friday!  We’re in the middle of a snowstorm.  They say we’ll have 30 cm (11 inches) and then get very cold as the days go on.  We’re all bundled up cozy here, so I thought a pretty little gingerbread house would be in order.  

I pulled out Power Poppy’s sweet little set Frosted Gingerbread and did some decorating!  I stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa to soften the colour a bit and then coloured it all up with Copics in traditional colours.

The papers are Prima - North Country and the only accents are the little buttons, which I thought looked just like the decorations on the candy shingles.  Just an adorable image for Christmas designs!


Here’s the Copics used for the design.  


Now, we’ve got a couple more Bloom Brigade girls bringing you inspiration today and we hope to see more of your Power Poppy creations in our Peep of the Week Contest.  



Allison
Christine (you are here)


See you TOMORROW when we start the Power Poppy December Digi Release!  Gorgeous stuff coming!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Keeping Cozy with TCP

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.  It’s my hope and prayer that you can see many things today that you are thankful for.  I’m just so thankful for the blessing of my precious family, and friends who’ve taken such good care of me while I’m recovering from this broken leg.  It’s just one of the many blessings I am counting this season.  

Well, I thought I’d drop in today and show you a few more projects I created for the Cat’s Pajamas Release this week.  I showed them off at the Pajama Party the other night, and now I thought I’d show them off to you.  Remember that there’s a big sale going on at TCP this week 35% off all items in store!

So lets begin with this sweet little triangle box!    


When I saw this cute triangle shape in the Handmade for You set, I knew it would be perfect for a little box like this.  I was thinking it would be perfect for a little gift inside (say like a Pandora charm or the like) or even to hang on the tree.  I cut out box shape with my Silhouette and then added the sparkly ribbon as a hanger and long curly tails.  


I created the little pine branch accents using felt cut with TCP’s Pom Pop Flower CutUps Die.  I used my scissor to cut up the center of the felt die cut forming fringes that I could roll on itself to form little “branches”.  I love how cute they look as accents.  

Next up, how about a cozy winter scene? 


I just adore the gorgeous Double Snowflake CutUps Die released this month.  They are so elegant and intricate!  I wanted them to take center stage on the front of the card using the sentiment from  Home for All Seasons.  

Then, it opens up on the inside to ...


A night time winter village!  Here I used the Village CutUps to cut out the houses and then used the amazing Basic Pop Ups CutUp to form the height and dimension to the scene.  


I’ve added sparkly Icicles to the rooftops and snow to the foreground and a brayered moonlit sky to the background.  These dies have so much detail they are just gorgeous!  

Alrighty, back to your turkey and stuffing US people.  Enjoy!