Friday, June 26, 2015

Mermaid Hello

Hello to you!  

I’m a little sad.  It’s my last day at A Day for Daisies today.  I just love these images that Tammy illustrates for us and it’s been fun because it stretches me in a different way artistically....but I just haven’t been able to keep up with everything in life.  Working full time these last months has made all my free moments pretty rare and precious, and I don’t want to miss important time with my family, so I had to pull back a little.   Let’s just say though that you’ll still see ADFD things from me when I have time, and these girls are stellar so keep tabs on this sweet little company!  



Today I’m playing with this adorable little mermaid image called Dreams.  What fun to colour up that water with a lot of different blue/greens in my Copics.  Because I went for some distinct contrasts in the colours, I softened all the transitions between colours with some pointillism dots, and it adds to that feeling of waterspray.  The paper was perfect with that wavy theme and it’s from an older pack of Glitz papers.  I accented the waves with a TCP Wavy Stitched border as well.  




The sentiment is an older Flourishes one.  You can also see that I added some shimmery pen dots too to accent the waves and the little mermaid as well. 



Here’s the Copics I used.  


Stop by and visit these lovely ladies to see what they have to show off for you today....


Christine (you are here)

Hugs girls!  I’ll miss creating with you!  


Life is a Journey

Ahhhh, the open road is calling me!  

I thought I’d get in one more pencil creation for this month’s Pencil Me In Challenge at Power Poppy. One of the ways that I really love to use my pencils is on Kraft card stock.  It gives you a totally different look from white card stock.  



I pulled out the one set from the most recent Power Poppy Release that I’d being dying to use but just hadn’t had a chance yet.  It’s called Move the Soul.  My husband and I love motorcycles.  He had one before we were married, and if we could have one now we would, with 3 kids and the cost, it’s not practical or possible right now, but maybe someday in the empty nest we’ll find ourselves out on the open road with one of these :) 

I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto the Kraft paper, and then started colouring with my white prismacolor pencil.  That’s how I always start on darker paper, that way you create a waxy base for the other colour to sit on, so it pops.  Then, you can blend it with the white pencil as well.  Awesome effect, and highlights built right in!  


As you can tell, I really wanted to give this whole image the feeling of movement, so that’s where all those fun white and gray streaks come behind the image.  You might not be able to tell, but on all the chrome I used a metallic silver pencil and it really shines just like chrome.  

I added some stars with the TCP Stars dies, and the stamped star from this set fits perfectly into the smallest star die.  

I absolutely LOVE that Marcy used her own tire track as the model for the tire track stamp in the set (stamped in black) and to mirror that, I took out my Tim Holtz Burlap stencil and some embossing paste and added it in white to the bottom corner of the card....it looks just like the tire track but it’s raised embossing paste.  Really cool in real life.  

Pop on over to see what the rest of the girls playing today have to show off....and then remember you have a couple more days you can still enter into the Pencil Me In Challenge, and be entered to win Power Poppy Stamps!  




Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Kathy Jones
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker


Monday, June 22, 2015

Air Time




Hi there!  I hope this is a happy start to a Tuesday for you.  Today we’re starting a new Challenge at The Cat’s Pajamas, and it’s one I came up with :)  I picked these two photos to represent summer and things I love.   Flowers, bicycles, a picnic, pretty jars, and photography.  I hope you’re inspired too!  


I took this sweet inspiration and created a fun shadowbox card with one of our new CutAble files from TCP.  I started with this awesome new set Drop In, which I JUST love.  Our favourite bunny in a balloon?  Oh my!

After stamping him on Neenah White card-stock and then stamped the image again on some awesome designer papers (older MME) and added some shadows into the depths of the balloon with a W2 marker.  Then I trimmed out the whole image.  I thought the inspiration of the hanging jars would work perfectly for a hot air balloon.

After creating the shadowbox (Alma has a great instructional video here), I added the pretty patterned paper balloon and Stitched Clouds CutUps in the design popped in different layers to really give it great dimension.  I think it’s so cute!


For embellishments I just stuck with a button and twine to finish it off simply.  I sure love how adorable all the layering looks!  

So now I’m inviting YOU to be inspired by the photo(s) on the top and create with us at TCP!




  1. If you want to play along you just upload your design The Cat’s Pajamas blog page using the InLinkz button below. If you want to display your pretties on Splitcoaststampers or other message board use keyword TCPTUES293. Only the entries uploaded to the Inlinkz button will be considered for Swanky Stamper at the end of the month.
  2. You must have your project posted by the Monday, 11:55 EDT before the next challenge to be eligible to win the Cat Cash.
  3. Cards and projects are not required to use a Cat’s Pajamas Stamp or CutUps die but if you do the Cat Cash amount increases.
  4. On the following TCP Tuesday, the week’s winner will be chosen from the previous challenge and will receive a Cat Cash Voucher for $10.00 or $15 if a TCP product is used.
  5. At the end of the month, The Swanky Stamper will be selected from all the weekly entries. The Swanky Stamper will receive some of the stamps from our next release and get to play along with us at our Pajamas Party and Blog Hop. AND… They’ll even get a special spot in the Gallery highlighting the project that won them the gig and a snazzy badge to display on their blog.
  6. The Swanky Stamper will be announced the First Monday of the month on our Facebook page and The Cat’s Pajamas blog.
Hop on over and see what the rest of the team has to show off today!


Friday, June 19, 2015

Puddles and Rainbows



Hi again!  Today I have two posts, so if you’re looking for Power Poppy just scroll down.  

With this fun card I hope to bring cheer to your rainy day!  It’s a fun image from A Day for Daisies called New Umbrella, that we’re showcasing from the It’s a New Day Collection.  And we’re ushering in a new challenge for the next 2 weeks - to Use Paper-Piecing!  

It was great fun to give this umbrella and the raincoat and boots some fun paper pieced pattern.  

I always begin by colouring first (Copics), and then adding the paper piecing overtop.  

The cute clouds are from The Cat’s Pajams and I added some pretty scallops along the bottom with a Spellbinders Die.  


The sentiment is from Power Poppy’s Poppy set and I thought it was perfect for the design, and the pretty papers are older ones I had in my stash MME - Oxford Lane.  

Pop by and see what the ADFD gang has in store for you today, then join us in the Paper Piecing challenge...



Christine (you are here)


Fireworks


It’s a beautiful Friday in the neighbourhood!  The Bloom Brigade is here this week to show off another of Marcy’s amazing digital images.  This month it’s a gorgeous combination of poppies and allium with a little catnip in there for good measure.  It’s a beauty and hopefully you already took a long look at it when the Instant Garden Team showed it off earlier this week.  They are amazing. 



The digital set is aptly named Garden Fireworks because of those fabulous allium.  They are the most interesting, showy flower.  My mom has some and I am amazed at their height and that great big globe of petals bursting with colour at the top.  

Following along with our Pencil Me In Challenge this month, I decided to use my prismacolours again to bring life to this image.  First I printed the digital image quite large, enough to fit in a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch space and coloured that up with prismacolours wanting it to be my background layer.  Then I also printed the image in a smaller size so I could just die cut out part of the image to showcase.  


Here’s what the background layer looked like before I put the card together.  I wanted the background to fade slightly so that the main image would shine.  So, I layered it over with vellum to soften it, sewing the vellum on the top and bottom with some loose stitches on the machine.  I love the dreamy effect it creates.  



And here’s a closeup.  I printed the Scripture sentiment quite small to fit in the smaller circle to match up with this week’s Mojo Sketch.  But I worry that you might need bi-focals to read it!  Sorry this picture seems a bit funky to me.  My editing software was doing weird things when I watermarked it.  

Such a gorgeous image isn’t it?  I had a blast colouring it up with my pencils.  

Now I hope you can head on over and see what the rest of the beautiful Bloom Brigade has to show off for you today!



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

Tosha Leyendekker


Monday, June 15, 2015

Fly



Hello!  Just popping in to remind you that there’s a fab colour challenge going on at The Cat’s Pajamas and you have one week left to enter.  Now, this card’s colours don’t exactly match the colour challenge...but I thought it would be fun to pop in and show you this design anyway.  It’s made with the awesome new CutUps die Stitched Fly.  It’s such a great design!  I cut out the whole piece twice and then popped out the background of the plate on the back design to brayer ink onto....I wanted to give it a fading sky sort of feel.  

Then I popped up the front stitched pieces of the die cut outs and added some extra clouds into the design as well.  I like how it almost has a polaroid feel.  I paired it all up with the Wavy Stitched Border CutUps in blue, some button and twine it it’s all done. 



Here you can see the dimension a little better.  Makes for a really easy card design!  I gave it to one of the grade 12 grads at Church, I thought it would work perfectly for him.  


Friday, June 12, 2015

Barnyard Special


Hi again friends!  If you’re looking for my Power Poppy post just scroll down please :)


I just have to say....if you’re going to go in a barnyard theme, you might as well go big or go home!  I really went all out on this country-fied rooster from A Day For Daisies.  His name is Mr. Rooster, and he’s pretty spiffy in his overalls, bringing flowers to his favourite  little hen.  I found these fun papers from Simple Stories that I had in my stash, I think they were called Summer Stories, and they’re a big mix of country feeling patterns.  

I added some washi tape, buttons and gingham ribbon to take it over the top country.  Aren’t roosters so cool to colour?  You really can get a fun mix of colours in there especially in the black areas....I’ve got some blue and green in there to give it a cool effect and feathers are really easy to colour with flicks of your marker.  



Here’s a closeup where you can see his paper pieced blue jean overalls.  


Take a peek at what the team has to show off...and be sure you enter in our CASE a Designer Challenge from last week, you have one week left!  



Christine (you are here)


Pencil Me In Challenge!




Hello Friday!  I’m so happy it’s here, it’s our day off and I hope to spend it with my hubby....we’ve had so little time for anything together lately.  So today is date day :)  

Welcome to a new challenge this month at Power Poppy!  And, I’m your happy hostess!  I thought it would be fun to have a challenge where you pull out a different colouring medium, Pencils!  So, we’re calling it Pencil Me In! Today I used Prismacolour Pencils, but you can use watercolor pencils, or your 8 year old’s coloured pencils, you could even shade with that old 3B pencil in your stash, like way back when in junior high art class.  And if you play along, you’re entered to win a free Power Poppy stamp set!  


I pulled out the new set Poppies to play with again.  After stamping it onto some Cougar White cardstock in Memento Black ink I went to work with my pencils.  When I’m doing pencil work, I like a bit of a thicker cardstock.  Working with Prismacolor Pencils is really fun, they have such a smooth colour lay down, and you can build up colour as you go.  The poppies and leaves are coloured and then I used a blending stump (no Odorless Mineral Spirits) to blend a bit.  The background is also done in a soft purple pencil, but I did use my OMS to blend with the blending stump, I wanted it to have a softer, almost ethereal blend for the background.  

For the finished card I stamped the poppies in orange in the background, added some periwinkle embossed paper to accent and also embossed the sentiment circle.  



Here’s a closer look at the colouring, a flower gem, white lace and a satin polka dot ribbon finish it off.  

Hope you can pick up some pencils and play along!  



Here’s the Bloom Brigade playing along today...


Christine Okken
 (you are here)
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan




Monday, June 8, 2015

Umbrella Seas


Hello TCP Friends!  Today brings us a new challenge that’s a fun summery colour challenge.  We’ve had fun with it and I think you’ll like it too.  



I really went for the dimension in this design playing with my Hare Today set, colouring him up with Copics and then trimming the little guy out.  I placed him between some sea swells using my Waves CutUps die, and placing it all on a sunny sky adorned with fun puffy white stitched clouds done with the new die set that’s free with a $65 purchase.  I LOVE this little clouds!   The sun was made by cutting out a circle than randomly snipping some rays with my scissors.  

The cute little sentiment in the clouds is done with the Small Sayings set.  


A little gingham ribbon finishes it off....see I told you I went a little dimension crazy!  

Now pop on over to see the rest of the Cat Pack at work with this great colour combo...






AND! Here’s why you want to play along too!

  1. Every other Tuesday a new challenge will be posted on The Cat’s Pajamas blog as well as on our Facebook page.
  2. If you want to play along you just upload your design The Cat’s Pajamas blog page using the InLinkz button below. If you want to display your pretties on Splitcoaststampers or other message board use keyword TCPTUES292. Only the entries uploaded to the Inlinkz button will be considered for Swanky Stamper at the end of the month.
  3. You must have your project posted by the Monday, 11:55 EST before the next challenge to be eligible to win the Cat Cash.
  4. Cards and projects are not required to use a Cat’s Pajamas Stamp or CutUps die but if you do the Cat Cash amount increases.
  5. On the following TCP Tuesday, the week’s winner will be chosen from the previous challenge and will receive a Cat Cash Voucher for $10.00 or $15 if a TCP product is used.
  6. At the end of the month, The Swanky Stamper will be selected from all the weekly entries. The Swanky Stamper will receive some of the stamps from our next release and get to play along with us at our Pajamas Party and Blog Hop. AND… They’ll even get a special spot in the Gallery highlighting the project that won them the gig and a snazzy badge to display on their blog.
  7. The Swanky Stamper will be announced the First Monday of the month on our Facebook page and The Cat’s Pajamas blog.


Cultivate Love Blog Hop

Well, we’re finally at the day when the Cultivate Love Collection from Power Poppy is live!  Today the Bloom Brigade is celebrating by bringing you a blog hop with more inspiration from these 5 fabulous new sets that you can now purchase.

We had such fun giving you inspiration with these beauties!



There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day at times right?  I missed showing off a card with this set earlier in the week, so I had to give Sage Advice a whirl today!  

I had a completely different direction I was going with this set in my mind at first, but when I looked up some ideas for colanders, and I saw the red enamelware ones....I couldn’t help myself but to colour it this way.  I love the contrast between the green of the herbs and the red colander.  And oh my word, those cute plant signs????  Gorgeous!  

After colouring it up with Copics I created that enamelware look by adding Picket Fence Distress Ink marker in tiny dots overtop.  I love the look.  

Hopefully you can see in the background of the card I added some texture that looks just like the gingham theme in the design as well.  



I also wanted to give the plant markers the feel of chalkboard signs, so I left some white space border around the plant names to give that illusion.  

Some pretty curves, gingham, trim and a button finish it all off.  

Now I hope you can stop by the rest of the fabulous Bloom Brigade and see their creations today, they are all such gems and so talented.  

It’s been a delight to share this week with you!  Go cultivate some love of your own :)  




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

and Marcy at the Power Poppy Blog!


Sunday, June 7, 2015

Best Day Ever

Hello again Power Poppy Friends!  Did you SEE that awesome Move your Soul set yesterday?  Oh man, I can’t wait to play with that one...I just ran out of time this week!  Today’s fantastic set just sings summer fun.  It’s called Best Day Ever.  



Marcy does little vignettes so perfectly.  They’re all bundles of surprises, and she always puts something sweet in each of them.  I thought I’d play with this fabulous scene and sentiment combination.  



Doesn’t that just make you want to be at the beach?  I loved giving this some fun colour matching it up to this old pack of papers from Glitz - Uncharted Waters.  Because that cute thin strip along the side had polka-dots in it I thought it would be fun to create the “sand” with pointillism along the bottom of the scene and sentiment.  



Here’s a closer look at the colouring...did you notice what Marcy put in the book?  “juicy novel that I cannot put down” :)  And I just love the sentiment too.  So sweet!

A little smattering of sequins finishes it off.  Love it!  

Now, here’s the Bloom Brigade in action with this set!




Allison Cope
Christine Okken 
(you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker

and Marcy at the Power Poppy Blog


Friday, June 5, 2015

Garden Chair

Hello again friends!  I’m back today with something new from A Day For Daisies....if you’re looking for my Power Poppy new release post, please just scroll down :)



We have a new round of images and a new challenge this week at A Day For Daisies....the pretty design I got to play with is called Garden Chair Gathering.  Isn’t it pretty?  I thought, what would be more garden like that some pretty floral paper for the chair, so I paper pieced the seat and back of the chair with this gorgoeus floral and then colored in the little birds with Copics.  

Now the challenge this week at ADFD is a fun one, YOU get to case the Design Team....so you can take a card that one of us has created this week and CASE it for the challenge.  It’s a 2 week challenge so I hope you can join in on the fun!  



I kept the accents simple with some sewing and sponging on the main image, prety antique looking buttons and some twine, plus a little touch of lovely cotton lace.  


Pop on over and see the rest of the Design Team and then jump in and do some CASE-ing!


Christine (you are here)


Go Wild!



I’m back for Day 3 of Sneak Peeks at Power Poppy this month!  Today is another gorgeous polymer set that puts a bunch of birthday happiness in a jar (or many jars) :)  Here’s Go Wild!  



Did you know that today is Marcella Hawley’s Birthday???? What a perfect way to celebrate this amazing lady with all of her creative prowess than with a gorgeous birthday set that showcases what Marcy does best....plants and flowers.  Nobody does them better!  Happy Birthday Marcy...I think the name of this set describes your bundle-of-life-personality too!  Have a spectacular day!  Go wild girl!  

This little scene in particular is so charming...a little windowsill of blue-green glass bottles and some pretty plants inside.  I think it’s so full of whimsy and sings those sweet days of spring.  The image is colored up with Copics with some really soft shades of blue, green and periwinkle and then cut out with this stitched square die.  

I went perusing through my stash of papers to come up with some pretty pages in random packs to keep it soft and serene.  



For accent I embossed the background, added some sparkly enamel dots, a peek of some clear sequins and then some pretty seam binding to finish it off.  Isn’t that the sweetest scene?  




Allison Cope
Christine Okken (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan
Tosha Leyendekker
and the beautiful birthday girl herself....Marcy!



Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Poppies!


Hello Power Poppy Friends!  Today we’re brimming with excitement to bring you a brand new polymer release, and it’s a beauty!  And we’re kicking it all off with some perfectly powerful Poppies!  



Marcy has given us some absolutely lovely illustrations and fabulous sentiments to make these perfect little flowers sing, take a peek!




I began by stamping and colouring this lovely arrangement of poppies onto XPress It Blending cardstock and then I chose to trim them all out with a bit of a border, then I popped it all up on some pretty papers from Echo Park - Words of Love.  I just love how black and red and white pair together, and there’s something so perfect about a red poppy.  I kept the accents really simple and just added some pleated ribbon to anchor the bottom of the design.  



Isn’t that sweet little sentiment so cheerful?  It’s just such a lovely stamp set.  




Here’s a peek at the Copics I used....



And now I hope you can POP on over and see what the rest of the Bloom Brigade has in store for you with this gorgeous set!  

Christine Okken
 (you are here)
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Katie Sims
Leslie Miller
Stacy Morgan


and make sure you stop by and see what Marcy has for you at the Power Poppy Blog