Friday, December 31, 2010

The Winner is......

Reddy who said:

I love how you did the glitter
December 28, 2010 7:29 PM

Congratulations Reddy! Please contact me within the next week to claim your prize! If I haven't heard from Reddy by January 7, 2011, I will choose another winner.
                                                          Here is my candy for the hop.
Thank You to everyone who joined our hop! Thank You to my fellow hoppers and a special Thank You to our hop leader KarelJ! Karel is one amazing person. I wish I knew how she manages to do so much! I can barely get a blog post a month going, and she crafts, posts, hops, donates time to worthy causes and STILL has a life outside our online crafting world! I suppose some things are just not for me to understand! I hope to get the chance to do more blog hops with you in the coming year. It has been a blast! Here is some cyber applause for you, Karel! Clap, clap clap, clap............

Happy Crafting!
Colleen





Tuesday, December 28, 2010

2011 Calendar Blog Hop



Welcome to another great Blog Hop sponsored by Karel at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity. If you have arrived from the always fabulous Belinda's blog, then you are on the right track. Here is the list of wonderful crafters just in case you may have missed anything!

1. January and April: Celeste at Touched by a Butterfly at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/
2. January and September: Jessica at Overjoyed Scrapper http://www.overjoyedscrapper.blogspot.com/
3. February: Christel at Scrappin' Sista http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com/
4. February and March: Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity  http://karelj.blogspot.com/
5. March and July: Diane at Crafting This Moment http://www.craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/
6. April: Bonnie at A Scrap Above http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com/  
7. May: Michelle at Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com/
8. May: Natalie at Timeless Legacy Designs http://timelesslegacydesigns.blogspot.com/
9. June: Lisa at Lisa's Paper Butterflies http://lisaspaperbutterflies.blogspot.com/
10. June: Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My! http://jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/
11. July: Summer and Jennifer at Cricut Diaries http://cricutdiaries.blogspot.com/
12. August: Denise at Starlight Scrapper http://starlightscrapper.blogspot.com/
13. August: Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/
14. September: Deb at If It's Groovy http://ifitsgroovy.blogspot.com/
15. October: Rebecca at Creations with Becka http://www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com/
16 . October: Lora at Notes From The Scrapbook Lady http://scrpbooklady.blogspot.com/
17. November: Belinda at Queen Bee's Musings http://www.queenbeesmusings.blogspot.com/
18. November and December : Col at Col's Creative Corner at http://www.scrappycol.blogspot.com/ you are here!
19. December: Deb at Tidbit's Place http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com/

Don't forget in order to win the awesome grand prize Cricut Designer Calendar Cartridge that Karel is giving away as a grand prize, you will need to visit and leave a comment at all the stops on the way. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to visit all the stops, the hop is from today until December 30th! Don't forget to leave a way for Karel to contact you! She will choose a winner by random.org on the 31st and announce it on her blog as well as contacting the winner personally! I can't wait to see all the calendar pages that are going to be shown for this hop. I already have two months down on my calendar!

Here are my pages

I had the pleasure of creating calendar pages for November and December. For both months, I took 12x12 paper and adhered it to chipboard for extra sturdiness. I will break down each month
This was so much fun to create. To make a calendar set like this you will need a Cricut Machine and the Thanksgiving Seasonal Cartridge. Here are the other supplies I used:

12x12 paper
8 1/2 x 11 paper
Martha Stewart Glitter (Fire Opal and Golden Beryl)
Distress Inks (Scattered Straw and Wild Honey)
Adhesive (Zig Pen, Xyron Machine, and Scor Tape)
Stickles
Computer to print the Days of the Week
I-Rock
Cricut Cartridges (Thanksgiving, Blackletter, Gypsy Wanderings and Independence Day)


I have been on a self imposed paper ban, so I dug through my stash and found a piece of paper that I got when my LSS closed, and it's called Acorn Harvest by Kathy Griffiths for Provo Craft. Yep, Provo Craft. I never knew Provocraft produced paper. Then again, I am still new to paper crafting, it's only been about three years since I started. I cut my 8 1/2 x 11 paper to 6 1/2 x 9 1/2. I created the calendar grid and printed out the days of the week. I cut them and inked them with Wild Honey Distress Ink. I adhered them to to a strip of orange paper that I cut to make a header on the calendar.
I then cut 30 leave shadows at 1x1 and inked them with the Distress Ink. I also inked the paper that used for my dates area. I found some number stickers in my sticker stash, so I used those for the dates. For Veteran's Day, I cut a 1 inch I Love the USA from the Independence Day Cart. For Thanksgiving, I cut a 1 inch Turkey from the Thanksgiving Cart. I love black Friday, so I cut a couple of shopping bags off a Lily Of The Valley Stamp that was left over from Christmas cards, and added some twine to look like handles. I colored them with Copics. I marked my son's birthday with a party sticker. One thing to note:
I loved the pumpkin on the paper and didn't want to lose it to the dates grid, so I took a craft knife and carved the top of the pumpkin and slid the calendar grid under it.



I cut my photo mats to 3x5 size. I am crazy about glitter, but I really hate gluing glitter, so I cheat, all the time... I used my Xyron, ran anything I was glittering through it so that the side that would be facing up would have adhesive, and glittered to my hearts content. Here are a couple of shots showing the process.


I did the same thing for the picture mats and the Count You Blessing Phrase. I used an I-Rock to adhere some bling on the picture mats and the Count Your Blessings title. It's so hard to see in pictures, but they look so nice. I cut a Pilgrim Silhouette and a leaf corner from the Thanksgiving Cart. I used SEI Velvet paper for the Pilgrim head and the leaf.




Materials for December Pages:
Cricut Cartridges (Joys Of The Season, Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake Art, Celebrate With A Flourish, and Wrap It Up
12x12 paper
8 1/2 x 11 paper
Martha Stewart Bird Sticker
Distress Ink (Pine Needles and Fired Brick)
Ribbon
Viva Decor Pens (Gold and Silver)


I followed a similar idea for my calendar grid as I used for November, except I made the grid slightly bigger. It is 8 x 10 1/2. I cut 1 inch Christmas ornaments with my Cricut to use as my Day markers. I inked the ornaments and used my Viva Decor Pens to add the gold and silver at the top of the ornaments. I used more of the number stickers to mark the days. The paper for the ornaments is by Anna Griffin.  
Does anyone remember when swapping "inchies" was all the rage on the Circut MB? Well, I finally used a couple from my stash to highlight Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New year's Eve and my Mom's Birthday. Belinda might recognize one of the inchies.....



I just wanted to mention the background paper for this month is by Bo Bunny. I have been hoarding it for the longest time, and it was just perfect for this page. I cut the word December and the year using the Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake Art Cartridge. The mats will hold 4x6 pictures, and the ribbon isn't adhered, so the pictures will slide right under it. The lovely Poinsettias are from the Wrap It Up Cartridge. I cut the reindeer at 2.50 x 2.75. Merry Christmas is from Celebrate With A Flourish.
One last hint. I have a tough time keeping my rulers straight when I am drawing grids. In order to keep the date grid looking nice, I used my paper cutter as my straight edge. I marked where the lines would start, then placed the dot on the out side of my paper cutter and drew my lines.

I hope you enjoyed my calendar pages. I am giving away some blog candy. I am always in need of Cricut blades, so I will be drawing a name using random.org on New Year's Eve to give a pack of blades to. That's not all, I will also be giving a set of stamps to the winner. Just leave me a comment and a way to reach you! I will get a picture up of the blog candy before the hop is over. Thanks for stopping by today! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas or whatever Holiday you celebrate! Happy New Year to all my fellow crafters! I am looking forward to creating some fun new projects this New Year!
From here, you are heading to Deb at Tidbit's Place blog. I know you will be impressed by her creations! She is quite talented!
Happy Crafting!
Col

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Happy Birthday Danny!

It was 20 years ago today.....
How fast the years go by, when you are young, you laugh at the "old" people who tell you that life goes by in the blink of an eye. Suddenly 20 years have passed in a New York minute. Like all Mom's, I remember the moment you were born, the exact moment when we were all bonded together for life. That morning, on the way to the hospital, Dad and I were so excited, a whole new future was dawning for us and you were the sun in that dawn. I must have blinked, because it's 20 years later and you are a young man. Your hand no longer is held inside my hand, by along side my hand. There were so many dreams that Dad and I had for you, but our life took a different path, so we needed to adjust our dreams accordingly. And we did, because it doesn't matter what you can or can't do, it only matters that we love you and cheer you on in every step that you take in life. Our family was strong, you have made us stronger. You have truly taught us what unconditional love is, what unending patience is, what undying devotion is. You have taught us that and so much more. We have weathered so much in these past 20 years, yet it seems like only a moment has passed, and it is only a moment. Today we are celebrating your 20th birthday, but everyday we celebrate you!
Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!
We love you!
Mom and Dad

Monday, November 15, 2010

Land Of The Free BECAUSE of the Brave Winner!!!!

I just want to thank everyone who left such wonderful comments on my blog over the weekend. I am super excited because I reached 100 followers! I truly enjoyed the blog hop. I hope we got the word out about how special our Vets, Soldiers, and their Families are, and how we can all help to show our appreciation to them. I enjoyed the amazing stories and projects that my fellow bloggers shared. Once again, Thank you to all who are following my blog and left comments for me!

Using random.org the winner of Stand and Salute is


                                                  Doverdi, who said...

Great project. I just LOVE your wreath & the idea of displaying something like that on my front door. I'll have to look for that cartridge. What a treasure you have in those letters. Thanks for sharing your stories & being a part of the blog hop. God Bless all of the veteran's & military personnel for their sacrifices for our countries.


Doverdi, look in your mail because that is where the cartridge will be!!!

Thank you to our Vets, to our Military, and to all of your families who give up so much for my family and our Country. I am so proud to be an American, this is truly the greatest country in the world!

Happy Crafting!
Colleen




 
 


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Land Of the Free BECAUSE of the Brave Blog Hop!


Happy Veteran's Day!
Welcome To the Land of the Free Because of the Brave Blog Hop!


You should have arrived here today from Belinda's blog. I know you were impressed by her talent, that's why she's our Queen Bee! She is one of the best artists I know!
On this Veteran's Day 2010, I would like to take a moment to remember why we are free to say what we feel and believe. Why we can practice our personal Religions, or choose not to practice any Religion at all. Why we can choose to embrace our heritage and celebrate cultural differences. It is because of the brave men and woman who serve, and have served for our great Country, for Us, for Freedom for All People. They are truly the Brave in our Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. I just want to say Thank You to our Veterans.
Before I introduce you to my personal all time favorite Veteran, I just want to make sure you are hopping on the right path towards not one, but two fabulous Blog Hop Grand Prizes, and even more importantly, beautiful stories and interviews shared by my fellow blog hoppers. Here is the list in case you may have ventured down the road less travelled.

1. KarelJ at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity http://karelj.blogspot.com


2. Celeste at Touched By a Butterfly http://www.touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/

3. Deb at Tidbit’s Place http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com/

4. Michelle at Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com/

5. Jennifer at Young’s Scrapping http://youngsscrapping.blogspot.com/

6. Diane at Crafting This Moment http://craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/

7. Judy at Be Present Be Real http://bepresentbereal.blogspot.com/

8. Marianne at Life From Marianne’s Table http://number1aunt.blogspot.com/

9. Deb at If It’s Groovy http://www.blogger.com/goog_1083614380

10. Christel at One Scrappin’ Sista http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com/

11. Belinda at Queen Bee’s Musings http://www.blogger.com/goog_1083614385

12. Colleen at Col’s Creative Corner http://scrappycol.blogspot.com/ You are here!

13. Summer and Jennifer at Cricut Diaries http://cricutdiaries.blogspot.com/

14. Rachel at Suburban Crafter http://www.rachelstampshappy.blogspot.com/

15. Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/

16. Becky at Sew in Stitches http://sewinstitches.blogspot.com/

17. Rebecca at Creations With Becca http://www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com/

18. Bobbi Jo at Sweet Sassy Diva http://sweetsassydiva.blogspot.com/

19. Angie at Gypsy Paperie http://gypsypaperie.blogspot.com

20. Linda at The Tulip Collector http://thetulipcollector.blogspot.com/

If you find you've lost your way, you can head back to our Amazing, Creative, all around Wonderful,  host's Karel J's blog. I would like to also say a big Thank You to Karel for taking so much time to co-ordinate this blog hop and for all her she does for the Military and their families, as well as so many other worthy endeavors she gives so much of her time to. She is truly an amazing person!

Our Military and their Families sacrifice so much for us, everyday, not just during times of war. It is so important to all of us, as Americans to show our appreciation for all they do and have done. I hope this blog hop reminds us that Veteran's Day is so much more than silly sales. There are so many organizations that assist our Military and families, this is one of my favorites, Operation Shoe Box

Operation Shoe Box was started as a grass roots campaign to send support, snacks and much needed personal care items to our troops deployed outside of the USA. One of the most wonderful gifts we can give to our Military serving overseas is mail and care packages from the home front. It is a huge morale boost and don't our service men and women deserve all the morale boosting we can offer?

Take time today to send a package. If you don't have a family member deployed overseas, check with your friends, colleagues, or church members to get the address of someone who is serving. If you don't know of a service member to send to, you can still help Operation Shoe Box with a tax deductible donation.

As I promised earlier, I proudly introduce you all to my Dad, Robert.
My Dad served in Korea, as did his brothers, my uncles, Ally and Frank.
My Dad was the type of guy who didn't really talk about his time in the Military. He would only say that it was his Duty to Serve and the he was Proud to have Served. He had a long scar that ran down his leg from an injury he sustained when a cannon gun fell on top of his legs. He wouldn't talk about that either. When my Aunt passed away almost two years ago, I came up what is truly a treasure for me, letters from Dad to his family. In these letters, he talked about the difficulties of serving in Korea, and he requested something that brings home all that Operation Shoe Box does for our Military, cookies. I've scanned a page from his letter to share with you. I can't imagine the feelings about getting goodies from home has changed much for our service men and women since October 1953.

Dad's letter to Aunt Dot, October 6, 1953

I am so blessed to have found these letters. I laughed at how my Dad's letter's to my Uncle Ally and My Aunt Dot were so different in their tone. He was sweet and funny with my Aunt. My Aunt loved to sew, and my Dad offered her his take on what he thought uniforms should look like. I see where my creative talents come from! LOL!


In my Dad's letters to my Uncle that I found, he offers advice on coping with being in the Military. He also tells my Uncle that he is hoping and praying that if he is deployed somewhere overseas, he hopes my Uncle goes to Germany or Japan, anywhere but Korea. It says so much for who my Dad was as a man, he would do what needed to be done, but always try to make everyone's lives easier. He loved his family, all of us, until the day we lost him, November 18, 1996. When I see a Veteran who served for us in Korea, I always think of how much they have done for us, and how little they seem to be remembered for it. Korea, the forgotten war, the war that was called a Police Action. Here are a few facts about  "THE FORGOTTEN WAR"


33,741 US Dead
23,615 Killed In Action
92,134 US Wounded**
4,820 US Missing In Action (Declared Dead)
7,245 Prisoners Of War
2,847 Died in POW Camp
389 POWs known to have been alive after all U.S. POWs supposedly returned.
**Lightly wounded who were treated and released back to duty are not included in these figures.

These are some of the faces of this war, the men that served side by side with my Dad. The men I think about on Veteran's Day. These are the faces of Veteran's Day.

Some Down Time

My Dad is in the middle
I was so lucky that my Dad and his brothers all returned home safely. My folks often told me about their cousins who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. I am blessed that I live in a country where I am free to be myself, I am blessed to be in The Land Of The Free BECAUSE Of The BRAVE.




Thank you Daddy, for all you have done!
Thank you for hanging in there through this veeery long blog post! Now back to our hop!
As I mentioned earlier, as you are hopping through our blogs, leave a comment at each blog and you will be entered into not one, but TWO grand prize drawings! Our first prize is the ultra fabulous Scrap'N' Tote so generously donated by Marlo Letterle! Check out her great Cricut Storage Solution.





Anne-Therese Cermola Luper, who owns Paper Patch Crafts, a terrific on-line store, is donating
a *super-secret* Grand Prize too! I know what it is, but if you want to know, you'll have to keep hopping!  I am also giving away some yummy blog candy, are you interested? The information is after my project! Speaking of my project, here it is.....



Materials needed:
Floral ring
Ribbon
Copic Markers
Cricut Stand and Salute
American Crafts Metallic Cardstock
DCWV Glitter paper, yellow for ribbon
SEI Velvet paper, Navy Blue
Red and White cardstock
Viva Decor Pearl Pen, Ice White and Gold
Stickles, Star Dust

I made this wreath using the Stand and Salute Cartridge, and a couple of my favorite stamps. I picked up a ring in the floral department at Michael's and covered it with blue ribbon. Then I cut Stars from Stand and Salute in several sizes ranging from 1 1/2 inches to 3 inches. I picked several of the stars from Stand and Salute cartridge to give them some interest. I cut the dog tags at 2 1/2 inches as well. For the Yellow ribbon, I went larger, I believe it is 4 inches. I cut 2 of the ribbons and layered them with Pop Dots. For the Support Our Troops, I cut it at 5 inches and added a shadow cut with blue metallic cardstock. The American flag was cut at 4 1/2 inches. I cut the blue field for the stars with SEI Velvet paper. Just in case you are wondering, yes, there are 50 Stars on my flag! I used Ice White Viva Decor to make them, then added Star Dust Stickles to give them some shimmer. The flag is attached to the back of the wreath. I cut the Eagles at 3 1/2 inches and added a shadow with SEI Velvet paper.
Don't you just love the Sailor Boy? It's a digi stamp by Mo Manning called Out There . The story behind this stamp is here. I will guarantee if you read the story behind it, you will order it! I colored him with my copics, using C00, C0, C1, C2, C3, T0 and T4 on his Sailor Suit. For his tie, I used R29, R27, B26 and B29. I used E50, E42, and E43 on the dog. Then I used Gold Viva Decor on his collar. If you haven't tried Viva Decor yet, I highly recommend it. You can get it Susana's Custom Art and Card Design. For the little sailor's hair, I used E34, E47, E57, and E29 for shadows. I colored his telescope with T7, T4 and T0. I also used the blues and E29 for his shoes.


Sadly, I colored CC Designs Sailor Honey around July 4th, so I have no idea what colors I used on her! She is cute, isn't she?!
I loved making this project for Veteran's Day. Stand and Salute is such a versatile cartridge. I have used it for so much. Way back on a post for ATCs, I used it to make the sweetest little suitcase ATC. I love this cartridge so much, that I have decided to give a Brand New Stand and Salute Cartridge as my blog candy for this hop.

 All you need to do is become a follower, if you aren't already, and leave me a comment. Don't forget to leave me away to contact you when I use Random.org to draw a number on Sunday, November 15th and announce the winner here on Monday November 16th!
Now that you have finally reached the end of what has to be the longest post in blogger history! You should be heading to see the incredible talent of Summer and Jennifer at Cricut Diaries. I know you will love visiting their blog, it's awesome! What a great group of crafters we have celebrating today!
 
Thank you for sharing Veteran's Day with us! Thank you to all our Veteran's! God Bless America!
Colleen

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Land Of The Free Because of the Brave Blog Hop!



Coming Soon! Veterans' Day Blog Hop!



The Land Of The Free Because Of The Brave Blog Hop

November 11, 2010 - all 24 hours of it!

20 amazing bloggers!
Patriotic RED, White and BLUE projects!
Interviews and comments from Veterans,
Active Military personnel and Military Friends and Family

You may need some Puffs for this Hop!


We hope you will check out links to sites like Operation Write Home and Operation Care and Comfort. You may find a new way to help support our active and retired military.

A Blog Hop wouldn't be any fun without Blog candy!


Marlo Letterle, the developer of the marvelous Scrap'NTote, will be sending a tote to the Grand Prize Winner!

Check out her great Cricut Storage Solution.





You can find a great interview with Marlo at http://www.examiner.com/arts-crafts-in-national/scrap-n-tote-interview-with-marlo-letterle

Anne-Therese Cermola Luper, who owns Paper Patch Crafts, a terrific on-line store, is donating
a *super-secret* Grand Prize too!

I will also be giving away some candy, it's good, too! Make sure you check in and see what you can win!
There will be prizes and tutorials from the participating blogs.

Rumor has it there's at least one Cricut Cartridge that will go to one lucky Blog Hopper! Maybe even more!!!!

I hope you will join us in celebrating the men, women, and their families and friends who help to make and keep our great Country The Land Of The Free! It is only because they are The Brave!
See You Thursday!
Until Then.....
Happy Crafting!
Colleen



Sunday, October 24, 2010

I'm A Color Me Copic Challenge Winner!

I am so excited that my card won a challenge!  Color Me Copic had a fabulous set of Elisabeth Bell stamps as the prize from the wonderful Susana's Custom Art and Card Design and I won them!
If you are looking for amazing stamps and supplies (think Viva Decor!) you have to check out Susana's store. She is a pleasure to shop with, you won't be disappointed.
No cards or projects today, just some cool news that I wanted to share with everyone!
Happy Crafting!
Colleen

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Tickled Pink's Birthday Bash!

Blog Candy From Tickled Pink

Just a quick note to remind everyone to stop by Tickled Pink for some awesome blog candy. I have to say, this is one of the nicest Shops on the web. The owner, Kellie, is fantastic to do business with, I love the collection of Stamps she sells. Her digis are fabulous and so unique.
Happy Blog-a-versary, Tickled Pink!
Happy Crafting!
Colleen

1 Card, 2 Challenges

Here are the two challenges Lil Lolita Challenge 19 (Skulls)
                                             Color Me Copic Challenge (clothing)
I have entered the card in.

I have been in challenge mode all week. I keep seeing these fabulous challenges around the blog world, and I entered a Color Me Copic  black and white challenge a couple of months back, and was just waiting for some free time to join another challenge. I love this image so much, I am entering my card into two challenges. First is the Lil Lolita Boutique Challenge. The challenge is to use Skulls on your project. I chose my Lil Haunts Ghost Willow from Tickled Pink Stamps for this challenge because she has a lovely skull necklace on, so she fit the challenge nicely!

 I used Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland and Spook Alley paper, Prima Flowers, and some Chenille Ribbon I got last year at Michael's Dollar Bin. I used the largest Label One Nestability with the Graphic 45 paper and die cut the green pumpkin background for Ghost Willow. The orange Spook Alley paper was embossed using a Tim Holtz Alterations large Checkerboard Texture Fade. I cut a green piece of DCWV cardstock and used my Martha Stewart Punch to create the border. I layered a few Prima flowers, then cut a skull from a piece of cardstock from Die Cut With A View Rockstar Paper with a small oval scalloped Nestability. I used that for the center of the flower. I added a few leaves from a Martha Stewart Punch and curled some wires for added interest. A matching Halloween sign die cut from Graphic 45 on the Chenille ribbon finished the card. I really wanted the image to be the focus of this card, so I tried to keep the embellies simple.

For the Color Me Copic Challenge I used the same colors on her dress as Elaine Hughes did for the clothing tutorial. YR0000, Y21, Y26, and Y28. These are not typical colors for me to use, but since I practiced Elaine's technique, I have been using them all over the place! They are on the cape of the Chrsitain Vamp from my previous post. These colors blend beautifully! For her skin, I went with E00, E01 and E93. RV06 is on her lips. Her hair is E07,  E08 and E09. Her eyeshadow color is N3. For some reason, I don't have her eye colors down. I think I may have used a couple of the YG colors. I really enjoyed this challenge. I have a new way to look at how I am coloring the clothing on my images.


If you haven't had a chance to visit either blog, you should. Color Me Copic has the best tutorials for Copics. I love visiting this blog for inspiration and education. Lil Lolita Boutique has the best catch phrase I have seen on a blog, it's Challenges For The Little "Quirky" That's In Us All. Don't you love that? Anyone who knows me, knows I have much "quirky" in me! Heck, I could be the Queen of Quirky!
The design teams at both blogs are amazing!

I don't usually start my posts with close ups, but I just love Ghost Willow so much, she gets a spotlight!
Here is the complete card.
My sweet hubby wasn't so sure about a flower with a skull center, he said there is no way to pretty up a skull. I don't know, what do you think of the flower?  Just for fun, here's a close up of it.
Thanks for coming by the blog today!
Happy Crafting!
Colleen

Sunday, October 17, 2010

He's Coming For Your Candy........

Look Out!!!! The Candy Fiend wants your candy!
Seriously, he loves candy.....

This is my card for Simply Betty Challenges On The Sixth Day Of Halloween. The challenge is to incorporate Jack O' Lanterns into the design. I used K & Co. and Spook Alley Halloween paper from last year's stash. The die cut pumpkins and the candy corn are also K & Company. I stamped two ghosts from a Studio G set, colored them with Copics and added some glitter to them using Diamond Glaze. The moon is cut from American Crafts Glitter paper and inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Spiced Marmalade. I love this image, he is Christian Vamp from Simply Betty Stamps for the Quirk In You
He is the digi stamp, but I have been thinking that I might really need the rubber versions of all the Simply Betty Emo Kids Halloween stamps. OK, I am laughing here......
I also colored him with Copics. The sentiment is from Kraftin' Kimmie's Halloween sentiments. It just suited him. Here is a close up of my favorite Vampire, sorry Edward Cullen fans!

I finally broke down and tried new cardstock. Christian Vamp is printed out from my computer on Cryogen White Iridescent paper from Paper Temptress
I think I have converted to the Paper Temptress ways! The paper was so smooth to color on and I loved the result. I found that I was blending my colors better on this paper.
To finish off my card, I added a black ribbon and for fun, I added the Halloween Treat basket for Christian to carry all the candy he steals from you on Halloween!!!!!
Thanks for looking at my card today!
Happy Crafting!
Colleen

Friday, October 15, 2010

A Think Pink Halloween Card

Best Witches!

I am entering WitchyPoo from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps in the challenge over at Karel's Blog. It's still October, so we need to keep reminding women that we need to take care of ourselves and get our mammograms. Karel's challenge is to make a Halloween card in Pink. I used Tim Holtz Vintage cardstock for the background. Isn't that paper just fabulous!? I also used a Tim Holtz Odds and Ends Halloween Ticket stamp for an embellie. I love how smooth these images stamp. I picked up the set from Inspiration Emporium. They carry pretty much everything Tim Holtz there and lots of other great items too! I used a Prima Flower and some balck velvet ribbon. I cut the heart from black cardstock with a Nestability and ran it through the cuttlebug with a the swirls embossing folder. Some Basic Grey pink bling and a pink velvet ribbon finished the card. Here's a look at the inside of the card.
I am pretty sure Karel will be putting the cards up for voting some time today, October 15th. Why not stop by her blog and cast your vote? There are some wonderful Pink Halloween projects in this contest! It's all fun for a great cause. Today started the 3 day walk in Philly, and I hope everyone takes a moment to think about all the woman we love.

I have several members of my family that have fought this battle.

My beloved Aunt, she was consumed by several cancers, including breast cancer. For her, it started as Kidney cancer and metastasized throughout her body. She was a brilliant, stubborn woman. Sadly, she was a woman that wouldn't go for regular check ups. She died for no good reason. It's painful to think that I could still have her in my life today, if she would have just gone for regular check ups. Please learn from her mistakes, I know I have. I lost her a year and a half ago, and I miss her so.

Then, there is my Grandma. She was a force of nature. She fought a good fight and survived well over 10 years. She was my husband's maternal Grandmother, but she was my Grandmother, too. We shared so much over the 25 years I was blessed to have her in my life. I am so proud to have been her Granddaughter and her friend. She never complained about her plight, she just did what she had to do. She was an inspiration to all of us in the family. She was never afraid, and I still don't know how that was possible, she was truly amazing in the face of breast cancer, and later, bone cancer. She was loving, funny and sometimes even exacerbating, but I still think of her and miss her everyday.

There are other woman in my life who have battled Breast Cancer.
 Mary C, whom I admire for her strength and tenacity in the face of Breast Cancer. She continues to be a survivor and enjoying her life.

Visit Susan G. Komen for education and information.

Thanks for dropping by today!
Happy Crafting!
Colleen