Kitchen Sink - Almost Here!!!

Are you ready??? The release is November 1st!!

The release is 4 new Holiday Stamp Sets from Kitchen Sink Stamps! Look for the banner ad on Thursday, November 1st at Splitcoaststampers. You can purchase the new stamps and get a 15% discount!!!

So exciting!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

Scrappy Card

So... I'm trying to branch out a bit more in my creations. Do you ever feel like you are in a rut? That's not exactly the right word to use, but I definitely wanted to try something different.

With that said, I thought I'd try my hand at a "scrappy" card. It's out of my norm, that's for sure! It took me a bit longer to make than it should have... I really had to think about HOW to make a card like this.

So... enough blathering...

Different that the normal me, right?

But boy, was this fun!!!! I really enjoyed putting this together. The fun bit about the card was the designer paper. It was part of an adhesive matte pack. I stamped on the scrap mattes, peeled the backing and stuck to the card base. Talk about COOL!

I could get used to this!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

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Supplies:

Stamps: Pretty Birds

Paper: Prism Intense Pink, Autumn Leaves Splendor Adhesive Mat pack

Ink: Brilliance pigment ink in Coffee Brown,Tim Holtz Distress ink in Antique linen

Accessories: Copic markers (light colors laid down first and colored pencils over for shading), colored pencils, prima flowers and Swarovski crystals

Christmas Stamping

It's one of those things that I think I'm going to 'neak up on (as my Dad likes to say - rather than sneak). I need to make my Christmas cards - all 100 of them. I've yet to design them.

But, I've been stamping a Christmas card here and there... hence, I'm sneaking up on the total. I'll get there... Never fear.

So, here are two that I created this weekend. I love designer paper - so that was the basis of the designs:

The picture doesn't really do this card justice. The main image was stamped on Poison Ivory cardstock with Brilliance Coffee bean ink, colored with copic markers, and cut out with a Nestabilities scallop die. While the die was in place, I sponged Creamy Caramel ink around the tree for a sepia tone. The designer paper is Basic Grey Fruitcake paper and is stitched together. It's all layered on a cardbase of Prism Desert Coral Dark paper, which is a rich earthy color - and not really a traditional Christmas color. Topping it all off is a K-ology metal brad.

My second card is similar in colors with a ruby card base, olive matte and caramel brown around the sentiment. Maybe the beautiful Autumn colors in St. Louis were coloring my theme!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

Sorry I've been so quiet...

I've been a bad blogger lately. But, I have a good excuse... I've been stamping. I hope to be able to share a few things with you soon. In the meantime, I do have a quick card that I thought I'd share with you.

I made this for my niece's birthday last week. It took me 10 minutes to make. Thank goodness! I was running late and didn't have a ton of time. I find this really ironic. I will spend hours on detailed projects and not have more than 10 minutes to make someone a card in my family. Sheesh! Reminds me of the old saying about a Doctor's family always being sick and a Cobbler's son without shoes.

Anyway...

Here's the card:

It was a quick card with a Close to Cocoa base, Pretty in Pink scalloped circle and the Missy B's puppy on a large circle, colored with Copics.

Alice (my niece) turned 3. Isn't she an angel? Or maybe I should say Princess... She's a doll!

Anyway, I promise to have another post for you with new CHF stamps (new to me anyway).

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

My First Kincaid Image

I have always loved the detail in Thomas Kincaid's paintings. The soft colors convey a feeling of home and happiness. Capturing emotion is a skill for true artists. Thomas Kincaid has this gift.

Cornish Heritage Farms is the exclusive supplier and creator of the line of TK rubber stamps ---> HERE. They are truly gorgeous! The right level of detail has been translated into rubber stamps for papercrafters of all skills.

I finally decided to purchase one of these stamps and created my first card. This is a simple layout.

I colored the main image with Copic markers. In all, I think the portion of the Foxglove Cottage (in the oval) took me about 7 minutes to color. The inked image makes it easy to color, since you don't have to worry about highlights and shadows. Layer colors to get depth, in the instance of the natural stone of the cottage.

Here's a close up:

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

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Supplies:

Stamps: Thanks a Bunch, Cheesecloth Backgrounder, and Thomas Kincaid Foxglove Cottage
Paper: white cardstock, Prism textured cardstock in Nautical Blue Light (B053-D) and Medium (B052-E)
Ink: Pitchblack Adirondack by Ranger, Yellow ochre and Baby blue Colorbox Queue chalk inks
Accessories: Copic markers and spica pens, Nestabilities, hardware and yellow grosgrain ribbon.

Fall Flowers - Take Two!

When toying with the layout and design for the tutorial card, I created an extra central image. Not wanting a perfectly good image go homeless (hah!), I created this quick card.

The daisy Jar is colored with the same inks as outlined in the tutorial - and pictured below:

The inspiration was the prima pictured. I didn't use it in the original card, but thought it was perfect on this one... almost looks like the flower fell out of the daisy jar.

The central matte was stitched to the larger background and a ring of gold satin cord was added. A fast and Fall card...


Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa
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Supplies:
Stamps: Daisy Jar
Paper: Prism cardstock and Poison Ivory
Ink: Tsukineko Brilliance Coffee Bean ink
Accessories: Copic markers, see technique for the picture of the various colors used, brads, gold satin cord, paper flower, sewing machine and thread

Exciting News!

I'm thrilled to have been asked to be a visiting crew member to Kitchen Sink Stamps. It's a new company that specializes clear stamps with detail being the cornerstone.



The announcement on the Sink News is HERE! These ladies are celebrity chefs, indeed!!!


Kitchen Sink Crew
Paula Bloom
Nicole Cooke
Tracy Durcan
Tammy Hershberger
Erika Martin
Julie Masse
Sarah Moore
Rebecca Oehlers
Lori Tecler
Jan Tinklenberg


Visiting Crew Members
Dee Jackson
Rachel Shirk
Beth Silaika
Lisa Silver

As a visitor, I'll be headed to the Kitchen to cook up a few designs as needed. But, be prepared to wait in line for what the KS Crew is serving!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

Tutorial Link

Hello! I thought I'd share this link with you. I created a tutorial, which is posted on Cornish Heritage Farm's forum, for Coloring with Copic Markers --> HERE.

I can't claim to be an expert with Copic markers, but I've learned a great deal through trial and error. OK, lots of error. I was really frustrated in the beginning with my results, but stuck with it, did a lot of research on-line, and found that they are an amazing tool.

Will you be a pro in a day or after reading the outline above? No. But, I hope you feel like you have the information you need to begin using the markers for better results.

The card I created while outlining the steps was so much fun:
My inspiration was the Prima I found in my stash - the perfect Autumn colors!

If you were inspired to create something using Copic markers from seeing this post or tutorial, please link it here. I'd love to see what you're doing!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

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Supplies:

Stamps: Daisy Jar, Cheesecloth Backgrounder, Sunny Days

Paper: Prism cardstock and Poison Ivory

Ink: Tsukineko Brilliance Coffee Bean ink

Accessories: Copic markers, see technique for the picture of the various colors used, brads, grosgrain ribbon

Challenge is a good thing...

I finally had a few minutes to stamp and thought I'd look for some inspiration. I found it in a newsletter from Splitcoast on the Technique of the week - Spotlighting. The link is active to the resource page.

This is a very classy technique. It can look ultra-modern or simple. I'd never tried the technique, but thought it would be perfect for a fast card.

Here's my card:

You can use a punch to highlight the colored portion (achieve the spotlight), but I chose to make this into a metal edge tag. I stamped the image twice, trimmed a circle with the template provided, fit it into an empty Making Memories rim, and pinched to create a tag. It correlates well with the pewter brads.

Below is a close up of the image (colored with copic markers):

I'm really happy with how this card completed.

I'd love to see if you create a Spotlight card. Please add a link to your samples in the comment section.

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

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Supplies:
Stamps: Irises by CHF
Paper: Grey, lavender, dark lavender and GP white cardstock, lavender DP, black
Ink: Pitchblack by Adirondack, lavender
Accessories: sewing machine and thread, dark silver brads, dark silver MM tag rim and MM tagmaker, distressing tool, Copic markers (YG95-Pale Olive, G99-Olive, BV02-Prune, BV000-Iridescent Mauve, V17-Amethyst, C1-Cool Gray)
Techniques: Spotlight

Sketch Challenge

Hi everyone!

It seems like forever since I posted anything on my blog... so I apologize. I had to travel earlier this week to lovely Princeton, NJ (for work). I was fighting a cold and had to uber-medicate in order to be able to give my presentation. It was brutal.

But, I'm feeling better tonight and actually put ink to paper! It's been even longer since I've done the SCS Sketch Challenge. FOREVER, I tell you...

The sketch is a simple one. Click this link for the LAYOUT.

So, without more yammering from me, here's the card I created.

The card base is Poison Ivory cardstock. The mattes are Prism cardstock. I have to say, I'm a cardstock snob. I like high quality... and this paper IS. It's textured on one side and smooth on the other. Absolutely gorgeous! The Daisy Jar was stamped with Adirondack Pitch Black and the image was colored with Copics.

Overall, it's a simple card, but I love the colors and how the main image can be the focus.

Additional details to the sketch are HERE (click the link to head to my SCS gallery).

Thanks for stopping by!

Lisa

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Supplies:
Stamps: Daisy Jar and Paisley Backgrounder by CHF
Paper: Poison Ivory, Prism Mystic Medium (B464-E) and Mystic Dark (B-368-E)
Ink: Pitch black by Adirondack, light blue and navy ink
Accessories: Silver brads, organdy ribbon in cream and navy, sewing machine and thread, Copic markers (B95-Light Grayish blue, B97-Night Blue, B99-Agate, V09-Violet, C1 and C3- Cool Grays)

Sunny Days

I posted this a couple of weeks ago to a gallery and forgot to post it here... so you get a fresh card because I've been asleep at the wheel. LOL!

This was actually a fairly quick card. I used a light teal paper with blue green and grass green as accent colors. The stamps are all CHF (Sunny Days, Apple Tree, and Rice Paper Backgrounder). I colored the image in with copic markers, blending edges to create light and dark areas. A quick addition of a few brads and the sentiment tag and the card is complete.

The weather in St. Louis is so beautiful right now... cool evenings and moderate temps each day (a high of 72F). You can't help but be happy with the weather as pretty as it is...

May you have a beautiful weekend too... I wish you Sunny Days.

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

Asela's Release is HERE!

Are you as excited as I am right now?!?!? These Christmas stamps are darling and fun! Check out Cornish Heritage Farm's site tonight after 9 pm MT for the complete list.

And don't forget there is a gallery from all the Design Team for inspiration on the entire line. Very cool feature about CHF... they are completely about education!

I've made a couple other cards to highlight the fun images and wanted to share them with you here...

This card is a fast one with non-traditional Christmas colors. Grass green and dark pink isn't screaming Christmas to me, but I liked the contrast. And the twill tapes are lighter shades of both... a perfect pairing.

Sidenote: One thing I should mention is how crisp they stamp. I admit it... I'm a stamp snob. I like high quality product. And these rubber stamps fit the bill. The words come out perfectly every time. Made in deeply etched rubber, the images always stamp cleanly.

This next card just makes me chuckle! Fishy Christmas!!! I used the Cheesecloth backgrounder for a net to wheel this little guy in. LOL!!

One quick note about how the fish was colored... I used copic markers for the media and dotted the color on. I added layers of dots to give shading and the illusion of the scales of the fish. Very fun!

Thanks for stopping by... and don't forget to take a look at CHF for the fun Christmas stamps available tonight. Perfect timing for holiday card making. Boy... do I need to get cracking!

Lisa

Wow... Contest winner

I was surprised to see on the Verve Visual blog that a card I'd submitted won! I was shocked!!!

This is the card I'd posted for the Best Use of Thoughtful Phrases entry:

So exciting! Julee sent me a lovely package. The best part was her card. I now own a Julee Tilman Original!!!

Thanks!

Lisa

Christmas Sneak Peek

I'm so excited to be part of Cornish Heritage Farms team. The talented team and stamp artists are amazing! I consider myself very lucky!

This post is a sneak peek of another fantastic release... soon to be out...

Asela Hopkins is the crafty artist this time, with several Christmas images in her new collection to get you in the holiday card frame of mind. I decided to make a gift box with her Sledding Snowman image.

I stamped the snowman and colored with Copic markers. The green flap was stamped with the Rice Paper backgrounder from CHF and embellished with a red stamped ribbon from CHF's ribbon set.

Here's a close-up of the stamped image...

I added Liquid Applique to the snow flakes and heat set to puff.

Are you ready for Christmas? No??? Well, neither am I. But, I'm ready for this release. Keep your eyes open for the CHF releases this week. Good stuff!

Thanks,
Lisa

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Supplies:

Stamps (all CHF): Sledding Snowman (To Be Released), Rice Paper Backgrounder, Ribbons Set
Paper: tan, green, red, white
Ink: tan, green, red, black
Embellishments: tan twill tape, large eyelets, Velcro, Liquid applique, sponges

Thinking Pink

Breast cancer has touched all of us at some point in our lives. Aunts, mothers, sisters, coworkers and friends... We can never become complacent in our efforts of finding a cure. No one should have to suffer.

I made the following gift set for a friend (and former supervisor) who is battling breast cancer for the second time in her young life. She is a strong person to fight... and I'm proud to have worked with her. I hope this gives her a smile to know we are all thinking and praying for her...

The card is simple with no message in the inside... plenty of room for her team to sign their well-wishes...

To go with the card is a small tent card with earrings made from the Awareness ribbon from the CHF Ribbons set. I stamped the ribbon on shrink film and heat until complete. I made a matching necklace as well...

I hope she'll like this set and feel that she has support and love to help her through her journey.

Thanks,

Lisa

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Supplies:

Stamps: Ribbons, Paisley Backgrounder

Ink: Pink, grey, blackCardstock: pink, dark pink, grey, white

Embellishments: paper crimper, scallop punch, silver brads, coluzzle, earring findings, leather strapping, beads, Copics, dimensional tape, ribbon

I'm Home!

Hi everyone!

I've been MIA so long, it seems. I returned from my business trip in Milan and have spent much of the weekend catching up on things around the house (laundry, dusting...), some stamping, and much needed sleep. I averaged 18 hour work days. Brutal. My feet were killing me from the long hours in dress shoes on a convention hall floor - basically concrete.

But, it wasn't all work. We had customer events that we attended. Long, leisurely dinners that were purely wonderful. I did have some meetings canceled on the first day I arrived and had time to shop downtown in the Milan city center. That was FUN!

A couple pictures...

This first one is of the cathedral of Milan (also known as the Duomo di Milano). It's construction began in 1386 and is a stunning example of detailed architecture. I was in awe standing next to it! I believe you can climb to the top and stand on the roof of the building to see the stunning views. I didn't have time (or the energy, quite frankly). I understand you can see the Alps on a clear day.

And this picture... yes... it's Prada, ladies. It's a bit of modern in the midst of history. I went in, because one has to say they shopped at Prada in Milan, right? And was amazed at the prices. A very small clutch was Euro 600!!! Brutal!!! The only shopping I could afford in Milan was window shopping. LOL!

So, now that I'm home, I'll be posting project pictures again. I've been creating a bit this weekend and will have something to share soon.

Thanks!

Lisa

BTW - I hope you had a great time on the CHF Treasure hunt! Aren't the new sets amazing? I'll post links tomorrow to the new sets. And there's more to come.

The winner for my mini treasure was:

Love your card & the stamp set!! The stamps
are super cute!! Having a blast on the treasure hunt!

Smiles!

Heidi

Heidi, you'll be contacted by the team with details on how to collect your Summer Fun.

Thanks everyone!

Lisa

Grand CHF Treasure Hunt!!!

Things have cooled down a bit lately here in MO…you have reached the ELEVENTH PLACE ON THE MAP! (If you did not start at the CHF BLOG please go there before following to the next link because you will not want to miss out on any of your chances to win “mini treasures” or any of the CLUE WORDS necessary to be eligible to win the GRAND TREASURE.)

We wanted to warm things up a bit for you and so Kim has designed a superb set that is sized perfectly for using either on your scrapbook pages or on your cards!

This set Summer Fun is just filled with all sorts of summer time images that you just can’t help but love!

And today I get to choose one lucky person to win this “mini treasure”. If you will leave me a comment below with your name and email address you will be entered in a drawing to win the Summer Fun Stamp set! Winners will be notified via email so please be sure to leave your email in the comments section! Once you have left your comment below to be entered in the drawing for the sixth “mini treasure” you are going to have to head on over to see the sample that Design Team Member Kristine Reynolds has waiting for you to find! It is a treasure in itself!!!

But you may also want to check it out so you make sure you have all the CLUE WORDS you will need to be eligible for the drawing for the GRAND TREASURE!



Thanks for stopping by and good luck! Don't forget to leave a comment below!

Lisa