Tuesday, August 31, 2010

NEW DIGITAL DOWNLOADS FOR MY DIGITAL STUDIO

NEW DIGITAL DOWNLOADS FOR MY DIGITAL STUDIO

August 31, 2010Our latest and greatest digital downloads are here!
ItemDescriptionImagePrice
122156MDS DWNLDA
TAFFETA
RIBBON
COLOR PACK
  $4.95
 122158MDS DWNLDA
CROCHET
TRIM RIBBON
PACK
  $1.95
 122163MDS DWNLDA
VINTAGE
TRINKETS PACK
  $1.95
 122164MDS DWNLDA
ANTIQUE
BRADS PACK
  $1.95



The Scallop Card


**I  am on a ProvoCraft/Cricut Boycott! They won't get another dime from me!  Got a Cricut? Well use it! Don't have one yet? Consider a different  machine!! Click here for more details about my boycott and how I got here!! You can join the boycott too!**


Hi everyone!  Here are the scallop card details for you! Remember to play along with the SP Color Combo this week.  Oh, and starting in September, I am going to start SP Christmas Combos!! WAHOO! I have some good ones planned for you. The Christmas Combos will be just for run, but I will feature some of the participants' projects on my blog!


This card is one of my favorites lately. I am very pleased with how it turned out.  I love the Wish Big sentiment, which is from the Stampin' UP Word Play stamp set.

The scallop card shape was cut from the Cricut Wild Card cartridge. Then the circles were cut with the Accent Essentials cartridge.

The circle patterned paper is from the Stampin' UP Level 1 In Color Patterns paper pack. This is the hostess set patterns pack.

All the papers are from Stampin' UP except, the cream. This is Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream. I really liked the texture of the soft cream against the bright colors on my card.




Another Short Novel

Hey everyone!! I decided to wait until today to post my SPCC scallop card (which is coming up after this)  because yesterday was a long and excitement filled day. I came home exhausted and went to bed early! LOL

My project details will be posted in just a few, but first I want to tell you about my first day of graphic design school! My schedule actually changes EVERYday so it is going to be an interesting semester, but it is off to a wonderful start! Yesterday I had a total of 4 classes with about an hour and a half break between the third and last class. And on Tuesdays (today), I  have only one class at the big university.

So my day yesterday started out with my first three classes, Intro to Mac (learning how to use the Mac itself, CS5 Photoshop, CS5 Illustrator, and CS5 InDesign), Design Fundamentals, and Photography. All three are going to be tough courses (I am basically laying my design foundation and learning how to do my  graphic design portfolio) but I am going to learn SOOOOOOO much. I know they are going to be great classes. I already like my professors and I can't wait to get started learning everything I need to know. I am really going to have fun with these!

THEN I had a pretty big break, so I came home (the community college is about 20 minutes away from my home) so I could let the doggies go potty outside. Now usually, my mother is home, but my grandma has been really sick so she is in TX with her. The doggies are usually never left alone for more than an hour or two EVER and some days they are with someone at home every hour in the day, between mom, Johnny, and me. We don't like leaving them alone, even though they have each other. It is just not what we do.  Anyway, so with my mom gone, I had been really anxious about leaving them alone all morning so I rushed home and let them go potty and give them some loving.

This is where my day got really LONG!!! LOL  Right after I let the girls out in the back yard, I noticed little Emma had chewed her own hair off of a about a 3 inch patch on her back, right above her tail!!! I mean she chewed it down to the skin and the skin was all puffy and red and raw looking, it was awful!! I of course panic because I knew immediately that this was pretty serious and called the vet to set up an emergency appointment. Emma is the puppy and I couldn't bear to see her hurting. As you loyal readers already know, she has had it so rough in her young life. I had a sneaking suspicion that she got into some poison ivy (my fiance and I had been working in the yard over the weekend to get rid of it because Emma likes to roll around in the grass and we watched her rub up against it before).  Well it turns out, she did have an allergic reaction to poison ivy and so we got some cream and a cone fitted around her head so I could go to my last class.

After all was said and done, I had to rush home and drop her off and then rush back to school for my last class, which I was almost 10 minutes late for! WHEW! My fiance rushed home from his last class with some Benadryl for our little baby and took the cone off of her head.

Now, my last class of the day is a drawing class. It is going to be one of my favorite things because of my history with art, which I will go into for you. During elementary school up through high school, I took lots of fine arts classes (mostly acrylic painting classes, but I took classes in other various things too like ceramics, sculpture, pastels, watercoloring). When I was  younger, I wanted to be an artist up until about the second grade when a family friend (who was a professional artist, a painter) told me, "You really don't wait to be an artist, there is no money in it" and she always tried to discourage me from the fine arts. I really took what she had said to heart, and I got into the mindset that I would have to be absolutely crazy to become an artist (ironic, huh?!) So I still took the classes and enjoyed it as a hobby, but definitely didn't consider trying to make a career out of it!! I've always kept some supplies on hand and loved to sketch and doodle.

That finally brings me back to the drawing class. The whole time he was telling us about the class and the materials we would be using, he had my attention 150%. I rushed across town to the art shop he recommended going to and when I got there, it was AMAZING!! I had never seen anything like it! They had pens, pencils, chalks, pigments, inks, paints, a wall of COPICS, tons of various specialty papers, painting supplies, just everything.  The lady who was helping me got me everything off my list that I needed and almost $130 later, I was out the door with tons of supplies.

And today, Emma is doing much better. She does not like the cream, but it is helping her not to scratch. She is definitely getting babied a lot more than usual though (she's already pretty spoiled to begin with, he he he).





Monday, August 30, 2010

SPCC Winner #62

Time for our Winner's Circle this week!  I apologize for it not being earlier today, but between my computer and Blogger, nothing was cooperating and I kept crashing!  Not fun, but finally it is working for me know!

Our Winner for SPCC #62 is...Crystal!
We love this layout and all the different elements, including that cool little banner!
Congratulations, Crystal!!


Please email me your mailing address so I can get your prize out to you!

And our lucky top 5 are below (in random order):

Judy

Jessica L.

Michelle

Stephanie Gruss


Leanne Elliott



Congratulations, ladies!




SP Color Combo #63

Good morning everyone!! I hope that you are having a lovely Monday. My Monday couldn't be off to a better start! Today is the first day of graphic design classes for me!! I am really excited to dive into the world of graphic design.

So, I have a color combo challenge for you today. . . this one is ultra bright and I am totally loving it. I have an idea for a scrapbook page if I can squeeze it in this week. I hope you will give this one a try and show us what you made!

Now I don't mean to brag, BUT the SP Design Divas did OUTSTANDING this week on their sample projects!! They are stunning this week!

Here is your SPCC #63:


Use this color combo for your project -be it a card, scrapbook LO, 3D or altered item. You do NOT have to use Stampin' UP brand colors or products, but you do have to use colors close to these colors.

Entries are due on Sunday, September 5th at 3PM EST. Next Monday, we will showcase the winner and the SP Top Five.

This week's prize is a mystery prize pack!! I have a lot of goodies in my giveaway box and so I am going to just pull out a bunch of goodies for this week's winner! In order to be in the runnings, simply link your project below!

Jenny


Linda (she made two gorgeous cards this week)



Lori


Calypso


And finally, here is my project:
(Details on my card will come later today)


To enter this week's challenge: 

add a DIRECT link to your blog post below in the inlinkz widget! Please provide the DIRECT link to your project entry! YOU DO NOT have to have a blog to play along. Feel free to upload your project to the SP Gallery here!

To get your direct link, on your blog click on the title of your blog post about this weeks SPCC and copy the URL from the text box at the top of your browser. It should be your blog address followed by a bunch of extra information. To copy the URL, highlight the long address and press Control (CTRL) + C on your keyboard. Then on the SPCC blog, go to Mr. Linky and type your name. Put your cursor where it says URL and then hit CTRL + V. Now you should have the direct link. Then submit it!











Sunday, August 29, 2010

Better Late Than Never?

Hi everyone! Today I have a last minute project for this week's SPCC challenge. Remember you can always click on the button in the left sidebar to get to the current SP Color Challenge. Make sure to check out SPCC #62 soon because it ends at 3PM EST which is not very long from now.

My project for SPCC #62 is this:


You will notice that when you look at the Stampin' With Sami shopping list below, the shopping list is a mile long. That is because I used sooo many different coloring tools for this card. I used the ink pads for watercoloring and then I used the markers for the sentiment. It was a lot of coloring tools.

The Wish BIG stamp is from the Stampin' UP Word Play stamp set. This is a really fun stamp set. I just love typography so this set really tickles my fancy :O)

And the sailboat is from the Stampin' UP Uncharted Territory stamp set. This set is one of my absolute favorites because I LOVE LOVE LOVE lighthouses. I have an idea in my head about how my future home will be decorated (when Johnny and I purchase our first home). It is going to be the light and airy, by the sea type of atmosphere with lighthouse paintings everywhere. I love the cool blues and white washed look.

On the card, you will also notice I used some of my favorite ribbon - the Satin Ribbon in Very Vanilla. I just love the satin sheen. And I also used the new larger scallop circle punch. Notice how the two sizes of scallop circle punches nest together nicely!




Saturday, August 28, 2010

Boom Boom Pow Layout


**I  am on a ProvoCraft/Cricut Boycott! They won't get another dime from me!  Got a Cricut? Well use it! Don't have one yet? Consider a different  machine!! Click here for more details about my boycott and how I got here!! You can join the boycott too!**


Hi everyone!! We're about to go out to eat (eating out is a special event for us, we only go out once every one to two weeks, usually we cook at home. Yeah, I am weird like that!!) so I am going to zip through the details.

Today, I am continuing my super hero projects, but rather than using the Cricut Superman cartridge, I used the Cricut Batman cartridge. Both of these cartridges are so great, even if you aren't excited about the super heroes themselves. There are plenty of awesome boyish/teen shapes on these cartridges that work perfectly without being specifically super hero themed.


This layout was inspired by the Black Eyed Peas song Boom Boom Pow! LOL  I thought it was appropriate with the photo of Johnny playing is drums when he was younger.

The title, arrow, and journaling shape were all cut from the Cricut Batman cartridge.

The arrow and "Pow" were cut from Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, and Real Red Stampin' UP Cardstock.

The journaling shape was cut from Whisper White and Marina Mist cardstock.

The Boom's were cut from Basic Black, Green Galore (retired), Gable Green (retired), Bashful Blue, and Marina Mist cardstock.

The patterned paper is from the American Crafts Travel collection. I matted the patterned paper onto Real Red cardstock. The background cardstock is Bashful Blue, and the photo was matted onto Green Galore cardstock (retired).

Here are some close up shots:










Friday, August 27, 2010

Eat Power! Layout



**I  am on a ProvoCraft/Cricut Boycott! They won't get another dime from me!  Got a Cricut? Well use it! Don't have one yet? Consider a different  machine!! Click here for more details about my boycott and how I got here!! You can join the boycott too!**


Hey everyone!!

This layout was inspired by the Superman Cricut Cartridge. I got this cartridge because I loved the font and the fun boyish shapes on the cartridge. LOVE the word bubbles especially!

I thought these shapes were appropriate with my fiance's super eating power photo! LOL He definitely can scarf down a meatball sub (this one in the photo happened to be made with homemade meatballs, yum!).


All the patterned paper and cardstock are from Stampin' UP. The patterned paper is from the Celebration paper pack.

Some closeup shots:








iCopic Color Challenge #2

Hey everyone!! Hope you are having a lovely Friday! Did you know that your computer keyboard has more germs on it than your toilet??!?!  Crazy huh? (I just learned that on the Dr. Oz show).  That is your Fun Friday Fact :O)

Today, I wanted to share a lovely card I put together for the iCopic Color Challenge #2. This is a fun and bright color challenge. Make sure to head over to the iCopic blog and play along because you could win COPIC MARKERS! Wahoo!

For my card, I used the following Copic colors: E00, E21, R27, Y11, Y15, and Y17.

All my paper is Stampin' UP (Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red and Regals Patterns Pack) except the paper I used to stamp the lady on. That paper is the new Copic Xpress-It cardstock that was made for coloring with Copic markers.

Do you like the waves I made? I made those with the Scallop Edge border punch and Pacific Point ink sponged on with a sponge dauber.

Here is the color combo and the prize:














Thursday, August 26, 2010

Watercoloring Fun at SPU

Hey everyone!! So I am sure you are all wondering where I went yesterday. . . let me tell you about it! I got an absolutely killer migraine and I was in the bed! It was so surprising because I haven't had a full blown migraine like that in months and months. This one was the worst one I have had since I started the Botox treatments over nine months ago.  While I am so very thankful that I have been nearly migraine free the past nine months, migraines are still bound to happen every once in a while. . . anyway, it was still lingering for most of today, no fun!!

I don't have a project for you all today because I was working on videos for SP University!!! Yep, that is right, my SP University students get their very special video tutorials!! My awesome students are going to learn SO MUCH! It is very exciting.

Today, my video was about watercoloring. I showed the SP University students how I colored this beauty:


I have had many requests for water-based ink coloring techniques and for the next week or so, SP University is all about watercoloring. Be sure to sign up today so you get to learn :O) SP University members get private access to bunches of tutorials and ideas, and I will continue to update with even more.







Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I'm Certified!

Hey everyone!!

I had one of the best days yesterday! I got my Copic Certification and it was absolutely awesome! I still feel on top of the world!! I learned so much that it was almost overwhelming at times. These little markers can do sooooo much and I really had no idea how amazing they are until my class yesterday. My eyes have truly been opened to the magic of the marker! LOL


Now I can proudly put this little button in my blog sidebar! WAHOOOOO!!

Anyway today, I just wanted to tell you a little about the Copic Certification class for those who are interested in Copics. The certification class is an all day class. There were about 25 of us in the class, but the instructor (Colleen) said that our class was bigger than she was used to teaching.

For the first half of the day, she goes over all of the basics, from what papers to use, inks, color chart, surfaces you can color on, mixing mediums, and the Copic product line. There was a lot of info to cover but this info was really helpful. I *thought* I knew the basics, but I was very mistaken!! I learned a tremendous amount in this part of the class.

Then, we learned 4 basic coloring techniques and Colleen gave us some alternate ideas for coloring also. Again, I *thought* I knew how to color, but I was really given a lot more techniques to use! We got a chance to try out each technique and it was really eye opening!

We ended the day learning the airbrush system. OMGOSH it is the coolest thing ever!! I am in LOVE with it.

All in all, I am so pleased with the class and would recommend it to anyone interested in Copics! It was some of the best money I have ever spent!!! If you are interested in becoming  Copic certified, you can visit the website by clicking here.


THIS WEEK AT SP:
So I have quite a bit I am working on behind the scenes this week, I have to mail out tons of prizes, I need to shovel off my scrappy table (I can't even see it at this point! LOL), it is my first full week back to college, and I am working on some ultra top secret scrappy things.  At SPU, my lovely students will be learning some fun watercoloring techniques using the Aqua Painter!! I have a painting background so the aqua painter is one of my faves! Have you checked out SPU yet? Make sure you do!!

This week will be a little quiet around here, but stay tuned for some lovely projects. I have quite a few projects laying on my desk that need to be photographed.




Monday, August 23, 2010

SPCC #62

Hi everyone!! I hope you are having a lovely Monday!! Today is a very special day for me because I am going to be Copic Certified today! WAHOO!  You know how much I love my Copics and now I am going to be a "pro" with them LOL. . . ok maybe not a pro, but at least much improved!! :O)

So today, I have pre-scheduled the lovely SP Color Combo Challenge for you. I can't wait to see what you make this week! Here is SPCC #62:

Use this color combo for your project -be it a card, scrapbook LO, 3D or altered item. You do NOT have to use Stampin' UP brand colors or products, but you do have to use colors close to these colors.

Entries are due on Sunday, August 29th at 3PM EST. Next Monday, we will showcase the winner and the SP Top Five.

This week's prize is a mystery prize pack!! I have a lot of goodies in my giveaway box and so I am going to just pull out a bunch of goodies for this week's winner! In order to be in the runnings, simply link your project below!

And here are some sample projects from the wonderful SP Design Divas!
Linda


Calypso


Lori

To enter this week's challenge:

add a DIRECT link to your blog post below in the inlinkz widget! Please provide the DIRECT link to your project entry! YOU DO NOT have to have a blog to play along. Feel free to upload your project to the SP Gallery here!

To get your direct link, on your blog click on the title of your blog post about this weeks SPCC and copy the URL from the text box at the top of your browser. It should be your blog address followed by a bunch of extra information. To copy the URL, highlight the long address and press Control (CTRL) + C on your keyboard. Then on the SPCC blog, go to Mr. Linky and type your name. Put your cursor where it says URL and then hit CTRL + V. Now you should have the direct link. Then submit it!




SPCC #61 Winner

Time for our Winner's Circle this week!

Our Winner for SPCC #61 is...Lisa Cook!

We love Lisa's Back to School Bookmark!  What a cute owl!!!  Congratulations, Lisa!


Please email me your mailing address so I can get your prize out to you!

And our lucky top 5 are below (in random order):

Patti G.


Lisa Pretto



Lulu


Shannon


Marianne


Congratulations, ladies!




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