KLM Tall Tea Set

Today I am featuring this wonderful KLM Designs Tall Tea Set image!

I have been drinking hot tea a lot this winter - it's a refreshing treat on a cold winter day - so I was immediately drawn to this tea set when I first saw it. I colored it with my Copic markers and thought it was warm and inviting.

Then I started creating my card and decided I wanted a little bit different look to the image. Not a problem, even with digitals.

I cut the tea pot into a block and then cropped/cut the two mugs separately so they could be overlapped and popped up off of the teapot. I love the dimension this created to my card.



You may notice that the table-line is extended on the altered version. I did that with my Copic multi-liner pen. It was not at all difficult.

I'm including two more pictures that show both of the colored images so you can see what a difference this one small touch made in the overall look.




It is fun to think outside the box when using digitals.


The button I used is a recycled one - it came off of a worn out piece of clothing - so this card fits this week's Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge. KLM is the challenge sponsor this week and is offering a prize of 3 digital images.

Oh, and one more thing... that gorgeous flower? I airbrushed it with two colors at the Copic Certification class I took on Saturday. Isn't it pretty?




Image: KLM Tall Tea Set
Ink: Copic markers
Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Crushed Curry, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red
Designer Paper: from my scrap file
Embellishments: Recollections teeny tiny brads, Prima flower, Stampin' UP! Crushed Curry Polka Dot ribbon, and a button

Making a Scene for the Squigglefly Challenge

This week's Squigglefly Challenge is to create a scene!

No, not in public... on your card!

I hope you'll play along with this challenge. You can find all the details (and some incredible samples by the Design Team) on the Squigglefly Challenge Blog. The challenge started on Monday, but you still have a few more days to create a scene and link it to the Squigglefly Challenge Blog. Who knows, YOU might be the one who wins the challenge. The prize is a free Squigglefly image.

I created a night scene, complete with a full moon, a tree and the adorable Squigglefly Wise Owl image.

I cut out the owl image and added some dimension by popping the owl's eyes and some of the leaves up off of the main image. I chose not to use any embellishments on this card (I can't tell you the last time I did that). That was a challenge for me, but I think it worked okay. LOL!

It was a lot of fun to create a scene! Won't you create one, too?

Image: Squigglefly Wise Owl

Ink: Copic markers

Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, and Summer Sun

Designer Paper: from my scrap file

Tulip Window

Sew Many Cards is proud to have KLM Designs as a sponsor this month.

I am especially excited about this because I am privileged to serve on the design team of both of these marvelous companies. That means I have a good reason to create with both Sew Many Cards images and KLM Designs images each week. How fun is that!?!?!?

Kathryn, the owner of KLM Designs has generously donated an incredible prize package to the winner of this week's Sew Many Cards Challenge. The winner will receive 3 KLM digital images of her choice! Wow! Who wouldn't want to win that? So be sure to create a card/project for this week's challenge - it's all about boys! The details can be found on the Sew Many Cards Challenge Blog.

KLM Digi Stamps (KLM Designs) was started by a Mother & Daughter team. Kathryn (owner of KLM Digi Stamps) and Sue (Company’s artist) started designing digital stamps for their own creations. After much response & excitement to their designs they formed KLM Digi Stamps.

KLM carry’s a large selection of designs from clowns, which are the company’s signature design todigital sentiments. All images are delivered ZIP format. Each image file contains JPEG and PNG format files. Images can be resized, reversed and altered to your likings.

My card for today was created with the KLM Designs Tulip Window image.

Awwwwww... how refreshing! Another springtime creation. (I think I mentioned yesterday that I am so tired of winter and ready for spring.)
I actually colored this image during the lunch break while attending the Copic Certification Class this past weekend. I was practicing some of the techniques that Lori and Sharon were teaching us.
The yellow tulip and the leaves were both colored in much the same way I've been using my Copic markers I colored them with a lighter color, then outlined with a darker shade of same color. Finally, I colored them again with the original lighter color to blend the two together.
The lavendar tulip was colored using a feathering gradient technique. With this technique I took a lighter shade of lavendar and colored from the top downward. I then took a slightly darker shade of the same color and colored from the bottom upward, blending the two shades together.
The peach tulip (which is my favorite one) was colored iwth a tip-to-tip blending method. With this method I added a bit of dark color to the tip of a light-colored marker by touching the two tegether. I then colored fromthe bottom of my tulip upward, reapplying darker ink to the light-colored marker as needed.
Thanks for checking out my blog post. I'd love to see one of your creations, too, in the Sew Many Cards challenge.


Image: KLM Designs Tulip Window
Ink: Copic markers
Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Cool Carribean, Lavendar Lace, and Marigold Morning
Designer Papers: from my scrap file
Embellishments: two green brads

Flowers for You

Note: I have two blog posts today. The Sunshine Monday one follows this one. Be sure to scroll down to see it, too!

Sew Many Cards

is pleased to have Soft Pencil Digital Stamps as a sponsor this month!

Elizabeth, the owner of Soft Pencil, shares this: "Hello everyone! my name is Elizabeth Pujalka and I´m the illustrator and designer behind Softpencil -Digital Stamps, home of Michu and his lovely friends, where you can find cute illustrations for your crafting needs. My illustrations are a homage to the Nature and their creatures, where a sweet child, a simple flower or a fragile animal become protagonists. I invite you to know my whimsical world plenty of gorgeous characters and to enjoy creating with them!"

I had the opportunity to work with an adorable bunny image from Soft Pencil for today's post.

Flowers for You

I think this image is perfect for the springtime/Easter cards, scrapbooking, and other paper craft projects we are in the process of making!

I chose fun spring colors - lavenders, pinks, yellows, blues and greens. (It makes me warmer just looking at these fresh colors after the long cold winter months.) For embellishment, I added some cute little acetate butterflies and some rhinestones, brads and ribbon.

I also liked the way the Stampin' UP! scallop border punch and the Nestabilities Scalloped Rectangle went together nicely.

Thank you for checking my blog post, and THANK YOU, Elizabeth and Soft Pencil digital stamps for being the Sew Many Cards sponsor this month!




Image: Soft Pencil Flowers for You
Ink: Copic markers
Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Pretty in Pink and So Saffron
Designer Papers: from my scrap file
Embellishments: Kingsbridge butterflies, Studio 18 rhinestones, Stampin' UP! grosgrain ribbon, and teeny tiny brads

Sunshine Monday - Time for Some Golf!

It's Sunshine Monday!

featuring the SUNSHINE AND GIGGLES digital stamp line!

Angus the Golfer

With springtime just around the corner and winter weather disappearing, golfers will be hitting the golf course once again. I thought this was the perfect time to showcase this fun masculine Sunshine and Giggles Angus the Golfer image. It is part of the Cody and Friends group of stamps, each one fun and creative.

I had fun trying out some of the techniques I learned at the Copic Certification class I took on Saturday. Practice! Practice! Practice! was the mantra of the class.

Being a masculine card, I didn't want any fluff, so I did multiple layers of papers and added two vintage buttons for embellishments and a little bit of thick yet soft cording.

Be sure to check out the Sunshine and Giggles store and come back to my blog every Monday for another Sunshine and Giggles creation!


Image: Sunshine and Giggles Angus the Golfer
Ink: Copic markers
Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Ballet Blue, Chocolate Chip, and Summer Sun
Designer Paper: from my scrap file
Embellishments: blue cording and vintage buttons

KitCat Sunday - Asian Style

NOTE: I have two blog posts today, this one and the Crafty Ho's challenge one that follows.

KitCat Sunday

with the most lovely (and sweet!) of hostesses: Kelly

Oh my! You can not imagine the gorgeous package of lucious goodies our dear sweet Kelly mailed to the 5 other KitCats about a month ago. The papers are so light, soft, gorgeous, perfect! The flowers are wonderfully fun with shimmers, flocking, and tons of texture! The cording is stiff yet soft and so cheerful with its hint of silver. The charm is both beautiful and sweet - it reads Good Luck in Japanese. And then theres that wonderfully amazing image! What a gorgeous array of Asian artisty.

I fear I in no way did justice to Kelly's outstanding kit, but here is my card.








For another, more mystical view of the card, I changed the lighting a bit and gave it a more surreal look.







Here's a close up so you can see a better view of the image and the charm, flowers and cording.





Because of the gorgeous details of the flowers, the card has a lot of dimension as you can see in this picture.




Kelly's instructions for us were to use 2-3 sheets of the Washi papers on our card. I opted for using just two of mine (I've saved the third one for another special project at some point in the future). These Japanese papers really are amazing. Washi paper is made from the Gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub or paper mulberry. Washi (Wa meaning Japanese nd Shi meaning paper) is made through a long and laborious process including the use of no chemicals. It is often made in the very cold weather of winter so they can take advantage of the pure, cold running water often found in the mountains.


Kelly also instructed us to use the clower color to accentuate our cards and to add the Good luck charm and cord to our card in any way we chose. I think I had the most fun with that part of the instructions. I looped and wove the cord through the centers of the flowers, connecting them with one another. I also used a bit of the cord to attach the charm to the flower that is positioned on the image itself.

Kelly, your kit was such fun to play with. THANK YOU!

Now, let's go see what the other KitCats did with their kits...

Catherine

Kelly

Lori

Michelle

Susan

Image: Kodomo Zigen Collection by Japanese ARtist Tanabe Ziegen, printed on MFT paper
Ink: Memenot Tuxedo Black and Copic markers
Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Black, Old Olive, and Tangerine Tango
Designer Papers: Bamboo Orange Washi Paper and Yuzen Washi Paper
Embellishments: Japanese charm, cording, Prima flowers, and white brads

It's Challenging!

The Crafty Ho's Challenge

March 7-13

Theme: 6 Pack

The crafters have the opportunity to interepret that theme however they like and if you go to the Crafty Ho's Challenge blog, you will see that there are several interpretations among the designers. Your interpretation, should you decide to take up the challenge, is entirely your choice, too.

For me, I chose to use 6 different RECTANGLES of paper (including both cardstock and designer papers) and 6 rhinestones for embellishments. Oh, and I made 6 of these cards for Paola's Cuttlebug Folders Challenge swap.





I'm so ready for Spring (I know, it's a recurring theme with me) so I chose floral papers and embossing folders and bright cheery butterflies, too. Shades of rose reds and pinks and greens also were fun to play with.
I hope you'll take the challenge and create your own 6-pack themed card. I'd love to see your creation.


Sentiment: Stampendous Mini Hello
Ink: Stampin' UP! Rose Red
Cardstock: Stampin' UP! Certainly Celery, Old Olive, and Rose Red
Designer Paper: Dream Street Papers Tapestry Antique Rose and K & Company Hannah Floral
Embellishments: Classic Traditions satin ribbon, Stampin' UP! grosgrain ribbon, and Pierres du Rhin rhinestones