Love the Tattooed Lady

I have begun the new year with a bit less on my design team plate.

This has freed me up to play with the ridiculous amount of new images

and stamps I have been collecting, yet have NEVER used.

It's actually quite embarrassing, as my hoarder is showing....

So, I have been grabbing random images from my stash,

and actually using them. No kidding! I'm doin' it!!

Check this out...

I have been a fan of Annie Rodrigue for years. I love her artwork.

I have been collecting her stamps from Kraftin' Kimmie for quite

a few years as well. I really wanted to play along with the current

Anything Goes challenge on their blog, and since she has never

even been inked up, I figured she had waited long enough.

"Esmerelda"!

I went pretty CAS on this, only using one dp and some rhinestones.

The image was colored with Copics to match the paper.

I love the sentiment on this paper. I rarely use the sentiments

on designer paper, but this one kinda struck me as extra beautiful.

And it seemed to be even more perfect when paired up with Esmerelda.  

She was so fun to color! I used a bit of white Gelly Roll pen

to open up the tattoos and make them a bit more detailed.

It was hard to add dimension to those teeny tiny tattoos,

but I love how she turned out. She also started out with pink hair, 

but it just didn't look right. Another reason I love my Copics.

Now all is flattering with ebony hair...

I'm going to pop the card in the mail to a dear friend for Valentine's Day.

She's recently relocated to Texas (yikes, better her than me!), and I think 

she can use a pick me up. I bet this does the trick.  

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenge:
Kraftin' Kimmie - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday challenge - Have a heart

I'm struggling to find the humor Day 23

I can usually make a joke, or find the joke in anything.

Totally inappropriate most times, but funny none the less.

I have to say it's been a few days since I've laughed. 

I've managed a smile, but no heartfelt guffaws have been released.

Today we found out that my baby, Gabbi also has the parvovirus

despite being fully vaccinated and receiving a booster on Monday.

I feel like such a failure as a pet parent. I let her get sick by not

being educated enough, or diligent enough in keeping her safe. 

But the option of having a vet care for her is completely out of the 

question. We thought it was $900 for  a week's stay at the vet.

More like $900 PER DAY!! We were seriously left with

no option but to care for the sick babies at home. So far we're about

$700 in for all the treatments and IVs, and pills. Too much money,

but far more palatable and reasonable than $900 per day.

Little Foxxi is starting to improve. She kept down water and food today

which is pretty huge. She only weighs 9 lbs to begin with, so keeping

her hydrated and fed proteins is a big step in the right direction.

Still lots of work ahead of us... 

So, if I suddenly stop posting for the hops, you'll know why.

Two sick pups is no fun. 

And leaves very little time to craft...   

Which brings me to my artsy fartsy for the day.

I made a quick ATC using some Martha Stewart paper, 

and a Kraftin' Kimmie image called, Mister Punkin Head.

I perched a glittery, puffy sticker raven on his hand (thanks, Deb),

and added a bat punch to the top for more dimension and interest.

Thanks so much for stopping by and listening to me whine.

I had such high hopes of making some incredible projects and posts 

for the 31 Days of Halloween and the Countdown to Halloween.

Being sick for the first half really set me back, and now with the 

furkids, it keeps getting harder to keep up.

I've come this far, so I'm really hoping to see this through.

See ya tomorrow??   

CAS Halloween Day 22

Only NINE more days!!!

Gotta get my money's worth out of this thing.

I am loving this image from Kraftin' Kimmie.

He's called, Kreepy Kitty.

It was nothing short of kismet for me to have this stamp.   

I chose to make a clean and simple card.

I always admire it when other crafters make this kind of

super white and minimal card. I'm not so sure I can pull

it off. I've always had a hard time with the "less is more" concept. 

I had to make this a super quick make today as I am home nursing

a parvo puppy. My husband rescued an abandoned puppy last week,

and we found out Sunday that she has the parvovirus. Since we don't have 

much money in our rainy day fund, we opted to nurse her back to health

at home. Man, that's a lot of work! Not to mention what it does to your

heartstrings. She already seems to have perked up a bit, but we still

have a long road ahead of us.

Thanks for stopping by again today.

I really enjoy your wonderful comments and just

knowing that you took a moment out of your busy day

to stop by and check out my schtuffs.

31 Days of Halloween month long blog hop 

Countdown to Halloween month long blog hop

Magical Mathilda Day 19

Super quick post today featuring

Magical Mathilda from Kraftin' Kimmie.

Simple card using orange shimmer cardstock for the base,

and We Are Memory Keepers dp. Layered a K & Co.

glitter border of jack-o-lanterns to mimic the ones

coming out of the book.

Lovely Mathilda all colored up in my usual combos of
YR09, YR04, Y38, Y35, and Y18, for the oranges.
YG17, YG25, YG03, YG01, YG00n for the greens.

V09, V17, V15, V04, V012, V01, V000 for the purples.

E02, E01, E00, E000 for the skin and RV 10 for the cheeks.   

Finally used my La La Land banner die, but I covered up the 

heart cutouts with spider cuts instead. Then I Stickled it up a bit.

Thank you for stopping by today.

I really appreciate your visit and your thoughtful comments.

 Remember to check out all of the talented crafters participating in

the 31 Days of Halloween, and all of the Halloween themed bloggers

participating in the Countdown to Halloween. There is so much creativity

and information being shared, it's nearly impossible to not be inspired in some way.  

Short and Sweet Day 14

I want to say thank you to everyone who has stopped by 

this month, and especially thank you to everyone who has left 

a thoughtful comment and words of encouragement.

I still feel like c-rap, but I have promised myself

that I'd keep going even though my reserve projects ran out

three days ago. So much for trying to plan ahead.

Anyhoo,

Here's another ATC (Artist Trading Card) using that

cool technique found here. I used watercolor paper and

I really like the texture it provides.

This cutie (yes, I can do creepy cute, too) is from Kraftin' Kimmie,

and she's called, 'Happy Vampy', but I don't think she's available

any longer. She's not listed on the website anywhere that I could find.

The sentiment says, "Paranormal Princess", and it's from Stamp Insanity.

Also now discontinued and defunct. Sorry.

I'm gonna call it a night and try and get some sleep.

I am now entering the coughing stage(s) of my illness.

Try not to be jealous.

Remember to check out all of the talented crafters participating in

the 31 Days of Halloween, and all of the Halloween themed bloggers

participating in the Countdown to Halloween. There is so much creativity

and information being shard, it's nearly impossible to not be inspired in some way.      

Voodoo part deux

This was actually my first version of the cool

Voodoo Lady image from Kraftin' Kimmie.

Once I had her all colored, the map part of the 

Haunted Design House challenge didn't really work. 

I totally love this image! So cool!!!

I did struggle with what color to color her face.

I decided to go with a charcoal face and a white

mask like the Voodoo Priests in Nawlin's.

I think I ended up with more detail on the one I colored

with colored pencils. I'll keep them handy just in case I decide

to practice some more.

Wretched Wednesday - Get Lost!

I have been having a hard time focusing on the

task at hand lately.

Lots of life changing experiences hapening lately.

The dust has started to settle and the healing has

begun, so it's time for the big girl panties and let's

get back to business. 

I finally managed to create my Get Lost! project

for this week's Macabre Monday challenge.

As soon as I saw this Voodoo Lady image

from Kraftin' Kimmie,

I knew she would be mine. Yes, she would be mine... 

I took an Old World map I found on Google

and chopped it in half and distressed it. 

I used both halves to layer behind my main image.

I also made my own background paper with an

ancient clear stamp of a compass and some

Sepia Versamark, some clear embossing powder,

and some Stickles.

And then for my big "step out of my comfort zone",

I colored with watercolor pencils on kraft paper.

It was fun and different to use the pencils. It seemed to 

take longer, but the end result is pretty cool.

I need some more pencils, but I am not into the whole

Gammasol and baby oil blending, so it's cheapy

Coloray or Col-erase pencils for me!

There is still plenty of time to enter

this week's Macabre Monday challenge!!!

Fairy Clarabelle Birthday Wish

One of my favorite artists is

Annie Rodrigue,

who creates for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps.

This is "Clarabelle" from Annie's line of faeries,

released earlier this year at Kraftin Kimmie Stamps.

I wanted to keep a very summery feel to this card.

I used some green and pink distressing inks to 

distress my card in a bright, less vintage way. I also used the

same inks to paint the background around the fairy. 

I destashed with this cool, epoxy clip which I have had way too long.

Looks good and adds that much needed sentiment.

I used my scissors and a sanding block to rip and distress all of the

edges on each of the layers.

Lastly, I destashed a bit more and used these flocked

brads. Adds nice texture and interest to the card. 

I would like to enter this card in the current challenges at

Kraftin' Kimmie - Distressed!!

Card Makin' Mamas - birthday card

Birthday Sundaes - birthday

Just add Ink - distressing/ripping



Kraftin' Kimmie, how I've missed you

Today I have a card I made with

with the awesome image, "Perfect Poison",

from the insanely talented artist, Annie Rodrigue.

I have had this image for far too long and am just

thrilled to finally ink her up and make something

this pretty and spring-like.

I really LOVE this image. I had alot of fun coloring her

with Copics and what I consider to be spring colors for the

challenge over at Kraftin' Kimmie.

The colors in her dress remind me of gorgeous spring blooms

like crocuses and irises. I cannot wait for the sun to finally 

bring out those colors in my own yard. The wisteria is huge with buds

just begging to bloom out in their full violet regalia!!  

One of my trademark Glow Skullz adornes the center

of my cute Sizzix layered fleur. I wanted to bring out

the yellow in "Poison's" dress and used it for the

Happy Birthday banner.

One of my favorite people in blogland,

Nancy at "Another MD Crabbie"

has this awesome ability with paper and dimension. I tried my

best to mimic her arched bits (nothin' naughty I promise) and gave

the banner some dimension Nancy-style!

I am entering this card in the

Kraftin' Kimmie challenge - Spring Colors

and a new challenge blog called,

 Birthday Sundaes - Spring Birthday.  

When I grow up I want to be an old woman

Last Saturday, we celebrated my DH's Grandma's 80th birthday.

Wow! 80 years of living!

Not quite sure how I feel about that one. I'm going to be 40 this year, and to even begin to contemplate living for another 40 years gives me a headache!

Anyhoo,

 I made a really cute card for her using another Kraftin' Kimmie image.

This time I used "Posy" from the art of Annie Rodrigue.

I've had this little gal for quite a while and realized I hadn't inked her yet while I was organizing my ever growing collection of KK stamps.

Love the cherries on her pockets and I decided to use some of my 'precious' (said in the voice of Gollum, from Lord of the Rings) cherry paper from SU. I am a self admitted hoarder of paper crafting supplies and find it difficult to use some of my supplies because I like 'em too much to use 'em.

Stupid, I know.

Cute card though, huh?

Genevieve, World Traveler

I have finally started to follow the 'thinking masses', and choose my papers, PRIOR to coloring my images.  

This takes hours off of my composition time! 

Gee, ya think?!

Only took me a year or so to figure this out, but I am amazed at how easily my projects are coming together these days.

This is 'Genevieve', another of the brilliant images drawn by Annie Rodrigue.

 

I adore these Steampunk images and really want to make them the focal point of the card, so I have been keeping the overall card very simple.

I added the word, 'wings' and a key brad that I have had for a while.

Inside, I added the tresure map accessory that came with Genevieve. 

Pretty simple,  but such a nice impact from the image alone.

Oh yeah, there is a new image release over at Kraftin' Kimmie's this weekend where she is unveiling new Annie Rodrigue images (and others).

The new Annie images are, PIRATES!!!

I think she is trying to provide my husband with a justified means of homicide. If he finds out how much money I have sent to KK in the past couple of months, he may just strangle me!  

I love to live life on the edge!  

Steampunk - my newest intrigue

Main Entry: steampunk
Part of Speech: n
Definition: Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality.

Last year, I went to an event called, "Witchapalooza". I had a faint idea of what to expect, like a bunch of fat ladies dressed as witches selling their crafts and such. I am a fat lady who likes witches and likes to buy crafts and such, so I figured this was my kinda crowd.

I wasn't too far off on what was to be seen and purchased, but I was pleasantly surprised to happen upon a man who first used the term, "steampunk", and led me into a world of HG Wells Time Machine wonder.

So, when I was perusing the Kraftin Kimmie site, and came upon the most adorable, Steampunky images drawn by the uber talented, Annie Rodrigue, I about fell over trying to order them with lightning speed!  

First up is "Chester".

Chester comes with a pocket watch accessory, which I added to the inside of the card.

Next up is "Lavinia".

This little doll comes with her own 'gears', as an accessory (which I put inside), but I am currently on the lookout for actual watch/clock gears and cogs to use as embellishments.

This homemade jobber, was the best I could come up with so far. I had the cool brad which looked kinda antique and compass-like, adding to the old world flavor. I finally put some of those flower punches to use by making my own "Primas". Much cheaper and color coordinated to my project.

I have one more Steampunk image and card to share, but I think I'll save it for tomorrow.  

Josephine's Love Potion #9

This is Josephine. She is one of my favorite new stamps from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps.

Just in time for Valentine's Day comes Josephine and her magic love potion.

These stamps are incredible! The art is wonderful (I have artwork and magnets from the artist, Anne Rodrigue-she's amazing!!), and so much fun to color and create with. They even come with accessory stamps! How cool is that?! 

  

I kinda ran out of steam on this card only because I wanted to color some more images.

Get ready for a full on assault of Kraftin' Kimmie stamps and cards coming soon!  

Finally, ... 2010!!!!

Finally, it's time to press restart and begin anew! 2009 was not a kind year for me and my family. We lost Grandpa in October, got word of our rental falling into foreclosure in August, starting losing my hair as a result of the stress of trying to buy the house (which is still in real estate limbo - more like purgatory), and the list goes on.

2010 has got to be a better year.

So, here is a new challenge to go along with the new year and I get to use my new stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie named "Drucilla". Isn't she to die for? I finally got to use my sentiment from Hambo stamps which goes perfectly with the image.

This is for the brand new challenge over at Fancy and Fussy Friday Challenge blog. I don't think I have ever participated in a challenge so quickly after it was posted before. I just happened to have made this card today and it fit into the theme of something "new".

Hope you like it. I do!