Mama Dini's Stamperia

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps February release hop

2012-02-02T08:00:00.010-05:00

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating a new stamp release today with a fun blog hop, and I have some designs in the mix! Below is a peek at the set I designed for this month's release. I didn't get my stamps in time to make a card, but if you'd like to view the cards in the hop, you can start over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog - you'll find a full list of participants there, and all the details you need. If you're already hopping and you came from Giovana's blog, you're doing just fine.Your next stop on the hop is Jessica Fick's blog! Just in case you get lost, or need to take a break from hopping, here's the full hop list:

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog

Korin Sutherland

Kim Singdahlsen

Giovana Smith

Dina Kowal <----- you're here!!

Wendy Jordan (our February guest)

Taylor Usry

Don't forget, the entire February release is available in the store right now; you can order the stamps individually or at a discounted bundle price! Head over to get yours today!

If you like my stamp designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

CHA DT Blog Hop Week - Day 4

2012-02-02T05:00:00.008-05:00

Gary Robertson's images are always so fun to color, and this series of porch scenes is so warm and homey. I used 3 Touch markers to color this scene:

Most of the shading was done by touching the tip of the Sand marker to the tip of the Chocolate marker and blending the color out.

Thanks for stopping by!

Word Card Tutorial on Splitcoaststampers

2012-02-01T08:00:00.003-05:00

I'm excited to have a tutorial published on Splitcoaststampers today! When I was on the Dirty Dozen team I made a word-shaped card, and offered an exclusive template to Fan Club members. Beate asked if I'd be willing to write up a tutorial for a Valentine-themed word card to share with the whole crew! Here is the sample I made for the tutorial, and you can find the instructions and a printable template HERE.

Supplies used for my card:

Stamps: Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps – Spring Tulips, Blessings & Thanks
Cardstock: Bazzill, Prism, and unknown manufacturer, Neenah Solar White
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black (tulips), Versafine Onyx Black (sentiment), Versamagic Pixie Dust (to sponge edges of I and U)
Dies: Spellbinders Tags 5
Other: craft knife, scissors, Flower Soft PVA glue, grosgrain ribbon, Scor-Pal
Touch Twin Markers:

Enjoy!

CHA DT Blog Hop Week - Day 3

2012-02-01T05:00:00.005-05:00

The Impression Obsession team is showcasing some new images being introduced this week at CHA! You can visit the I.O. Blog each day this week for links to the previews. Be sure to leave a comment on each designer's posts throughout the week for a chance to win a gift certificate to I.O! There are so many gorgeous florals in this month's release! I watercolored this Rhododendron image using Derwent watercolor pencils, and added a little dimension by cutting around a few edges and embossing with a stylus. I used a Tim Holtz embossing folder on the center panel of my card.

Enjoy the hop today! Remember to leave a comment before you move on if you'd like a chance to win!

CHA DT Blog Hop Week - Day 2

2012-01-31T05:00:00.007-05:00

Just for fun, here's a picture of me at CHA, working at the Shinhan booth. How amazing to be here!!Be sure to stop by tomorrow to see more new images - hope you're enjoying the hop!

TTC10 - color challenge

2012-01-30T08:00:00.004-05:00

As soon as I saw this stamp image (Your Wings Exist), I knew I wanted to use it for this color combo - I had fun blending the blues and purples to create folds and dimension in her little dress. The pink is in her skin, but mixed a bit with more peachy tones. I used PB183 for the sky, applying it with a waterbrush filled with rubbing alcohol (video tutorial here).

I also used PB183 to color the ribbon, saturating it with spritzed alcohol to blend.

These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:

CHA DT Blog Hop Week - Day 1

2012-01-30T05:00:00.008-05:00

The Impression Obsession team is showcasing some new images being introduced this week at CHA! You can visit the I.O. Blog each day this week for links to the previews. Be sure to leave a comment on each designer's posts throughout the week for a chance to win a gift certificate from Impression Obsession!
I went with a simple layout for this card, to showcase 3 new stamps - a greeting (C8703), a background (CR008), and a new floral design (Poppy Love 2) from Alesa Baker. You know I love poppies, and this is a lovely long-stemmed image. The top of my card is embossed with a Sizzix texture plate. I used a scalloped die to finish the bottom of my card, and a row of pearls made with my new Viva pearl pen.

Thanks for stopping by!

So happy!

2012-01-27T05:00:00.002-05:00

Just so excited for the opportunity to go to CHA - so thankful that everything has come together. I won't deny that I'm a little fearful too... it has been a long time since I did anything by myself, and though I know I'll have lots of stamping friends there, I also know it will be a huge act of my own will to not be intimidated!

When I designed the image below, I thought of girlfriends doing a happy dance - that is what I have been doing on the inside for weeks now, and I can't wait to meet some 'pretend friends' in person! If you'll be attending, you can come and visit me at the Impression Obsession or ShinHan booths! I'd love to meet you. :)

No coloring on this card, except for the seam binding, which was colored with Touch Twin markers. All the stamps and dies are from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.
A close up on the ribbon, and the colors that I used:
Thanks for visiting me today - I'm thankful for you too! Not sure how much I'll be able to post next week between my already-scheduled posts, but I'll check in with pictures if I can!

P.S. Check over at the Sweet 'n Sassy blog today for a peek at the whole new February release! All the February sets are available for pre-order, and I designed this fun interactive set which will be great for tags and CAS cards:

if you like my stamp designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

Daily Window Bags

2012-01-24T05:00:00.007-05:00

Jill's Inspired By post last week reminded me that I never showed you the bag I won as a prize from the contest I mentioned in this post........! Here are a few pictures of the bag I chose, with my card in the display window - this is the All Around Classic Tote, which is described as "a large designer-quality tote with inside pockets to carry your accessories and even some business files."

I love the size and quality of the bag, the divided inside, the color of the liner, and the inside pockets. It's going to be a great place to keep my watercolor pads and pencil cases when we're traveling... and a great carry-on for my trip to CHA!

I've posted this affiliate button to my sidebar - when you click through my blog to make a purchase from Daily Window Bags I'll get credit for the referred sale, so you'll be helping me out too. :) That's pretty cool!

Want to win a Window Bag or case of your own?? Beginning on Feb. 5, there will be a contest at the Daily Window Bags blog! I will be posting the details here along with a fun technique for you to try on your entry. Be sure to check back if you're interested in playing along for a chance to win!!

Heather's Hobbie Haven hop

2012-01-21T09:00:00.004-05:00

The Shinhan Artisans and Heather Huggins from Heather’s Hobbie Haven are doing a Fairy hop today to celebrate the addition of Touch Twin markers at Heather’s Hobbie Haven! Heather has a fun variety of paper crafting supplies at her store, so make sure you head on over and take a peek! If you just happened on the blog hop because you're a regular reader of my blog, and you'd like to view the entire hop, you can start back at the Heather's Hobbie Haven Blog - you'll find a full list of participants there, and all the details you need. If you're already hopping and you arrived here from Bev's blog, you're doing just fine.

As you hop along make sure and comment on every post, because one lucky person who comments will be chosen to win a $10.00 Gift certificate from Heather’s Hobbie Haven! Our winner will be announced by Heather on January 23^rd.

I chose the image called "The Larakins" to color - these little guys are so cute! The marker colors I used are shown below.I used a waterbrush filled with rubbing alcohol to color the background around the image. I like the softer edge I get this way. You can find a tutorial for this technique HERE.
These are the markers I used......
...and the color combinations I used in each area.....
I also used R11 and R16 to color the ribbon.
After you comment here, you'll be hopping on to the Touch Twin Blog - Lydia's got a project there that will make you smile! Hope you enjoy the hop!

Here's a list of everyone hopping today:

Heather’s Hobbie Haven Blog
Jeanne Streiff
Vicki Garrett
Tami Mayberry
Bev Gerard
Dina Kowal <--- You're here!
Touch Twin Blog (featuring Lydia Fiedler’s project)

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: An Oldie But a Goodie

2012-01-19T05:00:00.006-05:00

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a card using older I.O. stamps. We're also celebrating our DT coordinator Kelli's birthday! Happy birthday, Kelli!!

I watercolored this image (Butterfly with Daffodils) when we were still overseas, using reinkers that have a tiny bit of Shimmerz paint mixed in. I'm giving you a sneak peek at a new background stamp in a new size (CR008), and a new sentiment (D8685 Forever) too!!

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Daniela @ For the First Time
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

TTC09 - Think Snow

2012-01-16T10:08:00.001-05:00

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects with a winter or snow theme. We hope you'll join the fun! Huge thanks to Unity Stamp Co. for sponsoring our challenges this month!! The girls are all working with this sweetie snowman set, called You Melt My Heart.My image is stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa, but I stamped the image off once before stamping it to my watercolor paper. I tried to give the appearance of an upper-right light source, so my shadows are falling to the left. Next time I'll use smoother paper that will saturate better - I think that will work better for this background technique. I like the texture, though! I used a Quickutz circle die, and a doily die from Cheery Lynn. The texture plate with the circles is from Sizzix. One of my Christmas presents to myself was a Sizzix Big Shot, and I am loving it!These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:

Bless You!

2012-01-15T05:00:00.007-05:00

If you're a Fan Club member over at Splitcoaststampers, you know that the new Dirty Dozen gallery posts today at Noon Central! I made a card to go along with the new theme, using last week's sketch (SC366).

This image is from Whiff of Joy - isn't Henry the Mouse soooooooo cute? Thankfully I have been able to avoid the things that make me sneeze for several weeks here (YAY!!) but I definitely know his sniffly sneezy feeling. I sent him off to encourage a friend who's been having some allergy problems. :)Just a tip: sometimes I don't like a dark outline on my stamped images - for this one I used Memento Rich Cocoa ink, but I stamped it off once first before stamping.

These are the Touch Twin Markers that I used... I used a waterbrush filled with rubbing alcohol to color outside the image (tutorial here):Hope you're having a great weekend!

Inspired by...

2012-01-13T05:00:00.003-05:00

I'm sooooo honored to be Jill Foster's featured designer on her brilliant blog "Inspired By" this week! If you're not familiar with Jill's blog format, she chooses a designer then creates several cards in her own amazing style, inspired by that designer's work. Here are direct links to her posts:

Post #1 - inspired by this card
Post #2 - inspired by this card
Post #3 - inspired by this card
Post #4 - inspired by this card

Thanks Jill!!!

Ups and Downs

2012-01-11T10:05:00.003-05:00

When we're overseas I don't make many cards to send, because of the high cost of international postage - I've had to pay over $3 per card in the past, which adds up really quickly! So while we're in the States I'm enjoying being able to send cards to friends that seem to need a little pick-me-up. There is really no substitute for that, as much as we rely on texts and emails these days... I sent this card off to a dear friend who recently had a baby and is experiencing some of those 'ups and downs' that are perfectly normal but so confusing and overwhelming at times. I used my Derwent watercolor pencils and a waterbrush to color the yo-yo image (Unity Stamp Co.). I'll share a tutorial sometime soon on how I cut my matted layers.

Spent yesterday taking the kids through Kennedy Space Center, then catching up with old friends we haven't seen for years. Hard to believe we have been in the States for a month already!

Dyeing Scarves with Touch Twin Markers

2012-01-09T05:00:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share some pictures of an adventure I had with my markers the other day, hand-dyeing scarves. I found 2 white/off white scarves at a recent trip to Goodwill... one is polyester and the other is silk, but I got good results with both. I had seen some other video tutorials explaining a faux tie-dye technique using solvent-based markers and rubbing alcohol, and figured my Touch Twin Markers would do the same.

The only supplies needed are:
--a scarf (the silk one I tried worked best)
--alcohol markers (I used Touch Twin Markers)
--rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle
--something to protect your work surface.

Be sure to flip on a fan or work in a well-ventilated area. If you're not me, you might also consider using gloves to protect your hands. :)This is a fun and messy process, and there's no "right" way to go about it... I kept adding colors and spritzing until I got the look I wanted... but I'll share some different techniques I used.

I started with the polyester scarf, and colored directly on the scarf with my markers (this is Indian Blue and Chestnut Brown). I spritzed alcohol (93%) onto the colored areas and let it soak into the fabric until it began to wick the color outward. In the picture above, you can see a colored area below, and how the color begins to move with the alcohol. After the color is mobile, you can just allow it to take its own course, or crush, roll, or twist the fabric in your hands to help it along - this also moves the color to other areas. The lower area of the scarf above has been crushed up into an uncolored area to move the color out more.
You can also stamp directly onto the scarf. Here I've inked up a Tim Holtz stamp with a Chestnut Brown marker and stamped onto an area that was still damp. The image will blend in a little. On my second scarf I stamped with Memento ink, which worked well, and didn't bleed with the alcohol spritz. Here's the final result:
This is the silk scarf - I used some of the same techniques, but the silk responded differently to the alcohol and ink. I started by folding it in half the long way and then across, so that my coloring would be symmetrical.I colored in large rows and spritzed the fabric...then gathered and twisted across each row of color to distribute the color evenly.I colored directly onto my stamp with a Chestnut Brown marker and stamped two rows of flowers across each end of the scarf. I spritzed those images lightly with alcohol so they would blend in a little. Afterwards, I stamped more flowers and butterflies with Memento ink for a clearer image. Here is the final result... if you plan to attend CHA in a few weeks you may see me wearing it!!

Hope you've learned a thing or two, and are inspired to take your markers off paper for a change! If you color up a scarf, send me a link so I can see!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps January release hop

2012-01-05T08:00:00.020-05:00

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating their new stamp release today with a fun blog hop, and I have some designs in the mix! So excited to finally share them with you here. If you just happened on the blog hop because you're a regular reader of my blog, and you'd like to view the entire hop, you can start back at the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog - you'll find a full list of participants there, and all the details you need. If you're already hopping and you arrived here from Jessica's blog, you're doing just fine.Today I used Together Silhouettes, which is my contribution to this month's release - this is a fun and special set to me for a lot of reasons, but mostly because the umbrella image was created using a photo of my kiddos! Stamping silhouette images doesn't require coloring, but I did color over my stamped image with a black art pen because I didn't get a good impression the first time. I used Quickutz and SNSS dies on my layout. The seam binding started white, and I used Touch Twin Markers to color it (heh... and my hand...) to match my card. You can find a tutorial for that technique HERE. My cardstock is from Memory Box. These are the Touch Twin Markers that I used to dye the ribbon, and a closer look at the bow. I use a homemade tool to tie my bows, slightly larger than the small Bow-Easy.After you leave a comment here you'll be hopping on to Giovana's blog! We are soooooooo excited to welcome her to the design team - make sure to leave her some extra love!! (***I do have my comment moderation turned on... don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

If you like my stamp designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Hearts and Flowers

2012-01-05T05:00:00.007-05:00

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a card using hearts and/or flowers. If you look around you may see some new Valentine or upcoming Spring images. I LOVE this release!!

I chose one of Alesa Baker's new images called Worn Rose Branch - I stamped it in Memento Pear Tart, and used Touch Twin Markers to add color to the roses and leaves. The colors I used are below. I also used a marker to color the ribbon - since I don't want to travel with lots of ribbon, I have just gotten different types of white ribbon (satin, wire-edged, organza, seam binding), and am using markers to color it when I need to. I love that versatility!The image is stamped on a Twinchie Square from Inchie Arts. These are the Touch Twin Markers that I used.... instead of using a light, medium and dark shade for each color, I just used light and dark and practiced blending tip-to-tip. Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Daniela @ For the First Time
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Micey Nice

2012-01-03T05:00:00.003-05:00

Just for fun - here's another card using the Micey Day set from Penny Black that I used in last week's blog hop... also thought it would be fun to try for a guest spot on the Penny Black blog! The challenge was to CASE a card from the blog hop, and I chose this card by Jenyfur as my inspiration. I watercolored the image using Derwent watercolor pencils and a water brush.
Love these little miceys!!

Our Daily Bread designs January release hop!

2012-01-01T08:00:00.013-05:00

I get to hang out with the Our Daily Bread design team on my birthday!!! Today we are showcasing the new releases for January in a blog hop. If you're a regular reader of my blog and just happened upon my section of the hop, you may want to start back at the beginning. Prizes are involved!! The ODBD Blog is the place to get started - actually you'll start and end the hop there, and if you should happen to get lost or interrupted in between, you can always go there for a complete list of links in the correct order. If you came to my blog from Suzanne's blog, you are doing just fine.

***If you're not interested in the hop, please visit Suzanne's link to see her gorgeous keepsake project made with all DK stamps - it is incredible!***

When you see me playing along, you know that I've had a part in the new release...... this month, these designs are my contributions. This is a new style for me, and I really had fun designing these sets and backgrounds. This will be my last set designed for ODBD, but you'll still be able to purchase my stamps there. Thank you so much for your encouragement and support - it has been my pleasure to provide Christ-centered stamp sets for you through ODBD, and we'll see where the Lord leads next!!I had a Laughing Cow container sitting on my desk that I wanted to alter, so that is the base of my butterfly box. I started by stamping the butterfly background on some textured cardstock which was swiped with Distress ink. After the image was stamped, I buffed it a little bit to blend the inks together. I cut the round base from that piece of cardstock, and also the strips that cover the edges of the box. The butterfly was cut with the die from the edge of that cardstock.

I stamped the butterfly flourish on a die-cut circle, and spritzed it first so the image would have a watercolored/distressed look. I wanted the butterfly to stand out, so it's lifted up a little with some rolled up foam tape.

On the edge, I also layered a stamped and die-cut crocheted border from the Serve the Lord set.
I used the sentiment from the Grunge Cross set and hope this box remains a reminder to myself to not let my fears and insecurities get in the way of doing what the Lord wants me to do!

To be eligible to win prizes today here is what you have to do:

* Hop to each blog on the list and leave a comment for each designer
* Return to the ODBD Blog, and tell us you completed the hop, follow any other instructions they have for you there, and let us know if there were any blogs you could not comment on.

I am the last stop on the hop today, so after you leave a comment here, you'll be hopping on to the ODBD blog to leave your final comment! Thanks for visiting me today! If you like my designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

(***I do have my comment moderation on, but I will be close to my computer most of the day... please don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

Flower Soft/Penny Black blog hop

2011-12-30T03:01:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited to be joining some of the Flower Soft designers in a joint blog hop with the Penny Black design team! Both companies have some great prizes up for grabs for a few lucky commenters and participants. If you just happened on the blog hop because you're a regular reader of my blog, and you'd like to view the entire hop, you can start at the Penny Black Blog - there you'll find a full list of participants, and all the details you need. If you're already hopping and you arrived here from Cathy Andronicou's blog, you're doing just fine.

I colored this sweet image (Micey Day clear set) using my Touch Twin Markers, and framed it in some die cut windows (cut with a Quickutz circle die and a Cheery Lynn doily die). I used Penny Black's Rose Garden cardstock (pink) along with a few small scraps of Memory Box cardstock for the leaves. The base panel is embossed with a Sizzix Texturz plate. I added Sweet Pea Flower Soft to the bouquet and Ivory Flower Soft to the flower center (die from Cheery Lynn Designs).
These are the Touch Twin Markers that I used:
To be eligible to win a prize, be sure to leave a comment on all participating blogs - easy as that! 3 random commenters will receive brand new 2012 Penny Black Valentine stamps, and 3 commenters will receive a bottle of Flower Soft glue and 3 pots of Flower Soft (Poppy Red, Peony Pink, Polar White).

For the grand prize, use one of the Blog Hop projects as inspiration and create a new Penny Black stamped project. Upload it into the Penny Black gallery by the end of the Hop with the tag “pennyblackbloghop”. Be sure to let us know which project inspired you! A winner will be chosen to GUEST DESIGN at the Penny Black Blog!

After you leave a comment here, you'll be hopping on to Peet Roeven's blog - hope you're enjoying the hop so far!

Year in review...

2011-12-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

I wanted to fill this day with 'something'.... thought it would be fun to look back over this year and pick out a favorite from each month. Such a year! I wonder what's coming in 2012?!! Here we go:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

That's it! Thanks so much for a great year - how fun to grow and learn together!

Heartfelt Creations

2011-12-27T08:00:00.003-05:00

If you'd like a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Heartfelt Creations, take a little blog hop with the HCDT Alumni! I'm not able to participate this time (my stamps are on the other side of the world), but you can start the hop over at Olga's blog. Good luck, and enjoy!

TTC08 - Color Challenge

2011-12-26T08:00:00.007-05:00

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects with a specific color combination. We hope you'll join the fun! If you don't have the exact colors listed, just try to stay as close as you can.I chose a Christmas set to work with, just for fun - the colors went so well with this set called Holly4Christmas from The Stamps of Life. We're so grateful to them for sponsoring our challenges this month! This set has so many elements and so many possibilities! I just love the string of lights.These are the markers I used to color my card:
You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC08 and touchtwin. Don't have Touch markers? That's OK too for now. Starting in January we will require using our markers, but for now you can use any coloring medium. Have fun!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:57:00.003-05:00

Wishing you peace this Christmas...

Custom stamps

2011-12-23T13:24:00.002-05:00

I temporarily lost the stamp I use on all my card backs last week... I wanted to be sure I had 'something', and had been wanting to order new ones anyway to correct some information that was wrong on my old one, so I went ahead and ordered these 2 stamps........ and of course I found the missing one the next day. LOL!! If you're ever in need of a custom stamp for your card backs or envelopes, I really recommend Rubberstamps.net - they are super speedy, and I love the etched blocks! If you need help designing a high res logo or label for a stamp design, I'd be happy to help you out... take a look at the fonts and design choices over at Digisigis and pop me an email (cost would be $1 per text line or image, min. $3 - same as for watermarks).

Impression Obsession DT Thursday

2011-12-22T05:00:00.008-05:00

It's my turn to share a card for Impression Obsession Design Team Thursday! On the weeks we don't have a challenge to share, the IO designers take turns sharing a personal project. We hope you're inspired!

I thought it would be fun to share some of Alesa Baker's new Valentine images - these are some of my favorites - I am always a sucker for coffee images, and this one is particularly tender. :) I paired it with a new sentiment, stamped on a disposable coaster I picked up during our travels. The coaster is layered on a die-cut doily from Cheery Lynn Designs, and a panel embossed using a Sizzix Texturz plate.

Here's a close-up on the cup - I colored it on Kraft cardstock using my new Polychromos pencils.

Stamps I used: D8679 Latte Love and C8681 In My Thoughts
Thanks for stopping by today!

Penguin card

2011-12-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

Made this little cutie up before we left home - all my stamping supplies were packed, but I had enough still handy to piece this penguin together. He's based on a free vector graphic that I found online, and I've made a simple template available for your personal use, if you'd like to make one as well - Merry Christmas! Make sure you send me a link if you make one, so I can see it too!

Christmas Puppy

2011-12-18T01:24:00.009-05:00

Here's another card for the current Touch Twin challenge (TTC07) to color up an animal using markers. This is Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' Christmas Puppy, and this time I colored it up to look like our mama dog, Mija, when she was a puppy.
These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:

Just passing this link along...

2011-12-16T15:00:00.004-05:00

Just in case you're needing a last-minute Christmas gift, or need a few art supply items - Dick Blick has a great special on just today - a really low minimum order for free shipping (which is usually $7.95). Clicking through from my site gives me a little extra spending money, and I appreciate it a bunch!

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS $16 OR MORE
PLUS 10% off on orders of $119, December 16, 2011 only.
Exclusions apply.

Crazy for Cocoa blog hop!

2011-12-15T08:00:00.015-05:00

Welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Crazy 4 Cocoa blog hop! We all adore Cocoa and thought it would be fun to showcase him all month long. Today, as part of the fun, the Sweet 'n Sassy Design Divas have joined together with a few of the talented Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge ladies to bring a great Cocoa Mouse blog hop to you!

If you just happened on the blog hop because you're a regular reader of my blog, and you'd like to view the entire hop, you can start back at the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog - you'll find a full list of participants there, and all the details you need. If you're already hopping and you arrived here from Makiko's blog, you're doing just fine.

My card is a 4" square, fun little size... It actually started off smaller... but when I stuck it all together I failed to notice which side the fold was on, and it was *ahem* on the right... so I ended up cutting the back off and re-layering... but... that allowed me to add the chocolate chip cookie paper layer, so... it's all good. HA! Cocoa (from the So Sweet clear set) is stamped with Memento Desert Sand ink on an Inchie Plus matboard square from Inchie Arts, and colored with Touch Twin Markers.I cut the lace border twice... the second time I folded my cardstock and positioned the die so the fold of the cardstock lay just inside the scalloped edge. That gave me an almost double-wide diecut that was a perfect width to layer under the laced diecut.These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:
Don't forget, during the month of December we really are Crazy 4 Cocoa. The entire line of Cocoa Mouse clear stamp sets and digi images are 10% off!

And there's MORE!!! We want YOU to hop along with us! All you have to do is make a card or project featuring Cocoa Mouse and add your direct link to our linky tool below. One participant (drawn at random) will win their choice of ONE free Cocoa Mouse clear stamp set or FOUR free Cocoa Mouse digis! You have until Saturday, December 17 at 11:30 PM EST to add your direct link...go get stamping!

From here you'll be moving on to Taylor Usry's blog - hope you're enjoying the hop so far!!

Just in case you get lost along the way, here is the whole list of design team members hopping along today:

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps ♥ Korin Sutherland ♥ Bridget Finlay ♥ Kim Singdahlsen ♥ Harriet Skelly ♥ Jessica Fick ♥ Kim O'Connell ♥ Sandy Domelle ♥ Monika Davis ♥ Carol Longacre ♥ Ceal Pritchett ♥ Kim Schofield ♥ Mary Faus ♥ Stephanie Wright ♥ Holly McMillen ♥ Stephanie Serrano ♥ Cathy McCauley ♥ Makiko Jones ♥ Dina Kowal ♥ Taylor Usry ♥

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Pink

2011-12-15T05:00:00.008-05:00

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a pink card. This Cupcake Background was calling me... this is such a versatile background, with such a fun variety of cupcakes in all shapes and sizes! It can be kept as a background, or the cupcakes could be cut out and pieced, etc. Such a fun image. I stamped the sentiment "Fill Your Day" on a Spellbinders die cut.
These are the Touch Markers that I used:

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration, and keep an eye out for some new stamps that will be available soon!! Lots of exciting new products and changes coming at Impression Obsession in the new year. Can't wait!

Daniela @ For the First Time
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Sale items

2011-12-13T20:48:00.003-05:00

Just posting here for those who purchased craft items from me last month - I am getting those things ready to mail, and you should now have an invoice in your inbox to pay via paypal. Thanks again so much!

TTC07 - Animals

2011-12-12T08:00:00.008-05:00

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects with an animal theme. We hope you'll join the fun! The whole team is working with the same stamp image from The Stamps of Life today...we are so thankful to them for sponsoring our challenges this month!!I had fun coloring this sweet little puppy - I tend to color with a heavier hand, so this time I concentrated on slowing down and working in lighter strokes.

These are the Touch Twin Markers that I used:

Here's a short video showing how I used a waterbrush filled with rubbing alcohol to color the background of my image:

You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC07 and touchtwin. Don't have Touch markers? That's OK too for now. Starting in January we will require using our markers, but for now you can use any coloring medium. Have fun!

Hellooooooo!!

2011-12-11T21:55:00.002-05:00

Just popping in to let you know we made it safely to the States - so thankful for safe and pleasant flights, and little blessings along the way... thankful for gluten-free meals (I even got STEAK once!), slipper socks, and in-flight movies... and for a hotel to shower and rest in before we finish our journey tomorrow.

An adventure was going to happen...

2011-12-10T00:01:00.007-05:00

Appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we leave our home today to begin traveling half way around the world! I'll be able to check in on Facebook along the way, I think - otherwise, I'll post an update when we get settled at our destination! Some other scheduled posts will probably pop up before then. Tonight we overnight in Singapore, then head out Sunday morning for the long part of our flight (where we arrive Sunday morning, too!).

In celebration of traveling, a travel card! This sweet image is a digi from Tiddly Inks, and is called Gonna Miss Ya. I colored the image with Touch Twin Markers, and used an alcohol-filled waterbrush to color parts of the background. I stamped Impression Obsession's Cover-a-Card Passport over the book page. The sentiment is part of a retired Winnie the Pooh image from All Night Media, which I inked with a marker.

These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:

See you soon!

Lifting you up....

2011-12-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

This has been a busy but fun week of memory-making and sharing with our church family, co-workers and students before we leave. People seem to always snug up a little closer before we leave, and that is an assurance to our hearts that we have a place here that will be sweet to come home to after our time in the States.

All my stamping supplies are either packed up or stored away... but I wanted to share this card from my time on the Dirty Dozen as a THANK YOU to those of you who have encouraged me and are praying for me during this transition time. You have blessed my heart so much. Stamps are from House Mouse and Skipping Stones Designs.

Just a few more days........!!!

Joy ornament

2011-12-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

Although I had my Touch markers packed up, I had to pull them out the other night to color up this digital stamp from Gina K. Designs... I had a concept in my head that I wanted to see if I could duplicate, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The picture's not perfectly accurate (like the paper is actually white...) but I kept losing the true colors of the markers if I tried to fix the white.

I had shared the picture during the process with some Facebook friends, and they encouraged me to frame it.... so I cut a mat from some velvet paper cardstock using a Coluzzle template. It won't stay in this frame - I'll have to find another one... but this was the only 5x7" frame I could find (and it had my favorite wedding photo in it...)!

Speaking of traveling with markers, this is how they are packed now - previously I had some round containers in there, but found these ones that are taller and a perfect fit.

These are the markers I used on the image - I based my color choices on the current color challenge over at the Touch Twin Challenge Blog:

Thanks for checking on me! What a crazy week... Thursday is graduation and Saturday we leave for the States!!

ODBD December Release Blog Hop

2011-12-01T08:00:00.014-05:00

Welcome to the Our Daily Bread release hop! Today we are showcasing the new releases for December. If you're a regular reader of my blog and just happened upon my section of the hop, you may want to start back at the beginning. Prizes are involved - lots of them!! The ODBD Blog is the place to get started - actually you'll start and end the hop there, and if you should happen to get lost or interrupted in between, you can always go there for a complete list of links in the correct order. If you came to my blog from Sandee's blog, you are doing just fine, and you're almost done!

When you see me playing along, you know that I've had a part in the new release...... this month, these designs are my contributions! I love the peaceful, whimsical feel of these backgrounds, the vintage feel of the clover image, and the reminders to appreciate and be faithful in the simple things.

Here's my card: I colored the clover image on the upper panel and also the seam binding ribbon with Touch Twin Markers (the colors are listed below). You can find a tutorial for custom coloring seam binding with alcohol markers HERE. I used the border die from the Serve The Lord set to cut the edge of my upper panel.

These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:

To be eligible to win prizes today (SIX prizes of Choice of 1 FREE SET!!! Merry Christmas!!!) here is what you have to do:

* Hop to each blog on the list and leave a comment for each designer
* Return to the ODBD Blog, and tell us you completed the hop, follow any other instructions they have for you there, and let us know if there were any blogs you could not comment on.

I am the last stop on the hop today, so after you leave a comment here, you'll be hopping on to the ODBD blog to leave your final comment! Thanks for visiting me today! If you like my designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

(***I do have my comment moderation turned on because I'm over here on the other side of the world, and I'll be sleeping while you hop... don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: What would you like to drink?

2011-12-01T02:00:00.000-05:00

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a card or project featuring our favorite drink. Thinking ahead to when we're in the States, I know I'll be wanting to escape from the cold with a warm cup of coffee. Or two! So here's a cozy image for a cold day.

I colored this image up with Prismacolor pencils. Stamps used: Toasty Treats, Smell the Coffee clear set. I scored my card base with a Scor-pal tool. The baker's twine is from the Twinery.

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Daniela @ For the First Time
Deborah @ Cards and Things
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Heartfelt Creations DT Alumni Hop

2011-11-29T08:00:00.013-05:00

It's time again for the Heartfelt Creations Design Team Alumni monthly blog hop... We've chosen the last Tuesday of each month to share a project featuring Heartfelt Creations' stamps, just for fun. If you'd like to view the entire hop, you can just start here! I'm at the top of the hop list today. Be sure to leave a comment on every blog along the hop - today there is a $25 gift certificate up for grabs!!

For my project I made an acrylic ornament - I've had these acrylic pieces stashed away for some time, and with our upcoming trip to the States in mind, I am in "use it up" mode! I colored the image (Chickadee Surprise) with Touch Twin markers, adding some lines with a glaze pen to resist the ink in some places. I used the markers to color the seam binding, too, spritzing the colored ribbon with alcohol to make the colors blend.

These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:

After you leave a comment here, you'll be hopping on to Selma's blog. Thanks for stopping by!

(***I do have my comment moderation turned on because I'm over here on the other side of the world, and I'll be sleeping while you hop... don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

Here's a full list of the ladies hopping today:

Dina @ Mama Dini's Stamperia
Selma @ Selma's Stamping Corner
Karen @ Creative Yearnings
Olga @ Craftie Odamae
Tesa @ Tesa's Scrap
Marsha @ Stamping Down South
Carla @ Carla's Stamping Spot
Debbie @ Debbieseyer.com
Linda @ Payne Holler Cards

TTC06 - Color Challenge

2011-11-28T08:00:00.012-05:00

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects with a specific color combination. We hope you'll join the fun!

This time I stayed very close to the colors suggested, only adding a couple of greys to the mix. It's hard for me to use primary colors, so this was a real challenge for me! But I really enjoyed working with this set, designed by my friend Nina! Huge thanks to Gina K Designs for sponsoring our challenges this month.

The quilt rack and quilt images are cut out and popped up on foam tape. I added some dimension to both pieces using a ball stylus. The white panel on the card is scored vertically every 1/2 inch to imitate a paneled wall.

These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:

You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC06 and touchtwin. Don't have Touch markers? That's OK too for now. Starting in January we will require using our markers, but for now you can use any coloring medium. Have fun!

Flower Soft Pyramid cards, and a change...

2011-11-26T01:01:00.001-05:00

Another "Winter Blues" card using the Christmas Tree Pyramids kit from Flower Soft.... This is the outdoor tree, and there's also an indoor tree, full of decorations with tons of fun toys underneath! I love the simplicity of this one, and the card is so fun to put together! I used Polar White Flower Soft and glitter to decorate.
I've shared some stepped out photos in a tutorial on the Flower Soft blog if you'd like to see more of the process of assembling these fun cards. Thanks for visiting!

I also want to let you know that I've made the difficult decision to step down from the Flower Soft design team... with our trip to the States in December, and being transient and homeless (LOL!) until July when we return overseas, I need to ease my blogging 'requirements' and focus my energies elsewhere for a while. I was going to try to hang on until the end of the year, but I'm going to have to move up my 'end date' to the end of November as far as challenges and hops.

You can still catch my posts over on the Flower Soft blog on Tuesdays until Christmas, and you'll definitely still be seeing Flower Soft here on my blog in the future. I already packed a pinch of each color to take with me. Thanks so much for your loving comments on all my Flower Soft creations over the last year, and for your encouragement to me always. :)

Winner winner, turkey dinner!

2011-11-26T00:01:00.003-05:00

The winner of the Impression Obsession stamp is: Brenda Evans!!

Brenda Evans said...

What a cute stamp and lovely scene. I would love to have this stamp. Thanks for the op!

Brenda, send me an email with your mailing address, so I can have your stamp all ready to mail when we get to the States! Congratulations!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T00:01:00.002-05:00

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to our friends and family in the States! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday... this year we decided to celebrate a little early to share our traditions with our Indonesian and Australian co-workers, who are our family here.In celebration of Thanksgiving, a Fall card! The main image on this card is called Decorate the Season Fence... the bucket was stamped a second time and shaped. It's popped up with foam tape, and I tucked some Autumn Mix Flower Soft in the top. I'll have to try this image later with Polar White snow in the bucket for winter, and flowers in the bucket for Spring! (Spring Mix? Sweet Pea? Heather? Lavender?!) I used chalk inks to color my background panel using a direct-to-paper technique, and the image was colored with Prismacolor pencils.The sentiment is HERE and I also used Cover-a-Card Flourishes on the textured background.

Remember, Impression Obsession's annual sale starts today!! Hope you've been making your list! Happy Thanksgiving!

Up for grabs!

2011-11-22T16:49:00.002-05:00

Just cleaning off my desk and realized that I have an unclaimed prize up for grabs! If you'd like to win this Impression Obsession cling stamp, leave a comment on this post, and I'll draw a winner on Friday (11/25) at midnight EST.Good luck!

Pixellated

2011-11-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

I took some time Saturday in between making crescent rolls and pork tenderloin to make a card for Lydia's "Pixellated" challenge over at Splitcoaststampers - the challenge was to make a card using at least 3 colored squares. I've had this idea in my head for almost a month now and wanted to use it on a card for Hope You Can Cling To but didn't have time before the deadline. The squares I used are Inchie Plus Squares (1-1/2" squares) from Inchie Arts - these high quality matboard squares are a DREAM to color on with alcohol markers - no bleeding at all! I stamped Cover-a-Card Roses from Impression Obsession on the squares, then colored them up using Touch Twin Markers. Inchie Arts makes matboard squares in 3 sizes - the Inchies (1"), Inchie Plus Squares (1-1/2"), and Twinchies (2") - and a variety of colors (black, dark gray, light gray, wheat, dark cream, ivory and white).

The sentiment is from one of my sets from Our Daily Bread designs - I don't usually mix companies when I blog, but I wanted this to be a special 'thank you' card, and I just really needed to use that sentiment! These are the Touch Twin markers that I used...
Wow... we are within 3 weeks of our trip... I've been thinking ahead (not always calmly) to our adjustment back into American culture... it's been 3-1/2 years since we were in the States last and soooo much has changed... not only that, but we have changed as well. I'm still holding on to my word for the year, "TODAY"... trusting the Lord and just taking one day at a time. Appreciate your prayers as we barrel through these next few weeks! I still have some big projects to finish up.

Hope you have a great week!

Necklaces

2011-11-19T01:20:00.002-05:00

NOT that I need another hobby... but I have been having fun lately making glass tile pendants. My friend Jeanne shared her source with me for necklace making supplies after I won one of her beautiful creations, so I placed an order at Sun and Moon Craft Kits! They were super accommodating of my international order, and very friendly to work with.

I found some square and rectangle glass tiles on clearance at an Etsy store going out of business, so this is my first project using those tiles, with the organza necklace and bail from Sun and Moon. This is a stamped image from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps - you know I love my poppies... I stamped the image in a light ink and colored it in with Touch Markers.

At some point I'll make more of these square and rectangle necklaces to sell - one of a kind, handcolored pieces - but for now this is it, and this one's mine. :)

The other necklaces I have been making are made using batik paper - batik is a traditional art form in Asia Pacific, so I thought it would be fun to make necklaces to bring with us when we come to the States. For these I'm using flat-backed rounded marbles... I'm sure there's a proper name for them, but I can't remember any more! I'm making some for gifts, and some to sell. If you happen to be interested in buying one, let me know soon so I can tuck one away for you! These will sell for $6.00 apiece, and each one is unique.

Thanks for stopping by!

Heads Up!!!

2011-11-18T04:26:00.002-05:00

Just passing this on from Impression Obsession's Facebook page:

SALE ANNOUNCEMENT: It's that time of year! Our annual warehouse sale is happening in Williamsburg, VA this Friday from 9-4 and Saturday from 10-2. Our warehouse is located at 108 Ingram Road, Suite 11, Williamsburg, VA. If you are in the area stop by for awesome deals on all kinds of rubber, cling, and clear stamps! (And who knows what else we'll dig up)!

And for you non-local folk, our annual internet sale starts on Thanksgiving Day and runs through Monday, 11/28. Stay tuned for more details on that coming next week.

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Stamps only!

2011-11-17T05:00:00.005-05:00

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a card using stamps only - no patterned paper allowed!!I started by stamping the Poinsettia stamp on watercolor paper, masking it, then stamping the Rose Music Background over top. Keeping the mask on, I spritzed some water/reinker over the panel, dried it with my heat gun, then sponged inks around the poinsettia from the bottom up. I left the top of the panel unsponged (is that a word?) so the spritzing would show.The poinsettia was colored first with Touch Twin Markers, then watercolored with reinkers. I stamped a second flower and trimmed around some of the petals, then embossed them from the back with the wooden end of my stylus for more dimension.
The tabbed label is a stamp from the Journaling 1 clear set - I stamped it in Brilliance gold ink. The sentiment is from the Winter View set, and I also stamped French Postal and Paris Registre on the label. I used Peel-Off stickers from Flower Soft around the edges of the focal panel. It doesn't show well in the picture, but I also stamped Cover-a-Card Kaleidoscope on the card base.

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge: Winter Blues

2011-11-16T08:00:00.006-05:00

This week's Sprinkle challenge (FSC40) is to use Flower Soft on your cards with a blue/winter theme. Here's a fun little die-cut card featuring the Christmas Snow Globe toppers - these toppers are made to be used with the dimensional Display Globes, but they can be used alone or in a frame like I've created here with Spellbinders dies.A couple of angled shots to show the dimension you can create with these decoupage kits - I used glitter and Polar White Flower Soft to add snow to the scene.
If you'd like to join in on the Sprinkle challenge, pull out the Flower Soft! Post your project in the Splitcoast Gallery using the keywords flowersoft (one word) and FSC40. We'd love to have you join us!

TTC05 - In the Garden

2011-11-14T08:00:00.012-05:00

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects with a garden theme. We hope you'll join the fun!

Gina K Designs is our sponsor for this month's challenge - these are the first Gina K stamps I have used, and I am so impressed with their quality! Each set is diecut on cling foam, and comes with a stiff laminated binder page for easy storage. We are using the Gnome One Like You set for our samples this week, designed by our own Tami Mayberry!

Here's my card - the marker colors I used are below. I masked the gnome image and stamped the mushroom so it would appear behind him - while I had the mask on I also stamped the bushes in Adirondack Willow ink. Here's what that looked like with the mask on...

I wanted to share a couple of pictures here to show how I made the clouds. I colored the sky area first using PB185. The clouds are made using with the Colorless Blender marker. You can see in the pictures below how the Colorless Blender pushes the color aside when it is held in one place.

To create the clouds, I just slowly moved my Blender marker to fill in cloud shapes - bumpy tops and flatter bottoms. The longer you hold the Blender in one place, or the more times you go over an area, the lighter it will get. Hope that explanation helps!

Here are the marker colors I used on my card:

You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC05 and touchtwin. Don't have Touch markers? That's OK too for now. Starting in January we will require using our markers, but for now you can use any coloring medium. Have fun!

Puppy update....

2011-11-13T08:15:00.005-05:00

I mentioned our puppy saga on Wednesday... that day our dog had had 4 puppies, 3 of them stillborn. By Friday evening she had produced a total of 9 puppies! 3 males and 1 female are living. I can't even imagine being in labor for 3 days...!

In celebration of puppies, a puppy card! It seems like forever since I stamped for fun... with our trip coming up I have been working like crazy to get ahead on design work so I can enjoy family time in December, so most of what I've made is tucked into scheduled posts between now and the beginning of January. It felt good to just sit and watercolor tonight. This is the Christmas Puppy set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps - that is one of my die designs peeking out on the left. I used the Sketch challenge (SC358) from Splitcoast, and also found a puppy teapot on the Inspiration Challenge site.

Have a great week!

Life stuff....

2011-11-12T02:50:00.005-05:00

Little bit of life stuff for you today... I think I may have more posts like this in the future - do you mind?

We took a trip to town today, mainly to get new family photo prayer cards printed...

While we were in town, we did a little shopping... I've probably mentioned here that I've been making an effort to manage and pinpoint some food allergies and sensitivities - well in the process of cutting out certain foods and changing my eating habits, over the last year I've lost over 20 lb., and my clothes are literally falling off me. I have never bought clothes here because Asian sizes run quite small, but as it turns out I'm finally able to find clothes that fit here now! So thrilled. These are the jeans I didn't buy because they were $99... but {squeeeee} !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, if you're a Facebook friend you know I have a deep love for "Engrish" (poorly translated English sayings on t-shirts, signs, books, etc.), so I wanted to find a few t-shirts for myself... these are 2 I purchased today that are especially "me".

We ate at Pizza Hut - they actually have a small salad bar now! We resisted the tuna, corn and mayo pizza... *shudder*

Bought a few things for our Thanksgiving dinner, too - we're going to celebrate a little early with our Indonesian co-workers - I'll be sure to share pictures!

Hope you have a great weekend.......

Lilies circle card

2011-11-10T01:19:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share a quick card made with the Floral Designs Lily download - these kits feature beautiful watercolor artwork and print just perfectly to coordinate with a variety of Spellbinders dies. There are also accent elements that can be cut by hand. I added a sentiment from one of my Sweet 'n Sassy sets, Christmas Tags (this set is so versatile, with many non-Christmas options...!). I'm going to add this to the cards I'm sending to MD Anderson for Hope You Can Cling To.

Sort of a heart-wrenching day yesterday, with our dog having 3 stillborn, premature pups. Only one was born alive, and he is still fighting, but not eating too well. Sigh... part of life.

We are counting the days to our trip - down to 30 now!

Enjoy your day.......

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps birthday hop!

2011-11-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Birthday Blog Hop! A fantastic group of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps design team members and guests (past and present), along with some special friends, have put together this fabulous Birthday Blog Hop to kick off a whole month of fun in celebration of SNSS's 4th birthday. How fun to be a part of this amazing group!

If you just happened on the blog hop because you're a regular reader of my blog, and you'd like to view the entire hop, you can start back at the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog - you'll find a full list of participants there, and all the details you need. If you're already hopping and you arrived here from Ceal's blog, you're doing just fine.
This is another one of the cards I made for the Hope You Can Cling To card drive at Splitcoaststampers. The cardinal from the Christmas Joy set is watercolored using dye reinkers, and embellished with a little white glitter from Martha Stewart. The sentiment I used is from one of my sets, called Christmas Tags.... Christmas Tags is a really versatile set with sentiments that can be combined or used separately, at Christmas or throughout the year! Love it, and I'm looking forward to the matching tag die!

Here's a closer look at the watercolored image:
After you leave a comment here, you'll be hopping on to Margo's blog - Happy hopping, and good luck to you! We have 36 stops so the hop will stretch over three days - feel free to take your time visiting each blog! You have until 11:59pm EST November 9th to leave comments on as many blogs as you can. On Saturday, November 12th, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps will announce FOUR winners (chosen at random from comments on random stops along the hop). Each lucky winner will receive a prize pack including stamps, dies, paper & twine valued at $40!

(***I do have my comment moderation turned on because I'm over here on the other side of the world, and I'll be sleeping while you hop... don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

Here's a list of everyone who's hopping today, just in case you get lost!

Korin Sutherland ♥ Holly McMillen ♥ Taylor Usry ♥ Kim Schofield ♥ Monika Davis ♥ Lydia Fiedler ♥ Harriet Skelly ♥ Makiko Jones ♥ Jerusha Borden ♥ Mary Marsh ♥ Lori Craig ♥ Kim O'Connell ♥ Chris Dickinson ♥ Stephanie Wright ♥ Shannon White ♥ Janette Olen ♥ Katlyn Traxler ♥ Deb Felts ♥ Stephanie Serrano ♥ Jessica Fick ♥ Kim Singdahlsen ♥ Mary Faus ♥ Sandy Domelle ♥ Bridget Finlay ♥ Ceal Pritchett ♥ Dina Kowal ♥ Margo Smith ♥ Shelby Goolsby ♥ Tami Mayberry ♥ Lorie Souther ♥ Darsie Bruno ♥ Cathy McCauley ♥ Beate Johns ♥ Janice Melton ♥ Jacquie Peifer ♥ Lisa Hjulberg ♥

New colors!

2011-11-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

I borrowed some pictures from the Prismacolor blog to let you know about 18 new colors being added to the pencil line.... I was excited to see some of the Deco colors coming back, and a deeper blue... hopefully the other Deco colors will follow! Some of these colors are returns from the retired Lightfast line. Anyway here they all are - they are also listed in the Dick Blick store with a Dec. 6th release date. The new "big" set will be 150 pencils.

Just passing the info along!

5 more weeks!

2011-11-05T08:01:00.005-04:00

So much to do before we leave for the States! I have been in "go mode" the last 2 weeks already, except for a few days this week when I was down with tonsilitis. I've been working ahead on design team projects so I don't have to worry about them in December when we're traveling... updating notes and course material for the health class I teach so my co-workers have everything they need to teach the class while I'm away... making lots of 'to do' lists and 'to buy' lists... working on a tutorial... and a video... making plans to attend CHA... (!!!) ...we actually went to try to find jackets for our kids the other day... I guess we will have to layer them up, because we couldn't find anything heavier than a light sweatshirt at the mall!

None of that has anything to do with owls, but I want to share this card anyway! I love these colors together - sort of Fall-ish and trendy. All stamps are from Impression Obsession - I colored the owl with Touch Twin markers, masked the image, then stamped the Damask stamp (inked then misted before stamping) over the image. The smaller flowers were masked with a glaze pen..

Stamps I used: Owl, Owl Be Thankful, Cover-a-Card Damask

Thanks for checking on me today - hope you have a great weekend!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Winter release!

2011-11-04T00:01:00.008-04:00

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating their new stamp release today, and I have some designs in the mix! So excited to finally share them with you here.

This set is called Snowflake Flourish - it's a fun mix of flourishes and fonts, with a theme of snow and sticking together. I don't have my stamps yet, but I hope you'll visit the Sweet 'n Sassy blog for links to the team's creations using the new sets!We're also introducing the first in a series of border dies - these Lacy Eyelet Border dies are sold in a set of 2. The top border is designed for lacing ribbon or a paper strip, like I did in this card. The flowers that cut out in the lower border look like little dogwoods - I think they'll be fun to play with around Easter! These borders are also designed to create a border on the paper that is cut away, so they're multi-functional.Another "new" release for me is the Candle digi - last month it was released as part of a clear set, but now is available as a digital stamp as well.

A Sweet 'n Sassy release party!

2011-11-03T08:00:00.010-04:00

Welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Release Day Blog Hop! This month the Design Divas and the Digi Team are hopping together, to celebrate the fabulous clear stamps, digis, and dies being released tonight!! Don't forget to join us tonight at 8:00PM EST in our member company forums over on Splitcoaststampers - we have a great release party planned! There will be full reveals of all of the stamp sets, digis and dies, plus challenges AND prizes!!!

If you just happened to stop by because you're a regular reader of my blog, you may want to head over to the SNSS Blog to make sure you don't miss anything, and get all the details about how to win some great prizes! If you're hopping already and you've just come from Stephanie's blog, you're on the right track.I'm using one of the new digis from this release - it's my first design available from SNSS in digital format! Many people had been asking for this design as a digital stamp, and we're happy to comply. You can even get it at 50% off for a few more days!
I printed my image in Word, changing the brightness to 80% and the contrast to 20% so I had a light grey image to work with. I used Prismacolor pencils to color in the image, then cut along some of the leaf edges and popped them up from behind with foam tape. I also used one of the new Eyelet border dies along the bottom of my card - you will love how these cut!! Your next stop on the hop is Holly's blog, but just in case there are any hiccups, here is the whole list of team members sharing new release goodness today:

SNSS Blog
Kim Schofield
Sandy Domelle
Ceal Pritchett
Mary Faus
Janette Olen
Makiko Jones
Kim Singdahlsen
Jessica Fick
Stephanie Wright
Dina Kowal
Holly McMillen
Carol Longacre
Taylor Usry
Cathy McCauley
Margo Smith
Bridget Finlay
Harriet Skelly
Monika Davis
Korin Sutherland

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the hop!

(***I do have my comment moderation turned on because I'm over here on the other side of the world, and I'll be sleeping while you hop... don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

If you like my stamp designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Snow days

2011-11-03T04:00:00.000-04:00

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project that shows us what you like to do on snow days. I can't imagine myself being far from the house on a snow day... since we've lived in the Tropics for several years, anything under 80F feels cold to me! So here's a snowy window scene... aaaaaaand imagine me still inside. :)
I colored the image with Touch Twin markers, using a Sakura glaze pen for some realistic shine on the windows, and Martha Stewart glitter for the snow. The window stamp and sentiment are part of a clear set called Winter View, which was part of last year's winter release. I also used the Wood Grain Cover-a-Card background stamp on the oval sentiment panel, and the Thick and Thin Cover-a-Card for the striped background. It's stamped 3 times with 3 different inks, moving over slightly each time.These are the Touch Twin Markers that I used:

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Flower Soft Critter Challenge

2011-11-02T06:00:00.005-04:00

Flower Soft has a new challenge posted - today we're sharing projects that feature Flower Soft on projects themed "Let's Talk Turkey (or any other animal)"! I don't have any turkey stamps, but I did find this blustery bear image from I Brake for Stamps - the image is colored with Touch Twin markers, and fuzzed up with a little Sand Ultrafine Flower Soft. I used Polar White on the snow, and added a little dimension to the image by cutting and embossing from behind. The sentiment is computer generated.

These are the markers that I used:
If you'd like to join in on the challenge, pull out the Flower Soft! Post your project in the Splitcoast Gallery by using the keywords flowersoft (one word) and FSC39. All the info can be found at the Flower Soft blog. You could even win a prize! We'd love to have you join us!

Winners!

2011-11-01T08:12:00.005-04:00

Thanks so much for all your sweet comments on my blog birthday post! Here are the winners:

Prize #1 - Impression Obsession Floral Duos II Clear Stamp Set + 3 Touch Twin Markers (new #120 Black markers in brush and bullet tips, + a blender) goes to:

Kelly Rae!!

KellyRae said...Happy blog-o-versary! You've inspired us with your fabulous creativity and shared with us some tips and tricks to attempt it ourselves. Thank you, thank you, and I look forward to many more years. Your birthday card is beautiful, I love how the blue glow around the image makes the colors of the flowers pop!

Prize #2 - Skipping Stones Design Dogs Vol. 1 Clear Stamp Set + 3 Touch Twin Markers (new #120 Black markers in brush and bullet tips, + a blender) goes to:

Slbela59!

slbela59 said...Happy 5th, Dina! I stumbled across your blog about a year ago and have been following you every since. Thank you for sharing all your tips and beautiful inspirations. thanks also for the chance to win an awesome prize. Have a safe trip back to the states.

Prize #3 - smARTworks/dkdesigns Joy unmounted rubber stamp set (this is my son!) + 3 Touch Twin Markers (new #120 Black markers in brush and bullet tips, + a blender) goes to:

Joan V!

Joan V said...Dina, congrats on 5 yrs of blogging. The flowers on your card are so pretty. I haven't tried the Touch Twin markers and haven't seen them anywhere, yet. Always something new in this craft that comes along and I usually find it sooner or later. What a nice gesture to make the card for the cancer center. I am sure it will make someone very happy. Again, congrats on 5 yrs and to many, many more.

Congratulations ladies! Please email me with your mailing addresses, and I'll pop these prizes in the mail to you in a few weeks!

Hope You Can Cling To

2011-11-01T03:34:00.003-04:00

I'm kinda proud of myself... I was able to complete a card for each of the challenges at Splitcoaststampers for Hope You Can Cling to! Here's a quick peek at each of them - some of them I've shared here already, and others will be shared soon. So glad to be able to encourage in this way!!

Happy birthday!

2011-10-27T05:39:00.013-04:00

Hard to believe, but 5 years ago today, I started this blog, my little corner of the cyber world... It's been a fun 5 years - lots of life lessons, a little stress, but most of all, enjoyable interaction with you, and growth as a designer. This blog has been a fun way to share the things I love and the things that I see and know, escape the stresses of cross-cultural living, and connect with people who "get me." Thank you for meeting me here!
To celebrate the occasion, a birthday card! Actually, this is the sample I made for Jeanne's challenge on Tuesday - I used stamps from Flourishes, watercoloring the background with a teal reinker and coloring the image with Touch Twin Markers. We're still creating cards over at SCS for the Hope You Can Cling To card drive... the cards will be sent to the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center for visitors to share with patients in the breast cancer unit.
These are the markers that I used:I have some goodies to share with you tooooooooo...........! I have 3 prize packages to give away, and all you need to do is leave a comment below! You don't have to become a follower, but if you're not a regular reader, that would be a great way to check back and see if you've won. Up to you.

Prize #1 - Impression Obsession Floral Duos II Clear Stamp Set + 3 Touch Twin Markers (new #120 Black markers in brush and bullet tips, + a blender)
Prize #2 - Skipping Stones Design Dogs Vol. 1 Clear Stamp Set + 3 Touch Twin Markers (new #120 Black markers in brush and bullet tips, + a blender)
Prize #3 - smARTworks/dkdesigns Joy unmounted rubber stamp set (this is my son!) + 3 Touch Twin Markers (new #120 Black markers in brush and bullet tips, + a blender)

I will draw a winner on Oct. 31st at midnight EST! I would like to wait and mail prize packages Stateside to winners in the States, so those prize packages will be mailed in December, sometime after the 12th. Thanks for understanding! Good luck!!

P.S. Popping this in over at the OCL challenge to make a pink card, and the Dolce Stamps and Cards challenge to make a square card with diecuts!

Heartfelt Creations DT Alumni Hop

2011-10-25T08:00:00.012-04:00

It's time again for the Heartfelt Creations Design Team Alumni monthly blog hop... We've chosen the 4th Tuesday of each month to get together and share a project featuring Heartfelt Creations' stamps. Since there are only a few of us participating today, we're just linking to each other. Hope you'll click on their links at the bottom of this post for more inspiration!

We've decided to take a few months off for the holidays, and then start up again in January... I won't be able to participate while we're traveling, but I hope to join in again when we get home.I made this card for a Hope You Can Cling To challenge earlier this month, and saved it for today's blog post. The challenge was to make a round card. The Rose Bouquet image is stamped with Memento Desert Sand ink and colored with Touch Twin Markers. I cut my card base with a Coluzzle circle template, and layered it with a paper doily. You can visit the other ladies' blogs at the links below! Thanks for stopping by today!

Selma Stevenson
Olga Jewell
Linda Payne

TTC04 - Color challenge

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects with a specific color combination. We hope you'll join the fun! These are the colors we're using - if you don't have these specific colors or markers, just use what you have and try to stay as close to these colors as you can.
This is one of my favorite Impression Obsession images ever - it's called Cabbage Roses. The sentiment I used is from THIS clear set. I stuck with the challenge colors, adding a lighter shade for each one, and used a combination of light neutrals for the background. Huge thanks to Impression Obsession for sponsoring our challenge this month!

These are the Touch Twin Markers that I used:
You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC04 and touchtwin. Don't have Touch markers? That's OK too for now. Starting in January we will require using our markers, but for now you can use any coloring medium. Have fun!

Want markers?!

2011-10-23T17:55:00.004-04:00

Marker giveaways are BACK over at the Touch Twin blog! There's still plenty of time to play. Each day through the end of the month, 5 people will each win 2 markers apiece. All you have to do is answer a simple question!

And the more you play, the more chances you have to win the big prize - on the last day there will be a drawing for a set of 24 markers! Hope you'll come join us!

For Sale

2011-10-22T18:04:00.003-04:00

I added a few more things to my FOR SALE page - hope you'll take a look! There are still some Touch Markers left, and a bunch of unmounted stamp lots. Cheap.

Fun stuff happening here this week... a new marker challenge... a blog hop... and a party! Yep - my little blog is having a birthday this week - has it really been 5 years already?!

Flower Soft "All That Glitters" hop!

2011-10-22T06:00:00.004-04:00

The Flower Soft team is hopping today in celebration of some new colors in the Diamond Range... new Metallics and sparkly jewel tones! If you just happened to stop by, you may want to start from the Flower Soft Blog to make sure you don't miss anything, and get all the details about how to win some new products! If you're hopping already and you've just come from Debbie's blog, you're on the right track.

I haven't gotten my new colors yet, so I'm using the chunkier Silver Flower Soft today. I'm sure the rest of the girls will dazzle you with their new sparkly colors, and I'll look forward to getting mine soon.

I'm using one of my own stamp designs available through Our Daily Bread designs - Christmas Tree Collage. It's so much fun to have a Christmas tree that can be decorated differently every time! I thought a cool turquoise and silver combination would be pretty. My coloring was done with Touch Twin Markers.

These are the Touch Twin markers that I used:

Your next stop is Linda's blog. Hope you enjoy the hop!

(***I do have my comment moderation turned on because I'm over here on the other side of the world, and I'll be sleeping while you hop... don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

If you like my stamp designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Purple

2011-10-20T05:00:00.017-04:00

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project using the color Purple. Here's my card: I pulled out an older clear set for my card - Smell the Coffee - actually I have had this image colored up for a long time - it is watercolored with reinkers and sponged with chalk inks.

I'll be sending this card to the UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for Splitcoaststampers' Hope You Can Cling To card drive! This is for Holly's challenge to make a purple card in honor of cancer survivors.

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Deborah @ Cards and Things
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps & the Twinery.... blog hop!

2011-10-19T08:00:00.015-04:00

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and The Twinery are teaming up today for a fun blog hop - 24 designers are showcasing product from both companies! If you just happened on the blog hop because you're a regular reader of my blog and you'd like to view the entire hop, you can start back at The Twinery Blog - you'll find a full list of participants there, and all the details you need. If you're already hopping and you arrived here from Katrina's blog, you're doing just fine.

If you'd like a chance to win one of 2 prize packages, be sure to leave a comment at every blog along the hop! These are the prizes up for grabs! Comments must be entered by 11:59 PM EST, Saturday, Oct. 22nd.

I wanted to combine this hop post with a challenge card for Hope You Can Cling To, so I pulled out So Sweet Cocoa... he is colored with Touch Twin Markers (the colors are listed below), and layered for dimension. I always keep the packaging insert from my SNSS stamps for layering on cards - I love those polka dots!!Here's also a peek at some dies releasing soon from SNSS - the one shown below has spaces in it for lacing a strip of paper, ribbon... or twine! I like this look with the Pink Sorbet twine laced and tied through the openings. Fun, huh? The actual die is 6" long, but I cut it to 4" for my card. The bottom edge of the polka dot layer is cut by the outside edge of a second die in that border set.Here's a close-up on Cocoa and the layering there, and also the markers I used to color him in:After you leave a comment here, you'll be hopping on to Jen's blog! Thanks so much for joining us!

(***I do have my comment moderation turned on because I'm over here on the other side of the world, and I'll be sleeping while you hop... don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge: Orange and Black

2011-10-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

This week's Sprinkle challenge over at the Flower Soft Blog (FSC38) is to use Flower Soft on your cards that feature orange and black. Halloween's coming up soon!We don't really do Halloween actually, but I do have lots of cute pumpkin stamps! This one is from Eureka Stamps and it's watercolored with reinkers and Inktense pencils. I grounded the image with some Autumn Flower Soft. The sentiment is from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.If you'd like to join in on the Sprinkle challenge, pull out the Flower Soft - you might even win a prize! Link up your orange and black project on the FS blog or post it in the Splitcoast Gallery using the keywords flowersoft (one word) and FSC38. We'd love to have you join us!

Majestic Tiger

2011-10-17T01:15:00.000-04:00

A new Dirty Dozen gallery posted over the weekend, which means I am officially "alumni"... it's fun to still be able to hang out with the Dirty Girls and help them choose and interpret a theme for each month. :) They were so creative with this month's theme!Here's a favorite from my 3rd month on the design team.... Our theme involved design elements like stripes, spots, and stars, and "stripes" reminded me of this Tiger stamp I had tucked away from Rubbernecker Stamps. I took my time watercoloring the image using reinkers, watercolor pencils, Inktense pencils, and Prismacolor pencils. One tip for coloring animals – find a photo online of the real animal in a position similar to the stamp image you are working with. A “color picker” tool on your computer can be really helpful in determining the exact color in certain areas. It’s not always what you’d think! The one I use is called Colorpix.
I added some dimension to the tiger's front legs by cutting around them and embossing from the back with the wooden end of my stylus. They are popped up with foam tape as well. I didn't have any large black brads, so I colored some silver ones with a black marker, then roughed them up a bit with sandpaper.

Busy weekend! Saturday we had a yard sale as an initial step in sorting our stuff before we head to the States in December... hopefully some of our used and stretched out 'junk' will become useful treasure for our friends here! Monday we're welcoming our missions pastor and another missions committee member from my home church in CA - they will be staying with us for a couple of days. Really feeling the "countdown" strongly now, as we have just 8 weeks until we go to the States!! So. Much. To. Do.

Marker shading video and tutorial

2011-10-15T00:01:00.008-04:00

Some of you have asked about my technique for coloring and shading with Touch Twin Markers, so I thought I'd share some thoughts here with a quick tutorial and video example. BTW, if you ever have questions, feel free to email me or leave a comment!

For each color area, I usually choose 3-4 colors that range from light to dark in shade.

Next I decide where the area should be shaded and where it should be highlighted. As a general rule for me:

Shaded areas:

areas that appear to be further away or curving away
areas that are lower
areas that appear to be behind something else

Highlighted areas:

areas that appear to be closer or curving toward me
areas that are higher
areas that appear to be in front of something else

I've just chosen a simple image to color to demonstrate the technique, but the same principle would apply for a more complex image with more areas to color in. The stamp image I used is called Teapot, and comes from Impression Obsession. These are the Touch Twin Markers that I used:I always begin coloring with the lightest color. I start my strokes from the areas that will be the darkest, working the color out toward the highlighted areas. The places that I want to remain the lightest I leave uncolored at first.Next I begin at the same points using the medium shade, going in the same direction and with the same motion, but not covering the lighter areas completely. After that is done, I work out from the same places, using the darkest shade(s).

When I'm done with the darkest shade, I repeat my shading again with the medium tone, to blend the dark and medium colors together. Finally, I repeat with the lightest color to blend all the layers together.

Here is a video for the visual learner:

(This is my first video, and the length of 2 minutes seemed to work pretty well for our upload speed here in the sticks! If there are other 'quick' techniques you'd like to see me demonstrate, let me know.)

Thanks for visiting today!

Craft items for sale..........

2011-10-13T02:11:00.003-04:00

I added a page of items for sale - there are stamps, a die, pencils, markers, a craft kit, and some other supplies...

I'm trying to start getting things organized for our trip to the States, so that includes sorting through all our stuff (bring, give, toss, sell...). If you are in the U.S. and are interested in any items, please let me know - first come, first served - but I will wait to ship the items until we come to the States in December to save money on postage.

I do have some more unmounted stamps, but I wanted to post the full sets first.

Email me if you're interested in anything! Thanks -

Sometimes I sits and thinks...

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love that little saying... "Sometimes I sits and thinks...and sometimes I just sits." I'm sure I've done my share of staring into space lately... life has been really full these last few weeks, as it always seems to be as October rolls around. We are in our last week of health class, but after that no real promise of things slowing down... we will be having visitors from the States (!!!) for a couple of days, and also focusing on destashing and sorting our belongings before we head to the States in 2 months. Also learning to be disciplined in what I eat, and taking some newly discovered allergies more seriously (wheat and peanuts).

Craziness.
I've had a lot of fun coloring pumpkins lately... I don't have many Halloween stamps, but it seems I have a lot of pumpkin stamps with animals on them. This is a favorite from I Brake for Stamps (Merry Stamper line -I bought it from them when they were going out of business). I stamped the image in Memento Desert Sand ink, so it has a borderless look to it after being colored with Touch Twin Markers. The pink background is Touch marker ink applied with a waterbrush filled with alcohol.

Thanks for visiting today!

TTC03 - Florals

2011-10-10T07:30:00.000-04:00

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're using our markers to create projects with a floral theme. We hope you'll join the fun!

The whole team is working with the same Impression Obsession image today...we are so thankful to them for sponsoring our challenges this month!! I stamped the Daisy Love image from Impression Obsession twice in Adirondack Willow ink. The same ink was used to watercolor around the image, so you can see what color the ink is - a very light green. From there I colored in the image using Touch Twin Markers (colors are listed below), working from light to dark. The technique is based on principles in the tutorial available here<<<

I did a modified Polished Stone technique on the horizontal panel here... I dotted markers, spritzed with rubbing alcohol, dotted more, and spritzed more, until I got the effect that I wanted. The sentiment can be found HERE.

These are the Touch Twin Markers I used:

You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC03 and touchtwin. Don't have Touch markers? That's OK too for now. Starting in January we will require using our markers, but for now you can use any coloring medium. Have fun!

Tons of Love

2011-10-08T00:01:00.004-04:00

This card is for Lydia's "Pink Critters" challenge for Hope You Can Cling To...The elephant is from Eureka Stamps and the sentiment is from an elephant set from Firecracker Designs (sadly, they're no longer in business). The image is colored with Touch Twin Markers (colors are shown below), and the background paper is from some Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps packaging. Those toenails are super glitterified! (I noticed after I colored it up that the actual name of the image is "Daddy Elephant".... oops...!).

These are the markers I used:

Have markers, will travel!

2011-10-07T01:20:00.003-04:00

I got to thinking today about a solution for carrying my markers when we start traveling in a few months - there are lots of options for portable marker storage, but so many of them are open-topped, and out of my price range. Russ remembered he had an old Roto-Zip case in the shed that he wasn't using, and I tried it out - the height was perfect for my Touch Markers, and I was able to find matching containers to put inside. The colors make it easy to sort my markers by color family, and they're also easy to lift out and replace.

So thankful to have been able to fill my need with things that we already had!! :)

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Halloween

2011-10-06T05:00:00.008-04:00

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a Halloween card, or a project inspired by your favorite costume. I'm having so much fun coloring pumpkins lately, so I pulled out this fun image (Pumpkin Trio) by Gail Green... it's stamped in Memento Desert Sand ink and colored with Touch Twin Markers. Here's a link to the word stamp (Friends).For a little more dimension, I cut along the edge of the pumpkin 'caps' and raised the cut edges a little with my craft knife.
These are the Touch Twin markers I used:

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Daniela @ For the First Time
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio <<<<< Make sure to welcome our newest team member!!!!

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Flower Soft Fall Shaker

2011-10-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for a new challenge from Flower Soft ... today we're using Flower Soft on our Fall-themed projects! I made a shaker card using Flower Soft's Display Globes and Aperture Cards. These display globes are super deep and allow for a lot of dimension inside. I thought this fun image from Eureka Stamps would be even more fun with a shakable pile of leaves, so I filled my globe with Autumn, Marigold, Earth, and Baby Pink Flower Soft, and some small leaf punchies.The Sentiment I used is from Impression Obsession. I stamped the leaves (Biblical Impressions) over the card, which I colored "direct to paper" using chalk inks. Here's a closer look at the shake-y stuff:

And these are the Touch Twin Markers that I used to color the image:If you'd like to join in on the challenge, pull out the Flower Soft! Post your Fall project in the Splitcoast Gallery by using the keywords flowersoft (one word) and FSC37. If you would like to view other Fall projects, you can link to other team members from the list in my sidebar. We'd love to have you join us!

Hope You Can Cling To

2011-10-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today is my day to host a challenge for Splitcoaststampers' month-long card drive called "Hope You Can Cling To." From SCS:

"Splitcoaststampers is proud to partner with the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center for a month long card drive to benefit those affected by breast cancer. Whether your stamps cling to acrylic, wood, or to your hard drive, they hold the power to convey hope and lift the spirits of anyone who sees what you create with them. That is the inspiration for our “Hope You Can Cling To” stamping campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This event is an opportunity for paper crafters across the globe to put their talents to work creating beautiful handmade cards to send to patients and their families at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and, in the process, turn our gallery pink!

Many in our community have been affected by breast cancer, directly or indirectly. We would love for each of the patients at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and their families to feel this same encouragement and inspiration... "

Here's the card I created for my challenge today, which is based on the theme that "Real Men Wear Pink" - for my challenge we're creating masculine cards that incorporate the color pink visibly somewhere. The image from Our Daily Bread designs is colored with Touch Twin Markers (colors shown below). I used a bit of recycled packaging - the damask paper is from a shopping bag. The source of the quote stamp is unknown.We hope you'll play along with us!

Our Daily Bread designs October release hop!

2011-10-01T08:00:00.014-04:00

I love it when I get to hang out with the Our Daily Bread design team! Today we are showcasing the new releases for October in a blog hop. If you're a regular reader of my blog and just happened upon my section of the hop, you may want to start back at the beginning. Prizes are involved!! The ODBD Blog is the place to get started - actually you'll start and end the hop there, and if you should happen to get lost or interrupted in between, you can always go there for a complete list of links in the correct order. If you came to my blog from Betty's blog, you are doing just fine.

When you see me playing along, you know that I've had a part in the new release...... this month, these designs are my contributions!

Collage designs are so fun to create, and to decorate! I'm excited to bring you a stamp where you can decorate your own tree... especially since I won't get to decorate my Christmas tree this year (we will be traveling to the States in December, so my tree has to stay in the box this time... sigh!). Imagine the possibilities of color schemes, bling and decorations... so much fun. Decorate it differently every time, every day - sure! Way more fun than a real Christmas tree.

I went with a vintage color palette on the collage, using Touch Twin Markers (BR134, Y36, Y41, Y42, RP7, and R2) to color in the image. There is dimensional glaze on the ornaments and Gold Flower Soft as tinsel. I used a little gold leafing on the star, applying it with a Sakura glue pen. The gold edges of my panel and card are Peel Off stickers, also from Flower Soft. I colored the gingham ribbon with a marker to match.

The word collage Joy Tree will make quick and easy CAS (clean and simple) cards a breeze too. Here's mine... in fact I think this will be just the ticket for my Christmas cards this year... simple black on white, with a star eyelet at the top... it will help me use up some ribbon so I can make room for more!! Heheh... And who knows how long I've had those eyelets...

To be eligible to win prizes today (up for grabs: THREE prizes of Choice of 1 FREE SET, and ONE GRAND PRIZE of Choice of 3 FREE SETS!) here is what you have to do:

* Hop to each blog on the list and leave a comment for each designer
* Return to the ODBD Blog, and tell us you completed the hop, follow any other instructions they have for you there, and let us know if there were any blogs you could not comment on.

I am the last stop on the hop today, so after you leave a comment here, you'll be hopping on to the ODBD blog to leave your final comment! Thanks for visiting me today! If you like my designs, stop by and 'like' dkdesigns on Facebook!

(***I do have my comment moderation turned on because I'm over here on the other side of the world, and I'll be sleeping while you hop... don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away!!)

dkdesigns on Facebook

2011-09-30T00:43:00.003-04:00

I made myself a little space on Facebook to share my stamp designs, past and upcoming... it will be a fun place to share new releases, and who knows, maybe a giveaway or 2? No big hype or hoopla - just compartmentalizing a bit.

Here is the link in case you want to visit!

Thanks!

Impression Obsession DT Thursday

2011-09-29T05:00:00.010-04:00

It's my turn to share a project for Impression Obsession's DT Thursday! On the weeks we don't have a challenge to share, the IO designers take turns sharing a personal project. We hope you're inspired!I have to compensate for missing the turn of the season by stamping, since there are no changing leaves in the Tropics! There are pumpkins, though... and though they're dark green, they still make a pretty decent pumpkin pie. This image is called Pumpkins, and in typical Gary Robertson style, the image provides lots of hints for coloring and shading. I watercolored the scene using Derwent watercolor pencils and a waterbrush. The pumpkin embellishment was in my Fall stash, and after several years of hording the silly little package, I decided to see if I could cut one in half. They're actually made of styrofoam, so that was easy to do. It's just glued on top of my bow.

Thanks for stopping by today!

P.S. I'm entering my card over at the Dolce Stamps and Cards site too - their Thursday Challenge is to make a card using Fall colors, and there's a bonus entry if you use Impression Obsession stamps! And....... I found another Fall themed challenge at Our Craft Lounge!

Heartfelt Creations DT Alumni Hop

2011-09-27T08:00:00.018-04:00

It's time again for the Heartfelt Creations Design Team Alumni monthly blog hop... We've chosen the 4th Tuesday of each month to get together and share a project featuring Heartfelt Creations' stamps. If you're following along the hop and you've arrived here from Olga's blog, you're doing just fine. If you'd like to view the entire hop, you can just start here - the hop doesn't have a starting or ending point - just continue on from here, and keep going until you come back. Be sure to leave a comment on every post if you're interested in winning a prize!! A random winner will be selected from all our commenters to win a Posy Patch Garden Delights Pre Cut stamp set. You will have until Sept. 29th (midnight EST) to participate. Our winner will be announced on Saturday, October 1st.
I love this image (Maxwell House) so much - almost all my flower pots out front are repurposed containers or broken appliances, so I love the idea of a coffee can birdhouse. I colored the image with Touch Twin Markers (colors are listed below...wow, I almost never use these blues, but I had fun shading this image!). I only used a part of the sentiment to fit it on the tag - the full sentiment is HERE.

From here you'll be hopping on to Angelica's Blog...... Thanks for stopping by!

TTC02 - Color Challenge

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

There's a new challenge up at the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog - this time we're presenting a color combo challenge. We hope you'll join the fun! These are the Touch Twin colors we're using - if you don't have Touch markers, just try to match these colors as best as you can.

This is Party Mouse, a House Mouse design (my stamp is an older Stampa Rosa collectible). The colors I used are listed below, with the challenge combo colors outlined in black. The sentiment I used is from a clear set by Impression Obsession called Greeting Card Sentiments. I also used my markers to color the rayon seam binding ribbon, spritzing it with rubbing alcohol for a unique blend. These are the markers I used:
You can visit the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge blog for all the details if you'd like to play! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just post to any online gallery with the keywords TTC02 and touchtwin. Don't have Touch markers? That's OK too for now. Starting in January we will require using our markers, but for now you can use any coloring medium. Have fun!

Borderless Watercoloring with Rubber Stamps - Tutorial Available!

2011-09-24T04:00:00.006-04:00

I've just finished up writing a tutorial for using rubber stamps to create borderless watercolor paintings like this one. It is a nine-page, photo-rich, step-by-step tutorial with lots of information, observations, and tips along the way. It's really too long to post on my blog, and for all the work that went into it, I'd like to offer it as a pdf download for purchase. We are in the process of applying for permanent residence visas and I would love to be able to help chip away at those enormous costs in this way.

The image on the card shown here is the one I used for the tutorial. Stamps are from Sheena Douglass' Paint Fusion Line, colored with Touch Twin Markers and Derwent Watercolor Pencils.

You can purchase the pdf for $5.00 USD by clicking the Paypal button below, and the file will be sent to you via email within 24 hours. (BTW... this Paypal account is my Asian account, so the decimal is written as a comma ($5,00 USD).)

Thank you so much!

Zenspirations Blog Hop!

2011-09-21T05:00:00.002-04:00

The Impression Obsession team is hosting a blog hop today to share a new line of stamps with you called Zenspirations - these are fun clear sets by artist Joanne Fink (you may have seen her artwork on Hallmark cards or elsewhere - she has a very recognizable style - you can see more of her artwork HERE).

This is the set I've used, called Espresso Yourself...
...and my card! I created a shaker card using one of I.O.'s Shake-It Pouches (this is the large circle). The image inside is colored with Prismacolor pencils, and I used Earth Ultrafine Flower Soft and some coffee grounds for my filler. I used a brown Blo-Pen for a quick spritz of speckles across the card.
Here's how I created the word border around my circle opening - one fun thing about clear stamps is that they are flexible, and can be bent around a shape. The two long word borders fit perfectly around the circle I had cut. I used a Coluzzle circle template to align the borders the way I wanted them before stamping.
Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Daniela @ For the First Time
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal

Thanks for joining us on our hop today!

P.S. This week's Sprinkle challenge over at the Flower Soft Forum (FSC36) is to use Flower Soft on your cards that feature circles. If you'd like to join in on the Sprinkle challenge, pull out the Flower Soft - you might even win a prize! Post your project in the Splitcoast Gallery using the keywords flowersoft (one word) and FSC36. We'd love to have you join us!

Want markers?!!

2011-09-19T08:00:00.004-04:00

Ready for a Shinhan Touch Twin marker GIVEAWAY?

Starting today (through the end of September!) Touch Twin will be giving away 2 markers to FIVE people every single day!

Each day there will be a question on the Touch Twin & More blog. Winners will be chosen randomly among all the responses to the questions. Winners must claim their prize within 48 hours of being announced by sending their mailing address & phone number. Please allow 3 to 4 weeks for prize delivery.

Have you seen our challenges? The first challenge (TTC01) is “Playing With Our Peeps” and you can find it on the Touch Twin & More Challenges blog.

There is still plenty of time to enter for a chance to win 12 Touch Twin markers!

Tell your friends! When we get to 1000 followers on our Facebook page we’ll be giving away 24 markers to a lucky follower!!!

Follow the Shinhan Touch Twin blogs:

Touch Twin Markers & More

Touch Twin Markers & More Challenges

Find us on Facebook
(tell 'em I sent you!)

Visit our website: Shinhan Art Materials

Hope you'll join us!

health class

2011-09-19T01:07:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd share a little about what's been keeping me busy these days...

Part of my responsibilities here at the campus where we serve include health education. In the past there has been a health class offered as part of the 3rd year curriculum for our students. Another co-worker and I have taught that class for the last 3 years. The last time we taught we were only given 3 weeks, and that was just not enough time - it really felt like "too little, too fast, and too late." We suggested that the class be given more time, and be offered to the first semester students so that eventually all the students would be given information that would not only help them in future life/ ministry but also be directly applicable here on campus - with their families, dormmates, etc. So this semester we've begun that program. We have 12 students, and a 5 week block to discuss health, germ theory, prevention, cleanliness, over-the-counter medicine, and some simple first aid. Most of these students are from tribal areas, so their understanding of any of these concepts is minimal at best and sometimes flawed, but we've been able to take things at a slower pace and they seem to be grasping everything well so far.

This last week we talked about what causes sickness and how our body fights it, and also took a couple of days to discuss some simple ways to prevent sickness and infection using sunlight, clean water, and soap, plus some tips on food safety, cleanliness, etc. We try to keep it simple and very practical. The class is an hour each weekday morning and runs till Oct. 14th... from there I run home and try to collect my thoughts to home school my kids the rest of the morning! It's an additional load for me but so worth the effort, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to help equip these students to live a better, healthier life.

Be yourself!

2011-09-17T01:37:00.002-04:00

This is one of my CHA samples - In general I'm afraid of lots of white space, but somehow this came together with a sort of back-to-school, change-of-seasons feel to it... and I survived!
The image is colored with Touch Twin Markers. You may be able to see in the photo below that I cut along the bottom of the skirt and shaped it slightly, then raised it with foam tape for dimension. These are the stamps I used: Cover-a-Card Notebook, Girl with Umbrella , & Be Yourself.
Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a great weekend!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps - new release!

2011-09-16T00:01:00.006-04:00

Just wanted to share a couple of my new designs that are now available at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!! These have been released in time to help you with your Christmas cards and gifting needs. The first set is an interactive tag set with a coordinating die coming soon - many of the sentiments can be used throughout the rest of the year as well, in a variety of combinations.
The second set coordinates with the script background shown below, and also has a coordinating die!
My stamps are still on the way so I don't have any cards to share YET...! I love this candle image - I was thinking of a vintage brass candle holder my Mom used to have when I drew this one. I think the holly berries could be covered with a silk or handmade flower to make this stamp usable year-round as well.

Hope you have a great day!

Splitcoaststampers Fan Club Gallery open...... sigh

2011-09-15T13:15:00.003-04:00

So hard to believe that 6 months have passed, and this month is my last month as a Dirty Girl... The Fan Club gallery is now open - this month the Dirty Dozen designers are sharing about their "comfort zones"... if you're curious what that means to each of us, take a little visit to SCS and have a peek! If you're not a Fan Club member, here's a teeny peek at what you're missing this month... Though I won't be designing for the gallery any longer, I'll be staying on as a theme consultant for the team, in addition to participating in other Dirty Dozen Alumni activities, like the upcoming "Hope You Can Cling To" challenges. Excited about that!

Mama Dini's Stamperia

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps February release hop

CHA DT Blog Hop Week - Day 4

Word Card Tutorial on Splitcoaststampers

CHA DT Blog Hop Week - Day 3

CHA DT Blog Hop Week - Day 2

TTC10 - color challenge

CHA DT Blog Hop Week - Day 1

So happy!

Daily Window Bags

Heather's Hobbie Haven hop

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: An Oldie But a Goodie

TTC09 - Think Snow

Bless You!

Inspired by...

Ups and Downs

Dyeing Scarves with Touch Twin Markers

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps January release hop

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Hearts and Flowers

Micey Nice

Our Daily Bread designs January release hop!

Flower Soft/Penny Black blog hop

Year in review...

Heartfelt Creations

TTC08 - Color Challenge

Merry Christmas!

Custom stamps

Impression Obsession DT Thursday

Penguin card

Christmas Puppy

Just passing this link along...

Crazy for Cocoa blog hop!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Pink

Sale items

TTC07 - Animals

Hellooooooo!!

An adventure was going to happen...

Lifting you up....

Joy ornament

ODBD December Release Blog Hop

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: What would you like to drink?

Heartfelt Creations DT Alumni Hop

TTC06 - Color Challenge

Flower Soft Pyramid cards, and a change...

Winner winner, turkey dinner!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Up for grabs!

Pixellated

Necklaces

Heads Up!!!

And for you non-local folk, our annual internet sale starts on Thanksgiving Day and runs through Monday, 11/28. Stay tuned for more details on that coming next week.

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Stamps only!

Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge: Winter Blues

TTC05 - In the Garden

Puppy update....

Life stuff....

Lilies circle card

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps birthday hop!

New colors!

5 more weeks!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Winter release!

A Sweet 'n Sassy release party!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Snow days

Flower Soft Critter Challenge

Winners!

Hope You Can Cling To

Happy birthday!

Heartfelt Creations DT Alumni Hop

Selma Stevenson Olga Jewell Linda Payne

TTC04 - Color challenge

Want markers?!

For Sale

Flower Soft "All That Glitters" hop!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Purple

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps & the Twinery.... blog hop!

Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge: Orange and Black

Majestic Tiger

Marker shading video and tutorial

Craft items for sale..........

Sometimes I sits and thinks...

Selma Stevenson
Olga Jewell
Linda Payne

Splitcoaststampers Fan Club Gallery open...... sigh