You Got This!

I found myself really struggling with some personal challenges this month, and in giving my sweet sister this advice on her new endeavor, I found that this advice also pertains to me.  Whatever you are struggling with, remind yourself that "You got this!" and things will get a bit easier.

So for my piece for The Paper Nest Dolls this week, I used the same image as my last PND post, but I wanted to make her a little grungy, more something that the younger generation might like.

This is the Ellie with Sign rubber stamp, from The Paper nest Dolls, and she was perfect for this card.  I had her colored up all nice and pretty like, then decided to add black to her dress to give her more of an edge.

I have been looking forward to trying the Stampendous Encrusted kits, but haven't found any yet, however, Michael's Recollections brand has some Encrusted Jewel kits that are very similar.  Unfortunately, they didn't have the black kit that I wanted, but I used my regular black embossing powder, some fine black glitter, and the mica chips from the pink kit.  I think it turned out great.  Of course more practice is always good :)

I colored her with my Prismacolor pencils in the following colors:

Hair:  PC1012, 945, 1082, 1099
Skin:  PC1081, 939, 927
Dress:  PC1085, 1017, 1031, 935, 938
Tights:  PC935, 938, 1081
Shoes:  PC1084, 1082, 946, 938
Sign:  PC946

Thanks for visiting, and don't forget to join us for the fabulous biweekly challenges at The Paper Nest Dolls challenge blog for a chance to win!

Winter frost warning with Magnolia :)

I recently started my collection of Magnolia stamps, and to be honest, for a long time, I didn't really like the looks of them.  But, let me tell ya,. they really grow on you!  Now I am totally in love with Magnolia stamps, and here is a retired one that I've used to create a winter wishes card.

Retired image from Magnolia

This was a super-fun image to color, I just wish I knew the name of it.  If you happen to know the name, please leave me a comment!

Retired image from Magnolia

I colored her with my fabulous Prismacolor Pencils and I also used my Wink of Stella Clear Gold glitter pen, and my Gelly Roll white pen:

Hair:  PC1069, 1072, 1076
Skin:  PC927, 1081, 939
Socks:  PC938, 1061
Pajamas:  PC936, 1088, 1027
I used Prang (because it is a harder pencil, which I like to use for the finer details) to outline the facial features.  The bench she sits on was done with PC1076, and the blue around the oval with colored with the same colors as her pajamas.  I also used the Gelly Roll pen to put in the falling snow and snowflakes.  The Wink of Stella I used to highlight the lace on her pajamas, and also just around the outside of the blue oval as well as around the very edges of the die cut.

I will be entering this card in the following challenges:

Midweek Magnolia - Flourishes
The East Wind - Baby it's Cold Outside
Craft-Dee Bowz - Anything Goes with a handmade bow

More East Wind Inspiration

I know I told you that I finally worked up the nerve to play with some images from The East Wind.  Here is another one I colored on vellum, called Aurora Daisy.  I am having way too much fun :P  Just a super quick post to show it off!

Aurora Daisy by The East Wind

Aurora Daisy by The East Wind

I colored her with my Prismacolor pencils:

Hair:  PC914, 1034, 1082, 1099
Skin:  PC939, 927, 1081
Dress:  PC920, 1006, 907
Earrings:  PC956, 1008, 932, 1041, 997, 945
Eyes:  PC1086, 1025, 901, Black (Prang)
Daisies:  PC997, 945,1061
Lips:  PC1081, 1080, 938
I colored the daisies and the earrings with my Wink of Stella Clear Gold glitter pen.

I also had some fun with an image from Hannah Lynn.  I created a fun little "thank you" card (3 x 4).
I didn't record the colors I used, as I finished the image I started months ago, lol.

Butterflies of Hope by Hannah Lynn

Thank you so much for stopping by.  More posts coming soon!

Beautiful colors with Some Odd Girl :)

This week, for Quick Creations, I created a card with Some Odd Girl's Rapunzel clear stamp.  She is a gorgeous image to color with her long flowing hair.  I also experimented with stamping a background, and some new colors.

Some Odd Girl "Rapunzel"

I have always like working with turquoise colors, and usually I lean towards the blue tones.  So, this time I decided to try the green tones, and am I ever glad I did!  I love this color combination!  I used everything from my stash, cardstock, ink, dies, and bling.  And I also tried embossing a patterned background with a stamp and matching chalk ink.  I really love how this card turned out, and I hope you do too!

Some Odd Girl "Rapunzel"

I used my Prismacolor Premiere pencils in the following colors:

Hair - PC1012, 942, 947
Skin - PC939, 927, 1006
Dress - PC920, 1006, 907
Flowers - PC1006, 907, 938

Thank you for visiting :)  If you would like to purchase this clear stamp image, you can find it here at Noelle Martin's online store:  Quick Creations.  Noelle also hosts a monthly challenge on her blog, so please come and join us!  We would love to see your creative side!

Having some fun with The East Wind!

I stumbled across these designs on Etsy a while back, and was a little (ok, a LOT) intimidated by them. They are so fabulous, I figured, no way could I even attempt them.  I saw them more and more on FB and on other challenge sites, and as I became more confident with my coloring, I decided I wanted to give them a try.  But I procrastinated, lol of course, and then all of a sudden I see this Youtube video of the designer (Unky) speed coloring her "Aurora Maple" image.  Let me tell you, I fell in love with the image and just had to try her.

I contacted Unky via FB as I fell in love with the hair color!  I asked if she would tell me what colors she used on the hair.  I have tried to come up with a red hair combination many times, and it never seemed to work out right.  Unky shared her colors with me (thank you so much Unky!) and I am still loving this color combination :)

This is my second attempt at this image.  I loved the first attempt, it was on vellum, but alas...the stars aligned to conspire against me and she was dropped on the floor and scratched (boo :( ).  So, of course, I did her over again :)

I colored her with my Prismacolor Premiere Pencils, on Xpressit paper.  This is not the greatest paper for colored pencils...lol...it doesn't have enough tooth to it.  Normally I would use the regular 110lb bright white card stock from Staples.  Wonderful for colored pencils :)

Here are the colors I have used for Aurora Maple:

Hair:  PC1001, 925, 1067

Skin - PC927, 939, 1081

Leaves - PC937, 924, 944, 1032, 1090, 1034

Eyes - PC1097, 911, 1005

Lips - PC1092, 1081, 938, 947

Unky's designs are very unique and one-of-a-kind.  You must try them out!  You can find her blog here and her Etsy shop here with all her images in digital form.  Thanks for visiting!

Great news and Polkadoodle Project!

Wow, what a crazy week it has been!  Nikky Hall decided to shut down the Polkadoodle Digi Queens DT, what a shock for all of us!  But I am so excited to tell you that I am now on the Polkadoodles Challenge Design Team!  And I am so very happy about this.  I love working with Nikky's designs :)

So, for my first project on the challenge team, I used the Octavia Best Friends image, which you can find here.  I had a great time coloring this image.  The hair, the HAIR!  I loved every minute of it, and I want to try her with all different hair and eye colors!  Now, just to find the time :P

Octavia Best Friends by Polkadoodles

I decided to put her in a shadowbox frame, and I'm really glad I did.  The challenge for this round is CAS.  Well, I think I covered that, even though it's really not my forte......but what's a challenge without a challenge, right?

Octavia Best Friends by Polkadoodles

I colored her on vellum, with my Prismacolor Pencils in the following colors:

Hair - PC1001, 925, 1067
Skin - PC927, 939, 1081
Eyes - PC1004, 1005, 1097, Black (Prang)
Lips - PC1092, 1081, 938
Dress - PC1005, 1097,1067
Owl - PC1034, 1082, 1068, 1074, 1072, 1076, 1099

I really love the Prismacolor Pencils, but the black is extremely soft, and when you want good, crisp, clean lines (as in around the eyes), sometimes cheaper is the way to go, hence the Prang :P

Come and join us for the Polkadoodles Challenge, you can find it here!   The rules for the challenges are simple:

Challenges are fortnightly, with a week of inspiration in between.

You DO NOT have to use our products to enter the challenge.

1. Please follow challenge theme.

2. Max 2 ENTRIES PER PERSON.

3. You MUST be a follower of this blog to be considered for prizes/Top 3.

4. No BACKLINKS.

5. Random winner chosen by Random.Org...PRIZES MUST BE CLAIMED WITHIN 2 WEEKS OR THEY WILL BE FORFEITED & GIVEN TO AN ALTERNATIVE WINNER CHOSEN FROM THAT WEEK'S TOP 3.

See you soon, thank you for stopping by!

This project has been entered into the following challenges:

Digi Choosday - CAS
Inky Impressions - Animals
Art Impressions - Zoo or Animals
Papertake Weekly Challenge - 2 or 4 Legs

Believe...Just Believe with The Paper Nest Dolls

Hello everyone!  I have a new project for The Paper Nest Dolls today, as well as some sad news.  Which would you want to hear first?  The happy news or the sad news?  Well, my thought is to give you the sad news first, then I can end this post on a good note :)

First, you may know this already, but Christine has dissolved her CC Designs Digi Divas DT.  Sad, this was the first design team I was accepted for, and I love her Swiss Pixie and Sugarplum images.  Second, Nikky has also dissolved her digi queen design team for Polkadoodles :(  Double sad, I absolutely adore her Pretty Sweet Collection.  Sigh.  Ok.  Now that that is over with, let's get on with the good stuff.  I have applied for the Whimsy Stamps DT and I am really hoping to get on that team.  I am a HUGE Wee stamps fan.

Here is the good stuff :)

Ellie with Sign by The Paper Nest Dolls

I had to ask Christine Paperdolls if I could cut an image in half, lol.  Wanted to be sure it was ok, before I actually did it.  Good thing she's easy going :)  I made this funky-fold card with black card stock, and matted it with my own handmade patterned paper :)  That was a lot of fun to make, but it did take me all evening to do.  I stamped the butterflies first, and then used my Stampin' Up Stamp'n'Write markers and my Prismacolor Pencils to color them in.  The ribbon and dies are from my stash.

Ellie with Sign by The Paper Nest Dolls

I usually keep track of the colors I use to complete the image, but I totally messed that up this week, lol, oh well.  Next time I will remember, as usual.  This is a sweet image from The Paper Nest Dolls and is available in rubber stamp form.  Please join us bi-weekly for The Paper Nest Dolls challenge over on the blog, here.  You can purchase Christine's wonderful rubber stamps here.  Did you know that Christine and her husband manufacture these stamps right there at home and mail them out regularly?  Wow, now that's dedication.  Hee hee, wait till you see what's coming soon from Christine :)  And that's all you're gonna get out of me :)
See you next time!

Mirabelle's "Pursuit of Happyness"

Who doesn't want to conquer all in the pursuit of happiness?  Well, I may have found some of mine in the wonderful images I get to color and create with.  This week for Quick Creations, I created a card using Santoro Mirabelle's "Pursuit of Happyness" clear stamp set.  The lines for these clear stamps are fabulously thin, and they would have worked out beautifully, if not for the paper I decided to try...or maybe its my embossing buddy, not sure which.  If you figure it out, please, let me know!

Santoro's Mirabelle :  "Pursuit of Happyness"

I again decided to make this a clean and simple card, to show off the image more :)  That being said, if you look in the closeup picture, you can see that some of the embossed lines did not adhere to the kraft paper I chose to create with :(  Still looks fine, but of course, I will always notice it.

Santoro's Mirabelle :  "Pursuit of Happyness"

Of course, I colored up with my Prismacolor pencils in the following colors:

Skin - PC939, 927
Clothes, hat - PC938, 992, 905, 1027
Flower - PC1017, 1029, 1031
Leaf - PC1096, 911

Hope you enjoy her as much as I do.  If you are looking to purchase this stamp set, you can get them on a pre-order through Noelle Martin at Quick Creations.  Noelle has a great online shop full of stamps and supplies, and she is by far the nicest person you may meet :)

She sells seashells by the seashore!

OK, I think this might be my most favourite Polkadoodles' image yet.  This beauty is called "Shannon" and you can find her on the Polkadoodles online store here.  She is so sweet, and reminds me of my childhood in British Columbia, Canada.  We would spend a couple weeks each summer close to the shore of the Pacific Ocean, sometimes even on an island.  What fond memories I have of those summers:  my sister and I playing at low tide, and finding many beautiful shells and sand dollars.  Great times, great times.

Shannon by Polkadoodles

Shannon was a joy to color, and she would be great practice for those learning to color clothing...that long flowing dress was so much fun.  Thank you Nikky, for bringing back some awesome memories :)

Shannon by Polkadoodles

I colored "Shannon" with my Prismacolor Premiere pencils in the following colors:
Hair - PC1084, 941, 947
Skin - PC927, 939
Dress - PC1092, 1031, 102I 9
Shell - PC1018, 1080, 1095
Starfish - PC940, 943
Flowers - PC1095, 1018
Colorless blender pencil

I added some seaglass and sand colored flocking powder to this card to add to its authenticity, and the ribbon, fibre, pearls and stamps are from my stash.

Don't forget to join the Digi Chooseday Team over on the blog for their weekly challenges!

Elizabeth Bell, Thoughtful Breeze

Hello everyone, today I am sharing a card I made for the Quick Creations Design Team, using Elizabeth Bell's Thoughtful Breeze clear stamp.  She is so sweet, and Noelle was so kind to send her to me.  I tried something a little different, I heat embossed the image with white embossing powder.  It gives such a cool effect, however, as you are about to find out, there are limitations on how this can be done.  But first, let's see the card :)

Thoughtful Breeze by Elizabeth Bell

I decided to make this a clean and simple card, to let the image be the very focal point.  One of the considerations I discovered while making this piece, is that the lines of the stamp need to be very fine, so that you don't lose the details in the embossing.  As you can see, a lot of details were lost in this image :(  I still think she turned out ok, but in the future, I will pay closer attention as to which stamps I use for this technique.

Thoughtful Breeze by Elizabeth Bell

 I colored this image with my Prismacolor Premiere pencils in the following colors:

Hair - PC916, 1034, 942
Skin - PC927, 939
Dress - PC1070, 1072, 1074
Apron - PC992, 995, 1027, 1068, 938
Basket/shoes - PC1084, 941, 947
Flowers - PC1018, 1081
Leaves - PC1096, 911

Please consider joining Noelle Martin of Quick Creations for her monthly Challenge, this month's challenge is Fall or Halloween!  You can find the challenge blog here.  And a link to Noelle's awesome online store is here.