Pick of the Crop

I obviously haven't embraced the blogger mentality yet!! Events and commitments come one after the other and I drop all the website/blog stuff like a rock! More social media mentality required!

I'm playing catch-up with some classes coming up right now and am going to make it by the skin of my teeth. The card here is from a class I'm doing at Destination Marysville on Monday September 13th and Wednesday September 15th. I'd chosen my stamps quite a while ago and liked them....however, all the fruit in the stamp set were out of proportion with one another and I had to make each card using only one stamp because of it.  I'll keep my eye out for that in the future!

I still have a thing for "inchies"....so I took advantage of this really cool Colorblocking mat from Accu-cut to frame out my cherries.

Here's a peek of the inside...

 Again...because of the stamp set - I didn't mix up the fruit in any way.  The class is made up of three matching cards - this being one of them - and so I used paper, style, product, and theme to match them together.






 
Product Used


Accu-Cut:
Squares - 1" S1894L 
Colorblocking Mat A2 - Ju  CB200J


Prismacolor Pencils:
PC926 Crimson Lake
PC937 Tuscan Red
PC946 Expresso
PC909 Spring Green
PC913 Grass Green


Stamps:  Hero Arts CL320 Designer Fruit
KaiserCraft Rhinestones "Silver" SB700 (Clear)
Dotted Swiss Bazzill 12x12 "Pepper" Cardstock (Black)
Bazzill Prismatic Cardstock: Intense Kiwi
May Arts Ribbon: Checkered Black 3/8" AKN10
Glossy Accents by Inkssentials

Strawberry Fields

Yesterday I had what felt like the first class at my Studio in forever! I loved it. The nicest bunch of ladies you'll find anywhere...so it was a great way to get back into the game! What a wonderful time we had!
I asked everyone to vote on the new Tim Holtz/Sissix Embossing folder in the background because Hubby wasn't 100% sold on it. I didn't want to do it again...so I think the ladies just said..."sure...it looks nice!" hah! Anyway...it's staying!
While I'm sitting here doing this blog, my son Tristan (14) is doing the photos and entries for the website and my oldest son Michael (17) is weedwacking outside!!! Life is good!

Products Used:

* Bazzil / Blush Red Prismatic

* Bazzill / Kraft

* Pearls by KaiserCraft / SB795 Red

* May Arts Ribbon Red Gingham KB14 

* Sissix: Tim Holtz Embossing Folder / Woodgrain #656644

* Hardware by Creative Impressions

* Unity Stamps / Berry Good Life / UK-433A

Prismacolor Pencils

PC1089 Pale Sage

PC912   Apple Green

PC1084 Ginger Root

PC925   Crimson Lake

PC926   Carmine Red

PC1094 Sandbar Brown

PC1967 Cool Grey 90%

PC1076 French Grey 90%

Cup of Tea

I woke up today excited to post on my blog because I had colored and created and tried new things yesterday without feeling pressed.  It's been good to get ahead of the classes and schedule a little.  The website needs work, I need more experience taking pictures and using Paint Shop Pro... but on the whole, it's nice to start creating again without wondering if I could understand how to do calendars, websites, links, trims, borders, etc.

When I was tooling around blogs yesterday, I also realized I would have to start watermarking my cards again...which I had forgotten about.  It's not so much to credit my work (ok, maybe that too!)- but requests from stamp companies to not make it so easy for the images to get reproduced without purchase.  After talking with a tech guy from my hosting service, I was told there was almost nothing you could do anyway, since people who know what they are doing don't find it hard to take it off.  What a shame!  I'll still watermark the images when I put them in the website though...I don't think hackers are into coloring!!!

Demra put her blog up last night for the Nook and Cranny here in Port Huron, MI.  I raced over there to be her first "follower"!  Here it is....she's just getting started, but eventually there will be a beautiful montage of "Made in Michigan" Crafts to page through.

Products Used

* Bazzill / Blush Red Prismatic

* Bazzill / Kraft Cardstock

* Pearls by KaiserCraft / SB795 Red

* Charm by Frosted Creek Charms

* May Arts Ribbon / Gingham KB46

Cuttlebug

* Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

* Frills Embossing Folder Border Set

Prismacolor Pencils
* PC1089 Pale Sage
* PC 912  Apple Green
* PC1084 Ginger Root
* PC925   Crimson Lake
* PC926   Carmine Red
* PC1094 Sandbar Brown
* PC1067 Cool Grey 90%
* PC1076 French Grey 90%

Unity Stamps Company: Berry Good Life / UK-433A

Teapot Trial

I've always loved Prismacolor Pencils and always sold them in the two stores I've had. But the only style I picked up on was derived from all the beautiful work that Magenta does to display their very unique stamps. Lately I've been mesmerized by the colored pencil/gamsol artwork done by Paula in her blog and many others surrounding the SplitCoastStampers community. I don't know who started it (probably Stampin' Up - or maybe they just promoted it?) I really don't know. I just know that if you start at Paula's blog or the SplitCoastStampers website, you can tool around the links and go crazy admiring all the artwork.

Holy Cow! I just made that link to Magenta in the previous paragraph and saw their new website and latest stamps...hmmmm...more inspiration there too! Maybe it's time to buy some more stamps!!! Did you notice the way they color? Lots of White and no gamsol. Very attractive too! However, I did see that connected blogs are showing the gamsol style as well!

Anyway! I like where the teapot is going... I'm just not sold on my colors or the finishing yet. More exploration and color experimentation is required! I would love to have a class with this stamp set from "Unity Stamps" but I think I'm going to have to work a little more at it!