Celebrating a few things with a giveaway!

Hey there!  You're going to be happy you popped in today ;D  I haven't been posting as much as usual lately, but I'm back today with a special announcement and I'm hoping you'll join the fun.  December is a month filled with holiday spirit, joy, celebration, and the message that it is better to give than to receive.  That's why I am going to give away this wonderful package of goodies to one lucky person!

I hit a few blogging milestones on my blog a while back, plus I was offered a fabulous guest designer spot at Kraftin' Kimmie for the month of December, which made me happy beyond words, so I thought I would give someone a chance to win a pretty cool prize!  Just a few weeks ago, I hit 400 followers, 400 posts, and 50,000 visits, and what better way to celebrate than to share a few of my favorite products with my Blogland Buddies.  This package consists of products from Ranger, Sizzix, Kenny K, and (of course) Kraftin' Kimmie.  Click each of the links to take a closer look at the items in the prize package:

• Elegant Flourshes Tim Holtz Alterations Die
• Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
• Barn Door Distress Ink
• Whimsy Stamps Download Diva from Kenny K
• Whimsy Stamps Rock Chick from Kenny K
• Lily Lemon Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, unmounted rubber stamp
• Andrea Acorn Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, unmounted rubber stamp
• Olivia Orange Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, unmounted rubber stamp
• Stella Strawberry Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, unmounted rubber stamp
• Rebecca Raspberry Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, unmounted rubber stamp
• Abigail Apple Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, unmounted rubber stamp

Not too shabby!  It's just a 3-step process to enter:

1.  Sign up to follow my blog under my Followers List.

2.  Post my blog candy picture with a link to this post in the sidebar of your blog.

3.  Add your name to the InLinkz list at the bottom of this post.

No big whoop!  A couple of additional details...everyone is invited to play, no matter where you reside.  If you are already a follower, then you just have to complete steps 2 and 3.  If you don't have a blog, you are still invited to play, just complete steps 1 and 3.  My blog candy giveaway closes at midnight (MDT) on December 31st, so be sure to get in before the deadline ;D

                                                                                                    

December's Video Tutorial for the Color Me Copic Club

WOW!  Has it really been 12 days since my last post?!  Sheesh!  I guess I have been lost in the Christmas Space/Time Continuum.  Don't ask me to explain.  I assure you, it's a real thing.  

Mom drove up for a few days and we celebrated the holidays in high style with lots of food, merriment, gifts, and more food...and did I mention the food?  Yes, just when we didn't think we could stuff another morsel into our pie holes, enter the peanut butter fudge, gingersnaps, coconut cake, homemade marshmallows, and peppermint bark.  It's been days since this food orgy subsided and I am still sitting here with a carb/sugar hangover.  UGH!  Oh well, it was delicious while it was going down and completely worth it ;D.

Today I'm sharing a new video tutorial I made for the Color Me Copic Club.  Carlene Pinkscrapper runs this group and basically it's a club for Copic Marker enthusiasts of all levels.  The members receive 6 new colors each month and this helps quickly increase their marker inventory.  I try to create a monthly video tutorial that features some of these colors.  The group gets together and shares artwork and tips on a super secret Facebook Page.  It's a really fabulous set up!  

December's video features coloring blond hair using one of my favorite hair color combos:  E15, E13, Y21, and Y11.  The image du jour I'm using is Rose's Portrait by Bombshell Stamps.  She is an absolutely fabulous design and is perfect if you want to practice coloring skin and hair.  Speaking of Bombshell Stamps...there is an Anything Goes Challenge happening on their blog through December 31st.  It would be an excellent way to add to your stamping arsenal if you are randomly selected as the winner.  

One more thing before I go...Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is having a Boxing Day Sale all this week and everything in her store is marked down.  There are some serious deals to be had over there!  Go check them out!  Okay, that's it for now.  I hope every had a wonderful holiday and that the New Year brings you much prosperity.  Catch you in 2012!  

Copic colors used:

skin - E11, E00, E000, R20

hair - E15, E13, Y21, Y11

reds - R59, R29, R22

greens - G28, G24, G21

grays - C5, C3, C1   

  

Challenge #109 at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: Tag Time!

Hi, everybody!  It has been a crazy weekend so far and it has JUST started...LOL!  Thank goodness I made this card a couple of days ago, so I didn't have to scramble for an idea at the last minute ;D

The theme this week at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps challenge blog is Tag Time!  Just create a tag or a card with a tag on it and enter the challenge for an opportunity to win a fun KKS image.  The projects from the DT this week are stellar and you'll definitely want to pop into the challenge blog to check them out.

This week I'm using a sassy image that goes by name of Raychel.  I just adore that little kissy-face and that kicked up heel.  She is soooo much fun!

Also, don't forget to stop by the blog for the 12 Days of Christmas.  Kimmie is featuring some of her favorite creations throughout the year, each day on the blog.  Fun stuff!

I know this post is short, but I better head to bed for a catnap.  It's 3:00am and I need to be up at 7:00am to teach a card class.  I usually try not to teach in the mornings, but I'm going to a dinner party tomorrow night, so I had to juggle my schedule and it's not purty...LOL!

Hope your weekend is going is great!  Catch ya later...until next time, stay krafty!

Challenge #76 at Tiddly Inks - White Christmas

Welcome back!  Today is Tuesday and it's time for a new challenge at Tiddly Inks!  This week the theme is White Christmas and your challenge is to create a predominantly white holiday card.

I used Lillie Claire's - Sweet Christmas Dreams and she is sporting one big candy cane!  I have to confess.  I have only included one photo of my card today because my reds on the candy cane were completely out of control and no matter how much I tried to clean them up, the reds just continued to bleed.  There was so much bleeding I might as well refer to it as the Candy Cane Chainsaw Massacre...LOL!  Anywho, I did not do Lillie Claire justice which is a real shame because she is an adorable image.

Head to the Tiddly Ink's Challenge Blog and you'll find a ton of fabulous cards from the DT that will inspire you AND you'll also see that their reds didn't bleed ;D  Don't forget to stop by Christy's blog, cuz you just never know what she's up to and what little surprises you'll find on her blog.

Okay, I better scoot! Until next time, stay crafty!                                                  

AlbuKirky Seasonings is having a sale!

Calling all Foodies!  As many of you know, my husband Kirk is "the" Kirk behind AlbuKirky Seasonings.  He's skilled in the kitchen and even more so behind a smoker or a grill.  A year ago, he launched his AlbuKirky Seasoning's brand and has steadily added new products to his line.  He now has 3 spice blends in his online store and, of course, his flagship red chile based BBQ Sauce.  To celebrate his first tasty year in business he's having a sale and all products are only $5.00 a bottle + S&H.  Yes, you read that correctly...only $5.00 a bottle + S&H.  These products make wonderful stocking stuffers for the holidays and are great additions in gift baskets for those special culinary aficionados on your shopping list.  Why not treat yourself to a few bottles, as well.

Visit Kirk's online store to take full advantage of this offer throughout the month of December.  Also, "like" his AlbuKirky Seasoning's Facebook page and receive notifications of future specials and blog updates featuring his recipes.  Speaking of his blog, why not head over there and become a follower while you're out and about in Blogland :)

A tangy blend with a spicy red chile base.  The BBQ rub is used to season this delectable elixir.   This sauce is not your typical sweet sauce.  Delicious on beef, pork, and chicken.  

This is where it all started.    This spice blend was years in the making, but the results were well worth the wait.   Add a Southwest kick to meats, veggies, potatoes...the list is endless. 

Is green chile more your  flavor profile?  This is the rub for you!  A green chile base makes this blend particularly excellent on chicken, pork and fish.  We hear it does good things for scrambled eggs, too. 

The latest addition to the AlbuKirky Seasonings family.  This is a simple steakhouse blend of salt, pepper, garlic and other secret spices that elevates the flavor of beef to a whole new taste level.  Enhance the quality of your steaks and burgers with a dash or two of this all purpose blend that no kitchen should be without.  We've already had a number of repeat customers for this product.  

Krafty Release Day at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Do YOU know what day it is???  It’s Krafty RELEASE Day and it’s our last release of the year!!  Today Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps is releasing their new DECEMBER stamps and there’s SO much awesomeness to SEE!!

Over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, we have shared lots of FUN new stamps for you to get inky with!  We’ve got something for everyone!! There is a fun new SET by Cheryl Alger for the little ladies in your life!!  It’s called SUGAR AND SPICE!  We also have TWO fantastic sets of VALENTINES from Emilie Goulet called LOTS OF LOVE 1 AND LOTS OF LOVE 2!!!  And of course we have an amazing new set of six ALICE IN WONDERLAND stamps from Annie Rodrigue!  PLUS we are also releasing a coordinating set of WONDERLAND SENTIMENTS!!  You will get to see most of the new images today as you sit back and enjoy our DECEMBER Krafty Hop!  If you want to start from the beginning, just head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge Blog!  As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of these incredible stamps from the new release!!  And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie shop, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

And of course, as always, we have our Gimme Kimmies Kits available for those of you who ‘need it all’!!  (You’ve been buying presents for everyone else all month long….don’t you think it’s time to reward your krafty self a little bit??!! ) The stamps are grouped together by artist and are available at a discount, but only for a limited time!!

I miraculously have 2 cards for the hop, but it was completely by accident.  The card featuring the Cheshire Cat should have been posted for yesterdays release and challenge post, but due to my inability to follow instructions, I failed to remember that the challenge was to follow a sketch.  UGH!  Certainly not a very good way to rock my Guest Designer duties!  Thank goodness that Kimmie is a super sweet lady with an understanding spirit :)  My second card features the Red Queen and I created this card for my fabulous craftin' buddy, Denise.  She had a birthday recently and LOVES the Kimmie images, so I thought I would make her something special.  I gave it to her yesterday and she seemed to really like it ;)    

I bet you arrived from Annie's amazing blog and were greeted with some of her incredible art work.  Your next stop on the hop is Jeanne's blog and she is sure to inspire you with something fabulous.  If at any point you get lost in the hop, head back to Kraftin' Kimmie's Challenge Blog and she will get you back on track with the complete hop list.   

Off you go...enjoy!!!

More of December's Krafty Peeks!

Welcome back to Day 2 of December's Krafty Peeks!  Today's peeks feature designs by Emilie Goulet and I must say, I absolutely "LOVE" them...lol!  In fact, they are filled to the brim with "LOVE" as that is the theme of Emilie's latest release.  

My character "du jour" is this amorous feline sporting an armful of Valentine's day gifts.  What a charmer this guy is!  He was fun to color.  I tried turning him into a tabby cat, but I'm not sure if I was successful or not.  Oh well, I still had a good time ;D

You'll want to head to Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps blog to see what the DT created and to leave comments on all their blogs.  Kimmie will randomly pick a winner from all of the comments and you might just win some of these fabulous new stamps!  

While you're here, feel free to enter my Blog Candy Giveaway.  Click here to visit the post and see what I have up for grabs.  Some great stuff including some Kimmie stamps!  

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Day 3 of December's Krafty Peeks!  

Until then, stay krafty! 

December's Krafty Peeks!

Pardon me, do you know the time?  Gotcha!  That was just a ruse to get your attention.  I know exactly what time it is.  It's time to reveal December's Krafty Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!  I am very honored to be one of December's Guest Designers and even more honored to be able to participate in the Krafty Peeks all week long.  

Today's featured Krafty Artist is Cheryl Alger and her images this month come as a set of 3 called "Sugar and Spice", and include 5 coordinating sentiments.  These designs are crazy fun to color and I just love the sweet expressions on their faces.  Check them out on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps blog where you'll find the awesome designs of the DT waiting for you.  Be sure to leave a comment while you're there and also hit all the blogs of the Krafty Girls, because you never know if you might be randomly selected to win some stamps.

Come back tomorrow and we'll show you more Krafty Peeks.  The excitement continues the rest of the week and then Sunday we're having a huge blog hop to showcase all of the newly released images!  I can't wait!!!

Phew!  I need to calm down...LOL!

See you tomorrow!  Until then, stay krafty!

A Tim Holtz Christmas Part 2

Hey, everybody!  Welcome back! I want to begin this post by saying a big giant "thank you" to all of the folks who have joined my giveaway.  If you haven't signed up yet, there is still plenty of time before the contest closes, which is December 31st.

Today I am sharing the second of 2 cards I created for a Tim Holtz inspired Christmas Card class I am teaching this Firday.  Neither card uses Copics or stamping!  Can you believe it?!  Instead, we'll dig deep into our grade school art class skills chest and paint, glue, glitter, and dye these cards.  

I had such a good time making these 2 cards and using a number of Tim's techniques.  He's been sharing so many with the 12-tags of Christmas, my head is spinning with ideas.

If you are in the Albuquerque area and would like to take this class with me send me an email at cvaladez@comcast.net.  The class is this Friday (December 9th) from 1:00pm - 5:00pm at Harwood United Methodist Church located at 420 San Lorenzo.

I'll keep this post short.  Time to pay the Sandman a little visit...lol!

Come back tomorrow because the Krafty Peeks begin over at the Kraftin' Kimmie blog.  You're going love this new release!

Challenge #75 at Tiddley Inks - Ooh La La!

Hello, good people of Blogland!  I hope you are staying warm at your end of the keyboard.  It is quite chilly here in the Duke City and Mother Nature is still attempting to douse us with snow. In some parts of the city she has been successful, in other parts, namely mine, not so much.  Ah, well, maybe that's a good thing, but the 12 year old inside of me is really wanting to see some white stuff :D

Speaking of snow and the holidays, Tiddly Inks has a brand new challenge this week and you are going to love it.  Everybody is being challenged to create an Ooh La La type card, you know, a card to warm things up...something a bit on the sexy side, if you will.  I used Crafty Devil and she is perfect for this challenge!  Right down to her Naughty or Nice list...lol!  I cheated a bit and added the Naughty or Nice part myself ;D

A couple of things about this card...I created the mottled background by heavily sponging Fired Brick Red Distress Ink onto a white circle die cut panel and then spritzing it with water.  The water reacts with the dye based ink and basically makes the ink bleed.  I love that!  Also, I hit the miniature ornament section of my local Hobby Lobby hard the other day.  All of the ornaments were half off, so I went looking for the tiniest ornaments and decor I could possibly find so that I could use them on my cards.  I hit the mother load!  I picked up a ton of tiny trims designed to decorate smaller table top trees.  They are perfect for cards.  No, you're not going to be able to mail your card in a standard envelope once you add them, but I usually do a bubble mailer anyway, so no big deal.  Plus, I picked them up for practically nothing.  I think I paid $1 for a package of 12 decorative balls.  That's a heck of a lot cheaper than most embellishments in the paper crafting section of the store.  Anyway, keep that in mind next time you head to Michael's or Hobby Lobby.  You might be surprised at the treasures you will find ;D

Before I go, be sure to head to the Tiddly Inks challenge blog and check out all of the uber-fabulous cards my fellow DT-ers have created to inspire you.  Also, be sure to stop by Christy's blog.  She usually has lots of fun surprises waiting to be discovered.  Finally, don't forget to hit the shop for all of the latest and greatest Tiddly Ink images and designs.  There is truly something for everybody :D
   

A Tim Holtz Inspired Christmas Card Class

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Not because there's piles of snow on the ground, because sadly, here in Albuquerque, after a recent less than stellar effort to squeeze out a few flakes, Mother Nature has ultimately left us high and dry.  Instead, we rely on other ways to identify the onslaught of the Yuletide.  Every year, December 1st marks the first day in an age old tradition that many of us hold dear in our hearts.  Okay, so maybe "age old" is a bit of an exaggeration.  I think it's been around 4 years now but that just doesn't have the same ring.  If you follow my blog, you already know I not only use a lot of embellishments on my cards, but in my stories, as well...ha!  Anyway...we wait for this event with extreme anticipation and salivate at the thought of the eye-candy to come. 'Tis the season when a good lot of us crazy crafters trample each other in a virtual stampede each morning to see what gift our craft guru, The Sultan of Grunge, Tim Holtz, has whipped up to share with us.  Yes, I'm talking about the 12-Tags of Christmas. 

Some folks play along, day by day, using the inspiration laid out before them to create utterly breathtaking works of art.  I never seem to carve out the time.  Last year, I made one tag. Tsk, tsk.  This year is not looking much better, even though the 4 tags that have been revealed thus far are exceptional.  However, I've been so insanely inspired that I've created a card that's an amalgamation of several of the techniques Timbo (that's what I call him) has shared to date.

I started by glittering a die cut deer using the technique Tim describes on his blog.  Then I moved to the background and painted a piece of Kraft Resist paper with Black Soot Distress Stain, boy do I LOVE that stuff.  I set it aside to thoroughly dry and then embossed it with a Swirly Cuttle Bug folder.  I then sanded off some of the black to let those fab swirls show through.  I painted the Snowflake border with Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint and let it do it's thang.  Next, I swiped Evergreen Bough Distress Ink onto a long piece of seam binding, misted it with water, crumpled it up by hand and sat it aside to dry.  I picked up the crazy cute pine cones at Michael's and they were already painted with no additional preparation needed.  A couple of stamped images on a small tag and my card was ready to assemble.  

I rather like this card.  It was fun and by the end of it, I was completely inky, which is the true measure of a successful day in the old craft room.   This is one of two Tim Holtz themed cards I'll be teaching this Friday, December 9th, from 1:00pm - 5:00pm at Harwood United Methodist Church located at 420 San Lorenzo.  If you're in the Albuquerque area and want to join me Friday, just send me a note via email at cvaladez@comcast.net.  I'm working on a second card and it will include lots of TH inspired techniques, as well.

That's it for today, folks.  Look for that second card in a day or two.  Until then, stay crafty!        

A New Challenge at Kraftin' Kimmies!

Hey, all!  Guess what?  I'm up super late, or super early, depending on how you look at it, and it is SNOWING in Albuquerque.  Better look quick, because it will be gone in the blink of an eye once the sun makes an appearance.  I guess we'll just have to enjoy it while we can ;D

Speaking of snow, my card today features a bit of the white stuff on it, as well.  Before I get to that, let me start by saying that this card is for the new Kraftin' Kimmie challenge and the theme is to Use Dry or Heat Embossing.  Diana Pickering is hosting this week and she has used Takara on her card, which means that image is the prize for this go round.  You have a week to join the fun, just be sure to include some sort of embossing on your card.

My card features Eva.  Isn't she fun!  I opted for a bit of dry embossing using the TH snowflake texture fade and then I sanded off some of the color to better expose the flakes.  Designer Papers with a white core are perfect for this technique.  A few Copic dots and a bit of embellishment using Liquid Pearls makes it appear that it's snowing, hopefully...lol!

Visit the shop and pick up some images and be sure to also stop by the blog where you'll find a number of fabulous stamps at a deep discount as part of the Frugal Friday Special.  You'll also want to see what beautiful cards the DT created for the embossing challenge.  By the way, this is my first official post as one of December's Krafty Guest Designers.  So happy!

What are you waiting for?  Break out that heat gun or embossing folder and get to stamping ;D

Copics used:
skin - E11, E02, E00, E000, R20
hair - E49, E37, E35, E31, E50
jeans - B97, B95, B93
sweater and red details - R59, R29, R22
boots and gray details - C7, C5, C3
blue green details - BG18, BG15, BG13, BG10
dots - B91, B000, B0000       

Little So and So...

Hey, all!  How are you holding up at your end of the keyboard?  It was been one heck of a cold, blustery day here in Albuquerque, as Winnie the Pooh might put it.  Actually, it's blowing like the dickens out there.  I don't even know what a "dickens" is or why it would be a good simile for my statement, but just pretend I know what I'm talking about.  The wind is whipping around so hard that dirt and dust are coming in via the skylights, which is worrisome, because those skylights are practically brand new.  Anyway, needless to say, it was perfect weather to stay inside and make a couple of cards and that's exactly what I did.

Christy at Tiddly Inks has released a new line of images called Little Somethings and these guys are so flipping adorable I wish I could pinch their wittle itty bitty cheeks ;D  The crazy cute little fellow I used on my card is called "Little So and So" and as soon as I saw his name, I knew I would have to use him on something.  Plus he has that whole Where the Wild Things Are look about him, so I couldn't resist.

The Little Somethings are on sale right now, so head to the shop; you can practically pick them up for a song.  Also, there's still time to enter the current challenge, because it was a two-weeker.  Why not craft something cool and share it with us?  We love to see the wonderful creations of the customers.

Okay, I best be signing off!  Until next time, stay crafty!