Lonesome Dove? No, it's a Saturated Canary.

Copic colors used:  skin- E00, E000, R20, E11 hair- C7, C5, C3, C1 eyes- YG67, YG41 dress/flowers- R59, R29, R24, R22, R20 halo/dot background- BV01, BV000, BV0000, V0000

Hey, all!  Did you have as good a weekend as I had?  I hope so!  My good friend, Shay (hey, girl!) took me on a crafty getaway to a retreat at Fort Lone Tree near Capitan, NM.  It was a blast!  I met lots of new friends, ate some great food, chit chatted up a storm, and was able to color a few images and turn them into cards.  It was fabulous!  I took a few pics when I remembered to:

This is what greeted us as we arrived.  Only in New Mexico can you find a sky that beautiful.

Our view from the fort.  Pretty outstanding if you ask me.

So flippin' cool!  Looks like we're the early birds!

This building is the Dining Hall.  The Dining Hall and I would become very well acquainted  before the weekend was over.  

The crafter's start arriving and unloading their supplies.

Our room is the one upstairs and to the left.  

All the space anyone could ever want.  Yep, that's a massage chair in the middle and it stayed occupied the entire time. I wonder who the masseuse goes to for a massage?

My happy space was at the back table on the left side.  You can see my buddy, Shay, working away.

We drove in on Thursday, arriving in Carrizozo around lunchtime.  Always guided by our stomachs, we spent a bit of time driving around this tiny town in search of a place to nosh.  Just when we thought we were going to have to throw in the towel, we ended up at the very intersection that we first arrived and low and behold, a humble diner sat on the corner.  We were skeptical at first, but were surprised when a couple of tasty cheeseburgers arrived at our table to quell our appetites.  This would be just the right amount of sustenance needed to see us through to the end of our journey, which ended up only entailing about 25 more miles of travel distance.  And guess what, in Capitan there's a cute little diner on practically every corner.  Who knew?

We arrived at Fort Lone Tree roughly 30 minutes later and were greeted by expansive blue skies that created an impressive backdrop for a series of lovley log cabin-like buildings.  A beautiful setting, indeed.  Our room consisted of bunkbeds designed to sleep 10, but since there were only 4 of us, there was plenty of space to spread out and make ourselves comfy.  Fort Lone Tree is primarily used by kids and teens during the Summer months, so beds and showers were a little on the snug side for this plus-sized body, but I tell you what...I slept like a baby the whole time I was there.

After we had settled into our room, we moved onto the even more important task of setting up our crafting space.  When I packed for this trip, I was certain I was taking too much stuff.  I felt like a hoarder with a mobile transport unit.  This feeling changed immediately when I spied the stashes of the arriving groups.  Have you heard the phrase "She who dies with the most craft stuff, wins."  Well, some of these ladies were neck and neck for first place.  I was a bit jealous to say the least.  Extra tables were unloaded to support laptops, cricuts, Cameos, sewing machines, etc.  Impressive!  

A tinkling of a bell called us to dinner and over the course of the weekend we would develop a Pavlovian response every time that lilting jingle summoned us.  I set my expectations on the low side, this was, after all, a camp that catered to a younger clientele with a simpler palette.  Boy, was I wrong!  The meals were diverse consisting of steak, grilled chicken, shrimp skewers, BBQ ribs, and an abundant brunch bringing it all to a close on Sunday.  Myself having more than one sweet tooth, I felt the star of the show was dessert, one night apple crisp a la mode, the next, a superior key lime pie complete with merengue...delicious.

Other trip highlights included lots of laughs with new friends, hours of creativity, and a hysterical zip line adventure for Shay.  I did not participate in the zip line event other than to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground filming the whole hilarious episode with my iPhone.  I fully intend to blackmail her with it.  I don't know if you've ever heard of a teensy little video site called You Tube, have ya?  LOL!  Kidding.  I would never...or would I? ;)

Anyway, I managed to do a little coloring and card making in between laughing, chatting, and feasting.    The card above features Isabella from Saturated Canary and she was a blast to color.  I tried to convert some folks to Copics while I was there, but it turns out we all have our own form of crafty crack we're addicted to whether it's fabric, yarn, paints, paper, Copics or all of the above.  However, I know if just one person caves and buys even one itty bitty marker, within 6-months they'll be drinking that rainbow hued elixir of the Coloring Gods straight from their Various Ink refill bottles, and I will have done my job ;)  Completely evil, I know.

And with that, I bid you good night!  Until next time, stay crafty!

A Challenge at Kenny K and an Announcement!

Hey, everyone!  Welcome back!  I'm excited to announce that I'm part of Kenny K's Krafty Krew!  I was part of the very first Kenny K design team when it was created and I'm super happy to be back!  I love these sassy images and can't tell you how proud I am to be part of such a talented team.  

Speaking of teams, I have the Kenny K blog roll and links to add to my sidebar, but currently I am out of town on a crafty retreat with my buddy.  As soon as I return you'll be able to see links to the blogs of my amazing teammates.  I was going to do it sooner, but then that would give away my big announcement ;)

This week, Team A is at bat and the challenge is Tic Tac Toe.  Choose a row, up, down, or diagonally and add those elements to your creation.  I went diagonally from the upper left to the lower right and incorporated flowers, pearls, ribbon, and a doily.  I also had the privilege of working with a brand new image, Queen for a Day, released just in time for Mother's Day.  Find this image and the other new ones featured on my teammies blogs and then head to the Kenny K Downloads Shop and pick them up.  

Join the fun this week!  The prizes are fabulous!  

A $20 gift certificate to use 

in the Kenny K Downloads Shop

A gift voucher to use in Natalie and Amy's Shop

Okay, folks!  That's it for me!  I will catch you next time.  Until then, stay crafty!

A New Challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: Embossing...heat or dry!

Hey, all!  Welcome back to a new challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!  This week our Hostess Extraordinaire is Sandie and she is tasking us with adding an embossed element to our projects.  It can be either heat embossed or dry embossed and seeing as I find embossing powder quite messy, I went with dry embossing.  

Now, don't get me wrong.  There is certainly a time and place for heat embossing, but most times I end up wearing more embossing powder than what actually ends up on my card.  And don't even get me started on those heat guns!  Those things are dangerous.  I remember melting an acrylic nail many moons ago when I still cared what my nails looked like.

As I said earlier, I opted to dry emboss.  I used an embossing folder on a piece of color coordinations cardstock and sanded a bit of the raised area off to reveal the pattern and emphasize the texture.  I wish it was a piece of kraft core instead, but hey, use what's handy, that's what I always say.  

Today I'm using Tatiana, a lovely fairy, from our Sassy Sprites collection.  You can find her along with tons of fabulous images in the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Shop.  

Be sure and join this week's challenge because some lucky person will win a free stamp!  We can't wait to see what you create!  

Until next time, stay krafty! 

A New Challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps! TIC TAC TOE!

Hey, all!  Welcome back!  Today I'm sharing a card a made for the latest and greatest challenge going on this week at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps.  Our hostess with the mostest this week is Karen and she is tasking us with a TIC TAC TOE theme!  At first I wanted to hate this challenge and punch it in the nose, but the more I studied the lines and options, I realized I was just being a big cry baby.  Each of the items on the list is something I love except for the eyelets, and the color pink, and the color blue, and the...wait, that's 1/3 of the board!  I almost started to panic just now.  Thank goodness for the line right across the middle...lace, gems, flowers!  Yes, we have a BINGO!  LOL!  

I went back to the Sassy Sprites release of last month (my favorite release EVAH!) and decided to use Melaina.  She's a lovely girl with a fabulous hairdo.  Wish my hair did that ;)  You can find Melaina and all of her sassy sisters in the Kraftin' Kimmie Shop.  While you're there, check out this week's Frugal Friday specials and grab some awesome images on sale for 25-50% off!  You'll also find some retired favorites brought back for a limited engagement!

Check out the wonderful creations by the Krafty Girls and Guests featuring this week's challenge!  If you join us and play along, you could win a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp!!!

Stay krafty!

My Next Class at The Hen House Paperie

Hey, all!  How's everyone doing?  I just thought I would pop in and share a couple of cards I'll be teaching at The Hen House Paperie here in Albuquerque.  Go to the store's website for all the details.

For whatever reason, I decided to go with a sewing theme on these cards even though I can't stitch a lick.  Yep, that's right...I can't sew.  Sheesh, I feel like it's confession time.  Don't judge!  Mom is, or rather, used to be an avid sewer and super talented, too.  She made me darling outfits when I was a youngster, my favorite being a dress embroidered with strawberries on it when I was a wee lass.  Oh, how I loved that dress and thought I was the shiznit when I pranced around in it.  Later on in high school, I remember a three tiered gathered chambray skirt and an eyelet blouse that I felt pretty spectacular in and there were a myriad of outfits in between.  Did I ever manage to catch on or take an interest?  Nope.  I took Home Economics in high school and managed to stitch up a darling light bulb pillow.  Do you think I recall how I did that?  Nope.  My good card making buddy, Kathy has shown me on 2 separate occasions how to work my Janome Mini Sew.  Have I dusted it off and tried to thread it?  Nope.  

I can't explain my aversion to mechanically running a needle through a piece of material other than "I don't wanna and you can't make me".  So why even make sewing themed cards in the first place?  Truth be told, I'm completely enchanted with these Sewing Blueprint images by Tim Holtz.  They are so great and I just love them!  The whole Blueprint Line is pretty amazing, but these are particularly fetching and irresistible.  I opted to forgo the Copics this go round...I know...shocking!  And instead I reached for a paint brush and my Distress Ink Pads, picking up color directly from the pad, aiming for a watercolor type finish.  Funny how I love the details associated with sewing...the trims, buttons, materials, etc, but I'm just not interested in the act.  I did manage to set aside my sewing aversion for a couple of minutes in order to add a couple of stitches by hand on the second card.  Phew!  Thank goodness that's over...LOL!

Even though I'm not a big fan of sewing, I did thoroughly enjoy putting these cards together.  Lots of paper layers and lots of details make me super happy.  I always say, "If it costs less than $2.00 to mail, then I haven't added enough stuff to it".  I'm thinking these will do just fine ;D  

Until next time, stay crafty!  

Release Day at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Well welcome back!! It’s Krafty RELEASE Day at KRAFTIN' KIMMIE STAMPS!! And we’re celebrating with a KRAFTY HOP!!

Over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, we have shared lots of AMAZING new stamps from all our artists! We’ve got something for everyone!! We've got TWO sweet new sets with the kiddos from Cheryl Alger........A SUNSHINEY DAY and LET'S DISH THE DIRT!! And of course we have an amazing new set of SIX awesome stamps in our NURSERY RHYMES collection with a coordinating FABULOUS FRAMES 2 set and they are simply A-mazing! OH and don’t forget the incredible new set of TRINKETS .... BFF TRINKETS!!

You will get to see most of the new images today as you sit back and enjoy our APRIL Krafty Hop! 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’!! The stamps are grouped together by artist and are available at a discount, but only for a limited time!!

And there ain't no party like a Kraftin' Kimmie PARTY!! Kimmie told you we'd be rockin' it with another ONLINE PARTY!! Well, we're doing it again with another LIVE online RELEASE PAR-TAY!!!!

If you aren't already a fan of our KKS Facebook page.....head on over and 'like' us and that's all you have to do to hang out with the cool kids at the party! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kraftin-Kimmie-Stamps Just show up at the facebook page THIS AFTERNOON and come ready to party!

Come hang out with us on Sunday, April 14th at 1pm EST where you can chit chat with Kraftin' Kimmie and some of the AMAZING Krafty Girls And you can chat with each other and get to know some other Krafty fans!! We'll share pics of some of the new April stamps and sets that will be going LIVE on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps shop at 2:30pm EST that afternoon!
Join in the chatter, answer some fun trivia questions and YOU could WIN some new rubbah!!! 'Cause that's what it's all about, no?

So tell your honey to watch the kids, grab some yummy snacks and make plans to hang out with the Krafty Girls on SUNDAY!!!!! See YOU there!!!!

Now let's get hoppin' and shoppin'!!

April's Krafty Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: Day Four!

Welcome back to Day FOUR of the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps April previews!!! 

Today we have a FABULOUS collection ...... NURSERY RHYMES!!! Oh these sweet images bring back such memories and the sentiments are fabulous for some great creations!!! Just wait 'til you see how the Krafty Girls and Guests have used them!!

Check out all the sweet designs by the Krafty Girls featuring Jack and Jill, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, Little Miss Muffet, Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary and Mother Goose!! It's another incredibly fun release!! You will love it! There are lots of amazing creations on today's hop in combination with this week's challenge!! The lovely JENNY is our hostess this week and her challenge is ANYTHING GOES!! We want EVERYONE to play along and have a chance to win the new Jack and Jill stamp, as featured on Jenny's gorgeous creation!! We really hope you are inspired by this week's challenge and share your inky creations!!! We SO enjoy seeing your beautiful designs inspired by our challenges!

Below you will find all the Krafty Girls and Guests who have goodies to show you today and while you're visiting their blogs, be sure to leave some love at each stop because TWO lucky stampers are each going to WIN a package of today's stamps!! Woohoo!!!

ALL of our APRIL stamps will be available TOMORROW afternoon at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Shop!!! We'll be celebrating tomorrow afternoon at our ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!! It's over at our KKS Facebook fan page! Join us for all the fun!! You can find more details here!!

Happy hoppin'!!

More of April's Krafty Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: Day Three!

Welcome back to day three of our APRIL Kraftin' Kimmie Peeks!!! Today we are excited to share TWO supah cute new sets by artist Cheryl Alger!!! You'll recognize these characters from previous sets.....Lulu, Lexi and Lucas! And they are just as cute as can be, perfect for springtime!!! These new sets are.......A SUNSHINEY DAY and LET'S DISH THE DIRT!!

Would you like to know who won the new stamp set that we previewed yesterday???!! Well, you'll just have to wait until Sunday afternoon at this month's ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!!! Hope you can join us for all the fun and excitement and prizes!!! 

All the Krafty Girls listed below have lots of super sweet designs to show you, so be sure to hop over to each of them! And while you're there, be sure to leave a comment because we are giving away one of EACH of the new sets!!! You could WIN one of the new A SUNSHINEY DAY or LET'S DISH THE DIRT stamp sets!!!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party on Sunday afternoon!}

Then come on back tomorrow to check out MORE new stamps we have to show you with a fabulous new theme.... along with a new CHALLENGE!!! And ALL the new stamps will be available on Sunday afternoon at the KKStamps Shop!!

Happy kraftin'!

April's Krafty Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: Day Two!

Welcome back!! We hope you enjoyed all the sweet designs we shared yesterday featuring the new BFF TRINKETS stamp set! 

Today at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps we are sharing a new set of FABULOUS FRAMES!! You were so in love with the ones we released last month that we've gone and done another gorgeous set!!! There are two lovely frames in the set....one a fancy rectangular frame and one rather ornate and stunning.... PLUS there are several words and phrases as a bonus with the set!!! These frames can be used on their own as the focal point of your creation or in addition to any of your other image stamps!! It's FABULOUS FRAMES 2!!!

Below you will find a list of all the Krafty Girls who are sharing PEEKS with you today!! And as you're hoppin' around, be sure to leave a comment at each stop because one lucky stamper will win some of these stamps!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party on Sunday afternoon!}

All our new APRIL 2013 stamps will be available on Sunday at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Shop!!! And don't miss the online PAR-TAY to celebrate! Come on back tomorrow because we'll be revealing two new stamp sets by Cheryl Alger!!!

Happy hoppin'!!

April's Krafty Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: Day One!

Guess what???!! It's time for Kraftin' Kimmie's APRIL 2013 RELEASE!!!!! 

We are kicking off the *New* APRIL Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps previews today and of course we're starting off with new TRINKETS!! Today we’d like to introduce you to an awesome new set of ….BFF TRINKETS!!

These circular sentiment stamps have been created and designed by the totally talented Krafty Girl, Nicole Aspinall!! They are made especially to fit in your 1 3/8ths and 1 ¾ inch punches, for quick and easy cutting!!! This month we are releasing the BFF Trinkets set which includes EIGHT trinkets in each set with four of each size and they come as both positive and negative images, so you can use your black or brown ink with the positive stamps and use your coloured inks with the negative ones!! You will get the set as a completely unmounted full sheet of deeply etched grey rubber. They're just PERFECT for all your friendly creations!!!

Today we have lots of inspiration from the Krafty Girls, so hop around....and be sure to comment at each and every stop because one lucky stamper is going to WIN the new BFF TRINKETS set!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party on Sunday afternoon!}

OH YES!! We are having another amazing ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!!! It's happening this SUNDAY afternoon at our Facebook fan page....and you can get ALL the details HERE!!! All the new stamps we're sharing over the next few days will be released on SUNDAY in the KKS Shop!!

Happy kraftin'!

Blanche, Mad Men, and a Little Bit of Nonsense

Hello, all!  Just popping in to quickly share a card I made for The Hen House Paperie, the small but mighty stamping/scrapbooking store I work at.  Calling it "work" is stretching the definition of that word.  Truth be told, I spend most of my days oohing and aahing over the latest and greatest industry tools, thumbing through beautiful stacks of papers, and gabbing with my friends.  Okay, so "my friends" also happen to be customers asking questions about our products.  Having a captive audience willingly listen to me ramble on about Tim Holtz' latest Distress line or that we restocked the Copic marker rack is much preferred to my husband rolling his eyes at me or my sister threatening to do a face plant into her spaghetti carbonara at dinner if I mention one more word about the new Penny Black stamps or the merits of Scor Tape versus Tombow Tape Runner.  However, once I get to the store, it's my job...and my civic duty and I'm happy to oblige :)

A month or so ago, we received a lovely shipment of Saturated Canary beauties.  I, of course, had to snap up a dozen or so these gorgeous images, which was only fair because I whined and fussed like a 5-yr old wanting an ice cream cone, until the owner finally relented.  Hmmm...ice cream cone.  I am so easily distracted...lol!  Anywho, these wonderful stamps arrived and I was immediately quite taken with Blanche.  She's effortlessly sexy, sophisticated, and smart...and I want to be just like her when I grow up! 

This is a rather small card, 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".  Lots less room for embellishments, but I managed to squeeze in a few layers of paper and some trims.  If there's a will, there's a way...LOL!  After I colored her up with Copics, she sort of reminded me of Joan on Mad Men, which is so appropriate as the new 2-hour season premier is airing this Sunday...YAY!!!!!  Hubby and I were considering hosting a Mad Men themed dinner Sunday night, but realized that the menu would consist primarily of scotch and cigarettes, neither of which sounds too appetizing, so we're rethinking that ;)

Well, that's it for now.  Until next time, stay crafty!  BTW, next week we start Krafty Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!  WOO HOO!!!