Happy Festivus!

Good Morning!  Happy Festivus, everbody!  Here's a little clip explaining the intricacies of this pseudo holiday.







The card above is not a Festivus card, but rather a traditional Christmas card.  It's actually a card that I 'm going to give my mother for her birthday, which was the 19th.  Lots of December birthdays...lol!

I probably won't be back to blogging until next week.  Until then, have a wonderful holiday, no matter what you celebrate!!!  Big Holiday Hugz to all my Blogland friends!  ;D

Happy Birthday to my sister!

Hello, everyone!  Today I am sharing a card I made for my sister's birthday, which is tomorrow, December 23rd.  That date may sound familiar, because tomorrow is Festivus.  This pseudo holiday was made famous by an episode of Seinfeld that aired in 1997, but more on that tomorrow.

Sunday, Nancy, the lovely proprietress of China Phoenix 2, held a Hero Arts Catalogue Release Party and asked my good buddy Kathy and I to demo a couple of make-n-takes.  I was lucky enough to get to work with a few of the new silhouette stamps.  They remind me so much of the beautiful images found on cameo jewelry, which I have always loved.  I guess I didn't get enough of them on Sunday so I decided to continue playing and managed to work up a card for my sister using one of the images.

This card is very simple and contains very little stamping, except for the main silhouette image.  I also added lots of paper flowers, gems, lush papers, and big black ribbon and bow.  I was worried that so many embellishments might drown out the main image, but I think it's bold enough to stand out against the frilly accouterments. I rather like how this turned out and can see myself using these silhouette stamps for lots of cards on the future.

I'm keeping this short today.  I am working on more stuff this afternoon, so maybe I will have something new for tomorrow along with a little bit of info on my favorite fake holiday ;D  Get inky and stay crafty!

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge - Week 24 Distressing

Time for a new Kenny K Krafty Girlz Challenge and Team B has a fun one for you!  This week, your assignment is to Distress It!  Create a card and add some sort of distressing to it.  The DT ladies have cooked up a lovely assortment of inspiration cards to get you started.  Swing by the Kenny K Krafty Girlz Challenge Blog to check them out.  In January, we have some new folks joining our team and I am really excited to work with them. On the other hand, we have some folks leaving the team and I will miss them tremendously.  Such a talented group of folks and I will be stalking their blogs regularly to see what wonderful things they are up to.

As always, if you use a Kenny K image on your card, you might be selected to win your choice of 5 Kenny K digi images.  These images just get hotter and hotter and I have seen them cropping up on projects all over the Internet!  The Kenny K stuff has really caught on, so don't get left sitting on the sidelines.  Visit the Kenny K Download site and pick up some of these amazing images today!

One Last Simple Christmas Card and a Holiday Party

Hello, everyone!  Wow!  What a crazy week!  We've had some ups and downs the past few days starting with a busted water heater on Monday (a down) and ending with a fabulous Hero Arts Catalogue Release Party at China Phoenix 2 on Sunday (an up).  The days in between promised a flurry of activity and not a single dull moment.

Friday we held our 4th annual "re-gift" exchange inviting 16 of our closest friends, and, in our tiny townhouse, they really were our "closest" friends...lol!  The idea behind the "re-gift" exchange is to take a really bad gift, received on a prior occasion, disguise it in some lovely gift wrap, and pawn it off on some poor unsuspecting soul at the party.  It's a lot like a White Elephant, but instead of purchasing a bad gift, we really insist that this is something that has been given to you, and hopefully, the giver of the gift is not at the party!  However...sometimes they are and that is all the more fun ;D  This year's gift highlights included a decorative resin cat fountain depicting frolicking kittens, a Xena Warrior Princess Action Figure who had made her first appearance at last year's party, and a pair of large decorative wooden male/female figures that closely resemble a fertility god and goddess.  This duo made their initial debut 2 years ago and have returned to the party each year since.  This time they came back enhanced...LOL!!!  Complete with curly ribbon hair, pink tattoos, and a myriad of other strategically placed embellishments!  They were fabulous!  We have pictures, but they still need to be edited, so they may show up here at a later time for your viewing pleasure or at the very least I will post them to my Facebook page.

We went all out on the food and tried to make as many dishes as we could.  Kirk smoked 2 HUGE turkey breasts and a ham on his Big Green Egg and they were phenomenal.  He basted the ham in pineapple juice and finished it by packing on a coating of brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, and black pepper, and putting it back on the grill for another 20-30 minutes.  This is how my mom cooks a ham and it is insanely delicious!  Kirk also whipped up a batch of his award winning Egg Nog Ice Cream.  Okay, it hasn't technically won any awards...yet...but it should!  Check out his blog at Albukirky BBQ for mouth-watering photos plus the recipe.  He also shares a little secret that he uses in all of his ice cream recipes that ensures a lovely creamy texture every time.  I stirred up a big ol' pot of decadent classic Swiss fondu and served it with lots of veggie dippers.  I also turned my home made blue cheese dressing recipe into a dip by substituting the buttermilk with sour cream, and for dessert I made Gold Bars.  Gold Bars seem to have some sort of a cult following in Albuquerque, because everyone who attended a school in the Albuquerque Public School system remembers buying these chocolate peanut butter treats in the cafeteria.  I did not go to school here, but I have had these bars elsewhere and loved them.  I saw them referenced on a friend's Facebook page and decided to track down a recipe for them.  Through the miracle of Google, I came up with one that sounded like it would do the trick.  At the party, these bars flew off the plate and within 10 minutes, they were gone...lol!  Everyone was talking about buying them in school and seemed to wax nostalgic after that.  I guess my bars were a pretty good likeness ;D

All in all, the party was a fabulous success and it appeared that a good time was had by all.  If my friends read my blog (and they better!) I just want to express my heartfelt thanks to them for stopping by and taking time out of their busy holiday schedules to share an evening with us.  You guys are DA' BOMB!!

Believe it or not, I have a card to share with you today.  It is the last of my Simple Christmas Cards.  There were 4 designs and they are the cards I created for my sister-in-law, Diane.  I did not get these cards mailed to her in time for her to send them out, but really, what else is new.  Those of you who read my blog with any regularity already knew that I wasn't going to finish these in time as it has become a holiday tradition of sorts...lol!  I emailed my apologies to her and she has accepted my groveling, and assured me that she does not hate me, which I am very grateful for.  The bright side is, she will have them early for next year ;D  It will be the first time...EVER...LOL!

I have a few more cards to make this week, so I will try to be back with something new.  In the meantime, enjoy the holiday countdown and stay crafty!      

More simple Christmas...

Hey, everyone!  Talk about going from one extreme to another!  This card is completely different than the last one...lol!  This is a simple Christmas card and I have to confess...these are hard for me to do.  I try to keep the embellishments to a minimum, because they are going to end up going through the regular mail, but I have this insane desire to add a few flowers, a charm, etc.  I have to really exercise some restraint and I tell you, this holiday season, that's the ONLY thing that's being exercised...LOL!  AND not very well, at that ;D

The lacy border image on my card is one of my favorites and it's by Penny Black.  It's perfect for adding that little bit of something to a card.  The tree image is by Paper Inspirations.  I think this was the first time I actually got it inky.

I have one more simple Christmas card to share with you tomorrow, so be sure and come back.  Stay crafty!

Kenny K just for fun...

Santa hired a new elf and Mrs. Claus is none too pleased about it!  Meet Biker Betty.  She was looking for a seasonal job around the holidays and Santa, being the caring and understanding person he is, decided to help the poor girl out...lol!  For whatever reason, Mrs. Claus did not take a shine to Betty and had Santa give her the boot.  Oh, dear...!  What will Betty do?  Never fear, as long as there is an aluminum pole nearby, Betty can make do.  What...?  NO!  Get your mind out of the gutter!  Betty celebrates Festivus and the aluminum pole is a big part of that holiday ;D  Festivus occurs on December 23rd each year, which happens to be my sister's birthday, and it has been forever immortalized by the Seinfeld series.  Don't believe me?  Just check Wikipedia, it's there, I swear...LOL!

On to my card.  Let me say this, if you want to practice coloring skintones with your Copics, these are the images to use...lol!  Seriously though, there is quite a bit of real estate and all the curves require a bit of shading.  My favorite Copics for fair complexions are E11, E00, E000 and as of late, I have been adding a bit of R20 to the curvier areas.  It a fantastic combination.  The R20 really adds that little bit of rosiness that skin naturally possesses.  Give it a try and you'll see what I mean.  I wish my pictures had captured those colors better, but I believe I left my exposure setting a scant bit light so it drowned out some of my details.

I also used my favorite reds on this...R39, R29, R24, and R22.  Love the gradation that I can achieve with these.  Anyway, this card was fun to make and I really love the Krash Kittenz release.  They are super sexy, but oh so cute and just a tad sweet ;D  I have been seeing some amazing creations around the Internet using these images.  Visit the Kenny K Krafty Girlz Challenge blog to see fabulous cards not only by the DT, but also by the folks entering the challenges...WOW!

I've got to scoot! Stay crafty ;D    

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge - Week 23 Let it Snow!

Welcome to a brand new week!  I bet your "to do" list for this week is as long as Bernie Sanders recent speech on the Senate floor, but remember...it's very important to squeeze in a little time for yourself and I have just the recommendation.  Join the challenge this week at Kenny K's Krafty Girlz and create a card featuring snow.  Creating can be very therapeutic and relaxing, so nobody will fault you if you take a few moments to play and you can knock out another holiday card in the process.  It's a win/win situation!

I used Bodacious Bev for my card.  She's part of the Gothik Angelz release, which isn't too Christmas-y, but a Santa Hat from the holiday accessory pack, puts her in the mood to spread some holiday cheer.  The snowflake background is by Hero Arts and a die cut snowflake by Nestabilities helps to reinforce the theme.

I hope you find time to join the fun this week, because one person will randomly be selected to win 5 Kenny K images of their choice.  Isn't that an awesome prize?!  With all the newly released images to choose from, you won't want to miss out.

Swing by the Kenny K Krafty Girlz Challenge blog to see the incredible and inspiring creations that my teammates have cooked up.  After that, head to the Kenny K Download site to check out the new images and to pick up the December digi freebie.

Be sure and come back tomorrow, because I have a Krash Kitten Kristmas Kard up my sleeve that will give new meaning to the term Global Warming...LOL!  I'll give you a hint, I am using Biker Betty ;D  Have a great Sunday and I will be looking for looking for your Kenny K submissions on the Krafty Girlz site.

Another simple Christmas card...

Hello there! Welcome back! Today I am sharing another simple Christmas card with you, because sometimes you just have to pare back in order to survive the holidays. With so many things to do, it feels like there is a constant shortage of time and energy, so any little tidbit saved is a treasure.

This card features a simple layout and even simpler stamping. Not much to it really. In fact, the most challenging task was mustering up enough patience to let the glitter glue dry before sticking it in an envelope...lol! Me likey that ;D

Again, I'll keep this post short. I know you've got better things to do, like...shopping for presents, wrapping gifts, decorating the tree, making and mailing cards, getting the house ready for company, planning that Christmas party, attending other holiday parties...sheesh! I'm exhausted just typing all that! I think it's time for a hot chocolate break...peppermint schnapps, anyone?

'Til next time ;D Stay crafty!

A simple Christmas card...

Hello, everybody! Just a super short post tonight. The sandman has chased me down and this time he has won. I think it's Mr. Holtz' fault, because I have been staying up late every night to catch a glimpse of his newest tags as he loads them. The latest one will just have to stay a surprise until tomorrow morning...sigh :(

Instead, I leave you with a simple Christmas card where the sentiment is the focal point. I don't do many of these, but I rather like this one.

Nighty-night, all!

Tim Holtz Tag and a Kenny K Challenge!

Hey all! I want to give a big shout out to all of the fab folks that joined me Saturday for my Goth Christmas card class. It was a blast! Thank you for spending your afternoon with me, as I know there were probably a million things on your "To Do" list that day, especially this time of year. I truly appreciate it!

Now, for my tag. My mom has been playing along with the Tim Holtz 12-Tags of Christmas this year. In fact, she played along last year, as well, and my sister and I got to reap the fruits of her labor. This year, she has convinced me to play along, too. I am a little late to the party...I just finished Tag #1, but I had a good time putting it together.

I cut out all of my grunge board pieces including the Rickety House, however, when I was trying to assemble my tag, I couldn't balance all of the elements to my satisfaction. Tim (yep, first name basis, except that he doesn't know mine) used a wire type tree that he fashioned out of some Prima rustic branches. It didn't take up much space on his card. I decided to go with the Alterations Branch Tree and it is slightly more bulky. When I laid everything out on my tag, it was way busy. I really liked how my tree turned out though, because I layered on lots of glitter to resemble snow. AND it was REAL glitter, not the glitter glue crack that I am addicted to. BUT, you know what that means... there was glitter everywhere! The cats are going to be pooping glitter for a week...! Oh well, at least it will be sparkly when I clean the boxes. So, because I was so fond of the tree, I had to forgo the house. It may show up on a tag down the line, who knows. I also opted to add a smaller tag with a sentiment on it, whereas he has a ticket on his. It is certainly very different from Tim's tag, but you can see where his original tag sparked the idea for my tag. All in all, I am happy with the way it turned out and can't wait to start Tag #2.

Before I go, I have two things to share. First, there is a new challenge happening over at Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge blog. This week, Team B is asking you to create a monochromatic card. I've never created a monchromatic card, but the results are stunning. My Team B teammates have really created some amazing pieces using this technique, so please pay them a visit on the blog. Remember, there are lots of new images in the store including those sizzling Krash Kittenz (MROWR!). Also, there's a new freebie for December, so stop by and pick her up.

One last request. We're having a Design Team contest over at the Bombshell Stamps Forum. Each of the DT members has created a project and we want you head over there and take a look at all the fab eye-candy. Now I'm going to give you my best Politician Running for Office spiel...please cast your vote for me and I promise to lower taxes and bring more jobs to your state. Ok, so I can't do those things, but I can be really grateful and thank you profusely ;D

Tomorrow I am sharing a Christmas card, so be sure to come back. Until then, stay crafty!

Playing Favorites!

Hola, bloggers! I know I haven't posted much in the way of new cards this week, but I intend to make that up to you next week. I have lots of Christmas card ideas percolating in my little bitty brain AND I want to color up more of those delectable Krash Kittenz. I know you gasped when they were first introduced, but there is a part of you that is smitten with them...LOL ;D Also, mom has convinced me to play along with Tim Holtz' 12-Tags of Christmas, so I am going to give it a shot. I'm already behind, but I'm not going to let that stop me ;D

I made a bombshell card earlier this week and I am reposting it again today. I know...what a cheater I am! I jumped the gun and blogged about it a bit too early and now I am double-tracking. There is a contest happening at the Bombshell Stamps Forum involving the Design Team and the Guest Designers. Our assignment was to take our first bombshell stamp set and attempt to create our best work with it, then ask the forum members to vote on their favorites. Now, I don't know if this is my best work, but I had fun making it and that's all that really matters. I used a ton of glitter glue and that makes me happy, as well. Hey, it doesn't take much ;D

I'm not asking you to vote for my card, instead, I'm asking you to visit the forum using this link, access the thread titled "Vote for Your Favorite", take a look at all of the amazing projects and cast your vote. You may have to register to gain access, but it's really no big deal and you can join in on the monthly challenges while you're there. There are always fabulous prizes up for grabs and somebody has to win, it might as well be you! The holidays have a tendency of draining our wallets, so if you enter a bombshell card and win one of the challenges, that would be like a little Christmas bonus just for you ;D Whaddya say?

New stuff next week...I promise! Until then, stay inky!

I'm teaching a class this Saturday! Join me!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am teaching my Goth Christmas card class this Saturday at China Phoenix 2 at 1:00pm. The cards feature fabulously edgy images by artist Daniel Torrente for Stampotique.

Sick of the long lines at the mall? Tired of the incessant non-stop assault of Christmas music blaring over store speakers? Angry at the sight of all the broken Christmas ornaments at Hobby Lobby, because they've been hanging around being randomly molested by looky-loos since Halloween when you weren't ready for them, but now you actually need them? If the holidays are already starting to get under your skin, cut the sugary sweetness by adding something a little bit twisted to your Yuletide festivities. Join me Saturday and I guarantee just that!

Afterwards, we'll all get back to the holiday hustle and bustle we have grown to love, but for a few hours, let's take a little break and create something edgy and elegant ;D

More Bombshell!

Hello. everyone! Sorry I'm late with copy for this post. I stayed up really late this morning putting this card together, so when you glance at the posting time and it says 3:00am...that's really the posting time. That's nuts! I know!

There is a challenge for the Design Team members and guest designers over at Bombshell Stamps to create a card using the first BSS stamp set they ever purchased. I had a bit of choice on this one, as I purchased 5 sets my first go round. I remember how I found Bombshell Stamps...queue upward glance and faraway look in eyes to indicate a flashback...

Actually, I found them on the Internet, probably in the same manner as most of you. What prompted to go on a quest for these types of stamps was my husband's niece, who had just opened a rockabilly clothing store in Las Cruces. She asked me if I would consider making some cards to sell in her shop that would work with the rockabilly style. I took that as an invitation to go shopping for more images, so I gladly accepted without any knowledge of what images I would use. I literally did a quick search on the Internet for "bomshell stamp images" not having any prior knowledge of BSS and guess what popped up on Google? Yep! There was the link to Bombshell Stamps. I had no idea that images this cool even existed. I was blown away! So needless to say, I ordered 5 stamp sets right off the bat! That was probably a couple of years ago and now my BSS stamp inventory is off the charts, but my wish list continues to grow. With all these new sets being released, I won't rest until I have them all! LOL!

For this card I used Butterfly Queen, even though my first instinct was to go with Bombshell Angel. Bombshell Angel is my absolute favorite and I have used her in countless creations and have even taught card classes where she was the star of the show. This time I intentionally decided to refrain from using her, because she gets used so much that surely the other bombshell's in my arsenal are getting jealous. Instead I went with Butterfly Queen and though I have used her on some things, she has probably seen less ink than the rest of the gals. I colored her up with Copics and also combined her with images from the Love and Luck set. I also picked up a new pad of coordinated papers at Hobby Lobby (half off, YAY!) by G.C.D. Studio called Paris Nights. Yes, the front DP is flocked! So decadent! I would wallpaper my house with it if I thought could afford a gazillion pads of it...LOL! With only 3 sheets of this design in each pad, it is not exactly cost effective ;D

So, there it is...my love affair with Bombshell Stamps. Do you want to start your own love affair with these images? Take a look at the photo and link I just added to the top of my side bar. Bombshell is having a Follow That Bog contest and one lucky winner will receive their choice of 2 stamp sets, one rubber and one digital. That winner could be YOU! Follow the link and find out how you can win. See you later, stampers! Stay inky!

Black Friday Challenge at Bombshell Stamps!!

Hola, fellow bloggers! Welcome back! It's great to see you again. Do come in and sit a spell ;)

I have a little bit of Bombshell bliss to share with you today. First of all, do you like free stamps? Of course you do! We all do! Right now we have a Follow That Blog contest going on a the Bombshell Stamps Blog and it's really quite easy to enter. Here's the deets:

• Sign up to follow the Bombshell Stamps Blog
• Post about the contest on your personal blog
• If you're already a follower, not to worry, just add the post regarding the contest to your personal blog and you're good to go!

You have until December 20th to sign up to follow the blog. After that, we will randomly select a winner and that person will be able to choose 2 Bombshell Stamp Sets...one rubber set and one digi set! New sets have recently been released, so now is the time to beef up your Bombshell arsenal of images!

Be sure to check the blog frequently for new challenges and chances to win prizes, the latest and greatest Bombshell news, and lots of inspiring creations from the Bombshell DT (also known as the Bombshells)! Tell your friends about the blog...we want to share the love with everyone!

Now, onto the Black Friday Challenge hosted by Ms. November, Mary Harmon. Mary has come up with an awesome challenge perfect for this holiday season. What does Black Friday mean to you? Make it a color challenge if you like, or create a shopping themed project, or as Mary pointed out, perhaps you'll create something regarding a downward swing in the stock market...LOL! Not that a downward swing in the stock market is humorous, but I love that Mary has covered all aspects ;D

I was inspired by the color black and decided to use one of the new heart images that was released just a few months ago. I picked up both sets, because I love the images so much, but the heart I chose is from the Sacred Heart Art set. I paired my heart with wings from the Sacred Heart set, which is a set that has been around a while, but it is timeless. All of these images are available in the shop. Get some now! OR if you live in or around the Albuquerque, NM area, stop by China Phoenix 2. If Nancy doesn't have them in stock, she is always happy to order them.

Nothing complicated about my card. I colored the images with Copics and used a fair amount of glitter glue to give the wings some pizzaz. I found some interesting hardware in a drawer filled with card making odds and ends, and decided to use them. I don't even know what they're called, but they're cool. I wrapped some twine around them once I had them on the card. Sorry, I wish I had a name for them :( I know! How about Metal Thingies ;D Anyway, I wrapped twine around the Metal Thingies and tied a crude bow. That was pretty much it.

Please swing by the blog to see all of the cool stuff the Bombshells came up with. There are some amazing creations! Also, you've got roughly two weeks to submit your own Black Friday Challenge card. You'll find a linky tool at the bottom of the Black Friday Challenge post, so be sure to enter. There are prizes to be had! AND don't forget to sign up to follow! That's it for now, come back tomorrow and I'll have a Christmas card for you. Stay crafty!

Introducing the Krash Kittenz by Kenny K!!!

Is it Sunday already? WOW! Where did the time go? I didn't mean to take the week off from blogging, but apparently that's what happened. I must have overdosed on turkey and went into a trytophan coma. That is certainly the only explanation I can muster. Never-the-less, I hope your holiday was fabulous! We stuffed ourselves with great food and then headed to the movies to catch the new Harry Potter flick. If you want to see what was on our T-day plate, swing by my husband's blog for a few pics and the details. I can't tell you if the movie was good or bad, because I snoozed through the first half. Bummer!

Today is a special day, because Kenny K is officially releasing the Krash Kittenz and they all have new names! That means that 12 lucky winners will receive the digi image of the kitten they named, plus two additional images! To see the winners, visit Donna's blog here. Now, without further ado, let me introduce you to the new Krash Kittenz!

A. Racy Roxie

B. Carmen Electrafying

C. Honey Sparks

D. Cheyenne

E. Pitstop Penny

F. Harley Ryder

G. Mae Western

H. Heidi Hot Rod

I. Megan Foxy

J. Biker Betty

K. Jessi Jane

L. Maggie Mayhem

I used Mae Western on my card and she is a stunner! I couldn't resist all that fabulous hair that was just beckoning for some attention from my Copics. All of these images sizzle and I can't wait to get them colored up. They're officially available in the Kenny K Download shop, so be sure to swing by and pick out a few. Valentine's Day is right around the corner...wouldn't these be great for that special someone?!

Before I forget...there is another challenge happening this week and Team A is asking YOU to keep it In the Pink. The color pink is the theme, so grab your Kenny K images and whip up something fabulous and you might win your choice of 5 Kenny K digis! That is an amazing prize and with all of these smoking new images being added, what a great way to add to your collection! Now, head over to Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge blog and check out all the awesome eye-candy my teammates whipped up with the new images! You don't want to miss these gorgeous samples!

I'll be back tomorrow with a Bombshell Stamps card, so be sure to visit me again! Stay Crafty!

Lots of news! PLEASE READ!

Hello, People of Blogland! I hope you had a lovely weekend. Mine was terrific, starting with a card class I taught on Saturday afternoon to a group of fabulous stampers at China Phoenix 2, and ending on Sunday with an amazing meal prepared by the Master of the Grill himself, my husband. You can read about it on his blog here.

I don't have a card for you today, but I do have lots of news and contest info for you from both of the DT's that I'm on:

Bombshell Stamps

• Bombshell Stamps has a new blog! You'll want to visit often to keep up to date on the latest happenings with BSS. Visit the blog here.
• 6 new Western themed stamp sets have been released and are now available in the store for purchase. You can get them in rubber or in digi formats. For lots of inspiration, visit the blog to see what the design team did to bring these images to life.
• Do you love Bombshell Stamps? Do you wish you could add more to your Bombshell Stamps collection? Well, now you can with a new contest on the blog! It's super easy to play! Just visit the blog, become a follower, and then add a post announcing the contest on your own blog with a link back to Bombshell Stamps original contest blogpost. If you're already a follower, well, that's ok...just add the post announcing the contest and the link, and you're good to go! The contest ends on December 20th, 2010 and a random winner will be selected to win their choice of 2 stamp sets (one rubber, one digi)! How much easier could that be!

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz

• There is a brand new challenge at the Kenny K's Krafty Girlz challenge blog. This week, Team B is asking you to Tag It! Either create a tag or use a tag in your project, the choice is yours. If you use a Kenny K image, you will be entered into a drawing and one of you lucky players will win your choice of 5 Kenny K digi images! I know, that's a tremendous prize! Get started on your entry!
• Design Team Call! The first 6-month term is coming to a close and some of our lovely DT members will be leaving the team, so it's time to look for some new members to bring in the New Year. If you would like to enter to be a Kenny K Krafty Girl and work with some of the most fabulous digi images around, then visit Donna's blog. Leave your name on Inlinkz and link to your blogpost announcing the DT call. Share at least 2 of your best projects. Donna has all of the details, so visit her blog to get the scoop. The call closes on November 30th! Good luck to everyone!

Oh, no you didn't...!!!

...and so it begins. The war of the camera. You see, my husband has just started his own blog about barbecuing, grilling...in general, just cooking damn good food. He is a mighty fine cook, has an adventurous palette, and loves to rummage around in the spice cabinet for new combos, certain to bring any meal alive with sizzle and zing. That's not my beef (I made a funny...hahaha!), he can cook for me breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I would be perfectly fine with that...who wouldn't? My problem is...the camera.

I take pictures of cards. I take them in a controlled environment and I usually don't have to worry about getting a great first shot, because there is some hungry person breathing down my neck in the background waiting to physically devour my creation. By the way, that hungry person is usually me. In other words, when photographing food, there is no opportunity to go back in for more photos if the first group doesn't turn out, because that tasty culinary delight will soon enough be gone! Poof! Nada! Zip! CHOMP!

In light of that challenge, Kirk has been doing a little Internet recon, and a bunch of trial and error picture taking to improve his food photos. AND...he's doing a great job! BUT, in the process, settings get changed on the camera and totally screw up MY PHOTOS! For instance, my colors have been coming out wonky (it's a word, look it up. Actually, nevermind, I'm pretty sure it's not.), especially the reds. I have, seriously, taken approximately 300 hundred photos of the same card tonight and each time the reds look odd. A bit off. Finally, I notice on the camera that the Red Eye Correction setting has been turned on. It literally takes 10 steps to get to the Red Eye Correction setting, so he must have gone there intentionally. And why?! I haven't the foggiest, I guess to prevent red eye from showing up on all that food he's cooking, or perhaps he thought it said Rib Eye instead of Red Eye...who knows! Other than potatoes, does food even have eyes?

Anyway, just about the time I figured that little snag out, my battery died on my camera, no doubt from all this use, not only on my end, but Kirk's, too. So now I am waiting around for it to charge so I can take more pictures of the same card and try to figure out what other settings have been changed.

*******WAITING********WAITING*********WAITING********WAITING******

Okay, it's charged enough, let's see what we've got. Well, this is much better. Phew!

Let's move on, shall we? The image I used on my card is a brand new release from Bombshell Stamps and I think she's a beauty! Bombshell has 3 new sets available and the Design Team has some inspiring creations over on the Bombshell Blog that will certainly entice you. Be sure to check them out!

Thanks for your patience today. I appreciate the virtual ear ;D

Sample #2 for my December 4th card class at CP2...

Hello, everybody! I know I said I would be back yesterday, but guess what! I tried looking for my "angel" stamp only to discover that I DO NOT own it! Ackkk!!! Yes, I absolutely did launch into a full-fledge temper tantrum and it was not pretty and it took a good chunk out of my day :( Instead I had to improvise. I own so many Stampotique images, I have a rather good-sized box dedicated to just housing them. In fact, that box is overflowing and they probably need a new home to accommodate their growing family, but that will have to wait.

I ended up using an image called Winter and adding some Bombshell Stamp wings to her to give her a goth angel look. I used lots of the same techniques on this card that I used on the other card, so I won't bore you to death with the details. I did, however, make the gray felt flower, which I just love.

I'm going to keep this post short, 'cuz, DANG it's late! ***yawn*** Nighty-night!

Sample #1 for my December 4th card class at CP2...

Hello, all! Thanks for coming back. I always appreciate it when you stop by ;D I am teaching another card class at CP2 on December 4th, so I have been working on more samples. Last year I taught a Twisted Christmas card class using some of my favorite images from Stampotique. These cards were my transition cards between the Halloween and Christmas holidays. They were fun and humorous with a bit of holiday cheer sprinkled in for good measure. You can see them here and here.

This year, after making a few traditional holiday cards, I was again, in the mood to break out some of the newer images by Stampotique and create something a bit edgy. These are not so much humorous as they are dark and elegant. I know, I'm a bit weird, but I follow lots of your blogs, so I know there are quite a few of you out there that "get me", so you know what I'm talking about.

I created card number one using Angelboy. There was not a lot to color on this image, so I spent most of my time on his wings, which I did using my Copics in several shades of Cool Gray. It maybe hard to see this in the photos. I also tried my hand at one of those grunge paper roses that Tim Holtz featured during his 12 Tags of Christmas last year. Certainly it did not turn out like his, but I am very happy with it, just the same. I created the background using Tim's ('cuz we're first name buddies) Baroque Alterations Die. I stamped and embossed his snowflakes on the panel using clear embossing powder. I proceeded to lay down a symphony of Distress Inks on a craft sheet (Faded Jeans, Peeled Paint, Pumice, and Black Soot) and mist them with water. I laid my panel down to pick up all that inky goodness and I knew I was having a good time when I looked down and noticed that my hands were covered with this goth rainbow of colors. I was a happy girl ;D I used my heat gun to dry the panels and then went back to my craft sheet to pick up the remaining ink. Nary a drop was wasted! Nary...? How do you spell that? My autocorrect didn't try to fix it, so I guess I'm okay. Unless it's confused and just gave me a spelling "pass" this go round...who knows. I finished by adding lots of glitter glue in Diamond to the die cut panel, Angelboy's wings, and to my grunge rose. On the inside I am going to add a sentiment by Stampers Anonymous that reads, "I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." It's one of my favorites.

I want to use the, oh so, elegant Angel for card number two, but I'm not sure if I even own her. I'm pretty sure I do, but you never know. If I don't, I can guarantee that I will be having a full blown, throw myself onto the floor, flailing arms and legs, temper tantrum tomorrow morning. Let's hope it doesn't come to that ;D

See you in the manana!

I have this card in a couple of challenges:

Beary Sweet "Anything Goes" Challenge

Stampotique Designer's "Girly Girl" Challenge