Second Sample for Friday's Class at CP2

Hola, mis amigos!  Back with a super short post today!  Just sharing the second card I will be teaching Friday at CP2.  I'm still playing with those demented mermaids from Stampotique.  These two ladies have serious 'tude and have turned life under the sea on it's tail.  Fish tail, that is.  

I love the hair on these gals.  It looks as if they are actually under water and their tresses are dancing up and out from their fangular (just made that one up, ha!) faces.  Love it!

Okay, that's it for me!  I said I'd keep it super short and so I have;D  Stay crafty! 

A wedding card with attitude

Hey, everybody!  Guess what?!  My mom is in town visiting.  We're going to hit the rubber stamp convention, make some cards, eat loads of good food, and shop 'til we drop.  It's going to be a fabulous weekend!

Here's a quick peek at a non-traditional wedding card that a friend requested.  She assures me that the bride and groom have a good sense of humor.  I am hoping she is right.  I used a couple of colorful characters from Stampotique by the names of Bowtie and Perl.  See if you can guess which one is Bowtie...LOL!  The heart background is also by Stampotique.  I colored up everybody using my Copics and then added a thick application of dimensional lacquer to each heart on the center panel.  A simple sentiment in the corner finishes it off.  

I love these Stampotique characters.  They are perfect for adding an edgy touch to usually mundane cards.  

Well, I'm going to scoot.  We've got a lot of havoc to wreak tomorrow, so I better get some rest ;D  I'll be back Sunday with a new challenge from Kenny K, so please stop by.  Until then, stay crafty! 

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

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

Haunted High - My next class at CP2 (10/9)

Good Morning! Welcome to the halls of Haunted High where there's a ghoulish surprise around every corner and there's no such thing as a stranger. Mainly because they don't come any "stranger" than the attendees of this special institution for higher learning. Here you can hone your skills as a Master of the Macabre, focus your studies on General Mayhem, or dabble in the fine art of Catastrophic Destruction. The choice is yours.

A firm believer in the No Ghoul Left Behind policy, the administration of Haunted High extends it's welcome to all manner of ghosts, gobblins, monsters, and various other Menace to Society types. Previous elite graduates include John Revolta, Christian Slaughter, Amy Grindhouse, Katy Scary, and George Gooney. Don't wait...join the student body today!

Hahaha! I had a grand old time putting this project together. I used the haunted house chipboard book by Magenta and papered it with all sorts of fabulous designs by Reflections. I was a little intimidated at first, because this is not my usual type of task. I'm a card maker and that's where my comfort zone resides most of the time...a nice, warm, safe environment for it to dwell. This, however, was as simple as covering the chipboard with glue stick, slapping the paper on it, and then trimming it out with a craft knife. After I papered the back and front of each of the 4 pages, then the fun really started! I played with a whole cast of the Stampotique Characters. They just seemed to belong in this slightly off-kilter setting.

A couple of things that I overlooked and will remedy later...first of all, it needs to say Haunted High somewhere on the project, which I will be adding to the green panel on the back. The way the board is layered it will appear center stage when the book is closed. Also on the last page, I added a take on a common yearbook phrase that appears in countless annuals year after year...2 cool 2 be forgotten. Instead I changed it up to read "2 cruel 2 be verboten". It doesn't even really make sense, but it sounded good and that's all I was really trying to accomplish. My confession is that I spelled verboten incorrectly on my project. Hmmm...maybe it's not such a great school after all...LOL!!! Perhaps spelling is not part of the Sinister Studies Curriculum ;D

Gooseneck

Good Morning! Today I bring you a quick and easy card I made using Gooseneck from Stampotique. She is aptly named because I almost decapitated her several times while I was trimming her out. Maybe that's why she has that ribbon tied around her neck. When I was a kid there was a ghost story about a man who marries a woman and she always wore a black velvet choker around her neck. She tells her new husband emphatically, never, NEVER remove my choker. She slept in it. Showered in it. She did everything in it. One evening while she slept, curiosity got the better of him and he quietly reached over and removed her choker...AND HER HEAD FELL OFF! Dun, dun, duuuunnnn...! Okay, it was even a lame story back then, but heck, I was a kid...LOL!

By the way, this was one of four cards I made yesterday. I know! Four cards!! They were all fairly simple, but it still took me ALL day ;D This is the only humorous one, though. The others are serious in nature. I'll be back tomorrow to share another with you. Have a great day!

Whatever...

Good Morning! Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day here in Albuquerque. The sky is clear, the temps are mild, and could that be a bird singing outside of my window? Why, yes it is ;D It doesn't get much better than this!

Today I am bringing you another card using the Stampotique boys. This is the second of three cards I will be teaching next Saturday, April 10th, at CP2. Before I talk about the card, I want to give a shout out to Colleenzzz who recommended "The Varsity Boys" when I asked for suggestions on a name for the class. Its a fabulous name and I was ready to go that route, when all of a sudden I had an epiphany in the shower yesterday. I don't know what it is, maybe the hot water massaging my noggin' and getting the blood flowing through my brain, but I do my best thinking in the shower. So during yesterday's session of Rinse, Lather, and Repeat, it came to me...Dudes with 'Tude! I know this doesn't even remotely blend with the Cheerleader title I selected for the class featuring the Stampotique girls, but for some reason it felt right and I am a total sucker for a title that rhymes ...heehee!

This dapper fellow is named Dweeze and he is part of the new images that Stampotique recently released. I love his coat! Joining him on this card is Here Kitty Kitty, whom I absolutely adore, because he reminds me so much of my scruffy old man kitty, Hunter. Hunter is 19 years old and is truly the king of this castle, lol! The word stamp is also by Stampotique. I have added more details to these cards than the Cheerleaders. The buttons on Dweeze's coat are black gemstones, and his scarf and boots received a bit of the dimensional glaze treatment. I also sponged some Scattered Straw Distress Ink on the white oval panel to add more color.

Tomorrow I'll post the third and final card we will be making in the Dudes with 'Tude class, so please swing by for a peek ;D

Jealous...?!

Good Morning! Here's a new card, as promised and boy, do I feel so much better ;D When I need a crafting pick-me-up, the first thing I reach for are my feel-good, spirit lifting, happy fun-time images....NOT!!! LOL! I reach for my quirky Stampotique images. They may not be overly joy-inducing, but they ALWAYS put a great big, demented grin on my face ;D Heehee...what does that say about me?

No time for analysis...let me introduce you to Bowtie and Mr. Stripes! Bowtie is a handsome devil, doncha think? And Mr. Stripes makes a frequent appearance in my cards, such as this Twisted Christmas one. What's that, you say? You think I might need an exterminator?! LOL! Nope, he's practically a pet!

Anyway, I'm working on class samples for a class I have scheduled for April 10th. I know! That date is just around the corner and as I have mentioned before, folks don't tend to sign up for classes when they don't have even an inkling about the projects. This card is the first of three that will feature the "leading men" in the Stampotique line. At first, I was thinking that this would be the male off-shoot of the Cheerleader class, which featured the Stampotique leading ladies, and I thought maybe I would call them the Quarterbacks, but that doesn't feel quite right, so I am still looking for a clever name. Any suggestions?

The Cheerleaders...meet Prom Queen

Yesterday I went down to China Phoenix 2 and stayed pretty much all day. My friend Kathy was teaching a class, so we were able to squeeze in a nice long visit afterwards. Plus, I was able to hang out with all the other cool people that were in and out of the store. I just love that place! If you live in or around Albuquerque and are even remotely interested in paper crafts of any sort, you should pay a visit to this awesome store. You will never meet a nicer, more welcoming group of people :D

Today I am featuring the third card I will be teaching in the morning on March 20th. I am calling this class, The "Cheer" leaders, based on the quirkiness of the Stampotique characters I am using and the surliness of the word stamps. These gals are anything but "cheery", HOWEVER...they do make me smile every time I see them. I just can't help myself! I was shooting for a bit of sarcasm with this set of cards and I think that has been achieved. Sorry if I offend anyone with today's card, but let's be honest, we all have a friend or two (or 12) that we could easily apply this sentiment to ;D In fact, on several occasions, I can apply this sentiment to myself...LOL!!

By the way, the "cheer" leaders names...Perl, Moth Fab, and Prom Queen...were all designated by Stampotique and are not manifestations of my bizarre brain, in case you're wondering ;D AND...on a follow up note, I picked up several more of the new Stampotique characters yesterday at the store, along with some new word stamps and let me tell you, they are DOOZIES!! I am thinking that the month of April will bring more cards using these fab images!

Have a great weekend and be sure to take time to create a lil' some'in, some'in :)

The Cheerleaders...meet Moth Fab

Hello! Just a super quick post today to introduce you to Moth Fab. She is a Stampotique image and the focus of the second card I will be teaching at China Phoenix 2 the morning of March 20th. While Moth Fab is certainly the epitome of fabulous, my favorite part of this card is the sentiment, "I understand. I just don't care." LOL!! That says it all! I feel like I need to get this on a t-shirt ;D

Speaking of China Phoenix 2, I am heading over there this morning to work on a top secret project...! But you'll have to wait a few days before it is unveiled...mwahahahah...*insert mad scientist laugh here*!!!!

That's it for today, stop by tomorrow when I will introduce you to our third "Cheer" leader ;D

The Cheerleaders...meet Perl

Good Morning! It has been a gorgeous couple of days here in Albuquerque. Looks like we're going to be in the 60s today. The skies are blue and clear, and it would be a great day to do something outside. Okay, that's it for my impression of Al Roker! LOL! I'm not a meteorologist, but I've seen one on TV...! That makes me an expert, right? ...NOT!

I'm teaching a class on March 20th at my favorite stamp store in the world, China Phoenix 2. It will feature the 3 muertos themed cards I created and blogged about in February using some images by Bombshell Stamps. My class is in the afternoon and the morning spot was going to be a class taught by my good friend Kathy. I love days when we teach together, because afterward, we hang out and chat up a storm until Nancy, the owner, has to finally throw us out...hehehe! Actually, Nancy is a sweetheart and would never do that, but I do feel a bit guilty when she closes the store and we are still there gabbing 2 hours later ;D Anyway, Kathy had to cancel her class because she is going out of town to be with her daughter who is expecting her 2nd child. She's such a great mom! I was really looking forward to our "catching up" time, but she obviously has a pretty good excuse ;D So, to keep me out of trouble, I will be teaching in Kathy's morning slot on the 20th, as well. Two classes in one day? Can I handle it? I'll let you know how it goes!

I'm just now working up some samples for the morning class and I thought I would go with some Stampotique images. I have paired 3 of the sassy girls from their stamp line designed by Jill Penney and Daniel Torrente, with some humorous sentiments that have been laying around gathering dust. I'm calling these girls, The Cheerleaders, because they are anything BUT cheery...lol!

The first card features Perl who I have colored with Copic markers and she has been paired with a stamp by Rubber Cottage that says "How's that workin' for ya?". Love the sarcasm! I added a bit of orange glitter glue to her headband, necklace, and bangles, but she really didn't need much more to finish her off. Just a flower and a gemstone, and she is ready to give the world some "tude" ;D

I'll be back tomorrow with another "Cheerleader" card. Ciao for now!

It's good to be the king!

Good Morning! This card is a birthday card for my husband's boss. It's challenging for me to create a masculine card and it's even harder for me to adhere to the unspoken "rules" that apply to these types of cards. Rules? You've never heard of the "rules" for making Dude Cards? Sure you have...you know...stick with blues and browns...no ribbon...no flowers...no gemstones. Yes, those are the ones!! I did happen to stick to that color palette on this card, but only because my Stampotique fellow seemed to sort of just go in that direction when I was coloring him up. I let him have complete creative control on this one and this is the direction he took. I added the crown from a Tim Holtz set and the sentiment is computer generated. Do you remember this line from the Mel Brooks movie, The History of the World Part 1? It's a side-splitter! It seemed like a perfect pairing for this image. I really hope Kirk's boss has a sense of humor ;D

Naughty or Nice CD Cover

Hello! I am writing this blog post in a tizzy, because tonight my husband and I are having our annual Re-Gift Exchange. Each year we invite our friends over and ask them to bring a gift that they received previously that maybe...how shall I put it...missed the mark. You know, such as the singing fish plaque that was popular a few years back, or a talking toilet paper dispenser that not only doles out the TP, but also provides witty commentary with each exchange. I don't know about you, but I don't want to hold a conversation with an inanimate object when nature is calling.

You might be thinking, "but I NEVER receive gifts like that". Hahaha! Come on now...let's be honest. I know you have an arsenal of these little treasures packed away somewhere and you don't have the heart to cart them off to Goodwill or the Flea Market, partly because you don't want to hurt dear Aunt Ethyl's feelings, but mostly because you don't want to inflict them on anyone else. Well, at our house, inflict away! LOL!! In fact, the tackier, the better!!

We also ask that everyone bring a nice wrapped ornament, as well. Then folks don't feel so bad when they end up taking home one of those weird Snuggie blankets or an Obama Chia Head ;D

One of my favorite things about our yearly shindig is that my husband and I pool our creative resources and give each guest a homemade CD. Hubbs is an avid music lover, obsessor, afficianado, whatever you want to call it. His music library consists of well over 10,000 songs and resides on it's very own hard-drive for safe keeping. Almost 700 of these songs are related to Christmas. It's a very eclectic collection, with a good hearty helping of Frank, Dean, and Bing, and a dollop of Twisted Sister, The Pretenders, and The Ramones, and a sprinkling of Weezer, The Waitresses, and the Ravonettes. Seems like anyone that has ever hummed a few bars has a Christmas album out and we are well on our way to owning them all! LOL! For our CD, he selects the playlist, choses the order and adds a few movie sound bytes to pepper it with a bit of Yuletide wit.

You're probably thinking...he does all the work, what do you do? I make the CD covers and this year I made 12, one per couple. Our theme was Naughty or Nice and I just happened to have a great word stamp by Stamp Francisco that expressed just that. I paired it with one of the sexy bombshells from Bombshell Stamps and added a quirky Santa hat by Stampotique. I am really pleased with how these came together, but it took me 3 full days to get them completed, therefore, I am scrambling to get things done today! Come to think of it...I need to go!! I've got things to do and I'm sitting here on the computer...how crazy is that!! Have a great weekend!!

China Phoenix 2: A Tree with Attitude! Part II

Good evening! I spent a luxuriously relaxing afternoon at China Phoenix 2 today, enjoying some excellent company and sharing some good hearty belly laughs. However, I did manage to get off my butt and take a couple of pics of the tree in the window. A couple of the characters still need to be hung (including mine), but here's a peek anyway.

I believe Liz created the dazzling Crafter, and I think that kit is responsible for the exquisitely adorned Topknot, but I could be mistaken so don't tell anyone, ok? There is also a beautiful Moth Fab hanging in the window, but I have no idea who wielded their magical embellishment wand to bring her to life. Also, Queen of Life has yet to be added to the tree, but I snapped a pic of her, because she is just too fabulous not to. My good buddy Kathy was responsible for her and, oooohhhh, she is just gorgeous! There may be a couple of others that haven't made it back to the store yet, so if they turn up, I will be sure to add them to my blog.