Copic My Way - for now...

Gosh, I have hardly been in town since the last post. After TAC's Seminar, I was home a week, then headed off to Washington state and spent time with my dad - he is currently undergoing chemo & radiation for lung/spine cancer. I am so thankful I had the trip already planned so I could go to his first treatments with him. He is doing fairly well so far considering.

While in WA, I learned my grandmother now has Alzheimer's. So after a week of being at home, I took off for NE Montana to see her. I also incorporated my missed vacation and visited other friends & family. I am so glad I went...although grandma didn't know who I was, she knew I was a relative and still knows she has a granddaughter named Ginger...good enough for me! I love her soooo much & know it goes both ways.

After about 2 weeks at home and processing all that's going on with my family...I am out of town again. I figured I should spend some of my spare time in this hotel room to post on my blog. I brought a Copic coloring project. Sorry, my netbook doesn't have photo editing software on it. I may edit these after I return home, but in case that doesn't happen, I am posting.

I am mostly using the copic yellows Y11, YR31 & YR23...but tried the RV21, V12 & V12 for the pink/purple one. Wonderful flowers are from TAC's new stamp set:  T-3371 Blossoms & Blessings. I am no pro on using Copics...at least not yet...but I am having fun. I will be certified in October! Can't Wait!

My TAC Seminar Swaps

TAC's Seminar is this week...and we get to see the NEW catalog. So excited, can't wait!! Busy, so gotta keep this short & sweet...here are my swaps...hope you enjoy them.

Artistic Trading Card (ATC) 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"

Card Front 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Scrapbook Page 6" x 6" 

Mother-in-Law's Birthday Gift

As you can tell, I have ready-to-use pieces of a Tea Break chipboard book sitting around. A few minutes with an exacto knife and sanding block is all it takes to disassemble. While I was looking for a picture for the previous project, I found this picture of Abby.

She is my in-laws beloved dog. As a rescue dog, we didn't know her exact birthdate...just month & year. Since my mother-in-law's birthday is in the middle of June, so is the dogs (one of our dogs share the same month born as Abby). Spoiled? Yes! Deserving? Yes! An Angel? Only when she wants to be!

I'm headed out tonight to buy an easel that will look pretty with this project. You are also getting a sneak peek of the Thinking Sweet Thoughts stamp set.

Goodies I used (mother-in-laws favorite color is red):

Cha Cha patterned and solid cardstocks

Black cardstock

Noir, Boudoir Blush & Raw Sienna Palette inks

Stardust glittering pen

Ava embellishment jar

In Bloom Shimmer brads

Pop-It pop dots

Kai Gold Mini 4" scissors

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Today's project is not a sneak peek, but a fix of an oopsie on sneak peek #6. The background of the wall hanging didn't look good with the brown ink I chose that day...it blended right into the burgundy color. I prefer to not throw away things just because they didn't work...I believe "it's all fix-able."

Looking Back: Crystal and I took our first cruise together in November 2006. At that time, I made up a board book of our cruise. Today, I started a wall hanging, that will end up in a small easel (can't find it right now).

Looking Forward: I will be taking my next cruise with Crystal in the beginning of 2011...so exciting!!

I finally pulled out my Spellbinder Wizard Embossing and Die Cutting System and started playing. I'm so in love with the Flowers Impressabilities, I haven't touched any others yet. That's what I used for the background and flowers up top. I used the Reece cardstock pack and Brown cardstock. Ribbon is also Reece (in real life it matches). Flowers are from the Audrey Embellishment jar.

Yes, I'm addicted to the Antique Copper hardware. Everything has been distressed with Burnt Umber and/or Burnt Sienna Palette inks. Paper flowers are punched with the Extra Jumbo Flower Punch (1 1/4").

Sneak Peek #7 - Oh No She Didn't

Seven is a favorite number of mine, and I think this is a favorite creation. I used another Sneak Peek stamp set (they'll all be available when the new TAC catalog comes out at the end of the month)...Oh No She Didn't! The entire set includes 3 images and 4 sayings - all a MUST have!

I cut each sheet of Chipboard (already comes with colored cardstock attached to both sides) in half. I used yellow for the front, and blue for the mat and the back. Inside has 3 1/2" x 5" ruled index cards cut in half.

Supplies used:
Brights Chipboard stack
Sanding Block
12" V'blade trimmer
Bind-it-All
1/2" Silver Wire
Copic Markers
Ultrasmooth White cardstock
Brighten My Day paper stack
Stardust Glitter pen
Audrey Embellishment jar - flowers
In Bloom Shimmer brads
Mia's Cottage Ribbon (blue from Toodle Loo)

Sneak Peek #5 - Background Soup

When I saw this stamp set: Background Soup - I couldn't wait to play with it. All those circle just drew me in! The entire set consists of seven pieces. I used three on this project: upper right - open circles (colored them in with stardust glitter pen), bottom - closed circles, left side - old fashioned looking print.

After creating 4 cards this week, I wanted to play with something else. . They are so much fun to cover. This project is filled with a bunch of my favorite things...

6.5"x6.5" Chipboard Clipboard - they are so much fun to cover
Uptown Girl 8x8 paper pack - love, love, love it
Black cardstock - how can you go wrong with anything that coordinates with black
Claret & Noir Palette inks - Claret is my most favorite ink to use on Uptown Girl papers
Bitty Blossom Flower Mixes - they go with so many projects
Eyelets from TAC's hardware packs - they're so much fun to mix & match
Stardust Glittering Pen - it's one of my best friends
Ribbon - I combined the pink from the Mimi pack with the Black & White pack

Here's how the clipboard started out...

Sneak Peek #3 - Twinkle in the Eye

Today's Sneak Peek #3 is a hostess stamp - Twinkle in the Eye. I used TAC's exclusive Pop Rocks cardstock - I love this striped piece...but the white was too stark, so I distressed it with Palette Ballet Blue, Reflection Blue and Prussian Blue inks. Blue Breeze Kaleidacolor was used for the stamp on White Ultrasmooth cardstock...and I used a color duster and more Reflection Blue ink to add a little color to the snow and background. The flower & button are in the Audrey Embellishment jar & dark flower on bottom is punched out of Navy cardstock.

Here's a close up of the flower area - so you can get a better look at what I did:

Today was a little messier, since I changed colors of things (still have blue on my fingers), but I like how the final result came out. Isn't the little one just precious?!

Happy Thoughts and Butterflies

Here's the two cards I created while in Washington. D.C. I took a limited amount of supplies with me since I only had part of one day to stamp (had to leave time for sleeping in).




This first card was made for a NEW Stamp set swap. Supplies used: Stamps: Happy Thoughts, Wishing Happiness. Cardstock: White Ultrasmooth, Glossy white, Monochromatic Violets. Inks: Palette Violete & Chartreuse, Kaleidacolor Bouquet. Tools/toys/embellishments: Crop-a-dile, Miss Moxie hardware, Garden Mix bitty blossoms, color duster, Stardust Gelly pen.



Supplies for this card that differ from card above: Monochromatic Purples, Palette French Lilac, Kaleidacolor Spectrum.

Instead of using a color duster to distress this one; I used a large eyelet. Holding the bottom as a little handle - I tapped directly on the inkpad then the paper - numerous tappings before reinking. I love how it came out...and was SO easy.

Seminar Creations

In May & June - I was working on projects for TAC's (The Angel Company) Annual Seminar. Here a couple of them -

First is a box I decorated (was on clearance - later wished I had more than one) and filled with yummy Dove dark chocolates. The box was just white, I used a couple of colors of palette ink pads (they are oval) and touched them directly to the box (I love this effect, and it's SO easy). Then stamped, colored, matted, stickled, pop-dotted and added flowers...and Voila...a creation I didn't want to give up. This was my "prop swap" for the Manager's Luncheon.

Second, is a 6x6 scrapbook page I made up for swapping with others. After my first Seminar - I decided that all of my 6x6 pages would include photos...it's not a requirement, but it looks finished and much nicer.

I used our TAC Scarlet, Brown & Kraft cardstocks; assorted bitty blossoms, Flourishes & All Things of Nature stamp sets; Burnt Umber Palette ink.

These beautiful tulips are located in my beloved state of Washington - there are fields & fields of tulips every April. I look forward to possibly seeing it again in 2009. These photos are scans from years ago when I used film photography.


Sorry about the yellow cast in the photos - I tried to block some of the excess light and it backfired on my pictures.