A pair of crafty twins...

Happy Holidays crafty peeps! 

I hope Santa was good to you, he certainly was to me :)

We managed to have a "white" Christmas as my parents live further north than where we do, and it was truly a wonderful day.  

Christmas doesn't even begin for me until I am with my sister Jennie who has Down's syndrome. She certainly keeps the true spirit of Christmas alive, and it's as if seeing it through the eyes of a child every year.

Speaking of children; I had the opportunity to have two of my favourite little people in the world stay overnight at my home Thursday into Friday.

I know I am a wee bit biased, but seriously I have never met two greater kids then my 9 year old twin niece and nephew. They are such bright, articulate and funny little people. We had sooooo much fun together the entire time they were here and they most certainly kept us entertained!

They both know what a crafty Auntie they have, so it didn't surprise me when they asked if we could make cards. I basically opened up the craft store and let them do their stuff. All I did was clean up the mess.
I am so very proud of their creativity and want to share it with all of my friends out here in blog-land.

They chose to make Happy New Year cards, so without further adieu....

Happy New Year by 
Kyle

Happy New Year by 
Ryann

You should have seen the look on their faces when I told them I would be posting their creations on my blog. They were even more excited when I told them that people will probably leave some comments for them when they stop by to see what they’ve been up to.

Kyle, Ryann and I want to wish you all a happy, healthy and very happy New Year!

Thanks for stopping by JS

When life gives you rain. Dance in it!....

Hello crafty peeps, it’s so nice to be posting again!

Even though I have needed this down time, I want you to know that I miss you all very much, and for what it’s worth, it is proving to be a very beneficial decision. 

With that said, I won’t keep you from the reason I am posting today, which is announcing Through the Classroom Door's newest Anything Goes challenge #49. 

It is actually my first time hosting the challenge as well.

But before I get to that, I just want to remind you all about this great online magazine. 

The video on my left sidebar was created by Jo Ham, and it gives you a glimpse of what the magazine has to offer.

The November/December issue of Through the Craft Room Door online magazine has 90 + pages of fun tutorials, loads of inspiration and FREE digital images that are located in the "Subscribers Only Area.”  You will also have access to all the previous issues when you join, so what are you waiting for you're just one click away.

Now on to this weeks "Anything Goes" challenge.

Our awesome sponsor is “Saturated Canary.”

Krista Smith has generously provided us with images and I have chosen “Let it Rain”.

I printed the image onto Neenah card stock and then coloured it with my Copic markers.

The DP’s are all from MME Miss Caroline All Dolled Up collection, and then I used some basic card stock for the matting and flowers.

I used a Martha Stewart punch to make the flowers and a Memory Box Die for the flourishes. 
The sentiment is word art from Ginger's House, although I didn't use her font.

Copic Colours Used:

Skin: E11, 00, 000 R20

Hair: YR 24, 23, 21, 20 E35

Dress & Apron: R14, 12, 11, W1 BG 72

Boots & Umbrella: BG75, 72, 70 

I used some stardust stickles on her boots, umbrella, dress ruffles and in the centre of each flower. Lastly a touch of glossy accents to make her eyes sparkle. 

Well that’s all I have for you my crafty peeps, so lets get those creative mojo's going!

Head on over to the challenge site and check out what my fellow DT’eamies have created for you as well.

Oh, and remember…When Life Gives You Rain...Dance in it!

I think my card will fit right in over at Avadares Challenge Blog - Anything with a digi

Thanks for stopping by JS 

Candy cane anyone?...

Well hello there crafty peeps, I am back today with my first DT contribution for this weeks challenge over at 

Through the Classroom Door.

Now, in case you don’t know about it, please allow me to enlighten you.

Through the Classroom Door or as it is more affectionately known, TTCRD is an online craft magazine.

Each and every page is filled with articles on various crafty tools, featured guests, tutorials, and lots of crafty ideas, but most of all it has a ton of inspiration. 

PLUS, with each issue you'll receive free digi's, and right now there are up to 33 awesome digital images for you to  download once you become a member. They can be easily found in the "subscribers only" area.

So come on, join in the fun and get your subscription here!

TTCRD Challenge 47 - December 4th

 ANYTHING GOES 

This week’s awesome sponsor is :

Michelle Perkett Studios

My inspiration today is...

 "Chloe the Peppermint Tulle Fairy"

She is printed onto Neenah card stock and then coloured with  my Copic markers.

R20, 22, 24, 27 BG 10 C00 05 07 09

I used a little bit of stickles as well, OK, a lot of stickles ;)

I hope this little card inspires you to join my fellow D/Teamies and I, or get yourself a TTCRD magazine subscription.

Better still, do both!!!

Thanks for stopping by :)S

Santa Paws & Snowflakes...

Hi there crafty peeps!

I managed to get my card finished just in time for Eclectic Ellapu's "Team Purple"  challenge this week. It is being hosted by my fellow DT member Jacki, and boy oh boy has she picked a fun one this week!

“Santa Paws & Snowflakes”

I bought "Bismarck" here which just so happens to be a 

Mo's Digital Pencil image just for the occasion.

I printed Bismarck out onto white Gina K card stock (which I have mixed feelings about btw), and then coloured him up with my Copic markers. My hands cooperated for the vast majority of the week thankfully.

All the papers are from my stash, and I embossed the tan coloured piece with a SU folder called Petals-A-Plenty. I put a touch of Icicle Stickles in the centre of each flower as you can barely see that I did in fact emboss it.

The snowflakes and evergreen are Martha Stewart punches which I have layered for more dimension. (I am not 100% on the border punch because I borrowed it from a friend and made a ton of borders last year while I had it in my possession).

Other elements used; Stardust stickles, Smooch Illuminate, red gems, distress ink and an atyou Spica pen on the trees.

The sentiment is from a LOTV collection.

Copic colours Used:

Dog - E33, 31, 30, 00

Hat/Bow/Scarf – R27, 24, 22, 21 w5 BG10 C00

Bone – E42, 41, 40

Well peeps, I hope you will join us this week for this fun challenge. We have a ton of inspiration for you created by my fellow Eclectic Ellapu DT’eamies.

So on behalf of Bismarck and myself, thank you for stopping by. JS

Yes I am still here...

Hi peeps, I know I've been away from my blog for a wee while, so I thought I would touch base with you all today.

I want to let you know that I am having some health issues that prevent me from using my Copic markers on a regular basis, and I thought it was time that I share that with you. 

Due to this situation, I am taking what I hope will be a temporary leave of absence from my weekly Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge commitment.

However, I have been given the privilege to hang my shingle out over at Through the Craftroom door challenge blog.

For those of you that don’t know about it yet, just know that it is just as awesome as the Outlawz, but for me it will only require a biweekly commitment.

It is also my intention to stay with Eclectic Ellapu because it too is a biweekly commitment, and the wonderful girlies over there have given me the freedom of joining in the challenges as my situation allows...I promise you I will not go down without a fight, so hang in there with me peeps!

I will be back a.s.a.p. and that is a promise as well!

Thanks for stopping by JS

Sweet Angel...

Hey there crafty peeps!

Are you ready for another Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge?

I sure hope you are because this one you’ll need to break out the glitter for. Our “Anything Goes” challenge twist this week is….

“Something with wings & glitter”

This challenge gave me the opportunity to use one of three new digi images that I won from Digistamps4joy.

I've had the good fortune to win these digi’s during

Through the Craftroom Door’s recent blog hop.

So here is my card using "Sweet Angel"....

I'd also like to mention that my card isn't 100% finished.  Other than that beautiful gold glitter star, I still want to add a few little details. Perhaps a Christmas sentiment and/or ribbon, but my week was a little bit hectic.

The DP is from MME, Holiday Glitter Book that I have had for a few years now, and of course regular card stock from my stash.

I used a bit of glossy accents on the halo, and for that necessary bling/glitter; I used "Stardust" stickles on her wings.

I have also layered her a bit to give everything more depth as you can see in the photo below.

I printed this sweet angel out onto Neenah card stock and then coloured her with my Copic Markers.

Copic Markers Used:

Skin – E21, 00, 000

Hair & Dress – E55 53, 51, 50 & W01

Wings – W00 & BG0000

Halo – YR24, 23 Y17, 13

There you have it, another awesome challenge awaiting you over at the Outlawz.

Pop over to see what my fellow DTeamies have made to inspire you, and get that glitter out!!!

 I hope to see your creations there soon!

Thanks for stopping by :)S

It's a Vintage Thing...

Hello there crafty peeps and welcome back to another     Eclectic Ellapu challenge.

 It's a D/T Purple challenge and I have the privilege of hosting this weeks theme. With that privilege brings the responsibilities of writing up the post, as well as having to pick the winner, runners up and top five in the end. 

For all intents and purposes this will be NO easy task from what I have seen since day one!

My theme gave me the opportunity to use this absolutely gorgeous digi image from A Day For Daisies that I've had for quite some time called; "How may I direct your call".

 I just had to have this image because my Mother worked as a switchboard operator for Bell Canada back in the early 1950’s, knowing full well that she would love to receive a card with this image on it.

Challenge # 4 " It's A Vintage Thing"

I printed the image onto Neenah card stock and then coloured it with my Copic markers using the warm gray collection;

 W00, 01, 03, 05, 07 and 08. 

I've also layered a couple of sections such as the chair back and the lower half of the switchboard.

The DP is from K&Company’s “Classic K Margo” collection, and then I used some plain card stock from my stash.

I used a Sizzix embossing folder and a EK Success border punch that I borrowed from my good friend Charlene. I made the flowers by using individual precut  flowers that I coloured with my Copics; assembled together, scrunched, and flattened as if they were stuck in an old book somewhere.  Then I added a little bling, some ribbon and a little distressing for that finishing touch...the sentiment (both inside and out) I made up and printed out on my good ole puter!

I found this picture (below) on the internet which I am intending to use for a scrapbook layout. I have a fantastic photo of my Mother actually sitting at her switchboard back in the day and thought this would be a nice addition to it. 

I will use the card as well after she has enjoyed it for a while.

 Well that’s it from me peeps, please take some time and drop by Eclectic Ellapu for more inspiration from my fellow DT’eamies. Trust me, you will be blown away!

I hope you will join all of us this week, and I can’t wait to see your "Vintage" interpretations!

Thanks for stopping by JS

Thankful Blessings...

Well its Thursday again crafty peeps, and with that comes Friday, ha ha ha....seriously, with that comes another Twisted Thursday “Anything Goes”  challenge over at the Outlawz.  This week our twist is Thanksgiving. 

Canada has already celebrated Thanksgiving and now it is our American friends turn to celebrate this delicious event! 

This is the card that I made for the challenge.

 I’ll bet that some of you are wondering why we celebrate the same occasion on different dates aren't yeah?

In a nutshell, originally Canada celebrated Thanksgiving because this dude named Sir Martin Frobisher; an English Explorer arrived on our Newfoundland shores in 1578, and wanted a party to celebrate his safe arrival to the New World.  So he did that with a bountiful harvest, which because of our geography our harvest was available sooner than our American neighbours. It also includes thanking our Lord for His divine involvement as well, and rightfully so.

American’s originally celebrated Thanksgiving because these people known as Pilgrims showed up on their shores, and it pretty much went along the same way as it did in Canada.  There's a bit of trivia for you today too.

I used this beautiful digital image created by our very own and multi-talented Anne Fenton. This image was given out free to our members during a past challenge . I wasn't able to participate in that challenge, and I have now been given the opportunity to use it.

I printed the image out on to Neenah card stock and then coloured it with my Copic markers. 

I've altered it in a small way by colouring another bunch of grapes and fussy cut them out. I thought it would be nice to have both green and red grapes on display. 

For the inside of the card I used some word art from Ginger’s House that I thought fitting for this particular occasion.

I will be entering my card into two challenges this week -
TTCRD - Anything Goes #42
CMC - Anything Goes with a twist of orange #55 

So I will leave you with all this knowledge, and let you get to your craftiness. I hope to see you this week over at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge.

Thanks for stopping by JS

Beware......

...of the Headless Horseman!

The fictitious headless horseman has been a motif of European folklore since at least the Middle Ages.

There is an Irish, Scottish and German version of this particular folklore. If I'm not mistaken I think the Legend of  Sleepy Hallow is based on this folklore as well, but don't quote me on that.

Basically this "dark man" is a headless fairy/ghost/huntsman, usually riding a black/gray horse and carrying his head under one arm (or holding it high to see at great distance). He wields a whip made from a human corpse's spine. When he stops riding, a death occurs. He calls out a name, at which point the named person immediately perishes, or so the story goes.

This is the second of two Halloween challenges I've had the privilege to design for, and this one starts today over at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge.

This year I bought several images from Make it Crafty’s Halloween collection and I must say I have really enjoyed colouring them up with my Copics.

Like the cute little Dracula image I posted last Saturday, this one is equally adorable, if you dig headless people that is. 

The collection also included Frankenstein and a really cool Halloween scene, which I've fussy cut to create my own little scene. 

I made the sign myself by using a free Digi image from BrossArt Addiction, and modified it by printing the image onto DP from MME and then cutting it down to size in order for it to look like a sign. The sign post is simply a toothpick!

Copics Used: Cape - W8, 7, 5, 3, 1, 00   YR9, 7, W3

Clothes – E59, 53 E19, 17, 15, 13   W5, 3

Fence – E49, 39, 37, 35, 33, 31

Boots – G99 and tip to tip with G94

PumpkinS – Y19, 17  YR9, 7, 4,   W5, 3

       

       YR97, 95, 93, G85

Well peeps, I hope you've enjoyed this week’s card, and I also hope that Dracula and the Headless Horseman has put you in the mood for All Hallows Eve and inspired you to get into the crafty spirit...no pun intended either.

I will be entering my card in two challenges this week, Through the Classroom Door, Anything Goes  #41 and Color Me Creative Classroom #55, Anything Goes with a Splash of Orange. Seriously though I think my card is a wee bit more than a splash of orange!!!

Until we meet again, Bwahahahahahahaha!

Thanks for stopping by JS

Have a very Eclectic Halloween...

Hey there crafty peeps, do you remember me telling you a while back that I was going to be designing for a brand new challenge blog?

Well the day has finally arrived where I get to step up to the plate and show you my contribution to this very unique blog.

EclecticEllapu went live last week with its very first challenge, and the turn out of entries has been brilliant! (btw that's a U.K. term for awesome!)

The DTeamies are split into 2 teams - one for every other challenge - the Pink team started the ball rolling and the Purple team is making its debut today and/or tonight. 
I mention tonight because the site hails from the U.K. and as you know they are on a different time zone then us here in North America, generally speaking.

So, with out further adieu...our second challenge, which Jacki, one of our Purple DTeamies is hosting, is a very scary one….

 Halloween! 

This is my card, cuz cards are what I do....

I instantly fell in love with this little vampire, and I don't mean on a twilight level either! 

He is the cutest, rather than scariest vampire I've ever seen. He is a Make it Crafty image and was so fun to colour.

I printed him out onto Neenah card-stock and coloured him with my Copic markers.

Cape/Clothes/Shoes – R29, 27, 24, 22, C9, 7, 5, 3

Hair – C9, 7, 5, 3, 1, 00

Skin – E11, 00, 000, 0000

I have these fantastic DP’s by Recollections called Haunted Estate. This one was an instant background, and all I did was add some glossy accents to make the bats pop, and illuminate to anything white.  

A piece of ribbon and blood coloured gems for the final touch.

Now a little bit about Eclectic Ellapu....well it's exactly what the name infers, an eclectic mix of creations. So in other words, you don't just have to be card makers, scrapbookers or paper crafters.  Any form of crafty item/project is eligible, it just has to relate to the theme of the challenge. 

 There are no sponsors, thus no prizes, albeit with the exception of unique badges of honour that is. 
It is simply about showing off your creativity, and being told you're the best of the bunch. 

So basically, if you enter challenges just to win something other than the personal satisfaction of knowing you were picked # 1 for your craftiness, then this isn't the blog for you...I told you it was a totally unique blog! Oh, and you are picked by an actual person, not random.org. 
Each DTeamie has the opportunity to host a challenge, and they are the ones who pick the winner, runners up and top five. 

 I hope you come over and give it a try. I must tell you too that having had the privilege to see what the challenge lineup is, I must say that there are some fantastic challenges coming your way! Let the fun begin team purple!
Thanks for stopping by :)S

It's Bingo time again....

Hey there crafty peeps, it is another Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge. 

We had a great turn out from our members during last weeks Pumpkin twist, so let’s hope the same happens again this week.

 It shouldn't be a problem because I know you all love to play BINGO, don’t ya!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to finally meet face to face with our fearless leader/owner of the Outlawz web site, Colleen Holmes. A very beautiful women, inside and out.

Two other DT’eamies, Darlene Lyons and Cindy Potentier along with our husbands met Colleen and her husband Bill in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was a very exciting, very exhausting fun filled weekend, and it wore me out...again.

I am still suffering some unfortunate side effects, such as a wonky right hand, and dang isn't it my colouring hand too!

 So, this week I only have a clean and simple card for you.

I've had this paper for some time in my stash and finally decided to use it. Don’t ask me where it’s from either because I've had it that long. Either way, giving that our fall season is in full swing here in Ontario, I thought this paper appropriate and too pretty to cover up with layers.

 Now I've created a rather unique card in that it is reversible….you can use the inside for the outside or the outside for the inside….ah neck let me show you what I mean.

If you fold the front toward the back the inside now becomes the outside, and the front design is now inside. Two cards in one! Seriously, I didn't plan this I just noticed that fact while I was photographing it, LOL J

The sentiments are freebie digis compliments of Tracey Brossart, of BrossArt Addictions. 

As you can see I have chosen the left to right angle on the bingo card, die cut(sentiment inside), designer paper, ink(computer). 

I hope you can join us this week, and don't forget that I will be back at the end of the week with my first Eclectic Ellapu challenge, take care peeps.

Thanks for stopping by :)S