Thursday, April 29, 2010

Delicious Tempting Thursday featuring Evangeline...

Happy Thursday Y'all =) Thursday's are one of my favs as it means that it's ALMOST the weekend!!

I'm here to show off one of my FAVORITE of Maigan-Lynn's "girls"...Evangeline. I've raved about her before as she's just gorgeous, full of attitude and sexy all at the same time.
And I was listening to Mazzy Star while I was creating and thus...the sentiment 'Fade Into You' which was added with my rub-on letters.

Evangeline is colored with my Copics and her tail and top are glittered up with red embossing powder. I added some bling where her bubbles would normally be, tattered up her ribbon, zig zag stitched her up and added a charm that I've had for a long time...just waiting to be added to that perfect creation...and here it was.
I had lots of inspiration for this....and I simply ran with it...
I hope you enjoy!! And make SURE you see all of the fantastic new changes that are happening at the Castle!! You will NOT be disappointed!!

Thanks for popping by today!!

XOXO-

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

April 2010 Bombshell Blog Hop!

Hey All!! I'm SO excited to be here today with the amazing Bombshell ladies hop, hop, hopping along!!!

Today's challenge was Pretty In Pink!!! So I grabbed my stash...from all over my studio and sat down to create.
I used the Bombshell Angel and Speed Shop sets to create with. I stamped the car first...not really knowing where I was headed with the creation. I glittered it up, cut it out and put it aside. I then worked on my Angel...who is always just SO beautiful!!!
I colored her with my Copics and trimmed her out and set her aside. I was on a roll from another BS challenge where we were to make our own background paper so I did the same here using the skull on SU! Purely Pomegranate paper and Versamark Ink. I then used a variety of my circle punches and some gorgeous Basic Grey paper to cut out a border for the left hand side. I added some pretty raspberry colored bling to enhance the layering of the circles.

I then layered and stitched, layered and stitched.
I then popped up my girl and her car on 3-D foam adhesive and came up with my sentiment "that's how I roll". I printed it out on cardstock and popped it out with a circle punch. I then rolled the edge in glue and then in hot pink glitter and set it to dry.
I attached it with 2 layers of 3-D foam adhesive to give it it's proper due!

I do hope you enjoy my creation for today!!! Thanks for hopping along!! And you MUST head to the Bombshell Shop as there is a huge sale going on and lots of newness popping up!!!

Here's the list of FABULOUS GORGEOUSNESS!!! Have fun!!


Kas
Patti
Meredith
Katie
QueenBScraps
Steph
Erika
Sy
Angie
BoHoRose
Kelli
Stempelientje
Cheryl
Kathi
jheuser
Alison
Shaz
PerkyNihilist
Danielle


XOXO-
Meredith

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

QKD Hop!!! Inspiration everywhere!!

I'm here with you for another awesome QKD hop!! This week we're working this GORGEOUS image as our inspiration:
But before I show you my creation for the day, you should have traveled here via the WIS blog and if not I want to remind you that you MUST start HERE in order to see all of this great team's hard and STUNNING work!!!
Today I chose to use this month's Get Inked Kit. I LOVE the gorgeous Dandelion-esque puff flower and the pansy...some of my absolute favorites in nature.

I went with a 12x12 layout. I stamped the flowers in Versamark ink and sprinkled the Violet puff powder that came with the Get Inked Kit. I heat set it and just watched the "puff" magic happen! It's so cool!!
I used my Cricut to cut out a variety of butterflies in different sizes in different papers. As I did with the baroque flourish in the background. I used the sentiment 'FREE' using a free font that I found online. Because as soon as I looked at the image...that was the first word that came to mind.
I added the butterflies with my mono-adhesive and fluffed their wings up so they stood 3-D off of the page.
I'm sure by now you know that The Queen had made the AWESOME decision to go from polymer to RUBBER stamps!!! So...RUN to the store and grab what's left on super sale!! I cannot WAIT to see our fabulous stamps in rubber!!!
I had so much fun working with this inspirational image!!! Now off you go hopping to the amazing Anita's blog for some seriously cool inspiration!!!

Thanks for hopping today!!!

XOXO-
Meredith

Monday, April 26, 2010

Smeared And Smudged Forum - April Sponsor!

Hey Everyone!! I wanted to pop in and show off a GORGEOUS image that S&S's generous sponsor StampInsanity let the SI team use this month!!
I printed the image out and colored with my Copics, Souffle pens, gold paint pen, colored pencils and my Versamark pen.
I made this into a jumbo tag using black cardstock as my background, followed by a layer of red textured cardstock, another piece of black cardstock to which my image is stitched down to. I wanted it simple and crisp. I wanted the image to stand on it's own. The only embellishment I used was a single, red, rhinestone brad where the top of the tag is and my sentiment which is from the movie Moulin Rouge.

Thank you so much to StampInsanity for this delicious image and please stop by their shoppe!!

Thanks so much for visiting!!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Tiddly Inks Challenge #1

Happy Saturday Everyone!! I'm SO excited to be here to show off my first Tiddly Inks card using their GORGEOUS lighthouse image playing along with their very first CHALLENGE!!!
I grabbed this image for FREE on the TI's PCP page!! Thanks gals for the awesome freebie!!!
As you can see, I really wanted to focus on the image so I kept my card simple and neat. I colored my image using my Copics, Sakura gel pens and Souffle pens. I used Diamond Glaze for all of the "glass" windows and I paper pieced and popped up the roof of the lighthouse, the main roof on the house and the rowboat.

My sentiment 'always' is inked in Momento Ink in Tuxedo Black. My image is printed on PTI Ivory Cardstock and layered twice with red and brown cardstock. The red gingham is SU! DP from a few catalogs ago and my base is PTI brown cardstock. The ribbon is from Michael's.
Thank you again TI for the great free image!! I'm so excited to start shopping with you!!
I hope you have enjoyed my creation!!

XOXO-

Friday, April 23, 2010

QKD HUGE REVEAL!!!!


Hey Y'all!! The Queen's Secret is OUT!!! YAYYYYYYYY!!!

Queen Kat Designs is proud to announce that we are changing our stamps from clear polymer to Grey laser etched rubber! That's right, REAL rubber stamps!! It's SO exciting!!!

The main reason is that using rubber greatly increases the amount of detail in QKD's stamps because they will be made with a laser machine.

Our entire Royal Court is so EXCITED for this change and we cannot wait to get to work with the stamps. The plan is to have the rubber stamps in the store and starting to ship on May 1st just in time for National Scrapbook Month.

The stamps will be unmounted and will come in sets or sold as singles as QKD has always done. QKD will sell EZ Mount foam for you to mount your stamps on.

With that said, right now, ALL QKD stamps left in stock are 50% off! Come and take advantage of the sale and clear us out of clear stamps to help make room for the rubba!

If you have any questions, please feel free to let any of us know! You're probably wanting to see the difference in the stamps, huh?? Can you guess which is rubba and which is clear polymer?

Thanks for sharing this exciting time with us!!!

XOXO
Meredith

Thursday, April 22, 2010

And the 2 winners are....



1) WINNER #1: Alex!!!

Random Number Generator

This page simply picks a random number, within a range you specify.
For example, to pick a number between 1 and 100, set the Lowest Number to be 1, and the Highest Number to be 100.
Then click on Pick a Number to pick the number. That's it. Have fun!

If you found this useful, consider visiting the main Violet Cottage website. Thanks for visiting!

The randomly picked number is: 90

Lowest Number
Highest Number


2) WINNER #2: Okienurse

Random Number Generator

This page simply picks a random number, within a range you specify.
For example, to pick a number between 1 and 100, set the Lowest Number to be 1, and the Highest Number to be 100.
Then click on Pick a Number to pick the number. That's it. Have fun!

If you found this useful, consider visiting the main Violet Cottage website. Thanks for visiting!

The randomly picked number is: 40

Lowest Number
Highest Number

Thanks all for following along!! Keep passing the word along!!!

XOXO

100+ Followers!


Yay!! Thank you to EVERYONE who helped me get to 100+ followers!!! I'm still working on my 20K hits but we'll worry about that another day!! So...I have 2 blog candy packages (one for 100+ and one for my Blogoversary that was in Feb) to give away...I am presently (as I type) putting all 103 numbers of my readers into the random number generator and I will let you all know who wins in a bit!!!

I'm so excited and THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO
Meredith

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Mo's Digital Challenge #27 - Sketch Challenge

*SCROLL DOWN ONE POST FOR TUESDAY'S QKD HOP*


Yes, I'll admit it...I'm a Mo's Addict!! Her work is GORGEOUS and speaks to me and reminds me of my and my friends children every time I look at her work!! My darling friend Kristyn is my enabler as well (well...truthfully we're CO-enablers) but that's neither here nor there!!

I'm loving the challenges and look VERY forward to them every week!! Here's the sketch we were given to work with this week:I've been dying to work with this image that reminds me of my delicious, cookie smelling son. Even when he's grungy he just smells sweet to me. I smooch him and mug on him every chance that I get because soon enough he's not going to want me to be doing that anymore so I love on him always!! (and my DD as well...she's just scrumptious!!)

So I chose the image of Ben watering his sprout. My son LOVES gardening with us and takes great satisfaction in helping as all children his age do. My kids are my best helpers...always!!

I hope you enjoy my take on this week's sketch!!

Ben is colored with my Copics (I've been practicing my shading as you can see!) Everything else was scrap that was laying around on my table. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!!! That's the motto this month!!



Come by Mo's blog and check out the GORGEOUSNESS that the Mo's Dream Team has put together as well as all of the gorgeous entries that everyone has put in!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

xoxo-

QKD Color Inspiration Week!!

Hey...

I'm here with you for another awesome QKD hop!! This week we're working with a color challenge using blue, brown and white!

But before I show you my creation for the day, you should have traveled here via the WIS blog and if not I want to remind you that you MUST start HERE in order to see all of this great team's hard and STUNNING work!!!

I rummaged through my scrap drawer and pulled out a variety of papers from my assigned color palette. I then picked my image. I went with Punk Boy designed by the every so talented and amasing Che Gibson.
I stamped him on PTI white cardstock whose edges I'd distresses and proceeded to have THE BEST time coloring him in. Everything is colored with my Copic markers and all of his hardware is colored with my silver gel pen.

I matted him to a dark navy cardstock adding 3 grungy black MM staples to the bottom corner. I matted that panel to a scrap of Basic Grey DP whose edges I'd also distressed.

I then chose SU! creamy caramel cardstock as my base. I used last month's Get Inked kit for the Fleur du Lis and iron gate stamp. I inked these up in Versamagic Night Sky and heat embossed. You'll notice that the iron gate is stamped on a piece of scrap border below.

The last touch is some edgy stitching with white thread from my sewing machine.
I had so much fun working with this image and color challenge!!! Now off you go hopping to the amazing Anita's blog for some seriously cool inspiration!!!

Thanks for hoping along!!

Monday, April 19, 2010

QKD Spring Crop - Challenge #2

Hi Everyone!!! Just popping in to say hello on this Marathon Holiday here in Massachusetts!!! I'm here to show you a card that I made over the weekend while playing along with the QKD Spring Crop!! This was for the second challenge. I used this month's Get Inked kit using the gorgeous pom pom style flower and sentiment "if friends were flowers I'd pick you!" I used a palette of blues and purples with lots of pieces of scrap from my endless scrap drawer.

I also experimented with the 2 different embossing powders - a gorgeous violet, and another purple one that puffs up when you heat it!! AWESOME!! I used regular stitching from my machine and some faux stitching using my white Souffle pen.
I love creating just for creating sake!!! It's always SO relaxing!!

I hope you enjoyed my second challenge creation for the QKD Spring Crop!!

See you tomorrow for the Tuesday QKD hop!!!

XOXO
Meredith

Sunday, April 18, 2010

QKD Spring Crop - Sketch Challenge

Hey All!

This weekend (and still ONGOING!) is a QKD crop over at our forum!! The challenges are super fun and are really great in getting some crafty mojo flowing!!

Here is challenge #1 and the sketch to go along with it!


I used the AMAZING Breaking Free set in this design. (which is on sale right now!!) I JUST received it in the mail the other day and could not WAIT to ink it up!!
As you can see I followed the sketch just about to at "T". ;) I used a free font finder on-line to type out the word "Free" and print it out. The font was an Alice in Wonderland style font. I love how it printed!!
I stamped the "web" in SU! Real Red ink and the butterfly in Colorbox Green Craft ink, heat embossed it and trimmed it out. It is popped up on 3-D foam adhesive.


Most of the paper were from my scrap drawer! Which is always a great way to recycle while you create something new!

I hope you all have had a very crafty weekend!!!

xoxo-