moments filled with wonder

Happy World Card Making Day!!  I happened to see a post earlier this week on Facebook about a blog hop celebrating World Card Making Day and thought it would be fun to join in.  It's been quite a while since I shared a card here on my blog and I've definitely been missing stamping and card making.  Things have been busy with kids and family, but I hope to get to stamp more soon.  Anyway, on to my card. :)

For my card, I used the gorgeous Silver Fairy image from Wee Stamps.  (You can buy the image in its digital form from Wee Stamps here and as a rubber stamp from Whimsy Stamps here.)  Sylvia's images are always some of my all time favorites and I just love this image.  The sentiment is from the Magical Mini Letter Seals sentiment set from Whimsy Stamps.  I used some patterned papers from Maja Designs.

I colored the image with copic markers.  (Sorry, I didn't write the colors down this time.)  I added some white paint to the edges of my cardstocks, image, and sentiment.

Lots of beautiful flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts along with some leaves I had in my stash.  Twine, button, crocheted lace, and doilies all from my stash as well.

The metal filigree corner was originally silver.  I embossed it using some Frantage from Stupendous.  It's a thick embossing powder with some glitter in it.  I simply dabbed my filigree corner on an embossing pad and then in the embossing powder.  I heated the filigree corner (held with craft tweezers) from underneath so that the embossing powder did not blow away before it melted.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have fun on the World Card Making Day hop!  I know there is going to be lots of amazing inspiration shared!  You can see all the links here in the World Card Making Day blog hop.

Niki :)

happiness in the little things

Hi Everyone!  Thanks so much for your sweet comments about the last card I posted.  I love hearing from all of you!  I'm back to share another card today.  We've been passing around lots of fun germs in our house so I'm a little later than planned getting this up. 

For this card, I used the pretty Miss Mary Contrary image from illustrator Elisabeth Bell (available through Whimsy Stamps).  I used some papers from Maja Designs.  (Love their papers!)

I colored the image with copic markers.  After assembling my card, I added lots of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.  The vine/leaf die under the flowers is the Vine Die set.

I used a sentiment from the Magical Mini Letter Seals sentiment set.  I use this set so much!


I've been gathering ideas for homeschooling my preschooler.  Anyone have any great sites or insight to share?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 
Niki

all you need is love

It's been a long time since I posted.  Life has been busy with family and kids and I haven't been papercrafting for quite a while now.  I do have some cards to share that I created recently for Whimsy Stamps.  I can't be on a design team right now with things being so hectic, but I had a chance to guest design for Whimsy and am excited to get to create a few cards.  I still love it when I get time to create.  It just seems to be hard to fit it in lately. 

Anyway, my first card features the adorable Penguin Proud Parents image from Crissy Armstrong.  Such an adorable image!  My patterned papers are from October Afternoon's Silent Night collection.  The die I used behind the image is the Double Scallop Doily Die.

I colored the image with copic markers.  (Sorry, I didn't write them down this time.)  Then, I added some Snow Writer from Deco Art under the image.  Love the look it adds.

The sentiment is from the All You Need is Love sentiment set released from Whimsy in January.

I hope you've all been having a great winter.  Lots of snow off an on here.  I'm ready for spring. :)

Have a great day!
Niki

Happy Holidays to You and Yours

Hi Everyone!  We've been busy passing around some lovely germs so I haven't had much time to create cards, but I have a few saved in drafts still.  Today, I thought I would share a holiday card with you using an adorable Wee Stamps image.

I used the cute Angelica image from Wee Stamps.  You can get it digitally here from Wee Stamps or as a rubber stamp from Whimsy Stamps here.  I used a sentiment from Whimsy Stamps' Holiday Mini Postage Stamps set.

I love traditional red and green Christmas colors, but also like to add in a little blue now and then for a less traditional color combo.  I chose some patterned papers from the Life in the Country paper pad from Maja Design.  It's not a Christmas paper pad, but I think the colors and patterns work well still.  I buy my Maja Designs paper pads from the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

I colored the image with copic markers.  (Sorry I didn't write them down this time.)  The image was die cut with using the Double Scalloped Square Doily die and the die used with the sentiment is the Mini Postage Stamp die.

I added some stardust stickles to the angel's wings.  (Sorry the color is a little off in this photo.)  I added lots of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.

The crocheted lace is from May Arts and the satin ribbon, button, and snowflake charm were in my stash.  I'm playing along with the Wild Orchid Craft's Ribbon and Lace challenge.  I'm also playing along with The Ribbon Girl challenge which is to use Stripes on our cards.

The weather here has turned off cold and we've been getting a lot of snow and rain showers.  I think our warm weather is gone until spring now.  I don't know if I'm ready for that.  Oh well, more time to spend with the kiddos watching movies, playing games, and just hanging out.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
Niki

bundle of joy

Hi Everyone!  Hope you all had a good weekend!  It was rainy here so we just hung out and watched a couple movies.  I even managed to work on a couple cards.  Today, I thought I would share a card I started before the baby was born and finally got finished a week or so ago.

This adorable image is from Wee Stamps and is called Angie.  (You can purchase it as a rubber stamp at Whimsy Stamps here or as a digital stamp from Wee Stamps here.)  Sylvia's images are always some of my favorite images and I've been pulling them out again to play.  The sentiment is from Whimsy's Welcome Baby Sentiments set.

The gorgeous paper I used is from a Swedish company called Maja Design.  These papers are from the Vintage Summer Basics paper pad.  The patterns and papers in their collections are just beautiful!  I bought mine from the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  Quick shipping and great customer service!

I colored the image with copic markers.  (Sorry I didn't write them down.)  I've been using cork accents a lot in my scrapbooking because I love the texture it adds.  I found a pad of self adhesive 6x6 cork from Die Cuts with a View.  It is thin enough to die cut and punch.  That is what I used for the frame around the image.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.  I didn't have the color of rose buds I needed so I lightly colored some white rose buds with a copic marker.

I used a gold paint pen to color the stars.  I also added some stardust stickles to her wings and the loose feather.

I've had the ribbon in my stash for a really long time.  It works perfect with the colors in the patterned papers.  The little baby carriage charm was bought on ebay.  Although it's a style I'm not sure I'm very good at, I'm playing along with Whimsy's monthly challenge which is Shabby Chic/Vintage.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!  Thanks so much for stopping by and an extra thanks to those who leave comments.  They always make my day!

Niki

howdy partner

Hi Everyone!  How was your weekend?  Ours was great.  We took the kids fishing and had a day trip out in the woods on Saturday.  It was nice to get away and they all caught at least one fish so everyone was happy. :)

I have another card to share with you using a couple stamps from Whimsy's It's Play Time stamp set.  This time I used the little cowboy image for my card along with the "howdy" sentiment.  The card is pretty self explanatory so I'm not going to go into everything.  If you have a question, feel free to ask.

Hope everyone has a great week!
Niki :)

howdy partner card supplies:
Stamps: It's Play Time (Whimsy Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), white
Patterned Paper: Wanted (Basic Grey)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: letter stickers (October Afternoon), button, twine
Copic Markers

love you to the moon plus purging lots of stamps

Hi Everyone!  I'm actually back to share another card. (I know, I can't believe it's so soon either! lol)  I think coloring images is one of the biggest things I've missed since I took my break from stamping and card making.  I've loved to color since I was a kid and have never outgrown it! :)

I saw this cute stamp set from Whimsy Stamps recently in an online store and had to get it to play with it.  It's called It's Play Time and has a few different cute little boy images in the set.  I used some patterned papers and a button from October Afternoon's Rocket Age line.  The sentiment is from the stamp set.  I added a little glossy accents to the window of the rocket to make it shiny which you can kind of see in the photo.  

I've also been purging stamps that I don't think I will use again or that I've never used.  I just have too many stamps and always need new ones so it's time for some to move on to new homes where they can be loved and used.  

You can find lots of stamps from lots of companies (including the set used on this card) here on my sales page.  (I also lowered the price on many stamps that were already listed.)  I want to try to be better about using stamps and then getting rid of them if they aren't ones that I really have to keep.  I created two cards with this set so I'll share the other card soon.  Just drop me an email if there's anything you're interested in and I can get you a shipping quote.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Niki :)

love you to the moon card supplies:
Stamps: It's Play Time (Whimsy Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), blue
Patterned Paper: Rocket Age (October Afternoon)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: button, navy twine
Copic Markers

Merry Little Christmas: Whimsy Stamps November Release Showcase Day 7

Welcome to Day 7 of the November release from Whimsy Stamps!  On Wednesday, November 21, Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs, Shapeology dies, Whimsy Designer Paper packs, Shape EZ templates and *new* Whimsy Prints pre-colored toppers. From then until November 27th,  the Whimsy Stamps DT and Special Guests are showcasing these fabulous new goodies with a daily mini blog hop and I am part of today’s hop! Each mini blog hop has a new release prize hidden somewhere along the way and you have
24hrs to enter each prize draw.

For my card today, I used the adorable Xmas Hamster image from Sylvia Zet.  Is this image so cute?! lol  I used some patterned papers from Tina Wenke and colored the image with copic markers (listed below).    I masked the image and sprayed the background with a BG01 copic marker and my air compressor.  Then, I went over the little bubbles/snow with my colorless blender to away some of the blue.

I added a sentiment from Catslife Press and some crocheted lace, buttons, and baker’s twine.  The crocheted lace is a self adhesive tape that makes it really easy to use on cards.  You can find it in the Whimsy Store here.

I added some Glossy Accents to the little bubbles/snow in the image and some white fun flock to the fluffy parts of the little hamster’s vest. 
To be entered into today's mini blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT's posts listed below by 12.00PM EST tomorrow. All winners will be announced on the Whimsy blog on November 28th.
To take a peek at today's fabulous new release creations, please click on the links below...

Erin Bailey
Heidy Blom
Iris Wiechmann
Niki Estes (you’re here)
Simonne Clay
Bev Rochester - Special Guest
Deb Routledge - Special Guest
Jacque Beddingfield - Special Guest
Pops Morfitt - Special Guest

Remember that the entire new release is available to buy right now from the Whimsy Stamps store along with all your Whimsy favorites.

If you would like to join Whimsy Stamps as their Guest Designer for the January 2013 release, please CLICK HERE for all the details. Entries close at 12.00pm on 28 November.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!
Niki
Merry Little Christmas card supplies:
Stamps: Xmas Hamster (Whimsy Stamps), sentiment (Catslife Press)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), kraft 
Patterned Paper: Tina Wenke Designs
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: crocheted lace, buttons, green twine
Dies: oval nestability dies (Spellbinders)
Copic Markers
ornament:
R22, R27, R46, R89, T7
YG61, YG63, YG67m T7
C1, C3, C5
Y13, T15, Y17, YR12, C3, C5
hamster:
W2, W4, W6, W8, R11
hamster’s vet and ribbon:
R22, R27, R46, R89, T7
YG61, YG63, YG67, T7
sky:
BG01

Happy Holidays to you and yours

I’ve been spending all my spare time the last week going back through the blog files and moving all the photos over here to Blogger from Typepad and fixing formatting issues.  Geez, it takes a long time to go through almost 4 years worth of blog posts!  (And that was even after I deleted a LOT of posts over on Typepad when I was getting ready to move!)  Remind me of that if I ever get a crazy idea to move again! lol  Seriously, though, I am so happy I moved and won’t have to pay for my blog anymore.  I loved Typepad, but  I needed to move my blog to a free service.  I’ve used Live Writer in the past to type my posts on other Blogger blogs for companies I’ve worked for so I’m using that to type my posts up.  (Another great free service.) 
Anyway, I actually have a card to share!  I created this card last month, but never got it posted on my old blog.  (Hence, the watermark, but I didn’t have another copy of the photos.)

This adorable image, called Holly, released from Whimsy Stamps during the October release.  That was the month my son got hurt so I didn’t get this card finished during the release.  It sat on my desk for a couple weeks before I had the chance to take some photos of it.  I just love Sylvia’s Zet’s illustration style so her images are always some of my favorites.
I stamped the image on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink and colored it with copic markers (colors listed below).  I die cut the image with a circle nestability die.  Then, I masked the image and sprayed it with a copic marker using my air compressor while the image was still in the die (to create the white border).  I added some stickles to the snow and let it dry before assembling my card.
I used an assortment of patterned papers (which I didn’t write down – Sorry!).  I added some white paint to the edges of my cardstocks and patterned papers before stitching them together.  Then, I added a white doily, an assortment of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, some baker’s twine, a button, and snowflake charm.  The sentiment is from the Holiday Mini Postage Stamps set.

I decorated the inside of the card with more of the same patterned papers and cardstocks.  The sentiment is from the Christmas Sayings stamp set.
I’ve decided that I want to do a few small blog candies instead of one large blog candy to celebrate moving my blog.  I figure that way more people will have a chance to win.  Stay tuned for the first blog candy soon!
Have a great weekend!
Niki
happy holiday card supplies:
Stamps: Holly, Holiday Mini Postage Stamps, Christmas Sayings (Whimsy Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), kraft, blue
Patterned Paper: assortment
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts), baker’s twine, button, snowflake charm, doilies
Dies: circle nestability (Spellbinders, mini postage stamp die (Whimsy Stamps)Copic Markers
wings: R00, R20, R21, R22, R24
other pinks: R11, R12, R32, R35
socks: W00, W1, W2, W3, R27, R46, R89
pants: B91, B93, B95, B97, B99
shirt: BG10, BG11, BG13
bells: C0, C1, C3, C5
skin: E000, E00, E11, E13, R00, R20
branch/leaves: E33, E35, E37, YG61, YG63, YG67
scarf: R11, R12, R32, R35, YG61, YG63, YG67
hair: E07, E08, E09, E18
berries: R27, R46, R89

Best Witches

I made this card a while back for Whimsy Stamps, but never got around to posting it here on my blog.  I figure I better post it today since it
is Halloween! :)

This adorable little witch is called Hazel.  I think this has to be one of the cutest Halloween images ever.  I just love Sylzia's Zet illustration style!  I used some patterned papers from Cosmo Cricket's Matilda paper pad.  The ribbon is actually cheesecloth that I dyed with a black spray ink.

I stamped the image on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink and colored it with copic markers.  (I don't remember the colors because I made this card over a month ago.  Sorry!)  I masked the image and sprayed the sky.   Then, I added some shading to the clouds with gray copic markers.

The sentiment is from Catslife Press.  I love their seal sentiments!

Hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween!

Niki

Special Birthday: Whimsy Stamps October Release Showcase Day 7

Hello and welcome to Day 7 of our October Rubber & Die Release Showcase! On Wednesday (October 24th) Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs, Shapeology dies, Whimsy Designer Paper packs and Shape EZ templates. From then until October 30th, the Whimsy Stamps DT and Special Guests are showcasing these fabulous new goodies with a daily mini blog hop! Each mini blog hop has a new release prize hidden somewhere along the way and you have 24 hrs to enter each prize draw.

For my card today, I used the adorable Birthday Baby Girl image from illustrator Sylvia Zet.  I have a niece whose birthday is coming up next month so I thought this image would be perfect for her card.

I used patterned papers from the Miss Caroline: Dolled Up paper pad from My Mind's Eye.  I stamped the image on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink and colored it with copic markers.  I used some stickles to add some sparkle to the candle flame, the centers of the flowers, and the little floating bubbles.

I used the Double Scallope Doily Die to die cut the white frame around the image.  The sentiment is from the Party Mini Letter Seals stamp set.  I used a variety of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and added some Star Dust stickles to the edges of the petals so they sparkle. 

To be entered into today's mini blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT's posts listed below by 12.00PM EST tomorrow. All winners will be announced on the Whimsy blog on October 31st. To take a peek at today's fabulous new release creations, please click on the links below...

 Debbie Eastman
Erin Bailey
Heidy Blom
Iris Wiechmann
Niki Estes (you're here)
Simonne Clay
Stephanne Maraver
Sylvia Blum
Alberto Gava - Guest Designer
Bev Rochester - Special Guest
Pops Morfitt - Special Guest

Remember that the entire new release is available to buy right now from the Whimsy Stamps store along with all your Whimsy favorites.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Niki

special birthday card supplies:
Stamps: Birthday Baby Girl, Party Mini Letter Seals (Whimsy Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), white
Patterned Paper: Miss Caroline: Dolled Up (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts)
Dies: circle nestability (Spellbinders), Double Scallop Doily (Whimsy Stamps)
Copic Markers

Christmas Ornaments: Whimsy Stamps October Release Showcase Day 5

Hello and welcome to Day 5 of our October Rubber & Die Release Showcase! On Wednesday (October 24th), Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs, Shapeology dies, Whimsy Designer Paper packs and Shape EZ templates. From then until October 30th, the Whimsy Stamps DT and Special Guests are showcasing these fabulous new goodies with a daily mini blog hop! Each mini blog hop has a new release prize hidden somewhere along the way and you have 24 hrs to enter each prize draw.

(You can click on all the photos to see a larger version.)

Since this was a Christmas release, I wanted to use some Christmas images to make ornaments as gifts for my children.  I used an image from this release as well as images from past releases.  I have two sons and a daughter so I tried to create ornaments that weren't too girly (for the boys) so that meant no lace and such on their ornaments.  (Please excuse the snow that is shaken out of place in this photo as I didn't see it when I was taking photos.)

I stamped all the image on copic x-press it carstock with tuxedo black memento ink and colored them with copic markers.  Then, I die cut the images and added foam adhesive around the edges, snowy glitter in the middle, and a piece of clear cardstock over the top to create a shaker.  Then, I added frames around the front to cover the foam adhesive.

This cute Santa and Teddy Portrait image is from illustrator Crissy Armstrong.  It is such a sweet image.  For the boys' ornaments, I added a larger cardstock circle behind the image to help them stand out and wrapped maraschino baker's twine around the shaker to cover the foam adhesive.  I added a string to hang the ornaments, a bow with a button center and bells tied to the tails, and some white poinsettias and holly berries to the top.

This adorable Snow Fun image is also by Crissy.  I thought it was perfect for a shaker ornament because it looks like they are sledding in the snow.

I chose this beautiful Heidi image from illustrator Sylvia Zet for my daughter's ornament.  I finished her ornament a little differently than the boys' ornaments.  I added some lace behind the image and wrapped some pearl string around the foam adhesive to cover it.  (I've had that pearl string in my craft stash for a very, very long time so I have no idea if you can still buy it some place.)  Since I didn't have any red in the image, I didn't want to use the same holly berries so I added some white berries instead.

To be entered into today's mini blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT's posts listed below by 12.00PM EST tomorrow. All winners will be announced on the Whimsy blog on October 31st. To take a peek at today's fabulous new release creations, please click on the links below...

Debbie Eastman
Heidy Blom
Niki Estes (you're here)
Simonne Clay
Tammy Louise Cunliffe
Bev Rochester - Special Guest
Michele Roos - Special Guest

Remember that the entire new release is available to buy right now from the Whimsy Stamps store along with all your Whimsy favorites.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Niki

ornament supplies:
Stamps: Santa and Teddy Portrait, Snow Fun, Heidi (Whimsy Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), cotton candy, wild cherry (My Favorite Things), green
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: Maraschino twine (The Twinery), Raspberry Twine (Divine Twine), Sweet Tooth buttons (My Favorite Things), white poinsettias, red holly, white berries (Wild Orchid Crafts), white crocheted lace, pink pearl string
Copic Markers

Trick or Treat: Whimsy Stamps October Release Showcase Day Two

Hello and welcome to Day 2 of our October Rubber & Die Release Showcase! On Wednesday (24 October) Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs, Shapeology dies, Whimsy Designer Paper packs and Shape EZ templates. From then until October 30th, the Whimsy Stamps DT and Special Guests are showcasing these fabulous new goodies with a daily mini blog hop! Each mini blog hop has a new release prize hidden somewhere along the way and you have 24hrs to enter each prize draw.

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I had to use the adorable new Batty Boo image from illustrator Sylvia Zet.  When I saw this image earlier this year as a digital image offered by Sylvia, I was hoping Whimsy Stamps would release a rubber version and I'm so excited they did!  Isn't is so cute?!

I stamped the image on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink and colored it with copic markers.  I used some patterned papers from October Afternoon's new Witch Hazel paper pad along with some buttons and washi tape from the same line.  I finished my card off with some Halloween baker's twine and a sentiment from Catslife Press.

To be entered into today's mini blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT's posts listed below by 12.00PM EST tomorrow. All winners will be announced on the Whimsy blog on October 31st.

To take a peek at today's fabulous new release creations, please click on the links below...

Erin Bailey
Niki Estes (you're here)
Deb Routledge - Special Guest
Mariska van der Veer - Special Guest
Michele Roos - Special Guest

Remember that the entire new release is available to buy right now from the Whimsy Stamps store along with all your Whimsy favorites.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Niki

Trick or Treat card supplies:
Stamps: Batty Boo (Whimsy Stamps), sentiment (Catslife Press)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), white
Patterned Paper: Witch Hazel (October Afternoon)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: buttons, washi tape (October Afternoon), Halloween baker's twine (Divine Twine)
Copic Markers

Christmas Choir: Whimsy Stamps September Release Showcase Day 4

Hello and welcome to Day 4 of our September Rubber & Die Release Showcase! On Wednesday, September 19th, Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs, Shapeology dies, Whimsy Designer Paper packs and Shape EZ templates. From then until September 25th, the Whimsy Stamps DT and Special Guests are showcasing these fabulous new goodies with a daily mini blog hop and I am part of today’s hop!  Each mini blog hop has a new release prize hidden somewhere along the way and you have 24hrs to enter each prize draw.

For my card today, I used two new images from illustrator Crissy Armstrong called Christmas Choir Boy and Christmas Choir Girl.  I love these new images and had to use them together on a card.  I wanted the scene of the little kids and animals singing to really be the focus of the card sto I went with a very clean and simple design.

I stamped the Christmas Choir Boy image first on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink.  Then, I masked the image and stamped the Christmas Choir Girl image.  I colored the scene with copic markers.  Then, I masked both images and used my air compressor and a custom copic marker  (3/4 YR30 & 1/4 YR31) to spray the background.

To be entered into today's mini blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT's posts listed below by 12.00PM EST tomorrow. All winners will be announced on the Whimsy blog on September 26th.

To take a peek at today's fabulous new release creations, please click on the links below...

 Alberto Gava {Special Guest}
Colleen Schaan {Special Guest}
Deb Routledge {Special Guest}
Ellie Stover
Jacque Beddingfield {Special Guest}
Niki Estes (you're here)
Pops Morfitt
Stephanne Maraver

Remember that the entire new release is available to buy right now from the Whimsy Stamps store along with all your Whimsy favorites.  Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to pop back to the Whimsy blog tomorrow for more new release creations!

Have a great weekend!

Niki

My Girl: Whimsy August Release Showcase Day 3

Hi Everyone!  Welcome to the Whimsy August Release Showcase Day 3 blog hop! On Wednesday (22 August) Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs, new Shapeology dies, new digital papers and new Shape EZ by TLC. From then until 28 August the Whimsy Stamps DT and Special Guests are showcasing these fabulous new goodies with a daily mini blog hop and I am part of today’s hop! Each mini blog hop has a new release prize hidden somewhere along the way and you have 24hrs to enter each prize draw. To be entered into today's mini blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT's posts listed below by 12.00PM EST tomorrow. All winners will be announced on the Whimsy blog on 29 August.

My daughter chose one of the new images for her keepsake box I created for her. (You can see the box I created for my oldest son here.)  This little cutie is called Summer Fairy and was drawn by illustrator Sylvia Zet for her Wee Stamps line. My daughter loves pink so I had to paint her box pink.  I chose an assortment of patterned papers from several different companies.  After trimming them to the size I wanted, I stitched them together and added a paper doily.  I wrapped some lace from Wild Orchid Crafts and some seam binding around the papers before adhering them with mod podge to the box.



I stamped the image on copic x-press it cardstock with tuxedo black memento ink and colored her with copic markers.  (I will list the colors below.)  I added an assortment of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.  Before adding them, I added some stardust stickles to the flowers and let them dry.  (I'm also playing along with the current Wild Orchid Crafts Challenge which is Summer Flowers.)

I added a sentiment from Lili of the Valley's For Her Sentiments set.  The "love you" is from October Afternoon's Farmhouse flower sack.  The silver filigree corners and 5mm white pearls are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the butterfly is a mistable canvas piece from Prima.  I sprayed it with some mister huey's and added some star dust stickles to it.  After it was dry, I wrapped some black thread around the center and created some antenae by coating the thread with glossy accents.  Once it was dry, the antenae were stiff and stayed in place.

I stitched some layered buttons to the center of my bow using denim baker's twine.  (Buttons are from My Favorite Thing's Bubblegum button pack.)  I also added a little heart charm.

I added some Silver Sunrise Thickers along the bottom along with some more pearls and a 40mm classic sweet baby pink rose and some 40mm rose leaves along with more 5mm pearls.

I lined the inside of the box with a piece of pink patterned paper that my daughter chose.  To take a peek at today's fabulous new release creations, please click on the links below...

Ellie Stover
Erin Bailey
Niki Estes  (you're here)
Heidy Blom
Tammy Louise Cunliffe
Lori Pachkowsky

Remember that the entire new release is available to buy right now from the Whimsy Stamps store along with all your Whimsy favorites.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to pop back to the Whimsy blog tomorrow for more new release creations!

Have a great weekend!

Niki

my girl keepsake box supplies:
Stamps: Summer Fairy (Whimsy Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), dark blue
Patterned Paper: Willow Path - Woodland Park, stripes - Cakewalk (October Afternoon), Malibu - Shoreline (American Crafts), Thermos - PB & J (Basic Grey), Little Lady - Just Dreamy 2, Dilly Dally Adventures - Miss Caroline (My Mind's Eye), Vintage Fans - This & That (Echo Park)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: 5mm white pearls, baby pink aster daidies, 4mm baby pink closed rose buds, 40mm rose leasves, 2 tone baby pink 15mm open roses, 25mm wild roses, 2 tone baby pink 40mm classic sweet baby pink roses, silver filigree corners, white lace (Wild Orchid Crafts), denim twine (The Twinery), canvas butterfly (Prima), silver sunrise thickers (American Crafts), doily, seam binding
Copic Markers:
skin: E000, E00, E11, R00, R20
dress/shoes: B91, B93, B95, B97, B99
hair: E31, E33, E35, E37, E29
wings: R00, R20, R21, R22
sky: BG0000, BG000
grass: YG61, YG63, YG67, G29

Happy Birthday: Whimsy June Release Showcase Day 7

Hi Everyone!  Today is the last day of the showcase by the design team and special guests featuring the newly released stamps, dies, and templates.  Each day of the mini hop has a prize hidden somewhere on one of the blogs so be sure to leave comments along the way.

(you can click on the photos for a larger version)

For my card today, I pulled out the cute Fluffy Hanging in There image from Sylvia Zet's Wee Stamps line.  I colored the image with copic markers and used some patterned papers from October Afternoon's Fly a Kite paper pad.  It's an older line, but still one of my favorites.  I added lots of stitching, some crocheted lace, carribean teal twine, and some paper roses from Wild Orchid Crafts.  See that great scalloped circle behind the image.  That's the Double Scallop Doily Die from Whimsy.  (I begged Ann to create a die like this and I just love it!!)  I'm also playing along witht the current Wild Orchid Crafts challenge which is Punch It Out (use punches or dies while creating your card).  The sentiment is from the Treasured Moments Tickets stamp set.

Tomorrow there will be a release round up post over on the Whimsy Blog.  Be sure to pop in to see if you're one of the lucky winners.  To be entered into today's mini blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT posts listed below by 12:00PM EST tomorrow:

Ann Vento
Erin Bailey
Iris Wiechmann
Lori Pachkowsky
Niki Estes (you're here)
Stephanne Maraver
Tammy Louise Cunliffe
Michele Roos - Special Guest

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you all have a great week!

Niki

Happy Birthday card supplies:
Stamps: Fluffy Hanging in There, Treasured Moments Tickets (Whimsy Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), cream
Patterned Paper: Fly a Kite (October Afternoon)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Dies: circle nestability die (Spellbinders), Double Scallop Doily Die (Whimsy Stamps)
Embellishments: 8mm baby pink rosebuds, 4mm baby pink rose buds, aqua roses (Wild Orchid Crafts), carribean teal baker's twine, crocheted lace, pink button
Copic Markers:
squirell: E31, E33, E35, E37, E29, R01, R02
basket: E23, E25, E27
flowers: R20, R22, R46
sky: BG000

Fairy Happy Birthday: Whimsy Stamps June Release

Hi Everyone!  I can't believe how long it's been since I posted last.  Things have been busy with family stuff and I haven't been creating cards much lately.  I did get a chance yesterday to sit down and create a card to share one of the new Whimsy Stamps images.  Such cute new images!

Today, Whimsy Stamps is releasing 19 new rubber stamp images, 5 Shapeology Dies, and a Shape EZ files.  All the new stamps are available for purchase in the Whimsy Store.   You can see the entire release over on the Whimsy blog.

From today until June 26, the Whimsy DT and Special Guests will be showcasing these wonderful new stamps and dies with a daily mini blog hop. Each mini blog hop has a new release prize hidden somewhere along the way and you will have 24hrs to enter each prize draw by leaving a comment on every blog listed for that day.

(you can click on the photos for a larger version)

For my card, I used the new Mountain Lily image from Sylvia Zet's Wee Stamps line.  It's such a beautiful image and so much fun to color!  I used patterned papers from My Mind's Eye's Stella Rose paper pad and colored the image with copic markers (listed below).  The sentiment is from the Magical Mini Letter Seals set.  I used flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.  (I'm playing along with the Wild Orchid Crafts Challenge which is Anything Goes.)

At the end of release week (Wednesday June 27th), we will post a Release Round-Up on the Whimsy blog. This will include a selection of DT work from the new release week together with a complete list of winners from the daily mini blog hops. To be entered into today's mini blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT posts listed below by 12:00PM EST tomorrow:

Colleen Schaan (Special Guest)
Heidy Blom
Iris Wiechmann
Niki Estes (you're here)
Stephanne Maraver
Tammy Louise Cunliffe
Zoe McGrath (Special Guest)

Remember that the entire new release is available to buy right now from the Whimsy Stamps store along with all your Whimsy favorites.

Whimsy Stamps is very excited to announce that they have decided to release the Whimsy Stamps Inspirations Magazine in PRINT! The first issue is on sale as a pre-order from TODAY! Here is a peek of the cover together with some info about what you will find within...

 Whimsy Stamps Inspirations Magazine: Tips & Tutorials, Volume I For this issue, we have gathered some of our favorite tutorials from previous online publications and packed them into an exciting 86-page bound book. We will guide you through how to color using various mediums (Copics, Tim Holtz® Distress Inks, colored pencils, etc.), how to create unique embellishments for your creations (flowers, trinket pins, stamped charms, etc.) and how to create fancy cards (book cards, criss cross cards, flip cards, etc.) that will be sure to impress the recipient. Grab up this issue and and let your creativity flow!


Available to pre-order NOW from the Whimsy Stamps store!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to pop back to the Whimsy blog tomorrow to find out if you're a winner!

Hope you all have a great week!

Niki

Fairy Happy Birthday card supplies:
Stamps: Mountain Lily, Magical Mini Letter Seals (Whimsy Stamps)
Cardstock: X-Press It (Copic), white
Patterned Paper: Stella and Rose (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Dies: oval nestability dies, scalloped oval nestability dies (Spellbinders)
Embellishments: 2 tone baby pink sweetheart blossoms, baby pink cherry blossoms (Wild Orchid Crafts), clear rhimestones (Adro), orange rhinestones (Kaiser), orange flowers, lace tape (Love My Tapes), ribbon
Copic Markers:
skin: Eooo, Eoo, E11, E13, R00, R20
hair: E43, E44, E47, E49
shirt: R30, R32, R35, R37
vest: BG70, (custom blend 3/4 BG70 / 1/4 BG72), BG72, BG75, BG78, N1, N3, N5
pants: YG93, YG95, YG97
shoes: E31, E33, E35
wings: YR01, YR12, YR15, YR16, YR18, BG70, (custom blend 3/4 BG70 / 1/4 BG72), BG72, BG75, BG78, R00, R30, R32, R35, R37
flower: YR01, YR12, YR15, YR16, YR18, YG93, YG95, YG97
grass: YG61, YG63, YG67, G28
sky: B000