Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Easter Cards for Karlye and Jayme's Basket


















I finally got an idea for Karlye and Jayme's Easter Cards. They are getting bikes this year, but I had to think of something cute to put in their baskets. Are these cute enough?

This digital bunny is free over at 2 Cute Rubber Stamps. You can read about their 2nd digital challenge here, and browse through their stamps here. They are seriously "2 Cute".

For the card on the left I used a white rubon that states "For You" to subtly fill up some of the white space. Practical Scrappers challenge this week is all about using rubons. Hope to see your entries in the challenge.

Besides chalk, skipping ropes, and a trail of eggs, what does the Easter Bunny leave for you and yours?

Have a fabulous day,
Hugs,
Tanya

Practical Scrappers RubOn Challenge


Good Morning ladies,
This weeks challenge over at Practical Scrappers, is to use your rubons. I always use mine to add sentiments to my card, and wanted to change it up a bit for this challenge. Thus, I placed my rubons onto plain design paper to create a background, and to layer it up a bit.

What do you think?

Hope to see what creative uses you come up with this week. Don't forget to post them here.
Hugs
Tanya

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Please Vote For Team International Ink!
























Note: This is Stephanie's Retro card, she is representing our Team -International Ink, and she needs your votes this week.

I was asked to participate in The Greeting Farm's "Royal Battle". We are a team of 5 ladies, who each take one turn creating one card based on the theme given to us. Stephanie was the first one to take on the Retro challenge. The ABOVE card is STEPHANIE'S card, and we are asking you to head over and vote for our team. I have to say that Stephanie really outdid herself, and I just LOVE her card. I have linked her name to her website should you wish to see more of her fabulous work.

Here are the details on How to Vote. You each get 3 votes. We are unable to vote for our own team, so that makes it even more interesting.

Thank you for participating,

Wish us luck,
Hugs
Tanya

Friday, March 26, 2010

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #12-Circles
























Here is the project I was attempting to finish last night. The Pixie Cottage Challenge #12 is all about circles. Since this lovely clip board was waiting to be altered, I just had to use it. Although the surface is dimensional, I can still mount this on my wall and clip sketches I am working onto it. Once I am done, I can take the sketch down and enjoy looking at this altered piece of art. I have stated before that this Pixie Cottage Stamp reminds me of the fairy houses my Oma would draw for me when I was younger. You can find this stamp and many new ones at Michelle's Scrapbooking and More.

Enjoy your weekend, I am off to bed to catch some zzzz's. No headache today but my head still feels bruised from last nights doozy. Oh yes, and my girls loved making banana chocolate chip bread tonight, my eldest even said thank you and that is was "the best bread ever Mommy!"
Hugs
Tanya

An Oldie but Goodie

















Hi Ladies,

I have been working on a couple of things, but they are taking a bit of time to complete. I should have a new post for you this weekend. I was working hard last night, when I was hit with a migraine. Off to bed I went, another project left undone. I am currently on my lunch hour, so I thought I would browse through my earlier creations and post one of my favorite cards. (Good thing the recipient was my sister and she keeps everything, as I have a hard time giving away things I love.)

I had last week off with my children during March Break, and it was just so much fun. My youngest had her endoscopy during that time and was a trooper about it. The worst part for her was taking the tape off to remove the IV. When she has emotions, she does so very LOUDLY! I returned to work this past Monday, only to find a rash on her little body. Having to take another 1/2 day off, we trudged to the Doctors, only to find out that our local hot tub they go into after swimming has been giving young children a very contagious skin rash similar to the Chicken Pox. Good thing is I caught it early, and I have seen a difference after putting the ointment on them.

So that is a brief breakdown of my life for you. Tonight I have a date with my girls after work. We are going to bake chocolate chip banana bread!

Talk with you all very soon,
Hugs
Tanya

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The New Pixie Cottage Design Team

I wanted to introduce to you The New Pixie Cottage Design Team. I am very honored to be a part of The Pixie Cottage Design Team this term, and I hope to make them proud. I hope you click on the links below, theses ladies are so very talented.

Senior team
Welcome returning members

**Design Team Leader -Katie Tate from Both Sides of The Paper
*ArTish from All Things ArTishtic
*Anne from Anne's Hobbyblog
*Peggy from Beautiful Greetings
*Risa from Life's Simple Pleasures
*Pam from Stamps Inc.

And welcome to all our new members!

Denise from Stamping with Denise
Sharon from Cards N Greetings
Tanya from Random Acts of Krafting
Katarina from kamadesign- Confessions of a crafter
*Indicate a returning member

Junior Team
Adrina from Adrina's Fun
Denise from KC242 Designs by Denise
Davi from Alstromeria's Artistry
Erin from Scrap, Stamp and Be Merry
Tracey from Scrappin' Trackside
Cheryl from Cheryl's Creative Cards and ATCs



Practical Scrappers Challenge-Using your stash














Good Morning,
This week's challenge over at Practical Scrappers, is all about using something that has been in your stash for over a year. Maya Road has wearhouse sales, and they put together bundles in order to make room for the new stock. I bought one of these bundles well over a year ago, more like two. In this bundle was the above ribbon slide and the fantastic plastic ribbon. I just needed a little push from Practical Scrappers to get them out and to apply them. Thanks PS!

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday, hope to see your creations using your 1+year stash,
Hugs
Tanya

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Practical Scrappers Sketch Friday
























Here is my take on Ann-Katrin's wonderful Friday sketch over at Practical Scrappers. I have to say photographing these layouts is pretty hard to do, another area where I must practice more. Maybe when my girls are older I can take a photography course. That will be going on my "Things I would like to do" list.

I got stuck with the sketch for a bit, and then looked at Kim's blog, seeing her flower inspired me to fill my white space with flowers too. Thanks Kim! I also pierced the four corners and when the page is lying on a white surface, it looks pretty nice, you can not see that from this photograph though.

A little background on the photo: Karlye is my little bookworm, this photograph was taken way back when she was 2 years old, she was waiting patiently for Mommy to get out of the shower. She just loved to read, and we would catch her doing so at 2 am with her night light on. She is still very fond of books, especially catalogs!

Hope you drop in to see the other takes on this Fabulous Sketch. I have to say Ann-Katrin is one talented lady.

Hugs
Tanya

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Interpreting my own sketch




































Good Morning,
I have been playing around with techniques that are new to me, I know I need a lot more practice, but I am showing you what I have been dabbling with. I attempted my first sketch, which I created with Microsoft Word. It is not as fancy as some of the sketches out there, but it is really fun to play with.
The card below it is my take on my own sketch. When I first started using sketches, I thought I had to copy them exactly, but now I realize, that it is up to the artist to use the sketch as a guide only.
I have used my Twinkling H2O's for this one, and feel I need to practice more with these. The butterfly was attached with twine and moves a little bit. After putting the eyelets in the wings, I decided that maybe next time I would omit them, as it makes the butterfly look a bit heavy.

Well, I guess I am done critiquing myself. I hope you love this adorable image. She can be found at Michelle's Scrapbooking and More, as she is one of The Pixie Cottage Stamps.

Have a great Saturday,
Hugs
Tanya

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Got my fingers in the Sugar Bowl again




















This weeks Sugar Bowl Challenge #31 is a wonderful sketch by Judy. The additional requirement was to use stars. I took out my wonderful Sugar Nellie Manga stamps, and chose this cute little boy. I had to color him a few times to get a matching tone with the design paper, but I have to say I am pleased with the final outcome.

Have a wonderful Friday everyone,
Hugs
Tanya

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #11























In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, the Pixies have asked us to use a little GREEN on our cards for The Pixie Cottage Challenge #11. Keep in mind, it does not have to be a St. Patrick's Card.

The Pixies have also gifted us with this fabulous digital stamp, for FREE! You can get your image here. I think she is just so cute. Nothing can stop her from smiling with her green ensemble, not even a little rain.

I hope you have as much fun as I did with this challenge. I may just have to create another card with this image, and somehow incorporate"Singing in the rain" into it.

Have a great day,
Hugs
Tanya

Monday, March 15, 2010

Practical Scrappers Chipboard Challenge


















This week's challenge over at Practical Scrappers is to be creative with your use of chipboard. What I did was cover my chipboard arrow with matching design paper. I wanted to make a subtle embellishment that drew your eye to the image. I also added a safety pin, and glued one of my daughters beads on the end of it, placing it in the center of my bow.

This is one sunny card, and I hope the sun continues to shine here in Ottawa. I had a superb day with my girls. We went to the wave pool for the first time, with my Mom and my sisters. Boy did we have fun. I am really enjoying how they express themselves lately. My 3 1/2 year old looked at me today and said "This is Awesome Mommy!" My 5 year old decided that something was "Lame" today, and then proceeded to tell me that it meant "boring". Sigh, they make my heart smile.

Have a wonderful day everyone. I look forward to seeing your chipboard creations.
Hugs
Tanya

Friday, March 12, 2010

Sweet Pea Stamps March Card Challenge


This is my submission for the Sweet Pea March Customer Card Challenge. We were to create a card that screamed "Spring". It was to have the colors green, pink and yellow on it, and have a flower somewhere on it. I used my adorable Gum Drop Gang plate #8
for the image, and the Happy Birthday Sentiment from Plate #14. The Gum Drop Gang are just too cute for words!

On a personal note, our daycare provider is gone for a week, and I am fortunate to have time off with my girls! We went out for lunch with Grandma, and then over to the craft store. They were each allowed to pick out a treat. The picture below is what they chose. It will take 3 days for these things to grow into monstrous creatures, and my girls are just over the moon about them. They never cease to amaze me.

I am pretty busy this weekend with the family. The girls don't know it yet, but we are going to Disney On Ice. So I won't have any eye candy for you until early next week.

Have a great weekend,
Hugs
Tanya

Practical Scrappers Sketch Friday





















Practical Scrappers Sketch Friday is posted ladies. The above card is my take on Gloria's fabulous sketch. This image called "Vanity Jennifer Latte" is a digital stamp from The Stamping Boutique. I just loved using her, and of course had to use one of my favorite color combos-brown and pink.

I made the little embellishment with my ribbon, and stuck a brad through it. I tried making 3 of them, but of course, the first one turned out to be my best.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend,
Hugs
Tanya

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The Pixie Cottage Design Team Call























Good Morning,

I have been wanting to post this all week, and am finally getting to it. The WONDERUL ladies over at The Pixie Cottage are looking for some new design team members. The above card is made with one of their beautiful stamps. To see more of them, please head over to Michelle's Scrapbooking and More. I promise you will leave with a HUGE wish list.

All the details for the design team can be found HERE. These ladies are so talented, and they are really sweet! Good Luck to all of you who apply.

The below images are all projects that I have made in the past using Pixie Cottage Stamps. Have a great day ladies. Hugs, Tanya :)


Practical Scrappers White Pen/ White Marker Challenge




















This weeks Practical Scrappers Challenge is to use your white pen/white markers on your projects. I needed a card for my supervisor's birthday, and wanted something masculine with very little embellishments. I decided to use my Easy Stitches HOTP 7328 Template with my white Gelly Roll pen, to create some different stitching effects. The above it the finished card.

I have been inspired by what my fellow design team members have come up with, and look forward to viewing your entries this week. The Grand Prize Winner will recieve 2 digi stamps from The Stamping Boutique!

Happy Krafting!
Hugs
Tanya

2 Cute Rubber Stamps Digital Stamp Challenge























Here is my creation using 2 Cute Happy Crab Digi stamp. You can get yours here for free and enter the challenge as well. Be sure to check out all the other 2 Cute Rubber stamps while you are there. They are simply that, 2 Cute!

Hope you are having a great day,
Hugs
Tanya

Whiff of Joy Challenge #69
























Coffee and Cream is Whiff of Joy's Challenge this week. Mine ended up being more like alot of cream, and a tad of coffee. Albeit, I had fun, and that makes me happy. I took out an old background stamp this time, it is actually a stamp made from a WWII letter. I used the ivory cardstock again and stamped my pretty little Willow on top, masking her face so that no writing ended up on it.

This is a simple card, but I could not add anything to it without it looking overdone.

Have a good day ladies,
Hugs
Tanya

Sunday, March 7, 2010

The Sugar Bowl has gone Shabby Chic!























I've got my fingers in the Sugar Bowl again ladies. This weeks Sugar Bowl Challenge #30 is a wonderful sketch courtesy of Kathy. They have also asked us to use the "Shabby Chic" theme on our creations.

I started out by cutting my design paper into the appropriate shapes. I then crumpled each piece of paper up, added my uneven stitching, and distressed the edges. For the first time ever, I stamped my Sugar Nellie stamp on ivory paper and colored her in. I then stitched around her and cut her out, being sure to distress the edges just a bit. I think Shabby Chic is all about picking out a variety of things you love and putting it together to form something pretty. Even if it is all wrinkled and such. Thus I took out my embellishments, and did just that.

Hope you like her, I can't wait to see what others come up with. I will have to take the time out tomorrow to look through all the entries.

Hugs
Tanya

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Mojo Monday with Sweet Pea Stamps


















Good Morning,
I have been sick for a week, and am having a hard time sleeping as a result. I am coughing all the time, and thus not getting much done. I did however get a chance to participate in this weeks MOJO MONDAY 128 Sketch Challenge. I used my wonderful Sweet Pea Gum Drop Gang Stamps as the image, and practiced using my Copics. I am getting a better understanding of how to use them, but I need to work on leaving some white space to make my highlights more apparent.

The wonderful paper was part of my Scrappin Great Deals February Kit. My DH got me a 6 month subscription as my Christmas gift, and every month I get this pizza box full of great things.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend ladies,
Hugs
Tanya

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Copic Certification Course Ottawa-May 2, 2010

Hello Ladies,

I have terrific news! Ottawa is on the list for a Copic Certification Course,I signed up yesterday morning, and have been notified that I can take the course on May 2, 2010. For those of you who have Copic Markers, and want to learn how to use them, I urge you to hop over to the Copic Webpage found here. They have a list of places they will be visiting.

At the end of the course you will walk away being a Copic Certified Designer, and you will have gained insight into the techniques involved with these markers. You will also be able to spread the Copic Love and help others improve their technique.

I hope to see some familiar faces in the crowd, anyone can apply. You may be put on a waiting list, but from what I am told, most persons put on the list will make it to the course. 3 weeks prior to the course date, they will notify you of any available spots.

Talk soon,

Hugs
Tanya

Fourth page of my mini-scrapbook
















If you scroll down you will find the first 3 pages This is my fourth completed page for my book, based on funny little things that my family says and does.

Another phrase we use often is "I love you to the moon and back", I thought these photos of the Rocket Ship ride went along perfectly. A big moment in our family, as it was the first theme park we went to as a family. Boy did the girls love all the rides.

All the paper and embellishments are from the My Little Yellow Bicycle "Sweet Love" collection. You can find them at Michelle's Scrapbooking and More.

Have to go get the girls ready for swimming.

Hugs
Tanya

Monday, March 1, 2010

Practical Scrappers Chalks/Inks Challenge





















It's that time again! Practical Scrappers Challenge this week is all about using Chalks/Inks on your projects! Now I know all of you can come up with something using these mediums. I hope to see each one of you posting something. The grand prize winner will be getting 2 digital stamps of their choice from Stamping Boutique!

I tried something new again this week ladies. I took out my VersaMark Watermark Inkpad and stamped my images on white cardstock. I then proceeded to dust of my chalks that I have hoarded but not used, and applied them onto the VersaMark image with a cotton swab. The thing I like about this technique is that you can apply a variety of colors and they all seem to layer on top of each other. Even the popped up butterfly was done with VersaMark and chalk.

When I was done with the application, I took a paper towel and wiped the excess chalk off. No need to worry about smudges, those come off with an eraser. I then added some chalk around the edges and stamped my sentiment in the middle. Embellishing the card and piecing it all together, arriving at the image above. This is definitely something I will try again.

Thanks for taking the time to look this week,

Have a wonderful day,
Hugs
Tanya

Pixie Cottage Sketch Challenge #10























This is the card I created using Anne's sketch for Pixie Cottage Challenge #10. Every time I get out my Pixie Cottage stamps, I am reminded of just how unique they are.

Anne has a wonderful sketch for you ladies. Why not try playing with the Pixies this week? You have nothing to lose, rather a whole lot of fun to be had. It is not a requirement to use Pixie Cottage Stamps, but if your card is chosen as the winner, you can then chose your very own Pixie Cottage stamp with the $10 voucher you will win from Michelle's Scrapbooking and More.

Today is a bittersweet day for me, one of those days where I am realizing each side of the fence has its own set of pro's and con's. I don't know weather to laugh or cry or both. This too shall pass though, and tomorrow will be a brighter day.

Have a good evening ladies.
Hugs
Tanya

What comes around goes around













Thank you Amanda and Robin you are both so very kind. Please drop by Amanda's blog and Robin's blog and give them some love. Be sure to scroll down to see their work, you will leave with a smile on your face.

Ok, so the rules for this award are:

1) Add a link and note of thanks to the person giving the award

2) Pass the award on to 7 bloggers whose blogs you have recently discovered that you love

3) Share 7 things about yourself

Here is my list of creative people's blog I enjoy viewing

Beth
Rowean
Erin
Jacque
Riet
Robin
Nancy


Now for my list of Seven things about myself

1) I am blessed with a wonderful family. 2 daughters and a wonderful husband.
2) Black is my favorite color to wear, brown being the second
3) I am still trying to find that "one" thing that defines "who" I am in life.
4) I feel that I am getting better with age.
5) I love Yoga, and what it does for my inner peace.
6) Dark chocolate is my weakness. I am talking 95% dark chocolate.
7) I listen to what people say, and have a way of making others comforatable with themselves.