Q-Pid has her eye on you!

Phew! Are you tired of all the Valentine's day cards yet? This one is for another of my nieces.

card details:

• finished size: 5 x 5 inches, white card stock base, red card stock mats
• patterned paper: My Mind's Eye Lime Twist "Life of the Party"
• stamped image: The Pixie Cottage "Q-Pid", coloured with Copic markers (E000, E00, R81, R83, R85, E21, E23, E25, E27, E29)
• sentiment: Verve "Love Notes"
• Spellbinders: Petite Ovals

challenges for this card:

• One Crazy Stamper February Challenge: Love
• One Stop Craft Challenge 215: Love is in the Air
• Card Crafters Circle 61: Love is in the Air
• Corrosive Challenge 167: Hearts and Flowers (hearts on her arrows and outfit, flowers on the paper!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Beary Sweet Valentine

Hi folks,

back with yet another Valentine's Day card - this one was for my nephew

card details:

• finished size: 5 x 5 inches, white card stock base/mats, red card stock mats
• patterned paper: My Mind's Eye Lime Twist "Life of the Party"
• stamped image: The Pixie Cottage "I love you Beary Much", coloured with Copic Markers (E23, E25, E27, R81, R85, R00, colourless blender for the furry effect)
• sentiment: Verve "Love Notes"
• layout: Cupcake Crafts Challenge #229

additional challenges for this card:

• Cards for men #3: All My Love
• One Crazy Stamper February Challenge: Love
• Sentimental Sundays 141: Love is in the Air

Thanks for stopping by!

A Milestone Birthday

Hi folks,

well, I have come to the conclusion that I am not cut out to make cards "on request" for other people. My hat goes off to those of you who actually DO make commission pieces.


A couple of weeks ago, a co-worker asked me if I could make a card for his Mom. His guidelines were

• she's going to be 85
• her birthday is on St. Patrick's day (but her card doesn't need to be Patty's day related as she isn't Irish - though her name IS Patricia)
• she doesn't like frue-frue girlie stuff (probably because she raised four sons!)

You would NOT believe how much I fretted over making the card. I finally sat down to make it this past Sunday night after delaying, delaying, delaying. I finally decided not to focus on the fact that I was asked to make the card and just made it.

This is what I came up with....

card details:

• finished size: 6x6 inches, CTMH Cocoa cardstock base
• patterned papers: Basic Grey Marjolaine
• stamps: Verve
• letter die cuts: Cuttlebug
• brads from my stash
• layout: Pixie Cottage Sketch #109

I hope she likes it! Thanks for stopping by.

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #75

Hi folks!

It's Wednesday and, since I am guest DTing over at the Pixie Cottage this month, I have a project for this week's challenge. As usual, you can play along with the sketch (shown below) or the theme - Outdoor Fun.

As you can see, I decided to do both on my card - a little more adventurous this week with an easel card. I haven't made one of these for a few months now and thought it was high time!

Here's a photo of just the front so you can see the detail of this cute "Hopscotch Holly" digital image by Artish for the Pixie Cottage.

Can you think of anything more fun on a nice sunshiny summer day than spending time playing hopscotch? I know I spent many an hour as a kid doing just that. I wonder, do kids still play hopscotch?

card details:

• finished size: 5x5 inches
• digital image:"Hopscotch Holly" digital image by Artish for the Pixie Cottage, coloured with Copic Markers (B91, B93, B95, C1, Colorless Blender, C6, C7, Y00, Y02, Y04, E000, E00, E34, E35, E37)
• patterned papers: CTMH Sweet Home

additional challenges for this card:

• Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #116: Fun in the Sun
• Paper Sundaes #74: Easel or Twisted Easel
• Anything Goes Challenge Blog #43: Summer
• Papertake Weekly Challenge: Here comes the Sun 

Be sure to stop by the Pixie Cottage blog to see the projects created by the DT this week and to link up your own creations!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #74

Hi folks,

It's Wednesday so that means it is time for me to show you my guest DT project for this week's challenge over the Pixie Cottage Blog.

Here's the sketch for this week's challenge:

and the optional theme this week is "Grab a glass of Lemonade"

I followed the sketch AND I used the theme as my inspiration for the choice of papers on my card - yellow patterned paper with pinwheels that remind me of lemon slices! Refreshing!

If I do say so myself, this image is "udderly adorable" (okay, that IS the name of the image) but...how can you resist? I think this would make a gorgeous baby boy card. I think I need to pick up the girl version of this stamp as well.

card details:

• stamped image: Udderly Adorable Boy by Alisa Ramirez for the Pixie Cottage, coloured with Copic Markers (Y32, Y35, Y38, E49, E59, E57, E55, E53, E51, E50)
• patterned papers: Cosmo Cricket Togetherness
• card stock: Recollections Kraft, CTMH Twilight
• sentiment: CTMH Solos "S"

Challenges for this card:

• Going Grey with Scrap-Creations: Anything Goes

For more inspiration for this week's challenge from the DT or to link up your own challenge entry, be sure to stop by the Pixie Cottage Blog!

Happy Birthday Mom

Hi folks,

My Mom's birthday is later this week and, even though I knew I was going to use this image on her card, I didn't get around to making the card until yesterday. So, you guessed it, it will be going with the Father's Day cards via ExpressPost or courier so that it gets there in time.

card details:

• finished size: 5.5 x 5.5 inches, kraft cardstock base
• stamped image: Simply the Best by Artish for the Pixie Cottage Stamps coloured with Copic Markers (YG61, YG63, YG67, Y21, Y23, Y26, Y28)
• stamped sentiments: Verve "Big Wish" and "Because of You"
• patterned papers: My Mind's Eye "29th Street Market" - Brothers and Outdoors
• ribbon (coloured to match with Y21) and CTMH Chocolate Waxy Flax
• layout: Sketch N Stash #63. New items I used are the stamp (first time I inked it up since getting it in May at the Crop for the Cure) and the papers (picked them up last weekend at Michael's)

additonal challenges for this card:

• Lily Pad Cards: Ribbon Challenge

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you all have a great day ahead!

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #73

Hi folks, I'm back this week with another card for my stint as a Guest DT for the Pixie Cottage Stamps for the month of June.

Here's a photo of this week's sketch.

and the optional theme this week is "Shape it Up".  I stuck with just the sketch again this week as I had this adorable stamp from the Pixie Cottage that I was just itching to ink up. I MAY be back later this week with something for the theme....we'll see.

Anyways, here's my card!

See what I mean about a cute image? How can you resist? A kitteh AND a teddy? Cute overload!


card details:

• finished size: 6x6 inches
• stamped image: Cookie and Caboodles with Roses from the Pixie Cottage Stamps. Coloured with Copic Markers (RV32, RV34, G24, G28, E30, E31, E33, E34, E35, E37, E39, E47, E49)
• sentiment: CTMH Say it in Style
• patterned papers: CTMH Cherry-O
• chocolate satin ribbon, gathered by hand (for anyone who is curious, on a 6x6 card, I use an 18 inch piece of ribbon to get the amount of gather I like).

Additional challenges for this card:

• Tuesday throwdown #52: Use an animal on your card (I think my cute kitteh qualifies!)
• Papertake Weekly Challenge: Anything Goes!

Anyways, be sure to pop back to the Pixie Cottage blog to see the creations from the DT and to link up YOUR creation for this week's challenge. Remember, you can choose to do the sketch, the theme or both! And you don't have to use Pixie Cottage stamps - but if you've got them why not?

Thanks for stopping by!

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #72 - June 1st

Hi folks,

guess who has the honour of being a guest DT for "The Pixie Cottage Stamps" this month? That's right - little old me!!!

So, for the next four Wednesdays, I'll be featuring my take on the current challenge over the The Pixie Cottage Blog.

Here is a close-up view of this week's sketch 

The optional theme this week is "anything but a card".

I opted to go with just the sketch for my project this week.

Doesn't Sparkles look ready for summer to start? This fun, summery image from the Pixie Cottage is one of many images created by Artish. I thought it would be great paired with these cheerful papers from Echo Park Paper Co. And, to mimic the sparklers that are twinkling away in her hands, I decided to make a couple of paper pinwheels for my embellishment pieces.


card details:

• finished size: 6x6 inches
• image: digi Sparkles by Artish from The Pixie Cottage Stamps, coloured with Copic markers (E000, E00, E93, E04, YG63, YG67, YG17, BG11, BG13, BG45, BG49, Y06, YR04, YR18, E34, E57)
• patterned papers: Echo Park Sweet Summertime
• card stock: CTMH Ocean (textured)
• buttons from my stash

Additional challenges for this card:

• Tuesday Throwdown #51: DIY Embellishments. I made my matching pinwheels (just google paper pinwheels - there's lots of "how to" instructions out there)

Be sure to pop over to the Pixie Cottage Blog to see what the rest of the regular DT have created for you this week - and to link up your own creation! Remember, you can use either the sketch, the theme or both! And, you don't have to use Pixie Cottage images - but if you've got them, why not?

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to come back next Wednesday to see my next project as a guest DT for the Pixie Cottage Stamps.

A Card from the "Crop for the Cure" and WOTT

Hi folks,

well, I finally got around to photographing this card I made in Tanya's card workshop at the Crop for the Cure on May 7th.  I FINALLY got everything packed away on Sunday and I came across the card in my tonne of stuff that I had taken to the crop.

I must say, I like the look of the uncoloured image (from the Pixie Cottage). One of these days, I will get around to trying this with one of my stamps. Of course, I realized AFTER I had taken the photo that I had forgotten to trim the tails of my bow. I'll get around to that soon I'm sure.

Oh, and before I forget, today is "What's on Tap Tuesday (WOTT)" and this week I CAN let you have a peek at my desk since I finally got things back to normal. Actually, it's a little tidier than usual.

This is how my desk looked after crafting this weekend. Down front is the sketch for the cards in my previous post - and of course my ever present big pink ATG. If you would like to play along, just pop over to "The Crafty Frugalista" and link up whatever YOU have on tap this Tuesday - it doesn't have to be a photo of your crafty space, a photo of whatever you are working on or blogging about today is just fine.

Hope you all have a lovely day! Long weekend is coming! Yay! And I SHOULD be off pager duty before the end of the week. Double YAY!

WOTT with Pixie Cottage Sketch #68

Hi folks,

It's What's On Tap Tuesday and today I have a peek for you of one of the cards I worked on during the "Crop for the Cure" on Saturday. It was all done except for the sentiment, which I added today after work.

card details:

• finished size: 6x6 inches
• stamped image: My Guy Ian from The Greeting Farm, coloured with Copic Markers (E000, E00, E01, E02, E42, B91, B93, B95, R22, R24, R27, R29)
• patterned papers: Basic Grey Wander
• card base: CTMH Kraft
• layout: Pixie Cottage Sketch #68 with "For the Boys" theme.

additional challenges for this card:

• Pollycraft Challenge #92: Boyz to Men
• Farm Fresh Friday Throwback Challenge
• One Crazy Stamper May Challenge: Boys & Men

If you are interested in seeing why I didn't include a photo of my craft room, just check my post from after the crop here....trust me, it doesn't look any better today.

Now, be sure to pop back to Cindy's blog, the Crafty Frugalista, to see who else is playing along with WOTT.

Chickadee-da-dum!

Hi folks,

here's my second to last Easter card for this year....

I think this is just such a fun, goofy image. This one will be going to another of our nephews.

card details:

• finished size: 5.5 x 5.5 inches
• stamped image: Chickadee-da-dum by Artish for The Pixie Cottage Stamps Coloured with Copic Markers (Y11, Y13, Y15, YR18, YR23, B00, B01, B04, YR00, YR04, G12, G14, RV19)
• stamped sentiment: CTMH Holiday Jubilee
• patterned papers: Echo Park Sweet Summertime
• layout: Lollipop Crafts Sketch Challenge #35

additional challenges for this card:

• Crazy 4 Challenges (C4C84): Easter

Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday.

Another Buffy the Bunny Easter Card

Hi folks,

here's another of this year's Easter cards. I know, I know. I've done so many that even I have lost track. I have two more left to go after this one. Well, one of them is done and waiting to post (tomorrow) and the other one still has to be made. I will have to get that one finished tomorrow since Easter IS on Sunday.

card details:

• finished size: 5.5 x 5.5 inches
• "Buffy the Bunny with Easter Basket" from the Pixie Cottage Copics Used: R81, R83, R85, E37, E35, E33, E30, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17, E29, W1, W3, W5, BG10, BG11, BG13, B15, V12, V09, B01, B04 
• sentiment: CTMH Holiday Jubilee
• patterned papers: Basic Grey Hopscotch
• Kraft cardstock base and image mat
• CTMH Sorbet brads
• Spellbinders: Classic Squares (using the "out of the box" technique since the image was larger than the dies)
• layout: Pixie Cottage Sketch from Challenge #66 

additional challenges for this card:

• Crafty Creations Challenge #115: Easy as 1, 2, 3: 1 technique (out of the box die cutting), 2 embellishments (2 brads), 3 patterned papers (my patterned paper base and the two papers used for the three side squares).
• Kraft Outlet Make it Monday Challenge #15: Easter
• Basic Grey Challenges #42: Easter/Spring

Hope you are all having a lovely Easter long weekend!

Buffy the Bunny - SSSC111

Hi folks,

Instead of working on Christmas cards this past Sunday, I tackled a few more of my Easter cards.

The first card I made was with a new stamp I picked up Saturday day at Heather's Stamping Haven - "Buffy the Bunny with Easter Basket" from the Pixie Cottage.

 card details:

• finished size: 6x6 inches
• Copics Used: R81, R83, R85, E37, E35, E33, E30, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17, E29, W1, W3, W5, BG10, BG11, BG13, B15, V12, V09, B01, B04
• patterned papers: Basic Grey Hopscotch
• stamped sentiment: CTMH Seasonal Celebration
• layout: Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 111

Additional challenges for this card:

• ABC Design Blog: Easter Card
• Catch the Bug Challenge Blog: Anything Goes!

Anyways, it's back to work for me today and tonight we start our next eight weeks of "Booty Camp". I think it's going to be a long day.

My projects from Tanya's Class

Hi folks,

Just thought I would share the projects we made yesterday at the Pixie Cottage card class led by Tanya at Heather's Stamping Haven. If you follow Tanya's or Heather's blogs, then you have seen Tanya's sample cards already.

This is the first card we made, using the "Big Valentine" image. Copics used were C2, C4, RV11, RV13, YG91, E30, E33 + colorless blender.

The second card, using "Cuddly Cute" . Copics used were E13, E15, E51. Can you believe it? Only three colors! I love this little bear - his posture reminds me of our youngest cat. Even my other half said the same thing when I showed him the card!

And a bonus project - a bookmark to go with the first card we made.

I must say, I enjoyed the class quite a bit and picked up a few tips. We coloured the backgrounds for the images with lighter shades of Copics and then used some terry toweling spritzed with copic colorless blender solution to give a nice sky effect. We also added dimension to the hearts on the "Big Valentine" image with PrismaColor pencils. The grass effect below the elephant was really easy to achieve - one colour (YG91) and then we used the chisel tip of our colorless blender pens to get a notched grass look.  Definitely tips I will be using again.

Anyways, it is back to work for me again tomorrow. It's going to be rough - after having five days off and just doing whatever I want, whenever I want. Sigh.

New to Me for FFF

Hi folks,

So I'm into Day Three of my time off  and just want to say thanks to everyone for your birthday wishes the last couple of days. I'm organizing a bunch of my favourite products for a little birthday blog candy and am just waiting on a few things to arrive in the post. Keep your eyes peeled on the blog-arooni as I will likely be putting up the post sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Anyways, today I was a bit more keen with getting on the go and was able to get to my craft room by late morning for some crafty-time after getting all my households chores out of the way. I stamped up a bunch of my "new-to-me" Greeting Farm images (I  just got them earlier in March and finally got around to trimming them two weeks ago)  for the first challenge over at the newly re-launched TGF Farm Fresh Challenge Blog - Miss Anya Hats Off (three of each of the three girls) and Cheeky Shooter (two of her). I managed to get the skin and hair coloured on all of them. I then chose two of them to make a couple of cards using this week's Pixie Cottage Sketch Challenge (#63).



This first card will be given to one of dearly beloved's nieces tomorrow for her birthday - I can't believe she is going to be 7! That's why I added the strip of numbers on the side with the arrow pointing to the 7.

Since Challenge 11 over at Crafter's Companion is to use Aqua and Brown on your card, I'll be submitting the first card to that challenge.

Not sure yet to whom this second card will be gifted. For now it will be in my stash.

I went with a little additional pop of colour on this one by using the pink side of one of the patterned papers above - which are from the "Life is Good" collection from Echo Park Paper Co.

And what do you think of my little embellie? I did a rolled paper flower from the patterned paper for a little something different - mind you it makes for a VERY THICK CARD! Definitely a gift by hand and not by post kind of card since it makes the card more than half an inch thick and the flower would be crushed by the mail sorting machines.

I'll be submitting this second card to the CCEE1113 challenge:  no BUTTONS, BUCKLES, BOWS, BRADS.


additional card details:

• finished size: 6x6 inches
• stamped images: Miss Anya Hats Off from The Greeting Farm, coloured with Copic Markers (skin: E000, E00, E01, E93; hair: E34, E47, E57; outfit: BG10, BG11, BG13, BG15, E74, E77, E79)
• sentiment: Verve Birthday Bash
• card base: CTMH Chocolate cardstock
• patterned papers: Echo Park Paper Co "Life is Good", inked the edges with Memento Rich Cocoa
• spellbinders: Petite Circles, Petite Ovals

Anyways, I'm not done crafting for tonight - I have a few more early April birthday cards that need making and tomorrow I won't be able to work on them as I am taking Tanya's Pixie Cottage Class at Heather's Stamping Haven. Looking forward to that for sure!

Thanks for stopping! Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

A Copic Class for the local peeps!

Hi folks - third post for today so feel free to scroll down to check out my Verve cards and my WOYWW posts!

Just a quick reminder that a crafty pal of mine, the oh-so talented Tanya Rudd, is teaching a class at Heather's Stamping Haven in Nepean on Saturday, April 2. Tanya is on the DT for the Pixie Cottage and Heather now stocks those stamps at her store! So, Tanya is going to be giving us some tips and pointers on colouring those cute images. Here's a link to the calendar page at Heather's store so you can see the cards we will be making.

Best part? You will have two more cards to add to your stash by the time the class is over. AND....for those of you not familiar with taking classes at Heather's - you normally get 10% off any purchases you make while you are at the store for the class....so...you can pick up some new stamps after you finish the class!....or some Spellbinders, card-stock, ink, punches, glitter.....and so on.....

So if you haven't already signed up, I know there were only two spots available a few days ago. You might want to check it out sooner rather than later - note that you do need specific Copic Markers for the class.


BTW - I did finish the vacuuming. And one bathroom.

A Pixie Cottage Easter Card

Hi folks,

back with my second post for today so feel free to scroll down to see the earlier post (my weekly Christmas Card post).

I finally decided on the papers to go with the other image I coloured up at Tanya's yesterday and this is end result.

This Easter card will be going to one of our nephews. I think it's pretty cute, without being too girlie or too childish.Those chicks have just the right amount of goofy in their expressions to appeal to our older nephew.

Card details

• finished size 5.5 x 5.5 inches
• stamped image: Chickadee-da-dum by Artish for The Pixie Cottage Stamps Coloured with Copic Markers (Y11, Y13, Y15, YR18, YR23, E41, E41, B000, B00, B01, B02, B04, B05, B06). The centre chick was coloured a second time, cut out and popped up on dimensionals.
• patterned papers: Echo Park Sweet Summer Time
• Spellbinders Petite Circles
• Layout: The Pixie Cottage #62 sketch  There's also an added element of "and/or sparkle" if you wish but since this card is intended for one of the nephews, I figured I would skip the sparkle. By the way, if you play along with the challenge and link up with GDT after you name, you  might get asked to be a guest DT for the Pixie Cottage!

hmmm, I just looked at the clock and realized what time it is. Hmmm...wonder if I can squeeze in a little more crafting before making dinner?


Hope you all had a lovely weekend! The coming week is a short one for me! I'm taking at least three days off work this week so there will hopefully be lots of crafty time ahead!