It's a Cupcake Challenge!

Is there a better topic out there than cupcakes? Pardon me while I channel my inner Homer Simpson. Mmmmm....cupcakes.

For my card, I chose the new Leigh Hannan Egg Cupcake (D2427). I don't think I have seen a cupcake with Easter eggs on it before, but I like it! It is a nice change from bunnies and jellybeans.

I colored the cupcake with Copic markers and then decorated it with some Stickles, some yellow rhinestones, and some Glossy Accents on the eggs. Here is a close up of the embellishments:

Don't mock me, but I used the Cover a Card Canvas (CC073) AGAIN...this time with the addition of the Cover a Card Large Dots (CC007). For the saying, I added an image from the Greetings Galore clear set (CL48).

Want to see more cupcake goodness? Check out what Daniela, Deborah, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Julie, Kelli, and Shirley created. Be sure to visit the various blogs since many of us chose to use some of the new stamps.

Want to play along? You can find all of the information here, and you could even win a $25 Impression Obsession gift certificate!

Upcoming Classes

I have to confess that I have definitely neglected updating the "Classes" tab at the top of my blog. I thought it was about time to fix it. The picture above shows 5 of the 10 cards we will be doing in my 10 in 10 Memory Box class next Sunday, February 20th. I hope you can join me! Here is a list of the classes I have scheduled:

Memory Box 10 in 10: Sunday, February 20th 12:30-2:30pm
Impression Obsession Spring: Sunday, February 27th 12:30-2:30pm
Beautiful Batik: Monday, February 28th 6:30-8:30pm
Memory Box Colored Pencils: Sunday, March 6th 12:30-2:30pm
Intro to Distress Inks: Monday, March 13th 6:30-8:30pm
Crazy for Copics: Sunday, March 27th 12:00-2:00pm
Copics II: Sunday, March 27th 2:30-4:30pm
Impression Obsession Backgrounds: Sunday, April 3rd 12:30-2:30pm

Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Tuesday Trigger

With Valentine's Day almost upon us, I was inspired to play along with the latest Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger. Here is the inspiration photo:

As always, I took a rather literal translation. I used a similar color palette and theme for my card. I couldn't help myself. After all, we are talking about CHOCOLATE. How could I choose

something else?

For my card, I used all stamps from Impression Obsession. I stamped the Truffle Tree (G2084) onto light yellow cardstock with black Memento ink. I colored the truffles, trunk, and leaves with Copic markers and then sponged some green chalk around everything to give it some color. I distressed the edges of the light yellow cardstock with Tea Dye Distress ink and added a saying (good friends with chocolate C5405). Finally, I layered the piece onto some medium yellow cardstock that I stamped with the Cover a Card Thin Stripes (CC001) using Colorbox Chalk Chestnut Roan ink.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and a happy Valentine's Day!

IO Challenge and New Video

Time for another Impression Obsession challenge, and this time the theme is "Is it Spring Yet?" I have to say, it may be rainy and cold here, but I am eternally grateful that we don't have the snow that the rest of the US seemed to get over the past few days. Yikes!

For my card, I used two stamps to get the chick image. First I stamped the Solid Chick 1 onto white paper using yellow ink. I then used a stamp positioner to add the Chick 1 on top using black ink (it is an outline stamp). The nice thing about two-step stamping is that I didn't have to color the chick later with markers, pencils, or paint. It was really quick to color!

For the layering piece, I stamped the Daffodil Border repeatedly with Black Memento Ink. I then colored the flowers with Copic markers and edged the piece with yellow ink. To get the decorative card, I stamped the Canvas Cover a Card background in peach ink on a yellow card.

Are you curious about Impression Obsession Cover a Cards and how to use them? I made a new video that is an into stamping backgrounds with the Mega Mount acrylic block. You can view the video on my blog, or you can see a larger version of it over on YouTube here. The video stamp credits are also listed over on YouTube.



Feeling the winter blues and need some Spring inspiration? Check out what Daniela, Deborah, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Julie, Kathy, and Shirley created.

Want to play along? You can find all of the information here, and you could even win a $25 Impression Obsession gift certificate!

Moxie Fab Bright and Bold Challenge

So, I couldn't sleep last night and decided to take a stab at another one of the Moxie Fab Color Challenges. This time I tried the Bright and Bold Challenge. Here is the color pallette:

To make the card, I took a scrap of pink and orange patterned paper I had by My Minds Eye. I then stamped the Impression Obsession Cover a Card Tapestry (CC025) on top with Versamark ink and embossed it with black powder. To finish the card, I added a bright pink Flora Doodle from Petaloo as an embellishment and added a saying from the All Occassion II clear set from Impression Obsession.

Neutrals Challenge and Using Real Sand

I have a confession to make. I am SUPPOSED to be prepping for my Memory Box Valentine class tomorrow. Instead, I decided to play around with one of the Moxie Fab Color Challenges. There was something about the neutrals challenge that drew me to it. Here is the color pallette for that challenge (Bazzill Basics French Vanilla, Twig, and Smoky):

To make the card, I stamped the Impression Obsession sandcastle image (G1718) onto white cardstock using black Memento ink. When I held my Copic color chart up to the Twig Bazzill paper, the color I own that matched best was my W1 Warm Grey pen. I was a little surprised, but colored the castle and sand with my Warm Grey instead of a brown pen. I liked the end result! To embellish the card, I used some 1/2" Wonder Tape and adhered some real sand. The nice thing about Wonder Tape is that it is so strong that none of the sand escapes. Here is a close-up of the embellishment:

I have access to beach sand, but I tend to buy sand at a craft store when I want to add it to projects. The sand seems "cleaner," in that I don't have to pick out twigs, rocks, shells, etc out of it. Finally, I added a "sandcastle" woven label (Me and My Big Ideas) to the top. I have had that label for years and was so happy to finally use it!

Well, I should probably get back to work. I really want to do another challenge, so I will see if there is time after I prep for my class.

Final Sneak Peek

I hope you have enjoyed my week of Impression Obsession CHA sneak peeks. I know I have enjoyed the blog hop!

For my final sample, I am posting a card that I think works well for New Year's or graduations. It features a new clear set of numbers called Calendar Numbers (HS324) as well as the Cover a Card Reverse Damask (CC082). To make the background, I stamped the Reverse Damask onto acetate using silver Staz On ink. I let it completely dry than ran the piece through my Xyron to give it a sticky back. I then covered the back side of the acetate with glitter. The nice thing about having glitter behind the acetate is that it is contained and won't come off on your hands. Here is a close up of the glitter:


I glued the acetate to some silver cardstock to add some shimmer and finished everything by including a silver-edged ribbon.

Be sure to check out the other participants in the blog hop. You can find a list of the designers here as well as find out how you could win a $25 Impression Obsession gift certificate!

IO Blog Hop Week- Day 4

Hello again! I hope everyone is enjoying the Impression Obsession Sneak Peeks this week. I always find it so interesting that the various design team members can work with the same image and come up with a completely different looks. I know there are many times when I see their samples and think, "Now, why didn't I think of that?!"

As I mentioned during the purple card challenge, my favorite stamp of the new release is the Cover a Card Canvas (CC073). It is what I used to stamp the bottom of the card. It just adds such nice texture to a card. Sometimes I stamp it in a really pale color and then stamp over it with darker images and sometimes I use it "as is" like I did in this card.

For the focal image, I used the Sunflower Fence (G1798) colored with Copic markers and added a saying from the All Occasion I Clear Set (CL306).

Don't forget to check out the other Day 4 sneak peeks. You can find the list of participants here, and you can even learn how you can win a $25 Impression Obsession gift certificate!

Metallic Mermaids

When I saw the new Leigh Hannan Mermaids stamp (G2437), I knew that I wanted to make it metallic and shimmery. Here is a side view that I took under a light so that you could see the shimmer better: To make the background, I stamped the Cover a Card Swirls and Stars (CC054) onto green cardstock with Versamark ink and embossed it with glitter embossing powder. I didn't have the exact color that I envisioned for the card, so I mixed some Judikins Hanukkah embossing powder (metallic blue) with some Zing metallic green powder to get the teal look I wanted.

For the mermaids, I stamped them in black Memento ink and colored them with an assortment of Copic markers. I wanted to make the fins sparkle, so I added some Stickles to them and then used a paintbrush to spread the stickles around.

Don't forget to check out the other Day 3 samples of the Impression Obsession blog hop. You can find a list of the participants here. There is even a contest where you can win a $25 Impression Obsession gift card!

Chocolate Bunny

I sure do love chocolate bunnies! They really say "Spring" to me. When I saw the new Hoppy
Wishes stamp (E8585), I knew that I had to make it a chocolate bunny on top of the cupcake. Yum!

To make the card, I stamped the bunny/cupcake onto white paper using black Memento ink. I colored the image with Copic markers and then cut out the pieces with my Nestability dies. To make the plaid background, I stamped the Thick and Thin Cover a Card Background (CC008) in two directions to make a plaid. Finally, I added a saying from the All Occasion II clear set (CL307).

Be sure to hop on by the other Day 2 Impression Obsession blog hop samples. You can find the list of participants here as well as information on how you can win a $25 IO gift certificate!