Top Tip Tuesday and Kenny K... what a dynamic duo!

Hi, everybody!

Well, as I mentioned in my last post, today is Thanksgiving at our house. My son has to leave to go back to his job offshore early tomorrow morning so we're doin' it up right today.  We're having the traditional fare: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies and pecan and pumpkin pies as well as banana and apple-pumpkin bread. I know that someone is going to have to push me home in a wheel barrow after this meal but oh, how I look forward to it every year! It's the one time during the year that I can really eat without a lot of remorse because I know that everyone else is doing the same thing. LOL!

It's also a special day for the design teams at Top Tip Tuesday and Kenny K's Krafty Krew because Kenny is sponsoring the challenge at Top Tip Tuesday this week and some of the Krafty Krew have been invited to join in the fun.  So all of our projects go along with this week's theme, Kids or Teens.  Kenny has so many cool images to use for this kind of theme that I truly had a difficult time deciding which one to use.  I had colored this one a while back (2 different versions to be exact) but had never used it on a card so I thought this the perfect opportunity. And her name is perfect too... she is called "Club Kid" and you can find her for purchase in Kenny's shop.

I don't have as many photos as usual because it was overcast when I took them and had to use artifical lighting so some of them didn't turn out as well as I would have wished. But I did manage to get a pretty good closeup in case you're interested in the details.

I used DCWV's Colorful Life stack for the background, which I matted with blue foil cardstock and mounted on a 5" x 7" black base card. The black border is part of a really cool velvety ironwork-looking sticker roll that I think I got at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago.  The bird, padlock and "with a passion" are epoxy stickers by Creative Imagination and the glitter letters are by Me & My Big Idea. I can't wait to hop over to the TTT blog to see what their DT has done. Why don't you join me? And if you have time, we'd love for you to enter their challenge. The winner will get some cool prizes.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Through The Craft Room Door - #45 Anything Goes

I'll be back on Thursday with another new card for you. I wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving if you reside in the U.S. and a glorious week if you live elsewhere.  Until next time, my friends....

Happy crafting!
Anniebee

Saturated Canary Butterfly Princess

Good Sunday morning to you all! What beautiful weather we have been having down here in the Houston area.  It's been cool and crisp in the mornings and after the sun sets and warm enough for short sleeves during the day... that's pretty close to perfect in my book!

We're getting ready for Thanksgiving this weekend as my son has to return go back offshore Wednesday morning and he's responsible for frying the turkeys! Poor guy... with his 7 on, 7 off schedule, it seems he manages to miss most of the holidays so his family has learned to adapt by celebrating whenever he's home rather than on the actual holidays.

I don't eat much in the way of fried foods but I LOVE me some deep fried turkey!! I have no idea who discovered that method of cooking the big birds but if I could meet him or her, they'd get a big hug from me! It's a southern delicacy (even though Texas isn't considered a southern state) and if you have never tried it, you don't know what you're missing. I even saw Deep Fried Turkey Breast by Butterball in the deli at Walmart the other day. It's not quite as good as home cooked but I tried it and it's the next best thing. The only problem with it is that when you put it on a sandwich with mustard and mayo, lettuce and tomato, you lose some of the delicate flavor that differentiates it from the regular roasted variety.

Anyway, enough about turkey. Today, I have a card for you that I made with one of my favorite Saturated Canary images, Butterfly Princess. I just love coloring her hair and her gown. I have colored her 3 different ways but this is the first time I have actually made a card with her.

Of course, her hair HAD to be red! Hee hee! I am often asked how I achieve the rich color tones on my red haired images so I'm going to list the colors I use. I do vary some depending on the shade of red I want, whether it's more coppery or more auburn but the basics are the same each time. I start with Buttercup Yellow (Y21) and, using short strokes, place it where I want the lightest highlights. Next, I use Acid Yellow (Y08) on the outer edges of the Buttercup Yellow just to begin blending the different colors. Next comes Golden Yellow (Y17) and Honey (Y38) working and blending toward the areas where I want the darker tones. Next comes Orange (YR68) bringing in the coppery tone and finally I use Brown (E08) for the darkest areas around the hair part, in the recessed curves of the waves or curls and also in the area that shows behind/beside the neck.  If I want a more Auburn tone, I add Lipstick Red (R29 or R37) and Cardinal (R59). I even use a little Dark Brown (E49) occasionally to add extra depth. Yes, I use a layer a lot of different colors to the point on the darker reds that my paper becomes completely saturated. Where the ink is heaviest, the paper glistens and looks wet (it actually isn't) which gives the hair a more realistic shine. It might take a little practice if you're not accustomed to using so much ink and so many different colors together but once you get the hang of it, you might want to try the same technique with other hair colors.

So now that my secret is divulged, I hope you'll give this technique a try. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  That's all for today. Again, if you're in the U.S., have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and if not, have a great week! I'll be back Tuesday with a Kenny K card for the new challenge at Tip Top Tuesday. Kenny is sponsoring the challenge and therefore the prize will probably be some free digis for the lucky winner!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

The Outlawz - 11/14 Wednesday Sketch Challenge 

Until next time...

Happy crafting!
Anniebee

Fairy Tale Card for Saturated Canary Challenge

Hello and Happy Tuesday, everybody! I have been working on some challenge entries and I have for your viewing pleasure today, my entry for Saturated Canary's current challenge, for which the theme is "Fairy Tales".  I have been wanting to color this image forEVER and I finally got time to work on her over last weekend, finished the card and took photos yesterday and now I'm writing the blog post to go with it.  It's exciting for me to get back to posting on my blog more regularly as I have dearly missed it over these past few months when life managed to get in the way of my creativity.

This is the Wicked Queen from the tale of Snow White. I guess Krista retired her because I could not find her in her online shop. She doesn't look evil, does she? But you can see she holds the poisoned apple in her hand and she fully intends on giving it to the unsuspecting princess. Such is the nature of jealousy!

This is a very large card, measuring 9" square! I had this awesome paper from DCWV's Once Upon A Time stack that was perfect for this project and I just couldn't bear to cut off more than the edges.  I wanted to leave the beakers, vials and bottles intact.

I need to add here that my intent toward the recipient of this card is not malicious in the very least! My using the Wicked Queen is simply to illustrate the "magical" part of the sentiment. 

The queen was, of course, colored with Copics.  

I double matted the background paper on black and blue cardstock.  The cool swirly ribbon is from my stash but I think I got it at Michael's not very long ago so you might be able to find some there.  The bow is black organza wrapped and tied with gold cording. The crown charm was pewter color but I used a Golden Yellow Copic marker to color it and then added the little jewels to it, the circle die cut behind the image and the antique black lace. The lettering is done entirely with stickers. I edged the background as well as the circle frame in metallic gold gel pen.  

The paper I used inside the card is also from the Once Upon A Time stack and the sentiment is a sticker that I bought years ago from a scrapbook store that has since gone out of business.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Saturated Canary - #30 (Fairy Tales)
Through The Craftroom Door - #44 (Anything Goes)

That's it for today, folks.  I'll be back tomorrow or Thursday with another challenge card.  I'm just not sure which one yet.  So until then, take care and...

Happy crafting!
Anniebee 

Time For A New Challenge at Kenny K's Krafty Krew

Hi, all! It's that time again! Yepper, time for a brand new challenge at Kenny K and this week, the theme being presented by Team A is "Monochrome". That is to say that we want you to create your project using varying shades of the same color. I have to admit here that this was a huge challenge for me too! Anybody who knows me knows that I am ALL about color so using only one, even in multiple shades was way outside my comfort zone. But I did it and I am quite tickled with the outcome... so much so, in fact, that I created not one but TWO cards using the same basic design and the same digi stamp but in different colors. Once I got started, I couldn't stop and I was very tempted to make a third but I thought my time might be better spent working on future assignments instead. LOL

So, here are two color variations using Frieda Flapper. I had not colored this image before so I had lots of fun with her. She's a party girl to be sure! The first one I did in shades of teal using paper from K & Company and the second is done is shades of red using a combination of DCWV and K & Company papers.  

Which one do you prefer? I can't decide! For more inspiration, visit the Kenny K Krafty Krew blog and see the incredible examples created by my talented teammates. Also, if you're up for making your own New Year's Eve party invitations, see my post for yesterday. I used another of Kenny's awesome designs, "Happy Hour", to make a set of party invitations using WOW Embossing Powders and a non-traditional color palette. I love how they turned out! 

I am entering one or both of these cards in the following challenges:

Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog - # 78  Tic Tac Toe (I chose Gens, Ribbon, Flowers)
Crafty Catz Challenge - #158 Anything Goes
Fat Pages and Cards - #26 Add a Sentiment/Anything Goes
Pattie's Creations Design Challenge - #56 - Birthdays
Challenges 4 Everybody - #7 Anything Goes

I'll be back in a couple of days with an entry for Saturated Canary's new challenge and no telling what else. It's so great having a space dedicated to my crafting addiction! So, until next time, have a wonderful weekend and...

Happy crafting!

Anniebee

New Year's Eve Party Invitations using WOW Embossing Powders

Hello, friends! Happy Saturday to you! I hope that by now you're giving some serious thought to planning your holiday-themed projects. Every year, the big 3 (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years) creep up on me and I always have to rush around to complete my craft projects in time for gift giving, party planning or what have you. Well, when my WOW team leader, Jen, asked us to use non-traditional colors to create holiday projects, I felt a little trepidation because I am a confessed traditionalist when it comes to holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. My family grew up with traditions passed down from relatives who are no longer with us and we added a couple of our own to the mix as well.  Jen also asked for a volunteer to tackle New Year's Eve party invitations and after thinking about that for a split second, I jumped at the chance! That would allow me to comply with the assigned theme without forcing me too far outside my comfort zone with regards to traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas fare! So I set about the task of choosing a non-traditional color palette with the aide of some suggestions from Jen.  I chose yellow, grey and white but I added a couple of other colors (silver and black) to the mix and came up with what I think is a pretty cute design for my hand crafted invitations.  See what you think. I'll even give you the basic instructions for making your own invitations just like them.

The cards are 6" square and made from DCWV Shimmer cardstock in a silver/pewter shade. The papers are from DCWV's Lemon Flower stack and the digi stamp, by Kenny K, is called Happy Hour which is available for purchase here. I hand colored the image with Copic markers and used my WOW Embossing pen and Metallic Platinum Sparkle to create the glittery effect on her polka dotted dress and Neutral Ultra Shimmer and Clear Gloss Regular for her martini glass. Then I colored her beads with silver gel pen and attached tiny rhinestones for her pendant and earring.

It wasn't easy coloring 5 identical characters but I think they are close enough that one would have to study pretty closely them to see the variations between them.

I found the cute little placards in the do-it-yourself invitation section at Michael's but they would be fairly easy to create with a die or die cut machine and coordinating patterned paper to match your own design in any color. I used a generic stamp and Metallic Silver Regular on the "Please Join Us" and "Kiss at Midnight" and "2012" are stickers. I used a black gel pen to print "for a" because I had no stamps to use for that part. I thought it would be fun to give my soiree a title that I can use each year and when I found the New Years sticker set, I knew Kiss At Midnight would be perfect! Isn't it nice with things just seem to fall together so easily?



In keeping with my tendency toward the traditional, I included a large clock in my design made from Tim Holtz's Sizzix Bigz die called "Weathered Clock" that I embossed with WOW Black Glint powder.  I traced the outline of the clock on cream cardstock and cut just inside the lines to make the background and then distressed it and stamped and colored the center design where I would be attaching the hands. The banner and party details are embossed with Metallic Silver Regular  and outlined with silver gel pen. I added rhinestone accents at each hour on the clock to give it a bit of bling. After all, New Years is all about glitz and glam, right?

I added a bow of black grosgrain ribbon with silver star buttons attached with sparkly silver cording as a finishing touch. I have included several close-ups to show the details more clearly.

Sooooo... are you ready to tackle your own set of party invitations now?  I encourage you to try it.  Once you get on a roll and get a rhythm established it really doesn't take that long to do.... unless you're inviting a large number of guests, that is! LOL 

Please stop by the WOW Blog to see the other non-traditional holiday projects created by my teammates.  I'm sure there is something there to inspire you even if you aren't up for making invitations. That's it for today but I'll be back tomorrow with another new project for Kenny K's Krafty Krew so I hope to see you then. 

I am entering these cards into the following challenges:

One Stop Craft Challenge - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Anything Goes
Fat Pages and Cards - #26 Anything Goes
Pause, Dream, Enjoy - #45 - Food & Beverage

Happy crafting!
Annibee

I'm baaack! With a new DT project for Kenny K's Krafty Krew!

Hello, friends!

If you are still hanging in here with me, you probably already knew that I would be MIA for a while as I just moved back to the Houston area a few weeks ago and am finally back in my craft room. Well, more accurately, I actually HAVE a craft room now! It took a little while after my relocation to find all of the boxes that contained my crafting supplies and get it organized and put in place in the new space but I'm back now and have I ever missed my paper crafting! Yay!!

I'm a little late posting this and for that I apologize. As my luck seems to go all too often these days, right after I posted my project on the Krafy Krew blog, my internet service went down and I was without access from Sunday evening until this afternoon. That prevented me from posting to my personal blog before now.

My first project is for the new challenge at Kenny K's Krafty Krew for which the theme is "Anything But A Card". I made a gift tag using Kenny's brand new digi called "Bow" (the adult version). She is available for purchase here. What a sexy gal she is too, don't you agree? I don't know many guys who would/could refuse a gift like her! LOL  In case you weren't aware, Kenny just released several new designs, most of which are for the upcoming holiday season. "Bow" is just one of those new designs. Even if you don't have the supplies or time to color your own version of Bow (as well as 5 other Christmas digis), you can purchase the pre-colored versions which can be cut out and popped right onto your tags or other holiday projects.

This is the back side of the tag. I used WOW! Embossing Powders in Black Glint on the front greeting and in Metalline Green on the back. The image is colored with Copic markers.

Again, I am thrilled to be back in the craft room and creating again. I missed you all very much. It's my hope that nothing else happens to keep me away again for a long while. I just don't function well at all without my creative time. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you'll visit again soon as I have many things planned for the approaching holidays. So, until next time...

Happy crafting!!

Anniebee

Bearly Mine Crafts is having a huge giveaway!

Hi, friends!

I just wanted to let you know that the very sweet and talented Donna of Bearly Mine Crafts is hosting a mega candy giveaway on her blog.  Look at all the yummy goodies she's included. You'll definitely want to be included on this one.  Here's a link:

http://bearlymine.blogspot.com/

I have finally completed my relocation and am in the process of getting my craft room organized so I'll be back very soon with some new projects for your viewing pleasure.  Until then, take care and....

Happy crafting!
Anniebee