Distinctive Touches

At the Movies!

Lights... Camera... Action!

Two great companies have paired up and are super excited to be bringing you a combined Hollywood Release!

Simply Betty Stamps has a range of characters from Betty Monroe to Action Chris the movie director,  while Make It Crafty has a slew of background scenes perfect to mix and match with the fabulous characters!!

Today and Tomorrow (June 1st & 2nd) the design teams will inspire you by showcasing fabulous projects using the new images.

The magic continues on June 3rd when we bring you a fun guessing game...Guess That Movie!

Will you be able to guess which movie each project portrays??  (Don't worry - we will be giving you some clues along the way!)

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During college, I spent one summer working in a movie theater and my project brought back memories... the creaky maroon seats, the floor sticky with soda, the sound of popcorn crunching! My inspirational project combines Make It Crafty's "Watching Movies" background (merged two together flipping one) with Simply Betty's "At the Movies Jude". I colored the image with Copics (listed below) and then cut out Jude and popped her up on foam tape to really be sitting front and center.  I'm guessing she's watching a comedy... maybe Bridesmaids? 

Copics Used:
Skin - E00/E21/E33/BV00
Hair - Y21/Y26/E23/E57/E29
Shirt - G21/G24/G28
Jeans - B91/B93/B95/B97
Glasses - C5/W5/C9
Cup - B12/B24/B29
Popcorn - Y02/YR31
Seats - R22/R08/R56/R37/R89
Arm Rests - W00/W1/W3/W5/W7/N10

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Want to win images from the new release?  Just hop along with the designers today and tomorrow and leave a comment on each post.  There will be FOUR winners each day receiving a surprise character with matching background digi stamps.

Today's hoppers are:

Barbara
Colleen (you are here!)
Betty
Cindi
Viv
Alison
Jenn D
Suzi
Beccy
Lelia
Carole

And don't forget about the Guess That Movie challenge!  On June 3rd, guess 6 out of the 12 movies portrayed during the hop and you will have a chance to win one of the following:

Grand Prize

A DVD Movie of your choice PLUS the whole collection of MiC & SBS digi stamp Hollywood release images (WOW)

Second Prize
The whole collection of MiC & SBS digi stamp Hollywood release!

Can't wait?!!
We know some of you just can't wait, so both Betty and Zoe are offering you 25% off their Hollywood collections between June 1st and June 3rd!

Click Here for Simply Betty Stamps & Click Here for Make it Crafty!

We hope you have lots of fun "At the Movies" with us this weekend!

Whimsy Stamps May Release Day #7 - Guest Designer!

Hello and welcome to Day 7 of our May Rubber & Die Release Showcase!

On Wednesday (23 May) Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs and new Shapeology dies. From then until 29 May 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 30 May.

Today I want to share a whimsical card I made with the gorgeous new Summer Garden stamp set.

Isn't this a little girls dream?  I love all of the ribbons and flowers and floaty detail on this beautiful image - such a joy to color.  I left the layout pretty simple to keep the main focus on the image... using just a touch of patterned paper from Bazzill Basics and a bit of wired organdy ribbon.  Colored with Copics (body -  V20, main/tail - V20/V22, ribbons - B12/B14, pole and saddle Y02/Y26, flowers RV52/R89, leaves YG41/G24)

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

Colleen  (you are here)
Debbie
Iris
Ellie
Tammy Louise
Lori
Heidy
Bev
Deb
Erin

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

Whimsy Stamps May Release Day #5 - Guest Designer!

Hello and welcome to Day 5 of our May Rubber & Die Release Showcase!

On Wednesday (23 May) Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs and new Shapeology dies. From then until 29 May 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 30 May.

Today I'm sharing a fresh summer card that uses one of the sentiments from Summer Letter Oval Seals as the focal point.  I'ts a NCC... or co coloring card!  (Well, I did color the tiny flip-flops on the sentiment, but that doesn't really count. LOL)

I cut out the flip flops with my Sizzix eClips (seasonal cartridge).  I die cut a piece of Pinapple Bliss card stock with the Double Scallop Doily die (OMG...this is amazing) and another with the new Fun in the Sun Oval die.  I attached a circle of patterned paper (from the Buttercup collection from Lilybee Designs) and stamped the sentiment on white card and cut to fit the oval die shape.  I layered everything with foam tape and attached to a layer of Dragonfly card stock and then adhered it all to a Kachina card base. 

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

Colleen Schaan - Guest Designer (you are here)
Debbie Eastman
Iris Wiechmann
Deb Reutledge
Ann Vento
Michele Roos - Guest Designer

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

Whimsy Stamps May Release Hope #3 - Guest Designer!

Hello and welcome to Day 3 of the May Rubber & Die Release Showcase!

On Wednesday (May 23) Whimsy Stamps released this month's new rubber designs and new Shapeology dies.  From then until May 29th, 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 May 30th.

I'm hopping along today and I used this "road rad" Bike Kid image from the KennyK collection. 

I stamped the image with Tuxedo Black ink onto X-Press It Blending card and colored with the following Copic markers: skin - E51/E42/E43, jeans - B41/B45/0, shirt and bike - R22/R24/R29/R39, hat and gloves - N0/T1/T3/T4/T6/T8, glasses, grips and tires - C1/C3/C5/C7, ground T1/T3/T4

I then cut out the image with my Spellbinders circle die and matted it on black card stock.  I stamped the sentiment from the Retro Bottle Caps set, die cut with the bottle cap die and matted that in black also.  I attached the image and sentiment to red card stock. I then wrapped some black and white baker's twine around the layered pieces and attached them to a black card base. 

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

Beate Johns - Guest Designer
Colleen Schaan - Guest Designer (you are here)
Ellie Stover
Stephanne Maraver
Bev Rochester - Guest Designer
Erin Baily

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

Whimsy Stamps May Release Day - Guest Designer!

Welcome to Whimsy Stamps May rubber stamp and die RELEASE DAY!

I can finally spill the beans! 

I'm a Guest Designer for this month's release at Whimsy Stamps! 

I'm so excited!

 Whimsy Stamps is releasing 20 wonderful new rubber stamps & stamp sets and 5 fabulous new Shapeology dies together with 3 new Shape EZ files today! These new goodies are available to buy right now from the Whimsy Stamps store along with all your Whimsy favourites.

From today until May 29, 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.

At the end of release week (Wednesday 30 May) 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.

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Today I'm sharing a project made with the new Hopeful image. I LOVE this adorable little girl and she was so much fun to color!  I paired her with a sentiment from the new Summer Garden set.

Supplies
Images:    Hopeful and Summer Garden (Whimsy Stamps)
Paper:      X-Press It Blending Card (Imagination International
                Minuet Collection (Memory Box)
Ink:          Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Copic Markers:    skin - E50/E11/E21/E33/E93/BV20
                          hair - YR31/Y21/E23/E25/Sepia Multiliner
                          pants - BG70/B91/B93/B95
                          shirt - YR30/Y21/E33
                          belt - E21/E33/E25
                          flowers - R81/R89
                          lantern - E93/G85
                          grass G82/G24/G85
                          sky - B41
Other:      white ribbon, Opaque White, white pearls
Dies:        Labels 23, Fleur De Lis Rectangle, Romantic Rectangle

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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:

Beate Johns

Special Guest Colleen Schaan

Special Guest Debbie Eastman

Ellie Stover

Iris Wiechmann

Tammy Louise Cunliffe

Niki Estes

Head on over to the Whimsy Blog for a full reveal of the wonderful May release!

Don't forget to visit today's designers and leave a comment on their blog posts to be entered into the draw to win a new release stamp, then pop back to the Whimsy blog tomorrow for the next list of showcase posts!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the new release!

Make It Crafty Challenge - Coloring on Kraft!

It's time for another Crafty challenge... or should I say... "KRAFTY" this time???

The new coloring challenge is up over at the MIC Clubhouse and it's all about Coloring on Kraft paper! 

I decided to abandon my Copics for the day (well, sort of...) and I pulled out my new Pan Pastels.  I was super excited about using these on the darker Kraft paper...the colors were sooooo smooth and blendable.  I need to find a really tiny applicator to get into those super small areas, but other than that, it was a snap!  I even pulled out my Copics (yes... I couldn't give them up completely) and added a few details to pull it all together. 

It's time for you to get Krafty and Colorful...  head on over to the MIC Clubhouse challenge area to find out more deets!  And check out the Gallery for more samples from the DT. 

Thanks for stopping in today... go out and Get Krafty!

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Supplies Used
Kraft Paper, Deep Blue and Tropical Cardstock, Sandcastle background digi, Mermaid digi, Pan Pastels, Copic markers

Stamp-n-Storage Product Review!

Have you seen the amazing storage units from Stamp-n-Storage yet? 

(The wooden items in this view are the Copic marker storage - shown with my gray markers and ink refills, the ink pad storage unit, the full shelf storage unit and the 6 drawer storage unit...)

Head on over to Splitcoaststampers for the team's Product Review on these awesome organizational options! 

Then take a peek in the stamp spaces gallery to see just how we are putting them to use! 

CardMaker - Outside the Box

Is it Christmas in May? 

Nope!  Head on over to the CardMaker Blog today to check out the story behind this "cool" little dude! 

 

Time To Shine - CardMaker

Welcome to the "Time To Shine" Blog hop!  I'm joining a number of fabulous designers today to share projects that celebrate life's events and milestones both big and small. 

This hop is just part of the fun happening over in the CardMaker CardSwaps forum this week.  Challenges and games will be posted May 16-19, 2012 and you have until May 22, 2012 to get your projects posted to the appropriate thread. 

One of the exciting games we are playing is "Unscramble It" and each designer in today's hop has a single special letter in their post.  Collect the letters along the way and unscramble them to be entered into the drawing for a prize!  Once you collect ALL the letters, the last hostess in the hop will direct you to the thread in the forum where you can find all the details you need to enter the drawing. (Keep Reading for MY Letter!)

I am excited to share my project for this hop...  I'm sending this card off to my sister Leanne, who is traveling the well-worn path of weight loss.  For years, she has been told that she needs to lose the excess weight and start taking care of her body.  For years, she hasn't been ready.  This year... she's ready!  I'm so proud of her!  She is taking it slow and focusing on the successes, not the failures as she she does battle with food and exercise.  I made this card for her because I am her cheerleader... her support... her voice-of-reason when needed.  I know from personal experience just how difficult it is to lose weight, and I know it's always easier when someone is in the stands cheering you on!  So GO Leanne GO!

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Supplies Used
Cardstock:          Deep Blue and Stonewash (Bazzill Basics)
                          X-Press It Blending Card (Imagination International Inc.)
Pattern Paper:    Genuine Collection (Authentique)
Stamps:              Team Spirit © Krista Smith (Sugar Nellie)
                          Words of Wisdom (Verve Stamps)
Copic Markers:    skin - E50/E21/E33/E93/E95
                          hair - YR21/Y26/E25/E18
                          eyes - B12/B26
                          lips - R85
                          sweater - B91/B93/B95/B99
                          shoes/socks/ground - C1/C3
                          pompons - Y21/Y02/Y35 (SmoochGlitz - Goldrush)
                          background - BG70/YR30/B91
Dies:                   Labels 18 (Spellbinders PaperArts)
Other:                Black multiliner
                          white buttons

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Hopefully you've arrived here from Susan's blog (if not, go back and check out her blog and collect your letter), then collect my letter and hop on to Merideth's blog.

My letter is... "R"

And just in case you get lost, here is a list of the hoppers!

Brooke Smith -CardMaker blog
Jeanette
Ashley
Anya Schrier
Golda
Ivanka
Ana
Michelle Woerner
Judy L
Lisa
Trudy Sjolander
Jane
Angelina
Kimberly Crawford
Laura
Tammy
Carolyn King
Marlene
Susan
Colleen Schaan (you are here)
Meredith 
Lora

Thanks for stopping in... I hope you find time today to SHINE!

You Make a Difference - CardMaker Blog Hop

Welcome to the "You Make A Difference" CardMaker blog hop! 

Today we are celebrating all of those teachers, leaders, and mentors who have made a difference in our lives. 

There are a few special people who have helped shape my life and continue to have an effect on the person I am, and I am so very grateful.  One of those people is Mrs. Berg.  We called her "Ma Berg" and I spent 18 weeks in her classroom student teaching.  She was amazing.  Supportive, caring, smart, honest (brutally so when necessary), and invested.  She helped mold me into the kind of teacher (and person) I am today.  I am thankful that she was such a huge part of my life.

To Ma Berg... and all of the other great mentors and teachers out there... THANK YOU!  You really do make a difference!

Check out the other CardMaker Designers to see just who inspires them to say, "Thanks!"

Kimberly Crawford
Carolyn King
Colleen Schaan (you are here)
Anya Schrier
Trudy Sjolander
Michelle Woerner
CardMaker Blog

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Supplies Used
Cardstock:            Kisses and Blue Oasis (Bazzill Basics)
                            X-Press It Blending Card (Imagination International Inc.)
Patterned Paper:  Avalon (Bazzill Basics)
Stamps:                SugarPlums Apple Emma (CC Designs)
                            FairyTales (Verve Stamps)
Copic Markers:      skin - E50/E11/E31/E93/E95
                            hair - E93/YR21/E33/E15/sepia multiliner
                            grass - YG11/G24/G07
                            leaves - YG23/G05
                            dress/apples - R22/R24/R29/R39
                            apron - B21/B23/B24/B18
                            basket - E42/E74/E57/E89
Other:                  Opaque White, black multiliner, white ribbon, foam tape