Sorry Another Question

If I were to provide patterned or designer papers to print for cards, how would you prefer them?

8" x8"
4.25" x 5.5" - standard US quarter fold cardfront
Full page 8.5" x 11" ( your printer may crop this to make margins/ or will be slightly cropped if you are using European sized letter paper.
Half Page 5.5" x 8.5"
or 5 x 7?

Any other related opinions would be helpful as well.

Thank you for you input :) To answer please do it via my actual blog in the comments section.

Cryptic Question ;)

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Some tiles from my dusty folders

Painted Tiles

Yes, I haven't posted in a while. Life is getting in the way LOL! I am organizing and attempting to get some stuff together. In the meantime, here are some tiles I painted that have been collecting dust on my computer. I painted most of them as a form of "stress relief and escapism" so I don't profess that they are works of art LOL! There are 59 tiles in there so far and I will add more when I find them - my hard drive is a MESS! Please click on the Painted Tiles link above to go to my webshots to download them.

As usual, if you use them, I'd love to see what you have made ;)

ANNOUNCEMENT: Stamp Sheets ARE READY :)

I designed 2 rubber stamp sheets for Stamp Attack Art Stamps and they are now ready! Just arrived :) They are the first 2 at the top under TM Design - " Doodles" and "Floral Doodle Dallions". Carol also has some lovely new Geisha's as well. If you have any questions about the stamps please ask Carol, her email is on her homepage. Please note, I am not currently selling stamps, if and when that happens, I will announce it here.

If you buy any of the sheets I designed, I'd love to know, please drop me an email if you do :) I'd also love to see any cards you have made.

I am scrambling to get a digital store up and running. Stay tuned... I will have some designs to download, some will be versions of the designs that are on the new stamp sheets. Some to colour and some already coloured. There will also be flowers to delight you along with papers, and other goodies.

Have a great day :)

Tagged!

I was tagged by Jilly ! I don't know much about this tagging business and I don't personally know many people who blog and the one's that do would virtually thump me if I did LOL! BUT I will answer the questions CUZ they look like fun. Now if anyone thinks I am shirking on my tagging responsibilities, then good. Then I will be seen as not a good tagger and will likely not be tagged again ROFL! Do check Jilly out, she has made some awesome cards and is a sweet lady!

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I would be a new mom to my son. Probably freaking out... I also started providing childcare that year. I also was introduced to my first Windows PC and design software, I loved PrintMaster and CreataCard!

What were you doing 1 year ago?

I was babysitting a ton of kiddies and experiencing burn out.... umm the whole family was experiencing burn out LOL! Was probably in the middle of a snow storm this time last year LOL!

Name your 5 favorite snacks

1. French Fries - chip wagon or new york fries but fave is McDonalds
2. Chocolate - Dairy Milk or a really good dark.
3. Thin crispy bubbly potato chips
4. Maple Sugar candies and lollipops.
5. Toffee Glazed Donut from Tim Hortons

Name 5 things you would do if you were a millionaire

1. Invest it and live off the interest.
2. If I was rich enough ( I would give a good portion of the yearly interest to my parents and inlaws and families in need around me ).
3. I would give another good portion of the interest to charity.
4. Get a larger house, a family room out of the way of earshot plus a craft room would be ever so lovely. We live in a small 1100 sq ft. house ( that is total no basement) and are always on top of each other LOL! An extra bathroom would be GRAVY!
5. Hope after all that there is enough interest money to live off of LOL oh and the usual...open a papercraft shop and supply it with beautiful things!

Yes, I am too cheap and thrifty to spend the actual million LOL

name 5 things you like doing

1. Drawing and designing
2. Playing with the stuff I drew and designed
3. Internet.... completely addicted... I have met so many wonderful people and have been introduced to so many cool ideas/ techniques and made many friends.
4. Hangin wih the family and enjoying our wonderful area... cottage country with many lakes, scenery and hiking trails. This summer I won't be tied down to sitting on babies... I am heading out on adventures with the kids and my camera!
5. TV I am a couch potato. "Survivor" , " American Idol" , "Two and a Half Men", anything on Space , Discovery or HGTV Channel.... and my boyfriend George Stroumboulopoulos if I can stay up that late.


Name 5 things you would NEVER wear again

1. mini skirt
2. granny boots
3. Wear contact lenses.... I think they helped do my eyes in but I won't go there.
4. Maternity clothes.... OH My Heavenly Father, I hope not!
5. a bikini ... see #4.

Name your 5 favorite toys

OH FAVE question... I do love toys. need more than 5 - I'll try to be good.

1. Computer and my graphics softwares. Painter is the most awesomest of inventions.
2. My Intuos 3 Graphics Tablet ... would be #1 but need #1 to plug it into LOL.
3. My paper.... I have always had a love for big piles of paper!
4. My glitter pen and my glittery glues and potions and paints.
5. A toss up between my new Cuttlebug and my George Foreman Grill or my Ronco Rotisserie oven. I love to cook and hoard kitchen gadgets! I have a whole upright cabinet full of kitchen appliances.

OK thats all of it, and if you are subbed to my email feed, sorry for the long diatribe LOL!

Some Cards and NEW Faux Foldy Flowers

I have been busy making cards and messes in the process LOL! I have also been working behind the scenes to open up an online storefront. It is not ready for prime time yet but will be soon :) My plan is to also offer a Monday Freebie, why should you wait until Friday for a freebie? LOL Mondays need a pick me up!

I designed some new flowers, they will be available shortly and in numerous flavours ;) Any requests for colours? :) Hint - the comment thingy! wink wink nudge nudge LOL

I've been working around sick people, both the kids and now my husband are down for the count. The son seems to be bouncing back, he has been terrorizing his little sister... good sign ;)

Here are the faux foldy flowers....

This one was stamped with one of the flourishes on the stamp sheet my first doodledallion ( Paisleys ) is on with Brilliance pearlescent coral ink. I am finding this stamp very versatile. Get Well is PSX. The bottom paper is Brenda Walton in a Super K pack I picked up cheap at Winners. There is moss green H2O's lightly brushed on the crimped leaves, yellow Stickles glue on the flower center. These flowers are easy and take only 3 flower images to make. They also have crease lines on petals to follow, I use a ruler and the skinny end of a dry embossing tool to crease. FYI - the faux foldy flowers: they can also be tea bag folded but in a different way.



Here is another one with Brenda Walton paper. I painted some paper with light blue H2O's and punched some flowers and added some yellow stickles. I hope to be purchasing some leafy or ferny punches or dies. Does anyone know of any good leaf die sets? The hubby brought me home a Cuttlebug.... woohoo!!!! I have one embossing folder and I am working on a wish list ;)




Here is another Stained Glass Floral Doodledallion. I used the Laurentien pencils and OMS and, YES, the colours are that brilliant in RL! Next medallion I make will use the honest-to-goodness expensive Prismacolor ones LOL! I spent big time for them, I might as well use them LOL.

Stamp Designs - Preview

I have just received notice that my new stamp designs are up for preview at Stamp Attack ! These are unmounted rubber sheets of the finest quality. FYI, they are A5 sized sheets ( 148mm × 210 mm or 5.8" × 8.3" ) Thank you Wiki-pedia LOL! I have a hard time getting all those A4's A5's, etc. straight.

The stamp sheets will be available in March at Stamp Attack and possibly from me in the near future ;) The owner of Stamp Attack, Carol Clements is a wonderful lady; please check it out, there are many beautiful stamps to be had and you pay the same low price postage for multiple sheets, I have my eye on the leaves, and the flourishes!

TM DESIGN - DOODLES


TM DESIGN - FLORAL DOODLE DALLIONS

CARD - Stained Glass Floral Doodle-dallion

Did you think I fell off the face of the earth? Fred is still here LOL! I finally finished a card today, you should see my kitchen table.... I have about 6 or so half done cards and a big MESS. The kids are home with colds and it was a "snow day" today.

The medallion is a print of one of the designs on an upcoming rubberstamp sheet. Yes, it looks "familliar" LOL! It was coloured with Laurentien coloured pencils and odorless paint thinner for blending. The paperpricking is a pattern I made last week. The medallion and paperpricking pattern will be available soon as printables.

Magic Colored Pencil / Gamsol Magic Technique

I have had some questions regarding this technique. Here are some links to explain it more:

Debbie Gimbel's Tutorial at " A Lifetime of Color"

Gina K Designs Blog - Prismacolor Pencil Tutorial - love this one - simple and clean

Gina K Video Tutorial - Wonderful!

Inky Antics - where you can find all your supplies! On front page there is a tutorial link in PDF format

Anna Wright's blog - I love this image and the shading! Her stamp designs are awesome!

Where the fascination all started for me at Splitcoast Stampers:

Splitcoast Stampers: Gamsol Magic


Notes from me: ( BEWARE my personal opinion and a bit of rambling - don't read further if you don't want to LOL!) - for the people who are very interested or have tried this technique.

-I bought my supplies in Canada and I am using Odorless Paint Thinner from an online art supplies store. A less toxic alternative is Zest-It, you can use rubbing alcohol/surgical spirits ( I tried it and my paper began ripping! but it did blend) or baby oil ( good when you are working on an area with a good lay-down of color, you must be careful in white/open areas - you can get oily spots). I am pretty sure I am using the "wrong" made in China stumps. They are working for me. In the future, I will try the Made in Taiwan stumps and see if they blend better.

-just about any waxy/or oil based pencil will work, the OMS breaks down the wax/oil to move the pigment around (NOT WATERCOLOR or AQUARELLE pencils). I shelled out for the 48 Prismacolor Premier Artist-grade pencil set - they are good but are soft and you must be very careful with sharpening - they break easily. THE SCOOP! I already had a 60 set of the Berol Prismacolor Scholar grade pencils ( Canada - less than $25 at Walmart or Staples) and the pencils and numbers pretty much coincide with their more expensive siblings! ($56 CAD for my 48) I tested the colors and blending.... almost identical! ( OK red was less intense - but not horribly so - I tend to blend several colors together and after this I found no real noticable difference) AND they didn't break nearly so much when sharpening - ok I don't remember them breaking LOL. ANOTHER SCOOP! If you are in Canada, we have a brand called Laurentien that is the brand we all bought in grade school to color with. I found my son's remnants from a 60 set we purchased, and I found they were also good and had great colors to supplement my stash like Kahki, Raspberry ( very vibrant) and some nice reds ( cherry red and crimson - very vibrant) and blues ( great variety). I have priced the 60 Laurentien set and it is well under $14 CAD! My personal opinion? I would have just bought a Laurentien Set ( great well rounded choice of colors) or a Prismacolor Scholar Set ( if I wanted the same colors as the expensive ones). Guess what? They are both made by Sanford! (company that makes the Prismacolor Premier) I have added a quick scan of a comparison in the reds ( the laurentien also has a crimson red but much darker).

Poor Fred needs a new counter... wahhhh

For the past few days, I have noticed an error on my visitor counter. I may have to get a new one - any recommendations? LOL. I think the counter was just a hair over 31, 500 the morning it died. That is amazing! :)) Have a great day all!

EDIT: I subscribed to a new counter service and started it at 31,500. I hope that is kosher LOL!

Magic Colored Pencil & New Designs

Fred is happy! Fred will have new rubber designs available soon. Here is a one of the designs ( printed but same size ). I will show the sheet soon ;)

Did you know that you can colour inkjet prints with colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits - and the inkjet print will not smear! heehee.

The blossom, oval and spikey oval are all black and white and colored with the Gamsol Magic or Magic Colored Pencil technique, the purple and beige oval and backgrounds are digital and printed. I love the prismacolor pencils and OMS... they are so vibrant in RL and create a nice sheen against the matte CS ( you blend the pencil with blending stumps dipped in OMS). I also moulded the petals and leaves for a more 3d effect. The white and pink dots are Sakura Souffle Pens.

Yes, I know

...the New Year has begun.... where is Fred? My husband's parents BOTH ended up in the hospital, and my SIL's (boss) husband's father passed away. It has been a stressful time and is still ongoing. I had to run the outdoor ed kitchen for my SIL ( sink or swim - but she left me good "notes"LOL!) last week while her family was away and preparing for a funeral. I am currently trying to create designs for stamping ( and dealing with artist's block LOL) but I hope to be back to blogging soon.

Sweet Colleen

Back in the summer I was asked to take photos of a lovely Golden Lab named Colleen. Colleen was up there in years and the pet's family feared they wouldn't have her much longer. They tried to get professional portraits done but Colleen would get completely stressed out on the ride to the photographer. So I took photos at the front of their home.... over 200! I got a little trigger happy... but she is a beautiful dog and I wanted to make sure I got a special shot. Colleen passed away recently, I was commissioned to make this portrait as a Christmas gift to them. I tried to capture her spirit, soft and lovely...just like Colleen.

Hello All!

I wish everyone the best this holiday season!!! I have been quiet, I know. I took a bit of a hiatus, but I did get family cards made and did a painting of a beautiful golden retriever who passed away recently. I will show it once I have the files ready. I have not had time to play and draw but I hope to get revved up in the new year. I will be back to posting soon ;)

Here is a little tea bag folding tile I did a few weeks back. It is a flower, not exactly seasonal for Canada LOL. I am already tired of snowflakes and snow-tires and snow brushes and snow shovels. I am sure there are others in agreement with me ROFL.... unless, maybe, you are on the other side of the equator LOL.

Big Hugs to you ALL :)

Poinsettia Foldy Flower

I thought I'd put pen to tablet and make something to share before the month goes by LOL! I left these tiles big to suit whatever you might need them for. :) These were fast and simple, ... and untested ;)

My computer is acting up ( like intermittently not turning on), I am going to see if my brother can fix it... I think it is the power supply (hoping anyway LOL) but I also fear he might blow it up, so if you don't "see me" for awhile you know what happened LOL.


I have not been able to keep up commenting on the posted cards and emails, I tend to get stressed/anxious this time of year. But please know, I have loved them all.

I may go offline for a few weeks ( only essential email and to fix blog subscriptions) to focus on designing and unfinished commisions.

Another snowflake medallion sheet from Alt. version

Carolivy64 of CoC was kind enough to make a sheet for this medallion. This might help save on paper and ink! ;) Thanks, Carol!

I have a ton more Circle of Crafter member cards to share. I hope to have a slideshow up by next week. Thank you to everyone for trying my designs out and for your generous creativity!

Snowflake Flower - another version

What do you think?

The Snowflake Flower in Christmas-sy colours.

Digi-Freebie: Doodle-dallion - Snowflake Flower

I made a snowflake flower today. It went really quick. This could be addictive, I see more snowflakes on the horizon ;)

My dear friend Penny made this sheet for my snowflake flower. She makes awesome sheets and cards, and folding instructions and .. need I say more! Love the verses, Penny! Please give Penny some love, at her WEBSHOTS or PHOTOBUCKET

I should have a hi rez available later this week plus more hues. It's a worky day tomorrow.

Hello!

Fred's gone AWOL again! This renovating, housecleaning, visiting, and turkey eating is really eating into my crafting time! I just posted some of the wonderful cards Circle of Crafters have made :) Please let me know if I have missed any! Just send me an email, a scan or link would be helpful too ;) These girls are a super creative bunch! You girls rock!

I've been working on more flowers, and a new design paradigm, it may prove a tad more versatile!

Cards By Circle of Crafters