Hoppity hop hop - BLOG HOP!! It's a love that lasts forever

It's a love that lasts forever

Inspiration Song:
Don't Let Me Down by: The Beatles

Nobody ever loved me like she does,
Ooh she does, yeah she does....
I'm in love for the first time.
Don't you know it's gonna last.
It's a love that lasts forever,
It's a love that has no past.

Beate from SCS has this great tutorial.

Now....

Don't these prize packages from Paper Maniac look tempting and fun!!!  

Prize #1: One random blog hopper will win a deluxe prize package that includes one mini-deck of all three new Cosmo Cricket papers, a package of American Crafts pearl brads, and the new Flourishes clouds background stamp. All you have to do to win this prize is leave a comment on each of the participating blogs.

Prize #2: if you are not a registered customer, Sign up in the store now - click here! One new customer registering on January 30-31 will be randomly selected to win a $20.00 gift certificate - WOOT WOOT!!.

Now, if you're arriving from Amy's blog, you're well on your way... If you're just starting here, head on back to the Paper Maniac Store blog to make sure you maximize your chance of winning!!

The next stop on the blog hop is....

Alicia's Blog

And an awesome remix taken from http://www.beatlestube.net/

Pretty Little Tropical Thing
BLOG CANDY

- One entry for already being a BBFF,
- One entry for being a BBFF at the end of the contest,
- One entry for each comment made during the contest,
- The possibilities are endless!!

Contest deadline: Feb 23rd, 2010

Click here for the details

Card: It's a love that lasts forever

Stamps: Romantic Moment, JustRite Stamps,

Paper: Neenah white cardstock, pre-cut 5X7 textured card and envelope - white, Bazzill Cardstock, random stuff from my paper stash

Ink: my computer printer

Accessories: Copic Airbrush, Copic Markers, Copic Multiliner - Black, Ribbon adhesive, mini pop dots, Tim Holtz Tonic Studio Scisscors, Spellbinders circles, QK Revolution,Flourishes, Olivia Alphabet

· ´¨¨)) -:¦:- -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) Live with integrity.... -:¦:-
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ Create with passion!
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* -:¦:- NikkiNix

JustRite 1-5/8" circle stamps

Oh I have to tell you, I really love my 1-5/8" JustRite stamps, but haven't used them as much as I'd like to since I just have no idea how to get these babies cut nicely into circles. I've stamped and made all kinds of combinations and practiced using my new Copic airbrush system to fade the colour of the circle for future tags and cards and am totally stumped with how to get my circle cut :( Any advice?

While I am on the topic, I am so tempted to get the new JB-09720 Romantic Sentiments Centers Round 1-5/8" and the JB-09725 Loving Thoughts Centers 1-5/8" because I love them so - just holding out bacuse of "shipppiiinnnggggg" LOL :)

Now, since I started this post (and left it in drafts for awhile) I have gotten some generous advice from out in Bloggyland, including this JustRite stampers punch and die compatibility chart and this Spellbinders Compatibility Chart As for the outcome on my circle-cutting challenge, I was also led to the JustRite blog where she used the 1-3/4" EK Success circle punch which was pretty neat, but seemed bulky and limiting and would have cost me a fortune to ship to Canada, sooo... off to eBay I went and snagged me the Spellbinders large circles set (plan to use the 1⅞ circle primarily for the 1-5/8" circle stamps) and since I am paying shipping on this beautiful nice flat package, I had to throw in one or two other goodies to sweeten the pot - you'll see them pop up soon ;)

Please note, I took advice from the Spellbinders Compatibility Chart re: Revolution™ by QuicKutz®

This machine may be used to cut and emboss Spellbinders dies.
How-To Cut with Spellbinders Dies
1. Place die onto Revolution platform (cut side up).
2. Place paper or cardstock on top of die.
3. Place acrylic cutting mat on top of die.
4. Roll thru Revolution machine.

How-To Emboss with Spellbinders Dies
1. Remove acrylic cutting mat.
2. Leave die in place with die cut still inside die.
3. Place Spellbinders tan embossing pad on top of die.
4. Place Acrylic embossing mat on top of tan pad.
5. Roll thru Revolution machine.

· ´¨¨)) -:¦:- -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) Live with integrity.... -:¦:-
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ Create with passion!
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* -:¦:- NikkiNix

The Scor-Pal

I've had my eye on the scor-pal for a long long loooong time, and hesitated because I have been able to "make-do" with rulers, a bone folder that I got many years ago, good luck and trial and error... Then, the lovely, talented Bonnie over at Craftiblog posted a gift card holder she made from a tutorial, and I was inspired... sostarted scouring the net for a great deal on the scor-pal :)

Everywhere I called locally didn't carry them, or were out of stock, I wanted the real-deal because they have a self-healing mat you can put over it, it's 12X12 just like my sacrapbook pages which serves as your workspace which I really like! I have a self-healing mat from Creative Memories which is honest to goodness, about 10 years old, and it's a little small sometimes, so the larger surface will certainly be welcomed. So, from local shops, Craig's List, eBay, Kijiji, and all those fun stops, there were none to be found for a reasonable price. Most would have killed me on shipping to Canada... except the actual skor-pal website!!!

Would you believe they have free shipping anywhere in North America (includes Canada), and that they ship from British Columbia (in Canada) to avoid customs charges AND they are selling their product at par!!! You have to phone or email in your order to get this promo though, and I did - and they were true to their promo - OMG!!! This is priced better than the scrapbook stores in my area too!! So, i emailed the my order details and soon enough, I got aPayPal invoice for exactly what I had asked for - in Canadian dollars and with free shipping... AND in British Columbia, they have less taxes than we do here so I scor'd again ... scor-pal... get it ;) This is well worth the wait, I am very excited!

Now, without any further delay, here are the awesome tutorials from StampTV:

Part 1

and

Part 2

Beauuuuu'deee'fulll!

UPDATE... Diana over at scor-pal is so lovely, she reminded me about this great resource for ideas!!

· ´¨¨)) -:¦:- -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) Live with integrity.... -:¦:-
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ Create with passion!
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* -:¦:- NikkiNix

Cards for Men anyone??

I wish I had the bandwidth for making some Cards for Men like this one below - do you?? What an awesome Challenge Blog; I look forward to being inspired!!

(Click on the image to go to the source)

· ´¨¨)) -:¦:- -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) Live with integrity.... -:¦:-
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ Create with passion!
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* -:¦:- NikkiNix

How many monkeys ??

One of the joys of having an 18 month old is that she's starting to speak more inteligably so you'll hear a mis-mash of Baa Baa Ba ' zeep and No mor e monkeys dadu dau daaa daaa deee (type thing) - I don't even need a radio in the car anymore :) So this is my ONE little monkey who jumps on my bed and hits MY head while singing amd jumping - who needs TV!!

The Monkey image is a FREE one from Doodle Dragon's Blog

Challenges: 365 Cards Day 209 and MMSC21 from Priscilla Styles

I'm also going to start experimenting on how to show Copic techniques so once I am certified and excited to show you EVERYTHINGGGG, I'll know what to do and take pics of ;)

So here's my Monkeying around:

After coloring the base colors, I started shading with a darker color on the monkey

And did the same, shaded with a darker color on the leaves and vine

And then went back with the original base color and blended the dark in like this

And here are all the copics I used to do the job.

I also have this awesome white gel pen that I used to give a glint off of his teeth with a bit of shine.

Have a beauuutiful day :)

Nikki

Tips & Tricks: Double CD Holder

Pretty Pressings has this awesome tutorial on making a double CD holder. This is the original tutorial, and although in German, it's pretty self-explanatory. This is her most recent one double-CD holder - and it is adorable!! All you need is Ihr werdet 2 12x12 Papier brauchen (eines gemustert und eines unifarben) Scoring Tool, Bonefolder fuer gute Faltungen, starkes doppelseitiges Klebeband, Embellishments, Band, Stanzer (Kreis oder was euch gefaellt) - HAHAH... that means 2 - 12X12 papers, one plain and one patterened), something about your scoring tool, ribbon and embellishments of course and a punch to allow you to pull out the CD on the left side. I didn't even use a translator, the tutorial is that self-explanatory!

Thanks Claudia!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

*****THIS CANDY WILL STAY POSTED AT THE TOP,

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE RECENT POSTS***** :)

Although I haven't actually won anything in blog candy world, I'm amazed at how generous people are and thought I'd spread some love too - so, I thought while my camera is dead and while I am vacationing out of town and unable to post, I'd offfer up some blog candy as a MY BIRTHDAY gift to you. So, here's how to win:

1. Become my friend, follow me around - lol, how fun :)
2. Leave a comment to let me know you've given me some birthday love on your own blog (I've gotta see it for you to win it!)

And... when I have 44 friends - I'll randomly draw a winner to share in the love! I am sooo excited, probably more than you - hahaha - so here's the sweet stuff - a best friends forevah stamp from Stamping Bella ... and I'll ship it anywhere in the whole wide world!!!

My wish: 44 follower friends by my Aug 26th birthday
... or I'll keep the challenge open :)

So when you're done becoming a follower/friend and posting my candy on your blog - leave a comment telling me where you posted me... and then there's one more thing...

NEWSFLASH re: The Brigades Care Team.

In the event of a millitary tragedy, my blog-pal Jess may be called on to give support to a grieving spouse. She had the idea of making sympathy cards but felt that handmade cards would seem more personal than something from a store shelf. And she's even sweetening her incenive with blog candy - go visit her blog to find out more :)

Doesn't that make you feel all

warm and fuzzy inside :)

Check out even more Yummy Candy listed in my sidebar too!!

More candy

Happy Birthday to Kristen over at Kristen's Krafty Place who is giving away some birthday candy to celebrate her big day! How sweet, right ... well, this is one of the cutest sets of stamps... take a look here to see some of these gorjuss girls all coloured and pretty.

And... there's some SOOOOWEEET blog candy with a twist over at Charmed Crafts - ooohhhh how sweeeeet it would be to win THIS awesome prize !!

Drum roll please....

Passin on the love with blog awards:

Congratulations to:
amomandherCamera
ashleynewell
cardoasis
cherisheachpreciousday
craftiblog
crissysartnheart
debbiedesigns
ellenhutson - the classroom
fred-she-said
ilikemarkers
mymindseyecreations
okieladybugsscrapnmore
raindropechodesigns
stampowl

Sympathy Card

365 cards Day 143: Keep it to yourself Sympathy: The challenge is to convey the message without putting the sentiment on the front, HOWEVER, the message CAN be on the inside.

Whew! No message... jeez... I was so tempted to use some of my beautiful papers and put words like peace and mother on the front but before I sat down to actually make this card, my dear Grand Aunt Verna passed away this morning at 11:10AM ~God bless her soul ~ despite all the pretty things going on in my creative mind... for her, this is the perfect paper and card. She was a sweeeet, simple soul who loved nothing more than her children and who needed nothing more than her family nearby, something pretty to look at, her bible and a song in her heart to make her most happy. For her daughters, my Aunties, I followed true to the challenge and made something pretty and peaceful.

May nature touch you
with compassion, bless
you with sunlight and
send gentle rain to quietly
weep with you. May the
breeze whisper life that
never ends, only that
it is changed - that it
continues forever in a
world more beautiful
than our words can describe.
- Author unknown

Paper: B & W cardstock and GCD Studios Item#037 Black Floral Procession Cosette Collection
Ribbon: White satin 1 inch wide wire ribbon
Font: PassionsConflict Rob

I won an award ?! :)

Yipppieeeee... somebody thinks I'm awesome *and* EXTRAORDINARY!!!
WOOT WOOT... doin' the happy dance!! Those are some of my faaaaaaaave words, thanks to my dear friend Cpeep (whose name makes me think of birdies over at Extreme Cards & Papercrafting. Now seriously, you wanna talk about awesome! Check out her blog, she's got tutorials on pop ups I still haven't had the patience to try... SHE is an extraordinary and awesome blogger, that is for sure!

Thhhhaaaank youuuuuu Cpeep!

I'll be trolling my fave blogs to find some very deserving recipients to pass this one on to ... stay tuned!

Woooahhh! Tonnes of Blog Candy!

Here's a link to the list - WOW!

Apache wedding blessings

A dear friend of ours is getting married next weekend and her colours are tiffany blue and chocolate brown and she's a girl who likes things real clean and classic. I found this poem and it immediately made me think of her so this is handmade with love for her:

I used some foam squares to give the card depth, some diamond stickles for a little shimmer and my grey copics to give the accent flower some depth and also took some inspiration from these challenges: Rosie D's challenge Week 42 - Weddings, 365 cards Day 138: She said and I quote and CPS 124's sketch :

May the sun bring you new energy by day,

May the moon softly restore you by night.

May the rain wash away your worries,

And the breeze blow new strength into your being.

And all the days of your life may you walk

Gently through the world and know its beauty.

Apache Blessing Author Unknown

Kaboodle Doodles Challenge No 9 - Buttons and Bows

Oohhh how girly and fun!

My Kaboodle Doodles Challenge No 9 - Buttons and Bows

365 cards Day 134 *and* 136 - What is Black, White, and Red all Over?

So, I am going with the flow - like the Nike ad, Just do it!! It doesn't have to be super wonderful, or ground-shakingly-drop-dead-gorjuss and I don't have to wait until all my house guests come and go out my guest bedroom/craft/computer room this summer so I can set up my digi-cutter again, I am just going to make some pretty little things with what I can get my hands on! So here goes - today on 365 cards - Day 136 the challenge was: "What is Black, White, and Red all Over?" so here's my simple sweet take on it.

I wish I had a red stamp pad, but my copics did okay...

I love the extra touch on the inside.

Then I did this one too using a red base card, b&w paper and my red copic marker to colour in the flower - cute, and versatile :)

and I also did a 365 Day 134 as well and it too is pretty versatile.

And here's a card I made for a new baby in the family a few weeks back that I forgot to post - how fun! I actually used my copic markers to colour the ribbon to make it an exact match! A few foam squares to give those flowers som pop and ta daa!

Candy Candy I looove candy!!!

OMG I hit the blog candy jackpot over at tiger'sscrapplace who compiled this awesome list - thank you :)

rubberstampinzone ends July 10th

How gorjuss... sassydesignsbysusi ends July 13th

keepsakesbymelissa ends July 15th

momofthreeaddictedtopaper ends July 15h

craftbugs ends July 17th

stampwithann ends July 17th

poppy-petal-designs ends July 21st

thepurplezone ends July 31st

kaycarley ends July 31st

charmedcrafts ends August 4th

pinknickels ends August 5th

Makes me wonder if I should do a blog candy promo... hmmmm.... :)