Vacation is almost over...and a new year begun...

Good morning!

Well, back to school...the educators have gone in two days this week for training and preparing for the new year and I guess I'm ready....it's always hard to give up these last days of vacation...I always say I need "two more weeks, please" but even given that time, I'd still need "two more weeks, please"...I love my work, but I also love my time off :) Kids return the day after Labor Day, and my university teaching begins soon too! Here we go!

Here are two cards I made this summer for special events...

This first one is a wedding card for a dear sweet young friend who was happily married in August. I am always blessed by a wedding because as I sit there during the ceremony, I begin to "see" the future for them through the eyes of my own marriage , praying that God will always be a part of the their union and that His perfect plans are revealed to them as they go through the adventure of learning to REALLY love one another. It's a roller coaster of joy and sorrow, better and worse, richer and poorer! I'm so happy I stuck with the journey through thick and thin and I wish the best for them!

And I love the couple image from Gina K's Greatest Hits I set for this card...the colors of the wedding were black and white (very elegant!) and so the card reflects that...I also used the ribbon from the wedding invitation on the card for them...I wonder if they recognized it?! I also made an acrylic window in the card, sandwiching the acrylic between the cuttlebugged panel and the card front, both made with Gina K's Pure Luxury cardstock!

This second card is for a young man who completed his Eagle Scout badge in Boy Scouts. He was also one of my Tiger Cubs eons ago and we recently attended his big ceremony and celebration once his Eagle Scout community project was completed. I remember well when he was a cute little 6 year old and now he is all grown up! He graduated with my daughter this year and leaves for the Marines this fall. I thought this card appropriate for his big day.

I used Cornish Heritage Farm's America the Beautiful set, and the ripping technique with Core'dination paper...they were both perfect for this card, don't you think?

I am so excited to see young people grabbing onto the JOY of life. It is such a blessing!

May God bless your every day this holiday weekend! Celebrate liberty and celebrate LIFE!

A fun blog hop to join!

Today is Clear Artistic Stamps first blog hop with all the designers of Clear Artistic stamp using new sets in their projects...while I am not part of the hop, per se, I love this company and their images, so I'm inviting you to join in! {I will be doing something special with this company soon, though! Tee hee!} There are only 10 places to visit and comment, and you can win prizes!! :)

So click on the image or here---> to link to Belinda's blog first...it will lead you through all ten blogs...and HAVE FUN!!

Gone!

The title of this post seems so final...but it's not! It's just announcing that my girl is now gone away to college :) We took her up on Monday after a ton of shopping, packing, shopping and last minute goodbyes and now SHE'S ALL GROWN UP :_( Well, almost, anyhow :)

She is very busy as she has decided to play in the marching band at school and so she is at Band camp working 10 hours a day to be able to perform Friday at a Welcome picnic and through the season at all the home football games! Her room (a space about 12' x 5') is all set and squared away...funny thing is she had to call me the next morning to find where I had put her flat iron to straighten her hair!! I decided that's the best way to get your college kid to call you....hide stuff when you go to visit ;)

Here's a card I made using my copics and some Basic Grey Euphoria paper. This image is a froggy Ketto image from Stamping Bella. I don't have the image, it came with a WISH RAK but I certainly think I need it, don't you?! The colors of the card came out a bit differently in the picture than IRL...they are much more rich and dynamic, but I wanted to share it anyway :) I made one for my sister Kelly's birthday and one for a graduation card :) I also made a card for my sister Kristy's birthday, but it was ALL GLITTERY and the card would not photograph right, boo hoo...too much shininess!! Happy August birthdays to them though!!

This is a picture that my DH took on his week long SOLO canoe trip in the Adirondacks. Isn't it beautiful. He came home safe and sound with only a big long rip in his leg. He's recovering though, poor thing!! :)

That's it for me today :) Be blessed! God is here with you! Everyday!

Oh? Did I forget to mention....

...that I was COPIC CERTIFIED while I was away at CHA?! I know, right? Yes, I met Marianne Walker of ilikemarkers.blogspot.com fame and I took the 6 hour class with her to officially become a Copic Certified Designer. (OOOoooOOOO). I can't believe it took me this long to mention it, can you? Well, with recovering from the long trip, the computer being on vacation itself for several days and the camera going bye bye everytime my girl leaves the house, it took this long to get the dang picture on the camera, then my laptop and jump drive and now the desk computer! Who says it's all fun and games ?!

And now you are wondering what the heck one does once one is Copic certified, aren't you....well....you color, of course!! LOL!! Oh, but wait...you don't JUST color, but you color really really well! You color and you blend and you color and you blend....all for the good of mankind ;) Well, more like for the good of crafterkind. Anyhow....you may remember that my journey with Copic markers began in the post where I won a Copic Set B of 36 markers from Gina K. To be honest, that is still the only set I own...and I thought that was the only set I would ever need. HA! Now that I know more than just how to put alcohol ink to paper, I definitely NEED more Copic markers! So I think that is all I will be getting at Christmas this year. Sigh. I'm so glad God gave me talents to use Copic markers with; He is so good, isn't He?

More projects from CHA's show

Here are some more projects we made for the CHA Supershow classes sponsered by Ye Olde Outhouse. This is the alcohol ink vase we made using a clear glass lidded jar. We used three of my fav Ranger alcohol ink colors, Ginger, Red Pepper and Copper Mixative, covered the vase and added CHF's Silhouette Blooms and sentiments to the sides. In the final project, we completed it with brown gingham ribbon tied around the top of the jar. Also, although I don't have pictures of them, we made two double sided, Cricut cut, 6-layer, Cuttlebugged, sanded, textured flowers on floral sticks to add to the vase. Chock full of technique, I tell ya!!

There is always more to teach! I love techniques! The next card is an adapted card from Gina K's Stamp TV gallery. With permission from the woman who designed the Gina K card and using CHF stamps, I put together this project to teach the wood graining technique using a Scor Pal. This little guy from Cornish Heritage Farm's Kim Hughes U R A Hoot set was VERY popular with the class! Remember the post with the grad card I made using the same idea several weeks before CHA? (in my summer of pictures post!)

And finally for today, this set of projects was called County Blues. Deby and I again taught use of alcohol inks on this (originally white) candle holder and on a CASED card from an SCS'er (also with permission) used Nesties for the circles and Core'dination paper to rip layers to make a Mountain and Sea card. The "mountains" were more mountain-y on the actual class model card with a different CHF image! This heat embossed flower image is actually a retired CHF stamp. We used CHF's Nature's Silhouette II stamp set with the Boxwood and Bayleaf stamps on the actual workshop card!

See, frog faithfuls...I HAVE been BUSY!
Whew....more excitement to come....stay tuned!

Off to shop today for college stuff at Target! Stay cool!

Yes, I'm back! And yes, I've been back since Tuesday night...

...but I'm just now feeling alive again :) I wish I could share pics of the Ye Olde Outhouse booth right this minute, but the truth is they are in Betty's camera and I am waiting patiently to see them! My friend Deby, who was my faithful right hand co teacher has a few on her blog, The Sofa Lady...check it out!
I can however share the pictures of the projects that we taught in our CHA Supershow classes....they were well attended for the most part and it was a BLAST teaching the "students" techniques. All of our projects used Cornish Heritage Farm stamps, because I adore them and they worked perfectly to complement my projects to reflect Betty's arts and craft store.

This first one, Country Home, was originally a scrapbook page, then a card, then finally, CHA ok'd it as a picture on a plaque. We mounted this 8.5 x 5.5" scene onto a wooden board painted black, and put curled wire through holes on the top of both sides to hang it up. We used woodgraining, masking, Scor pal-ing, and paper tearing techniques....lots of fun!

Cornish Heritage set: Primitive Beginnings

This next card, we called the "Secret card". It was originally "rejected"....we actually made it as a second project to the vase we altered using alcohol inks. This card uses the technique I used to make this blue card in a previous post. I just love the technique and wanted to show the alcohol ink process on photo paper so I threw it into the class as a "bonus" project.

Cornish Heritage Set: Vintage Wings

This next project is a post it noteholder that I learned to make on Splitcoast Stampers. I wanted to show off the Core'dinations paper and how you can sand the core color to the surface after cuttlebugging it....it was a very popular project!

Cornish Heritage set: Vintage Wings

I'll share more tomorrow! I pray you are well and blessed! God is faithful to meet your needs today! I have missed all of you! Especially my SBS sisters! Love ya!

We made it to Orlando...outhouse and all :)

Hey all! A quick check in from CHA :) Betty and I arrived on Sunday having driven with an outhouse on the roof of the van for over 3 days and 1200 miles! I know, right. The van is packed to the gills with the store supplies and set up, all our classroom projects' parts and pieces, inks and rubber, glass, to brads, bottle caps to coasters....we are getting ready for a plethora of techniques and teaching fun. First was the COPIC certification class...good way to begin, don't you think? I know, you all thought I was going to grace Tim Holtz with another handshake, didn't you?! Sorry, but COPIC's called me away...this time.... ;)

Drumroll........Tada! I am officially COPIC certified, frog faithfuls! Wow, huh? We were in class all day, playing and learning what to do with these wonderful markers....I even learned to use the airbrush system with them....and blending lots of different ways as well as how to put a shadow under your image in the right way! Betty and I are having a great time, but we are anxious to set up the booth and begin classes for the Supershow after the trade show ends....the rest of the team will come Wednesday, so pray for travelling mercies and for it all to come together. So exciting!

I let my daughter use my camera for her vacation, so I don't think you'll see any pictures of me with Cuttlebug or Cricket this year, but I'm hoping to snap a few pictures of some of the projects using lots of the fun new techniques and tools I learn this year.....and when I get back, I'll share a paper piecing card I made for a swap with some ladies from the stamping cruise last fall. I have to wait until all of us receive our swap cards. Isn't it amazing how many friends one can make in stamping and papercrafting?! A community, i tell you!! If you haven't done so already, you may want to consider hopping over to join the Papercrafting Planet forum. Friends come in all shapes and ink colors you know! ;) Have a wonderful week!

Summer in pictures

Where have I been? What have I been doing?? Well......

There's marching..........

And rafting.......

And crafting..........

Snapping....

And riding.........

And crafting....

Celebrating and celebrating and Celebrating.....

And saying goodbye :( .....for now...... And then, more celebrating and celebrating....

And thanking God for a Blessed day for ANOTHER grad party!
And smiling with my Aunt Judy and Mom.....

And getting ready for my baby girl to go to college.......

But first...........I leave for CHA's crafting trade show and convention in Florida tomorrow!!! WOW!!

See you when I get back! :)
Lots of love!

Kim Marie aka

BUSY LADY!