Saturday, May 30, 2009

LMCS30 Little Me

Another cardsketch for you, this saturday....
Here's my sample, using the Little Me kit from Unity Stamp Co, and the Heart Attack line from WeRMemory Keepers

And because I love this Little Me kit so much, I did another one, a masculine one.... This uses CosmoCricket's Jack's World collection

TFL! Wendy

Friday, May 29, 2009

friday reveal - lifetimemoments 5-29

This week was all about flowers!!

1) Pool Time

Journaling reads:
It didn't matter what city we were in, what sights there were to see, what food there was to eat. To you, every city and every hotel was all about their pool, and everyday, without fail, we had some swim time.

This uses My Minds Eye - Grow collection



2) Tatami Room

Journaling reads:
We made the spontaneous decision to stay in Kyoto a second night, and forgo travel to Fukuoka until the next morning. The Miyako only had tatami rooms available, and so, we took one. it was so different - a single room, with the smell of tatami permeating the air; everything was low to the ground. We opened the windows and listened to the cricket serenade, and had some tea.

This uses Basic Grey - Wisteria



I lighly painted each flower with a swipe of white paint, and after it dried, then lightly inked with a dry plum inkpad.

These are the prima artistry flowers, and prima essentials and wildflowers.


TFL. Wendy

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Hip Hop 5-28

WELCOME EVERYONE!!! Happy Hip Hop!! Its the last Thursday of May, and the end of the school year is fast approaching!! This week, Unity's focused on teacher gifts, etc....

At our school,its all about the Starbuck's gift cards... And so, I made some gift card holders, with a pillow box template I had from way back when I first started scrapping (maybe 9 years ago??) - and the School Rock Star kit. With teachers, I'm very careful to keep them equal (most years, they are the exact same gift) so gift-cards-in-the-same-packaging-but-still-somewhat-personalized is a perfect way to go.

My DD's teacher is all girlie girl:



I love how versatile this kit is, since my DS's teacher is a sports loving man's man, and I needed to man-ify it....


Hee hee. I hope they like it.

Thanks for stopping by. Your next stop is


Enjoy the rest of your hop. Hip hop!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Hip Hop 5-21

WELCOME EVERYONE!!! Its officially SUMMER!!! Oh, happy memorial day everyone!!! And as is fitting for the times, this week, we celebrate heroes. Who is your hero?

For me, that is such a huge question. There are so many who are my heroes. But, for the sake of this blog post, I will limit to the most immediate....

My parents - we came to America with nothing but hopes and dreams - no money, no language. They worked so hard against such odds - at its height, they were juggling 3 jobs at once - to give us a better life.

My cousin C - serving in Afghanistan - who graduated from college and joined the national guard - then the army - finished his 6 years - got married - started law school - got recalled to iraq - finished law school, passed the bar - got recalled to afghanistan. He's a major now, and I am so very proud of him.

Friends (who I will not name for your privacy) who are currently, or have just come out of, battles with cancer - your bravery, fortitude and grace inspire me. And in memory of M.S., who bravely battled cancer for almost 3 years, and who lost her battle on 12/31. Rest in peace M...

My Uncle P - who, family lore has it, who ultimately became one of the last escape planes to leave before the fall of Saigon, who flew his overloaded plane BACK down for a final catch of anyone who could hold on, and who flew off just as the tanks were rolling in

Friends, whose husbands are serving tour after tour of duty, and who, with complete grace, keep the homefront, and to their husbands, who go back again and again, and serve without hesitation.

I could really go on and on.... Heroes are everywhere.

In celebration of heros, my cards today seek to honor our troops.

Using the following Unity kits: DooDads, Thank You words, Worn Grid, Confession: I love Unity

My second project also uses DooDads, as well as Dec 08 KOTM Little Reminders and Nov. 08 KOTM - Enjoy Your Story


Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to play along with us in the forum!!

Your next stop is

Enjoy the rest of your hop. I hope you have a wonderful long weekend. Hip hop!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Copic Coloring - Tutorial 3 - "watercolor painting"

Playing around with my pallette, I stumbled on another technique that I'm having a lot of fun with - "watercolor painting" with my markers.

First, lay down your colors on a non-porous surface - I am using a clear acrylic pallette


 Next, place some Ranger Alcohol Ink blending solution into a little recepticle and grab your favorite paint brush.


Now, with your paint brush, just dip in the blending solution, then swipe through a color to pick it up - you must have the blending solution to carry the alcohol ink over, so redip often. You can dip into more than one color at a time to mix colors, you can apply the colors to your image a bit haphazardly, to fill in the blanks with a different color - to give you nice mixes that still look natural next to each other. When you first lay the color down, sometimes there is a gray cast to it - just wait until the alcohol evaporates, and the color will reveal itself very prettily.




And here she is all done - see how the colors in the skirt and the hair are particularly "smoothly unmixed"?



And here's my finished card. Girl stamp is by Rubber Romance; sentiment is by Savvy Stamps.

And remember, if you want to clean your pallette, just wipe hand sanitizer over it. TFL.

Friday, May 15, 2009

friday reveal - lifetimemoments

this week was all about butterflies... so springy.

(please click on layout titles for product links)

1) You at 6 1/2

(I try to do one of these for my kids every 6 mos or so to capture their likes/etc at that particular point)

Overlay by Hambly
letter stickers - Jenni Bowlin



2) squeamish

paper by making memories

Thursday, May 14, 2009

hip hop 5-14

WELCOME EVERYONE!!! I can't believe how fast May is flying by.... Summer's almost here!!

This week its KOTM week and we're celebrating Unity's Kit of the Month Club. I so love the KOTM - every single month, it is packed with images in different styles that are perfect both for cards and for scrapbooks. Such variety - and for such an amazing price....

My first project is SC228, using the August KOTM - Remember Happiness



My second project uses the April KOTM - Fresh Beginnings - I so love that cute dress form.....



Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to play along with us in the forum!!

Your next stop is


Enjoy the rest of your hop. Hip hop!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

a scrappy kind of mood

more layouts... :) been in a scrappy mood lately. TFL. Wendy

1) Let It Snow

Using:
Jolly Little Winter from Unity Stamp Co.
Paper from My Minds Eye
Big snowflake - old school Autumn Leaves


2) Magical Vacation

Using:
Time for Travel and Gratitude=Joy from Unity Stamp Company
Letter stamps - CTMH
Websters Pages - Magical Wishes collection

Friday, May 8, 2009

sharing some layouts

1) Ramen House

using crate paper

journaling reads:

"our first venture, outside on day 1 in Tokyo, was to this small ramen house, tucked into the main street near our hotel. C & A were a bit wierded out by the newness of everything and so it didn't quite register that we have had ramen at home before. Often..."



2) Its going to be a great weekend

using the new making memories 8x8 paper pad on 12x12 back

journaling reads

"The excitement in your faces brought total joy to our hearts. Disneyland Resort, May 10-11, 2008"



3) So Vibrant

Old school Tinkering Ink 8x8 paper pad on 12x12 back
(this one's a lift of alliscraps)

journaling reads:

"At almost 7 years old, you are so full of personality, always hamming it up"




LOVE LOVE LOVE the effect of painting my flowers - I just swiped a paint dauber over the tops - the emboss on the flowers caught the lines

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Hip Hop 5-7

ETA: Blog candy goes to:

Blogger dclouser said...

Amazing layouts - love your style! Just love that stamp set - thanks for the chance to win!

May 7, 2009 1:41 PM

CONGRATULATIONS - PLEASE EMAIL ERYN@UNITYSTAMPCO.COM

******
Hello everyone!!!

You've reached the last stop of the hop and I've got the candy!! YIPPEE!!

I've giving away the new set - Little Me. I am anxiously waiting for my set of these, so I can start playing. Aren't they adorable?? Leave a comment here for a chance to win. I will pick a winner tonight when I get home from work...



This is a scrappy week in celebration of National Scrapbooking Day this past Saturday, and the scrap stamps are on sale. I was, for the longest time, a die hard scrapper ONLY.... Then I started to make cards, and I really fell in love. Today, I move between both on a daily basis, depending on my mood. I love creating both...

Stamps on a layout add such a warm effect - I stamp on almost every layout .... I love how you can customize your stamped images to match the layout perfectly.

1) Mountain Girl

My first project is one featuring my mom, using the May kit of the month - Another Sweet Day. Journaling reads: "unquestionably, she loves the mountains. muir woods."



2) Totally Awesome

My second project uses the All About My Kids stamp, again, allowing me to customize it to the vibrant colors of these pictures. Journaling reads:

"we spent the week touring, just the 3 of us. you were upside down in the time zones, it was hot, and there were crowds everywhere. but you both were such troopers, and smiled all the way. how lucky i was to be able to experience these places with you, my perfect travel buddies. it would not have been the same if I had done it on my own. august 2008. seoul."



Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to post a comment for a chance to win, and come play along with us in the forum!!

Hip hop!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Re-New

(REPRINTED FROM LM STYLE - 5-1-09 edition)

Re-New

by Wendy Chang

New. Novel. Original. Innovative. Fresh. Clean. Bright. Mint. Untouched. Pristine. Unused. Spring is here and we are renewed, as the mornings fill with the sounds of birds chirping, the sun peeks its way into our every day, and the flowers bloom abundant. After the long cold months of winter, the renewal of life in spring always rejeuvenates us into a "scrap de vivre," a new joy in creating, as if our creative muses were integrally tied with both the sun and the renewal of life in nature.

This cyclical return to creativity is as comforting as it should be welcomed. Many of us were initially drawn to scrapping with something "new" in our lives - a new baby, a new job, a new marriage, a new house, new experiences on a trip - all of it giving rise to an almost primal need to document the event in a meaningful and creative way that does justice to the specialness of the occasion. It should come as no surprise, then, that as nature's bounty returns to remind us that as sure as spring always follows winter, light always follows dark. As the sun shines and the flowers bloom, our creative muses raise their sleepy heads, rested and ready to start creating the beautiful pages that mean so much to us and to those we care about.

This spring especially, in these uncertain times, this difficult winter that we’ve just come through, remember that life is anew, all a part of the big cycle of life. Seize upon nature’s continuity to recreate that initial drive that brought you to this wonderful hobby in the first place. Look around and look for the new in your life. Cast aside the last shadows of winter and darkness. Focus instead upon the joyfullness and excitement of the new, to revitalize your desire to capture and document your life. From babies, to weddings, to a garden, to puppies and kittens, etc., the new spring lines from the scrapbooking industry make the tasks both fun and easy. From the natural goodness of Jillibean Soup, to the colorful happy lines from the Paper Company Studio, to the mix of bright and whimsical in Lily Bee – sit down and celebrate the new with a page, and in the process, be renewed.

1) Repose

Stamps are Feel the Joy from Unity Stamp Company

TIP: To get that three toned shadow effect, simply ink your stamp once, and stamp rapidly in succession, altering the position of your stamp slightly each time.



2) Hello There

TIP: These white prima flowers are so perfect for customizing. The gorgeous paper accepts color so easily - the deep emboss retains visual interest. Here, I just swiped my ink pad lightly over the petals.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!!

Its National Scrapbooking Day! (and National LAW Day, coincidentally... they always fall on same day every year - check out your local county bar association for locations for free "talk to a lawyer) walk in clinics all day)

OK. PSA done ....

Back to CRAFTING - hee hee

There are celebrations going on all over the web today

My Unity Place has a cool contest going on (with a FABULOUS prize, if I do say so myself...)

games in the Unity Splitcoast Forum all day

and an all weekend crop at Lifetimemoments

Friday, May 1, 2009

May KOTM Guest Designer Sketch

Its friday and Unity has a sketch challenge today....



Here's my take, using the May KOTM - Another Sweet Day



TFL! Wendy