DIGI ME contest with Some Odd Girl!

Hiya!

We've got a fun contest up over at Some Odd Girl right now, DIGI ME is an awesome chance for you to have a new digital image created, based on YOUR SUGGESTION!

All you have to do is give us the following three things;

Pose

Character (Kaylee, Mae, Gwen, etc)

Outfit

Here are the deets:

The contest will run Sept 29 – Oct 23. You can enter 3 times per platform (blog, IG, Pinterest, FB,)  by using the hashtags #DigiMeContest #SomeOddGirl and then linking to our linky at the bottom of the blog post. 

We will be picking 1 winner per platform. Each winner will guest on the day their digi is released (so they will get it early, create something and we’ll post it on our blog) and a $20 GC to our shop!!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!

Ok so today, I'm going to show you a few examples of what you might want.

*I* for example would love to see a long-haired Boho-chic style Mae. Here's an idea of what I mean:

source 

and I'd like her pose to be something like this:

source

but with her face up.  I love the idea of a big bag or hat, but I love the scarf above.

And finally I think she needs multiple boho bangles

source

Fun, right?

So you can make your suggestions any way you like, with a polyvore, a photo of you in the pose you want, a sketch, anything!

We seriously cannot WAIT to see what you come up with!

See you again soon!

DT call at a2z Scrapbooking Supplies

Hey everyone!

This is just a quick post to let you know that the lovely ladies over at a2zScrapbooking Supplies are holding a Design Team call!

You should go check it out immediately!!! They're such a great bunch of designers and its definitely a team you want to be on!

I hope you'll consider applying! it's a supportive group and dealing with Hero Arts products, is ALWAYS a pleasure! They practically do the work themselves.

See you soon!

Linda xxx

Saturated Canary: colouring on kraft!

Hiya!

I'm back with another card I whipped up while 'playing along' with the Kit and Clowder crafty weekend event on Facebook!

I was SO happy with how this turned out. I don't think I want to colour on anything but kraft card stock, ever EVER again. I just love the effect.

I'm always surprised at how bright and vibrant the colour turns out.

I thought this sweet girl from Saturated Canary needed cool hair, and Hot pink is DEFINITELY cool to me :)

I'm thinking I might like to try colouring on black card stock. I'm curious to know if it works as well as the kraft--have any of you ever tried to do that? What other interesting mediums or card stocks have you used? I'd love to hear.

I'll see you again soon! I've got lots more to share.

See you then!

Happy Trails

hi friends!

I thought I'd share a CUUUUTe little card I made using some brand spankin new Lawn Fawn stamps I just got my paws on. 

I'm SO SO SOSOSO very excited to get to finally use these!!!!!!

So I kept it pretty simple, but I had fun colouring this little beauty. Can't wait to do more.

First I stamped the caravan and car, then I masked them off, and added the trees behind, and the road beneath.

Next I set to colouring this little love. Oh how I want an Airstream caravan. Or any caravan really. I just love the idea of setting off on an adventure, pulling a little home along behind us! It's our dream :)

For some extra fun, I added the little patches of grass with a darker shade of copic.

OK! I gotta run coz someone small and cute just woke up from her nap!

Talk to you soon!

Create A Smile

Hiya!

Just thought I'd give you a heads up, I'm over at Create a Smile, with a VERY cute (If I may say so myself) card using the new Whimsical Wheels stamp set.

Here's a sneak

By the way, did you see that Christine did a BIG surprise announcement on our Facebook group yesterday?! Create a Smile now carries STENCILS!! Get in quick, they're FABULOUS--and an amazing price :)

See you over there!

Linda xx

Trying something different

Hi friends!

I recently participated in a FB weekend of crafting hosted by a great company called Kit and Clowder, and it was all about the colouring. colouring colouring colouring. FABULOUS!

So I have a friend Stephanie, who is on the Some Odd Girl DT with me and she makes THE most intricate, layered cards I've ever seen. They're perfection, and they're genius--and TOTALLY worlds away from my cards.

OK so I'm nervous about this one because it's SO far out of my comfort zone, but here goes.

I coloured the girl (from Saturated Canary) onto some Neenah kraft card stock, using my much-loved Prismacolour Pencils.  Then I layered her all up on red and more neenah cardstock. The red checkered paper is from an old MME 6x6 paper pad. the sentiment is from Lil Inkers--I've been itching to use it!

I love how the pencils look on card stock! I always forget how great this effect is.

OK! I'll be back again really soon with more.

see ya!

Challenge Time at ABNH!

Hi friends!

It's challenge time over at ABNH and I'm here to share my card with you!


We're challenging you to use your PATTERNED PAPERS!!!

We're also lucky enough to be collaborating with the delightful Winnie and Walter! SO exciting :)

Here's my card

I used my memento markers to create the flower panel. I love this technique--do you have an old-favourite technique?? I'm always so happy with the interesting slightly uneven stamping you get with the Memento Markers. Love it.

The rest of the card is pretty self explanatory I think!

Hope you'll pop by the blog to check out the rest of the DT's work, and enter the challenge for your chance to win a

thanks to our Sponsors!

See you again really soon!

InLinkz.com

September Create a Smile Release BLOG HOP!

Hi friends!!!!

it's time for the September Release hop!

Create A Smile are a new stamps company in town - their first stamps were released in July 2014. The stamps are made of high quality photo-polymer and produced in Germany. They will for sure make you smile!

These are the facts:

Create A Smile is releasing three sets TOMORROW! You can find their store at www.createasmilestamps.com, the stamps will be available for purchase at 8am CET (2am EST).

You can win a 12,50€ gift-certificate for the store - all you need to do is hop along and leave comments on all the fantastic and inspiring stops (one comment per person, per blog please!). We’ll pick random winner from all the comments - so the more blogs you visit (and leave a comment on) - the more chances you have to be a winner!

You have until Saturday September 12th, 8am CET (that's 2am EST). The winner will be announced on the Create A Smile Blog on Sunday (September 13th)

Enjoy the hop!

Create A Smile

Therese Calvird

Linda Trace  

Michelle Liimatainen

Samantha Mann

Francine Vuillème

Marina Johan

Anja Curvers

Karin Akesdotter

Kelly Latevola

Gayatri Murali

Christine Drogt

OK Here's my card

 I used a stencil and some embossing paste for the clouds, and the background is using Distress Inks on watercolor cardstock :)

Wanna look at all three sets we're releasing?

cute huh?!

Next on the hop is my delightful friend Michelle Liimatainen!

Don't forget to leave comments on every stop along the hop, to increase your chance of winning a gift voucher!

See you soon!

September Some Odd Girl Release: Yeti

Are you Yeti to Party?! Woot WOot!

It's the last day of the releases over at Some Odd Girl and today's cutey is sure to make you smile!

Yeti is SUCH a cute set, and what adorable sentiments there are to go along with him!

Here is my card

I thought it'd be fun to go really rainbow-bright with this card and use some of the fun new papers from the Sunshine Sorbet 6x6 paper pad!

I hope you're signed up for the newsletter, because that ensures you get all the hot news right off the press and well before we release it on the blog!

Now come on over to the Some Odd Girl blog with me to have a look at the rest of the DT's work. They've done amazing things with Mr Yeti :)

see you again soon!

September Release: Sweater Kaylee

Hiya!

Welcome back to the ol' bloggo!

Today I'm really excited to introduce a new Kaylee stamp for you to play with. It's been a little while since we've had a new Kaylee and truth be told, she's one of my favourites!

Sweater Kaylee comes dressed in the cutest winter outfit, and her stamp set includes some really fabulous knit-pun sentiments (who doesn't love a pun?!)

Here is the card I made using Sweater Kaylee (who is available for purchase in store RIGHT NOW!)

Cute, right?! I thought it'd be fun to try a monochromatic look--it was so fun to colour! She looks so warm and cozy in her adorable outfit--I want a scarf with pompoms!

Ok, so I hope you'll stop by the Some Odd Girl blog to check out the DT work--they knocked it outta the park again this release!

The two new stamp sets we're releasing this week, as well as the new paper pad Sunshine Sorbet AND the wood veneer and sequins, are all available for purchase in the shop RIGHT NOW! Quick! Get over there!

See you tomorrow for the next stamp set we're releasing!

Getting to Know You Blog Hop (Which I'm late For:( )

Hi there crafters!

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from my sweet friend Michelle, who is also a teammate on A Blog Named Hero, asking me if I'd like to participate in a "Getting to know you" bloghop.

 

I was so flattered she chose me, that of course I said yes! Michelle is an incredibly dedicated and talented crafter. The number of brilliant cards she's made leaves me speechless. They get better and better every time she posts! 

So the idea with this blog hop is to get to know fellow crafters by their answers to a few questions - so here goes!

1. What creative projects are you currently working on?




LOTS. I'm on 4 Design Teams and they keep me very busy (which I love) and I have a couple of things in the works that I can't discuss yet, but I'm beyond excited about! I run A Blog Named Hero, a challenge blog that's focussed on the deliciousness of Hero Arts products, I'm on the Some Odd Girl DT, the newly-formed Create A Smile DT and the Scrappy Canary Scrapbooking Kit Club Design Team. I love that I can create both layouts and cards, and get as much CAS or mixed media as I like, depending on my mood.
 

 Some Odd Girl lets me use lots of Copic Colouring and Prismacolour pencils. I love that I get to colour!

Scrappy Canary: Simple, lots of white cardstock, layers beneath a small photo and INK SPLATTERS! Happy Place.

ABNH let's me get my small-scale creativity on, which I love! And we collaborate with fabulous companies!

Create A Smile gives me the chance to smile the entire time I'm creating. Those adorable little images are just delightful

  
 
2. What inspires your designs?
Hmm this is such a tough question for me. For scrapbooking, I'm VERY inspired by Wilna Furstenburg, I think she is incredible.  Paige Evans and Janna Werner are seriously genius too--and I really love that they all have a signature style. You can always tell when it's one of their pages.

For cardmaking, many people, but I'm especially intrigued by super CAS designs. I love how simple they are with super-perfect detailing in their elements.

Pinterest can be a great place of inspiration for me. I especially like looking at packaging or homewares to get ideas flowing.

Alternatively (but not less-so), I find product very inspiring. I'll often sit and stare at a new stamp set or embellishment for a while, and think through ideas while I stare at it. I always keep a notebook handy in case I get an idea while I"m on the go. I also love taking quick iphone photos if I'm in a store and see an interesting window display or piece of packaging. Advertising can often trigger something for me too. I love a good print ad.

Here is a pic I snapped in a magazine, I love the colour palette in this shot, and I'll be using it SOON!

3. What method / process (if applicable) do you apply to each of your creative projects, and how long does each project take to complete?
Gee it really varies. Strangely, I find scrapbooking a layout takes me MUCH less time than making a  card often will.
I tend not to necesarrily have a plan for my cards (which is probably why I take so long to make them). For cardmaking, I think my 'signature' process or method would be to start with white cardstock, stamp something then find a background/coordinating paper, then lastly I embellish and mount onto a coloured cardbase. I almost always work in that order.  Cards tend to take me a minimum of an hour (i work slowly) whereas layouts can take me as little as 15-25 minutes.
For scrapbooking, I love adding Gelatos as paint, and finding matching embellishments.

My 'trick' is to stare at my project and let my eyes blur/become unfocussed. I find this helps me to really 'see' the project as a whole, rather than as the singular parts. It helps me to see if everything has ended up balanced.

4. If you had to describe your 'signature' style, what would it be?
For scrapbooking it's white cardstock with big splashes of bright colour. I love a small photo and LOTS of layers of patterned paper and vellum behind it. I'd love to add stitching too, but my machine is broken :(
For cardmaking I'm not sure. My cards are all so different from each other. I like CAS the best lately, but a really great heavily layered mixed-media card with ribbon and texture? it's delicious.

5. What three crafting tools/products can you not live without?  



I'd have to say my Gelatos (I'm counting them as one!), my inks and maybe stamps or thickers.  (I'm assuming basics like paper trimmer and adhesive don't count)
 


OK! Now, time for me to nominate two peeps! I love Steph's style SO much I just sigh whenever I see her work (even when she asks me to help her fix it--I always already think it's perfect) and secondly, my good friend Lisa. We have the best all-day conversations even though we live on opposite sides of the world and I love her cards. They're never what I expect and I think they're super cool.

See you soon! Thanks so much to Michelle for asking me :)

Some Odd Girl Release: BIG NEWS!! SUNSHINE SORBET PAPER PAD!!!!

Hi friends!

It's release time at Some Odd Girl and boy do we have a CUTE couple of sets and some BIG news to share with you!!!


First up the big news. Some Odd Girl is releasing a paper pad and new wood veneer embellishments!

I mean is that exciting or what!?

The Sunshine Sorbet Paper Pad is just DELIGHTFUL and each piece of patterned paper is such nice quality. It's super thick and just a tad glossy--so cool. Lovely to use on card bases!



Here is my card to show you how fun these embellishments and the paper are

And you'll notice I've used a new Kaylee stamp too!

Well she'll be "officially" released tomorrow but she's available in the store RIGHT NOW.

Hope you'll pop over to the Some Odd Girl blog to check out the amazing creations the DT made-- seriously such a talented group!

See you over there!