Sweet Meets Sassy #2 Available Now!!!

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Welcome back!!!  Did you enjoy the Designer Showcase Days for the NEW RELEASE by Victoria Case for SCACD?  Aren't they ADORABLE?  A little bit sweet... a little bit sassy...  Have you checked the store blog to see if you are one of the lucky WINNERS?  Yesterday, Dianne and I showcased the lovely Lola.  I couldn't help but take a peek myself to see who won her!  Congratulations... WINNER... hee hee!  Congratulations also to the other 4 WINNERS - yay!!!

Today is the final reveal of the 'last' 3 stamps in this FABULOUS collection, Sweet Meets Sassy #2 by Victoria Case for SCACD.  You can find the final three lovely ladies on the store blog Here.

Before you go... I'd like to show you my take on Femme Fatale.  I hope you like her!

Doesn't she scream elegance?  She's definitely ready for a special night out!!!  Can a person be jealous of a stamped image? LOL!!!  Just checking... hee hee...  She's GORGEOUS!  I wanna go out looking like her : )

I stamped Femme Fatale on Cryogen White with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and colored her with my MOST FAVE copics:  B29 B28 B26 B24; E49 E59 E25 E53.  I 'colored' the oh-so-sparkly BLING on her gloves, shoes and earring with Viva Decor Glitter Liner.  I knew right away that the Glitter Liner was perfect for this image.  Don't you love it?  I also LOVE how the Diamond Glaze gives her beautiful eyes even more dimension and shine.  It really makes them stand out!

 

Do you think I could do a card without some HOMEMADE embellies?  Not yet...  I'm tellin ya that this is the best thing since sliced bread lol!  I am having waaaaaaaay too much fun to stop now!  This time, however, the pearls are store bought *gasp*  You can find them Here.

Some of you may have the metal corners from Wild Orchid and have already recognized them.  No, these are not metal.  However, I did use about 5 of the metal corners (stacked on top of each other) to make a mold.  I haven't placed my order for more Crystal Gel yet, so I'm still using Modeling Creme in Pearl Rose which works great too!  

Homemade Embellies 101:

First is the mold.  Quick and easy, it's like very soft clay which hardens into a flexible mold.  I like to place my object flat on a craft-able surface and place the molding material over it.  This way, when I turn it over and fill it in with Modeling Creme or Crystal Gel, I can 'frost' it without all the lumps and bumps.   It needs to sit for a number of hours to dry (depends on thickness of mold, temperature, etc.).  Once dry, I peel it out of the mold, clean up the edges and cover the piece with Perfect Medium and brush on Perfect Pearls or Mica Powder.  Then it gets a quick spray of Krylon Fixatif so the powder doesn't rub off.  I hear that you can also use hair spray...

There are many other ways to change the color of the Crystal Gel or Modeling Creme, so you are not stuck with one color!  If you saw my post yesterday, I made an ADORABLE puppy using Pearl Rose Modeling Creme and painted it white with black eyes and nose. 

For this card, I changed the color of the corner embellishments from Pearl Rose to True Blue using Perfect Pearls and topping it off with a coat of Diamond Glaze.  For the glittered dots and diamond shaped design, I sprinkled blue glitter in the mold and then filled in with Blue/Green Crystal Gel.  I LOVE how the glitter sticks to the Crystal Gel - it will NOT come off!

Well... I hope that you've been inspired to try something new today!  Come back and tell me where to find your project so I can take a peek : )

Thank you so much for visiting... I always love to see you, my sweet friends ♥

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Designer Showcase Day 5 - It's Lola!

Happy Thursday to you, my friends!  I am gearing up for a little trip to Yosemite tomorrow - yay!!!  It's been awhile since we've been there, so hubby and I are headed out early in the morning to pick up our friends who will be joining us.  I can not wait!!!  I know that the falls will be overflowing and beautiful with all the melted snow from the mountains... the rivers will be very fast and full (we will not be in any of them, thankfully!).  Oh, the weather will be in the upper 70's which is perfect.  I will show you some pictures when I return : )

Today is Designer Showcase - Day 5 for the soon-to-be-released "Sweet Meets Sassy Collection #2" by the enormously talented, Victoria Case for SCACD!!

I am so excited to share my card with you which features the ADORABLE new image... Lola.  She's soooo sweet in her chic outfit while walking the oh-so-cute puppy dog!  I hope you enjoy my creation!

I just LOVE this whole NEW Release!  I'm sure that you will love them too... They are sooo sweet and sassy :)  DP is a combination of Echo Park Summer Days and from my stash...

 Of course, Lola is colored with copics:  R29 R27 R24 R22; B04 B02 B01 B00; E35 E34 YR21 YR20.

  

More HOMEMADE embellishments!  Susana carries Mold-n-Pour Here.  You can make your own molds too : )  Yep... this is from a mold I made from a puppy dog button I had stashed!  I've already gone through my Crystal Gel (I've made a TON of fabulous items) so I dug out my Viva Decor Modeling Creme.  I have Pearl Rose and Pearl Light Blue... neither of which are dog colors, so after it dried, I used white acrylic paint, black for the eyes and nose and covered the whole thing with Diamond Glaze.  It's not perfect, but I kinda like it : )

 

These three buttons and decorative backing are made with Crystal Gel in Blue/Green.  The buttons were covered with Perfect Medium and Turquoise Perfect Pearls, then coated with Diamond Glaze.  I already had the button mold, but Susana has some FABULOUS button molds you'll LOVE Here.  The glittered backing was made by coating the bottom of the mold I created from another button with fine glitter and filling it in with Crystal Gel.  The glitter is held tight with the Crystal Gel!  I really like this technique... it's so much cleaner than gluing and glittering after!!!

 

This ADORABLE doggie bone was made the same way as above.  I made the mold from a button, put glitter on the bottom and filled the rest with Crystal Gel...  Isn't it cute???  And there's a Viva Decor Pearl in Ice White I snuck in the photo!

Now... today you have a chance to WIN this fabulous image... all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post, and go over and visit my very talented DT sister, Dianne, and leave her a comment too. We will be drawing one random winner from our comments, how awesome is that????

Thanks so much for taking a peek!  Don't forget to leave a comment here and also at Dianne's!!!

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Candy Winners and SCACD Fun!

Have you been on pins and needles waiting for me to announce the winner of my Magnolia Lace and Pearls Candy?  I'm so sorry this is late...  Here's the news you've been waiting for:

The main winner (as originally posted) is...

That's you, Jeannie!  Yay!!!  My contact info is on my sidebar : )  Please let me know where to send the goodies within three days of this post.

...But that's not all!  Once again, I have a SURPRISE winner!  I've decided that I have waaaaaay too much not to share lol!  So, I will send another Maggie along with lace and pearls to...

That's you, Daisychain!  Yippeeeeee!!!  Please contact me within three days of this post to let me know where to send your SURPRISE goodies.

Thanks to everyone for playing!  I wish I had more to give cuz it's great fun : )  However, I will gather more candy soon, so stay tuned...

SCACD NEWS

Today is day TWO of the showcase of the Victoria Case for SCACD - New Release.  Ooops, I missed day one : (  ...  Every day this week, a couple of my SCACD DT sisters will be showcasing an image or two of the new release.  The Who, What, Where can be found daily at the SCACD store blog Follow Your Heart.  There is also the opportunity for you to WIN the release.  Don't miss out on this super fun week we have planned!

June 19-23 10pm EST

Go to Follow Your Heart daily starting today!

New Product Alert!

(As listed by Susana)

Make It Crafty - These are fun and fresh stamps from Australia. The collection includes a beach feel full of mermaids, playing in the sand and girl pirates with swagger!!! Also available is their Fab chipboard very delicate, elegant laser cut pieces. These are a must see :o) 

Emerald Faerie Gardens - Also from Australia these adorable Faerie folk have flitted into SCACD and are already finding new homes. Check em out I am sure you will fall head over heels hee hee 

Crystal Gel - If you have not check out the Videos you should this is an amazing new product with very little muss or fuss!!! If you like making your own embellys or molds then this is a product for you. You do not need to heat this stuff up like other products. Simply place into a shallow mold and leave to dry and come back to Fabulous as you can see in this picture. It works best with softer molds that I sell some in the same section by 1st Impression Mold Co. But again any soft mold works best though a shallow hard mold works too. It can be use with deeper molds just the drying time will increase esp. after ¼" deep. Note that the clear and holographic Crystal gel are currently out of stock and is expected in late next week - email me to reserve one.

New We R Memory Keepers - New Sew Easy attachment heads and New Floss Series. These floss collections are gorgeous and you get 3 colors per roll :o)

 

 

Craft Concepts Embossing Folders - New Craft Concept embossing folders have arrived

 

 

New 6" x 6" Paper Pads - New to the large selection of paper pads at SCACD are the new releases from Bo Bunny, Basicgrey & Best Creations.

 

Check out the Clearance area - LOTS of New added recently to this area!!!

Thank you, my sweet friends, for stopping by!  I'm behind the scenes now to create something fabulous you are sure to love lol!  Hmmmm... I hear the Crystal Gel calling me...

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum...

Land Ho!  Are you ready for an adventure?  It's time to set sail once again and travel to uncharted territory!  Curious yet?  Find out more below...

Today, I have the privilege of showcasing two of the Make It Crafty stamps!  You'll also want to check out a few of my DT sister's blogs because they also are showcasing some of the Make It Crafty stamps which are NOW AVAILABLE at SCACD!!!  You'll find the links to their awesome creations at the store blog.

Here's Alvida the Pirate and Treasure Chest...

I LOVE these papers... 6x6 Be Mine by Echo Park (except for the map which I had in my stash).  The cool pirate ship is from The Cutting Cafe : )

Challenges Entered:

Crafts for Eternity - "R" (round, aRRgh)
Creative Friday - Black White Pink
Pile It On - Metal (faux metal)
Southern Girls - Anything Goes
Simon Says - Bingo (Buttons, Pearls, Shape)
Top Tip Tuesday - Open Challenge
Simon Says Stamp and Show - (faux metal)
Paper Variety - Mixed Alphas (Arrgh/background text)
Totally Stampalicious - Something Old (alpha mold) Something New (stamps)
Bearly Mine - Anything Goes

Colored with copics and accented with the following products: Viva Decor Glitter Liner for the blade; Celebration Pink Ultra Fine Glamour Dust Paint on pearls/jewelry; Gold Glitz Ultra Fine Glamour Dust Paint on coins.  (If I get time later, I'll edit with the copic colors I used).

One of the embellies I made with Crystal Gel.  I used Blue Green and painted the blade with Precious Metals Paint in silver.  The handle is a wee bit distressed with Gold Perfect Pearls.

More homemade embellies!!!  I have an alphabet mold and filled it with Crystal Gel (blue green).  When it dried, I had to yank it out (honestly, it did NOT come out with ease).  Silicone molds are definitely the way to go!!!  I used Perfect Medium and Gold Perfect Pearls to cover the blue/green color.  I was amazed at how well it took on the color!

The 'coins' are tiny buttons I found which I also made a mold of.  To make the mold, I found Amazing Mold Putty.  This stuff is incredibly easy to work with.  If Susana doesn't carry a particular mold and you happen to have what you're looking for at home, why not try making your own mold?  Crystal Gel works perfectly with the Amazing Mold Putty!  It is very light weight, so you're not adding so much weight and bulk to your cards.  Again, I covered the blue/green Crystal Gel with Perfect Medium and Gold Perfect Pearls.  Voila'... cute lil' coins!

Dimension, but not the weight : )  I am sooooo in LOVE with molds and Crystal Gel!!!  I'm having so much fun, I only have 1/2 the jar left (and it's a HUGE jar!).  You'll be seeing lots of embellies with Crystal Gel coming up... hee hee

Don't forget to check out the store blog and see what crafty goodness my DT sisters have come up with!

As always...

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Tickled Pink meets CLP Challenge

OK... I think my brain is fried... literally!  I'm pretty positive that you could fry an egg up there lol!  It's so darn H O T in my house.  I don't DO hot.  Who didn't get the memo??? Hmmmm?  Not that anyone would listen anyway LOL... *sigh*  I think it's time to bring out the ice cream - yes, it's definitely ice cream time cuz I am hungry!!!

If I had a cupcake, I'd certainly have one of those too.  Who says that cupcakes are only for birthdays?  I think my situation calls for a cupcake, don't you?  I'll even give you one...

My card today just happens to feature Cupcake Cherrie who is holding...a cupcake!!!  Yummmmm!  Kellie at Tickled Pink Stamps has allowed the DT to play with one of her images for this challenge.  Thank you so much Kellie... you are such a sweetie ♥

I've used Chelsea's FABULOUS sketch for CLP Sketch Challenge #37.  This month, the DT have split up into two teams.  You may have already seen the first team's awesome creations the 1st of June; now we present a second wave of inspiration on the 15 : )
 

 Don't you love Chelsea's talent?  She's amazing!!!  Love you, Chelsea ♥

Here's a brave close up cuz I forgot... again... and used Stickles over a digi.  I was able to save it by going over the outlines with copic multiliner.  It's not as crisp as it should be though.  When will I learn?  Ugh!!!

I just wanted to show you the embossing folder I used... I covered each cupcake with Diamond Glaze and Glamour Dust.  Kinda cool, huh?

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you are having a wonderful day!

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Wild Orchid Challenge and DT Call!

Hey There!  I've made it through the week... phew!  It was a rough one.  I know that trials build character, but I thought that my character was just fine (NOT!).  Oh well... I've got a long way to go, but praise God, I'm not where I used to be!!!

Last week, I gave my testimony at Celebrate Recovery.  I'm learning more and more how to be open and honest before people.  I strive to be 'real' - KWIM?  It makes for lasting relationships : )

Guess what?  I am finally entering a Wild Orchid Challenge!  Yippeeee.  Well, actually, I've entered once or twice in the past, but this time is specifically for Wild Orchid Sketch #25.  Bev has a fabulous sketch this week to follow:

Here's what came together as paper, copics, flowers, pearls and seam binding flew!!!

I chose a digi from Bugaboo (another first!) called Ava School Sign It.  I keep going out of my norm lol!  Who knows what'll happen next : )

Ava's colored with copics:  BV05 BV02 BV01 BV00; E35 E34 YR21 YR20; G28 G24 G21 G20; R05 R02 R01; W9 W7 W5; Spica Pens: Black and Red (I wrote the sentiment with the black and red spicas).

 Wow... the flowers look really off in this pic!  They don't match exactly, but the colors here are very different than what I'm looking at on my desk - grrrr...  They are a mix of Wild Orchid 10mm Open Roses, 25mm Wild Rose and Prima.  The String of pearls are from Michael's and the Lilac Pearls are Viva Decor Paper Pen. Seam binding (another first for me!) from Wild Orchid topped with a button I had in my stash and another 10mm Open Rose : )

Papers were printed on my printer some time ago, so I don't remember where they came from, sorry!  Panels are machine stitched; circle is hand doodled as well as the design on Ava's dress.  I gave her a sparkly bow (Viva Decor Glitter Liner - this works with digi's without smearing like Stickles!) topped with a half pearl.  The single corner embellishment is a paper shapers wave punch which I ran through my Big Shot Pro with Swiss Dots embossing folder.  I know... the Big Shot Pro is overkill just for an embossing folder, but ya know... I really love it!!!  I have it set up and accessible all the time, so I use it for EVERYTHING.

I think I've covered it all hee hee...  The challenge at Wild Orchid is about to end, so you better hurry to get your entry in for this week!  Also, they have a DT Call... I do believe it's also about to end - RUN!!!  The call will close at 8pm GMT on 12th June.

Thanks for taking a peek!

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

A BRAND NEW Technique You'll Love!

Happy Fabulous Friday to you, my sweet friends!  I feel a date night in my near future, how 'bout you?  It's been forever since hubby and I have gone anywhere.  Noooo, I am not exaggerating!  Well, if you count going to the grocery store together as a date, I stand corrected hee hee.  I really really want to go to the movies and eat popcorn.  I don't enjoy action or suspense films, and hubby doesn't enjoy girlie movies.  I don't know how many times he's suggested going to separate movies - that's not going to happen!  Date night means doing something together lol!  Have you seen any good movies lately?  I'm not even sure what's out right now.  I'm open to suggestions...

I also enjoy candlelight.  How romantic...  I'm in love with the dream of being swept off my feet by my knight in shining armor.  He brings me to a fancy restaurant with beautifully decorated tables which of course, include lots of candles!  Anytime I don't have to cook and clean up IS a dream LOL!!!  I think many young girls dream of being Cinderella *sigh*  I never did.  I think I was too busy just trying to survive!  Well, I am making up for lost time now... hee hee

I am sooooo excited to share my project with ya today *happy dancing* : )  Susana (Susana's Custom Art & Card Design) sent a few of her DT some Viva Decor Crystal Gel and a silicone mold to play with this week.  Let me tell you that I had a TON of FUN!!!  This stuff is addicting!  I've already begun saving to buy more 'goo' (as we affectionately call the Gel) in different colors and of course, I NEED more molds!!!

First, I'll show you my project, then I'll describe the process below...

Just look at the detail the Crystal Gel picked up from the silicone mold.  Isn't it amazing?  I've used the Blue Green Gel.  Shown here are two of the four designs included with the Mini Lace Set mold I used (photo of mold below).

I couldn't believe how easy this project was to put together.  I didn't use one drop of glue!  The dried Gel sticks to glass - how cool is that?  You can see how flexible it is as it hugs the shape of the votive holder.  The only adhesive used was on the adhesive-backed pearls and they stick very well to the custom made embellishments.  Another good thing about not needing to glue the embellishments down is that you can change em out whenever you want to!  You can use different colors for every season or celebration.  Imagine the possibilities...  Can you tell how excited I am???

Here you can see how much product you get!  I made a TON of embellishments (more projects to come!) and it hardly made a dent.

This is half of the Mini Lace Set mold by 1st Impressions.  You can see that there are two of each design (four of each design with the entire mold).  This comes in handy when you have a lot to make as in the votive holder I made :)  Other molds will have varying elements, so you'll need to read the descriptions carefully before you purchase so you know exactly what you're getting.  All 1st Impressions molds are shallow which work flawlessly with the Crystal Gel.  Believe me, I've tried other molds with unsatisfactory results.  These are the BEST molds I've ever used!

I LOVE Crystal Gel ♥

You'll want to check out Marti's videos on using Crystal Gel with silicone molds Here and Here.  

The store blog also has fabulous creations you won't want to miss using this awesome product Here.

Challenges Entered: 

Bearly-Mine - Anything Goes #12

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes #61

Creatalicious #22 Flourishes

Make It Monday #40

Cutie Stampers - Blue/White #104

The Rubber Cafe - A Gift #21

Inspire Me Fridays #10 
Shelly's TTT - Show us What You Got! 
Craft-Room - Anything Goes #1
Moving Along With the Times - Anything But a Card #102 

Thanks so much for playing with me here at My Comfort Cottage today.  It's been nice having you stop by :)

Have you entered my BLOG CANDY yet?  You can find it Here.  Ends June 17.

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

 

Magnolia Lace and Pearls Blog Candy!

*** Scroll down for Quixotic Paperie Celebration!!!***

Blog Candy for You...

 A few of my favorite things...

 These are the actual stamps the winner will receive.  

They are VERY GENTLY used...

• If you would be so kind to post my candy (sidebar is fine) that would be wonderful, but it's totally up to you...
• Wanna receive email updates?  Check out my sidebar and sign up if you wish :)

So... do you see anything that you'd like to have come home with you?

Simply enter by the lil' blue froggy below...

Ends June 17, 2011

Thank you so very much for your love and support.  You are all amazing!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

Happy Birthday Quixotic Paperie!!!

Welcome friends!  Some of the SCACD Design Team have the pleasure of joining Quixotic Paperie today to help celebrate their 2nd Anniversary, and also to throw the spotlight on SCACD Stamps, which are available in the UK at Quixotic Paperie!

Today designers from both the SCACD Stamps and Quixotic Paperie teams are showing off creations featuring some of the gorgeous images available through SCACD Stamps. 

It's not a hop, so feel free to dip in and out of the list of blogs however you please!

Here's the list of participants:

- Annika - Elaine - Kim D - Mary - Rowena -

- Alex - Carolyn - Colleen - Crystal - Danni - Dianne -Lori -

As you may be aware, SCACD Stamps is run by the lovely Susana of Susana's Custom Art & Card Design in the US.  The SCACD Stamps range is available in the UK exclusively at Quixotic Paperie.

There are three fantastic artists in the current range from SCACD Stamps - Carmen Medlin, Elisabeth Bell and Victoria Case, each with a different style.

  

As part of the celebrations and the spotlight today, there is a PRIZE GIVEAWAY!  Visit the Quixotic Inspirations blog for details and to enter!

For my contribution to today's celebration, I decided to use Hey Birdy Peeker by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD.  Can you believe this is the first time I've inked up this cutie pie?  I knew I was saving it for a special occasion!  Happy Happy Birthday Quixotic Paperie ♥  Elaine, you are fabulous!!!

After stamping with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, I colored in this wee babe with my fave coloring medium, copics:  RV34 RV32 RV11 RV10; YG05 YG01 YG00 YG95 Y15; B04 B01 B00 B0000; W9 W7 W5 W3 W1. I decided I wanted to keep her hat light, so I used B00 and B0000 for a bit of color, then sprinkled on a generous coat of sparkly Glamour Dust (on top of the glue, of course!).  The water in the bird bath needed a bit of shine, so it received my go-to Diamond Glaze.

The image was die cut using Small Classic Circle Nestabilities, layered over pink cs die cut using Small Classic Scalloped Circle Nestabilities.  The awesome pearls were made with my FAVORITE Opal Paper Pen by Viva Decor.

 

Isn't this adorable? It's a cupcake gift bag, template courtesy of Daisie Company.  

It was a snap to put together!

Challenges Entered:

Creative Stamp Friends - Gift Package #26

Pear Tree Designs - Summer Delights #52

A Spoon Full of Sugar - Here Comes Summer #155

Bearly-Mine - Anything Goes #12 

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

PPT - Summer Birthdays #19

The ABC Challenge - W is for Wish (Birthday!)

Truly Scrumptious - Summer Sparkle #58
DYSU - Birthday #23 
Sweet Stampin' - Playing in the Summer Sun
OLLCB - Happy Birthday #81
Paper Pretties - Summer
Crazy Amigo - Summer
Pile It On - Summer Heaven #23
Craft-Room - Anything Goes #1 
Moving Along With the Times - Anything But a Card #102 

 

More bling on the cherry using Glamour Dust and Stardust Stickles around the pink and green dots.  I was so happy when I realized I had this oh-so-perfect ribbon to match : )  I dug up a clear stamp set I purchased at JoAnn's last year which also came in handy for today's celebration!  The ticket background is one stamp, the outline another stamp, and the sentiment the third stamp.

HINT when using clear stamps:  You probably already know this, but I found out some helpful news while making the ticket sentiment.  Because of the clear stamp, when I used Memento Ink, the sentiment was blotchy and kinda blurry which is fine if that's the look you're going for (I wasn't).  I tried Versafine Ink next and it worked great!  When I stamped the ticket background, I used Distress Ink.  Again, I didn't like the way it turned out.  Next, I tried Stampin' Up Mauve Mist Ink which worked like a charm!  This is the result you see.  I don't know if they still have this color, but again, it's good to know that their ink works well with clear stamps.  Ta da!!!!!  I have a new appreciation for clear stamps now - yippeee!
 

 

Here's the backside...

Thank you for joining us, we hope you enjoyed checking out SCACD Stamps with us today!

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~