QKD Royal Monday Blog Hop and December Release Preview Plus Royal Challenge 12 Days of Christmas Day 2

Don't forget each week we have two Royal Court blog hops. I'm on Monday's hop list so today is a preview of the great new stamps being released Wednesday. Shhhh! Why wait til Wednesday to see the new December stamps! Today you can get a sneak peek!!!!! That means the other half of the QKD Design Team will feature the December releases on Wednesday's hop and the stamps will be available in the QKD store on that date. For both hops, and to start at the beginning to see all of the great projects, click on QKD. If you've been following the December preview blog hop, you came from my Monday blogging buddy, Kelly. Next up is my Stampin' Saturday partner, Penny.

I'm also taking on Queen Kat's challenge to post 12 Days of QKD Christmas. So check my blog daily for more stamping ideas.

My Design Team assignment for December is to create cards and tags with the new QKD December release Northern Exposure designed by the talented Jonathan Pitcher for Queen Kat Designs. Here's a preview of this great stamp set.
When I saw these images, I immediately thought of the current weather transition in the Midwest (USA). Leaves and nuts are still drifting down from the trees, swirling in the air as they make their descent to the ground. We're putting away pumpkins and raking leaves. The cold wind blows in a light snow. Or we awake to a frost on the remaining leaves that crunch under foot. Any flowering plants now have a glittery coating. To me, Jonathan's snow people evoke this feeling of transition, made of snow but adorned with autumn's regalia.

I distressed the edges of a beautiful textured pressed cotton fiber paper for the background. Doesn't it look like those leaves are falling to the ground? I cut a strip of burlap to make a bow and added on top a Maya Road ribbon. After stamping and cutting out the images, I highlighted them with Copic markers and a glitter glue pen. A matching card stock mat and a kraft card, along with glittery leaves and berries complete the Northern Exposure transition card.

Don't forget to end your hop at the QKD store . There are some wonderful specials going on there! And be sure to use my special code for an additional 10% discount! Mark your calendar to return to the store on Wednesday when all of the December release stamps will hit the cyberspace shelves.
And to see more great stamping ideas with these new releases, be sure to start at the QKD blog on Wednesday.
Cyber Days Shipping Sale
Save on shipping rates!
Spend $20 get $2 shipping...
Spend $50 get FREE Shipping...
Spend $100 get FREE shipping & a FREE stamp set!
(Good today through12/1/09)

Here's our new Monday QKD blog hop list, to help you navigate in cyberspace.
QKD blog-
Alex's blog
Vicki's blog--
Kelly's blog
Helene's blog -- You're here with me!
Penny's blog
Meredith's blog
Linda's blog
Anita's blog
Sara's blog
Ashley's blog
Queen Kat Designs Store

MMSC#29

I turned the sketch on its side and used my new Graphic 45 papers.

QKD 12 Days of Christmas DT Challenge: Day 1

The day is almost over but I'm posting my Day 1 Christmas Card made with QKD stamps. Queen Kat challenged the Royal Court to post on their blogs 12 days of Christmas. I'm highly competitive and up for the challenge.
This card is made with QKD stamp sets Russian Dolls and Christmas Greetings. The colors I own of Copic markers and the Graphic 45 Renaissance Faire patterned paper (2 double sided sheets = 4 patterns) went well together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for friends and family and a safe journey for all those coming home for our family reunion weekend.

I'm also thankful for good health, something I've come to fully appreciate after a bout with flu and pneumonia.

And I'm thankful for the friends I've made in person and in cyberspace on my new found art journey of scrapping and stamping.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

QKD Royal Monday Blog Hop

Today the QKD Royal Court Design Team is using a photo for inspiration.
Don't forget each week we have two blog hops. I'm on Monday's hop list, but there is another hop on Tuesday. For both hops, and to start at the beginning to see all of the great projects, click on QKD. If you've been following the blog hop, you came from my new blogging buddy, Kelly. Next up is my Stampin' Saturday partner, Penny.

Each month I have to remind myself that this is an inspiration challenge, not a color challenge---a particularly difficult concept this time around because this photo reminds me of my parlor. You may not see the similarity, but I picked up on the blue because my dining room is navy blue and white, while the parlor is white with navy blue. But then again this isn't a color challenge.
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION: With visions of formal rooms and Victorian decor swirling in my head, I came upon Tamra Davis' Victorian shoe tutorial on theCardLadies website. Everything just clicked together. I used her shoe pattern and the directions to make the ruffle. Everything else is my unique take on designing a shoe.

In my stash, I found this ornate cardstock from K& Co called Que Sera Sera Bird's Nest. Here is a photo of it before I cut it up for the Victorian shoe:
I really got the most out of one sheet of paper.
I placed the shoe pattern over the left side. I used that bottom left section for the scallop trim where I placed some sparkly buttons. I cut out one flower for the toe, one flower and the bird for the top of the shoe, and a butterfly for the heel. Then I discovered I didn't have anything for the ruffle. Much to my surprise (timing is everything), my sister-in-law delivered some beautiful felt flocked paper from my niece-in-law ---thanks, dear! I went crazy adding as many embellies as I could find in my stash. From the bird's beak, I hung a sign with a sentiment made with a QKD stamp. It was the perfect finishing touch. Then I had to figure out how to photograph the shoe, so I mounted it on some coordinating green cardstock. Here is the finished project:


Don't forget to end your hop at the QKD store . There are some wonderful specials going on there! And be sure to use my special code for an additional 10% discount! Here's a direct link to the stamp I used on today's project: Sayings Mini Stamp Set
I had trouble deciding between A Touch of Class because of the shoe design and Our nest is Blessed because of the bird's nest I put in the top of the shoe. You can see which one won out.

Here's our new Monday QKD blog hop list, to help you navigate in cyberspace.
QKD blog-
Alex's blog
Vicki's blog--
Kelly's blog
Helene's blog -- You're here with me!
Penny's blog
Meredith's blog
Linda's blog
Anita's blog
Sara's blog
Ashley's blog
Queen Kat Designs Store

MMSC28 We Shall Hear Angels Christmas Card

This week's sketch included a challenge to make a Christmas card that may be chosen for the Holiday Blog Hop. So I really wanted to make something totally unique.
I started with a thin layer of drywall compound smeared onto my surface. When, partially dry, I use tools and deeply grooved stamps to make imprints. The top right corner is the imprint of a corner swirl stamp. When completely dry, the surface is ready to decorate. (I learned this technique at my Prairie Stampers Club meetings--Yea club!) I used Adirondak Metallics Gold Acrylic Paint Dabber for edging and to highlight the raised portions of the drywall compound. I further highlighted with a liquid gold glitter (no name), and a Marvy Twinklette gold pigmented glitter marker. While that was drying, I stamped my angel image (Angelic set by Olive Wimple) with Jet Black Archival ink and colored as follows: Copic E00 skin white; Copic RV 32 Shadow pink on the skirt, then covered with Ranger Pink Stickles; bodice filled in with a Sakura burgundy Gelly Roll glitter pen; wings and hair with the Twinklette gold glitter marker; violin with two shades of brown watercolor pencils and then blended. Grungeboard snowflake similarly is covered with gold paint and Stickles. I followed the lines of the pattern created in my drywall compound when I placed my two ribbons. The vertical ribbon I pleated and held together with glue dots. I also followed the curve of my swirl stamp when adhering the sprig of greenery as well as stamping the sentiment. A couple of metal embellishments and a Kaiser Kraft pearl complete the design. I then matted the image and the board onto some beautiful felt flocked burgundy paper (given to me by my niece-in-law). I couldn't help distressing the edges for a more vintage look. The angel image is placed with pop dots to level out the unevenness of the compound. I suggest placing the completed piece on a top-folded cardstock for a unqiue Christmas card that can also be used as a wall hanging.

Thanks for looking.

Special QKD Welcome to Designer Kelly Kost

The 3rd anniversary QKD party continues. Welcome bloggers to a very special QKD Blog Hop. Today we're showcasing designer Kelly Kost. She designed this Cookie the Baker stamp for Queen Kat Designs. I used it to make the cover of this recipe book which is a Christmas gift for my daughter, who makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever!


If you give a mouse a cookie...then I had to make some gift tags for all of the goodies she's going to whip up and give away during the holidays.
If you scroll down my blog, you'll see lots of ideas using QKD stamps. I'll be blogging more holiday ideas in the coming weeks. So use my special coupon code HH10 in the QKD store to get yourself set up with an additional 10% discount and some fun stamps for holiday crafting.

Don't forget to join me, the other Design Team members of the Royal Court, and Queen Kat, herself, for a live chat tonight at Paper Craft Planet. See details in the blog post below.

Now I'll tell a little story on myself. I visited Archivers and saw this recipe book with the Maya Road album with acrylic stand and the Cosmo Cricket papers. I thought it would be perfect for my Cookie the Baker stamp project. (Archivers is offering a class but I'm doing it my way, as usual). I snagged the patterned paper, but when I got home I realized I didn't buy any coordinating cardstock. So I spent one evening digging through all of my kit club packets and misc. papers I've collected (remember, I'm a paperholic) and came up with the perfect colors for the card stock (whew!) So even though I have to give them credit for the basic idea, my album will be unique with stamped images and other papers and embellies. You gotta luv inspiration wherever you find it! And today I found out Maya Road has some new minis which I plan to buy so that I can add a tiny chipboard spoon on the cover!

Here's the list for this special hop: Next up is Vicki
Alex
Meredith
Penny
Jules
Kelly B
Sara
Anessa
Lara
Linda
Anita
Nancy
Steph
Helene -- You are here with me!
Vicki
QKD Store

Week Long QKD Celebration

This week @ QKD.. It's our 3rd Birthday!

Welcome!! Thanks for coming for the celebration. QKD is turning 3 officially on Nov 19th. We are so excited to share this event with you. We have a fun week planned just for you!!

Scroll down for the Monday Royal Court blop hop to see what I created for the celebration.
Come back tomorow, Thursday, to see my special project for our additional blog hop/stamp reveal!
Snag my special coupon code: HH10 for an additional 10% off your order in the store!
Join me Thursday evening for chatting on Paper Craft Planet.
And make something for our challenges. You could be the winner of some FREE stamps!

Speaking of snagging, I snagged the special logo and posted it up above but don't click on it. It's not a live link. Instead, keep reading and click on this list below.

Here's the schedule of events:

Monday:
Royal Kat Monday Blog hop: QKD Blog
Color Challenge: Our group @ PCP

Tuesday:
Sketch Challenge: Our group @ PCP

Wednesday:
Royal Kat Wednesday Blog hop: QKD Blog
Inspiration Challenge: Our group @ PCP

Thursday:
Royal Blog Hop: @ QKD Blog
"Crop" night: Our group @ PCP 8-10 pm EST
-We will have random prize drawings for those who come participate
-There will be special challenges with prizes
-Chat time with the QKD Royal court including Queen Kat.

Friday:
Thanksgiving Challenge: Our group @ PCP

All Week:
Sale at QKD: Use the coupon code: HH10 and get 10% off your entire purchase. You can save up to 65% in the store with this coupon. All clearance items are already 55% off.

QKD Royal Monday Blog Hop

This is the beginning of a very special week for Queen Kat Designs. We're celebrating three years in business making acrylic stamps, right here in the USA! It would only make sense that the Design Team's color challenge for this week would be the official QKD colors: pink, purple, gray and white. Don't forget each week we have two blog hops. I'm on Monday's hop list, but there is another hop on Wednesday. For both hops, and to start at the beginning to see all of the great projects, click on QKD. If you've been following the blog hop, you came from my new blogging buddy, Kelly. Next up is my Stampin' Saturday partner, Penny. And be sure to come back here this Thursday, November 19, for a special blog hop. We'll be continuing the three year celebration with a very special stamp release.

Paint a cardboard Q with two coats of DecoArt Dazzling Metallic Silver Sage acrylic paint. Using clear VersaMark, stamp the QKD Funky Swirl randomly on the Q. Coat with Ranger super fine detail silver embossing powder and heat set until the powder turns to liquid silver. Stamp the QKD Kings Crown onto purple cardstock and cut out. Outline with Marvy Twinklette pigmented gold glitter marker. Embellish with Hero Arts pink pearls and some gold cord. Build up the back with cardboard and pop dots until it is the same depth as the Q. Glue the Q onto a Rosebud Scalloped Card by the Paper Company. Place the crown along side the top of the Q. Embellish the Q with pink and purple ribbons and stacked flowers topped with Ranger Rock Candy Stickles. Voila! A card fit for a queen! Happy Birthday/Anniversary, Queen Kat!

Don't forget to end your hop at the QKD store . There are some wonderful specials going on there!

Here's our new Monday QKD blog hop list, to help you navigate in cyberspace.
QKD blog--check here for this week's activities, including a challenge for you with a stamp set as a prize!
Alex's blog
Vicki's blog--Blog candy here: she's giving away the beautiful holiday planner that she made!
Kelly's blog
Helene's blog -- You're here
Penny's blog
Meredith's blog
Linda's blog
Anita's blog
Sara's blog
Ashley's blog
Queen Kat Designs Store

MMSC#27

This week I literally followed the sketch because it was perfect for my beautiful papers and my Wa Loli stamp from Queen Kat Designs. I had purchased long ago both the white and black brocade papers with gold flowers. Mixed in with my gold card stock, I layered them up for a very rich effect. I used a Maya Road cardboard bird, covering it with the black paper and adding a gold fan for a wing. Boo to the rain which moved in here today and is planning to stay for several days. We're to get 2-4 inches of rain by Tuesday night. So no great photo shoots in the sunshine. Therefore, I'm sorry you can't see how my glitter gel pens decorated Wa Loli's top and bows in gold glitter, her stockings in red and golt glitter, for her purse--black glitter on the wings and red glitter on the heart, and red glitter lipstick. She is just "dazzling", if I do say so myself! After being so ill for two weeks, I'm finally feeling well and energized to catch up on my projects.