SOC Christmas in July Blog Hop!

Welcome to the SOC Christmas in July Blog Hop! I am joining a group of very talented crafters to deck the halls with Christmas themed projects! Christmas is the season for giving, and this blog hop is no exception.

There will be giveaways on various blogs throughout the hop -- including this one!  Plus, there will be a SOC Blog Hop Gift awaiting one visitor. To be eligible for that prize, you must comment on all of the blogs by 11:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 28. One lucky reader will be randomly drawn and the winner of the SOC Blog Hop Gift will be posted Wednesday, July 31.

For my Christmas in July project, I created this wooden tree advent calendar.

Supplies: Fancy Pants - Home for Christmas; Kaisercraft - 'Tis the Season; 

Claudine Hellmuth Studio acrylic paint - Traditional Tan; Kylon - 18kt Gold Leafing pen

BLOG CANDY: 12 Tim Holtz Distress Markers that were just released at Connect-and-Create (aka CHA). Yes, the whole set! 

To be eligible simply leave a comment on my blog by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 28. The Blog Candy winner's name will be randomly selected and posted on this blog on Tuesday, July 30. Good luck!

Be sure to visit all of the SOC Christmas in July Blog Hop sites and leave comments to be entered to win SOC Blog Hop Gift.

Here's a list of everyone in the hop:

Dorothy

Cyndi

Cheryl

Donna

FranCine

Debra

Alice

Michelle - that's me!

Classygirl

MJ

Fun with My Big Girl Crayons - Copic Markers!

Sometimes I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and just need to slow down for a bit to collect myself and free my mind. So, that's what I decided to do.

At the Weekend Memories crop this past weekend I didn't teach any classes or spend a lot of time getting pictures printed or projects packed. Instead of stressing after a long, tiring week, I decided that I was going to spend my time at the crop doing something that I have loved since I was a child -- COLORING!

It had been so long since I'd colored anything. At first I was worried that I might be really rusty and someone would walk by and see how awful my blending or color combos would be. Then I got over it and printed out digital stamps from one of my favorite digital stamp illustrators, Krista at Saturated Canary.

Then I grabbed my big girl crayons (Copic Markers), my Daylight lamp, my Mac & headphones and headed to the crop to color.

Oh boy what fun I had! And it was so relaxing!

Here are a few of the things that I colored. First up is YoYo.

Hair: E35, E39, E47, E49, Y23; Skin: E11, E21, E51; Eyes: E31, E35, E37; 

Lips: R20, R22, RV39; Skirt: V04, V06, V09; Shirt/Scarf: BG05, BG09, BG13

This fun one is called Frizzy Jinx.

Skin: E00, E21, E51l; Eyes: YG03, YG17, G14; Hair: Y21, YR21, YR23; 

Red: R24, R27, R29; Green: YG05, YG07, G05; Brown: E50, E53, E57; Beige: E50, E53

And this last lovely is LaLa.

Hair: C1, C3, C5, C7; Purple: V12, V15, V17

Like I said, it's been a long time, so my blending is a bit rusty. But it was so much fun. I look forward to breaking out my big girl crayons to color again soon!

Creating Harmony with Bird Song

Last night the Scraps of Color Friday Night Challenge #1 was to use textured paper, mist, metal, and a stamp. Here's what I came up with:

This Julie Nutting Doll Stamp arrived in the mail yesterday (along with a few others) -- YIPPEE!  Thank you, Blue Moon Scrapbooking for your speedy delivery and free shipping. And a BIG thank you, Barb, for introducing me to this great online shop!

As soon as I saw the stamp, I knew that I wanted to use the lovely Bird Song Collection by Graphic 45. And this piece of embossed paper  form the Core Impressions Graphic 45 Timeless Collection by Core'dinations provided the perfect background.

Okay, so this isn't the greatest picture. What can I say, it was 2:30 a.m.
I'll take a better pic later & replace it.

Supplies used:  Prima Marketing - Julie Nutting Mixed Media Stamp, Graphic 45 Bird Song Collection, Core'dinations Graphic 45 Timeless Collection, Smooch - Tuxedo Black, Distress Paint - Antiqued Bronze, Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo, The Girls Paperie - Glitter Charms, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Marshmallow, StazOn - Jet Black, Archival Ink - Jet Black, Mod Podge - Matte

Off to play with my new stamps!

Fun Mixed Media Class

The ladies in the Mixed Media Canvas Class that I taught yesterday at Weekend Memories were a lot of fun! These talented women created some amazing artwork.

They were all given the same materials, but they each created something different. I love when that happens.

The following mixed media canvas artwork was created by a couple of the ladies who requested red kits:

The following mixed media canvas artwork was created by a some of the ladies who used the purple class kits:

There were a couple of other talented women who left before I had an opportunity to take pictures of their masterpieces.

Everyone said that they had a great time and that they were very happy with the class and what they created. This makes me smile -- REALLY BIG!

People at the crop really seemed to like what the class participants made because they asked when I'll be teaching it again. 

In fact, there was one woman who told me that I will be teaching the class at the next crop.  LOL! So, looks like I'll be teaching it again in July. YEAH! I can't wait!

Thank you to everyone who took my class. I so enjoyed getting messy with you!

Mixed Media ATC

What a blast I had making this ATC for a Mixed Media ATC Swap on Scraps of Color.

I've only done one other swap with that group and was really happy with the quality of workmanship. So I feel confident that the ones that I receive for this swap will be great.

Here's what I made:

If I were thinking, I would have taken a picture of one of them before I started (I made 5).  I started out with a filled metal element from the Industrial Chic line by Susan Lenart Kazmer.

I was instantly drawn to the variety of mediums included within the binding and could not wait to start adding to and creating within it.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture.  Underneath the stamped acetate is a bird mailing stamp.

The bird on this page is made out of wood.  I used Copic Markers to color it. 

I also used them to color the stamped image on the acetate.

For this page, I stamped the quote on Sticky Back Canvas by Claudine Hellmuth.

The butterfly below was Color Magic Butterflies and Color Shine Tropicana Teal from Heidi Swapp's new line.

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tissue Tape was added to this page. 

I created the ATC base (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") using an Inkessentials Surface Gloss ATC and alcohol ink by Ranger Ink to create this polished stone look.

I hope that the Host and Swappers like it. 

If you can have any boards that you enjoy swapping on, please let me know!

Mixed Media Canvas Class

I had a SO MUCH FUN creating this mixed media canvas for a class that I'll be teaching at Weekend Memories at the end of the month. Usually I create and teach mini album classes, but I thought that I'd do something different this time.

In March I took a wonderful class, taught by Logan at Camp Crop-A-Lot, where we used the "SHE was a daughter" Christy Tomlinson stamp made by Unity Stamp Company. I fell in love with it and had to get one for myself.

Embedded on the dress of the stamp is "she was a daughter of God." But by utilizing the "Box Word Set" by Rubbernecker Stamps I was able to change the words to impart what I wanted to convey.

You can even can even print and cut your own words and stick them on the dress... the possibilities are endless!

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

It's time to get your crop on! For those of you (like me) that didn't make plans to celebrate National Scrapbook Day at a crop, do not despair.  Big Picture Classes is hosting an online Creative Crop for FREE today.  You can click here to read the full story in an Examiner article that I wrote about it.

I have a few things to do today that I committed to -- not putting the date and NSD together (or looking at my calendar), when I agreed.  So, luckily, in the hours that I do not have places to be, I will be getting my crop on with the crazy talented instructors hosting Creative Crop!

I love the fact that you can just jump in at the top of every hour...it totally fits with my sporadic schedule today.  I'm looking forward to participating in the challenges, seeing everyone's creations, and maybe even winning a fab prize (if I'm lucky)!

HAPPY NATIONAL SCRAPBOOKING DAY!