Mona Lisa Moments

The Diesel Says Happy 4th!

Herro!  I hope all of you American chicas have had a wonderful holiday.  :)  Diesel is 5 months old already - so hard to believe.  He continues to be such an angel.  Don't get me wrong, he's a puppy, but a wonderful fairly mellow puppy.

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I have been wanting to share this design for ages.  It was featured in the Online Tutorial section at Paper Crafts Magazine which was fun.  ;)

It was incredibly easy to create, all you need is a Clorox Bleach Pen.  Basically, I heat embossed the Victorian Sunflowers with detail fine black embossing powder on dark brown card stock and then "colored" with the bleach pen in the areas that are now yellow.  It doesn't change color right away, you just have to play with it to see how it reacts with the cardstock you are using.  Pretty cool huh?  I need to try this technique with some other backgrounders.

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We did have a release today - Ready for Christmas by Sandra Kuck:

Isn't this little girl trimming the tree just the sweetest?  One of our designers, Lisa Silver is teaching a FREE online class at CHF to create a Luminaria with this image.  Click on this link to see if you might be interested in attending.

Last but not least, have I mentioned that along with celebrating Christmas in July with all Christmas releases, we are giving a GIFT, as a thanks to our customers with every order this month?  You will receive a different gift with any order placed in July!  This was Liz's idea and she was so excited to buy treats for everyone.

Enjoy your weekend friends!

Kim Hughes Christmas in July!

It's been three weeks, but I finally got to play paper and stamps today.  Happy, happy Mona here.

What a perfect excuse to stamp, since we are releasing two new Christmas sets by Kim Hughes today.  I think these are going to be such versatile images to work with - and to stamp simply with, a must for Christmas.

The first set is called Christmas Critters and is filled with Kim's signature adorable animals and fabulous fonts.  Did you know that she draws most of the sentiments for her sets?

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You might not be able to see it, but she has a shiny brown crystal on her nose.

Ink:
-Coffee Archival (Ranger)

Paper:
-Arturo notecard (www.ellenhutson.com)
-Simply Smooth white cardstock

Accessories:
-brown Swarovski crystals
-Baby Pink Liquid Pearls

Tools:
-pinking scissors

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This card is for our California Designers, Val and Kristine!

The idea for the line of jewels was to have them feel a little like waves or maybe that they are blowing in the wind coming off the ocean.

Other stamps:

-Scroll Scrapblock

Ink:
-Aqua, Summer Yellow, and Pitch Black Adirdondack (Ranger)
-Copic Markers (www.ellenhutson.com)
-Satin Red Versafine (Tsukineko)

Accessories:
-Red Flocking (CHF)
-Clear Spica Glitter Pen (Copic)
-Xmas Red Stickles (Ranger)
-clear dew drop (www.ellenhutson.com)
-A Muse Twinkle Stickers
-Liquid Applique (Marvy Uchida)

Paper:
-Simply Smooth white cardstock (CHF)
-Prism Cardstock
-Core'dinations Cardstock

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Other stamps:

-Christmas Cheer (Kim Hughes Collection)

Paper:
-Memory Box 6x6 (www.ellenhutson.com)

Ink:
-Espresso Adirondack (Ranger)
-Copic Markers (www.ellenhutson.com)

Accessories:
-Gold Spica Glitter pen (Copic)
-Gold Leafing Pen (Krylon)
-Patina, White Lace Stickles (Ranger)
-A Muse Twinkle Stickers
-white inchies (www.ellenhutson.com) 

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Heart Warmers is the second set in this release and after playing with it for just a single design, I can tell that is has great potential.

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Paper:
-Arturo notecards (www.ellenhutson.com)
-Sugared (Basic Grey)

Ink:
-Coffee Archival (Ranger)

Accessories:
-Cinnamon and Iced Lace Stickles (Ranger)
-Copic Markers for trunks

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If you get a chance, take a look at the Designer Galleries for Heart Warmers and Christmas Critters.  I heart the CHF Designers - talented girls that support each other and are just such special people.  :)  I am thankful for them each and every day. 

Happy Thursday all!

Scrapblocks, Canada Day, I'm home and more!

Happy Canada Day friends!

On June 20, 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck, called upon all Her Majesty's loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1^st.  (Sourced from the Deptarment of Canadian Heritage www.pch.gc.ca).

This is the one day a year, where Canadians just go right ahead and show their patriotism.  It's a beautiful day in British Columbia and I fell so blessed to live in a place of such peace, prosperity and freedom.

When I finished up my stint on the Dirty Dozen Design Team at Splitcoaststampers, my farewell project had a Canadian theme and I thought it might be fun to share it with you today.

The background was stamped with the Weathered Wood Backgrounder in Coffee Archival ink (Ranger) and then sponged around the edges with the same color.  The ribbon was heated in a few places with a heat gun, which caused it to melt and curl.  The Canadian Flag image is by Crafty Secrets (a wonderful company that I used to work for) and the sentiment, heat embossed in white, is by Stampin' Up!.

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Onto the Scrapblocks Release!

Two new Scrapblocks were released today - I just have to thank you all again for the fantastic response to this line.  It's wonderful when you trust your crazy ideas and other people think that they are not so crazy after all!

Both patterns this month are meant to coordinate with our celebration of Christmas in July - more on that in a minute.

Daisy Chain Scrapblock (TM)

Check out this super cute card by Sherrie Siemens:

...and this layout by Bek, so freakin' cute!  Do you see the Daisy Chain framing the two right hand photos?

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Scroll Scrapblock (TM)

Miss Aimee that works for CHF made this beautiful Scroll pattern - she also made the Plaid stamp from the first release.  Love that girl.

Here's an adorable set by Michele, she always does the cutest card/bag combos!

...and last but not least, Kim did an adorable layout too, also using the Scrapblock as a frame:

They Daisy Chain and Scroll didn't look Christmasy at first right?  But they really do compliment holiday images quite nicely AND a flexible for the rest of the year.  :-)

Click here for direct links to the Scrapblocks (TM) at the CHF store.

 

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Well, we are off for a walk with the dog while the sun is still shining.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.  I'll be back to talk about Christmas in July at CHF a little later!

Oh Mona, Where Art Thou?

I'm on vacation!  :)  Well, sort of.  I am in Alberta at my parent's farm, but am doing a little work of course, as CHA is fast approaching.

SO much to share...

Let's start with the stamp releases this week at CHF:

Streams of Living by Thomas Kinkade

There are some fabulous samples here in the CHF Gallery.

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And a very handsome Elvis is in da house!

This Elvis is from the '69 comeback tour when I think he was at his most handsome.  *vavooooom*  Sorry, can't help it.  It's not work to do the art selection on this line let me tell you!  *giggles*  I was a peripheral Elvis fan before we released this line, but now, I'm hooked.  I bought a double disk set to listen to on the way home from Montana and it was so much fun to listen to!  Anyway, I digress... I did have a chance to create with this image before leaving for my holidays.

The Original Elvis image was stamped with Jet Black Archival (Ranger) on Simply Smooth cardstock (CHF) and colored with some very light shades of Copic markers.  He needed some bling so I added Cinnamon Stickles to the Elvis name at the top and brown Swarovski crystals to the bottom of the image.

The base layer was stamped with the Diamond Plate backgrounder, then the Original flourishes sentiment from the Mona Lisa Moments set called Big Inspiration and the from the Beautiful set were stamped in bronze and black ink.  The Elvis panel is popped up on foam squares.

Be sure to check out the fun gallery that the CHF chicks created for this release!

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Here are some pics of my drive down to Montana.  I love to drive, but I REALLY love to drive in Big Sky Country.  It is the most relaxing and wonderful experience.  It took about 6.5 hours to get down to Cornish Heritage Farms, but the time just flew by like nothing at all.

I also had to stop and take a picture of a few grain elevators.  They are a landmark of my childhood and are disappearing every year. 

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On Tuesday I had the absolute pleasure of visiting my favorite stamp store in Calgary - Paper Pastimes.  Carole, the owner, has such an amazing eye for quality and unique products - it's just fun to spend a few hours combing the store looking for treasures.  It is a true stamper's stamp store, so if you ever have a chance, make sure you stop in to say hello.  You won't leave empty handed!

If you are planning on being in Calgary on the August long weekend you have to come by Paper Pastimes and visit me!  I will be holding free demonstrations at the store on Friday evening and all day Saturday.  It's going to be a hoot!  Stay tuned for a more detailed schedule.

Well, the sun is shining and the sky is blue, so I need to get outside.  :)

What a Mess!

I am sure it was with much hilarity that Liz watched Becky, Kim and I try to make stamps today.  She was brave enough to let us loose in the vulcanizing room!  Scary stuff right?  *giggles* 

There is no doubt that there was a learning curve for the first few presses.  Ouch.  The first one was AWFUL!  Liz actually came in and looked at it and said "What have you done!  What a mess!  I have never seen it look like that!"  We had to laugh at ourselves too - check this out.  The first image is the ruined images, the second one shows what we could produce after 20 minutes or so.  Long story short, we had not pressed the first one hard enough.

I am sure that I don't have to point out the obvious!  But, we did learn and gain a much better understanding of the entire manufacturing process.  Wow.  I know that I beat this drum a lot, but people, CHF seriously manufactures the highest quality rubber stamps that I know of, in the industry today.   I knew that they took the quality of their product seriously, but I really did not how high their standards were - nothing less that perfection from the deeply etched rubber, to the high quality cushion, to the hardest white maple block you can find, to the perfectly printed label that has been applied straight and smooth.  They are truly a thing of beauty, something that you could keep forever.  AND, 100% Made in the USA.  Love that too.

Okay, enough right?  I just can't help but be so stinkin' proud to work for these folks.

Don't forget that they put on a surprise sale for you this weekend.  You have until midnight Mountain Standard time on Sunday to save 10% on the entire store.

www.CornishHeritageFarms.com

A Surprise Sale!

Well folks, the CHF store was down for a few hours this morning, so Richard and Liz decided to put on a sale.  Can you say 10% off EVERYTHING IN THE STORE?!  A sale like this one is not something that happens very often, so take advantage if you can.  ;)

Roxie says, have a great day!  Kim, Becky and I are off to press some rubbah!

Cornish Heritage Farms

Yes folks, I am at Cornish Heritage Farms!  Can you believe it?

Would you like to meet some of the animals?  They are amazing!

We are working hard and eating well thanks to Liz!

*mwah* Mona

On the road..

I will arrive at my super special secret location today!  Check back for pictures tonight.  ;)

Father's Day Fun

Did you get to do something with or for a meaningful father in your life?  Mother's and Father's day can be joyous or sad.  This one was a happy one for me, I got to go boating with all of my boys.

There's a reason that this province is called "Beautiul British Columbia."  Look at that rich blue water and the mountains that surrounded us.

The Diesel also got to go for his first boat ride...

He turned 4 months old last week and is weighing in around 45lbs.  I know, I know, he's HUGE.  We should take friendly bets amongst our family for his final weight.  My uncles who saw him yesterday claim he will easily break the 100lb mark.  His paws continue to be my favorite - they just keep getting bigger and bigger.  :-)

What would Father's Day be without a card for my DH?

I couldn't help but use this sentiment from our Elvis Presley Line.  I dressed up the Jumpsuit Silhouette with some glitter, white gel pen and bling!

Wishing you a great week folks, I have a little something fun to share with you starting on Wednesday, so keep your eyes open for a report from special location.  ;)

Be Original

Has it become obvious to you yet that BRIGHT colors are back?  Whoa nellie!

The Cogsmo line (Cosmo Cricket) was released this past January and is filled with primary colors.  I had a little fun combining it with my new Big Inspiration stamp set.

So what do you think of this sketch?  The biased stripe of the paper inspired me to think about using it in a different way.  I added the quote which is from my Motivational Centers stamp set.  I thought this would be the perfect card for a teenager who needs a little encouragement to keep muscling through those hard years.

Supplies:

-Big Inspiration stamp set (Mona Lisa Moments) by Cornish Heritage Farms

-Motivational Centers (Mona Lisa Moments) by Cornish Heritage Farms

-Cogsmo patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket)

-Jet Black Archival ink (Ranger)

-green flower (Making Memories)

-chipboard flower (American Crafts)

-scalloped edge (Create-a-Cut)

-white gel pen (Ranger)

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TGIF.  Seriously, I am so thankful for the weekend!  Take time to rest - we all need it.  :)

Mona Lisa Moments Release Day

We needed some big words!  So here's what I came up with for you, my crafty friends, introducing....

BIG INSPIRATION, was created to be used as the focal point on a card or tag or a title on a scrapbook page or an altered project.  Check the Design Team Gallery here.

I created this 6x6 wall canvas as a gift for a new baby boy.  It actually smells like baby powder - CHF has embossing powder that smells like baby powder!  Love it.

Stamps:
-Big Inspiration stamp set (Mona Lisa Moments) by CHF
-Perfect Plaid Scrapblock ™ (CHF)

Ink:
-Jet Black Archival ink (Ranger)
-Distress Embossing ink (Ranger)

Paper:
-Nautical Blue Light and Medium (Prism)

Accessories:
-chipboard (Scenic Route)
-buttons (Making Memories)
-ribbon (Creative Impressions)
-photo tag (source unknown)
-waxed linen (7 Gypsies)
-6x6 canvas (Canvas Concepts)

Tools:
-Blue Baby Powder Scented Embossing Powder (CHF) 

I don't know about you, but it feels like a crazy week already!  Happy Thursday.

The Rummage Bin June

We have an interesting release for this month!  Now, you are might say that we just got summer started (although, I haven't seen the sun in three weeks, but let's not go there).  It is time to start thinking fall for retailers and you keeners out there, so we have cooked up a fantastic fallish, thanksgivingish set for you.  For the scrapbookers and cardmaker's too, we have a super fun set of circles and sentiments that are so unique!

ALL THINGS FALL

Toodle on over to the All Things Fall gallery for inspiration.  How amazing is that scarecrow?!  The signs, the sentiments, I just love it all.  Now, you have seen this moose before in The Great Canadian Stamp set, but we had so many requests for him, he has make a reappearance and grown in size a bit.  ;)

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ROUND & ROUND

...and here's the Round & Round gallery. 

I haven't had a chance to play with these yet, but my idea list is a mile long.  :-)

I had a lonnnnng Monday, but I am looking forward to fresh start tomorrow and mebbe I will even get to stamp.  Wishing you a fantastic week!

May Favorites and some Baby Love

This first week of June was so insane that I didn't get my favorites gallery up for you on time.  *bad Mona*  But fear not my friends, it's ready for your viewing pleasure.  I like to make it live on a Sunday anyway - nothing should take too much brain power on a Sunday.  So grab your drink or snack of choice and take a peek through the best of the best that the CHF Creative Chicks designed for you this past month.  Over 175 jewels of inspiration.

May CHF Favorites Gallery

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I finally got to stamp today after a week away from my studio.  This was an intense week of creating stamps and I find it hard to get inky when I am in that computer/art review mode.

Saturday sees the CHF Color Challenge, plus the Kim Hughes Blitz is going on right now (through Sunday) and I was able to combine those challenges.  Kim's challenge was to use any of her images with wings - how about a stork?

Prismatic Intense Yellow, Classic Yellow Green, Blush Red Medium

Stamps:
-Baby Love (Kim Hughes Collection)
-Geometric Flowers I Backgrounder
-Pin Dot ScrapblockTM;

Paper:
-Blush Red Medium (Prism)
-Simply Smooth (CHF)

Ink:
-Worn Lipstick Distress Ink (Ranger)
-Coffee Archival Ink (Ranger)
-Copic markers in R20 (Blush), YG03 (Yellow Green), Y19 (Napoli Yellow) - www.ellenhutson.com

Accessories:
-mesh ribbon (May Arts)
-striped ribbon (May Arts)
-jewel brads (SEI)
-Spica Glitter pen (Copic)
-white gel pen (Ranger) 

Rest well or play hard today if you can friends.

A Busy Week, and we're not done yet

Happy Friday my creative friends!

I want to introduce you to a new artist that has joined the CHF family - Sandra Kuck.  She is a world famous painter and you may recognize some of her images from stationary and greeting cards.  I thought you might enjoy reading an excerpt from her biography:

"Admirers of Sandra Kuck know that this talented artist puts a little of herself into every painting. Her strong sense of family and appreciation for beauty is echoed in all of her works, from which she has captured a loyal and appreciative audience."

Sandra describes herself as a “romantic realist.” Her nostalgic settings and angelic children evoke memories and emotions of childhood. With vibrant color, delicate lighting, and exquisite lace and flowers, Sandra creates a romantic and peaceful atmosphere, capturing the beauty and simplicity of days gone by.

Sandra finds her inspiration from many different sources, including the special relationship between mother and child, the beauty of country garden, or the fine furnishings and the clothing of the Victorian era. Her pursuit of perfection, exacting standards, and her attention to detail allows her to paint only eight to ten pieces per year. It is the ability to create flawless scenes of serenity, joy, and elegance that has made her one of the most beloved artists in

North America

.

As a child in

Ohio

and

Southern California

, Sandra always loved to doodle and sketch. It was during her education at UCLA and The Art Student’s League in

New York

where she realized her love for painting children and deviated from her professor’s emphasis on modern art. Later, it was her husband John, who encouraged Sandra to pursue her dream of becoming a professional artist. Though they quickly started a family, John cared for the couple’s young children on weekends, so that Sandra could have an opportunity to develop her artistic talents. Once the children started school, Sandra was able to devote more time to her art, while John sold her works to local galleries. Their confidence in her special talents would eventually find embodiment in the collection we see today.

Thanks to a steadily growing fan base, it was in 1983 that Sandra’s work received national recognition. That year she was honored with the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers’ (NALED) Plate of the Year, Print of the Year and Artists of the year awards. Since 1983, she has been honored several times with honors from NALED, including an unprecedented seven-time honored as Artist of the Year. Although she enjoys acclaim, she treasures her time at him in her studio. A modest person, she is still easily embarrassed by praise from her faithful collectors.

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Here are a few of my favorite paintings by Sandra Kuck:

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The first image we are releasing  is called "Sisters"

Here is the link to the gallery for the Sisters image - the CHF girls have cooked up over 25 samples!

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...and it seems that I forgot to mention yesterday that Kim's two new sets were released - Baby Love and Paradise Found. 

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A few of my favorite designs with this set:

By Lisa Silver

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By Julia Stainton

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Onto Paradise Found

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Look at these fabulous teacher thank you notes, by Val Stangle!

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This "love boat" card of Sherrie's is such a hoot!

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LOVE the vintage feel of this card by Kim.  :)

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Links:

Baby Love stamp set & gallery

Paradise Found stamp set & gallery

Debut Sandra Kuck image - "Sisters" stamp & gallery

Whew!  As I said, what a week!  Next week sees the newest Rummage Bin release as well as Mona Lisa Moments.  :)  Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

Color Challenge #2 - Silhouette Blooms

The Kim Hughes Blitz is off to a great start!!  I am so excited to see so many stampers participating and having fun.  :-)

I didn't get a chance to do today's challenge, but I did do the color challenge from Saturday - Intense Kiwi, Majestic Purple Medium and Intense Teal, using Kim's Silhouette Blooms stamp sets.

This card reminds me of something I would have stamped a few years ago.

*I used the Mirror It stamp to create the light purple background of the image
*once the flowers were dry I added dark purple highlights to the petals and used a water brush to soften the inner part of the stem and leaves
*glitter highlights were added to the focal image with a Quickie Glue Pen

Stamps:
-Silhouette Blooms I & II (Kim Hughes Collection) by CHF
-Climbing Floral Backgrounder by CHF

Ink/Paint:
-Lettuce, Aqua and Cool Peri Adirondack ink (Ranger)
-Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger)
-Snow Cap White Adirondack paint dabber (Ranger)

Paper:
-Intense Teal, Twighlight Medium (Prism)
-Simply Smooth (CHF)
-vellum (Prism)

Accessories:
-ribbon (May Arts)
-glitter (Art Institute)

Happy Thursday!