Something Special

Happy December 1st! Can you believe that Christmas is a short 24 days from now??
Wow the year has gone fast!!

**I was honored to be asked by the lovely Cindy Echtinaw to make some cards for her Store.** Cindy owns the Stampingscrapping Store in Alto, MI, USA. Cindy also has the MOST FABULOUS online store I have ever been to! If you need any stamping or scrapping supplies and want the FASTEST service and the BEST PRICES you must go to her store. Talk about SERVICE - it will rock your socks off!!!!

Cindy is now carrying the famous HOUSE MOUSE STAMPS. You can join her new House Mouse Stamp CLUB for 12 months; 6 months; or sign up and buy one a month :o) I have very happily made a couple of Christmas Cards for her store.

The first card is a 'Joy Fold Card' and uses the stamp called ' Lip Smackin' Relaxin'. I have used this stamp before and love it! The second card is an 'Easel Card' and used the stamp called 'Love Bunny'. It was a challenge to make both these stamps into Christmas Cards - hope I have done them well..........

Here is my sweet little mouse in his cup of hot chocolate:
' Across The Miles at Christmas'

Recipe:
Design Paper: K & Company - Sweet Noel

Stampin' Up card stock : Regal Rose, Soft Sky, Whisper White

Copics used: Skin: R000; Nose: R20; Ear: R20, R21; Cheek and Tongue: R21; Hair: E11, E13; Marshmallows:: C00, C1; Cup: YG09, YG11, R20, R21; Floor: C3

Sharpie Poster Paint Extra Fine white

Quickie glue pen and SU Dazzling Diamonds

Small paint brush and SU: Frost White Shimmer Pain - brushed very finely on: marshmallows and bubbles on Mouse mouth

MS Punched snowflakes

MS Crystal Course Glitter

Sentiments: inside and out were computer generated using CurlzMT Font size 12

SU Modern Label Punch

Nestibilities Scallop Oval
Heidi Grace small clear snowflake

More pictures for you:

Here is my second card: My Love Bunny

" Christmas is like.......A Warm Hug'

Recipe:

Designer Paper: Basic Grey - Wassail

Card stock - plain white

Tim Holtz Destress Inks: Antique Linen and Tattered Rose

Large Rectangle Nestibilities and Large Scallop Rectangle Nestibilities

Copic Sketch Markers: Hearts: R24, R29; Mouse and Rabbit - Ears: R000; Face: R20,R21; Mouse Hair: E50, E51; Rabbit Hair: C00, C1, C3; Floor: C5, C3, C1

Eclipse Tape

Pebbles Inc. Pearlescent Chalk - shimmers - Gold

Red ribbon - unknown

Hat pins - unknown

Silver present charm - my stash

Crystal effects for glue

Computer generated sentiment

SU Large Oval Punch

Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags

Hope you have enjoyed my cards for today.........

Love, Candy

Candy Mills

Hi Everybody!

Gosh it has been a week since I posted!!! Where has the time gone??? I have been running all week to doctor and dentist appointments - getting caught up on all that stuff, plus lab tests! Our house is a big mess and is driving me crazy. My DH painted the bedroom for me last week and now is doing the bathroom and still the extra furniture is in the living room. We are giving away two twin beds with brass frames, a table, a feather bed etc. I can hardly wait to get it all out of here so I can get the house clean and tidy again and then decorate for Christmas! It has been our family tradition to put up the tree and decorate on DH's Birthday which is December 11. Sure hope that happens. Denis is putting molding around so that all has to be cut and painted white and then the walls painted to match the bedroom. You know how it goes a little gets done and then it has to dry before the next thing. In between the bathroom work he has put all the Christmas lights up outside and is now hatching a plan to decorate the yard some how. He loves doing things like this and it is always a surprise!! He can only work for a few hours early in the morning because he has a cataract that needs to be removed and can't see after that.... he is trying so hard - so I can't really complain.



Any way I didn't want you to think I hadn't been doing anything!!! LOL I have actually been working on a secret project that I can't mention for a while yet. So I have been creating.


I did make two Christmas Cards for my grandchildren for my mother to give them. She couldn't find Great Grandchildren cards anywhere so I whipped these two up and mailed them to her last Wednesday.


This first one is for Brandon and I have to thank my great Stampin' Up gal - Glenda - for teaching these great Punch Pals. I made this Santa.





I added a few things to him to make him more special: I put Dazzling Diamonds on the snowflakes on the background card stock as well as Santa's Beard, and Sparkly Fluff on his hat.
Added a bunch of white highlights and two black buttons to his coat and some Spica Silver Glitter Pen to his belt. I also added a white ribbon around the card and dangled a silver Santa charm from it. I also computer generated the sentiment for a Great Grandson.



Here is Mariah's Card:

The children have a cat named Reebok ( did I spell that right? - you know the runners? ), anyway she and Mariah are pretty fond of each other, so I thought I would make her this card.
I love Whipper Snapper Images and only have two of them, but one is this: Meowy Christmas.
I thought if I did it up in Mariah's favourite colour PINK and added lots of BLING she would be happy with it. I found some pink Christmas DP and added Dazzling Diamonds to all of the snowflakes. I stamped random soft blue snowflakes on my white card stock after stamping and masking the kitty. Put lots of DD on those snowflakes as well. I cut the image with my Nesties and also the dark pink scalloped oval from them as well. After I coloured with Copics and added Stickles to the hat and the bells, and Sparkly Fluff to the hat - I added two real bells to the oval and then adhered it onto the card with dimensionals. Forgot to mention that I cut the corners out with a Martha Stewart Corner Punch and am not liking that look AT ALL! Both the outside and inside sentiments for this card were computer generated as well.
They were fun and easy and I sure hope mom and the children like them.

I really wanted to say hi to all of you wonderful people who come and look at my blog on a regular basis. Want you to know how very much I appreciate it and that I have been doing something!!! LOL

I trust you all had a great Thanksgiving? Now it is almost Christmas and I can imagine all of the things you have to do in a few short weeks!!

Have fun with it - take care - drive carefully - and I will be back soon I hope :o)
Love Candy

Candy Mills

Happy Monday Morning!

Hello - I am home again from another trip to visit mom and my grandchildren!! Actually I have been home for exactly one week. My DH painted my bedroom while I was away so I had a lot of work to do when I got back, putting the room back together and getting caught up on housework and laundry that had accumulated while I was away. I also had a Dentist appointment and we each got our H1N1 and regular flu shots!! So this week I hope to get some cards made - even though I have another Dentist and a Doctor appointment!

Today I made a card for a friend from Ladner, who had hip replacement surgery. I was able to visit her for tea a couple of days before she had the operation and then popped off a gift when she first got home - but she was still to tired to see anyone. I wanted to make sure she received a nice card and used a Mo Manning Fairy I have been itching to get my hands on!!

I made the image small enough to cut her out with my second largest Round Nestie and then used the largest Scalloped Round Nestie to cut out a background to attach her to:

As you can see I used my 6X6 paper pad of Basic Grey Wisteria. I really love this paper :o)

I made the card out of Natural Card Stock and as I cut each piece of DP I inked the edges with a soft blue. I really wanted this card lightly sparkled and very soft, to look like a Fairy belonged on it!

Here is a closer picture:

I am sorry that I still haven't been able to fix my photo editing program so the pictures are not the best!

I coloured Mo's Fairy with Copics - all my lightest colours - except for her hair. I gave her soft lip stick and nail polish - which you probably can't see! All the bubbles have Crystal Lacquer on them and her wings have been coloured all different soft shades and then I covered them with glue and sprinkled Crystal Glitter Ritz on them. I also sprinkled the same glitter on all the stars of her skirt and head band. The soft beige colour around her is done with Pearlescent Chalk except for the little bit at her feet with which I used a Copic again. I also put glue into all of the flower centres on the DP background and sprinkled the Glitter Ritz on them as well. Wanted as much light and airy sparkles as possible. Two pieces of sheer brown 1/4" ribbon were wrapped around the card twice and then I made two bows and placed them on with glue dots. The ribbon is a great match to the brown in the DP. I also used 3 Bella Baubles to pick up the mauve in the DP and in her dress. The sentiment was computer made by me and cut out with a SU punch, as was the piece of DP that I glued it onto. With the blue ink sponged around the sentiment it is hard now to tell it is the same paper as the Scallop Circle. Both the Fairy and sentiment are put on with 3 D tape.

The inside of the card I kept very plain. I used some more of the Wisteria Collection and simply covered both pages with it. I added a butterfly button I have been hoarding for years and years to the Wisteria on the left hand page and put a simple sentiment on the right page:

I have been dieing to get back to making cards because all the time I was away I was looking at all of your blogs and seeing marvelous work being done ..............OH it does hurt to be away from my stamps etc. LOL LOL

I am sure most of you are getting ready for big Thanksgiving Celebrations on Thursday. I hope they are as wonderful as you wish they will be and would like to wish you all Happy Thanksgiving if you live in USA.

Hope to be seeing you real soon with another post ~ Love Candy

Candy Mills

A Sympathy Card

Hello!

Here is a Sympathy Card I made today.

I used a Gorjuss Stamp called 'Guardian Angel'. DP that is very old and I have no idea who made it - sorry. The card stocks are all from SU - Whisper White, Ballet Blue and Melon Mambo. The image was stamped on WW card stock coloured with Copics and then I used my

Atyou Spica gold pen for her hair and her heart necklace. Both the wings of the Angel and the bear have 'Stardust' Stickles on them. After the stickles were dried I wrinkled the image by balling it up in my hand and then distressed it with a distress tool and also Tim Holtz 'Weathered Wood Ink'. The image was cut with my Nesties and then double mounted on both of the card stocks. I put a double flower together with a Sterling Silver Spacer ring as well as a brad and mounted the flower with dimensional tape. The Sentiment was cut with a label punch and then the I cut the blue background for it with the fancy label punch. I poked holes in the blue, and mounted it also on to dimensional tape.

Here is the inside left of the card - just simple:

I used the same papers as the outside and added SU beautiful white silk ribbon which I dyed with SU Ballet Blue ink to match the paper.

The right side of the card:

The Sentiments are from 'Papertrey Ink - In case you can't read the inside it says : Wishing you Hope in the midst of sorrow, Comfort in the midst of pain.

You can see that I started to write on the card before I realized I hadn't taken pictures of it yet!! - I stopped after I wrote ' Dear' LOL..........

Thanks for taking a look at my card.

I am off to my mother's for two weeks - so you won't see me again for awhile. Take care .......

Love Candy

Candy Mills

Gosh!! Thank you all - this is how I made it.....

Gosh I am surprised that my candle went over so well! Many of you have emailed to ask me how I made it. It isn't hard at all so thought I would let you know how I did it.

I used white tissue paper. I stamped the image into the 'dull' side with black Staz-On Ink. Let it dry a few minutes. I coloured the image with my Prismacolor Pencils and USM using stubs.
It is easy to move the colours around with the mineral spirits and I believe a lot of you used them to colour with before Copics came on the scene. I coloured with the main colour first and then added my darker shadows. Once I was finished I cut the image out with scissors - carefully - the tissue wants to tear. I left a margin of about 1/4 inch maybe more in some areas around the image. I placed the candle on it's side and laid my image in place with the shiny side ( or wrong side ) up and took my finger and just lightly rubbed it over to keep it in place. Then I wrapped the candle with waxed paper all around and made it long enough that I could roll up some to hold onto on the back side. I then took my heat gun and slowly passed it back and forth all over the image, not holding it any one place very long. The wax off the paper melted onto the image and melted it onto the candle. The candle didn't run because I kept the heat moving at all times. I then removed the paper and there she was!!!

Next I picked my ribbon I held it in place on the candle with tiny glue dots that don't show at all.....I knotted it and cut the ends. I placed my crystals where I wanted them and lightly pressed them on - they were all sticky ones. Then I simply cut out my leaves and again placed them on with little glue dots. I did the same with the flowers.............With all of these decorations on it - I would never light THIS candle. I do know it will burn the centre inside only and leave the outside ~ but I have a feeling with these heavy flowers they might slowly fold into the candle as they got warm and they are made of paper so a fire might occur. Perhaps it you used a really BIG candle that burns down the centre and had just your image and a few pieces of bling it might be OK if you were IN the room ~ but I don't want to tell you to light them.
This candle is for a gift and they are heavy to mail, so this candle is 3" in diameter by 6" tall. It is also a white unscented one. Scented would be nice too - but my friend has allergies......

I hope this has help those of you who have asked how I made it.......so lovely of you all!
Love, Candy

Candy Mills

Hi - Another hand made gift!

Hi all - I have tried my hand at another hand made gift. I have never made a stamped candle before! I have hand painted one and that went well because I painted it all over.

Doing it this way I am not totally sure if it works or not and would appreciate your input.

I coloured my Tilda with Prismacolors on tissue. Heat set it with wax paper and all that went very well. My problem is that because the candle is round I wasn't sure how to decorate it........

As you can see I put flowers on one side of the image and bling on another. Please can you give me tips as to how to decide when it is a balanced design?

Here are some pictures:

I seriously am asking for input on this one - thank you to everyone who leaves me some!

Have a glorious Sunday!

Love, Candy

Candy Mills

Clean and Simple Challenge Card

Hello! Hope you all had a nice weekend. It is raining at my house today.....

I have made a card for the CAS Challenge on the Magnolia-licious Highlights Blog. Please go and have a look at the cards the Design Team has made they are delightful. Also the rules for a Clean and Simple Card are on the blog. There is even a show of all of the entries too!

This is my card:

I am sorry that I still don't have my photo editing program working - I am going to need some help with it!!

I took another picture so you can hopefully see the sparkle on the card:

You can see my shadow in both pictures - oh my!!!!

I have used a plain red card stock and a shimmer white card stock and I have no idea who the maker of either is. I am using up old stock I have had for ages. I did run my shimmer white through my Cuttlebug and used the Snowflake Design. My image is Santa from Magnolia. I have coloured him with my Copics. I only have 3 reds and I used them all : R29 - R27 - R 24. I have used my Atyou Spica pens in Silver for his belt buckle and in clear for his beard and hair - I sure hope you can see it. Looks real nice in person. I have also added Sparklyfluff for the trim on his coat and hat. This is the first time I have used it - love it. So easy to apply!

I have chosen to keep the front of the card REALLY simple and have put my sentiment on the inside.

Thanks so much for having a look.

Love, Candy

Candy Mills