Sweet November Stamps ~ Joyful Gatherings YouTube Hop

Today we’re kicking off a super fun Sweet November Stamps YouTube Hop to celebrate the brand-new Joyful Gatherings clear stamp release… and I’m joining in with a festive card featuring the absolutely adorable Wee Tree Trimmers set!

These little elves are busy decking out their Christmas tree, and I had the best time bringing their cheerful holiday energy to life.

✨ My Card for the Hop

For my project, I stamped all three of the sweet little elf characters around their beautifully decorated tree. Everything is colored up with Copic Markers, keeping the palette bright, bold, and full of Christmas joy.

To create the glowing background, I ink-blended Distress Oxide inks in warm yellows to mimic that magical holiday tree-light glow. I framed the panel with a fun torn-edge die cut and set the whole scene on top of a fresh green patterned paper to tie the colors together.

The sentiment “Christmas is love with all the trimmings” (also from the set!) finishes everything off perfectly.

🎁 Join the Hop!

The hop runs Sunday, November 16th through Wednesday, November 19th, and Sweet November is giving away one full clear stamp release set to a lucky winner! Make sure you hop along, watch the videos, comment, and show our designers some love for your chance to win.

🎥 Start hopping on YouTube and watch now!
📦 Shop the brand-new Joyful Gatherings clear release at: www.sweetnovemberstamps.com

~ Ally ~

Chibitronics ~ Whoo's Party is Lit?

Today I’m excited to share a fun and interactive card featuring Chibitronics Craft Effect Stickers! For this project, I used the "Blink" sticker to add a magical, blinking light effect to the little owl's eyes.

To build the circuit, I also used Chibitronics Conductive Fabric Tape and 2 Orange LED Light Stickers—making it super simple and quick to bring the card to life!

The adorable digital owl image is from Whimsy Stamps' "Nerdy Bird". I paired it with some sweet trees and cupcake cookie images from Sweet November Stamps' "Horizon Lines: Spring in Bloom" and "Birthday Cookies - Set #1". All the images were colored using Copic Markers for a bright and cheerful finish.

I love how adding tiny blinking lights makes the card extra special—perfect for birthdays and celebrations! 🦉🧁🎉  When you press the switch, it lights up the owl's eyes and the eyes begin to blink!!

If you’ve never tried interactive lights on your cards before, I highly recommend checking out Chibitronics for some amazing crafty possibilities!

I hope you have a great week! 

~ Ally ~

Chibitronics & Whimsy Stamps Hop ~ Light Up Witch & Black Cat *PRIZES*

Welcome ghoulfriends to a Halloween Hop that is sure to leave you lit up with excitement! 

I'm delighted to be hopping with some friends from my Chibitronics Team & Whimsy Stamps who will be showing us all how it’s done with amazing light sets for cardmaking! 

One randomly chosen lucky Instagram hopper is in for a fabulous $25 Git Certificate from Chibitronics and a second randomly chosen lucky Instagram hopper is in for a $50 Git Certificate from Whimsy Stamps. 

START THE HOP HERE!

My card today features the sweet little witch and her furry pal on a broom from the Whimsy Stamps stamp set, "Halloween Wishes".  

I masked the moon and image off and then blended several orange Distress Oxide inks around the moon to create a glow effect.  I used Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Candied Apple and Lumberjack Plaid Oxides.

I used Copic Markers to color up the moon and the witch & cat.  I used a tree stamp from Lavinia Stamps to create the finally spooky effect.

Here's a glimpse of the circuit.  I used 7 White LED Light Stickers, a Battery Holder and Conductive Fabric Tape.

The red lined tape is the positive side of the circuit and the blue lined tape is the negative side of the circuit.

I used a fussy cut image of the same witch & cat combo for the back of the of the image to block the light.

For the sentiment, I used one from the "Halloween Wishes" stamp set from Whimsy Stamps.

And here is the sweet card all lit up...

Come and make sure to check out all the amazing lit up creations...

START THE HOP HERE!

See you over on Instagram!

~ Ally ~

Chibitronics ~ Birthday Panda

Happy Friday!  I'm Allison Cope and today I'm sharing my latest light up card featuring products from Chibitronics.

Today we're going we are going to light up this little panda's birthday candle plus putting a little pink in her cheeks! Our little card features the Whimsy Stamps "Party Panda".

I began today's card creation by stamping our panda and sentiment on the outside AND the inside of my card. I masked our little black n' white bear and ink blended her background. Once the masks were removed, I colored her up using Copic Markers.

I like to stamp the inside panel so that I can precisely place all of my stickers exactly where I need to light up on the card front.

I began to plan out my circuit on my lightly stamped image. I first planned out the location of my 3 stickers. I used the handy "Craft Stencil" to indicate their location.

Then I located my battery area and added all the lines to complete my circuit. I began the negative side of my circuit inside the "Battery Holder" and then I drew my blue lines out to over lap the pointy ends of my LED Light Stickers. Next I drew out the red lines for the positive sides of my circuit. The positive side begins on the inside lid of the "Battery Holder". The red lines went out to cross over the fatter part of the LED Light Stickers.

I began to begin the circuit by adding my LED Light Stickers. I used one heart-shaped Animating White Fade Sticker for the candle light. I used 2 Pink LED Light Stickers for her cheeks.

I applied my Conductive Fabric Tape to the negative side of the circuit first. This side of the circuit needs to begin on the underside of the battery.

Next I added my Conductive Fabric Tape to the positive side of the circuit. I began adding the Conductive Fabric Tape to the inside lid of my "Battery Holder", wrapping around the lid to the top and down to the circuit base and out to all the fatter ends of each LED Light Stickers.

Once the circuit was complete, I added the C-shaped foam adhesive to the inside of the battery holder, popped in a battery and tested the circuit out.

And here's the final lit up card...

I just love her little lit up pink cheeks! Happy Birthday!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Ally ~

Chibitronics ~ Flickering Campfire Foxes

Hello everyone! Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing how I made this fun light up glowing campfire card. Today I’m featuring the Chibitronic Orange LED Light Stickers, and the Craft Effects Sticker "Twinkle". Our sweet little firelight kissed foxes are from the “Fox Family” stamp set by Whimsy Stamps.

I first began my card by stamping out my images on the front and inside of my cardstock. I colored up my images using Copic Markers and masked them off to ink up my cloudy night sky with Catherine Pooler inks. I also stamped a "Push Here" in the top right corner using the helpful Lawn Fawn "Push Here" stamp set, also found in the Chibitronics shop.

As you can see, I stamped the same scene on the circuit surface (as seen below). This allows for ease of placement of all of my circuit elements.

I used my Craft Stencil to trace out the placement of my LED Light Stickers & Craft Effects Sticker and then I used the edge of the stencil to draw out each side of the circuit. I used a small circle shape to trace a place for my battery. The blue lines indicate the negative side of the circuit and the red lines are the positive side of the circuit.

Next I applied the Conductive Fabric Tape to each side of the circuit. I began on the negative side of the circuit to allow for the tape to be laid down under the battery area. 

 Then I laid the Conductive Fabric Tape down on the positive side of the circuit.

To create the battery housing, I used 3D foam tape to create a 4 sided barrier. This just keeps the battery in place so it won’t move once the card front is attached. A used a small piece of acetate to create the flap over the battery housing. The conductive tape has been wrapped around the piece of acetate and it continues on to complete the rest of the positive side of the circuit.

The final step is add our LED Light Sticker. I used one Orange (O) sticker. These lights can be purchased in the Lights Sampler (contains all 6 colors of lights) or in the Pink/Orange/Green Megapack.

 Now that everything is built, let’s check out the finished lit of card...

The "Twinkle" Craft Effects Sticker makes it look like the fire is flickering (obviously hard to capture in one photo!)!

Check out how the card looks like lit up...

Thanks for stopping by! Making your own light up creations is a LOT easier than you think! Happy creating!

~ Ally ~ 

My Top 12 Favourite Cards of 2015!

Howdy all… happy Sunday!  Today I thought I’d share some of my favourite cards from each month of 2015!  Here goes…

January 2015

 She is Fierce

February 2015

Birthday Lilacs

March 2015

You’re a Hoot

April 2015

Ying Versus Yang

May 2015

 Twinkle, Twinkle

June 2015

Oceans of Love

July 2015

Groovy

August 2015

Aloha Birdies

September 2015

You Deserve the Very Best

October 2015

Birthday Branches

November 2015

Merry Kiss-mas

December 2015

Shepherd & Sheep

Thanks for taking a gander at some of my favourites for the year!  I had lots more cards that were favourites but most of them are exclusive to StampNation!

Have a great weekend!

~ Ally ~

Let the Party Start & a Giveaway!

Are you joining us tomorrow for World Card Making Day at StampNation?  Well maybe you’d better!

We actually begin our activities in an hour because October 3rd actually starts in some parts of the world way ahead of our own time zone.

Our first challenge will be posted at 8:00am EST TODAY and a new challenge will be posted every 4 hours... Woohoo!!  Our final challenge will be posted at 8:00am EST on Sunday.  So you’ll have lots of new inspiration coming to you all weekend long!  I hope you’ll come out and join us.

We have six, yes… SIX amazing sponsors for our happy event.  A BIG thank you goes out to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, The Ton, Neat & Tangled, SugarPea Designs, Winnie & Walter and Whimsy Stamps! Not only will they be supplying some of our winners with amazing prizes BUT some of them have some shopping discount codes for you to use too!  Yeehaw!!


Here's just a little sneak peek of what you're going to see this weekend...

AND A GIVEAWAY!
I'm giving away a 1-month subscription to StampNation!  Awesome!  Just answer the following question below in the comment section.  I will pick a winner on Monday!

What is your current stamp coloring medium of choice and why?

The fun begins TODAY... are you a member?!

Click here to learn more about membership benefits and to join now!


Thank you for visiting and have a great day!

~ Ally ~

Ink It Up!

Wednesday has rolled around extra quickly this week!  We had a busy weekend with our entire Scouting troop from 1st Strathmore going away to camp.  We had a blast but I think we pooped out everyone.  One of my Cub Scouts even said he fell asleep in class on Monday!

 It’s time for a brand new challenge over at StampNation today.  This week, it’s all about INK… and applying it directly to paper as our technique for our challenge this week. 

And here’s a snap shot of all the Dream Team creations this week…

Here’s a close up of my own card this week featuring the sweet little “Hoo Loves You” stamp set and coordinating die from Whimsy Stamps:

I hope you’ll come and check out StampNation!  There’s always lots going on.  Hope to see you there!

~ Ally ~

Whimsy Stamps Blog Hop

Howdy everyone!  I hope you're having an amazing Thursday!

Welcome to Day 1 of the Whimsy Stamps clear stamps & die release!  Did you get a gander at those fabulous stamps and corresponding dies up there?  So many fun creative possibilities to be had.  These 4 new clear stamp sets and 2 die sets are on sale in the store right now!!!

Today I am featuring the sweet little "Hoo Loves You" clear stamp set.  This wonderful set includes 3 adorable owls and 3 hoot-ariffic sentiments too!

Today I thought I would share with you how I created my focal square and how I created the back ground for my adorable little owl.

Step 1:
Stamp the owl image onto the cardstock die cut square using brown ink.  Stamp the same image again onto some masking paper (by Inkadinkado) and cut out the masking paper owl.  You can also use Post-It-Note paper for this too.   They now make some that is sticky all the way across except for a small edge.
Step 2:
Adhere the square temporarily to some scrap paper using some low-tack tape.  I used Micropore Tape. I love this stuff because you can still see through it to position it for a little masked border!  Peel the masking paper backing from the owl and stick it right over top of the stamped image.
Die cut a circle from a Post-It-Note or masking paper to create a mask for the moon in the back ground.  Adhere the circle mask right over top of your masked owl.
Step 3:
Using a Copic airbrush, apply some Copic BG13 around the outer edges of the square, leaving a lighter area around the moon mask.
Step 4:
Using a Copic airbrush, apply Copic BG72 around the edges and to deepen the colour there.

Step 5:

Using the Copic airbrush, apply Copic BG07 around the edges, to deepen the colour there even more.  This effect can also be achieved by applying inks from light to dark in a circular motion from the outside of  square towards the moon.
Step 6:
Using Copic Y04 in the airbrush, apply the yellow colour around the lighter gap around the moon.  This creates a moon "glow".
Step 7:
Peel off and SAVE your circle mask.  Leave your owl mask on.  Apply a little more Copic Y04 to the moon.
Step 8:
Using Copic T1, T2 and T3, add some dots of grey colour to the moon to create it's rough cratery surface appearance.

Step 9:
Place the circle mask back over the moon again, pressing the edges of the mask firmly on the paper.  Using a slightly watered-down white acrylic paint and an old toothbrush, run your thumbnail through the bristles to create a fine splatter effect - the effect of stars across the back ground.
Step 10:
To finish your image off, remove all of the masks, colour in some branches using tones of darker brown Copic and colour in the little owl.  I added texture to his head and belly using fun, fine strokes of colour right over top of the original brown ink.  I also retraced some of the stamp lines with a black Copic Multi-liner to make them stand out a little bit more from the brown ink.

Here's a close up of the little coloured fella sitting on his little moonlit branch again...

There's a chance to WIN a $15 gift certificate to the Whimsy Store today and all you have to do is leave a comment on each and every one of the blog hop participants today.  So check out these fabulous ladies and their amazing creations using some of the new clear stamp release sets!  Take it away ladies...

Whimsy Blog
Kristie
Debbie
Becky
Allison - you are here!
Jen
Alanna
Catherine

Thanks for stopping by today!  Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some spending money!

~ Ally ~


Sponsored by:  Whimsy Stamps

Supplies:
stamps: Whimsy Stamps (Hoo Loves You)
cardstock:  Neenah Solar White, Stampin' Up! (Island Indigo), Bazzill
patterned papers: My Mind's Eye (Here is Happy)
die cut shapes: Simon Says Stamp! (Stitched Squares, Stitched Rectangles), My Favorite Things (Stitched Ovals), Spellbinders (PageMaps - On the Edge)
Copics:  sky: BG13, GB72, BG78, Y04  moon: Y04, T1, T2, T3  owl: E11, E13, E15, E18, YR14, BV31, BG10, BG11, BG90, YG03, Copic Multi-liner 0.3, Gellyroll White Pen  branches: E27, E29, E49
ink:  Memento (Rich Cocoa), Wink of Stella (clear)
twine:  Darice (100% Natural Hemp)
stars:  Basic Grey (Star Studs)

other: Stickles by Ranger (Star Dust).  #thedailymarker30day