Fall Beauty

I went out with my camera yesterday, hoping to capture some of the fall beauty around me. All of these pictures were taken within a twenty minute walk of my house. I am so blessed to see these scenes right in my own neighborhood! I wanted to share them with you. I hope you enjoy!
PS I did not photoshop any of them, except for cropping the bird. These are the actual colors!

The next three were taken of a puddle in the bush:








This is the lake at the top of the hill near my house:



This is the hill I walk up daily to get exercise. My daughter JOGs up... one day, maybe!!



Thanks for visiting today! Bless you!

WAGS 'N WHISKERS BLOG HOP IS ON! (second last stop!)

Today is the day that Wags 'n Whiskers launches their brand new line of unmounted rubber stamps! The blog hop is officially on and I am the second last stop! If you have landed on my blog randomly and wish to start at the beginning of the hop, you can start at the Wags 'n Whiskers blog, and you will be guided through from there.
This image of Zoe making a snowman with Gemma her cat, and all the new unmounted rubber stamps are available for pre-order starting today, Oc 9 at 7AM EST (noon GMT). Stamps that are pre-ordered will ship Nov 2.
I am giving this image away to one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on this post! In fact, all the Wags 'n Whiskers Divas are giving away the stamp that they are featuring on their W'nW creations today ... that means fourteen winners will get a new stamp from Wags 'n Whiskers debut release! And that is not all... If you go back to the blog and tell Nikki and Lacey which image is your personal favorite, your name will be entered into the draw for the grand prize of the ENTIRE FIRST RELEASE !!!!! In fact, that's where I'm sending you now.
Blog Hop is on until midnight tonight, and winners will be announced on Monday Oc 12.
Wags 'n Whiskers blog is your last stop on the hop!
I colored this image using my Twinkling H20 water color paints. Spellbinders snowflakes Poseabilities Collection, and Spellbinders labels die also used. Papers by Basic Grey.
I just wanted to say a special thank you... to YOU!
You make sharing my art all the more fun, with your supportive comments and letters. I draw because I love to, but your hugs and cheers through the things you say really do touch my heart and give me that added boost to keep creating. Thanks, Precious One. Don't ever forget how much you are loved and appreciated...
Hugs!
Blessings!
God loves you!!

Wags N' Whiskers 2nd SNEAK PEEK!!

This is one of my personal fav's that I've done for Wags n' Whiskers so far. This is Ansley Angel with her furry friend Princess! I colored this image with Twinkling H20 water color paints.
This and all the new rubber unmounted stamps will be available for pre-order 7AM EST tomorrow, Oc 9th (noon GMT). Stamps that are pre-ordered tomorrow will ship Nov 2.
AND!
Tomorrow is blog hop day, and you know what that means!! Yes, there will be prizes to be won! And lots of chances to win too! I and all the Wags 'n Whiskers Divas will be giving away the stamp that we will use on our creations tomorrow... counting Yours Truly, that means fourteen winners will get a new stamp from Wags 'n Whiskers debut release! And that is not all... Nikki and Lacey will give away a grand prize of the ENTIRE FIRST RELEASE TO ONE LUCKY WINNER!!!!! The hop starts tonight at the stroke of midnight (5:00 AM GMT) at the Wags 'n Whiskers blog. They will direct you to the next Diva on the hop who will direct you to the next, and so on. Be sure to leave a comment on each blog so that you are entered in to each Diva's draw! Anytime you leave a comment you are also entered into the Grand Prize draw too!
Be sure to check out the other Diva's sneak peeks today (linked on my sidebar).
I hope you play along in the hop. Good luck! God bless you!
Thanks for stopping by today!

Wags N' Whiskers SNEAK PEEK!!

I am so pleased and excited to show you a sneak peek of one of my new illustrations for Wags n' Whiskers today! They are a brand new rubber stamp company run by my friends Nikki and Lacey.
Alas I did not get time to turn this image into a card. But if you visit the other DT's blogs, you will get to see actual card and project creations! Check out my sidebar for all the names of the Wags n' Whiskers Divas with links to their blogs!
And don't forget, Friday Oc 9 is the big company launch day, with a blog hop and prizes!
I water colored Danni and Bella with Twinkling H20 water color paints.
There will be sneaky peekies from the DT team this week, so if your curiosity strikes you, go have a look-see!
Nikki and Lacey have chosen their children and pets to be the characters for all the stamp designs. My fingers have been busy and I can't wait for you to see the rest!
Thanks for stopping by for a peek today!

KRAFTIN' KIMMIE STAMPS BLOG HOP AND RELEASE DAY!!!

Yippeee! This is the day Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps opens its' doors for business! You can find "Roxy and Bernice" (drawn by Yours Truly) as well as all the new images by me and Annie Rodrique in her online store!
I hope you go take a look. I am a big fan of Annie's images. They are so unique, not like anything I have seen on the stamp market! And Kim's stamps are high quality deeply etched unmounted rubber. Only the best, of course!

BLOG HOP!!

If you are interested in playing in Kraftin' Kimmie's blog hop, just leave a comment on this post and your name will be entered into the draw for some free rubber goodness!. Now if you want to have a LOT of chances to win, comment on as many Krafty Girls' blogs as you can (please only one comment per blog).
If you want to start the hop at the beginning and go all the way through, start on
KIM'S BLOG and go from there. Good luck!!


NEXT STOP ON THE HOP:
DIANA PICKERING (Kimmie's Mom!)



I colored these two with Copics, and sponged ink around the edges to help fill in the background while it was still in the Nesties Labels die. I used Distress Inks; Faded Jeans and Shabby Shutter. Sentiment hand written.
Here is a list of the Copics I used:
E07, 08, 19, 29, 30, 71, 74, 77, 93
FBG2, FB2, B00
YG25, 67, 95
Y17

May God bless your day today, and may you know His awesome, personal, amazing love for YOU!
Hugs!

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps second Sneak Peek!

I'm excited to show you a second sneak peek for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps today! This one and all the new releases will be available on Monday the fifth of October. The blinkie on my sidebar will take you to her online store. And if you want some more sneakie peekies, go visit the Kim and the Krafty Girls' blogs, also linked in the sidebar!
I colored Party Deer using the following Copic markers:
E30, 33, 34, 35, 15, 17, 50, 53, 93
W1, 3
RV13, 17
B000
FYG2 YG95
I used B000 all around the deer and then blended it out at the edges with the colorless blender. Later I sponged Bahama Blue dye ink all around the edges while it was in the Spellbinders die and it blended nicely into the B000 I had first laid down.
I used Rach's tutorial to get the party blower to stick out of the Spellbinders die (I still can't do it without looking at the instructions, lol). I hand printed the sentiment.
Thanks so much for looking, and don't forget -- the big Kraftin' Kimmie Blog Hop, first one ever, is on Monday the fifth, which is also her Grand Opening!!
Bless you!

Kraftin Kimmie Stamps first Sneak Peek!

Well, I did show this image to you already, and you may have seen it in Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps logo. But the good news is, it will be available as a deeply etched rubber stamp as well! Just a few more days and her store will be open for business! And I am not her only artist. You have to check out the new art by Annie Rodrigue. It is really different from my style, and in fact different from all the other stamp styles out there today. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!
I watercolored this image on 140 lb cold press Montval wc paper by Canson. I used Twinkling H20's. I have a couple of watercolor videos if you wish to see how I do it (the video links are in my sidebar).
I'm traveling down south to see Kimmie this weekend! And a bunch of the Krafty Girls too! We are all gathering at Scrappin' Great Deals in London Ontario for the big company launch! I will do a couple of demos if time permits. I can hardly wait to see the whole gang!
Take a look at the other sneak peeks from the Krafty Girls (links on my sidebar) today and for the next couple of days! Then don't forget to join in the big blog hop Monday! There will be prizes to be won!!
Blessings!

3rd SECRET OUT!!!

Announcing the revelation of my third secret!
I am so happy to let you know that I will be illustrating for Wags n' Whiskers! This is a brand new stamp company run by my friends Nikki Fairbairn and Lacey Stephens!
Nikki, Lacey and I got to know each other through our mutual association with High Hopes Stamps. When they approached me with their idea to start up a company and asked me to illustrate for them, it was a no brainer. I had witnessed their dedication and commitment through their design work for HH, and I was convinced that if anybody could run a successful business, these two go-getters could!
The first thing they asked me to design was a picture for their logo, which I am sharing with you here. They want to feature their pets and kids in a lot of the stamps I will be doing for them. This logo image shows Lacey's dog Princess and Nikki's two cats Gemma and Bella.
You can check out the brand new Wags n' Whiskers blog if you'd like! There are some pretty cool announcements on there, including the release date, blog hop with prizes, and a Guest Diva call! Go check it out!
The sneak peeks will start on Oc 7th with the soon-to-be-revealed design team, and then Oc 9th there will be a blog hop with prizes available to be won! Don't miss out on the fun!
Blessings!

Kraftin Kimmie Stamps release details!~

I've told you I'm illustrating rubber stamps for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, so I thought you might be interested to know some details about when you'll be able to order some rubber goodness from Kimmie!
The Krafty Girls are going to have sneak peeks starting tomorrow, Friday Oc 1st and every day leading up to the release! Check out my sidebar for DT members' blog links.
Official release day is Monday Oc 5th and of course there will be a blog hop that day too, and I am playing along! And I do happen to know that there will be a sweet prize for one lucky commenter on the hop!
If you live anywhere near London Ontario, and you are interested in coming out to Scrappin Great Deals on Sunday the 4th, that's where I'll be hangin' out for Kimmie's company launch party! A lot of the DT will be there, as well as Kimmie! There will be free make and takes, refreshments, the new release of course, and I'll do a couple of coloring demos! I would love to meet you, so be there if you can!
Kimmie's stamps are high quality deeply etched and unmounted so you will be happy with the quality. And I am not the only artist illustrating for her! Annie Rodrigue is also illustrating, and her style is like nothing else on the market these days. Very sassy and refreshing new designs!
Not only that, but the fabulously creative Jeanne Streiff is designing all of Kimmie's sentiment stamps. Can't wait for you to see all the stamps Kim has to offer!
Don't forget to check out the sneaks by the Krafty Girls starting tomorrow!

AND

I will be revealing my 3rd SECRET TOMORROW TOO!!! STAY TUNED!!
Blessings!

Happy Fall!

I hope you had a good weekend. I had a GREAT one! I went for a walk at the falls near my house, and it was bee-U-tiful! The sweet smells of the crisp cool air, the crunch of leaves under my feet, the challenge of the rocky climb through the woods - it was exhilirating! I am sharing some pics with you, because it was too beautiful not to! But first, the fall card I made to go with the fall weekend!
This is another image I did for Squigglefly called "Thy Cart Overfloweth" and it is available right now! I colored it with copics and kept the card fairly simple. Anna Wight, aka SweetMissDaisy, aka Sassy & Sweet Notes always wow's me with her simple designs, and so when I want to do "simple" I turn to her for inspiration. Not that I copied any of her designs outright (at least not on purpose!) but she def. inspired this one!



And here I am on our walk at the falls with my daughter Ashley and our two adorable mutts, Avro and Spitfire!





God bless you and thanks for visiting today!

WT237 SCS challenge

Meet Roger and Jo. Two cats who know how to have fun on an autumn day! This is one of my new releases for Squigglefly Digital Stamps that is currently available to purchase for your immediate use!
I joined in the SCS challenge for today, which I haven't done in a dog's age. I have missed those challenges! Today Julia asked us to do something out of your comfort zone. For me, that is using white on white layering. I have always loved the look of cards that had it, but never had the guts to actually try it. I actually think I did pretty good, considering this is my first crack at it. It sure was hard to think of how to do it so it wouldn't be boring!
I popped up both layers (also unusual for me to only have two layers!) and used my Scor pal to give one white layer some interest by creating a frame around the main image.
I printed my image onto Manga drawing pad paper with my laser jet printer and heat set before coloring with the following Copics:
Pumpkin:
Y32, YR12, 15, 16, E97, 99
Pumpkin leaves:
YG21, 23, 63 I also used YG21 on the stem as well as E31, 35
Right cat: B91, 93, 95, E70 and R81 for the blush of his cheeks, inside ears and nose
Left cat: E70, 71, 74, B60
Ground: C3, 4, 6, E31, 35, 39
B000 all around them, faded out with colorless blender



I did have a good time playing the challenge today! Thanks so much for stopping by and for leaving your sweet comments!
Hugs!

2nd SECRET OUT!!!!!

I told ya it wouldn't be long before I revealed another secret! I've been asked to draw stamp designs for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!! After I left High Hopes, Kim Reid approached me to draw stamp designs for her. She had dreamt of having her own line of rubber stamps for ages. I was so happy to say yes!
We had a friendship that developed over the years through our mutual association with High Hopes, and so when she asked me to be an artist for her new rubber stamp company, I felt confident that Kim would be a great at it! The first thing she asked me to draw was this image for the store's logo. It is a cartoon version of her little dog named Daisy!
Now I can't tell you any more at the moment. :-( All I can say is it is coming soon! And that there is still one more secret I have yet to tell! I am waaaaaayyyy too excited!! But I mustn't spill the beans til I'm told to!!! You understand, right??? ;-)
Many blessings to you today!!