On Your Mark, Get Set . . .

. . . GO! In just four more days, I will be on my way to CHA in Anaheim, California!! (For those who don't know what CHA is -it's the Craft & Hobby Association trade show, and it's AWESOME!! It's where all the vendors get together and showcase what new merchandise they will be releasing over the next several months . . .)

I'm sooo excited! This is going to be such a riot! I will be with several members of the Spellbinders Design Team, along with several of my other friends from SB, including the owners, Jeff & Stacey Caron (hi guys!!). We will be working like dogs, but it will be such a fun and new experience.

Anyway, here are a few things that I have been working on this past week (and, surprisingly, they don't ALL have butterflies on them!!)

I LOVE these new large heart-shaped tins from Papertrey Ink!! There are adorable!!! I had to come up with a Valentine's Day craft to do with some of the girls from church. I made some fun cards with them last year, but decided to do something a little different this year. These were super easy to cover, and will be a GREAT way to give that special someone a treat or whatever you want to fill this tin with! I used ZipDry craft glue to adhere the paper to the tin. I love that stuff! It dries pretty quickly, but gives you just enough time to "adjust" the paper before it is permanently stuck!! I used a borrowed set of Heart-shaped Nestabilities (thanks, Eli!) to embellish the lid. I now need to go BACK to Roberts to get some more ribbon, as I wasn't planning on using the brown gingham, so I don't have enough for the girls to do theirs (AND I forgot to buy some more Glue Dots - another thing I can't live without!!)

Stamps: Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Patterned Paper: Sweetheart True Love/Swirl & Sweetheart Stripe/Circle by Pebbles Inc.
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic & Craft
Diecuts; Heart Nestabilities

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Copics!! I have discovered that I don't have nearly enough, however (I have 17, which sounds like a lot, 'til you go to mix and match!!) When I saw this hummingbird image in the new SU catty, I knew I HAD to have it!! It is hard to tell from this photo, but I did use my airbrush system with my Copic markers to create a slightly light blue "sky" behind the bird and flowers. I need to get me a little compressor, as I have been using canned air and it's almost gone :( . . .

I also used my circle Nestabilities to cut out this card. I have decided that it is my new favorite thing to make shaped cards using the largest Nestabilities (in all shapes, of course!). It's really fun and challenging to have a different shaped "canvas" to work with. And the embossing! Oh my goodness!!!! My Wizard is the BEST at embossing. Kicks booty on everything else I have ever used in that department (sorry to all you Cuttlebug lovers, but the Wizard really rocks socks in this department!! And I HAVE a Cuttlebug, so I've done both!!)

Stamps: Spring Song, Short & Sweet
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Lovely Lilac, Shimmery White
Ink: Graphite Black Brilliance (Tsukineko), Assorted Copic Markers
Diecuts: Large Scallop and Classic Circle Nestabilities

Finally, I DID do a butterfly card this week, as I am on card #23 in my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge (see the link on the sidebar for more details!).

I started out with this card trying to do the sketch challenge that was posted on SCS last week. I kinda ran amok and ended up doing my own thing. This card actually served two purposes . . . I was supposed to come up with a card for a swap in my upline/sideline group using at least one of the new Sale-a-Bration sets. I was able to sneak a few butterflies in there as well (I only had to make 5 of 'em, so it wasn't so bad!)

Stamps: So Many Scallops, Twill background, Sprinkles
Cardstock: Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant
Punches: Scallop, 1", 3/4" & 1/2" circles, Ticket Corner

More than likely the next time you will hear from me I'll be in Anaheim!! I'll share some pictures of some of the fun things I see and drool over, so stay tuned . . .