TSG189- Color Challenge

This week our challenge is brought to us by Theresa! She is challenging YOU to make a card or project using the colors black, blue and yellow!!

To be eligible for the giveaway, create a card or project using this week’s challenge and then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (January 14th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

By participating in this challenge, you may also find yourself in the Trendsetting Spotlight that shines on the TSG Blog every Thursday. We will be on the lookout to find challenge cards that stand out and show Trendsetting qualities. TSG stamps are not required to participate in the challenges but are appreciated :)

You do not need to have a blog to be able to participate in the TSG Challenges! You can simply add the URL link from your project after it has been uploaded to your online craft gallery. If you upload your card to an online craft gallery, please use the keyword TSG189 so we can check out your beautiful work!

The winner of TSG188 is:  Mary J.
Here are your random numbers:

15 

Timestamp: 2013-01-06 23:56:13 UTC

Be sure to email Jessi96@yahoo.com to claim your prize!!

Need some inspiration to help you get started? Check out these great cards made by the following Trendsetters!!

~ Theresa
~Tracy
~Torico
   ~ Stephanie
~Kelly

Week in Review (Dec. 30 to Jan. 5)

What is Week In Review (WIR)?- WIR is where we showcase cards made by the Trendsetters and myself throughout the week. Not only to you get to see gorgeous projects made using TSG stamps, but you also have a chance to WIN one of these cards! Leave a comment on this post and next WIR I will choose a winner using a random number generator.That person will then get to pick out their favorite card and the Trendsetter that created it will send it to them :)

Last week's Winner is: Sandi

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2013-01-05 23:04:14 UTC

Be sure to email Jessi96@yahoo.com to claim your card!!

Theresa (Side by Side)

Jessie (Smarty Pants)

Danielle (Sparkly & Bright)

Stephanie(Spread your wings)

Kim O. (Buckets of Love)

Kelly (Smarty Pants)

Stampbook Saturday with Tobi

Hi readers! Well this concludes my Trendsetter week and I know from talking to the other girls that our Saturday post is the most challenging - it's a layout!! ACK! I started out scrapbooking about 11 years ago but it was that really basic way of doing things, you know: die cuts, decorative scissors, stickers!! I wasn't serious about papercrafts until I got introduced to cardmaking and then I kind of left scrapbooking in the dust. I still do it occasionally, but it's not my forte that's for sure! I like to scrapbook important events (STILL working on my wedding - 3 years later) and the topic of today's layout is certainly deserving of a layout: our newest member of the family, Fiona:

(CLICK HERE to read more about how Fiona came into our lives)

This is a 12x12 layout and I used a bunch of Cosmo Cricket papers that I've been hoarding for a couple of years - literally... The colours matched Fiona's little sweatshirt perfectly so I had to use them!!

I cut out the scalloped shape with my Silhouette and added some doodling with a white gel pen. (Look at her sweet face.. LOVE)

And where's my stamping component??? Well, I knew I would use the "Puppy Love" stamp set on this layout but I didn't know how it would play into the design, but it turns out I just needed the perfect little touch. It's nice to have a collection of stamps on hand when you need that little something to make an element complete!

Thanks for joining me this week, I've had a blast!

Anything But a Card Friday with Tobi

Hi everyone! It's been a great week being the featured Trendsetter - lots of warm-fuzzies from everyone and I have loved reading your responses to my shading video!! I can't wait to see your projects with them - please post and share!

So today I made something that's ANYTHING but a card. It's a good challenge for someone like me, I always default to cards and it usually never even occurs to me to do an altered project. Today I looked through my Silhouette library ( I have a little over 1500 shapes, so I had a few..) and I chose this "Adorable Box" (available HERE in the Silhouette Store):

I used my favourite coffee/tea themed set called Perk Up and decorated the box with one of the cute little hearts in the set. (I stamped with Palette "New Canvas" - haven't used in it years!!!) 

Easy-peasy to stamp and cut out the mug and it was practically done! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Trendsetting Spotlight- Mary J.

How I haven't featured today's Trendsetting Spotlight stamper Mary J. before is BEYOND me...OMG, I love love LOVE her work!!! I spied a tag she had posted on our TSG Facebook page recently, which led me to her blog...and I was in AWE!! 

This is the tag that caught my eye, and WOWZA is it gorgeous!! Made using our Cattitude and Numbered Days sets....how can you NOT love this??!! Her use of colors, and that image with a New Year's theme? BRILLIANT!!

This card makes me happy sigh....a lot! Mary has used one of our most POPULAR sets, Puppy Love for this gorgeous valentine's creation...awwww!! I LOVE her coloring, the gorgeous papers, and her SUPER fun layout! SO beautiful!

I can't say enought good things about this card, using the Birthdaybot and Numbered Days set again, I am IN LOVE! Her use of die cuts, paper, and shapes just add to the visual appeal of this card...and accent that cute little bot SO well!!! Who wouldn't want to receive this card??!!

Well, that is it for me for now! Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to head on over to Mary's blog so that you can say hi and see more of her STUNNING work!!

Wednesday Trends - Adding Shading to Images

Hi there! It's Tobi here with a little tutorial about using chalk pencils to shade your coloured images. It was this past summer when I was hanging out with some TSG girls at Jessica's house when I asked Kim Teasdale how she gets "that special sump'n sump'n" on her cards and it was at that moment that she changed my life. I'm not exaggerating, I will, from now on, always use either chalk pencils or charcoal pencils to add shading to my colouring.. 

Pastel Chalk pencils (or soft charcoal pencils) will work on top of any medium so long as it's completely dry. Kim colours with Tombow watercolour markers and I use Distress Markers or Copics, and the pencils are a LAST STEP once you've coloured your image. 

Here's a before-and-after of a cute Hallowe'en image. The "before" is JUST coloured with Copics and the "after" was after I finished adding shading with the chalk pencils. 

Before: 

After:

And here's a little video I put together just for you!! I have wanted to do this video for a while and this Wednesday Trends feature was the perfect push to get it done! 

Enjoy!

And here's the final product, all coloured and shaded:

Thanks for joining me today!! 

Trendsetter Tuesday- Tobi Crawford!!

It's time for this week's Trendsetter Tuesday post, and this week our Trendsetter of the week is Tobi Crawford!!

Honestly, without making anyone jealous, but I have not only met Tobi in person THREE times, but I have got to see her work, and hug her!! She is one of the most TALENTED and FABULOUS stampers I have ever met, and an AMAZING person! I love her to pieces, and I can't wait til the next time we get to hang out together!!

I have chosen just a few of my FAVORITE cards of hers, but honestly, it was really hard! I love everything she does!!

Her first card using the Oh Crop and Poultry in Motion sets is just TOO cute! Her use of the wood grain paper and the different shapes make this card SO much fun! I could talk about her coloring for days, but seriously...it JUMPS off the card!!

From our most recent release, her Sparkly & Bright card...be still my heart! Her sponging, and her coloring....GORGEOUS!!! I love her use of papers, as well. Subtle, yet GORGEOUS!

This card makes me want to do two things: break out my Enjoy Life-By The Sea set AND watch Finding Nemo!! How cute and FUN, and her masking is BRILLIANT!!

And last, but DEFINITELY not least...this GORGEOUS creation! Tobi used the no line coloring technique with our Swing Big and DEFINITELY hit a homerun(I'm so punny)!!! The clouds, dotted background, and great use of colors and highlighting...GORGEOUS!!

Well, that is it for me for now! Be sure to check out Tobi's blog for more of her GORGEOUS creations!!