Woooo!

First, sorry I've been so absent lately- it's been so crazy here!

First of all, let's rewind a week and a half to the winner of the Facebook liking contest- now that Connie has received her prize in the mail, I can post some pictures of it! I gave Connie the choice between an item from the shop, the set of three Tim Holtz inks, or a custom item of her choice. Being the wild child she is, she told me to make her a custom home decor item and to surprise her with its design! Here's what I came up with: 

I'm really proud of it! 

Speaking of things I want to brag about, a local shop just ordered some of my cards to display in their store! The store is the Mukilteo Chocolate Company near the Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo. They make AMAZING chocolate truffles, fudge, and other such deliciousness. Jan, the fantastic and friendly owner, has also agreed to show some sample favor tags that I've mocked up when people come in to order wedding or other party favors. So exciting! 

I also taught my first class at Lila's this week. I taught a bunch of techniques, including wet embossing and distressing. It was a pretty small class and I've had some requests to re-teach it tomorrow night.

you're nearby and want to take the class, call Lila's at 425-355-2500 and let her know! I'll also be selling some cards at Lila's, so if you're interested, come by and check 'em out! 

And of course, I still have lots of cards up for sale on Etsy here! 

There are some other new and exciting things on the horizon as well, but I don't want to spill all the beans at once! : )

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

365 Cards Wednesday Challenge!

First of all, I am so excited to be working with 365 Cards! Today is my first featured card as a member of their design team and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out! 

Today's challenge is a color challenge! The colors are below: 

I'll be totally honest- I had a hard time trying to tell if that center color was an ivory/ cream kind of color, or a very pale green. I decided on ivory after looking at that swatch about a thousand times and my card is below!

I don't usually use these colors, using jewel tones or earth tones most of the time, so this card was a real challenge for me. I think it turned out really pretty, despite my agonizing over making sure that I had the right colors, haha. I embossed the darker purple on the sentiment and the birds (which is why I included the picture where the light is shining on them). 

I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with for this challenge! 

Keep It Simple

As I mentioned last week, I was recently invited to join 365Cards as a Design Team member. I'll be the designer featured on Wednesdays and while I can't give you a sneak peek of my card for tomorrow, I thought I'd post my card from today's challenge.

The challenge was to "keep it simple" by using just one piece of patterned paper, one stamp, and 3 embellishments. Whenever I read scrapbooking or other paper craft magazines, it seems like the ones who get published are the ones who make cards or layouts where it looks like their embellishment storage threw up on the page! A lot of designers stick random bits, buttons, and baubles all over the place, whether it pulls the design together or not. It's a nice reminder to "keep it simple"!

Here's my design:

Pretty simple! And I LOVE that lace- I got it at Jo-Anns on super-mega sale and it's just so gorgeous I want to use it on everything. 

Look forward to tomorrow morning when I post my first daily card design for 365Cards! 

French Home

Here's another peek at a sample I've made for Lila's! This collection is from Canvas Corp. and is very much my style! It's got beautiful kraft paper with prints like script, damask, bold lines, etc. Beautiful, beautiful stuff! I made a 2-page layout and 4 cards. Check 'em out!

Because this paper has such a high contrast with the black ink, I thought it would a little busy for a background so I stamped and embossed plain Bazzil cardstock to give it a little bit of a background image without overwhelming the other elements. This is something I'll cover in the class I'm teaching at Lila's in a couple weeks! Tuesday, March 13th, from 2-4pm and then again from 430-630pm. $20 and you'll make five cards and a cute little spring tag. Call Lila's to reserve your spot!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Mom's Kitchen

Hey, everyone!

I hope your weeks are going just lovely-- I've been a busy bee so far! First, let me congratulate Connie Roberts-Huth for winning the Facebook contest! She's won a custom item which I'll be working on tomorrow all day and sending out next week-- I'm so excited!

Also, congratulations to Patti Fedula for being our 100th like! She's won a coupon code for 50% any shop item. Congrats, ladies!

On to business! So as you all know, I'm working for a couple design teams now and I just love it! I love being challenged, love working with new designs, and love being pushed out of my comfort zone! This week, I've been given two packs of paper with which to design for Lila's. The first of these is from Best Creation Inc., called Mom's Kitchen. This is such a fun and colorful collection with a little sparkle- not my usual style, but so adorable, I was thrilled to work with it!

Below you'll find my 2-page layout and 3 cards from the Mom's Kitchen collection. You'll be able to see these at Lila's within the next two weeks, as well as purchase all the papers! Check 'em out!

So cute, right?? I just adore this perky paper! I have to admit I have a pretty bad case of spring fever. It's been EXTREMELY cold here in Washington state-- it even snowed a little the last couple days! Now, I'm a Pennsylvania girl so snow is no big deal, but I am very ready for some nice hiking weather, for sure. This spring paper is just the thing to fuel my spring fever and get me ready for some sunshine! 

Tomorrow I'll be posting some designs from Canvas Corp.'s new French Home collection, so look forward to that. Have a great day, everyone!

Competition and Design Team

Hello, everyone! How was everyone's weekends? Mine was bizzzzzzay! Saturday I went to a crop at Lila's in Everett and worked on some projects for the store. Lila will be receiving some new Authentique paper from the Genuine line next week and so I made up some examples of projects you could make with it. I made a two-page layout, a card, and a really neat mixed-media canvas. Check 'em out: 

I'll post a picture of the canvas when I have a little better picture of it! You can see the real deals at Lila's starting next week- and purchase the paper and most of the embellishments/ inks!

Materials Used: 

Authentique Genuine Paper

Authentique Genuine "Details" stickers

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Miscellaneous twine

Recollections rhinestones

Martha Stewart classic butterfly punch

Yesterday, after resting up from the crop, I worked on some cards I am making for a competition. Check 'em out! 

Those first two I started at the crop and then finished at home, but I think they all turned out pretty nicely! Thanks to Elisa over at Perpetual Stew (another of Lila's designers) for the beautiful lace which she found for a steal at a thrift store : )

I also just listed two cards on Etsy:

You can see those here at my shop!

Don't forget that the McLion Design facebook contest is still rolling-- only 5 more likes until it ends! Like McLion here!

Have a great week!

A gift for Mom- plus, it's official!

I think everybody loves their mom, but I am especially close with mine. Even though she's far away (try 2800+ miles), we still talk almost every day! When I saw this cute little Dachschund stamp this afternoon, I immediately thought of her! Her cute little (insane) dog Rosie is a Dachschund and I knew Mom would adore this stamp. I made up a set of cards that I'm sending out to her in the morning!

Materials Used: 

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Martha Stewart Set-Your-Own Stamp Kit

Copic Ciao Marker

Twine

Ivory Cardstock

Printworks "Hot Dog" Stamp

These cards were especially fun to make since I used the inks and a waterbrush to watercolor the image and the area around it.

Also, check it out! I'm officially on the website for Lila's Scrapbooking as a design team member! Check me out here, and while you're there, check out the links for the other designers- they all do really great work! 

Design Team and Classes!

So excited to announce that I've just been added to the design team at Lila's Scrapbooking in Everett! I just got my first design team pack to make some store examples from Authentique, AND, I just scheduled two classes that I'll be teaching!

First, I'll be teaching a class on embossing, resist, and stamping techniques on Tuesday, March 13th, first at 2-4pm, then again from 4:30-6:30pm. We'll make five (!) cards and a tag!

Then, on Tuesday, April 3rd, I'll be teaching a class on the basics of using alcohol inks, again from 2-4pm, and 4:30-6:30pm. We'll probably make a couple cards and maybe an altered object.

Below are two pictures of things from the March class:

I also made these cards for the shop!

These spring-y cards are for sale on Etsy here!

If you're nearby, join us at Lila's for the class- $20 for the two hour class-- plus, I'll have a prize with me!

Also, don't forget the McLion Facebook contest-- like McLion here, share our page with your friends or tag us in a status and get entered to win either an item from the shop or a three-pack of Tim Holtz Distress inks!

Lots of New Things!

First and foremost, meet the newest McLion mascot, Lucas:

Lucas! 

Isn't he a doll? An 8 yr old chocolate lab/ golden retriever mix, my husband and I adopted Lucas from the local shelter. He's got such a pretty variegated color, lots of deep browns and reds (and whites, the little old man!). We just adore him : ) Boss, the original mascot, and still king, of McLion Design is adjusting well. Lucas has pretty intense hip arthritis, so he can't climb onto the sofa or the bed, which is a relief to Boss, who adores both, so that is a help!

On to business! 

The Facebook contest has been kind of a bust-- though I did get 5 new likes over the weekend (progress!). If you're reading this post and want to help out by sharing the McLion Design Facebook page on your page and encouraging your friends to like/ support McLion, I'd very much appreciate it! And remember, if you link to us/ share directly from the McLion page, I'll enter you into a contest to win any item in the shop, or the three-pack of Tim Holtz Distress Inks I posted the other day! 

My husband, being in the Navy, is on duty at least once a week, so while that is a bummer when it comes to a warm bed (he's a straight-up furnace!), it is good for productivity! After a small hiatus from creating yesterday to help Lucas settle in, I made two new sets of cards tonight! 

The first is this butterfly card I'm calling "Flight"-- very elegant, perfect for a bridal shower or as an inclusion in a wedding gift: 

Materials Used: 

My Mind's Eye Kraft Funday Paper

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Ranger Crackle Accents

Martha Stewart Butterfly Classic Punch

Recollections ivory pearls

Swirl cling stamp

white embossing powder

I also made this next card this evening-- probably my favorite so far! It obviously took me a little longer (and I made those rosettes by hand, darn it!), but I adore the result!: 

Materials Used: 

Ivory cardstock

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder

My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Cling stamps

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint

Perfect Pearls gold powder

Martha Stewart card stamp set

Pretty neat, huh? I just adore these cards! You can buy the butterfly card here and the bon voyage card here. 

I'll be teaching some classes at the Hobby Lobby in Everett starting in a couple weeks- if you're in the Mukilteo/ Everett/ Seattle area, I'll keep you up to date about times/ dates/ subjects!

Thanks for keeping up with the blog, guys!

Letterblock Thoreau Card

As you may have guessed, I adore resist embossing. This card is a perfect example of why that is. It's such a pretty way to give your projects dimension without bulk, and just a little shine. This may be one of my favorite projects I've made recently. Looks like a chalkboard, with one of my favorite mantras on it (thanks, Henry David!).

For sale on Etsy here.

Materials Used:

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder

Sketchy Font Cling Stamps

Dark Ivory Ribbon

Recollections Pearl Accents

Happy Happy Happy

Quick post to show you another card that just went live on Etsy. My husband will be on duty for part of this weekend so I expect to put up a quick tutorial on how to do embossing resists at some point (The clear swirls on this card are an example of that technique).

Happy Happy Happy

An example of embossing resist 

Materials Used: 

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink

Ranger Perfect Medium

Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder

My Mind's Eye Lost & Found cling stamp

Swirl cling stamp (Maybe from Recollections? Ironically, I forget!)

Martha Stewart card-making stamp

Ribbon

Card for sale on Etsy here. 

I'm getting pretty excited to share the contest with you guys! I just want to make sure the Etsy shop is fully stocked before I start it, but I'm pretty sure you should keep an eye out for an announcement tomorrow. 

And if you haven't yet, go like McLion on Facebook here. 

I'll post another quick project tonight that I've been mulling over in my head most of today but just haven't had a chance to put together just yet. For now, it's off to a date with my husband! : )

Lost & Found

I went over to Lila's Scrapbooking in Everett today and while I was there, I picked up a new set of clear cling stamps from the My Mind's Eye "Lost & Found" collection. The owner, Lila, suggested that I make a few mock-ups of cards using the stamps and bring them in for examples that I could teach in a class there. Below are the results!

Products used: 

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink

Ranger Super Fine Detail embossing powder

Ranger Tim Holtz crackle paint

My Mind's Eye "Kraft Funday" paper

My Mind's Eye "Lost & Found" paper

My Mind's Eye "Lost & Found" cling stamp set

Recollections Script Stamp

Ranger Perfect Pearls powder

Recollections ivory pearl embellishments

Martha Stewart card stamp pack (lettering)

Dark Ivory ribbon

I LOVE these stamps- I have the other set as well, both very vintage-y and pretty without being too girly. My personal favorite of these is the Thank You card in the middle, but butterflies are very "in" right now, so I included them in the other two cards since they may be more popular for a class. I personally think butterflies are a little too girly for my taste (I'm a moth girl), but they do make these two cards look delicate, even with the heavy browns and golds.

Another really neat trick I used here was to "grunge up" my ribbon. I know I keep saying it, but I LOVE Distress Ink- it is so easy to use and has so many great properties! In this case, I sprayed my ribbon pieces with the Ranger mini mister (another awesome little tool), used the Ranger ink blending tool to smush some Vintage Photo Distress Ink into the ribbon fabric, then used a heat tool to dry it so it stayed kind of blotchy rather than bleeding into a more even pattern. I love that dark ivory ribbon for two reasons-- 1. It's super cheap (like 4 billion yards for $3), and 2. It takes up the color well without being too vibrant like a white ribbon would be, keeping the vintage look.

I'm taking the cards in to the day crop tomorrow to show to Lila. Regardless, these will end up on Etsy when I do my big product post later this week!

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day- my valentine is on duty tonight so my secondary valentine and I snuggled up most of the night:

My dog, Boss and I

Boss is a pretty good snuggle buddy- and speaking of snuggling, it is way past my bedtime, so I'm off to do some of that now! See you all in the morning!

Bluebird

Here's a lovely little card I made the other night. I love when I show my husband a card or a layout I've put together and he goes, "Wow! How did you do that? Show me this!" He was particularly interested in the embossing resist stamping at the corners. I'll post a how-to later if anyone is interested!

Embossed stamping resist

Materials used:

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Ranger Super Fine Detail embossing powder

Ranger Perfect Medium

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint

Recollections script stamp

Inkadinkadoo birds on a branch stamp

What do you think? I am a big fan of the brown and blue, but I know some people (looking at you, Mom!) aren't big on it.