Snowy Sunday...

Hello everyone!

I woke up this morning to about 7" of snow on the ground from the storm yesterday. It's so deceiving..it's sunny out, actually, but freezing and yep...lots of white stuff. So, needless to say, we'll be staying in today!

One of our favorite activities for days such as these...well, for everyday really, is to stay in and do arts and crafts. The kiddos have their own little stash of goodies that they love to stamp and create just as much as I do, I think! Mostly, we all just LOVE to color. Ever since I got my Copics several months back, I've reignited an old love affair with coloring. As a child, I loved to color, and so did my Mom, and we used to sit at the kitchen table together and I remember thinking how stunningly perfect her coloring was compared to mine. These days, my Mom is my biggest fan, reads my blog every day and loves my work, and that to me, is the greatest compliment.

Coloring in this "Best Friends Forever " image by Sarah Kay was no exception to feeling that love of coloring. Stampavie's line of these adorable, child-like images captured my heart from the minute I saw them. This particular image reminds me of a doll that I had growing up, also a favorite doll of my Mom's. So this card in particular just really sparked some memories of my Mom and I and I am giving it to her for that reason.

Now, speaking of coloring, I've been really trying to get into shading/darkening techiniques more lately, and I gotta tell you...the right paper makes ALL the difference. For a while, I was using some no-name white CS that I got a whole ream of for super cheap and I have to tell you, someone opened my eyes to what it looks/feels like to have the right paper and WOW...it was like putting GLASSES on for the first time. I can't even tell you what a difference it made.

Of course, I was peeved LOL, because of the HUGE difference in price, too...but you know, I have to say that nine times out of ten you do get what you pay for, especially in this industry.

I was introduced to Neenah Solar White, 80 lb. CS by Simone at Craft Fancy, an awesome LSS that I JUST discovered near me and she has some awesome stuff! And when it comes to Copics and coloring, she definitely knows her stuff! Just ONE use of this new paper and I was amazed by how much better it picks up, blends, and shades the ink. Just a little tip I thought I'd share with you all today. I'd love to hear what you guys think of the White CS you use, so feel free to drop me a line, and I am planning on doing a comparison article here on my blog soon.

You can find today's card I made over on the Stampavie DT blog, too. Have you guys been out to visit there yet? There is so much inspiration and a constant array of absolutely beautiful work by my fellow Stampavie DT. They are an amazing bunch!

Want this stamp? Be sure to check out places like All that Scraps, and 7KidsCollegeFund here in the states where you can order them and have them be on their way to you to create some adorable things with them! Last but not least, be sure to check out the Stampavie website and our updated "about us" page, where you can read not only about the owners and DT, but the wonderfully talented stamp artists we work with, like Sarah Kay!

Have a great rest of your weekend, everyone!

Hugs!