One of My Favorite Things...Coleto Pens!!

Hi everyone! I hope you have all been enjoying the last days of summer...we actually had a fantastic summer here in Alaska. We had gorgeous sunny days, cool breezes, great temperatures but...it's been raining for days now. Fall is here. I find myself wanting to snuggle up with a cozy blanket, some hot tea and my journal. Journaling means reaching into my collection of pens to find the perfect one to suit my mood.

If you are a subbie to my Youtube channel, AKCaraboo, then you know that I have an addiction to pens. I shared my newest pen case...full to the brim with pens.

It's truly difficult for me to find a pen that I don't like...even the ones that have "issues." Maybe I don't like the color but I like the feel of the pen, maybe I don't like the way the pen looks but I like the way it writes...you get the idea. I have even taken the ink from pens I don't like and put it into other pens. Which leads me to one of my new favorites...the Pilot Hi-Tec- C Coleto multi-pen. 

These pens are fantastic because you can buy the pen body you like and then pick the ink cartridge you want to use...colors and sizes. Here's my newest one...

This pen body will fit three ink cartridges. (I also have one that fits five!!) The ink cartridges are .5mm...I also have them in .4mm. I love the way you can tailor the pen to suit your needs and preferences.

You simply choose a pen body and open the top...

Pick the ink cartridges you want to use and slide them into the pen body...

And then close the pen top (or as I call it the lid).

And start writing...here's the colors I put in this pen.

They are super easy to use and the ink writes very smoothly.

I plan to do some more pen reviews and some comparisons both here and on my YT channel so stay tuned for those...I figured it was a good excuse to buy more pens!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cara

"Was it all a DREAM?"

Hey, everyone!  I'm here with The Greeting Farm today and I'm happy to report that no, it definitely was NOT a DREAM!

That's right!  Today is the super special mid-month RELEASE DAY for the brand new mixed-media DREAM kit... appropriately titled "DREAMY"!   This jumbo-sized, 8.5x11 FULL sheet of stamps is available starting NOW over in the TGF STORE, so be sure to grab yours before they sell out!

I had so much fun with this set. Let me show you a couple more canvases I created. Here's the first...

This is actually the first one I made because I couldn't resist that little girl stamp. I used Gelatos to create the background. I stamped the little girl image and sentiment on and embossed some of the background stamps using white embossing powder. I drizzled on some Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays, added some trim and ta da! 

Here's a close up of it...

I kept all the colors soft and light. I really love the way this one turned out...it might be my favorite. 

Next I wanted to do something completely different so...

Again, I embossed some of the background stamps and added the sentiment...also embossed. Then I went to town with the Dylusions sprays! I added some torn black lace and foil butterflies.

Check it out up close...

Love those colors!

So I hope you all can see how really versatile this stamp set is...not only for mixed media but also for cards and layouts and...well, I am sure you can figure it out. :)

There is a super awesome lineup of Guest artists for you to visit today, so if you're just getting here, be sure to start on the TGF BLOG for all the details, or you can continue here and just make sure you've visited everyone because ONE LUCKY WINNER who completes our hop today will WIN the DREAMY kit!

Here's the order for today's special release hop:

JENNIFER SAGER

SPIKE

MARY BROCKWAY

CARA BOOHER --> You are here :)

KAREN CROSSEN

SHIRLEY STARK

SANNA FRIEDNER

KIM HUTCHINSON

KELLI GREEN

Be sure to stop right back over on the TGF BLOG to let us know you've completed the hop and you're entering to WIN the "DREAMY" kit!   Winner will be announced first thing MONDAY morning on the blog so you have the weekend  (through Sunday, June 16th at 11:30pm CST)  to relax, hop, and DREAM of the possibilities of creating with this awesome new kit!  

Thanks for joining us, everyone!

I have big, BIG news!

Hello everyone! Do any of you remember when The Greeting Farm put out a call for people to be involved in a secret mixed media project?  Well, I decided put on my big girl panties and give it a try. So I sent them some pictures of some of my creations and...I got picked! I am so excited! I love, love, love TGF stamps...they have been a favorite of mine for a long time! I am totally thrilled to be able to work with this fantastic company. And the best part...today is PREVIEW DAY!!! I finally get to tell you my secret!

As part of this "special project" I was asked to create a mixed media canvas using a new stamp set from The Greeting Farm...it's called "Dreamy" and it is wonderful. It's a HUGE 8.5 x 11 rubber stamp set! Same great quality as all the other TGF stamps.

So's here's what I created...

I created the background with some pages from an old book, some paint and some Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays. But what really makes it are all the great stamps from The Greeting Farm!

Here's a close up of part of the canvas...

I love the variety of stamps you get with this set...stamps that you can use to create an awesome background, sentiments and more! In addition to creating really cool mixed media projects, these stamps can be used on layouts and to create cards...there are so many options! To check out more creations using this gorgeous stamp set, head on over to the TGF blog. The "Dreamy" stamp set will be released on June 15th...and all of us will have MORE projects to share with you! (And there's a blog hop!) I will also be posting a video on my Youtube channel (AKCaraboo) to tell you a little more about each one of my creations on the 15th...so come on over and check it out!

Happy Crafting!

Cara

Kat Scrappiness Card Share

I know you are probably freakin' a bit right now...two posts in one day?!?! What's happened to Cara? Well, I am trying to be good and I have fun stuff to share with you!

Check out these cards I made using some of my Kat Scrappiness goodies.

I love using the goodies from Kat because it makes it so much simpler to put together a card! Thanks for the goodies Kat!

Yeah...I know this is a short one but still it counts!

Happy Crafting!

Copic Coloring

So...I know you will find this hard to believe but...I colored with my Copic markers this weekend! I know, I know...you thought I was just saying I was going to color so I could justify all those stamps I keep buying. I get it...I kinda thought that too! :)

But no! I busted out the Copics and colored! Not one, not two but FOUR images. Ok, I know I only colored the hair on two of them but still...I did it! I am thrilled with myself right now. And you know what...coloring is relaxing...at least it was this time. I just didn't worry about it...I played.

So in case you are curious...here's the video I did to show them off...but listen carefully first...before viewing...I am not a professional colorer (Is that a word?). Strictly amateur here folks and I am ok with that!

So what do you think?? (Be kind.)

I will be coloring more soon and I pinky-promise to share it will YOU!

Thanks so much for checking out my blog!

Hugs...Cara

Kat Scrappiness Design Team Challenge

Hello everyone!!

I have a cute little card to share with you. But first...here's the story behind it. In our last design team package from Kat she gave us all a few items (four to be exact) that she wanted us to use to create something....anything...a card, a layout...whatever we wanted. All the goodies, as you will shortly see, are St. Patrick's Day themed.

Now here's my problem...believe it or not...I have actually NEVER, EVER made a card for St. Patrick's Day. Or anything else for that matter...no St. Patrick's Day layout...no nothing. And while I like the color green, it's not a "go-to" color of mine. Yep...in the dark...in the green woods...with no help in site. :)

But I grabbed my big girl panties and used it as an excuse to go look for stamps...I mean...I needed St. Patrick's Day sentiments...come on. Fair is fair...I make a green card...I should get stamps. So I found a few cheapies at JoAnn's and off I went.

Luckily, one of the things Kat gave us was bling...love me some bling AND another was twine. Well, you know how I love twine! If you don't...trust me, I do...although guess what? I didn't have any green and white twine myself!

So here's a few pics of my first St. Patrick's Day Card. The one. The only.

So what do you think?? Here's the good news...I could win a prize! See it's a contest...Kat is going to post pictures on the Kat Scrappiness blog and whoever has the most votes wins!! (And I think the prize is a stamp set!!)

So pretty please...go vote for me! I pinky-promise...I won't tell the other ladies you voted for me. It will be our little secret!

Happy Crafting!

Paper Rosettes

Hi crafty peeps! Hope you are all having lots of crafty fun...I have been...making these rosettes! I love them! I can use them on cards, layouts, altered projects...all variety of crafty goodness. And the thing I like best is that I can use my scraps to make them. You can purchase the die or you can make them with out the die. Let's start with the die. 

I have the Mini Paper Rosette die from Tim Holtz.

This die creates two rosettes...one that is approximately 2 inches in diameter and another that is approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Once you have the paper strips cut out from the die, you fold on the perforated lines and then glue the ends together. I use Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive.

I cut out a circle using my 1 inch circle punch for the base. Then I press the folded paper down in the center...like this...

I put Glossy Accents in the center and a little around the top of the hole...and put the decorative center on top. I hold it in place for a few seconds and then voila! There's a rosette!

If you don't have the die or you want a different size, you can easily make a paper rosette. Determine what size rosette you want and cut a strip of paper...I use a piece of paper that is 10 to 12 inches long (depending on the scraps I have) and 1/2 the width of the rosette I want to create. So if I want a rosette that is approximately 3 inches in diameter, the paper strip will be 1 1/2 inches wide. You can use a border punch to create a decorate edge. 

Then using a scoreboard, score the strip of paper at 1/4 of an inch increments width-wise...all the way down the strip of paper. (If you have a decorative edge, be extra careful not to damage the it when scoring.) Fold the strip, glue the ends and proceed as I described with the first rosette. Again...easy-peasy!

Then you can decorate and embellish them!

And yes...I went a little rosette crazy! But aren't they pretty!

Here's a close up of a couple of them...

I can't seem to get enough of these little cuties! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Happy Crafting!