Thursday, January 24, 2013

Mix and Match Gina K. Blog Hop!

Good morning! Welcome to our Gina K. Mix and Match blog hop
with the illustrating team mixing it up by pairing some of our new sets! 
Comment on each of the blogs and you could win a huge bag of Gina K. Designs stamps, patterned paper and embellishments, courtesy of Gina K!!
The realistic nature images in Stately Flowers 6 and Birds and Blossoms are a match made in heaven!

Pine branch and pine cone are stamped with Gina K. Dark Sage.  This pad (or Fresh Asparagus) is perfect for stamping this branch so the needles are already green, no need to trace with color.  Pine cones are colored with Copics E43, Y28, E57.  I sponged the edges with Gina K. Ocean Mist.
Bird is stamped in Gina K. Honey Mustard and colored with Copics E43, Y28, E71, C-5 and E49 (this last color really making the bird spring to life on the tip of the beak and around the eye, which gave him a little spark).  These pads are great for line art and Copic coloring and I am loving this shade for the bird, the "no line coloring" showing just enough detail to show you were the color should go, but enough to recede so you see the form but not the outline.  Cardstock is Pure Luxury White, Ocean Mist and Dark Chocolate.
 While I didn't take step by steps of the coloring, I am recreating for you how simple it is to build out the scene for the bird to perch!  Here is the large pine branch stamped and turned, re-inking each time.
Add in the smaller pine cone.  No need to try to mask those needles, they could be in front, so just stamp right over.
Sponge the edges, and the scene is complete! Just color in the cones.


 And here is a new way to use Debbie's Skater Diva, how about a Roller Diva??  Just cut off the blades after stamping and add brads. You can even put a little dot on each for the axle.  I also used Tami's Simple Hearts for the greeting and punched X O embellishments to mimic the wheels.  That's how I roll...!

Finally, here is another match up I did earlier in the month, but hadn't blogged yet:

With Carolyn and Becky's sets, the big SMILE is just perfect with the little Polaroids!  Be sure to pop up a few to add dimension!  You can stamp directly onto your photos and then cut them out like you are paper piecing, or here I just reduced them down to the same size opening as the photo window and printed them out to then cut and add. These little moment/memories form the past of my boys' real photos (I made this card for their proud uncle) just melt my heart!

You can also scroll down and see some other pairings I did with other new sets this past week if you haven't visited lately! :)

I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop and are inspired by how wonderfully our Gina K stamp sets work together!

145 comments:

  1. OMGosh, your coloring on the bird is beyond gorgeous. That is such a stunning card. I love your pine branch! Now I'm afraid to post the brown bird I colored. Your's is so much prettier! Love all three cards!

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  2. WOW! At first i thought the bird was a photograph! Beautiful cards!

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  3. OH MY Word!! Beautiful cards, I am in love with your first card, beautiful coloring of that bird.

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  4. OMG! Melanie!!!! First of all...I thought for a brief moment that that was an ACTUAL bird. lol. I was blown away..and then I saw ROLLER DIVA! And I said (out loud) 'GET OUT!'. And knew immediately that I did not do enough for this blog hop! And then I saw your POLAROIDS! HOLY SMOKES! You are amazing!

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  5. Melanie... these are wonderful ideas! You always come up with new and fresh ways to use stamps. Your crafty brain seems to bubble over with awesome ideas continually. Do you sleep at night? lol
    Hugs!

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  6. WOW! Mel.....these are beyond gorgeous! You have so many fun and original ideas! Thanks for the inspiration my friend! Hugs! Sean

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  7. Absolutely love the bird card! such beautiful work. cute idea to change the diva to a roller skater, love it.

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  8. Great ways to combine sets--esp turning ice skates into roller skates!

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  9. Your first card is stunning! The popped-up bird looks so real.

    Your other cards are super cute.

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  10. Stunning! i thought your bird was actually a 3D! Thanks for sharing

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  11. I did want to mention thanks for the details on how you stamped and what colors were used. It is always nice to know. I forgot that in my other post but wanted to be sure to mention it.

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  12. All the cards are wonderful! Your coloring is amazing!!

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  13. That bird card is stunning!!! Fabulous samples!

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  14. Wow! That bird card is totally BREATHTAKINGLY beautiful!

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  15. Melanie, that bird really does look so real. I am in awe. And I also love what you did with the skater - - a roller diva! Guess that must show our age!! LOL

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  16. Wow, your first card is absolutely beautiful! Just perfect for anyone.
    How cute is that roller skating diva! Gotta lov'em!

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  17. Oh Melanie, I just love that bird! It looks so real! What a great way to combine the two sets.

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  18. Love each one of your cards! The bird car is stunning - you have colored him so realistically! The skater card is so bright and happy and I love the little "bulletin" board card - what a great idea for a grandmother!

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  19. Oh my, the nature bird and pine card blew me away. I thought the bird was going to fly right off the card. It is so realistic looking. Love your sets and combinations.

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  20. I love all that artwork you posted but that bird one just blew my mind. It looked so realistic that I thought it wasn't even stamped. Such magnificient coloring you did on it. And, so happy to see that the Gina K. inks work with the Copics. I wondered about that. Thanks for mentioning that. Now have a great day!

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  21. All I can say is amazing! Wish my coloring was half as good.

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  22. Love how you colored the bird and branches. Thanks for showing us the copics you used.

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  23. Oh Melanie, that bird looks like he is ready to fly away. Such a gorgeous card.

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  24. Great cards! Really like the bird and pine cone branches - beautiful job on that!

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  25. Good grief! When I first opened this page I thought. Wonder why she used a print on her card. That bird looks so real it should tweet. Great card and thankyou again for your tutorials.

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  26. Oh my I thought the bird was a picture, what a beautiful job of color!

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  27. Gorgeous Bird Card! So lifei-like. Your Smile card gave me a great idea for using my grandchildren's many "smiles" on a card! Thank you.

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  28. What fun cards. The bird looks SO real. You did a fabulous job coloring it. The gal on the skates is such a fun and colorful card. But I'm fixated on the photo card. What a fun way to send photos and take care of a life event at the same time! Thanks for the inspiration.

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  29. That bird is the most perfectly colored bird I've ever seen!!!!!!!!!! And I ADORE that smile card!!! Perfect Instagram look!

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  30. W O W ! ! ! THAT bird just jumped out at me, I thought it was a pic - whoa!!!!! Beee-u-teee-full coloring on the whole bird card. And then the "roller" skater - what a fun idea. I always enjoy alll of your works.
    Jean McGee

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  31. Beautiful card. I love the little diva stamps. they are on my list of "must have".

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  32. Your bird in the pines is totally awesome!

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  33. Die Karte mit dem Vogel ist einfach traumhaft schön!!! Der Vogel sieht aus, als ob er in echt auf dem Zweig sitzt.
    Vielen Dank für die tolle Idee, den Hintergrund zu stempeln.
    Die Stempel mit dem Vogel sind auf jeden Fall schon auf meiner Wunschliste.

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  34. These are all wonderful, but I was blown away by that first card! The bird is so life like, the coloring is amazing!

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  35. Oh my GOSH that bird looks REAL! Makes me want to reach out and touch....hope it doesn't bite. Just Beautiful.

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  36. Wow! I love the bird card!! It's frameable, for sure!

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  37. Oh, Melanie, I love your cards! The bird is awesome. You are so talented. Thank you for sharing with us.

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  38. The beautiful bird looks real sitting there on the pine branches. Beautiful card. Wasn't sure if I would like the pinecones at first but now I love them. Thanks for all the details in creating the card. Regina

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  39. The card with the bird and pine cones is breathtaking! Thanks for sharing!

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  40. Love the card with bird , coloring is great..you inspire me

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  41. Soo pretty, makes me feel like spring is on its way on this freezing cold day...thanks for the warmth of your card being sent our way~

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  42. WOW all 3 cards are totally Fabulous! What Awesome work!!!
    hugs, heidi

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  43. That bird really is life-like and jumps off the page even in the webpage! Great combination of designs in all your cards. Love it!

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  44. Your pine cone is one of my fave of all time. Your coloring always makes the elements look so life-like. Great combos of the stamp sets.Love the tiny poloroids.

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  45. Wonderful cards, Melanie! Love the picture card. Someone will have quite the keepsake with that card! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  46. Wow, these are great. That first one is my favorite. The combination of those two sets is stunning.

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  47. Melanie, you are an insane artist!! Those pinecones actually looked like you chalked them!!! So pretty and perfect!!!! Thank you!

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  48. You have more talent in your little finger than I have in my whole body! A jaw dropper again!

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  49. I love birds so this one is right up my path! You have done a beautiful job here

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  50. Wow! What wonderful cards, each one, so unique. Delightful!

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  51. They are ALL amazing! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the bird!!!!!

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  52. Stunning cards. Love the pinecone paired with the gorgeous bird. Thanks for including the details on that one. The card with your boys is darling. Love the way you did the tiny polaroids. Thanks for the great inspiration.

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  53. your bird and pine branch card is absolutely gorgeous.

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  54. DOUBLE WOW! That bird looks sooooo real!

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  55. Beautiful samples! The bird on the first card looks so real and lifelike; at first I thought you had mounted an actual 3-D bird figurine of some sort on the card!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  56. I love your cards. Thanks for sharing

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  57. Beautiful bird card, but I have to admit I am really in love with the roller skater! The whole card is just as much fun as that skater. Love, love, love!

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  58. love all your stamps .... they are just my style.....

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  59. Wow, just a great combo, love your cards.

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  60. that bird on the branch is awesome!!!!

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  61. The pine cone/bird card is stunning. It's at the top of my favorite list. GREAT job!

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  62. Love all your projects but partial to the bird card truly beautiful.

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  63. Love how you used the pine cone and bird stamps. Cut roller skater card too. Good idea using the brads!

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  64. These are really cute, love them all!

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  65. Such beautiful cards no wonder you are the senior design team member you are an inspiration to all of us newbies

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  66. love them, but the bird one is the fav Thanks so much

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  67. Wonderful projects, all three. But wow, the first one is absolutely beautiful! Your coloring is superb.

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  68. These stamp sets keep getting better and better. You all inspire me so much. So much creativity and so little time!

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  69. Wonderful cards. I absolutely love the first one with the bird and pine cones. Thanks for sharing.

    Linda D.

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  70. WOW!! The bird in the first card looks so real!!!! but all your cards are gorgeous!

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  71. Amazing! I, too, thought the bird was a 3-D element. I wasn't aware that the GKD inks were good to use with Copics. Perhaps I am behind the times a bit.

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  72. OMG!!!!! I so love that bird! I must case this one, if I may. The bird looks like it could jump right off the page. All three cards are excellent, thanks for the great inspiration.

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  73. Great cards! Looks just like a pine tree here in Maine

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  74. I love the Stately Flowers sets. Beautiful card.

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  75. The bird looks like it will take flight.

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  76. WOW! I thought was a real bird at first glance. Awesome job. Also liked how you turned ice skates into roller skates using the buttons.

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  77. Stunning bird, fun skater diva. Love what you do.

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  78. Oh, my - the bird looks so real! I absolutely love it. All three cards are just ... immensely amazing!

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  79. Beautiful cards! Thanks for the great ideas!

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  80. Love the Bird card it really stands out.

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  81. I love the way you've used those polaroids on the card!! Such a clever idea!

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  82. The Diva Skater is so cute. What a clever idea to make her a roller skater. Great job.

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  83. I hope I'm not commenting 3-times! Please forgive me if did...

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  84. You are amazing with colors Melanie. I LOVE your cards. They are just beautiful. Your bird is phenomenal.

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  85. Love your techniques. Thanks for showing us how to do it!

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  86. makes me want to buy more supplies...:) love your style of work...:)

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  87. Love all your cards Melanie. They are just super, thanks for all the inspiration!

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  88. melanie, your cards are wonderful. Your bird card is very impressive, pine cones/branches are one of my favorites.
    ava g

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  89. These cards are all great, but the first one with the bird is so fabulous, the coloring makes it all so life like. Thanks for sharing.

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  91. I just love the way you colored that Bird- it almost looks real! lol Your Skating Girl is just to cute! Love the color choices too!

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  92. Gorgeous cards love the way the Bird pops off the page like its real. love the rollerskater she is super cool love the details on all your cards. thanks for sharing

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  93. I love all of your cards, but the bird card is absolutely beautiful! I just want to reach out and touch that bird. It looks so real!

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  94. Hi. Love the cards. Wish I was as good as you. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  95. Melanie, all I can say is WOW! I love your stamp designs and your card designs. I'd love to be able to create card designs half as good as yours. Thanks so much for the inspiration and for the chance to win some stamps.

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  96. I love love the pine cones .. thank you so much for sharing your talent with us.. Beautiful

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  97. I absolutely love your bird card. Thank you for sharing this on Mix & Match!

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  98. Love all your cardds and your amazing creativity.

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  99. Your bird and pine cone card is amazing. Love the soft colors and coloring. Your diva card is awesome and just love those little snapshots.

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  100. Melanie you continue to amaze me! The bird is SO lifelike! Also loved how you turned the ice skates into roller skates - makes this much more versatile for those of us in TX.

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  101. Love the nature scenes. very inspired and learned a lot from your coloring techniques and masking.

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  102. I actually gasped when I popped onto your page! That bird is amazing! He's actually a very hard act to follow but leave it to you,the fabulousness kept coming! I absolutely love your colouring and the imagination you have...a skater girl! Not to be outdone you finished off with the cuteiest card ever...made me smile:D

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  103. The bird looks so real and your coloring is wonderful as always.

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  104. FANTASTIC! Love your combos of mixing and matching!

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  105. WOW I love the pinecone and bird card. So beautifully colored. You make it look so easy,wish it was,(smile) Thank you for sharing your talent with us.

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  106. My gosh, the bird is amazing...looks so natural! I really liked your others cards as well.

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  107. Cute cards. The bird looked real, and I liked the roller blades

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  108. Love the bird card...thanks for all the ideas and techniques. Very informative and inspiring!

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  109. Wow my wish list is getting bigger and bigger. love everything, thanks for sharing!

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  110. Mel, your coloring/shading of the bird rocks! I love all your cards, but I am particularly fond of your pink heartfelt thanks. . .the color combo is fun and her ice skates-turned roller skate are awesome! Great idea for the Polaroid pics! You rocked it.

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  111. OMG !!! Your coloring is incredible...looks so real it would fly away! Do you have any videos on your
    coloring techniques? TFS
    Creative Wishes,
    Claire S
    www.scrapmyway.blogspot.com

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  112. Wow, looks like the bird is real. Love the blue paper too. This card is so lovely it could be framed. Love the "Smile" card too with the Polaroid pictures. Thanks for sharing!

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  113. All of your cards are awesome, but I was especially amazed by the first one. You made such a natural looking scene.

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  114. Love all the cards. I especially like the wheels on your skater :D

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  115. How totally gorgeous! Your bird is so perfectly colored and just comes alive with the pine branch. You are such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your talent with all of us.

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  116. Your birdie card is stunning - so realistic! Love those roller skates; and your photos are just precious! Thank you for the inspiration!

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  117. Beautiful cards. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  118. OMG! At first glance, I thought that looked like a real bird on there. I love how some of it comes off the edge of the outline. So cute!

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  119. I loved the coloring of your bird..so realistic with the dot to the eye!

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  120. I love your cards. The bird looks almost real with the way you colored it.

    Kathleen

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  121. Your cards are such an inspiration!

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  122. WOW............you blew me away with the coloring of your bird and perching it on the pine branches. GORGEOUS!

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  123. I tell ya, I still have that bag of bird seed for you! Beautiful and FUN creations!

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  124. Mel, read your blog to mid pine cone coloring section, then flu perched for the night. Ha! You're on blog land again this morning with 131 comments...Good go, girl! We all thrill to see your next eyecatching set, States are the 'nines'! These pinecones remind me of forest cones in several states we have visited - good versitile not gender specific, very stampable and prime for Copics.

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  125. I always like your coloring. I really apreciate that you put step by step process of your coloring. I learn alot.
    thanks

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  126. Absolutely stunning Melanie, the stately floowers 6 set was originally my fave from the release but they all seem to go so well together i may just have to add them all to my wish list now. The first card with the bird and pines is just beautiful. Thanks for inspiring xNx

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  127. The first card with the bird literally took my breath away - it's just beautiful. And I had to look twice after reading your description to notice the honey mustard ink color on the bird....you're right, it blends in beautifully. Then your remark 'that's how you roll' made me laugh out loud. And the 'Polaroids' of the kids are very clever. TFS and making my day!

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  128. Wow I have to tell you I thought the bird was real when I first looked at the card....unbelievable you are really talented

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  129. The bird card is SUPERB! Thanks for sharing the how-you-did-it tips too!

    Kris in Alaska
    funamom at yahoo dot com

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  130. Melanie this combo of sets with the bird and pine cone is so awesome! I just love it!

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  131. These are awesome. love how u used the sets together. that bird card is stunning and love the clever use of the polaroids with the smile :)

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  132. Love your mix and match cards. Awesome pine cone card. Love it.

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  133. OUTSTANDING CARDS...your bird and pinecone card is absolutely Beautiful!
    Thank you for sharing how you made it!

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  134. Fantastic cards - the bird looks so real; at first glance I thought it was a photo. And aren't you clever, turning the skating diva into a roller-skating diva! Great work!

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  135. Holy smokes -- your bird card is beyond GORGEOUS! And what a cute idea to make Skater Diva into roller skating Diva!!

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  136. Just beautiful; bird is so life-like and really like the pinecones stamped in that shade. Great roller-skating diva!

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Your generous feedback helps make my work and this blog better! Thanks for inspiring and motivating me! :)