New Challenge at The East Wind

Today we have a new challenge starting at The East Wind challenge blog. The theme is "Celebrate the Women". Since our fans in the UK celebrate Mother's Day in March, and a couple of our DT ladies are in the UK, we decided to do a general theme centered around women instead of just Mother's Day. It's your chance to make something using a TEW image for the women in your life who are special to you. If May isn't your month for Mother's Day, you can make something for a sister, cousin, friend, mom, co-worker, etc. "just because".

I used the image "Aurora Love You", which was actually released as a Mother's Day image a couple years ago.

Aurora Love You

I coloured the image with Copics and then fussy cut it out. The die cut is from Spellbinders. All of my paper is from a Pion Design collection called Scent of Lavender. It is such pretty paper that I hate to cut it!! My flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. Behind the picture mat I tucked in a paper doily, some lace from Live & Love Crafts, and some cheesecloth. I finished it off with some pearls in a couple of the corners.

Please drop by the BLOG, see what awesome prizes Unky is offering this time around, and enter your own TEW creation with the Linky Tool at the bottom of the page. I hope I provided a little inspiration for this challenge. I'm going to be giving this to one of the mom's in my life and I hope they like it. It's probably one of my favourite TEW cards that I have made so far. 

Today is also newsletter day and the freebie is "in the mail" so I hope you're signed up for that!

Bath Time at The East Wind

Today is new release day at The East Wind, and the last one for April. (The freebie for May is just around the corner so make sure you are signed up for the newsletter!) Today's new release is an Aurora image "Bath". 

I coloured the image with Copics. My DP is all from Stampin' Up. The sentiment is from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Betsy Booklover" stamp set.

On May 1 we will have a new challenge up on the challenge blog. Make sure you pop over there to check it out or head to the Facebook group. We'll have details there too! Plus I will be back here with some DT inspiration for you!! If you aren't already following me, check out the links to the right➡ and follow me on social media.

You can find The East Wind in the following places:

The East Wind store on Etsy

Facebook Fan Group

The East Wind Blog

Unky's Colouring Therapy on You Tube

Cupcake Fight

Today is new release day at The East Wind, and today's new image is 'Aurora "Cupcake Fight"'. It's a perfect image for a birthday card.

I coloured the image with Copics, and all of my paper and embellishments are from Stampin' Up. The "Happy Birthday" stamp is from Rubbernecker Stamps.

Come back next week for another new release! In May we are going to have a challenge on the challenge blog, so stay tuned for that and make sure you are checking in on the Facebook page for all the latest news from TEW. It has been a bit quiet lately, while Unky took care of some personal business, but we're getting back to business this spring. Make sure you join us!! xx

March Freebie at The East Wind

Today I am bringing you a card I made with the free March image for newsletter subscribers from The East Wind. It is called "Bloom with Spring Sunshine". It's a bit of a part 2 of February's freebie image.

I coloured the image with Copics. The DP is from Stampin' Up, the butterfly and circle die cuts are from By DieZyne. I don't think you can get those dies anymore, which is a shame because they are really nice, but I'm lucky I got them before they went out of circulation. 

Make sure you pop over to www.theeastwind.com to sign up for the newsletter if you aren't already, so you're not missing out on that free image every month. Look for the bright pink box on the right side.

Lady Rory

Today is another new release day by The East Wind, and the last for February. The new image is 'Aurora "Lady Rory"'. All of Unky's new releases this month were inspired by her South Korean roots. I used some vibrant colours for this card, but left the embellies to a minimum.

Aurora "Lady Rory"

I used an Asian inspired embossing folder from Cuttlebug for the mat on this card. I love the paper lanterns! I actually used it on the reverse side of the embossing. I think you can see the relief better (or maybe it's just my imagination). The floral die cut is from Stampin Up, as is the red and yellow paper (Regals colour collection). The very back mat is from the DCWV Asian mat stack that I have had FOREVER. I like to hide things like that in box, put them in my craft closet, and forget about them. Every once in a while I go on a treasure hunt to see what I can find that I've "lost". 

Now remember, TEW is offering all the new releases for this month in a bundle to save you money, BUT it's only available for the month of February and then you have to buy them piecemeal. So you only have a few more days before February is over! Start shopping! 😉

Nine Tailed Fox

Hello! I'm bringing you a new release from The East Wind called "Gumiho - Nine Tailed Fox".

I coloured the image with Copics. The paper and flower die cuts are all from Stampin' Up. I used E18-11 for the fox colours, and BG07-000 for her dress. The lace is from Maya Road.

There are only a couple more days left to enter our "Love and Romance" challenge on the blog. I KNOW you made a Valentine's Day card for your significant other. 😉 Check the challenge rules out HERE.

Be My Valentine

Today is a new challenge at The East Wind. We are doing a Love & Romance Challenge theme because it's Valentine's Day right around the corner. Show us your creations with a TEW image for a chance to win one of two prizes! The first prize for DT favourite is a colouring book by Unky and a $10 gift certificate to the TEW Etsy store. Second prize winner will be chosen by Random.org and is a $10 coupon and a postcard designed by Unky. 

I used the new Aurora "Be My Valentine" image for my card. It was just released last week and it is perfect for this challenge. It is also part of a four image bundle from January that you can get until February 5, after that day you will only be able to buy the images as singles. Hurry over to the store and snap it up while you can. As a special though, the image I've used is on sale for $2 for a limited time. 

Aurora "Be My Valentine"

I coloured the image with Copics and all of my paper is from Stampin' Up, along with the die cuts and the "Be Mine" sentiment and banner stamps.

Please join us for the challenge and make sure you are signed up for the newsletter to get your free image every month. We look forward to seeing what you come up with for this challenge. 

An Angel and Changes at TEW

Happy New Year to everyone! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things after Christmas break, but it's proving to be harder than I expected. Life is just crazy these days!

We are going through a few changes at The East Wind. There will be no more monthly challenges in the Facebook group, and no more twice monthly challenges on the blog. We will aim to have approximately one challenge per quarter on the blog and will run contests and games in the Facebook group. Unky's art is expanding into other areas and she is finding she has less time to dedicate to digis, but she doesn't want to quit creating them altogether (thank goodness), so releases will be just one a week now, with the new release day being Wednesday. She is also offering a package deal on the digis she releases each month, so you can get all four of them at a discounted rate. The package deal is available in the Etsy shop along with all the other digis.

Now on to this week's new release, "Angel with striking blue eyes":

I used the fantastic Detailed Floral thinlit dies from Stampin' Up to make this card. I keep forgetting I have them, and then I when I remember it's not at all the right thing for my project. Until today!!! Yay! I really love how it turned out. It's simple and pretty and perfect... just like the image. 😉

Please join us on Facebook and sign up for the newsletter on the blog to get your freebie on the first of the month. That is something that is NOT changing, and you don't want to miss your free image!!

New Challenge at The East Wind

This month's challenge is "I Can See Clearly Now". You need to add something sheer or transparent to your project to follow the rules, and use a TEW image, of course. 

My image is "Lovely Winter Couple" and I used white vellum layered over blue cardstock, which I dry embossed with a Softly Falling embossing folder from Sizzix that is available through Stampin' Up, and my snow flake embellishments are both crystal clear and translucent with a blue tint. I've layered them and used little silver star brads to hold them together. 

You can join us in The East Wind's Facebook group for a monthly contest, and on the BLOG for twice monthly challenges. The challenge on the blog that starts on the 1st of every month is the freebie challenge, and to get the freebie you need to be signed up for the newsletter, so make sure you look for the bright pink box on the blog's homepage to sign up for that!

Plant Love to Harvest Love

Today is a new release day at The East Wind, and today's image is "Plant Love to Harvest Love". A pretty relevant idea these days given the unrest in the States after a very divisive election. 

Plant Love to Harvest Love

I coloured the image with Copics. My laces are from Live & Love Crafts, which is now closed. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment stamp and the tag are from Stampin' Up.

Copics used:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04

Hair: E49, E57, E55, Y21

Dress: R81, R83, R85, R89

You can join us in The East Wind's Facebook group for a monthly contest, and on the BLOG for twice monthly challenges. The current challenge in the Facebook group is "Come Over To the Dark Side". The challenge on the blog that starts on the 1st of every month is the freebie challenge, and to get the freebie you need to be signed up for the newsletter, so make sure you look for the bright pink box on the blog's homepage to sign up for that!

xxM

Kitty Trand

It's time for a new release from The East Wind!! This one is a real cutie, and I coloured it up in record time so I could get it done before we headed out on a road trip! And I should be packing right now actually, so this post is going to be short and sweet! Here is "Kitty Trand" for your crafting pleasure.

Kitty Trand

I went with a dark shabby chic theme (if there is such a thing) with this card. I think my daughter will really like it as a fun "just because" card. I'll run down the recipe real fast and get back to my packing before my husband comes home and gets mad because I'm not ready to hit the road. lol!!!

Filigree corners - LaLa Land Drafts die

Flowers - Wild Orchid Crafts

Heart frame chipboard - Make It Crafty

DP - DCWV

Coloured with Copics:

Hair - R59, R56, RV34, RV32

Skin - E000, E00, E21, E11, E04

C and W's for the greys, plus some glitter gel pen for her shirt sleeves which actually look like they have sequins on them if you see them in person. The effect actually came out really well!

Make sure you head over to The East Wind's Facebook group and join in on our current dark themed challenge. There are also twice monthly challenges on the blog and the freebie is about to go out on the first, so make sure you are signed up for the newsletter!! Look for the bright pink box on the homepage. 

Merry Creepmas!

It's that time again! Time for a new challenge at The East Wind's Facebook group. The theme this month is "Come Over To The Dark Side" (use a dark themed image). I used "Creepmas Girl" to make a creepy little Christmas card. 

Creepmas Girl Mon Amour

I coloured the image with Copics. The paper is from Stampin' Up, as is the ornament die, holly embossing folder, and sentiment stamp. (Copics used: Cool greys, R20s, G20s, RV90's and Cs for her skin)

Please stop by the Facebook group and join in on the challenge this month. First place prize is 3 TEW digis of your choice; second place is a 25% off coupon to the TEW Etsy store. As always, make sure you are signed up for the newsletter on the BLOG. A free image is sent out on the first of every month!! You don't want to miss that! 

Thorns and Roses

Today brings a new release from The East Wind called "Thorns and Roses". In conjunction with this new release is a special Halloween blog hop at the "Markers! Papers! Digis!" Facebook group, involving the other awesome sponsors of that group along with TEW. (See the pinned post at the top of the page after you join the group.) This image is only $1 right now, so make sure you go grab her! Here is my take on the new release:

Thorns and Roses

I coloured the image with Copics, but also used Prismacolor pencils on her hair. That curly hair really gave me a hard time! I was frustrated with how to colour it, and ended up adding ringlet shapes with a black cherry coloured pencil.

Please stop by The East Wind's Facebook page and join in on the monthly challenge. This month's theme is "Leaf Me Alone" and goes until the 17th, so there are a few more days to pop a project in the challenge folder. Just see the pinned post at the top of the group page. Also, make sure you are signed up for the newsletter on the blog so you get your free image on the first of every month. October is flying by and November 1 will be here before you know it!

Left of Center 150th Challenge Celebration

Left of Center Creative Challenges is celebrating their 150th Challenge on October 1, which is also National Card Making Day. The East Wind is sponsoring this challenge and The East Wind DT was asked if any of us would be interested in making a card for this celebratory and dark themed challenge. I put my hand up and decided to do something with Lucy Loo 'Devil'. I decided to go monochrome with this, which is something I haven't done before. Technically, her hair and wings are a bit purple, so it's not really monochrome, but the colours I used in her skin I wanted to tie in with the rest of her as well. I think you have to look at it twice to see that it's not a black and white picture. I debated taking the picture again with a different background, but I thought the skulls suited it, so I kept it as is.

I coloured the image with Copics. I used the C's and V90's for everything. I also washed some BG70 over her skin in the highlights, though in the picture it's hard to see the greenish tint. I had this concrete brick wall paper by Ella & Viv that went perfectly with the image. I inked some black stars over the paper, heat embossed some pewter embossing powder over chipboard stars, and there you go. I kept it pretty stark and dark. 

Check out the new challenge at LOC and drop by The East Wind if you do something with a TEW image and let us see what you did! 

New TEW Challenge on Facebook

It's the 21st of the month and that means it's time for a new contest in The East Wind's Facebook group!! This month's theme is "Leaf Me Alone". We want you to use a TEW image with a leaf in it, or incorporate leaves into your project. I am trying to get Christmas cards done ON TIME this year, for a change, so I used 'Aurora Holly and Olive' for my card.

Aurora Holly & Olive

As I have been doing, I used a sketch from a book a friend of mine is compiling. I think it really helped me with the design of the card. I was able to use a few different papers from my new Stampin' Up This Christmas designer paper collection and the coordinating This Christmas cardstock. I also used the Holly Textured embossing folder for the small circle die cuts and for the red background mat. My embellishments are from Wild Orchid Crafts and Live & Love Crafts.

I coloured the image with Copics, using E20's for her hair. The berries are R59, R29, R27, R24. I left a little white space on them. I used two different green combos for the leaves since they are different plants. The holly is G99, G29, G17, G05. The olive is YG17, YG06, YG03.

Please drop by the Facebook group and join in on this challenge. The top prize is three free digis of your choice, plus there is a winner up prize of a 25% off coupon to the TEW Etsy store. There are also TWICE monthly challenges on the BLOG and a freebie is sent out on the first of every month in the newsletter. Look for the pink box on the blog's homepage to sign up for that.

Mexicana from The East Wind

It's new release Tuesday from The East Wind!! Today's image is the line art from a watercolour that Unky did a couple of weeks ago. When I saw her painting, I was hoping we would get line art from it, and we did!!!! Here is my version of 'Mexicana'.

MEXICANA

I coloured the image with Copics. The paper is digital paper from Michele R Designs called Designer Grunge. I used the Flourish Thinlit Dies from Stampin' Up also, with flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Copics used: 
Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, E04

Dress: G29, G17, G05, G03

Hair: E40's 

Flowers: R's 59, 29, 27, 24, 22 and B's 16, 02, 12

Please stop by The East Wind's Facebook page and join us for our monthly challenge (a new one starts tomorrow!) and check out the blog for TWICE monthly challenges at www.theeastwind.com. You can also follow me on social media by clicking on those little buttons to your right. xx

Emoticons

There is a new release in The East Wind Etsy store called "Lucy Loo Emoticons". I love this image because of the attitude Lucy has in this image. I said to Unky that Lucy looks mad that she drew her in this hat. She's not impressed with the trend of emoji patches on your clothes, I guess. I have seen it around in the stores too, and I wouldn't wear this hat either. lol!

I thought the sentiment came across as sarcastic given how happy she looks. haha!! I coloured the image with Copics. The paper is just scraps from my stash that I embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. Sorry, I can't tell you which one though. I've had it for years, and if it was printed on the folder it's rubbed off now. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

Make sure you check out The East Wind's Facebook group for monthly challenges, plus the blog for twice monthly challenges. Signing up for the newsletter on the blog gets you a free image on the first of every month, so definitely pop your email in the bright pink box for that!!

I am entering this in the Left of Center Feisty Ladies challenge.

New Challenge at The East Wind

It's the 21st and time for another challenge in The East Wind's Facebook group. The theme this month is "R U Kidding Me?" You need to make a card with a TEW image that is child themed or for a child. I used "Dancing with Polar Bear" for my DT inspiration, which was the freebie image from January. I managed to get a jumpstart on my Christmas card making with this one, and let's hope I keep going. Last year I totally failed in that department.

I coloured the image with Copics, and used some Shabby White Frantage to create a snow effect around them. All of my DP is from Stampin' Up. It's from last season and it's not available anymore, but I will have some new Christmas cards to post in the near future using this season's Christmas paper. It's so pretty, I hate to cut it! My sentiment is also from Stampin' Up, as is the ink I used (Garden Green).

In addition to our challenge on Facebook, there are also twice monthly challenges on the BLOG. The newsletter you should be signed up for has a freebie for you on the 1st of every month (like the awesome image I used), so go to the blog and look for the bright pink box to sign up for that if you aren't already. And why aren't you??? Who doesn't want free images?! 

New Facebook Contest Starts Today!

A new Facebook contest goes live today in The East Wind's Facebook group. The theme this month is "Hot Colours", so you have to use colours from the warm side of the colour wheel. I used the image "Bookaholic". It is one of my most favourite images because of all that hair!! Hair can be tricky, but it can also be fun. I love to play with hair colours, and I thought a big mess of hot red hair would be perfect for the theme.

Bookaholic

I used SEVERAL Copics to achieve the look I wanted for her hair:

E09, E08, YR18, YR07, YR04, Y17, Y15, Y13

I printed the image out at about 5", so that's pretty big for me. I usually print it out at 3.5 or so, but I wanted space for the hair. The DP is from a DCWV Citrus mat stack. The solid colour paper is from Cricut.

Make sure you pop by the Facebook group! First prize is three free images of your choice, the runner up gets a 25% off coupon to the Etsy store. There are also twice monthly challenges on the BLOG, so check that out too. And make sure you're signed up for the newsletter!! The free image for August that goes out in the newsletter is AMAZING!!!!!

Barmaid

It's new release day at The East Wind!! Today's image is titled "Barmaid". I feel like she has a story going on, and Unky is so great at drawing images that make you wonder what they're thinking or going through. This image makes me think she's tired and about had it with work, but she's got a goal in mind that's pushing her through her day. Thus the sentiment, "Dreams don't work unless you do."

I coloured the image with Copics. I used paper scraps from my stash, and the border stamp is from Rubbernecker Stamps. Easy peasy! 

Make sure you stop by the Facebook TEW group in a couple days for the new challenge posting. The challenge runs from July 21 to August 17, and it's going to be HOT!! (just a little hint about the theme there *wink*) There are also twice monthly challenges on the BLOG. Please drop in and join us for some colouring fun and the opportunity to win some free images!