Category Archives: Hero Arts

Hero Arts Winter 2020 Release Blog Hop

Is it too early for Joy & Comfort? I think not!

I’m thrilled to be on the Hero Arts 2020 Winter Catalog Blog Hop today. This hop celebrates a beautiful holiday collection from a company that everyone loves! I think when you’ve had a chance to see all of the beautiful projects, you’ll agree that it’s time for Joy & Comfort!

I loved working with Stocking Bouquet from the new catalog. Loads of beautiful Christmas springs and florals to color and arrange. I had a car ride this week, so I packed up stamped images and my Polychromos Pencils for the long haul.

Then, I spent an afternoon mixing things up and adding them to a blended ink background for my first Joy & Comfort card.

Tip: my ink blended background is on Bristol Smooth cardstock. When I cut the scalloped white layer to frame, I also used Bristol Smooth. I do this so that the tone-on-tone of the papers is the same. Continuity in paper tones and texture gives your finished card a polished look!

I love sending Christmas cards, and usually send quite a few. So, one thing I try to keep in mind is design ideas that keep them flat for mailing to avoid the need for extra postage and/or damage in transit.

Christmas Rose Bold Prints was an instant winner in my book! Lots of beautiful, (but open!) detail for easy coloring. These panels quickly transition to full card front panels. With 6″ by 6″ of stamped space, there’s plenty of beauty to cut up for tags or smaller card elements, too!

First, I stamped the full background in Versamark on white cardstock and embossed with gold embossing powder. Then the image was colored with Polychromos Pencils and blended with Gamsol.

After trimming the colored panel down to allow for a slight mat to frame the images, I centred the panel on a white cardstock base. Finally, I added a small vellum banner with Merry Christmas embossed from Stocking Bouquet to complete the card front.

I appreciate you swinging by my blog today. It’s an honor to participate with this company and these incredibly inspiring artists. I hope you enjoy the hop, and I hope your day is full of Joy & Comfort!

See many other projects from the wonderful winter stamp collection and find lots of inspiration from the amazing artists below.  Be sure to leave as many comments along the hop as you can – Hero Arts will give away three $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by leaving a comment between now and Sunday, September 6th at 11:59pm Pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

 

May My Monthly Hero

So excited to share the May My Monthly Hero kit with you today.  Definitely a few things to “lift” our spirits during a crazy, crazy time. Look at all of the goodies included in this kit:

 

 

 

So much cuteness for cards and decorative envelopes! And, I’m partial to the Karin DecoBrush Metallic markers for handletterings, splatters and a few fun faux-foil techniques. This kit of adorable sweetness is AVAILABLE TODAY. If you are new to the My Monthly Hero kit, please know they tend to sell out quickly. Do not delay.

Get all the May Add-ons HERE!
Kit Contents:
6 x 8 Clear Stamp Set
7 Coordinating Frame Cut Dies
7 Envelope Art Icon Fancy Dies
3 Karin DecoBrush Metallic Markers
5 White A7 Envelopes
5 White A2 Envelopes

 

There are additional adorable products included as add-ons in the full collection focused on sending love, uplifting others, and the power of a handstamped card. You can see all of the goodness on THIS PAGE.

Hero Arts is estimating that shipping for the MMH kits will begin on May 15, and continue until all boxes have shipped. Thank you for your patience, continued support for Hero Arts, and your kind wishes during this time.

I loved the little hot air balloon image, and I paired it with the Karin Metallic Gold DecoBrush for a faux-foiled sentiment and matted layer. This is a trick I use often with heat embossing, and the markers make it a much easier step to color the edges of a matting layer for metallic pop! The sentiment was created by applying the marker color direct to the stamp instead of an inkpad.  If you have the Karin Brushmarker PRO, it’s important to know that the DecoBrush Metallic are a pigment cousin to the watercolor Brushmarker PRO. Beautiful, rich metallic colors!

There is always a rainbow at the end of every rain! To make the rain splatters, I simply scribbled the DecoBrush markers on a piece of acetate and flicked with a wet paintbrush.

I’ve colored my rainbow with Graphit Twin Alcohol Markers and given the whole cardfront some metallic splatters. It’s like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Love this sweet rainbow image and die. I’ll be using it over and over!

Look at this adorable airplane! Super sweet ‘hello’ and I’ll tuck a gift card “inside for happiness”!  The gold ink was perfect for metal accents.

Another favorite image… hello RAINBOW! I colored this with Polychromos pencils and added spatters a clean and simple love note.

I appreciate you stopping by for the My Monthly Hero blog hop this month! I hope you’ve enjoyed the inspiration.

GIVEAWAY! Visit my friends, and be sure to comment as ee will give away one $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, May 10th at 11:59pm pacific, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Your next stop on the hop is my good friend,Lydia Fiedler. 

You can find lots of inspiration here:

HHero Arts
Amy Kolling
Channin Pelletier
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Heather Nichols
Ilina Crouse
Janette Kausen
Jennifer McGuire
Jen Shults
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Jill Hawkins
Julee Tilman
Laurie Willison
Libby Hickson
Lori Craig
Lydia Fiedler
Michelle Short
Nichol Spohr

The Week of Joy

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This is one of my favorite weeks of the year! The stress of Christmas is behind – for the most part. The new year lies ahead… The kids have another week or more off from school, and it’s just a laid back time around our home. It’s just a time of low-key JOY for us!

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I wanted to share a few last minute tags that I created last week before we left to enjoy our Christmas with family!  Easy tags that I dressed up with some simple stamping and foil accents!

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This simple one ended up being a favorite.. I started with the Build-a-Tag 5 from Taylored Expressions and stamped with snowflakes from a retired set called Winter Wonderland in Salt Water Taffy TE ink.  Then instead of writing a to/from on my tag, I just a J (for Jen!) from Silver Deco Tape from Imagination International with a “J” die from the Poster Graphic Alphabet dies. I love the decorative flair to these letters!

DTG2510S-2 This 1″ glitter Silver Deco Tape is just wide enough that you can cut narrow dies with it! I adhered to a scrap of paper and then ran it through my Big Shot. And then I glued it to my tag with Glue Marker.

 

 

DFT610A-2To finish off my tag, I ran a strip of decorative Foil Tape down the left side of my tag. Love the rainbow of colors in this tape collection!

 

 

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Next up, I used a My Monthly Hero Kit from Hero Arts to stamp a few poinsettias and the same Build-a-Tag 5 die from Taylored Expressions with a strip of red foil to add a little glitz.

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Finally, a replay of the tags I showed you last week with a hint of chocolate colored Decorative Foil added – yes, I said CHOCOLATE FOIL. Yum. This was a gift for my brother and he commented on how cool this tag was… I call that a win!

I’ve been trying to spend some time in my craft room during this week of joy! Of course, that had to start with a little bit of cleaning and organization after the Christmas crafting marathons… Tomorrow morning I’m going to the duck blind with my husband … definite JOY!  I don’t have a hunting license for this season, and I’m not buying one for just one day… so I’ll be taking photos and possibly watercoloring a landscape… If I come up with anything inspirational, I’ll be sure to share! 😉

I do have another paper project to share in a day or two, and I’m participating in a very fun project over the weekend, so stay tuned!

Thank you for stopping by… Wishing you continued Christmas blessings and JOY …

Hipster Hopping with Hero Arts

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I have been so excited for today to hop with my Hero Arts friends and celebrate their new summer release that is now available for all to see in the Hero Arts online store! I think it’s STELLAR that you dropped by to see me! I have several cards to share with you… it’s been super busy around here, but I could not stop stamping!

This is such a fun hop to celebrate the new catalog! Lots of great talent and somewhere along the hop, there are three $25 shopping sprees to be given away! Cool? Just leave a comment below and tell me about your favorite new Hero Arts project that you’ve seen (here on my blog or from one of my hopping friends!) Comments will close on Sunday, May 15th at 11:59pm PT and we’ll announce a winner the following week!

My first card above showcases a new Hero Arts stamp and die set called Hipster at Heart! I was sorting boxes from storage (from our move last year…sigh) over the weekend, and I found oodles of CDs and cassette tapes that needed to go… what to do? keep? toss? My husband also has throwback vinyl that he refuses to let go of… never mind that we’ve no way to play said vinyl… or cassette tape. STELLAR!

I paired the album, notes, arrow and stellar sentiment from Hipster at Heart with some bright Orange Fizz, Sno Cone and Ripe Raspberry MFT inks and a scrap of patterned paper. Super fun!

Hero Arts Lori Craig Hippie Heart 1407

My second card also features Hipster at Heart – Memento London Fog and Cantalope inks with a bit of washi tape and twine. Fun and easy!

Hero Arts Lori Craig Sending Love Close 1405

Next up, a card that I love … This is a close up so that you can see the stamped detail and the airbrushed die cut love. I cut the die cut from white cardstock and then airbrushed with Copic Markers for a fading pink accent.

The stamps and die cut are from a small set called Love Stamp & Cut.  Love the versatility.

Hero Arts Lori Craig Sending Love 1403

Here’s my full card anchored with a bit of Lawn Fawn plaid paper and a few heart sequins … love. 

Hero Arts Lori Craig One Hippie 1401

Finally, I was so super excited to see the new destination series stamps! We have some beautiful cities in this country, and this one celebrates a favorite Destination: NEW YORK CITY! This skyline is so cute, easy to color – and even though I’ve cropped it here to make room in my polaroid frame for the Chrysler building, this stamp contains the new Freedom Tower on the left side of the skyline! My husband and I were in New York this same week of May in 2013 when they placed the spire at the top. It was awesome to see!

I colored NYC with Copic Markers and slipped the cityscape under neath the polaroid cut frame, and then I added a camera and sentiment from Hipster at Heart! So fun!

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit me today! I’ve had a ton of fun! I know there are lots of paper pretties for you to see, and don’t forget the shopping sprees! There will be three winners from somewhere along the hop – just comment before midnight on Sunday, May 15th to be eligible!
The Hero Arts Blog
Amy Tsuruta
Clare Prezzia
Debby Hughes
Jennifer McGuire
Jenn Shurkus
Joan Bardee
Julie Ebersole
Kathleen Graumuller
Kathy Racoosin
Kelly Rasmussen
Kimberly Crawford
Laura Bassen
Libby Hickson
Lori Craig — you are here
Lucy Abrams
Lydia Fiedler
Mariana Grigsby
May Sukyong Park
Nichol Magouirk
Sandy Allnock
Teri Anderson
Wanda Guess
Yana Smakula

Have a STELLAR day!

Intro to Coloring Spring Flowers

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It’s been quite a month around here, as I’ve been  had several sets of Copic classes which has kept me hopping and kept me enjoying classes with a lot of fellow Copic lovers! And in my spare time, I’ve been coloring flowers from the new My Monthly Hero kit… always a way to wind down and relax…

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When creating this card with the golden blossom, I used a color combination suggested in the Intro to Coloring with Copic Markers book from Imagination International (the North American distributor for Copic Marker). Michelle posted a GREAT video walk-through of the Intro to Coloring book, if you want to take a peek! You can find it HERE.

The book is a great resource to get you started with blending techniques and color selection. I took the colors for this card right from the suggestions on page 19, so that made for quick and easy work of the creative attack plan!

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The flowers and images for this project came from the April Hero Arts kit, the My Monthly Hero Kit! And it sold out before my box even arrived, so I know that many of you loved it as much as I did! I can’t wait to see the new kit coming next week! These have been great creative sparks for me with coordinating elements (this month was Daniel Smith Watercolors – swoon!) and dies!

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To get started, I took the suggested color combination right off of page 19 in the Intro to Coloring book… gotta love easy!
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I colored my blossoms on a single 1/4 sheet of XPress It Blending Card and the leaves on a second 1/4 sheet of XPress It. For the leaves, I used the clear stamp of the large blossom as a placement guide before stamping so that the edges of the leaves would peek out from under the flower when the card was assembled.

I used the color combinations suggested on page 19 of the Intro to Coloring Book for a quick and dirty work of this one! The large flower was created with natural blending group YR20-YR27 and the leaves are a combo of YG11/YG13/YG17.

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Butterflies, Seattle and Calgary, eh!

HB HeroArts Lori Craig

After our Easter Sunday celebrations and dinner, I had some time to get crafty yesterday! I need a few cards, and I’m also prepping some samples and ideas to take to my next Copic Standard and Intermediate Certification classes and our awesome new Coloring Flowers Color Along in the next four weeks in Seattle (April 8 & 9) and Calgary, Alberta (April 22 & 23)! I’d love to have some of you join me! All of the details can be found HERE.

I had also wanted to color the butterflies from the Hero Arts My Monthly Hero – I loved the bugs that Marianne drew for this kit! All of the contents of this kit work together for cards as clean and simple or as detailed as you dare! Very fun!


butterflies lori craig

I colored my butterflies wings with Copic Sketch Y32 and YR04 – flicking the colors together from opposite ends of the inner wing. Because I was coloring to mimic the Monarch species, it was easy to color in the black and white spots on the wings after smoothing out the color. The colors I used for black were C4/C6/C8.

After my wings were colored, I cut them with the coordinating die, and I do want to mention how easy these were to line up. I was worried that I’d never be able to cut the antenna straight (I am impaired sometimes when it comes to die line up!), and it lined up perfectly for me every time within the die! I didn’t throw a single butterfly away!

After cutting, I used the blunt point of a paint brush to dot the speckles of the wings with Opaque White. Such a bright vibrant, opaque white! The larger circles were filled in with a brush tip of the paintbrush.

Tip: When painting with Opaque White,  you’ll achieve smoother results if you paint multiple thin layers that dry in between, as opposed to trying to dab all of your color on in one application.

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I finished my cards off with some coordinating cardstock and a snippet scrap of polka dot paper – I liked how the white dots were a re-occurring theme. The sentiments come from the coordinating Hero Art’s set Ribbon Messages Stamp & Cut!

I was full of trying new things this weekend, and I do have another fun project to share tomorrow…maybe my favorite thing that I’ve made in a long time! Have a great night, and see you again soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Coloring My Monthly Hero

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MMH-300x359I’ve had this fun image from the  printed image pack included in the Hero Arts March My Monthly Hero kit colored on my desk for several days. The images in the kit come pre-printed on XPress It Blending Card. Marianne’ Flower stamps, pre-prints, dies and a beautiful Copic friendly ink are also included.  This has been such a great kit to work with!

I actually wanted to share this card last week, but I was stumped for color choices of this snail. Snails aren’t in my normal arsenal of images to color, but this one is cute, and I loved the flowers!

FullSizeRender (1) So I pulled a trick from my image coloring playbook and did a quick google search for “snail images“. This cute blue and green snail popped up about half way down the page, and I knew it would be a great color blend with the brightly colored florals and leaves I had already finished!

Don’t be afraid to search images for things that you are coloring! The hints that pop up for colors, shades, shadows, etc. can all be very helpful!

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Notice on the blues and greens, I didn’t concern myself with perfect, smooth blends – they weren’t perfectly smooth on my reference photo, either! I laid the blue and green of the shell color together keeping the edges wet. The dotted blues were added after the base layers dried. The dots and spots when added to the dry layer will retain their circle shape.

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The colors I used here are a combination of:

  • orange flower: YR12/YR14/YR18/R27
  • pink flower: RV62/RV66
  • daisies: Y32/Y35
  • big bright leaves: YG01/YG03/YG07
  • tall thin stems: YG61/YG63
  • snail: YG01/YG03/BG53/BG57/YG61
  • misc grays and earthtones for rocks and dirt

We are finishing up our spring break week, and it has been such a beautiful family week! Here’s a picture for you! image

 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a a great week!

Hopping with Hero Arts

 

hero hop lori craig march 2016 B

Happy, happy Monday! I am definitely happy to be sharing something so fun from from my friends at Hero Arts today!

MMH-300x359I’m a fan of their My Monthly Hero monthly card and stamp kits, so I was really excited when I realized that Marianne and the Copic Marker team would be collaborating with them this month!  The kit pairs so well (perfectly!) with the teaching content of our new Copic Flowers Class and Marianne Walker’s Coloring Foundations Book ~ Flowers!

 

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The March My Monthly Hero kit contains: 12 coloring cards printed on XPressIt paper, coordinating stamps and dies, an Intense Black ink cube (alcohol marker-friendly), extra XPressIt paper, assorted notecards, and a package of gems.

There are three optional add-on for this kit:

 These kits are only available while supplies last (I missed one of my favorites a few months ago because I waited too long to order!). When they are gone, they are GONE. (My Hero Arts friends mean it!)

hero hop lori craig march 2016 C

On the card I’m sharing today, I repeatedly stamped this cute image from the set Marianne’s Flowers over a card front sized piece of XPress It Blending card and then added Happy Birthday from Ribbon Messages. My flowers are colored with Y32, Y35 and Y38. I had done a little caucus on my Instagram last night requesting votes on potential flower centers… In the end, voter turnout was a little soft, and I made an executive decision to color the centers brown with the E20s. (You can follow my Instagram HERE.)

My leaves are colored with G40, G43 and G46. And, the background of my card is colored with BG00, BG11 and BG13.

The trick to coloring the large background is to keep the edges of your ink wet as you work across the design. Wet ink blends better. So, I tend to work in quadrants, completing one at a time and then moving on.

hero hop lori craig march2016

I was teaching this exact class in St. Louis over the weekend, and I’m headed to Seattle, Calgary and Sacramento soon! So if flowers are of interest to you, please check it out here.

I do hope you have a chance to check out the ROCKSTAR ladies on the hop today! They are all beautiful souls, and I’m excited to see their fabulous coloring and fun projects!
Marianne Walker
Marianne Walker
Sharon Harnist
Cindy Lawrence
Lori Craig — you are here
Debbie Olson
Michelle Houghton
Mariana Grigsby
Libby Hickson

I have more to share from this kit tomorrow, so check back!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Monday!

happy hello.

heart flowers full lori craig

After getting a shredded envelope returned to me in the mail (Yes, the card face was padded with a piece of buffer cardstock. Yes, it had sufficient postage for hand canceling.), I’ve been working on flatter cards for safe mailing because I am resolved to send more cards this year!

This happy hello was fun and would be easy for mass production. I had noticed a similar design in the Splitcoast gallery (but I forgot to mark it to my favorites!) The stamp set is Garden Flowers by Lia from Hero Arts. I love all of her fun designs. Most of them are smaller silhouette images that work great for quick cards, but they still have a lot of class factor!

heart flowers window I cut a quick mask with a stacking heart die from MFT. When I make masks, I always use a thin copy paper so that my stamped images go right to the mask line. Thicker cardstock produces a halo. If I’m making a full card front and using a negative space for my mask, I try to cut from a full 1/4 sheet of copy paper with the mask positioned exactly where I want it. This makes it easy to line up on my actual card front and keep square. I always secure the mask with temp adhesive, washi tape or 3M painter’s tape for sensitive surfaces before I start stamping.

heart flowers shimmer lori craig One of my favorite ways to dress up a stamped image without weight or bulk is using the atyou Spica Glitter Pen for shimmer and shine. The pens are inexpensive, smooth to the touch after application and best of all, I don’t have to mess with glue, glitter or clean up. #winning! Here, I’ve applied used the gold and clear pens over all of my stamped images. It works great over waterbased ink or Copic. In 24 colors, you can shimmer and shine all over the place.

Tip: Rather than “writing’ the glitter onto my card, I hold the pen softly and gently brush it onto my card. This eliminates indentions in the paper and obvious application marks.

heart flowers full lori craig The glitter is hard to photograph, but you will know it’s there, and so will your recipient!

I hope you have an amazing day full of your favorite things. I’m going to continue my week of paper crafting, painting, coloring and watercolor bliss! Shine on, friends!

Seasons Givings Blog Hop

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Hello Fellow Papercrafter! Did the amazing Jenn Shurkus send you here for Seasons Givings? I’m so glad you stopped by!

If we’ve not met before, my name is Lori Craig. I am a lover of paper and ink. Wave your hand if you are with me!  Day-in, day-out since 2007, I have coordinate the advertising at Splitcoaststampers.com, and for the last six years, I have also maintained a teaching schedule around the country discussing color, Copic Markers, shadows and shading. I love meeting people who are just as crazy about paper as I am, working with my Splitcoast and Copic teams, and I feel very blessed to work with such wonderful people.

Prayers-Full-LoriCraig

I did make a quick card this morning for friend. I’m so sad that I needed a sympathy card during the holidays, but grief knows no season. I’m happy to share this Hero Arts card with you. The stamp and die set, “Prayers” were a Stamptember exclusive from Simon Says Stamp.

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Our thoughts and prayers are with you…

SeasonsGivings2015So, as you’ve hopped along, you’ve noticed we all have giveaways to celebrate the season, and I apologize this was hard to photograph.  This year, I’m passing along two adorable sets from Sizzix – a cute all-season tree and birdie set and a cake celebration set, both include stamps and dies! So fun! I’m also including some of my favorite XPress It adhesive, a fun portfolio that you can store favorite cards or sketches in and some bling…

We’re happy to be celebrating a new year in our home tonight. We had a family meeting last night to discuss the lessons we’ve learned this year, our greatest jobs and what we are looking forward to in 2016! It was such a gratifying experience. I have teenagers, but I think families of all ages benefit from open sharing! Try it anytime in the next few days!

To be entered to win my giveaway, leave me a comment and let me know what one thing you are most grateful for in 2015!  I’m headed to Craft Hobby Association Trade Show to teach and visit with clients/industry friends in a few days, so I’ll draw a winner and post from California on Thursday, January 7th!

Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you have a wonderful, beautiful new year! If you are hopping in order, I’ll send you on to the lovely and talented Amy TsurutaIf you are out of order (how I live my life! lol), the full hop list is below! Happy 2016!

Lawn Fawn
Scrapbook Cards & Today Magazine
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L
Reverse Confetti
Technique Tuesday
CAS-ual Friday Stamps
Verve Stamps
Donna Salazar
Richard Garay
AdTech
Stamp Simply Ribbon Store
Inchie Arts
Avocado Arts
OHscrap (Bossy Joscie)
Rubbermoon Stamps
Latina Crafter
A Jillian Vance Design
JustNick
Your Everyday Stamps
Latisha Yoast
AJ Otto
Kimberly Crawford
Julia Stainton
Laurie Willison
Teri Anderson
Jennifer Gallacher
Vera Yates
Wanda Guess
Nichol Magouirk
Kelly Klapstein
Anabelle O’Malley
Kim Watson
Chari Moss
Laura Bassen
Lydia Fiedler
Lisa Adametz
Alice Wertz
Daniela Dobson
Jenn Shurkus
Lori Craig ME!
Amy Tsuruta
Lisa Henke
Margie Higuchi
Lee Murphy
Lori Tecler
Dina Kowal
Loretta Lock
Darsie Bruno
Marcie Sharp
Veronica Zalis
Barbara Anders
Maria Levine
Dana Joy
Melody Rupple
Keri Sereika
Asia King
Jennifer Ingle
Yvonne Van de Grijp
Beth Pingry
Erica Houghton
Mary-Ann Maldonado
Piali Biswas
Ashley Newell
Nicole Maki
Julee Tilman
Leigh Penner
Christina Griffiths
Lindsay Amrhein
Laura Williams
Debbie Seyer
Christine Emberson
Kerry Urbatch
Linda Lucas
Tosha Leyendekker
Giovana Smith
Bunny Vance
Stacey Schafer
Lee Ann Barrett
Ruby Naz
Julie Dinn
Jill Hawkins
Christiana Reulling
Jodi Collins
Gracie Chavez
Michelle Woerner
Tania Willis
Karisse Schilling
Lori McAree
Ashley Harris
Emily Leiphart
Heidi Blankenship
Coralynn Murray
Tenia Nelson
Pretty Philosophie
Jillian Vance
Misti Oblander
Ceal Pritchett