Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Gina K Inspiration Hop--Day 3



The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!

As I wish you Happy Halloween, today we are looking ahead and sharing projects with two sets, Merry Little Christmas STV Kit and Holiday Tags, the One Free with Three!


For my first project I used markers directly to the stamp for a two-toned musical greeting.  I've been using Merry Little Christmas designer paper all week, but for this project I couldn't resist finally using this Authentique designer paper that I have been hoarding all year!  The holly sprig was colored with Copic markers and accented with Copic opaque white.  I really love that it is elegant and a bit vintage with that tiny peek of music from each corner.


I used Holiday Tags along with images from the Stamp TV kit, Merry Little Christmas (including City of David), to make a couple of tiny Christmas tags.  These were also a combination of markers directly to the stamp, and Copic-colored images.  The first features a family of emperor penguins.  LOVE that furry little baby.  Are you thinkin' Happy Feet?  ;)


This one is definitely made with a Florida Christmas in mind!

Notes:

Pure Luxury card stock
Merry Little Christmas Stamp TV kit (includes City of David) in clear or rubber
Memento ink
Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink
markers
Copic markers
Spellbinders labels 2 die
ribbon
twine
jute thread
rhinestones


Check out all the amazing designs and inspiration:

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Gina K Inspiration Hop--Day 2



The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!

Before I share my projects, I just want to take a minute to think of everyone who was in super-storm Sandy's path...here's hoping that you are safe and warm, and that your storm recovery will be a smooth process.  Clean-up is overwhelming even when there isn't a lot of loss...my heart is aching for you!  Please know that you're in our prayers!

We're sharing projects with three sets today:  Deck The Halls, Simple Snowflakes, and Mistletoe Memories!


This is an adaptation of Beate's suspension card tutorial.  Hopefully this looks like a Christmas tree with some pretty "wallpaper" behind it!  It was a really fun card to make!


Next up is a bookmark card with Becky's set following this tutorial. Another fun one!


And finally, a little box with note paper inside.  LOVE Tami's snowflakes!

Notes:
Pure Luxury card stock
Deck The Halls in clear or rubber
Simple Snowflakes in clear or rubber
Mistletoe Memories in clear or rubber
GKD Merry Little Christmas designer paper
Memento northern pine ink
Tim Holtz tea dye and fired brick distress inks
Spellbinders classic circles large and small
snowflake edge punch
country star punch
grosgrain and satin ribbons
crochet cotton
gold cording
red rhinestones

Check out all the amazing designs and inspiration:

Monday, October 29, 2012

Gina K Inspiration Hop--Day 1


The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!


Today our team is sharing projects made with Melanie's Stately Flowers 5 and Theresa's Vogue Vases 2.  My first card features the smaller mistletoe image from Stately Flowers 5 on CAS Fall To Sketch 211 with designer paper from our Merry Little Christmas pack.   This paper is perfect for bringing out the lighter and darker shades of green that are typical of mistletoe.  The faint tea-dye sponging really emphasizes the repeating squares of this layout.

Notes:
Melanie's Stately Flowers 5 in clear or rubber
GKD Merry Little Christmas designer paper
Pure Luxury card stock
Memento northern pine ink
Copic markers
Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink
Spellbinders classic squares large and small
ribbon


I used generation stamping to create the background for this simple design using some of the foliage from Theresa's Vogue Vases 2.  If you look closely at the green layer of the lacy medallion, you'll notice that it is also stamped with a faint ring of foliage also.  The monochromatic greens are so calming!

Notes:
Theresa's Vogue Vases 2 in clear or rubber
Pure Luxury card stock
Memento pistachio ink
Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink
Spellbinders eyelet circles, classic circles large, ribbon tags 3
twill ribbon
paper flower

Check out all the amazing designs and inspiration:

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Flower Soft Blog Hop


Here's another really CAS card using Flower Soft's new Nativity stamp set for today's Flower Soft blog hop.  You should've arrived here from Dawn's.

I used Clearsnap white pigment ink to stamp a star, then embellished it with Copic Opaque White and some Hint of Violet Glitter Frosting for a starry night sky above The Three Kings, stamped with Memento Nautical Blue.  The torn paper dunes are inked with Ranger distress ink.

From here, you're hopping to Jeanne's.  If you missed the start, head to the Flower Soft blog!

GRS Color Challenge!


It's color challenge day for the GRS team, and I've created a CAS card for it.  This is a CAS Fall-To sketch, just perfect for featuring some of last year's pretty patterned papers with this simple sentiment.  I'm not typically such a CAS girl, but I *love* the way this turned out!

Notes:
Kaiser Craft patterned paper
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Ranger tea dye ink
jewel

GRS Blog
Jennifer Ingle
Stephanie Lee
Kendra Wietstock
Taylor Usry
Jeni Allen
Kelli Palmer

Monday, October 22, 2012

Happy Birthday, SB!


Today, October 22nd, we are celebrating our PCP leader, Susanna Boyd's, birthday with a week-long Blog Hop celebration that every member on the Planet can participate in!

The Super Novas got together and each made a special birthday gift for Susanna's birthday. In honor of this momentous occasion, we invite everyone to join in the hop and post a birthday greeting on each of our blogs for a chance to win some fun blog candy! Extra points for commenting on the designers’ projects too!

So, join us for Susanna’s birthday party celebration from October 22nd through October 28th. Random winners will be announced on Monday, October 29th on each designer’s blog.


Of course, taking care of a galaxy of Super Novas means that SB has got to be organized!  I figured she might enjoy having a pretty portfolio!  It was inspired by an expanding file folder with a twine-twist closure, but this one is a whole lot more fun!  The outside is deceptively plain, but from the inside you can see that in this case, SB could also stand for super-blinged!

I really had fun making this project!  Surprisingly enough, the only stamps I used were for Susanna's monogram!  The rest was just cutting, die-cutting, distress-inking, taping and gluing.  Although the decorating process took a little time, the actual construction part is fairly quick and simple.  This project has lots of pockets to stash bookmarks, etc.  The bonus is that it keeps a pencil handy, and allows for the notepad to be replaced when the paper's all gone...

Since the designer papers I chose are from a 6 x 6 inch pad, some of the elements had to be pieced together, which provided ample opportunity for plenty of mixing-and-matching of patterns and colors.  Gotta love the coordinating washi tape!  I used lots of want2scrap bling, along with a few rhinestones from Kaiser Craft and Jolee's.

I absolutely love how this turned out!  Since it is also today's PCP tutorial (video on YouTube), I have a head-start on making one for myself!  Otherwise, I might've had a hard time parting with this one!  ;)

Love you, Susanna!  I hope you have the best birthday ever!  Let's make a date to celebrate together when we go to CHA in January! Cannot WAIT to see you! xoxoxo

Notes:
Gina K Pure Luxury "tan leather" card stock
Scor-Pal
Teresa Collins' Vintage finds designer paper
Vintage finds washi tape
TSOL monogram stamp set
Clearsnap ink
Ranger distress ink
Spellbinders classic circles large and small
want2scrap, Kaiser Craft, and Jolee's bling
velvet ribbon
Sew Easy fancy floss

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUSANNA!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

New Dies from TSOL!


The 20th is release time for new dies for The {Stamps} of Life.  I always love stamps and dies that work together, but I especially LOVE it when the dies keep me from having to fussy-cut around a particularly intricate image.  This month that is precisely the case!  

The two projects I'm sharing today show how versatile postage2stamp and postmarks2stamp are for holiday projects and everyday, too.  You can mix and match with those two sets alone, or with other sets (like turkey2stamp) for all kinds of fun!  The matching dies make them SO easy!

Visit The {Stamps} of Life for more ideas with our new stamps and dies!

Notes:  Turkey-to-go!
postage2stamp and postmarks2stamp
turkey2stamp
Authentique Thankful designer paper
Stephanie's inks
twisted jute rope
3/4 inch circle punch
BoBunny jewel

Notes:  First Class Friend!
postage2stamp
7gypsies Postale designer paper
Stephanie's ink
Memento ink and Copic markers (birdie)
Ranger tea-dye distress ink
Zva Creative bling
SU slot punch
grosgrain ribbon

Thursday, October 18, 2012

CAS Christmas


I love using patterned paper and pretty embellishments on my cards, but ever so often less is more.  This Flower Soft Christmas snow globe image is one that is elegant enough to stand alone.  For this card, a layer of white narrowly bordered in blue and trimmed with silver allows this serene setting to shine on its own.  The only accent is a bright white bow trimmed with a silver snowflake and sparkling blue jewel.

Visit the Flower Soft blog to see what my team mates have been creating with their Flower Soft Christmas snow globe kits, Flower Soft "fluff" and Flower Soft display globes.

Notes:
Flower Soft Christmas snow globe images
display globe
Polar White Flower Soft
Silver peel and stick border stickers
Creative Impressions white ribbon
Petaloo silver snowflake
BoBunny blue jewel

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Happy 4th birthday, ihp!


i {heart} papers is thrilled to be celebrating our 4th birthday this month! We know there’s no way we could have made it this far without each and every one of our loyal customers sharing their ihp love with their friends or following us on FacebookTwitterour blog or through our newsletter. So, our celebration is really a celebration of YOU and our gift to you is a 25% off coupon for the whole store, valid 10/16-1-/20 (valid on in stock items not, not valid on gift certificates or prior orders). Use code: 4bdayDT. NOTE: Shop early! Once seasonal items are sold out, they will most likely not be restocked. Also, the store will be closed from Oct 19-25th and there will be no shipping during this time. Orders will resume shipping on 10/26.

We will also have giveaways on the blog and on Twitter during these days (they’ll be linked from Facebook too but since giveaways aren’t technically allowed on Facebook we have to do it on the blog!) so be sure to check in daily to see how to enter.

But wait! There’s more! Long time customers know that Kate is a huge dog rescue advocate, volunteering for a local dog rescue, transporting dogs in need and doing rescue work on Facebook. October happens to also be Adopt A Shelter Dog month, as well as the birthday of one of Kate’s dogs and the Gotcha/Adoption day of the other. So, in honor of all of that, IHP will be donating 10% of all sales during the birthday sale to Home For Good Dog RescueEleventh Hour Rescue and Pilots ‘n Paws.  And if you make your own donation to any of these organizations, we will send you a gift certificate to IHP for 50% of your donation amount (these will be sent at the end of the month). Just email us a copy of your donation receipt and we’ll email you a gift certificate!

Since we're partying ihp style, our challenge is all about birthdays!  We're starting with an inspiration photo!  Look how gorgeous!


This photo is from a beautiful website called Hostess With the Mostest, which you really should visit!  LOTS of gorgeous photos, but this particular one was irresistible because it is so reminiscent of our ihp logo colors!

My project for today was also inspired by the cupcake throne designed by the infamous Jan Tink.  I altered her template slightly to fit the stamp set that I'm using...the back of mine is an inch shorter so that it more evenly borders the frame from Cupcakes and Candles. That made me happy, because it meant that I could use 8.5 x 11 inch card stock for both pieces instead of needing part of a 12 x 12 sheet.  I also changed the construction of the bottom just a bit. Rather than creating separate sides, I cut another piece of card stock measuring 5 3/4 x 4, scored 1/4 and 1 1/4 inch from each end.  This piece intersects with the other, forming the sides and as a bonus, creating a strong, double-layered bottom.

Just a little detail to note:  this throne is for a standard cupcake, not a big fancy gourmet version!

Notes:
GRS Cupcakes and Candles
Carta Bella Beautiful Moments designer paper
Memento ink
Copic markers
Spellbinders classic circles dies
dots embossing folder
Colorbox white pigment ink
Creative Impressions ribbon, ivory jute thread
Kaiser Craft hot pink pearls
button
toothpick
Scor-buddy
i {stick} papers redline tape
dimensional adhesive
standard sized cupcake :)

I can't wait to see what my design team mates have come up with for today's party challenge!  Here are their links so you can leave 'em some birthday love!

Monday, October 15, 2012

New GRS Appetizers!


It's appetizer release time for Gourmet Rubber Stamps, and this month's stamp sets are exceptionally delicious!


Gingerbread Greetings is perfect for making tags to go on those holiday gifts of yummy baked goods!  So traditional and absolutely darling!  I used this set for a little "Sweet Holiday Season" recipe book whose covers are made from designer-paper-covered chipboard bound with the Bind-It-All.  I have had this set of heart-shaped measuring spoons and these tiny cookie cutters for ages, just waiting for the right time to use them!

Notes:
Gingerbread Greetings
sentiment from Holiday Season Sampler
Basic Grey Clippings designer paper
Memento Espresso Truffle ink
Copic markers
Ranger Frayed Burlap distress ink
satin ribbon
lace trim
ric rac
Sand Copic Spica pen
Frosted Lace Stickles

Made of Snow includes a jolly snowman, a delicate snowflake, a swirl of snow and a warm sentiment!  Could not be any cuter!

Visit the GRS gallery and my design team mates' blogs to find inspirational projects made with these great sets!  You can find both sets and everything you need to go with them at i {heart} papers!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

HBD Wishes


Have you seen the newest sets from The Stamps of Life?  Oh, I am in LOVE with postage2stamp and postmarks2stamp!  They are so FUN and SO versatile!  They mix and match for just about every occasion you can think of!

I thought it would be fun to do something a little different with the postmarks, so I made one into a sun with its warm rays stretching toward the clouds for a fun, whimsical birthday card.

Notes:
postage2stamp and postmarks2stamp
Echo Park designer paper
Stephanie's inks
Memento ink and Copic markers for the butterfly (from extras4kids)
The Twinery twine
3/4 inch circle punch
Framelits clouds dies

Friday, October 12, 2012

PCP Sketch Challenge


Hi everyone!  It's my turn to host this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge.  I thought it might be fun to go round this time!  I used Gourmet Rubber Stamps, several different Basic Grey patterned paper prints, a Spellbinder's border die and some Martha Stewart snowflake punches for this layered Christmas card.

Join us in the forum and gallery to play along!  Be sure to enter keyword sk101212 when you upload!

Notes: 
Gourmet Rubber Stamps Holiday Season Sampler
Copic markers (to add just a little light green to the mittens)
Ranger distress inks
Spellbinders grand circles, grand scalloped circles, and fleur de lis dies
Martha Stewart snowflake punches
jewel from the stash

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Goodbye, CPS!


It is hard to even type it!  Making a card for Card Positioning Systems been a weekly thing for over a year and a half, so it will feel so strange for it to be gone!  So blessed to have been a part of it! Thank you, Tami, for giving me such a great opportunity!  xoxoxo

Flower Soft Halloween!


This week our Flower Soft team has been sharing projects made with our Halloween downloads.  These are really easy to print, then cut and emboss with Spellbinders dies, and assemble.  That makes them very quick to put together.

These bright colors are so fun to work with!  A little bit of black to accent them really makes them pop!

Visit the Flower Soft blog to see more ideas with these digital files!

Notes:
Halloween Scarebear downloadable files
black ultrafine Flower Soft
i {stick} papers tape
white card stock for printing
large scalloped circle nestabilities
Ranger Tim Holtz soot distress ink
MS fence punch
glimmer ribbon
rhinestones

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

GRS Sketch


It's sketch time at Gourmet Rubber Stamps!  Here's the sketch we were given.  It immediately made me think of a matchbook fold, so that's what I made, using stamps and products from i {heart} papers.  It will be just perfect for tucking in a packet of spiced cider.

Visit the GRS blog to see what my design team mates have come up with using this sketch!

Notes:
Cider Mug
Tart and Spice sentiment
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Copic markers
Copic blending paper
dimensional adhesive
Authentique Thankful designer paper
jute thread
leaf-shaped button

Saturday, October 6, 2012

ihp WCMD Color Challenge


Happy World Card-Making Day to you, and Happy Anniversary to us! This is the card I made for my husband...it is simple and to the point, but has a little sentimentality built in...shell buttons to remind us of our wedding and honeymoon in Caneel Bay, and coffee that celebrates the day-to-day rituals we share...and all those numbers for 28 years.  That's a long time!  ;)

This card is also for our i {heart} papers color challenge.  (Love this beautiful Design Seeds photo!)  The stamps are Gourmet Rubber Stamps also from ihp's store.  Be sure to check out the ihp WCMD sale!


Notes:
Noteworthy (stamped faintly in the background)
Memento Rich Cocoa and Northern Pine inks
Ranger tea dye and frayed burlap distress inks
shell buttons


I'm wishing I could stay home and stamp, but I'm off to a lay servant's workshop and certification.  I'll be back home later to maybe stamp a little before we go out to celebrate 28 years!  :)

Hope you have a great day!

Flower Soft Fun!


All of us at Flower Soft have been in The Christmas Spirit this past week!  That's the name of a brand new sentiment set that goes with another new Christmas set, Santa and Pals!  They're both from the Wine Buffs series.

This diorama card was so fun to make...just a little different than the usual fold, and perfect for showing off how these stamps can work together to make a silly, three-layer scene!  I adjusted the measurements of Diana's tutorial just a little, so that when laid flat, my card is 4.25 x 5.5 inches and fits into a standard envelope. It needed that extra height to fit Rudolph on that snowy torn paper hill!  I'm sorry that you can't see his shiny ruby red sparkly nose in this shadowy photo!  Mornings have been foggy, and it has rained nearly every afternoon, so this picture was taken indoors with the help of my Ott light.  I suppose we have needed the rain, so I am not complaining, but I'd much prefer a picture in natural light, so I'll try again when the weather is better!

Notes:
heart-shaped button

Be sure to visit the Flower Soft blog to see what WCMD fun is going on there!  Happy stamping!

WCMD with Gina K!


Enjoy this World Card Making Day Special at Gina K Designs.  Free stamp set with a $35.00 order!  Stock up for the holidays, or treat yourself to a little something. ♥

Friday, October 5, 2012

Happy WCMD Eve!


Hello everyone!  Are all of you card makers excited about World Card-Making Day?  i {heart} papers is having a huge sale and hosting two WCMD challenges...today we're giving you a little bit of a head-start on your stamping and shopping! 


Use code WCMD2012IHP through Tuesday, October 9th, for 20% off everything. And, yes, you still qualify for free US shipping with your order of $60 or more. Play along with our challenges for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate in each category.  Add the links to your projects to the Mr. Linky on Kate's blog.  

The first of our challenges is a sketch. This one is great for mixing and matching prints from all those great designer paper pads that Kate carries! I used Authentique Enchanted to make a Halloween card with Hero Arts' cute Girl with a Balloon.

Notes:
Hero Arts' cute Girl with a Balloon
Authentique Enchanted designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black and Tangelo ink (Gumdrop Assortment)
Copic markers

Our second challenge is a color inspiration challenge.  I hope you won't think I was selfish for choosing this particular Design Seeds photo!  My husband and I got married 28 years ago tomorrow (October 6th, 1984), on St. John at Caneel Bay...take a peek at my SCS bio for a look at our wedding announcement photo and you'll see why these colors and seashells enticed me!

I'll be back tomorrow to share my color inspiration card.  Until then, happy stamping!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Gina K Inspiration Hop--Day 3


The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a Gina K. Designs Grab Bag that could have anything from stamps to paper to embellishments! To see the list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!


Today we're sharing projects with Seasonal Labels and Primitive Blessings.  I love this Peace sentiment  from Seasonal Labels.  It is most often associated with the holidays, but is equally appropriate for everyday circumstances, especially when paired with the right image, like this one from the Sun-Kissed Autumn StampTV kit.  It makes me think of my wise, Godly friend Grace, who says that giving your problems to God in prayer is like releasing a balloon and watching it float heavenward...we should receive His peace and do our best not to bring those problems back down to earth!  It also makes me think of "catching a ray" of sunshine!  The bright colors and carefree floral design of the Sun-Kissed Autumn designer paper set the stage for warm, happy thoughts.  

Notes:
Seasonal Labels (One Free with Three) in clear or rubber
Sun-Kissed Autumn Stamp TV kit in clear or rubber
Pure Luxury Card Stock
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers

Spellbinders long rectangles dies
spiral punch
rhinestones
velvet ribbon


Here's a simple, whimsical design using images and a coordinating sentiment from Primitive Blessings.  I used a scrap of Echo Park designer paper for the sky, a few punched strips of green card stock for grass, and some black twine for the power line.  To bring a little more detail and a pop of contrasting color to the design, I added a tiny butterfly from Tami's Ticket Trio to the bottom left corner. 

Notes:
Primitive Blessings in clear or rubber
Ticket Trio in clear or rubber
Echo Park designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Martha Stewart grass punch
black twine

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Gina K Inspiration Hop--Day 2

The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a Gina K. Designs Grab Bag that could have anything from stamps to paper to embellishments! To see the list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops!!


I love stamping with Halloween colors!  I used a combination of mists and Memento inks to create this colorful spooky sky background.  There are so many cute images in Beth's Wicked set that I had trouble deciding which ones to use!

Notes:
Beth's Wicked in clear or rubber
Pure Luxury Card Stock
Memento Dandelion, Grape Jelly, Pear Tart, Tangelo and Tuxedo Black inks
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Kaiser Craft rhinestones


We all have ups and downs in life, and sometimes we need reminders of why Life is good!  That's what this little "I {heart} my Life" book is for!  Tami's Take Note is full of sentiments and images that are just perfect for smash journals and Project Life pages.  This will be a great place to record my "Ebenezers" so that when I am feeling down, I can be lifted up again!  I used my Silhouette to cut the pages.  The first few will be pictures of my husband and son and the rest of my family!  There will be pictures of friends, church family, and a few material things too, like my ukulele and stamps, as well as uplifting verses and quotes!  Love it!

Notes:
Pure Luxury Card Stock
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Ranger tea dye and frayed burlap distress inks
Silhouette machine and Take Note cut files
heart punch
Tim Holtz staples/stapler


I went clean and simple with Becky's set, You Say Goodbye and I Say 'Ello...this is CPS sketch 285.

Notes:
Pure Luxury Card Stoc
Becky's You Say Goodbye, I Say 'Ello! in clear or rubberMemento Tuxedo Black ink
Ranger tea dye and frayed burlap distress inks
Kaiser Craft rhinestones
American Crafts Thickers

Check out all the amazing designs and inspiration: