With a Stamp and a Song

Tim Holtz worn lipstick distress ink

Nestabilities Labels 18

Copic markers

flower

recycled ribbon

Here are today's designers:

Gina K Designs Inspiration Day 2!

2012-01-02T09:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the second of this release's inspirational hops! Today we are showcasing two new sets, Tami's Special Occasion Tags and You've got Style (One free with 3).

My first card uses this week's CPS sketch to feature Tami's Special Occasion Tags. I love this color scheme, with that tiny pop of red!

Notes:

Vintage Chic patterned paper

Tami's Special-Occasion Tags

heart-shaped button

twine

The idea for my second card came from this fun fashion sentiment, although I am not sure it comes across IRL as clearly as I saw it in my imagination! Does this make you think of a lighted runway?

Notes:
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
You've Got Style! (One Free with 3!)
True Love patterned paper
tulle
satin ribbon
button/thread
pink bling

Here are today's participants:

Gina K
Tami Mayberry – Illustrator Special Occasion Tags
Carolina Buchting
Cathy Tidwell
Donna Baker
Giovana Smith
Jennie Harper
Jimmi Mayo
Lee Murphy
Melanie Muenchinger
Michelle Woerner
Sharon Harnist
Theresa Momber
Tina Gilliland
Vicki Dutcher

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

May 2012 be filled with peace, joy, and love!

Notes:
ink and stamps from The {Stamps} of Life: list2write, minis4circles, funky4numbers
October Afternoon designer paper

Gina K Inspiration Hop!

2011-12-30T09:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome to today's Gina K Designs inspiration hop, featuring Melanie's Stately Flowers 2 and Theresa's Mountain Wilderness. Such gorgeous sets! Wait 'til you see the beautiful cards our team has made using them!

I shared the smallest peek ever yesterday of the card I made using the goldenrod image from Stately Flowers 2 and a vertical sentiment from Mountain Wilderness...and after photographing it, I decided that my card wasn't quite finished after all! I added some texture to the flower centers, tied on some raffia and a pretty button-centered flower. The layout is again SC365 from SCS. Don't you think these colors are so warm and cheerful in the middle of winter!?

I had a hard time getting a photograph of my second card, a masculine scene with images from Mountain Wilderness. I used a Nestabilities oval to cut a window into the card front, then cut an oval 1/8 inch larger for the focal image which is adhered to the inside of the card. I used Copic markers to color a vibrant sunset...the overhanging branches (a die I got early for Christmas) and the big brown bear on the front of the card appear much closer than the distant landscape behind them. A sprinkling of "snow" grounds the bear and ties the scene together. In the photo to the right you can see a small peek of the designer paper under the focal image inside.

Notes:

Melanie's Stately Flowers 2

Theresa's Mountain Wilderness

Basic Grey Picadilly designer paper

October Afternoon Holiday Style designer paper

Copic markers

Nestabilities classic ovals, large and small

Flower Soft

raffia

paper flower

button

jute thread

Here are the designers participating today:

Gina K
Melanie Muenchinger – Illustrator Stately Flowers 2
Theresa Momber – Illustrator Mountain Wilderness
Michelle Woerner
Sharon Harnist
Suzanne Dean
Tina Gilliland
Vicki Dutcher
Carolina Buchting
Cathy Tidwell
Donna Baker
Giovana Smith
Jennie Harper
Jimmi Mayo
Lee Murphy

You're Invited!

2011-12-29T09:00:00.006-05:00

We are very excited to extend an invitation to Gina K. Designs December Release Party. We have a fun evening planned for you - chatting, prizes, challenges, stamp sets reveal, design team shares, and most importantly, at the end of the party you will be able to start shopping!

You should've arrived here from Donna's...if not, head on over to the Stamp TV forum so you can start at the top!

Hope to see you at the party, here are all the details:

When: Today, Thursday, December 29
Where: StampTV Release Party Forum
Time: 7 PM to 9 PM (CST)

Here's a teeny tiny peek of a card that I will be sharing at tonight's party!

And now, you're off to Cat's! Enjoy the hop! I hope to see you tonight at StampTV!

SCS Sketch 365

2011-12-28T12:47:00.001-05:00

Today's SCS sketch was just perfect for a New Year's card using Our Craft Lounge's crafty clear set, Cheers! I wanted to post a card using this set to the OCL blog and was grateful that today's sketch was one that would work with it.

I used some beautiful My Mind's Eye designer paper, including a beautiful music print, in warm golds and black for an elegant card to celebrate the coming of the New Year. The image was stamped with Memento ink and colored with Copic markers. A few Kaiser Craft pearls mimic a rush of escaping bubbles!

Fun sketch, Roxie! Thanks!

GRS Diners' Club Preview

2011-12-27T12:00:00.001-05:00

Today is preview day for a brand new Lizzie Anne/Gourmet Rubber Stamps Diners' Club set, Sealed with a Kiss! It is such a beautiful set, filled images just perfect for Valentine's Day and more.

The color combo for my card was inspired by the pretty floral paper, part of the Random Collection from Crate Paper. I love this paper but I'm still trying to decide whether the color combo works! It is definitely different! (For most of December I have been fighting a sinus infection...I just kept trying to push through but finally, a few days before Christmas, decided that a break was necessary. Between feeling yucky and taking more than a week away from card-making, my mojo is very rusty!)

Be sure to visit my design team mates blogs to see what they've made with this fun set!

ihp SALE!!!

2011-12-20T09:38:00.000-05:00

Beginning today, December 20th, i {heart} papers is holding an end of year inventory blow out with savings up to 75% off on some products! There are hundreds of items on steep markdown including:

Unity Itty Bittys only $3.25
All other Unity sets $5-$7 (that's 75% OFF!!!)
All 6x6 pads only $3.50
All Echo Park and MME 12x12 kits 50% off
All Hero Arts sets (including die and stamp sets) 50% off
Lawn Fawn 50% off
Market Street Stamps 50% off
All My Cute Stamps 50% off
All Technique Tuesday, including Ali Edwards sets, at least 50% off
All Lifestyle Crafts nesting dies only $12
All Spellbinders Nestabilities only $12
3D Embellishments $0.50 - $2
Zva bling only $1
and much, much more! Check the sale page for more amazing deals!

The sale will run while supplies last or until New Year's Eve, so don't delay!

Visions of Sugarplums!

2011-12-17T10:18:00.000-05:00

Here are a few fun Christmas cards using candy2share and jar4candy from The {Stamps} of Life! These two sets are made to work together, and can be colored or paper-pieced for a variety of looks...and of course, they are not just for Christmas! Candy is great for all kinds of occasions!

Notes:

candy2share, jar4candy

Stephanie's favorite ink pads!

The Twinery twine

Offray red grosgrain ribbon

green satin ribbon

MS snowflake punch

Notes:

candy2share, jar4candy, funky4lowABC

Basic Grey Nordic Holiday designer paper

Stephanie's favorite ink pads!

The Twinery twine

Nestabilities die

GRS Weekly Recipe #13

2011-12-16T09:00:00.003-05:00

I love having a sketch to start construction of my cards...coming up with layouts of my own is not what I would consider my forte` but today it is my turn to host the Gourmet Rubber Stamps Weekly Recipe. I thought it would be kinda fun to make a card with a detachable tag, much like a bookmark card.

I began with a 4 1/4 x 10 1/2 inch piece of card stock, scored at 4 1/4, and perforated with the Scor Bug at 8 1/2. The finished card measures 4 1/4 square inches with an additional 2 inches on the back layer for the tag portion.

I used a Spellbinders fancy tags 2 die and matching nestabling along with some Tim Holtz holly leaves for a fancy sentiment atop some pretty designer paper that really goes well with my 5th Avenue Snowflake Stick Chick tag.

I hope you will join me in making a tag card, or use the layout for a three-panel standard A2!

Notes:

GRS 5th Avenue Snowflake Stick Chick

LAD Season's Greetings

Teresa Collins designer paper

Spellbinders fancy tags 2, matching nestabling

Tim Holtz die

red twill ribbon
silver cording
Kaiser Craft pearl
Polar White Flower Soft, PVA glue

More OCL Peeks!

2011-12-16T03:00:00.005-05:00

Welcome back for Day 2 of Our Craft Lounge's Valentine's Day peeks! If you missed yesterday's posts, be sure to scroll down to catch a glimpse of all the gorgeous cards that our designers shared! They'll knock your socks off!

You still have time to make the rounds and leave comments in order to become eligible for the blog candy that will be given away on Sunday or Monday...be sure to comment on the OCL blog and "like" our Facebook page too.

Although Smooth Sailing is intended to be a Valentine set, it makes a great everyday set too, especially in a Navy town like Jacksonville! That is why I chose this red, white, blue and gold color scheme. I tied a bowline knot to add to the nautical atmosphere!

Notes:
OCL's Smooth Sailing
yellow striped designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Nestabilities classic circles and squares, large and small
Canvas Corp nautical cording
EK star punch

Visit our blogs and leave some love!

LAD/GRS Design Team Challenge

2011-12-15T09:00:00.002-05:00

It's time for another GRS/Lizzie Anne design team challenge! I am still stamping Christmas cards, and found this challenge to be a very refreshing change of pace! Look at the beautiful photo we were given as color inspiration for a birthday card!

Although I didn't purchase it with this challenge in mind, I don't think I could've come across a better match of designer paper for this gorgeous color combo! It looks made-to-order!

I chose a classic greeting from Vintage Verses as a focal point, adding some lovely lace and sheer ribbon along with a pretty flower. I stamped, diecut/embossed and inked the oval, then ended up putting the rest of the card together in the car on the way to Disney World to hear Matthew sing with FIHS chorus at Candlelight! The magical wonder of Disney made this sentiment seem exceptionally appropriate, and paper-crafting in the car made the time go faster! I took my ukulele too, and played a few Christmas tunes on the way!

This picture was taken at the Coronado Springs Resort with my whiteboard background set up in the back gate of my Jeep Liberty! ;) That was pretty much the last of the sunshine for our trip! We stood in line in the cold and rain for more than three hours for a next-to-last-row seat at the second performance (we could hear but not see the first performance from where we stood), but it was so worth it! Neal Patrick Harris narrated, and a huge choir of high school students and Disney professionals sang...it was so amazing!

Now that we're home again, I think I might add a button or some pretty pearls to dress my card up a little bit more! I think it needs a little bling! ;)

Visit the GRS blog for ideas from the rest of our amazing designers!

Notes:
LAD Vintage Verses
Authentique Gathering designer paper
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Spellbinders' Nestabilities classic ovals
Kaiser Craft flower
organza ribbon
lace

OCL Valentine Peeks!

2011-12-15T03:00:00.003-05:00

The owners, illustrators, designers and guest designers of Our Craft Lounge are so excited to share sneak peeks of our Valentine release with you today and tomorrow! You are sure to find a set you'll love and a project to inspire you!

I know some of you are "picture people" but please read carefully! OCL is offering four prize bundles which include one full set and one single. In order to be eligible to win, you must leave comments on the OCL blog, all of our designers' blogs and on our Facebook page Thursday and Friday. You have until Friday, December 16th at MIDNIGHT Pacific time/3am Eastern time to leave your comments, so don't feel like you have to hop through them all at once!

Winners will be chosen randomly and announced on the OCL Blog and the OCL FB page on Sunday or Monday, so be sure to check there to see if your name is listed! You'll need to contact Kendra, our design team coordinator, with your snail mail address to claim your prize!

My project is made with a brand new single called Mr Knight! He comes with two accompanying sentiments that are just perfect for Valentine's Day, although I suppose you could use them just about anytime! This designer paper is such a cute design to pair with him, although on a standard card not much of it peeks out from underneath.

Visit i {heart} papers to see lots more from Our Craft Lounge! Kate has lightning fast shipping, free with your $50 US order/$150 CAN order.

Notes:
OCL new single, Mr Knight
Pinecone Press designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Quickie glue pen
Sparkly Fluff
Nestabilities petite ovals, small and large
Nestabilities classic squares
Nestabilities lacey squares
Kaiser Craft rhinestones
dimensional adhesive
glitter
sheer ribbon
flower/stamen

Here is the list of designer blogs to love on to become eligible for a prize! And remember to visit our FB page too!

Christmas Friends

2011-12-13T07:00:00.011-05:00

This week's CPS sketch is sponsored by Flower Soft. I made an easel card featuring the stamp set, Little Friend. (the ready-to-use, color-printed card toppers of this image are retiring!)

I love the way the colors of this card turned out so vibrant and yet still soft and girlie, fun and not-quite-traditional!

Visit the CPS blog to find more inspiration, then play along and link your card!

Notes:

Stamp set, Polar White Flower Soft

October Afternoon Sidewalks designer paper

Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz worn lipstick distress ink
Copic markers

Martha Stewart snowflake punch

buttons, silver cording

Holiday Decorations!

2011-12-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to make my first post as a Supernova over on the Paper Craft Planet blog! Here's a teeny peek at one of THREE projects that I am sharing there! I hope you will take a peek and let me know you were there! :)

CSS Blog Hop!

2011-12-09T22:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the GKD CenterStage Spotlight Alumni's December's hop! Our theme is holiday treat holders!

You should've arrived from Joy's! If not, head over to the forum at StampTV to start at the beginning! Make sure to leave a comment as you hop along because on Tuesday morning, December 13, we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs and that person will receive a huge grab bag of fabulous Gina K. Designs Stamps!

My project is a simple cupcake to-go box filled with cupcakes from the bakery. Easy peasy! The top and bottom are scored exactly alike, then the openings for the cupcakes are embossed on top with a Spellbinders' die and sliced side to side with a craft blade.

For the focal image, I cut a petite oval and stamped an image from the StampTV kit, Wishing You Joy. A few flicks with several Copic markers, and a jewel center for the snowflake, and this simple project is ready for gift -giving.

Your next stop is Carolina's.

Notes:
Gina K Pure Luxury cranberry card stock
StampTV Kit, Wishing You Joy
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Nestabilities petite ovals, scalloped circles
Copic markers
sheer ribbon
Kaiser Craft rhinestone

Think Snow!

2011-12-07T09:09:00.001-05:00

This cute roly poly snowman from Season's Greetings by Lizzie Anne for Gourmet Rubber Stamps was just perfect for today's Flower Soft "Think Snow" challenge. I used ultrafine white Flower Soft for the fluffy snow, adding a little chunky glitter on the hilltops for shimmer!

Come play along! Details are on the Flower Soft blog!

Notes:
Lizzie Anne for Gourmet Rubber Stamps Season's Greetings
October Afternoon designer paper
Memento ink
Copic markers
Nestabilities tag die
ultrafine white Flower Soft, PVA glue
Kaiser Craft pearls
button
Creative Impressions white glimmer ribbon
MS tinsel glitter
MS snowflake punch

ihp + MSS=amazing!

2011-12-06T06:00:00.007-05:00

Welcome to the i {heart} papers and Market Street Stamps combined teams blog hop! We're so excited to have you join us, and we know you're in for a real treat!

You should have arrived here from Carolyn's blog. If not, visit Kate's i {heart} papers blog to start from the beginning. You'll go from there to the blogs of our designers and finish up at the Market Street Stamps blog. If you get lost, both company blogs have the complete list of links.

about i {heart} papers:

i {heart} papers is proud that we recently celebrated our 3rd anniversary in October. We’ve grown by leaps and bounds and have not strayed from our core principle of stellar customer service with FAST and FREE shipping. You ALWAYS receive free shipping with your $50 US order/$150 CAN order with no gimmicks or restrictions like so many other companies, and orders are almost always shipped within 24 business hours. We’re thrilled to be hopping along with the MSS team today and to be carrying the MSS line of stamps. If you’ve never ordered from us before, please mention that you learned about us on this hop for a free gift with your first order! Please visit us at www.iheartpapers.com, “like” us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/iheartpapers, where you'll find over 1900 other IHP fans!) and follow us on Twitter (@iheartpapers). Enjoy the hop! If you order by Wednesday midnight EST, all MSS sets are 15% off! Leave comments along the hop to be entered in a drawing to win one free MSS set. The more you comment, the more chances to win! You have until Wednesday at midnight...winners will be announced on the ihp blog on Friday!

about Market Street Stamps:

Market Street Stamps, LLC, was founded in January 2010 by Angelica and Jorge Suarez, a husband and wife team who create unique stamps made from peach-tinted photopolymer, the best available on the market today! Market Street Stamps' goal is to produce durable, high quality designs that you'll turn to again and again! We are thrilled to be hopping with i {heart} papers and their incredibly talented design team today! Be sure to "like" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/MarketStreetStamps) for the latest releases and project ideas from our Design Team!

My card for today is a little different than my usual cards...it has NO COLORING! Nope! I didn't use a single Copic marker on this one, nor any other marker, for that matter! Copics have become my #1 go-to tool, so it is a rare occasion that I make a card without them! This time I opted for some Palette ink on kraft card stock using Market Street's newly released background stamp, Grace. The sentiment is from Essential Holiday Elegance, a wonderful set with lovely fonts and classic holiday greetings. I used a classic oval to cut a window from the stamped background so that the card base could peek through to frame the sentiment, which is adhered using dimensional adhesive.

The flowers were made using Spellbinders' Spiral Blossom One. I followed Heidi's tutorial to make the bloom and buds, then tucked in some leaves, a few sprigs of ribbon and a big Bow Easy twinkle ribbon bow.

After the card was completely assembled, I liberally misted everything with Gold Shimmer spray. That gave it a beautiful pearly gold glow!

From here, you're headed to Dobea's blog. Enjoy the hop! Thanks for your comments! Remember to order your MSS from ihp before Wednesday to get the 15% discount!

Notes:
Market Street Stamps Grace, Essential Holiday Elegance
Palette ink
Spellbinders' classic oval, spiral blossom one
Glubers
dimensional adhesive
Bow Easy
twinkle ribbon
Gold Shimmer

CPS 247

2011-12-06T03:00:00.001-05:00

Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be in dire need of a little R & R after pulling an all-nighter for Christmas! Hehehe! Lawn Fawn is sponsoring this week's CPS sketch...I figured there had to be a way to make this set work for winter too! This is a computer-generated sentiment, but one of the two sentiments in this set ("keep cool" or "have fun") would have worked just as well.

Visit the CPS blog for more ideas using Lawn Fawn stamps!

Notes:
Lawn Fawn stamp set
October Afternoon designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
Spellbinders' fancy tags 2
Nestabilities classic circles
Ultrafine White Flower Soft
black cording
black rhinestone

Gina K Designs Inspiration Day 3!

2011-12-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

It's the final day for GKD's inspiration hops for this release, and today we are sharing projects made with two new duos, Master Butterfly, and Just Calling to Say, and with one full set, Inspirational Blocks.

I love the dramatic contrast of black and white...it seemed just perfect for a tent card with this retro phone! My grandma had a phone sorta like this! So funny how one little image can bring back SO many memories!

Notes:
Just Calling to Say...
Gina K Pure Luxury onyx card stock
Vintage Chic paper pack
Memento ink
Spellbinders grommet tags
stitched grosgrain ribbon
black brads

Here's another simple layout using Basic Grey's Marjolaine, Inspirational Blocks and some Pear Tart Memento ink. For some reason my camera doesn't like the sponged edges...they photo'd rather grainy, but this card is soft and serene IRL.

Notes:

Inspirational Blocks

Memento Tuxedo Black, Pear Tart inks

Basic Grey Marjolaine designer paper

Spellbinders classic squares

satin ribbon

self-adhesive pearls

Here are the designers participating in today's hop:

Gina K Designs Inspiration Day 2!

2011-12-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome back for our second day of inspiration with the stamps sets that were just released! Today we are sharing projects made with two full stamp sets, Tami's Label Borders, Theresa's Dogwood and Butterfly, and one of our new Duos, Friends are Flowers.

I love kraft, ivory, red and black together, and with Tami's set, I came up with a relatively clean and simple card for Valentine's Day or any day! This set is SO versatile, and really easy to work with. I stamped the border in Memento, colored the inset with Copics, then sponged the edges with distress ink and bordered it with red card stock. I stamped the sentiment panel a second time so that I could pop up it up for added dimension. I tied a lock and key to a big red button with sparkly cord...the ends frayed, but I love the way it looks!

Notes:
Tami's Label Borders
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock (ivory, kraft, onyx, and lipstick red)
Memento ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
black rhinestones
Jenni Bowlin button
Tim Holtz lock and key charms
black cording

I made a simple 4 1/4 inch square notecard using Theresa's Dogwood and Butterfly set. I tried to color the flowers their traditional colors, pure white with touches of pale pink and green, a bright green center and just a touch of red at the end of each petal. Of course, white is difficult to color!

The dogwoods always seem to know when it's Easter and time to bloom! As a youngster, I was taught that their four petals symbolize the cross, their touches of red the nails in His hands and feet, and their center, the crown of thorns. I love thinking that God uses every opportunity to remind me of His love for me!

Notes:
Theresa's Dogwood and Butterfly set

Gina K Pure Luxury ivory card stock

Gina K Pure Luxury ivory card stock
Friends are Flowers Duo

Copic markers

crocheted lace

ribbon scrap

I used the same markers, minus the blue-green, to color another notecard stamped with Friends are Flowers. The focal image layer is popped up on dimensional adhesives, which is a little more formal than a single layer...I rarely make single layer cards with Copics because of the bleed-through. An ivory satin bow seemed like the perfect simple embellishment.

Notes:

Pure Luxury ivory card stock

Copic markers

Satin ribbon

All three of the sets featured today lend themselves to CAS stamping, although they would work equally well in more intricate designs!

Here are the designers participating today:

Gina K
Tami Mayberry - Illustrator Label Borders
Theresa Momber – Illustrator Dogwood and Butterfly
Tina Gilliland
Vicki Dutcher
Carolina Buchting
Cathy Tidwell
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Giovana Smith
Jimmi Mayo
Lee Murphy
Melanie Muenchinger
Michelle Woerner
Sharon Harnist
Suzanne Dean

Gina K Designs Inspiration Hop!

2011-11-30T09:00:00.010-05:00

Hi, and welcome to Gina K Designs' Inspiration Hop! It's the first day of a three day extravaganza of card-making ideas! Today we're previewing two newly released full-sized stamp sets, as well as two of our new Duo stamp sets.

Stately Flowers is the first stamp set in a series that Melanie has begun, which will feature the names and flowers of all 50 states! My first card features the California poppy. I love the cheerful colors and loose, open shape of these flowers...in fact, I love them so much that our china is a poppy Villeroy and Boch design named Amapola. I am really looking forward to traveling to California for CHA at the end of January!

Notes:

Melanie's Stately Flowers

Basic Grey Picadilly designer paper

Nestabilities classic oval

Copic markers

Ribbon tags trio 3

May Arts ribbon, twine
paper roses

Kaiser Craft bling

Make a Statement is a companion set for Stately Flowers. Since my husband is retired USN, I couldn't resist making a patriotic card. Even with all of the difficult times America has been having lately, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else! (I am wondering if I can talk Melanie into a "Cajun Country" sentiment since that's where I'm from!) ;) This layout is an adaptation of Fall-to Layout 167.

Notes:

Melanie's Make a Statement

Pure Luxury kraft card stock

Basic Grey designer paper "solids"

Nestabilities hearts, scalloped hearts

small star brads

"squeeze" tiny tag die

Copic multi-liner

Thickers letters (colored with a Copic marker)

May Arts twine

If you scroll down to yesterday's release party invite, you can see the card I made using the Close Knit Friends Duo and read the story behind the design!

Here are the designers sharing projects made with today's featured sets!

Gina K
Melanie Muenchinger – Illustrator of Stately Flowers and Make a Statement
Carolina Buchting
Cathy Tidwell
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Giovana Smith
Jennie Harper
Jimmi Mayo
Lee Murphy
Michelle Woerner
Sharon Harnist
Suzanne Dean
Theresa Momber
Tina Gilliland
Vicki Dutcher

You're Invited!

2011-11-29T09:00:00.004-05:00

We are very excited to extend an invitation to Gina K Designs November Release Party. We have a fun evening planned for you - chatting, prizes, challenges, stamp set reveals, design team shares, and most importantly, you can start shopping at 7 p.m. CST!

If you came from Emily's, you're at the right place. If not make sure to head over to StampTV where you will find a list of all those participating in today's hop.

This card just gives me warm-fuzzies! However out-dated that term might be, sometimes it is still the most accurate choice! These "knitting needles" and the close-knit friends sentiment make me smile from the inside out! For two nights in a row last summer during the week of CHA in Chicago, I had dinner at Gibson's Steak House. The first night was with a bunch of Gina K friends (pictured here!), and the next with some of the SCS girls, a few GKD friends among them!

As we were leaving the restaurant, Jimmi showed us all these little Gibson's toothpick matchbooks and of course we each had to have one! Hehehe...obviously she was impressed by them because she actually took this picture! ;)

As soon as I saw them they reminded me of a pair of miniature knitting needles! I finally came across the perfect image and sentiment to go with them! And yes...I really did knit a few stitches with them, which was not easy!

This would be the perfect card for another close-knit friend who's into knitting now! I miss seeing her lately, we have both been so busy! Time for a get-together!

Hope to see you at the party! Here are all the details:

When: Today, Tuesday, November 29
Where: StampTV Release Party Forum
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. CST

Head on over to Donna's to see what she's sharing today...I'll see you back here tomorrow for the beginning of our three day Inspiration Blog Hop series for November!

CPS 246

2011-11-29T07:00:00.002-05:00

I taught two Copic classes yesterday at The Enchanted Scrapbook, and in between classes (a Surfing Santa card) I stamped a card for this week's CPS sketch using an absolutely adorable Stamping Bella image, Big Girl Pants. Some of the students for the evening class arrived early while I was still coloring, and they probably thought I had really lost it because I was practically squealing over this darling stamp! She is SOOOOO cute! Making this card was a whole lot of fun!

Notes:

Stamping Bella (Mo Manning Big Girl Pants)

Bazill card stock

Memento ink

Copic markers

Basic Grey Picadilly designer paper

Little Yellow Bicycle crepe paper lace stickers

Jenni Bowlin buttons

May Arts ribbon, twine

Building the Snowman!

2011-11-28T09:14:00.000-05:00

Here are a few cute GRS Stick Chicks Building the Snowman! Their holiday outfits have glittered ruffles and cuffs, and there's a dusting of Polar White Flower Soft on the ground. Love these bright, fun, traditional holiday colors and the way a splash of black makes 'em pop!

Notes:
GRS Stick Chicks Building the Snowman
Teresa Collins Christmas at Home designer paper

MS snowflake punches
Polar White Flower Soft
stitched grosgrain ribbon
button
ivory jute string

Black Tie Affair

2011-11-25T10:45:00.001-05:00

I still have lots of Christmas cards to make because it is difficult for me to "skip" holidays, but for today's GRS Diner's Club preview I couldn't resist fast-forwarding to New Year's Eve! My first idea with this wonderful sentiment was to use some music paper...the ones I have are gorgeous (and are, in fact, from the same 6 x 6 pad) but more vintage-styled, and I wanted this to be a black-and-bright-white, tuxedo inspired kind of card. I love that clean, simple, classic elegance!

Want a free stamp?! The first 50 orders today are receiving a free stamp with their order. All stamps are 25% off (excluding Diner's Club sets.) Happy shopping!

Visit the GRS blog to see the rest of the images in this great new set, appropriately named "Let's Celebrate!" You'll also want to visit our designers' blogs to see what they have made with it!

Enjoy your weekend!

Notes:
Gourmet Rubber Stamps "Let's Celebrate"
MME Lost and Found Sunshine designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Spellbinders tag die
Creative Impressions crinkle ribbon
silver cording
Kaiser Craft bling
Quickie glue pen
glitter

ihp sale!

2011-11-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but let the Black Friday frenzy begin! i {heart} papers is having a great sale! Here are the details:

valid Wednesday 11/23-Sunday 11/27.
25% off EVERYTHING storewide (in stock items only, not valid on gift certificates) using code black25dt for orders totaling a minimum of $35
10% gift certificate bonus. IHP will add an additional 10% of the value of the gift certificate during this sale. (25% discount does not apply to gift certificates.)

Enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday! Celebrate your blessings! I hope you are able to spend some extra time with your family and friends!

CPS 245

2011-11-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hello friends! It's been a while! I didn't really plan to take a blog break, but sometimes life just gets in the way of creativity. I'm hoping that I can jump back in without hesitation because there are lots of fun things coming up in the next few weeks!

This week's CPS sketch is sponsored by Clearsnap. Visit the CPS blog to see the great cards made by my design team mates!

Notes:

Clearsnap rollagraph, rollers, and ink

Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
Tim Holtz worn lipstick distress ink
Jillibean twine
SU heart punch
Kaiser Craft pearls

Winter Blues!

2011-11-16T08:26:00.000-05:00

This week's Flower Soft challenge is "Winter Blues!" Perfect timing to use this adorable Moments in Time Little Friends Christmas card topper, which is being retired! Thankfully, it is available as a stamp also, which is not on the retirement list! If you haven't made your Christmas cards yet and want a fast and easy way to make multiples, you should snatch these pre-colored card toppers right up!

I trimmed this topper down to fit a standard A2 card, then cut a notch in it with a circle die, and scored 1/4 inch in from the straight edges. That gave a little room for the beautiful blue to peek from underneath a glittery snowflake and gingham bow embellishment. Easy peasy and super cute!

Notes:
Moments in Time Little Friends Christmas card topper
Nestabilities classic circle die
Polar White Flower Soft
PVA glue
gingham ribbon
MS snowflake punch
glitter
blue button

Visit the Flower Soft blog for links to the challenge designs by the rest of the team!

GRS Design Team Challenge

2011-11-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

Our Gourmet Rubber Stamps team was given an inspirational color challenge! Just look at this beautiful Fall image! I was drawn to the soft turquoise blue hues and the speckling of the leaves.

I started with kraft card stock spritzed with Tsukineko's Summer Sky Fireworks, then added two prints from Authentique's Gathering designer paper. The Big Thank You sentiment was stamped on a tag cut from the flip side of the dotted print. I colored and shaded the letters with Copic markers, keeping the colors soft. To embellish, I added a layered bow of satin, twine, flowers and jeweled pins, along with matching pearls and swirls. The pearly Fireworks makes it so pretty IRL, very hard to catch in a photo!

This layout was inspired by CAS Fall-to-Layout #166.

Be sure to visit the GRS blog! There are peeks there, and links too, of all of my design team mates' challenge creations. Now's a great time to shop...it's Black November! Everything (except Diner’s Club stamps sets) is marked down 25%!

Notes:
Lizzie Anne's Big Thank You from Gourmet Rubber Stamps
Authentique's Gathering designer paper

Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink

Tsukineko Summer Sky Fireworks

Zva small taupe pearl flourish

Kaiser Craft pearls

two-tone satin ribbon

natural twine thread

Kaiser Craft flower

antique stick pins

ihp Design Team Challenge!

2011-11-15T06:00:00.002-05:00

It's time for this month's i {heart} papers design team challenge. With the close of 2011 in sight and a brand new year on the horizon, we're spotlighting some cute calendar stickers provided by SRM Press.

I recently started teaching coloring classes, and for the past several months I've been stashing receipts wherever they happen to land. The need to be more organized inspired this project, which will also provide safe-keeping for seasonal class ideas, marker color choices, etc. Isn't it more fun when the ho-hum everyday things can become more colorful and sparkly?!

I will be adding an envelope to the ring for each month of the year and hanging the ring in a prominent spot so that it is easily accessible, probably on the handle of one of my Copic crates! I'll be able to see at a glance when my classes are scheduled and how long I have before the prep-work needs to be finalized. Receipts for supplies will go straight into the appropriate envelope instead of getting lost amongst the rest of the paper scraps in my studio!

The closure that I used is a ready-made twist closure that I purchased from Michael's...it barely lasted long enough to take this photo, so from now on I'll be using some circle dies, eyelets or brads, and cute twine to make my own!

Notes:
Paper Smooches Swanky Snowdudes
Memento ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
October Afternoon Holiday Style designer paper
Stickles
Inkssentials white opaque pen
White twinkle ribbon
Kaiser Craft rhinestones
white coin envelopes
twist closures
hinged metal ring

Visit the blogs of my design team mates to see how they've used SRM calendar stickers in their projects!

Come to My Pad!

2011-11-15T05:45:00.005-05:00

This week's CPS sketch is sponsored by The {Stamps} of Life! This layout was just perfect for our new club set, froggy2love. Since the frogs make music every night near our house, I included a bit of music score behind him, although I suppose a meal buzzing overhead would be music to his ears! ;)

Notes:
froggy2love, sayings4froggy
Stephanie Barnard for Clearsnap inks

Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink

Copic markers
BoBunny dots background paper
October Afternoon Sidewalks designer paper
May Arts ribbon
black brads

Mini-VSN!

2011-11-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

I had a fun Veteran's Day weekend stamping a few cards for mini-VSN between Friday and Sunday performances with the Orange Park Chorale! What a privilege it has been to sing with such a talented group! I am learning so much, and have met some amazing new friends!

The first VSN card I'm sharing today is for Lisa's challenge, Warm and Cozy and All Bundled Up! We were to make a card or project with an image of a something you'd bundle up with....scarf, hats, mittens, sweater, blanket, etc.....AND to make it warm and cozy by incorporating felt into the project. I chose this sweet snowgal who is holding a fuzzy warm muff. (I had a one just like it but mine was white!) This is the first time this darling OCL single has seen ink!

The card's warm colors were inspired by some old DCWV "flannel plaid" designer paper which I (machine) blanket-stitched to some textured Bazill card stock. The sentiment was stamped in white craft ink on kraft card stock which was "warmed" with some tea-dye distress ink. I added a few strokes of black multiliner to add contrast and definition to the letters.

It was kinda fun to pull out and love some old stuff that has been sitting sadly neglected for a while!

Notes:

Our Craft Lounge's Mrs. Frosty

Bazill textured card stock

Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink

white craft ink

Wine Buffs papercrafting kit

Kaiser Craft lace

Sugar Sparkly Fluff

Creative Impressions felt flowers

Graphic 45 metal flower

MS snowflake punch

Creative Imaginations jewel

My second card is for Kelly's challenge, to create a card representing a favorite holiday song. I must admit that it would be virtually impossible for me to choose a single favorite! I absolutely LOVE to sing, especially during the Christmas season, and this cute caroler captures the joy that music brings!

Kelly requested that we use at least two layers and two embellishments. The caroler was stamped on a scrap of Copic blending paper and again on Basic Grey designer paper. I cut around the image and glued it directly to the designer paper, adding sparkly fluff to the hat, scarf, and pant cuffs for dimension, texture, and sparkle! After stitching around the edges and attaching the sentiment with twine, that layer was adhered to the card base with dimensional adhesive dots.

Notes:
Gina K Designs Kraft card stock
Our Craft Lounge Sing with Joy!
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink
Copic markers
Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses designer paper
Spellbinders ribbon tag trio
Appletini and Daquiri Ice Sparkly Fluff
The Twinery twine
buttons from the stash

There's still time to play a few challenges for this weekend's Virtual Stamp Night on SCS! The deadline to upload is tonight at 10:00 EST.

Mark your calendar for the main event, Winter Wonderland VSN on Friday, December 9th and Saturday, December 10th!

Water Lilies

2011-11-13T07:32:00.000-05:00

Sundays are a day to rest and refocus, so I thought it appropriate to post this card, made with a lovely water lily from this month's TSOL club set, froggy2love. The set is filled with cute images and funny sayings, but this particular image can be made into a quite elegant card! I love it when you can work a set that way! You can get lots more inspiration from the TSOL gallery, and since TSOL is sponsoring this week's CPS sketch, you can check out the cards there too! Mine will be posted on Tuesday, as usual!

Lots of "white space" and the soft colors of this card create a tranquil, peaceful atmosphere that would be perfect for a variety of occasions. I often delay choosing a sentiment to stamp until the occasion arises...such is the case with this card. It would've made a nice get well or thinking of you card, but I will be sending it as a sympathy card. My friend recently lost her mother, who lived in a pretty house on a peaceful pond, so she'll appreciate this lovely lily!

Notes:
TSOL froggy2love
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Basic Grey Sweet Threads designer paper
Neon Yellow Ultrafine Flower Soft
PVA glue
Kaiser Craft pearls

Virtual Stamp Night!

2011-11-12T13:37:00.002-05:00

Did you "attend" Virtual Stamp Night on SCS last night? I thought I would be able to visit the VSN forum early, then sing in the first of two Orange Park Chorale concerts this weekend, then VSN some more after our performance, but things didn't turn out as planned! Thankfully, Plan B was all good too!

The card I'm sharing today is for Carole's challenge, It's a Marshmallow World! She asked us to make an all white card with something sparkly...only the image itself could be colorful. I made a Christmas snow globe with lots of shine, sparkle, texture and dimension. Flower Soft's colorfully printed paper-crafting kit and ready-to-assemble aperture cards make it fast and easy!

Notes:
Christmas Snow Globe papercrafting kit
Oval Aperture cards and envelopes
Display globe
Nestabilities classic ovals
Silver peel-off stickers
Polar White Flower Soft
Clear self-adhesive rhinestones
dimensional adhesive dots
Sheer twinkle ribbon

Cuttlebug embossing folders (dots, snowflake strip)

additional white card stock

EK border punch

Fairy Tales!

2011-11-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

This week, the Our Craft Lounge challenge is to be inspired by a fairy tale. I chose Puff, the Magic Dragon. I have always loved that song, although (still, to this day!) it makes me cry every single time I hear it!

Because of the lyrics of the song, I made sure to include some string on my card, and would've also included some sealing wax if I would've had any! I remember seeing some at CHA!

Visit the OCL blog to find inspiration and to add a link to your card if you play along! If you upload to an online gallery, use keyword OCL91.

I would like to say a belated Happy Birthday, USMC, and to say thank you to all of the veterans (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and National Guard, active duty, and retired) and their loved ones! Being in the military or being the family of someone in the military requires a tremendous amount of sacrifice! We are ever so grateful that you made the choice to defend us and our great nation, especially in light the time that you were required to spend away from your loved ones in order to do so. I hope you feel appreciated and special on this Veteran's Day! It is not just another holiday!

Notes:
OCL's Drake the Dragon
Breeze (Lost and Found) MME designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
Copic spica pen
want2scrap bling
natural twine "string" thread

The Twinery + TSOL!

2011-11-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Are you ready for some fun?

The {Stamps} of Life and The Twinery Design Teams are playing together for this hop! You should have arrived from my friend, Julie Ranae's. If not, be sure the visit The Twinery Blog to start at the top of the hop!

About The Twinery:

Our twine is made from 100% cotton, it’s eco-friendly and made in the USA. Whether you’re gift wrapping, crafting or tying up baked goods to give to a friend, our baker’s twine adds a fresh, yet nostalgic look to any project at hand! Our baker’s twine comes in 14 delicious colors and is uniquely twisted against a bright white hue, creating an eye-popping burst of color and a creative embellishment! Our twine has lots of color which lends to a fun, candy-striped look. For creative ideas & more…visit OUR BLOG!

About The {Stamps} of Life:

We feature high quality, made in the USA, clear stamps and digital stamps/brushes for stampers, card makers and scrapbookers. Feel free to browse our gallery with more than 2500 samples using our stamps, watch our free how-to videos and join our club!

As you make your way through the hop make sure you comment on each and every post. There will be two prize winners chosen randomly among the blogs:

One winner will win TWO stamp sets (winner's choice) valued at $12.95 (total retail value $26.90) from The {Stamps} of Life
One winner will win the Ultimate Color Sampler Pack ($25 value!) from The Twinery!!!

The prize winners will be announced on The {Stamps}of Life and The Twinery blogs on Wednesday November 16th.

Today's card attempts to capture the magic of the Christmas season, although it would be just as appropriate for any snowy winter day! It features a pair of traditional bright Christmas green mittens hanging from a jingle-bell-embellished twine bow. The mittens, from TSOL's Christmas2build, are colored with Copic markers, then adorned with a jeweled snowflake and Stickled sparkly cuffs. A light sponging of the The Twinery's peapod twine with tea dye distress ink helps its bright white match the creamier ivory tones of the designer paper, a scrap of Cosmo Cricket's Jolly by Golly that was some of my favorite from last year. The sentiment, from minis4circles, is stamped on one of several Spellbinder's snowflakes which were frosted with Stickles in two colors (frosted lace and eucalyptus).

From here, you're visiting Monique Hansen. Can't wait to see what she's got to share with us!

CPS 243

2011-11-08T09:21:00.002-05:00

This week's CPS sketch is sponsored by Want2Scrap! It's a fun, layered sketch. Hope you'll play along!

Notes:
black rhinestone Nestabling by Want2Scrap
Christmas2build, spiros2stamp from The {Stamps} of Life
Stephanie Barnard for Colorbox ink, Tim Holtz distress ink
Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circles
Martha Stewart snowflake, EK corner rounder
Creative Imaginations jewel
May Arts ribbon

Happy Birthday, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

2011-11-07T08:00:00.021-05:00

Hello and welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Birthday Blog Hop! Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is so excited to be celebrating four wonderful years!

If you have been following along already you should have come from Katlyn's. If this is your first stop, please head back to the SNSS blog and start from the beginning. You won't want to miss any stops along the way! Also, don't forget to comment on as many stops as you can....the more comments the better your chance of winning one of the fabulous prize packs! :)

SNSS was one of my very first design teams, and it holds a very special place in my heart! The friendships and faith of that group were strong and powerful then...while we don't necessarily chat on such a frequent basis, those ties hold firm, and we know where to go when we need prayer and encouragement! I cherish my SNSS friends!

A fantastic group of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps design team members past and present, along with some special friends, have put together this fabulous Birthday Blog Hop to kick off a whole month of fun. We have 36 stops so the hop will take place over three days - feel free to take your time visiting each blog! You have until 11:59 pm EST November 9th to leave comments on as many blogs as you can. On Saturday, November 12th Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps will announce FOUR winners (chosen at random from comments on random stops along the hop); each lucky winner will receive a prize pack including stamps, dies, paper and twine valued at $40!

The digital image that graces my card for today was illustrated by my sweet, amazing friend, Dina Kowal. I printed it twice on Copic blending paper, colored it with traditional Christmas reds and greens, and trimmed around the entire image with paper snips on one, and around the leaves only on the second. I printed it a third time on a scrap of Basic Grey Jovial designer paper which was cut and embossed with a nesties rectangle. The embossing provided the perfect guideline for outlining the focal image with a multi-liner, and some warm gray Copics and additional sponging with distress ink brought more depth, adding to the illusion of the warm glow of candlelight.

The flame of the candle was glued to the designer paper with a quickie glue pen; the candle and "brass" holder were popped up on dimensional adhesive dots. The entire piece was given a liberal spray with gold Shimmer spritz. The poinsettia designer paper background for the card front got a lighter dusting of gold as well. The simple yet elegant card was finished with a few dark red rhinestones, and an iridescent gold organza bow. The holly leaves were gently curled and adhered to the bow with a glue dot.

Your next stop on the hop is Stephanie's, but just in case there are any hiccups, here is the whole list of celebrants on this party train. Don't panic! Remember, you've got several days to make it through!

Distressed and Stressed!

2011-11-04T10:17:00.000-04:00

This week's OCL challenge is distressed and stressed. I love that distressing cards de-stresses my body and spirit! That is one of the things I love about stamping!

It's been a while since I made one of these little triangle tri-fold cards. I thought that this double-sided paper would go well with this Vintage Wine image...reminds me of the nice little Italian restaurant we like to visit when we go to the Symphony, which we particularly enjoy during the holiday season. JSO Holiday Pops and The Nutcracker are part of our family's holiday celebration ritual. This year we want to see Wicked when it returns in January. We were out of town when it was here before, and we were hugely disappointed to miss it!

I'm going to be making music with the Orange Park Chorale a week from tonight, and again on Sunday, November 13th. Can't tell you how excited I am to be part of this talented group! If you're a local in the greater Jacksonville area, I hope you'll come out and support our efforts!

If you're a stamper playing along with this week's challenge, be sure to link your creation to the OCL blog, and upload to your gallery with the keyword OCL90.

Notes:
OCL Vintage Wine
Teresa Collins NOEL designer paper
Scor-buddy
Memento ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
sheer organza ribbon
Kaiser Craft rose
MS pine bough punch

Turkey Talk!

2011-11-02T09:04:00.000-04:00

Here's a CAS card for this week's Flower Soft challenge, Let's Talk Turkey (or any other animal you choose)! This Impression Obsession turkey was stamped with Memento ink and colored with Copic markers. There's just a touch of glitter on his body, and his feathers are embellished with ultrafine Flower Soft.

We would love for you to play along. This week's challenge winner will be chosen to win The Winebuffs Papercraft Kit! (Scroll down to see the pocket card I made using the kit and a Wine Buffs stamp). You have until midnight on the 9th to complete your creation. Please leave a comment on the Flower Soft blog with a link to your card so that you can be considered! Be sure and upload your creation to Splitcoaststampers using keyword FSC39.

Visit my Flower Soft design team mates for lots of inspiration! You can find their links on the Flower Soft blog or on the sidebar to the right.

CPS 242

2011-11-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

Here's this week's CPS sketch, sponsored by Flower Soft. I used a Flower Soft Wine Buffs stamp set, along with designer paper from the Wine Buffs papercrafting kit to create a pocket card. The new ultrafine white was just perfect for his white hair! I used a white gel pen to whiten his brows to match.

Notes:

Wine Buffs stamp set

Memento ink

Copic markers, Copic multiliner

Ultrafine white

white gel pen

satin ribbon (Michael's)

spiral clip (SU!)

Trick or Treat with GRS!

2011-10-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween! I hope you're having a great Halloween weekend! My son, Matthew, went to two parties on Saturday night and had a blast! I will miss tonight's festivities...I have music practice that I can't afford to miss. As much as I love to sing, I'll be sad to miss seeing all the little ghouls and goblins who will come trick-or-treating. If I hadn't missed last week, and if our performance were not just around the corner, I would skip and stay home!

How would you like to do a little early trick-or-treating of your own? Comment on this post between October 31st and November 2nd to be eligible to win a Gourmet Rubber Stamps holiday treat! Be sure to comment on each of our designers' posts as well, because each blog has a separate prize! Winners will be announced on the GRS blog on Thursday.

This fun Hallow's Eve stick chick card embodies all I love about Halloween...bright colors, cute-but-not-too-scary images, and some sparkly embellishments! I started out with a rectangle of Copic blending paper, stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then colored her with Copic markers. After coloring the background with pale yellows and yellow-oranges, I sponged in some billowy gray-black clouds using a scalloped circle mask and soot distress ink, then finished with a spritz of orange Smooch.

All of the edges of the card stock and designer paper were sponged with soot distress ink. I added a sparkly bat, and a quilled flower layered with glimmer ribbon, an orange button, a sparkly bone, and twine.

GRS Blog
"Anne"
Jeni Allen
Joslyn Nielson
Joy Stagg
Kelli Palmer
Kendra Wietstock
"Lizzie"
Pam Hornschu
Rose Ann Reynolds
Taylor Usry

CSS Blog Hop!

2011-10-28T22:00:00.005-04:00

The Gina K CenterStage Spotlight Alumni are hosting a great hop with a sketch by our own Melissa Cash!

If you arrived from Joy's, you're on the right track! If not, head to the StampTV forum to start at the beginning!

My card uses Theresa's set, Strength and Hope, which has beautiful quotes and this gorgeous Awareness butterfly, which raises awareness for all kinds of illnesses depending on the color you choose for the ribbon!

I colored mine with Copic markers, using the feathering technique to color the wings with a gradient ranging from blue to green. Afterwards, I coated the entire piece with a quickie glue pen and some glitter for lots of sparkle!

Notes:

Basic Grey Sweet Threads designer paper
Strength and Hope

Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink

Copic markers

sheer organza ribbon

paper roses

jute thread

bling

From here, you're visiting Cheri! Can't wait to see what she's created for us!

Enjoy the hop!

Holiday Cruiser!

2011-10-26T09:00:00.002-04:00

Here's a card made for Copic marker classes that I taught on Monday at The Enchanted Scrapbook. It features Our Craft Lounge's Holiday Cruiser, a very versatile stamp for this time of year! We had so much fun! I think the girls really enjoyed it, and we're looking forward to next month's class!

Gina K Designs Inspiration Day 3!

2011-10-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

Hello again and welcome back for the third day of inspiration from Gina K Designs! Today we're sharing projects made with Tami's set, You Go Girl!, and with the one free with three, Pleasant Plurals.

My first card was inspired by yesterday's Clean and Simple sketch at Splitcoaststampers. I added a layer just because I love the look of pink and black together and really wanted to make it pop! This is a fun image to color, and the soft sponging of the background gives it a warm glow.

My second card is for Jeanne's HYCCT challenge, to make a birthday card. There's a lot goin' on here with a pretty print, lots of bling and a gorgeous blossom.

Notes:
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
Basic Grey Out of Print designer paper
You Go Girl
Pleasant Plurals
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Tim Holtz worn lipstick distress ink
Copic markers
bling

I hope you've been inspired by our three days of projects! Here are the designers participating in today's hop:

GRS Diners' Club

2011-10-25T08:50:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple of cards with stamps from "Season's Greetings," the new Diners' Club set from Gourmet Rubber Stamps! Can I just say again how happy I am that the adorable art of Tricia "Lizzie" and Meridith "Anne" is still around?! xoxoxo

I just LOVE how you can keep things clean and simple, or you can dress them up in tulle and glitter, but either way, they're sweet! Just makes me happy!

CPS Sketch 241

2011-10-25T08:45:00.003-04:00

I had SO much fun with this week's CPS sketch! It was one of those rare times when the card practically made itself! I absolutely adore this darling stamp and these colors and papers! Together, they make another great "girlfriend" card! I'll be sending this one to MDAnderson too.

Notes:

My Favorite Things Miss You a Latte stamp set, die-namic

Gina K Pure Luxury card stock

Spellbinders classic circles

Memento ink

Copic markers

My Mind's Eye designer paper, button, and twine

Creative Impressions ribbon

Gina K Designs Inspiration Day 2!

2011-10-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome back for our second day of Gina K Designs Inspiration! I hope you had a great weekend!

Today, our GKD team is showcasing the new StampTV kit, Wishing You Joy! This is such a fun kit, filled with fabulous images and beautiful papers!

You might've seen my little snowman side-spring card at the release party! This fold is a little challenging, but with Beate's video tutorial, you can do it!

Notes:
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
Wishing You Joy StampTV kit
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
Nestabilities classic squares, classic circles small and large
pink rhinestones

I found this paper on a shopping excursion recently...it went so perfectly with this naughty or nice stamp that I couldn't resist purchasing it for a super-simple, quickie project, Santa's list and accompanying card! I had the junior legal pads cut at Staples ages ago, and they've been in my stash just waiting for an opportunity ike this! ;) I used liquid applique on his beard, and glitter on his hat. So FUN!

Notes:

Wishing You Joy StampTV kit

Copic markers
Nestabilities long rectangle
Stitched grosgrain ribbon
Button
Twine

Here are the designers participating in today's hop!

OCL Breast Cancer Awareness Blog Hop!

2011-10-24T03:00:00.005-04:00

Today Our Craft Lounge's designers are having a blog hop in honor of those battling breast cancer! We want you all to know that our thoughts and prayers are with you! Our hop celebrates the courage and strength that it takes to Fight Like a Girl!

With two older brothers who were very excited, at least in the beginning, to have a baby sister, I've always been a girlie girl who has loved the color pink and girlie, frilly things! Although breast cancer can affect men too, it is a diagnosis that women receive much more often, so it is only appropriate that the color pink be associated with October and Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The card I'm sharing today is definitely over-the-top pink and frilly! It was made mostly from scraps left over from projects that were scattered across my workspace at the time, including some of my favorites like pink tulle, notebook print and music paper from Echo Park's Be Mine!

This image, from Our Craft Lounge's set, You Make Me Happy, is a beautiful illustration of the plant echinacea purpurea, more commonly known as purple coneflower. For some reason, I find the daisy-like appearance of this pretty purple-pink flower absolutely enchanting! I love the glow of its orange-green crown and the way the petals seem to bow to the sun! Echinacea is said to boost the immune system, and maybe even to lessen depression, so this set is aptly named, and also totally appropriate for this particular occasion! Hopefully, receiving a pretty pink card like this one would bring sunshine and hope to the one who receives it!

How would you like to get some great OCL products to show your support? How about a Granny's Support Team stamp set and two jars of Sparkly Fluff ~ in shades of PINK!!!! Be sure to leave comments along the way today...we will pick a winner tomorrow morning.

It's not too late to participate in the Hope You Can Cling To challenges over at Splitcoaststampers! The people of M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston would be thrilled to receive the cards you create!

Here is the list of designers who are participating in today's hop! Remember to comment to win! :)

Notes:

Our Craft Lounge You Make Me Happy

Echo Park Be Mine

Copic blending paper

Copic pink Spica glitter pen

Kaiser Craft pearls

Flower Soft Blog Hop!

2011-10-22T09:00:00.007-04:00

At CHA this summer, Flower Soft added some gorgeous new jewel-toned metallics to their diamond range! Their very names suggest opulence and elegance: amethyst, emerald, and ruby! To go along with them there is also a newer, finer texture of gold, and silver! Gorgeous!

I know that Christmas is coming soon, but (being from Louisiana) when I saw the new green, gold, and purple together my first thought was Mardi Gras! Lisa and Jeanne are probably not surprised at all to find that I made a Mardi Gras card for today's "All That Glitters" challenge!

I couldn't resist pairing a hat from Skipping Stone Design with a French sentiment from Flourishes which says "Let the Good Times Roll!" The hat band includes the three traditional Mardi Gras colors of amethyst, emerald, and gold, with a rhinestone flourish for even more sparkle.

Of course, to honor my Louisiana heritage, I wanted to include some fleur de lis, too! They're cut from some beautiful gold vellum and accented with even more bling. The fancy tag 3's scrolling curves look lovely against the dark green of the card stock underneath. Flower Soft's peel off gold stickers add shine and elegance to the long edges, accenting the horizontal lines.

You're headed to Cibele's next! Enjoy the hop! Be sure to comment on the Flower Soft blog and on the blogs of each of our designers to have the best chance at winning some gorgeous metallics of your own!

Gina K Designs Inspiration Hop!

2011-10-21T09:00:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Day 1 of Gina K Designs' three days of Inspiration Hops! Today we're sharing projects made with two newly released sets: Strength and Hope by Theresa Momber, and Basket Additions by Melanie Muenchinger.

My first card features a gorgeous image and wonderful sentiment from Theresa's Strength and Hope. This beautiful pink ribbon topped with lilies is so elegant, and I absolutely love this sentiment.

In the close-up photo, all the sparkle, texture, and dimension of the paper tole is more visible. There are two layers of lilies atop the ribbon. This card is my entry for Emily's PINK release party challenge, and it also qualifies for the HYCCT challenge I hosted on SCS on Wednesday, although I will probably enter it in Jessica's pink ribbon HYCCT challenge instead! I'll be including it in the package of cards I send to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Theresa will be donating all of the proceeds from the first month of sales of her set, Strength and Hope, to cancer research.

Notes:

Gina K Pure Luxury Card Stock

Theresa's Strength and Hope

Copic markers, Spica glitter pens

Cuttlebug and textile embossing folder
Self-adhesive pearls

pink lace

Here's a picnic basket filled to the rim with delicious things! Melanie's set, Basket Additions, also includes images for the crafter in addition to fillers perfect for Fall, Christmas, and even Valentine's Day! This is such a versatile set, extending the mileage of Melanie's previous interchangeable basket sets. LOVE that! This card follows Theresa's release party sketch challenge! Hope you'll play along!

Notes:
Gina K Pure Luxury Card Stock
Melanie's Basket Additions and Holiday Basket
"For You" sentiment from Pleasant Plurals
Falling For You patterned paper
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Classic square nestabilities
Copic markers
scallop edge punch
button
jute thread

Here is the list of designers who are sharing their projects today. I hope to see you back again for Day 2 on Monday! In the meantime, have a great weekend! Stay inky!

Gina K
Melanie Muenchinger illustrator Basket Additions
Theresa Momber illustrator Strength and Hope
AJ Otto
Michelle Woerner
Sharon Harnist
Suzanne Dean
Tina Gilliland
Vicki Dutcher
Carolina Buchting
Cathy Tidwell
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Giovana Smith
Janice Whiting
Jimmi Mayo
Lee Murphy

You're Invited!

2011-10-20T09:00:00.003-04:00

We are very excited to extend an invitation to tonight's Gina K. Designs October Release Party. We have a fun evening planned for you - chatting, prizes, challenges, stamp sets reveal, design team shares, and most importantly, at the end of the party you will be able to go shopping!

If you came from Cat's blog, you're at the right place. If not make sure to head over to StampTV where you will find a list of all those participating in today's hop.

Here's a tiny peek at one of the cards I will be sharing at the party.

Hope to see you there! Here are all the details:
When: Today, Thursday, October 20
Where: StampTV Release Party Forum
Time: 7 PM to 9 PM (CST)

Head on over to Donna's to see what she's sharing with you today! I will see you back here tomorrow for the beginning of our three day Inspiration Blog Hop series for October!

Squish 'Em!

2011-10-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

I am delighted to be hosting today's Hope You Can Cling To challenge at Splitcoaststampers. I have had many friends who've been affected by breast cancer, so I'm happy to participate in this great support effort! As a young physical therapy intern, I actually worked at MDAnderson, so that makes this project even more special to me!

Whether it's a squeeze in the form of a preventive mammogram, the squeeze of a compression garment to minimize the swelling after a surgery requiring removal of some lymph nodes, or the loving {{hug}} of a supportive friend, a squeeze can be a good thing!

My challenge is for you to give some paper a squeeze! Dry emboss an element of your card! I dry embossed and die cut several elements of my card.

Notes:

Our Craft Lounge Granny's Support Team

Copic markers, Copic Spica glitter pen

pink water-based marker (for coloring the sentiment "direct-to-rubber")

Cuttlebug Swiss Dots

May Arts satin ribbon

Tim Holtz Lavish trim

Fancy Tags 3

Black rhinestones

Please join me and play along!

Eeeeek!

2011-10-19T07:38:00.000-04:00

I found a cute dangly wooden spider at Michael's (ha! this is one of those rare occasions when the words "cute" and "spider" actually do belong in the same sentence together!) and thought it would be absolutely perfect for today's Flower Soft color challenge: orange and black!

Before fuzzifying my cute spider with ultrafine Flower Soft, I removed the hanging cord and painted the wooden shapes with matching acrylic paint front and back...the edges of the wood were sort of burnished, so I left them natural, which saved a little time! Once the paint was dry, I opened a bottle of Flower Soft glue and used an old brush to stroke it onto the front of one section at a time, making sure to let the Burnt Sienna thoroughly dry before moving on to the Black. To finish, I replaced the original jute and bead hanger with a cute plaid Halloween ribbon.

I took these photos outside for the natural light, but since this is not weatherproof, my project will actually be displayed indoors...I opted to leave the back side un-fuzzified for easier storage, especially since it will be hanging from a peg against the wall.

Ultrafine Flower Soft certainly boosted the creepy factor and made this Halloween spider a whole lot more fun!

Visit the Flower Soft blog to see what my design team mates have created for this orange and black challenge. My post may be a little earlier than theirs since I'm EST!

i {heart} papers Design Team challenge!

2011-10-18T06:00:00.007-04:00

It's design team challenge day for our i {heart} papers team, and this month we are doing a product focus on Tsukineko's Fireworks! Thank you, Tsukineko (specifically, Mr. Petersen!), for working with me to arrange todays challenge, and for providing our team with Fireworks to play with! We are so grateful for your generosity!

Here's what Tsukineko says about Fireworks, one of several new Tsukineko products released at CHA Summer 2011.

Creates colorful, sparkly, shimmery effects on both light and dark papers
Available in 24 colors, all complimentary to Memento colors
Easy to use, quick-drying on most paper surfaces
Water-based, acid-free and non-toxic
0.5 fluid ounce spray bottle

I love using Memento inks and coloring with Copic markers, so I chose one of Marianne Walker's newest images, Katie's mermaid, to do a test run with Angel Pink and Summer Sky blue Fireworks. I printed the digital image onto Copic blending paper, then colored her with Copic markers...if you recently participated in the Swimming for Katie three day blog hop, you might think these colors look familiar! I studied cards by Marianne and Debbie Olson and shamelessly CASED their beautiful coloring while trying to add a little twist of my own!

I printed a second mermaid on regular copy paper so that I could make a mask to cover her torso, arms, and face...then I sprayed some of each of the two colors of Fireworks onto her hair and mer-tail. I removed the mask and gave another faint spritz of blue to her body. Once the ink was dry (almost immediately!) I carefully fussy-cut around the edges of the image, then added some sparkly Stickles to her fin, clamshell top (Eucalyptus), and hair (Crystal), and set her aside to dry (which took a whole lot longer than the Fireworks)!

On another rectangle of Copic blending paper, I used Memento ink to stamp a scenic background using Our Craft Lounge's set, Oceans of Fun. Since Marianne also illustrated this set, the mermaid image looks right at home in this underwater setting! After coloring it with my Copics, I sprayed the entire scene with both colors of Fireworks, misting more heavily with the blue to add to the underwater illusion. I mounted the scene on some brightly colored card stock, and of course, since every mer-girl has her pearls, they were the perfect embellishment to frame the scene without obstructing the view.

I was glad that I gave the Fireworks a test squeeze before spraying my carefully colored image (a smart thing to do with any type of spray product!) I found that the different colors of ink behaved a bit differently. The pink came out in a fine mist, the blue a little more heavily. I was able to adjust the direction and distance of the spray to achieve the look I wanted. Since it was a bright, beautiful Florida afternoon and I was doing my spraying out on the front lawn, it was quite enjoyable!

I really love how shimmery this project turned out...the Fireworks inks were just perfect for this particular project! It is much more lovely in real life!

Kate will be giving away some Fireworks to a random commenter ON TODAY’S DESIGN TEAM POSTS, so the more you hop and comment, the more chances you have to win! The winner will be announced on Friday so you have until Thursday at 9 p.m. EST to leave your comments!

Here are the links to my teammates' creations!

One final note: it's not too late to complete Katie's benefit hop for lots of inspiration using stamps, digital images, and digital papers whose profits go entirely to Katie's family! You can hop, shop and/or donate here!

CPS 240

2011-10-18T05:00:00.001-04:00

This week's CPS sketch is a fun layout that screamed Halloween to me! Our sponsor is Clearsnap...ink by Stephanie Barnard for Clearsnap is perfect for getting thorough coverage on solid stamps! I used Tangerine ink to stamp the web from TSOL's web4us, then sponged on Banana, Tangerine, Grape, and Licorice (sounds delicious, huh?!) from center to outer edges, then topped it with the itsy bitsy spider. I outlined portions of the web with Stickles. The smaller "quarter-webs" from spooky2scare frame the top layer, their corners glittering with some sparkly embellishments that I got on my last trip to Michael's.

Visit the CPS blog for more fabulous ideas using this week's sketch!

The Reason!

2011-10-16T07:46:00.000-04:00

I love traditional red and green for Christmas, but sometimes it is fun to use an unexpected color for a totally different look! The soft purple tones of this Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather designer paper are a great alternative!

I kept the layout simple, and let this powerful sentiment speak for itself! A sheer ribbon and jute bow, and a lacy snowflake topped with a paper rose add some elegance. I love the symbolism...purple is the color of royalty, appropriate for the King of kings, the Rose of Sharon!

Notes:
Christmas4Him from the {stamps} of Life
Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather designer paper
Stampin' Up Pale Lavender ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Spellbinders Labels 14
MS snowflake punches
May Arts ribbon
ivory jute thread
paper rose

Card Drive for Kids!

2011-10-14T22:00:00.002-04:00

I am so delighted to be able to take part in tonight's CenterStage Spotlight hop, a special Card Drive for Kids with Spina Bifida!

You should have arrived here from my friend, Cheri's. If you didn't, be sure to visit the StampTV forum to start at the top of the hop!

I made my card for a sweet young girl named Bekah! I had a whole bunch of fun making it really girlie pink! I hope she will love it! I figured most young girls like pink, and clothes, and bling!

Notes:

Gina K Pure Luxury Card Stock

Basic Grey Sweet Threads designer paper

Rupa's Warm and Wonderful

Tim Holtz Worn Lipstick distress ink

Nestabilities classic rectangles, large and small

crepe ribbon

jute thread

tulle

pearls

button

snowflake punches

rhinestones

You can participate in the card drive too! Here are the details:
Create a fun, uplifting card or cards for one or all the kids listed below (you can click on their names to read more about each of them). The card can be anything cheery, encouraging, supportive, etc. Please DO NOT send sorry, get well or anything like that. Remember, we want to cheer them up.

The kids:

Madison: 2 years old
Logan: 2 years old. (turning 3 on October 17th!!)
Tanner: 2 years old (turning 3 on December 25)
Rebekah: 9 years old

All cards need to have a message in it for the child/family. Please also sign your name and where you are from. On the card envelope, write the name of the child. Please, don't seal the envelope, as the parents might want to read the cards before the kids see them.

Mail your card(s) to Giovana along with a piece of paper with your name, address, e-mail address and blog (if you have one). This will help a lot to contact the winner a lot faster!

Giovana Smith
Card Drive for Kids
181 Perry Way
Yakima, WA 98901

Everyone who mails in a card for each of the children will be entered into the drawing to win a grand prize! There are more than $400 worth of prizes! Cards must be received by October 31st to be eligible for the drawing.

From here, you're visiting Giovana. It is Giovana who organized this wonderful event! Be sure to tell her thank you! It's a lot of work to be the coordinator of something like this and she deserves lots of kudos!

Fall Flavor!

2011-10-14T12:10:00.000-04:00

Here's a card for Gourmet Rubber Stamps Recipe #3...this was a simple, fun sketch! I used matte multi-medium to give these Copic-colored caramel apples some gooey goodness, and added a little Flower Soft ultrafine sand "nut garnish" at the bottom of each! Delicious!

Recipe #4 is up today, so take a peek and play along!

Notes:
Diners' Club Set Tart and Spice
Kaiser Craft designer paper
Memento ink
Ranger tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
jute thread
Ranger matte multi-medium
Flower Soft ultrafine sand

Delightful Butterfly

2011-10-13T09:43:00.001-04:00

I was so honored to be invited by my friend, Wendy, to make a sample for her Hope You Can Cling To challenge today on Splitcoaststampers. Those of you who know Wendy know that she loves butterflies! Butterflies are a wonderful symbol of hope and renewal, so they are the perfect choice for a card of encouragement. The butterfly emerges as a fragile beauty, finally free from its chrysalis after a patient, persistent struggle...to emerge from their struggle against illness strong and free is my wish and prayer for those fighting cancer.

Notes:
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
BoBunny Gabrielle designer paper
Dreams (Tami Mayberry for Gina K)
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Tsukineko Fireworks
Ranger tea-dye distress ink and vintage photo distress stain
Spellbinders Labels 14, butterfly
Pink Paislee Mistables, butterfly charm
Creative Impressions crinkle ribbon
BoBunny pearls
PTI ivory jute thread
Prima bling

New TSOL for Christmas!

2011-10-12T08:35:00.001-04:00

There are some wonderful new sets available from the {stamps} of life! My favorite of the four is called Christmas4Him...it includes seven beautiful sentiments about the real Reason for the season!

Memory Box's Mistletoe designer paper made the perfect backdrop for these beloved Christmas verses. I took an ultra clean and simple approach, using only a few embellishments to add impact. A few strategically placed dew drop "berries" and an elegant silk bow bring an air of simple elegance to the first design.

My second card is a window card that allows the verse to peek through from the inside. When the card is closed, it looks as though the sentiment is adhered to the outside of the card, but when opened, a lovely layer of musical score is revealed underneath that supports the music theme of the sentiment. The window is embellished with gold-edged velvet leaves and a gold bow.

Notes:
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Ranger tea-dye distress ink
Memory Box Mistletoe designer paper
Robin's Nest dew drops
silk ribbon

and for my 2nd card
Nestabilities classic squares, labels 16
Memory Box Mistletoe designer paper
Echo Park Be Mine designer paper
Petaloo velvet leaves
Creative Impressions crepe ribbon
Bobunny pearls

Visit the gallery at TSOL to see more cards made with this set and the three others that were just released!

Before you go, whisper a prayer for Katie Renz and her family, and if you haven't already, take the time to read her story and give your support! More information is available here.

Old World Traveler

2011-10-11T06:00:00.006-04:00

This week's CPS sponsor is want2scrap. I really love how their nestabling adds such elegance to a card! The ones made with black rhinestones, in any shape, are my favorites! This particular one coordinates with Spellbinders' Labels 2.

The designer paper in this card reminds me of the tile walls/floors of an old train station! Black and ivory are so elegant together! I paired them with a Gourmet Rubber Stamps stopwatch, inking everything with tea-dye distress ink to give it that vintage, time-worn feel. I can just imagine a Victorian-era traveler pulling his watch from his pocket to check the time!

The days are getting shorter now...working under my Ott light in evening light, this paper seemed to have pale yellow-green undertones, so I grabbed some pale sage ribbon, some Kaiser Craft flowers, and scalloped lace to match. The gold tones of the tea-dye ink helped warm everything up a bit and tie the colors together.

I hope you'll join us for this week's sketch! Check out the CPS blog for more inspiration!

Before you go, I'd like to remind you of Day 2 of the blog hop benefiting Katie Renz and her family! Please take the time to read Katie's story and give your support! More information is available here.

Notes:

Basic Grey Indie Bloom designer paper

Gourmet Rubber Stamps stopwatch

Ranger tea dye distress ink

Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 2

Want2Scrap Nestabling

SU! silk ribbon

May Arts lace

Tim Holtz charms

Kaiser Craft flowers

jute thread

tulle

Swimming for Katie!

2011-10-10T00:00:00.002-04:00

From October 10-12 some of the best stampers are joining together to support and encourage our friend and fellow stamper, Katie Renz, who is currently battling inoperable gastric cancer. This young, beautiful, healthy, vibrant mother of three with her infectious smile was suddenly diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, just before Christmas 2010...a few tummy aches and then stage 4 gastric cancer. Her first post about it was December 23rd. The idea of “Swimming for Katie” came from her September 18th post.

I love this darling octopus! I couldn't resist coloring her a blushing pink and giving her a little sparkly Smooch make-up! The background was colored a soft blue-green, then the ocean was dotted with pale green and pale blue-green to differentiate it from the sky. I wish the photo could've captured the pearly sheen of her crown, make-up and tentacles, but it's been raining here for three days and unfortunately, a photo under the OTT light just doesn't show those little details.

Katie, my prayers are with you and your family! I hope that you will be encouraged to see so many of your friends and colleagues rallying behind you and cheering you on! Love is such a powerful force! May you feel encircled by it like a lifesaver, buoyed by remaining in its midst! Our hearts are with you even though we may be strangers, separated by many miles!

Notes:

Copic blending paper

Octopus digital stamp

Basic Grey Indie Blooms designer paper

Clearsnap Smooch (Shabby pink "tentacles", green apple "crown", frosted aqua "eye-shadow")

Copic multiliner "mascara"

Spellbinders' classic circles

Satin-edged grosgrain ribbon

twine

EK waves border punch

The exclusive stamp that I used, designed by Becky Oehlers, is available in several formats...as a clear stamp, as a digital or a digi with an SVG cut file. 100% of the profits go to Katie's fund to help her and her young family. Her husband, Kevin, and her three young children need our help and support. In addition to the Keep Swimming Octopus, Marianne Walker and True =D Doodle Designs both also donated digis that are for sale. Direct donations are also being accepted. Information central is HERE. This permanent page at i {heart} papers has current information and the full 3 day blog hop listing, as well as links to make a donation.

Here are all the items available for sale.

This adorable octopus is available in three formats:

This lovely mermaid, illlustrated by Marianne Walker, is available as a digital stamp with the accompanying sentiment.

True =D Doodle's darling ribbon fish and digital paper kit is a also digital download!

The following talented designers have posted a project for Katie today. There are two more days of hops, so remember to visit i {heart} papers Tuesday and Wednesday for links to more designers! I hope you will be inspired by them to make a purchase or a donation to support Katie and her family!

Operation Julie's Smile!

2011-10-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

I am so glad that you are joining us on this amazing blog hop for Operation Julie’s Smile. If you came here from my friend, Laura William’s blog, then you are in the right spot. If not, you may want to start from the beginning at the Sweet Stamp Shop’s blog, and take your time! You have ALL WEEKEND to hop with us and win prizes!

In a blog hop with this many participants, the odds are greater that there might be a broken link or two along the way! If that happens, visit the master list at Sweet Stamp Shop Blog! You can pick up where you left off, bridge the gap, and be on your way again!

In fact, you will wanna visit the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog to see the amazing list of prize sponsors! There are over $2500 in prizes donated by some very generous companies!

Prizes will be drawn from the blog comments you leave, so be sure that includes your email or another way to contact you should you be a winner! There will also be prizes drawn from the PayPal Donations list, and there will be a prize drawn for the Blog Hop Hosts! See! When you choose to bless someone, YOU open the door for your own blessing! :)

And NOW for what this is hop is all about! The creative blogging community is coming together this weekend to help one of our friends, Julie Ranae. You may know her as the Design Team Coordinator for many wonderful companies from bakers twine, die cuts, rubber stamps and more. Julie Ranae has had to have some major dental surgeries as a result of medications she took in her childhood. She had planned to have all of her teeth replaced over the next five years, but then she chipped her front teeth about a month ago. :( The dentist said they could not be saved, and recommended that they be removed immediately so that her gums could heal...he recommended removing the rest of her teeth soon too, but for that day, only the front two.

The dentist's office offered to "work out payments" with her to have ALL this dental work done. Her husband, Paul, was with her and that, too, was his understanding, but when Julie Ranae called to make her appointment for the first step of the process, impressions, she was told that the "payments" applied only to the two teeth that were extracted that day. So she found herself in this situation: needing at least $4000 to get started and another $3000 to finish the process…a total of $7000.

Nicole Rixon, the owner of Sweet Stamp Shop put together this benefit after finding out about the situation and before Julie Ranae knew it, it took flight!

Because she is an event organizer by trade, Julie Ranae has taken on the job of organizing all of the blogs in this hop as her way of contributing and "working overtime" toward what she needs, the same as if she were able to work overtime at an outside job to pay for the work to be done.

It is the goal of all of these generous friends & sponsors to help make this situation more do-able for our friend so that she can share a brand new smile with all of us soon.

If you are able to help by making a financial donation, please click the donation button at the top of the sidebar to the right. Any amount is appreciated and ALL DONATIONS will be eligible for prizes from our sponsor pool of over $2500.

Isn't this timid little girl such a darling? I was searching through my (mountains of) stamps, trying to decide what to use for today's hop, when I came across the "turn that frown upside down" sentiment in this set, PI and the Pinwheel! It seemed absolutely perfect, especially along with the adorable notched tag stamp and die with the sentiment, "smile!" I made a fun little pinwheel to dress up the inside too! Julie Ranae, I hope you're smiling all weekend long, and that before long, your smile will be a big beautiful smile you can be proud of! :) xoxoxo

The PI stamp and tag stamp/die are from My Favorite Things. The rest of the supplies that I used for my card are from i {heart} papers. ihp has been celebrating its 3rd birthday all week long (that's a hint for a chance at more prizes, so scroll down!), and I am proud to say that Kate is one of the generous sponsors of this benefit hop for Julie Ranae! i <3 ihp!

Notes:
PI and the Pinwheel
notched tag stamp and die
Echo Park Be Mine designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Copic multi-liner (for pinwheel inside)
Pink herringbone ribbon
Pink bling

I hope you enjoyed visiting my blog, With a Stamp and a Song! Now you're off to visit Jacquie, Javablustamper. Make sure you leave a comment here before you go so that you can have a chance at the amazing prizes up for grabs and if you are able, please make a donation so we can help bring back a new smile for our friend, Julie Ranae!

OCL Winner!

2011-10-06T12:25:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Cassie, commenter #2, who won OCL's Snow Place Like Home set that was up for grabs on my blog over the weekend! Enjoy!

Swirling Leaves!

2011-10-05T12:32:00.001-04:00

It's Flower Soft challenge day, and our theme is Fall Fun! I made a cute scarecrow shaker with some Autumn Flower Soft "leaves" swirling around him!

Notes:
OCL Fall Scarecrow
Crate Paper Farmhouse Designer Paper
Memento ink
Copic markers
Copic blending paper
Flower Soft display globe
Spellbinders oval die
Autumn Flower Soft
Crepe crinkle ribbon
BoBunny buttons
jute twine
EK Success Pumpkin Patch border punch

ihp Birthday Bash Color Challenge!

2011-10-05T06:00:00.002-04:00

It's Day 3 of i {heart} papers' Birthday Bash, and we're issuing a logo color challenge!

Since ihp is turning three, I thought it would be appropriate to make a birthday card that would be suitable for a three year old! This turtle from Our Craft Lounge, sporting a birthday sentiment on his shell, a gift, and a trio of balloons for the party, seemed like the perfect choice! Echo Park's Summer Days paper had the light green/dark green thing goin' on, just like our logo. To accent the layout's wonky lines, I sponged and outlined the paper's edges and tied on buttons of the opposite color where its corners intersected the pink and blue strips along the top and bottom. (I would've sewn it instead, but with my latest sewing mishap I don't trust my machine!)

Visit ihp's design team members' blogs for some inspiration, then create and post your card...you can share it on Facebook, Kate's ihp blog, or your online gallery (keyword ihpbb2011). You have until midnight Saturday to enter.

Notes:

Our Craft Lounge Slow and Steady

Copic blending paper
Spellbinders classic squares

Echo Park designer paper

Inkssentials white opaque pen

White craft ink

Copic Spica glitter pens (sky blue, mint, pink)

twine

buttons

Vintage Wine!

2011-10-04T10:00:00.003-04:00

We're celebrating the third birthday of i {heart} papers, and that's definitely worth a toast! The party is on, full-swing on our FaceBook page, so be sure to pay a visit! You can use code 3bdayDT when you shop!

My card for today has an elegant, old world feel. The dark "bottle" green, the shapes of the focal image panel and the distress inking were all inspired by the wine bottle in the midst of the clusters of grapes and hopefully the entire card looks like a label atop a bottle! For some reason, the fleur de lis border photo'd a more vibrant purple than it is IRL.

Notes:

Our Craft Lounge "single" stamp set Vintage Wine

Echo Park designer paper

Ranger tea-dye distress ink