Fall Foliage!

Here are two companion cards glowing with the colors of Fall!  They're for a Copic coloring class that I will be teaching at Pictures in Time on October 18th.  The Big Girls' Coloring Club meets during the hour before class to discuss all things Copic, to be inspired by each other, and to shop!  The class stamps and Copic markers are on sale during meeting time, and then in the class time that follows, we focus on coloring techniques and tips for that particular stamp set.

These cards are made using the Our Craft Lounge set, Giving Thanks.  They feature beautiful Spellbinders fancy tags and show options for "less" or "more" in card design.

If you're a local in the greater Jacksonville area, I hope to see you there!

Halloween Hoot!

This adorable owl from The {Stamps} of Life reminds me of the one I hear outside my bedroom window!  I have never managed to actually see him, but he happily hoots in the wee hours under the moonlight and I enjoy listening!

I am absolutely thrilled with the coverage that Stephanie's ink provides with solid stamps like this owl and the branch he's perched upon.  After being dissatisfied with lots of other inks, every time I stamp with this and get such a perfect impression, it makes me want to squeal!

Notes:
owls2love, branches4flowers
Stephanie Barnard for Colorbox ink
We R Memory Keepers Spookville designer paper
Nestabilities Labels 20
May Arts ribbon

Tart and Spice!

The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are, for the most part, no longer in the 90's (yay!) and in many parts of the country, the leaves are changing.  Fall is officially here!

Spiced apple cider is a Fall ritual at our house!  The smell of apples, cinnamon, and cloves will fill the air on chilly nights from now through the holidays, and our favorite Thanksgiving pie is made from a "perfect apple pie" recipe with those same ingredients.  Yep, Perfect Apple Pie is the title of it!  I was given the recipe by a patient when I was a newlywed and young physical therapist working in a Hawaii hospital.  Thank you, Matsumotosan!

This mug of cider from Gourmet Rubber Stamps' Diner Club set, Tart and Spice is a warm reminder of those small joys of Fall!  I paired it with some cinnamon striped paper, a little ruffly lace, and a pretty felt flower.

There is still time to play the "Weekly Recipe" sketch challenge that Kendra posted last Friday...a new one will be coming in a couple of days.

If you're a designer interested in joining a team, GRS is currently hosting a design team call...you can find the details on our blog or on our FB page.

Kid-friendly card-making!

This week's CPS is sponsored by Clearsnap...and this card is definitely kid-friendly in both appearance and method!  What kid doesn't love to play with scissors, glitter and glue?  

The horizontal row of stars is from a cool pack of Design Adhesives from Clearsnap...you just peel off the backing, rub on the design, and then sprinkle glitter (or rub some foil) on top.  For the larger star, Stephanie's all4dads two-step star stamps provide a guide-line that the kids can stamp, cut out, and then trace with a glue pen and glitter up so Dad can receive a gold star!

With football season now in full swing, this sporty card would be a fun way for a kid to express appreciation for the "king of the remote" and all that dad does!  There are four sheets of patterned adhesive designs in the pack...four of each image means the kids can share without fussing!   Since the stars are part of the Fright Night pack, they can glitter up some Halloween cards while they're at it!  TSOL has some really great Halloween stamps to pair with those too!

Notes:

Gina K Designs card stock
Clearsnap Design Adhesives (Fright Night) and Glitter (Honey Glow)
Stephanie Barnard for Clearsnap ink
all4dads from The {Stamps} of Life
Zig glue pen
May Arts two-tone satin ribbon

Check out the CPS blog for more inspiration from our amazing designers!

Enchanting Witch!

I'm teaching a Copics class today at our newest LSS, The Enchanted Scrapbook!  We're using a really cute little witch whose wand is misbehaving!  One of the cards we're making is a z-fold design with a graveyard in the foreground and a starry sky background (Eat Cake Graphics stamps, Bella Blvd Too Cute to Spook "Quadrants"), which combine to make the perfect spooky setting for her spell-gone-awry!

These colors are some of my favorites to work with!  She looks completely different but even more wonderful with the colors all switched around!  I like this bolder, brighter version better!  If these had not been for a class, I would've used some darker purples for more contrast on the first version, but I was trying to keep the number of markers to fewer than a dozen, and make blending easier for beginners!  Most people find the deeper purples and reds a bit more challenging to work with.

I am really looking forward to teaching classes locally (at The Enchanted Scrapbook and also at Pictures in Time).  I hope to make lots of new stamping friends from the Jacksonville area!  I'll be sharing more cards soon for upcoming October classes!  

CSS Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Gina K Designs Centerstage Spotlight Alumni Hop! Carolina issued our designers a double challenge, to make a Fall-themed card with a shaker element.  What a fun challenge this one was!

You should've arrived here from Joy's!  If you have landed in the middle, you really should start at the top!  You can find it at StampTV.

I used a pre-fab shaker dome, which made things a little easier than starting from scratch.  I chose two images from the StampTV kit, Falling For You, along with the sentiment and rake from Theresa's set, The Giving Tree.  The warm golds, oranges and reds of Basic Grey's Indie Bloom designer paper are perfect for Fall and provide a great backdrop for a sprinkling of Flower Soft Autumn leaves.

All that extra Fall lawn work should not go unappreciated!  ;)

Notes: 
Falling For You
The Giving Tree
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
Basic Grey's Indie Bloom designer paper
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Ranger tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
Spellbinders classic circles
Autumn Flower Soft
Dotted grosgrain ribbon
Pop Dots

And now you're headed to Cheri's!  Enjoy the hop, and have a great weekend!

Outta This World!

Here's a cute space critter to bring a happy birthday wish from Beyond the Universe!  He is so adorable!  Very fun to color, too!  I added some sparkly  Stickles to the ring around his planet, and some Glossy Accents to his eyes.  Just that little bit of sparkle and shine adds so much!

This week's Our Craft Lounge challenge is a supply challenge to use patterned paper...I chose this designer paper because I love how it mimics the dots on the surface of this fella's home planet.  The layout is simple with a window cut out of the designer paper in the same shape as the focal image so that the colored mat underneath can peek through.

Be sure to visit the Lounge to see the rest of the submissions from this week's challenge! Play along with us and be entered to WIN any one OCL stamp set of your choice but first be sure to check out the rules!

Notes:
OCL's Beyond the Universe!
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Ranger tea-dye distress ink
Basic Grey Indie Blooms designer paper
Copic markers
Copic multi-liner
Stickles
Glossy Accents
Curio button
Apple Green Divine Twine

Rock Star!

I had so much fun with the bright colors of my last card that I decided to go bright with the Flower Soft challenge too!  This week the theme is circles, and my card is covered with them!

I was going for a bright but sort of grungy feel, so I used some twinkling H²0's on textured card stock, topped with bright pink card stock embossed with dots that were then sponged with white craft ink.  I repeated the wash of pink and green twinkling H²0's onto a strip of textured card stock, then added five parallel strips of silver peel-off stickers to mimic a music staff.

The various elements of Flower Soft's Neon Signs Kit were fussy-cut and popped up on foam adhesive dots.  Yep, dots even underneath!  A giant rhinestone, rhinestone notes, and rhinestone guitar fret markers all help carry the circle theme throughout the design.  It's a fresh, fun, sparkly card that will be perfect for one of my young musician friends!

Join us on the Splitcoaststampers Flower Soft Forum for more inspiration and to submit your card!  Entries will be accepted for the challenge until midnight CT on September 29th. The winner’s card will be featured on the Flower Soft blog on September 30th!

Oldies but Goodies Blog Hop!

I stamped a couple of cards for Our Craft Lounge's back-to-school challenge, and then didn't get to blog them before a new OCL challenge was posted, but they fit perfectly for our DIVAS Oldies But Goodies blog hop theme!  Yay!  I love it when things work out that way!

If you arrived from Mary's blog, you're in the right spot!  To start at the beginning, go to Carolyn's!

Both of my cards were inspired by the inspiration photo, a rainbow of crayons.  Neither card uses traditional back-to-school images, but they each brought back great homeschooling memories for me and took me a long way back into my stash of stamping supplies too!

That ROYGBIV line-up of crayons reminded me of a science lesson that I taught for our homeschool co-op on light!  I had the perfect Echo Park designer paper and OCL sentiment for a CAS rainbow card!   The sentiment comes from the very first OCL set I ever owned, Ducky Days!  The paper was released a couple of CHA's ago, so it has been around for a little while too! 

While I was looking for the rainbow paper for my ROYGBIV card, I came across a pattern that made me think of another lesson I taught at co-op, on the water cycle, so I made another CAS card for the same challenge!  The very same sentiment worked for this one as well!    

Ah, we miss those earlier days of homeschooling!  He's a senior now...his subjects are much harder and not nearly as much fun!   

I hope you are enjoying the Oldies But Goodies hop that the DIVAS have put together!  You've got one more stop!  Next you're visiting my friend,  Chrissy!  She's an amazing stamper, and a true friend!  xoxoxo

Notes:  

Our Craft Lounge Ducky Days

Echo Park designer papers

Gina K card stock

Memento ink

Copic markers

May Arts ribbon

twine

buttons

ihp Design Team Challenge!

It's challenge day for the team from i {heart} papers. It's our first challenge since the new goodies from CHA have arrived, so this month we're hosting a "free" challenge.  That way everyone can play with their favorite new toys and tools!

Even in Florida, the last several days have been a bit cooler!  Can't help but look forward to the arrival of Fall!  I love these warm colors, and this time of year is truly my favorite for stamping!  Hopefully my card, with its distressed "Farmer's Market" yardstick designer paper and sign-post style sentiment, makes you think of a trip to the old country store!

The orange, gold and dark brown color scheme is the theme for this week's Our Craft Lounge challenge which fit perfectly with my plans to use my new Crate Paper designer paper and a new Fall Sunflower "single" from Our Craft Lounge.  I love these new smaller sized sets!  They are a little smaller and less expensive than a full sized stamp set, so if you want to order a handful of stamps for various occasions or themes, these make it more affordable!  They're made of cling rubber,  and most include not only a great line art image but several sentiments as well.  Summer CHA was the first time OCL has released this new mini format, and I think it was a great idea!

Notes:
Our Craft Lounge Fall Sunflower
Pumpkin Delight Sparkly Fluff
Crate Paper Farmhouse 6 x 6 designer paper pad
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Ranger tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
Spellbinders Fancy Tags 3
May Arts two-toned satin ribbon
Creative Impressions natural twine string
Curio button
sewing machine and thread

Visit my design team mates to see what gorgeousness they've concocted for you, and please leave a little love!

• Carolyn
• Gretchen
• Kendra
• Loretta
• Lori
• Lynn
• Tracy
• Kate

When you're finished browsing their blogs, visit the OCL blog for more information on playing this week's Fall Colors challenge!  

You are a Blessing!

This week's CPS sketch is sponsored by EAD Designs!  I used a great sentiment with some beautiful designer paper for a card for one of my Bible study girls!  

Notes:

EAD Designs vinyl rub-on sentiment
Gina K card stock
MME Lost & Found 2 Sunshine designer paper
Ranger Distress Ink
MME Lost & Found bling
May Arts ribbon
Hirschberg Schutz & Co paper roses
button, jute thread

Gourmet Rubber Stamps!

I'm so excited to tell you about my newest venture!

You might remember how sad I was when (while we were in Costa Rica on our mission trip) I found out that Lizzie Anne Designs was going away.  That just broke my heart!

I am BEYOND THRILLED to tell you that many of Lizzie Anne's fabulous images are BACK!   LAD is one of SIX fabulous lines that are being carried by a brand new company, Gourmet Rubber Stamps!  The rest of the line-up includes Stick Chicks, Steam Punk, Zenspirations, Murray’s Law and Marsha McCarthy.

If you're a true stamping connoisseur you will want to join our Diners Club!  This monthly subscription club brings a delicious new stamp set straight to your stamping table!  Find out more and sign up here!

Today I'm sharing two cards made with images from our very first Diners Club set, Tart and Spice!  It's no secret that I love stamping for Halloween, so I was thrilled to see these darling images!

First up is a fun pair of witchy boots!  Do you think the black and white background looks like a tile floor just perfect for a little witchy toe-tapping?

Notes:
Tart and Spice
Echo Park Apothecary designer paper (thank you, Jody and Madison! xoxo<3xoxo)
Memento ink, Donna Salazar Mix'd Media Inx
Copic markers
Nestabilities Fancy Tags 3, classic circles
Ribbon and Want2Scrap bling from the recent Jacksonville CKC
Basic Grey button
The Twinery twine

Would you agree, some Halloween fun is brewing?  I love Halloween so much that I always buy too much designer paper, so this one was put together with stuff from last year's stash from the LSS across the river that has since closed.  I love love LOVE these colors!  So fun to play with!  A sprinkling of a few little googly eyeballs doesn't hurt, either!  ;)

I hope you will visit often to see what my amazing design team mates and I can concoct with Gourmet Rubber Stamps!  Take a look at what my friends are sharing today!  So excited to be team-mates with these girls!

• Jeni Allen
• Joslyn Nielson
• Kendra Wietstock
• Pam Hornschu
• Rose Ann Reynolds
• Taylor Usry

edited to add:  Thanks to a comment left by Rosemary, I've added my "Witch Waltz" as an entry to the Opus Gluei challenge for the week!  Thank you!  :)

Gina K Designs Inspiration Day 2!

Welcome back for another day of inspiration using the newly released sets from Gina K Designs!  Today  we're sharing sets using Tami's set, Home Is, and Theresa's Celebrate the Season.

Before saying another word, I want to say "thank you" to all of you for your sweet comments!  I'm so grateful that you visit my blog and take the time to say something nice about my cards!  I am especially honored that some of you even become followers!

Living in a military town, it seems there are always wives anxiously awaiting the return of their husbands from deployment.  That thought inspired my first card.  The days apart seem long and dreary, but homecoming is a sunny, bright, rainbows-and-yellow-ribbons kinda day!

Notes:  
Home Is
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
Basic Grey Nordic Holiday designer paper
Echo Park Summer Days designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Cutterbee paper snips
Pop Dots (1/2 and 1/4 inch)
Copic markers
twine

My second card, made for my "Holiday Math" release party challenge, features a darling snowman from Theresa's Celebrate the Season.  Here's the math equation:

   4 (or more) colors
+ 3 embellishments
+ 2 diecut or punched elements
+ 1 stamp set
= 1 holiday card

You can add all the glitter and stickles you want!  The snowflake on my card is covered with 'em!

The intarsia hearts design looks like ribbon, but that is optical illusion!  It is actually a strip of patterned paper cut from Basic Grey's Nordic Holiday designer paper!

Notes:

Celebrate the Season

Gina K Pure Luxury card stock

Basic Grey Nordic Holiday designer paper

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Stickles

White craft ink

Nestabilities snowflake, classic ovals

Pop Dots (1/2 and 1/4 inch)

Copic markers

buttons

fiber

Here are today's participants:

• Gina K
• Tami Mayberry – illustrator Home Is
• Theresa Momber – illustrator Celebrate the Season
• Carolina Buchting
• Cathy Tidwell
• Donna Baker
• Giovana Smith
• Jennie Harper
• Lee Murphy
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Michelle Woerner
• Sharon Harnist
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher

Gina K Designs Inspiration Hop!

Did you have fun at the release party last night?  I had a great time!  I usually don't comment much because I then get behind, and the party progresses at dizzying speed as it is!  I love getting to be together and really get to know about each other and what's happening in our everyday lives!

Today we're sharing projects made with two new sets, Rupa's Under the Weather, and Melanie's Holiday Basket.  Both are fabulous sets, really fun to color!

I wanted my first card to look like a cuddly bear with a warm fuzzy blanket!  Hopefully the lacy edge at the top helps to convey the idea!

Notes:

Under the Weather

GKD Pure Luxury card stock

Memento ink

Copic markers

Basic Grey Lauderdale designer paper

lace

grosgrain ribbon

My second card is like a basket of sunshine!  I absolutely adore Fall sunflowers!  These are colored and shaded with sunny yellows, then given "earth" ultrafine Flower Soft centers.  Simple, bright, and cheerful!

Notes:

Holiday Basket

GKD Pure Luxury card stock

Memento ink

Copic markers

Earth Ultrafine Flower Soft

Flower Soft PVA glue

grosgrain ribbon

brads

Cutterbee paper snips

Pop Dots (1/2 and 1/4 inch)

Here are the designs participating in today's Inspiration Hop!  Have fun browsing their blogs!

• Gina K
• Melanie Muenchinger-illustrator Holiday Basket
• Sharon Harnist
• Suzanne Dean
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher
• Carolina Buchting
• Cathy Tidwell
• Donna Baker
• Giovana Smith
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lee Murphy
• Theresa Momber

You're Invited!

There's gonna be a fabulous release party tonight on StampTV!  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 one of the cards I will be sharing at the party.  Doesn't it make you want a warm Christmas toddy?!  I love savoring the special flavors at Starbucks that are only available during the holidays!  YUM!

Here are all the release party details!  I hope to see you there!
When: Today, Tuesday, September 13, from 7 PM to 9 PM (CST)
Where: StampTV Release Party Forum

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 September!

Notes:
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Versamark ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
Basic Grey Nordic Holiday designer paper
Spellbinders fancy tags 3
May Arts ribbon

Eye Spy!

This wide-eyed monster is for this week's CPS sketch! I used a combination of old and new for this project!

Join us for this fun sketch! Lots of inspiration on the CPS blog! Here's a link to the debut of the sketch, but be sure to go to the "top of the blog" to see the cards uploaded throughout the week by our fabulous, talented design team!

Notes:

Want2Scrap Nestabling

Spellbinders classic circles

Our Craft Lounge Monster Hugs

Copic markers

We R Memory Keepers designer paper

Elements fibers

Stampin' UP! black velvet ribbon

Scor Tape, 3L adhesives

New TSOL!

Not long ago I shared a single layer, no embellishments, super-CAS card with a cute owl from this month's TSOL club set, owls2love.  On that card, the heartsick little guy was alone on the power line, missing his sweetheart/friend!  Here's another owl card featuring its companion set, moreowls2love.  These guys share the true meaning of friendship, sticking together through thick or thin!

The fence in the foreground of this fun owl scene is from solids4Halloween, a fun silhouette stamp that you're gonna love!  Here's a spooky Halloween night scene that I made with it!  I used Stephanie's inks to sponge in a moonlit nighttime sky, then added a "frame" of branches using last month's branches4flowers.  I distressed and curled the ages to add some definition and finished it with a poufy bow made from pretty purple ribbon.

Be sure to visit the gallery to see all the great cards made by our TSOL team using this month's new sets!

CSS Blog Hop!

Welcome to Gina K's CenterStage Spotlight Alumni hop!  You should've arrived from Cheri's...if not, visit the StampTV forum to start at the beginning!

Tonight's hop features an inspiration challenge!  Look at this gorgeous inspiration photo of a luxurious Pier 1 Imports bedroom!  The tufted headboard, wool rug, dressmaker's form, and the cool gray-blue/warm cinnamon-brown color scheme caught my eye.  I love the contrast between dark and light, and the interesting textures throughout the room, which create a semi-formal yet still relaxed atmosphere.

I chose a beautiful floral paper to mimic the rug, and a cool gray-blue solid, cut with a Nestabilities label and scored with a Scor Buddy, to bring the texture of the tufted headboard and quilt to my card.  The gray seemed a bit too cool for the colors of the floral print, so I sponged it with tea-dye distress ink to warm it up slightly before removing it from the die.  I used a lined block to stamp the sentiment, but if you prefer, you can use a stamp-a-ma-jig.

This dress form is one of my all-time favorite GKD images!  Fussy-cutting isn't my thing, but it looks so delicate and feminine that the time it takes to cut out all those beautiful scrolls is well worth the effort!

I really wanted to bring out the warm colors of the inspiration photo with a bit of rust-colored ribbon, but the options I had were either too red or too burgundy so I chose brown instead, accented with a button and jute bow.  Hopefully you can see some correlation between my card and the inspiration photo!

From here you're headed to Giovana's!  Enjoy the hop, and have a fabulous weekend!

Notes:
Gina K Designs Springtime Silhouettes
GKD Pure Luxury card stock in chocolate brown
Basic Grey Curio, Nordic Holiday designer paper pads
Scor Buddy
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Nestabilities Labels 18
Mono multi glue (I use this on all my cards)
Pop Dots (these too!)
crinkle ribbon
button
jute thread

Flower Soft Blog Hop!

Please join the Flower Soft team on an inspirational hop!  This month’s theme is Anything But a Card!  You should've arrived here from Dina's.

The blog hop starts on the Flower Soft® Blog on September 7th at 8:00 a.m. CT and ends September 15th at midnight CT.  The winner will be announced on the  Flower Soft® Blog on September 16th.  If you get lost along the way the complete hop list will be posted on the Flower Soft® Blog.

Be sure to comment on every blog in the hop. One lucky person that comments on one of the blogs will be chosen to receive a 4 pots of Flower Soft!!!

For my project, I made a little gable box that will be the perfect presentation for a few flavored tea bags for a girlfriend in need of some rest and relaxation!  I used an image from the Springtime Card Toppers Collection, cut with a Spellbinders classic circle die, and embellished with May Arts lace, ribbon, and burlap string.  The teacup is filled with Sweet Pea Flower Soft flowers and Ultrafine Sage greenery...I love how dainty it looks!  The only thing that would make this any sweeter is a good book to go along with it!

You can find Beate's tutorial for making this box from one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of card stock.  It goes together fast and easy.

Now you're off to see what Cibele has created!  Enjoy the hop!

CPS 234

CPS Sketch 234 is sponsored by Unity Stamp Company!  Love this adorable set, Margarita Moments, so fun to color with brightly colored Copic markers!  This sentiment was perfect for this layout, and using water-based markers directly to the rubber gave it a little extra pop of color to match the line art!  Just looking at it makes me happy!  Who needs happy hour?!  ;)

Notes:
Unity Margarita Moments
Echo Park and Kaiser Craft designer papers
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
SU markers (for the sentiment)
Spellbinders classic rectangles, classic circles
Martha Stewart chunky glitter "salt"

New TSOL!

My mom loves owls, so when this set from the stamps of {life} arrived, it made me smile.  There are several sizes, both line-art and solid, which make it very versatile, and the accompanying sentiments are really fun!

I very rarely ever make a single layer card, especially one without embellishments, but this one seemed to work!  Super fast and simple!  I used images from several sets with Stephanie's new inks...I'm in LOVE with them!  They provide such amazing coverage on solid stamps.  I still love my Memento for line art, and I love to color, but I'm not fighting spotty coverage on solid stamps ever again!

Now I am working on cards for the club preview of this month's optional sets which happens in a couple of days...club members have the privilege of viewing them first on the 7th of each month, and then on the 11th they're made available to the public.  The sets are really cute, so you're gonna want to check 'em out!  ;)

Notes:
owls2love
banners4all
hearts2love
Stephanie Barnard for Colorbox inks

Merry & Bright!

It's Labor Day weekend, and I hope you're having a good one!  Mine has been great so far!  I spent Friday night stamping with my friend, Latisha, and then yesterday drove down to Ormond Beach to see my childhood BFF, Hope, who is celebrating Labor Day weekend at a beach hotel with a bunch of her friends and family.  We took our ukuleles and I played for most of the afternoon...it was such a perfect setting to strum away and enjoy the sun and surf!  I think I managed to get Hope's grandson hooked, so he'll be begging for his own ukulele before long!  ;)

Once this weekend is over, it will be back to school for the rest of you who haven't started yet!  Our county started August 16!  We were still in Michigan on that date, and started our homeschooling year the following week.  It is so hard to get back into a structured schedule with chorus and sax lessons!

Gina K's Back-to-School incentive stamp sale continues through the rest of this Labor Day weekend!  Today's card was made using Merry & Bright, one of three incentive sets available with a $35 purchase.  See the rest of the sets and details of the sale here!  You'll also find the list of participating designers for today's hop, as well as those who participated in the hops Friday and Saturday, so you can get lots of great ideas for using these gorgeous stamp sets!

Enjoy the rest of your long holiday weekend!  Stay safe!

Notes:
GKD incentive stamp Merry & Bright
Pure Luxury card stock in ivory
Echo Park For the Record designer paper
BoBunny designer paper scrap
scrap of gold metallic paper
Spellbinders classic circles, picot edged circles (thanks Latisha! <3)
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Ranger tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
Clearsnap Smooch Spritz
Kaiser Craft lace
BoBunny pearls
May Arts burlap string
paper crimper

GKD Back-to-School Incentives!

To celebrate the beginning of a new school year, Gina K. Designs is having a Back to School sale that is sure to knock your bobby socks off! You can find all the information on the sale here, and as if that isn't enough, members from Gina K's design team are hosting three mini hops (yesterday, today, and tomorrow) featuring these three new incentive stamp sets.

My card for today uses my favorite of the three, Thankful for You!  Sunflowers brighten the mood in much the same way a treasured friend can brighten one's spirit!  That's why I chose this fun yellow gingham and polkadot combination, like fresh flowers on a breakfast table in a warm, sunny kitchen! 

Notes:

GKD Thankful for You! free incentive set

Pure Luxury card stock (ivory and black onyx)

Echo Park For the Record designer paper

Ranger tea-dye distress ink

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Copic markers

Spellbinder's grommet tags

black brads

sheer ribbon (looks like I need to tweak my bow a little!  it went wonky in the photo!)

Bow Easy

pearls swirl

Visit the forum on StampTV to find links to the cards made by Gina K designers for each of the hops Friday, Saturday and Sunday!  The sale extends through the long Labor Day weekend!  I hope you're enjoying yours!

OCL Blog Hop! Prizes!

Welcome to the OCL blog hop!  If you came from Joy Stagg's blog, you're in the right place!  If you're jumping into the middle, visit the Lounge to start from the top. You don't want to miss a single post, especially because leaving love on each artist's blog increases YOUR chance at winning a prize!  "Like" OCL on Facebook, and say so in your comment at the Lounge and that gives you a second entry!

You have until midnight tonight Pacific time (3 a.m. EST) to finish the hop and make your comments!  Winners will be announced on the OCL Blog and OCL FB page.

It's Friday, and this week's OCL challenge is "Anything Goes!"  Playing the challenge is a chance for a separate prize, and you have all month long to enter!  We’ve changed things up a bit...now, you can use any stamps to play, but using OCL gives you extra points toward the prize, AND if you win, you can pick any of our great products ~ stamp sets, Sparkly Fluff, Crafty Sparkles!  Play more challenges during the month for more entries!  

My card for today features the new set, Proud as a Peacock, illustrated by Debbie Corbari.  I paired the image with a print from Basic Grey's Oxford designer paper pack because I thought the design looked sort of like peacock feathers.  The colors are soft and lovely, especially with some distress ink sponging.  Picot-edged satin ribbon and a scattering of pearls make it feminine and elegant.

Notes:
OCL Proud as a Peacock
Basic Grey's Oxford designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Spellbinders classic circles, grommet tags
Old Paper distress ink
picot-edged satin
Kaiser Craft pearls

OCL Sneak Peeks, Day 2!

I love love LOVE to sing!  It is probably my FAVORITE thing to do, even more than stamping!  I especially love singing Christmas songs, although I admit I'm thankful that we live in Florida so it's not so cold when we go caroling!

This little guy is obviously joyfully singing his heart out!  I think he's so cute!  I wanted a simple card in bright traditional Christmas colors with the feel of an old familiar sweater...cozy, comfortable and warm, just the way the old familiar carols make me feel inside!  A little bit of tan leather and cool blue keeps it from being totally predictable!

Notes:
Sing With Joy!
Gina K Pure Luxury card stock
Echo Park For the Record designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers, multiliner
Nestabilities inverted wonky rectangle, classic circles
crocheted lace trim
satin ribbon
button from the stash!
May Arts burlap string
Recollections snowflake


Again, be sure to visit the Lounge for links to many more peeks by our fabulous OCL Design Team and amazing Guest Designers!  There are prizes to be had!  :)