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!  :)

OCL Sneak Peeks!

I'm so excited to *finally* be sharing Our Craft Lounge sneak peeks with you!  It has been over a month since CHA, and I was working on samples for the few weeks before that, so it really feels like I've been waiting a long time to share these!  

If you've been around very long, you already know that I absolutely adore stamping for Halloween!  (I don't like to get too spooky, though!  It's cutesie Halloween for me!)  This combination of colors really speaks to me!

Today's card is made with some scraps of Doodlebug Designs Halloween paper and the brand new set, Swept Up!  It was illustrated by Copic's Marianne Walker.  Marianne, you know I really love your style!  This image has such sweet vintage appeal!  I think she is adorable and she's really fun to color!

Notes:
Our Craft Lounge Swept Up!
scrap of Doodlebug Designs dp
Nestabilities inverted wonky rectangles, long rectangles
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Ranger tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers
scrap of recycled orange satin ribbon (here's a great substitute!)
Curio button
Kaiser Craft rhinestones
twine
stickpin (it's there, just hard to see!)



Be sure to visit the Lounge for links to many more peeks by our fabulous OCL Design Team and amazing Guest Designers!  Trust me!  You don't want to miss any details about the peeks, Friday's hop, and prizes!

CPS 233

I have fallen in love with this soft, muted gold ink from Clearsnap, and was excited to get to try it out with some beautiful "ginger ale" Smooch Spritz for this week's CPS card.  The sketch lent itself perfectly to this Gina K set of Asela's, Nesting.  I added a touch of pearlized aqua Smooch to the eggs along with a few champagne colored pearls, leaving the layout clean and uncluttered (the way I wish my home could be!  *sigh* I need to work on that for a little while, instead of stamping so much)!

The Smooch Spritz sprays such a fine mist that it almost looks like pre-finished pearlized paper.  I wish you could see how pretty it is IRL!

Gina K is having a back-to-school special from now through September 5th!  Spend $35 or more and choose a free set from three beautifully illustrated sets!  Click here to find out more!

Notes:

Nesting, by Asela Hopkins for Gina K

Donna Salazar Mix'd Media Inx, Smooch Spritz in Ginger Ale, SmoochAccent Ink in Frosted Aqua, all by Clearsnap

Spellbinders classic ovals

Kaiser Craft pearls

There's a Little More Time!

You still have a few more hours to submit cards for this weekend's Virtual Stamp Night at Splitcoaststampers.  Honors recognition will be given for projects submitted by 8 p.m. EST tonight, and then another recognition will be given from "late submissions" from those affected by Hurricane Irene for whom the submissions deadline is Friday, September 2nd, at 8 p.m. EST.

I have two more Our Craft Lounge VSN projects to share today!  The first is a simple masculine card made for Lori's "Dusty Blues" VSN color challenge.  

Notes:

Our Craft Lounge Under Lock and Key

Basic Grey Capella designer paper

Memento Rich Cocoa ink

Ranger tea-dye distress ink

Copic markers

Nestabilities classic squares

May Arts burlap string

SEI button

Next up is e-i-e-i-Hello, made with a chick from the set by that name for Michelle's Party at the Ranch challenge.

Notes:
Our Craft Lounge e-i-e-i-Hello!, Shout it Out (comment shape)
Authentique designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
May Arts polka dot ribbon
Sparkly Fluff

Most of the supplies for both of these cards came from i {heart} papers.

Wanted!

It is Virtual Stamp Night (weekend) at Splitcoaststampers, and in a couple of hours I'll be posting my very own challenge...for now I'm sharing a couple of cards made for some of last night's Rodeo!  Both cards use Our Craft Lounge's set, Wanted!, and fibers from May Arts.  I also used some Basic Grey designer paper and Copic markers from i {heart} papers.

I hope you'll join us!

Final Day of May Arts/OCL Product Share!

Hasn't this week of exchange of products between OCL and May Arts been an amazing week?!  I have loved seeing the different ideas our designers have shared!  I've always been a huge May Arts fan, and I am so grateful for all of the fabulous ribbon that they sent!  I still have yards to use, so you'll be seeing more in the weeks to come!  Remember, we've got an OCL blog hop coming up really soon!

Today's card is for a brand new OCL challenge with a "Lots o' Dots" theme!  I decided to go with a cheeky bird, dotty tree, a button and some rustic burlap string.  This Basic Grey background print caught my eye since the pad was still on my desk from a previous project (I've used it a lot this week!), so I worked the colors of this dotty pattern into the image using Copic markers, adding even more dots for shading.  Finally, I added some "skippy lines and dots" multiliner details to all the edges, so there truly are "lots o' dots" everywhere!

Notes:
Our Craft Lounge Tree-rific Trees
Basic Grey Oxford designer paper
Nestabilities classic circles die
Memento Rich Cocoa ink
Copic markers
Copic multiliner
May Arts burlap string
button

Be sure to visit the Lounge and the May Arts blog once again!  You'll find information about challenges, prizes, etc!  Come back next week for sneak peeks and blog hop featuring stamps from our new release!