Gina K CSS Blog Hop!

It's time for another Center Stage Spotlight blog hop. You should have arrived here from Cheri's...if not, then start at at the Stamp TV Forum...you don't wanna miss a thing!

This time around we are all making cards inspired by this photo from Southern Living.  My eyes were drawn to the beautiful color combo, the lamp, the swirls on the drawers, and the lettering of the sign.  I knew right away that I wanted to use Nina's set, Lovely Shelf, to make a simple no-frills Valentine for my guys...the "wall hanging" sentiment is from Asela's Dream Birds.  I was hoping the strip of patterned paper would look like a wallpaper border but I'm not so sure that idea translated very well!

Here are the products I used to complete my card:
Pure Luxury card stock
Memento ink
Copic markers
Basic Grey Curio designer paper
Jute

Thanks for visiting!  From here, you will visit Joy!

It's Java Time!

I don't know about you, but just about anytime is java time in my book!  In the mornings, since I have had my Keurig, I usually have a "real" cup to wake me up and then switch to decaf.  Even as a little girl I drank what we called coffee milk, equal amounts of each...ironically, I grew up in French-speaking southwest Louisiana, but back then it was not fashionable to say cafe` au lait unless you were in New Orleans!

My card for today is made with a brand new set from the {stamps} of Life, coffee4two.  It is one of several special release sets that were made available to club members on the 7th, now also available to those who are not club members.  This sentiment is perfect to pair with this Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride designer paper.  The images were stamped with Memento ink, colored with Copic markers, and distressed with tea dye ink.

Kinda makes you want a cup, doesn't it?!

Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge

Today's Wednesday Flower Soft Sprinkle Challenge, FSC22, is "In the Garden with Flower Soft!"  I made a super-simple card with one of the new diecut dimensions toppers, sprinkling in some ultrafine Flower Soft in black, strawberry and sage.  The sentiment is Lizzie Anne's new sentiments set, Perfect Phrases.  A sheer black bow with an elegant pearl, and a few black rhinestones to underscore the sentiment keep things uncluttered and open.  I added another small Flower Soft embellished diecut to the inside corner to carry the theme throughout.  Love these poppies!  The colors are intense and yet soft, and the overall effect is quite lovely!

Happy birthday, Gina!

Let's Party!  All of you who are visiting are invited to party with us by hopping along with our design team...starting with Cammie! Each designer is bringing a birthday card and a virtual party item for the celebration!  I am bringing some flowers for the table and plates/utensils so we can eat cake!  Isn't it appropriate that for girls who LOVE papercrafting, this place setting is totally paper?!

How about someone taking home a party favor? If you head on over to Gina's Blog and leave her some birthday love, you might be one of TWO lucky people to receive a FREE stamp set!

I love celebrating holidays, but to me, no day is more special than your very own birthday!  You're the only you there is, and the day God chose for you to make your entrance into His world is special indeed and worth celebrating in a big way every single year!

Gina, Happy Birthday!  It is a privilege to be invited to your party and to be able to wish you the happiest birthday ever!  May today be filled with friends, fun, laughter and warm birthday wishes.  You are such a blessing to me and to so many in the world of stamping.  I'm hoping that this summer I'll be able to actually meet you IRL and give you a big belated birthday hug!

My card is made with grass green and ocean mist Pure Luxury card stock and Basic Grey Marjolaine designer paper, which I *think* is one of Gina's current favorite color combos!  The flowers are from Asela's set, Flowers for Daisy; they were stamped with Memento ink and colored with Copic markers.  Their centers are given texture with sage ultrafine Flower Soft and their petals a little sparkle with a Copic Spica glitter pen.  All of the paper edges were inked with Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink.  I also inked the ribbon before tying the bow with the Bow Easy.  The layout is based upon this week's StampTV sketch spotlight, although I changed the oval to a rectangle to fit my choice of images.  The birthday sentiment inside is from Floral Wreath, and I'm wishing it for you, Gina!  :)  Happy Birthday!  May all your wishes come true!

You're visiting Emily next!  Have fun!

Bonjour Paris!

Back from CHA!  Whew, I had to take a day off just to recover from all of the excitement and a full day of air travel.  I am glad to be back home and with my family!  Sayin' prayers for some of my friends who got stuck in LA or other places along their routes as they try to make their way home in the midst of the storm that affected more than half of the country!  Safe journey!  Godspeed!

Here's another card using Lizzie Anne's Bonjour!  I adore this image!  It brings back memories of my trip to meet Patrick when as relative newlyweds, his ship pulled into Marseilles and a bunch of us Navy wives flew to meet our husbands.  Patrick and I took the bullet train to Paris and spent 10 days touring the city and countryside.  It was such an enchanted, romantic trip!  We climbed the Eiffel Tower, visited the Louvre, spent the night in the turret of a castle, ate delicious French food and fell in love with rich French-roast coffee and delicious pastries!  One of my favorite trips of all time!

These KaiserCraft papers and embellishments, distressed and inked with Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink,  give a warm, old-fashioned air to this card.  I hope you like it!

Birthday Candles

Today is sneak peek day for two brand new Lizzie Anne singles...Funky Happy Birthday, and Number Block.  I combined them with some Basic Grey Hopscotch designer paper, a chipboard arrow, and a few candles (an idea cased from Kendra) for a fun birthday card.  Simple and sweet!

Visit the Lizzie Anne blog for more about today's release and links to the cards the rest of the team made using this month's singles!

Happy Spring

It's release day for this darling bunny4Easter from the {stamps} of Life!  I made a slider pop up card using the tutorial from Splitcoaststampers.  It was fast and easy and something fun and different!  Check out the gallery for cards from our amazing designers!

LAD Peek #2

If you hopped through any of the Lizzie Anne Designs sneak peeks (links are on the LAD blog) for yesterday, you might've seen some cards made using a new sixlet, Perfect Phrases. My card for today combines a sentiment from that set with another upcoming set, Timeless Textures.

A friend of a friend recently had to undergo bilateral radical mastectomies, so I wanted to send a card to convey thoughts of hope and healing.  This pink card with its lacy sentiment panel and swirling bling is soft and feminine...the rows of lace were cut out, glued along the long edge to the layer below but popped up along the scalloped edge with foam dots so that they look like the layered ruffles of a petticoat.  May it bring comfort and optimism!

More peeks tomorrow!  Hope you'll come back for those too!

Notes:
Memento ink
Tim Holtz distress ink
Girls' Paperie striped patterned paper
Zva bling, adhesive dots
satin ribbon

LAD Sneak Peek!

It's the first day of sneak peeks for the upcoming Lizzie Anne Designs release!  When I first saw the new sets I loved them ALL but especially fell in love with "Bonjour!"  It kind of wraps together my love of my Louisiana heritage with memories of my one trip to Europe to meet my husband when the ship pulled into Marseilles...what a romantic trip that was!  I have a love of le fleur de lis and was thrilled to visit the Eiffel tower.

Black and ivory look so lovely together!  A little distress ink gives this card a vintage Parisian feel!  It was fun to pair a little Girls' Paperie music paper and October Afternoon's damask with this darling marionette image!    I used a Tim Holtz Sizzix die to cut some flowers from the white pages of an old phone book, inked and crinkled them, then layered them with some cut from tulle.  I added some little snap centers and tucked them on top of a bow of sheer organza.  Crumpling the ribbon with an embossing tool adds to the time-worn look (and like regular heat embossing, it is amazing to watch)!

Notes:
Memento ink
Tim Holtz tea-dye distress ink
Copic markers (warm grays and browns)
Nestabilities labels 10
Kaiser pearls
SU border punch
Tim Holtz tattered florals die 
Tim Holtz snaps
organdy ribbon


Be sure to visit the Lizzie Anne blog to see what the other girls created with this and other sets being shown today!

Hello from L.A!

So excited to be in L.A. for Copic Intermediate Certification today, and CHA this weekend!  I am thrilled to see my stampin' girlfriends, to learn some new techniques, and to see lots of new pretties!  I have been seeing some sneaks, and can't wait to see them in person!

I'll be checking in periodically with news from the show, and with a few cards here and there!  Hope to see you again soon!