Art♥from♥the♥Heart

Hello Robot Tags

2012-02-19T23:27:00.000-05:00

Humour me, will you? ;) I thought yesterday's card would've helped bring back the mojo but, after I finished it, I spent several hours sitting at my desk staring into space! I admired my stamps and flipped through my inspiration book and still nothing came. Today, I decided to do something fun regardless. For the Hero Arts February Contest, I used Sketch #3 to make a set of tags that could go on gifts or serve as embellishments when attached to cards. I thought these would come in handy for my son's friends when he starts school this fall.

A sentiment like 'Have fun!' or 'You're cool!' would've made more sense but because I am in a funk, my mind was thinking that I had to make this fit all three categories. After I stamped the 'hello' sentiment, I thought I rendered these tags unusable because I didn't think there would be an occasion to send a simple hello card to a little boy. Then I remembered that several of my friends made cards for a little boy named Sebastian so I slightly modified one of the tags and turned it into a card for him. Now I'm thinking, I may have to convert the other two to cards as well!

I just got Echo Park's A Boy's Life so I wanted to cut it up immediately and I'd only used the MFT Die-namics Layered Label Die once since I got it for Christmas. Since a couple of the dies matched the sketch perfectly, I decided to use that as the shape of my tag. I stamped off (or second generation stamped) the Friend Definition on the centre labels directly on patterned paper. Then I stamped the same robot from Robot Trio in three different colours and fussy cut them. I hadn't fussy cut 120lb cardstock in a while and I'd forgotten how painful it was or maybe it was because I'm so out of practice! LOL I punched holes for the burlap string, looped them through and stapled it in place before stamping the sentiment from Essential Messages and adhering the robots with foam tape. Lastly, I added some Stickles to the stars on their chests.

Some of you were shocked that I used a sketch for my last card so I'll explain. I will very rarely use a sketch if it speaks to me and sometimes they do. The Hero Arts February Contest sketches inspire me but I'm not saying the mojo is flowing out from my fingertips the way ideas normally have in the past. I do hope that feeling will return quickly otherwise I will be in a panic soon enough with design team projects and publication calls looming. So now I will go and try to make a different theme of card for the last sketch. ;)

Sources: Echo Park A Boy's Life paper pad; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Hero Arts Friend Definition, Robot Trio & Essential Messages; Ranger Distress Inks in Wild Honey, Fired Brick & Broken China; SU Dye Ink in Tangerine Tango, Real Red, Wild Wasabi & Night of Navy; Marvy-Uchida 1/8" long reach circle punch; May Arts burlap string in Natural, Bittersweet & Navy; Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher; Ranger Stickles in Yellow, Orange Peel & Turquoise; foam tape

Hello On The Go

2012-02-18T21:32:00.000-05:00

I made this card for the Hero Arts February Contest. It features my interpretation of Sketch #2, falls into the Hello category and uses die cuts. I combined three different Hero Arts sets - Zig Zag, Newspaper Skyline and On the Go Bike - plus five colours of their chalk inks. I'm totally in love with the Hero Arts chalk inks right now and need a couple more to complete my collection. ;)

This is also the first time I've made anything new in a week! Trying to find my mojo has been like trying to squeeze water from a cactus. I decided that staring at my new Hero Arts stamps wasn't going to force my mojo out of winter hibernation so I decided to just ink them up. Even though I am satisfied with the result, this card did not come together easily and I recycled a lot of cardstock in the process. In reality, it took me about four hours to make this card. I knew what stamps I wanted to use. It was the colours and fiddling with the images that took a while. I must've stamped that 'hello' arrow at least a dozen times in different colours, with and without backgrounds!

I thought this would be a fun card to send to a friend I haven't talked to in a while as a reminder that even though we lead such busy lives, I am still thinking of her. Why not say hello on the go, right? I hope you like it! I think I will now attempt those other two sketches in the hopes of jumpstarting my mojo. You have five more days to play if you want to join me. :)

Well, my husband just popped by and saw this card saying, "Ooohhh, I really like that," so the card might not be going anywhere now. LOL

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; SU Naturals White cardstock; Hero Arts Zig Zag, Newspaper Skyline & On the Go Bike; Hero Arts Snow, Poppy, Punch, Grass & Cerulean chalk inks; foam tape; SU Basic Rhinestones; green Copic marker

Unity Friends With Flair {Feb 17th}

2012-02-17T23:51:00.004-05:00

Here I am again at the very last minute playing along with Unity Friends With Flair! I love this card but it's been rejected at least three times so I am finally sharing it with you. To create the background, I used the damask stamp from Happily Ever After, a couple of the scrolls and ornaments from Greetings of Christmas and the title sentiment from Think Happy Thoughts. To get the two-toned orange and pink colours in the damask, I used the rock-and-roll technique.

I'm selling a lot of Unity sets under my For Sale tab HERE so please have a peek and let me know if you're interested in giving these wonderful stamps a new home! :)

I wish you all a fun weekend! It's the Family Day weekend here in Ontario and a few other Canadian provinces so I'm happy to have my husband home for an extra day. Maybe I'll get in some crafting time if my mojo ever returns. LOL

Sources: SU Tempting Turquoise cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Unity Stamp Company Happily Ever After, Greetings of Christmas & Think Happy Thoughts; Vivid! ButterScotch ink; SU Pink Passion & tempting Turquoise ink; Memories Artprint Brown ink; Spellbinders Labels Five; foam tape

Caught a Bug?

2012-02-16T14:12:00.007-05:00

Today's Paper Smooches card features Helping Hands, Healthy Vibes and the giveaway of the day, Primary! Be sure to leave a comment on the Paper Smooches Blog for a chance to win this fabulous set. To create this card, I used one of the 'thumbs up' hand from Helping Hands and cut it to insert the spoon which was reverse stamped using another Paper Smooches CHA release which you will be seeing at the end of the month. Are you excited?! They're all must-haves. :) The spoon, germ and sentiment are all from Healthy Vibes, one of the Kismet Collection stamp sets. I inked the rings from Primary with watermark ink to create a border on the ivory cardstock as well as the soft stone cardstock. The blue strips were left uninked. Again, be sure to stop by the Paper Smooches Blog today and every weekday this month and leave a comment for your chance to win at least one of the CHA releases!!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury soft sand & white cardstock; SU Pool Party & Naturals Ivory cardstock; BasicGrey Wander paper pad; Paper Smooches Helping Hands, Healthy Vibes & Primary; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; VersaMark watermark ink; Copic markers; foam tape

Happy Easter

2012-02-15T00:01:00.003-05:00

Today, the entire Avocado Arts Pit Crew has loads of inspiration to share with you! We've all made cards featuring the February Stamp Set: Wishes and Kind Thoughts with sneak peeks of the upcoming March Stamp Set: Springtime Celebrations. Please visit these amazing blogs for inspiration galore:

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Becky Oehlers
Emily Branch
---> Emily Leiphart <---
Julia Stainton
Kelley Eubanks
Kimberly Crawford
Latisha Yoast
Savannah O'Gwynn

For my card, I used the base of the wishing well from Wishes & Kind Thoughts as a basket. I coloured the stones in a basket weave and inserted two eggs on a straw bed, three parts which are masked together in one piece, from Springtime Celebrations. The sentiment is also from the upcoming March release. I created a basket handle with burlap string and Copic coloured gemstones.

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you are playing with Avocado Arts, leave me a link to your blog post or gallery and I'll be sure to stop by to check it out. Oh, and in case you didn't already know, Avocado Arts has a publication incentive program! If you are published with more than just a sentiment, you will earn a free stamp set of your choice. :)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & white cardstock; SU Pool Party cardstock; Currys Japanese Linen cardstock in Avocado; Avocado Arts Wishes & Kind Thoughts & Springtime Celebrations; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Scattered Straw & Walnut Stain distress inks; Copic markers; May Arts natural jute twine; SU Basic Rhinestones; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper; foam tape

Happy Anniversary

2012-02-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Kim is sharing this card on the Paper Smooches Blog today! It features a fabulous anniversary sentiment from Good Gab and a few stamps from Spring Fling, both of which are February releases. I'm completely in love with the script on this sentiment and it's going to see a lot of ink in my craft room! I made the egg couple with the egg, face and bow from Spring Fling, combined with the mustache from Chubby Chum Pals and the hand from Wake Up. Then I coloured and shaded them with Copic markers. This is a true one-layer card since the bow and arms are masked into the eggs. I'll be giving this one to my husband for our eight anniversary next month. Maybe I'll stamp the 'You're a Good Egg' sentiment from Wake Up on the inside. ;)

Thanks for stopping by today! I just wanted to remind you that Kim is giving away at least one new set every weekday this month on the Paper Smooches Blog to celebrate her CHA releases on March 1st. You will want to hop on over there daily for a chance to win one of these incredible new releases! :D

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Paper Smooches Good Gab, Spring Fling, Chubby Chum Pals & Wake Up; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Real Red ink; Copics

Unity Friends With Flair {Feb 10th}

2012-02-10T23:57:00.007-05:00

Wow, it's been almost two months since I joined in on the fun with Unity Friends With Flair. I've missed it! These days, it's rare that I don't have a required post on Fridays so today I'm taking advantage of it even if it's an hour before Mr. Linky closes. ;) Today, I wanted to share a card that was rejected for Paper Crafts magazine's Card Creations: Get Inspired special issue which was released in November 2011. If you have this issue, you can turn to pages 52 and 53 to see the cards that were selected for the inspiration photo my card was based on. I did have four other cards picked up for this issue which I was absolutely thrilled about! It was one of my favourite calls to create for.

My card uses my favourite Unity background stamp, Giving It All Meaning, the large key from With Love, the small key from Honey, I'm Home! and a sentiment from Think Happy Thoughts.

I hope you all have a fun, relaxing and creative weekend! It felt like spring here this past week but tonight we got some snow and it's going to be a freezing cold weekend. We'll be doing some toy shopping and hopefully some baking!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury red cardstock; SU Naturals Ivory & Early Espresso cardstock; Unity Giving It All Meaning, With Love, Honey, I'm Home! & Think Happy Thoughts; SU Crumb Cake ink & Riding Hood Red ink; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Antique Linen distress ink; EK Success 1/2" circle punch; foam tape; DMC red embroidery floss

Dad, Make a Wish

2012-02-08T20:31:00.007-05:00

Wow, I am really behind on my blogging! I have so much to share with you but not enough time. Isn't that a familiar story? ;) Do you remember the card I made in haste for my Mom's birthday last month? I ended up making another one in 30 minutes for my Dad's birthday last week right before they arrived at my house for his birthday lunch. I keep putting myself in these last-minute card making situations. I ought to stop that doing that. It's entirely too stressful, especially since I was the one who had to do the cooking this time! Since my Paper Smooches stamps were sitting out, I threw a bunch of stamps together based on the fact that my Dad loves bright, happy colours and he always asks for salmon steaks to be part of his birthday meal. The fish is from Birthday Buddies, the splash droplets are from Surf & Turf, the sentiment is made up of two sentiments from Word Up and Chit Chat, and the waves are the wind from this month's Eco Friendly release! Since it's a one-layer, I couldn't resist embellishing it with Stickles which I let dry while we enjoyed lunch. My Dad loved the card and said it was really beautiful. :)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Paper Smooches Birthday Buddies, Surf & Turf, Word Up, Chit Chat & Eco Friendly; Memories Tuxedo Black ink; SU Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Real Red & Island Indigo; Copics; Ranger Stickles in Yellow & Turquoise; SU Basic Rhinestones; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper

Great Job!

2012-02-07T09:00:00.004-05:00

This is my second post for the day. If you're looking for my Avocado Arts post, please click HERE or scroll down.

Kim is sharing this card on the Paper Smooches Blog today! It features the mesmerizing chick from Spring Fling and a sentiment from Good Gab, two sets from the February release. That chick is my favourite from this month's release. The little fellow is so cute! His eyes draw me in like a vortex and I can't pull my gaze away. LOL Much like the squirrel from Hang Ups, this chick from Spring Fling can be used for everything. I think you're going to need him! ;) I turned this into a fun graduation card by masking the cap from Sunny Side up in order to keep the little tufts of hair visible. I added the shadow from Vogue Abode and star from Hang Ups. The oversized banner die is by Lil' Inker Designs and the patterned paper is from Echo Park's A Walk in the Park Collection.

To celebrate Paper Smooches' grand CHA releases on March 1st, Kim is giving away a new set every weekday this month on the Paper Smooches Blog. You will want to hop on over there daily for a chance to win one of these incredible new releases! :D

Sources: SU Island Indigo cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park A Walk in the Park Collection; Paper Smooches Spring Fling, Good Gab, Sunny Side Up, Vogue Abode & Hang Ups; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Island Indigo & Summer Sun inks; Copics; Lil' Inker Designs Flags & Tags die; Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

So Sorry for Your Loss

2012-02-07T00:01:00.002-05:00

Today, the following members of the Avocado Arts Pit Crew are inspiring you with more projects made with the February Stamp Set, Wishes and Kind Thoughts:

Emily Branch
---> Emily Leiphart <---

Kelley Eubanks
Savannah O'Gwynn

I'm not sure why I chose to make a sympathy card since they are ones that I typically avoid and hope never to have a reason to make. However, I did want to show another way to use these fabulous stamps. My card uses the long branch shown at the top of the set in the graphic below. I straightened it on my acrylic block and stamped it several times across the card at different heights. Then I allowed the branch to take on different curves for a few branches in the centre. I went way out of my element for this card and enjoyed playing with my new Big Shot and more of the Spellbinders dies my in-laws gave me for Christmas.

There's so much to love with this new set! If you don't already own any Avocado Arts stamps, I guarantee, you will love them. These sets are a steal at $20 each because you will use every single stamp in so many different ways. However, did you know that Avocado Arts has a Club Membership where you can save more than $3 per stamp set? Click HERE to discover all the money-saving, stamp-loving options!

In case you missed the announcement on the Avocado Arts Facebook Page yesterday, here's the new Borders and Sentiments set that will be releasing soon. Talk about love at first sight!

Sources: SU So Saffron cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Avocado Arts Wishes and Kind Thoughts; Tim Holtz for Ranger Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord & Scattered Straw distress inks; Spellbinders Nestabilities Lacey Squares, Classic Squares Large & Ribbon Banners; foam tape

Lil' Inker Designs February Product Spotlight Hop {Day 4}

2012-02-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the final day of the Lil' Inker Designs February Product Spotlight Hop! The following design team members are showcasing Of the Heart and Hamster Cupid today:

Laura Pryor

---> Emily Leiphart <---

Alicia Thelin

Sarah Jay

Lil' Inker Store

For my card, I used the Of the Heart dies and sentiment as the focus accompanied by the curly label die and coordinating stamps from Flags & Tags. I used the patterned labels to stamp on each of the three hearts. I love simple layouts with layers and patterns focused in one spot.

Have a lovely weekend! I'll be in sublication hibernation so this blog will be quiet 'til Tuesday. :)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & white cardstock; SU Night of Navy & Real Red cardstock; Lil' Inker Designs Of the Heart & Flags & Tags; SU Crumb Cake, Night of Navy & Real Red inks; Tim Holtz for Ranger Walnut Stain distress ink; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper; foam tape

Lil' Inker Designs February Product Spotlight Hop {Day 1}

2012-02-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

Lil' Inker Designs is having a product showcase today through Saturday. We invite you to hop along with a few members of the design team each day for more inspiration using the Valentine's Day Bonus Goodies that were released on Friday, January 20th during our January Release festivities! Here's who's inspiring you today:

Laura Pryor

Debby Hughes

---> Emily Leiphart <---

Jen Carter

Teresa Kline

Lil' Inker Store

My card features both the Hamster Cupid and sentiment by 2 Cute Ink holding the arrow die from the Of the Heart dies. I used Echo Park's Holly Jolly Christmas papers to show that they can also be used for a Valentine's themed card. I die cut the arrow twice so I could have enough length to cover the original arrow on the stamp and there are stickles on the hamster's wings. I also used my Lacey Circles nesties for the first time. They were one of several sets of nesties my in-laws gave me for Christmas. I sponged the edges with the die in place before stamping the XOXO sentiment around the entire edge. The loopy red circle could've been a tad smaller so I guess I'll have to add the Standard Circles Small nesties to my wish list. ;)

Please hop along with the following design team members tomorrow and Friday for more inspiration.

{Day 2}

February 2, 2012

{Day 3}

February 3, 2012

Laura Pryor

Debby Hughes

Jen Carter

I will see you again on Saturday for {Day 4} of the February Product Spotlight Hop. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas paper pad; Lil' Inker Designs Hamster Cupid & Of the Heart dies; Memories Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Walnut Stain distress ink; Spellbinders Lacey Circles & Standard Circles Large; Ranger Diamond Stickles; foam tape

Swirling By to Say Hi

2012-01-31T09:00:00.004-05:00

Kim is sharing this card on the Paper Smooches blog today. It features a tornado, wind and sentiment from Eco Friendly which will be available for purchase starting tomorrow! The other circles are bubbles (as dirt) from Surf & Turf and Swanky Snowdudes. I know that none of you would want to see a tornado swirling by to say hi. Well, maybe if it's this cute and small that would be okay, right? LOL Kim's incredible sense of humour shines through in unique images like this one. She's so innovative and you are going to love all that Eco Friendly has to offer. It's such a versatile year-round set! The Licorice and Tangerine baker's twine featured on my card in a Carrick Bend boating knot are also available from Paper Smooches.

As you know, Kim is at CHA and if you haven't already 'liked' Paper Crafts magazine on Facebook, you are missing out on sneak peeks of the newest stamps from Paper Smooches! You are going to love them. Just warn your wallet... and/or your husband. ;)

Sources: SU Calypso Coral & Island Indigo cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white & black cardstock; Paper Smooches Eco Friendly (available February 1st), Surf & Turf & Swanky Snowdudes; SU Island Indigo & Calypso Coral inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Paper Smooches Twine-Licorice & Tangerine; Papertrey Ink medium scalloped border die; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper; foam tape

Skipping Stones Design: Sketch #113

2012-01-31T00:01:00.002-05:00

It's the last Tuesday in January which means this is my last post as a guest designer for Skipping Stones Design. A big thanks goes to Jennifer Ingle for asking me to join the team this month! Working with the amazing SSD stamps and Pamela Young's sketches was a fun challenge for me. It was great getting to know a new stamp company on a more intimate level and I may be a teensy bit more comfortable working with sketches. ;) This week's sketch was definitely the toughest one for me because my cards don't usually involve images extending beyond one corner. LOL My card features three stamp sets: Funny Coffee, Vol. #1, Grunge and Grunge 2. I'm not sure the coffee cup fits into the layout but since most of my friends drink coffee, this made the most sense for a usable card. Although, now that I'm looking at the sketch again, I can imagine an underwater scene or even thought bubbles. Hmmm... so many possibilities!

I hope you'll play along with us this week for a chance to win some fabulous stamps from Skipping Stones Design! I'll be back later today with a post for Paper Smooches. :)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; SU Naturals Ivory cardstock; Skipping Stones Design Funny Coffee, Vol. #1, Grunge & Grunge 2; Tim Holtz for Ranger Dusty Concord, Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, Pumice Stone & Walnut Stain distress inks; EK Success 1/2", 3/4", 1 3/8" circle punches; McGill 1 1/4" circle punch; foam tape

Stamp It! 3 Ways Blog Hop Winner

2012-01-30T12:40:00.004-05:00

Hello, I'm here to announce the lucky winner of my copy of Paper Crafts magazine's Stamp It! 3 Ways:

Congratulations, Barb! Please email me with your mailing address so we can get this fabulous special issue out to you right away.

Thanks so much to all who stopped by during the Stamp It! 3 Ways Blog Hop on Friday. I read all of your lovely comments and appreciate every single one. I hope you will stop by again tomorrow for two posts filled with stampy goodness! Enjoy your day. :)

Paper Smooches Winner Announced!

2012-01-28T09:00:00.003-05:00

Good morning! I'm here to announce my winner from the January Paper Smooches Release Blog Hop on Thursday and that lucky lady is:

Congratulations, Connie! Please email me with your mailing address so we can get Good Gab sent out to you right away.

Thank you all for hopping along with the Paper Smooches design team for this release! See you on the Paper Smooches Blog for inspiration all month long. Have an amazing weekend!!

Paper Crafts magazine Presents: Stamp It! 3 Ways Blog Hop

2012-01-27T06:00:00.017-05:00

Hello and welcome to the Stamp It! 3 Ways Blog Hop! Have you seen the latest must-have special issue from Paper Crafts magazine? It features 40 different stamp sets and 3 unique interpretations for each, helping you to stretch the mileage of those stamps in your stash.

I'm absolutely thrilled to be one of 12 designers featured on today's hop:

Jaclyn Miller
Julie Masse
Laura Williams
Heidi Van Laar
---> Emily Leiphart <---
Mariana Grigsby
Julia Stainton
Sarah Moerman
Karen Baker
Laura O'Donnell
Kelley Eubanks
Kimberly Crawford

One of the stamp sets I had the pleasure of working with for this issue was Hello Friend by Avocado Arts. Shortly after I got the exciting news that I was going to be on the cover of this issue, I was asked to join the Avocado Arts design team. I was ecstatic...still am! My card today once again features the lamp used on the cover card.

This time I used only the base of the lamp to create the balusters for the railing. The tiny orange hearts are from the lamp's on-off chain. No coloured cardstock was used in the making of this card. All I did was take my ink pad and drag it across white cardstock to create the top rail and base of the banister as well as the rust colour on which I stamped the bird and trimmed a border to separate the image from the sentiment. I love that this technique gives the paper a textured look. I hope you've enjoyed this out-of-the-box approach to using the lamp and just how versatile this stamp set can be!

Be sure to leave a comment at Paper Crafts Connection for your chance to win every single stamp set featured in this issue! That's 40 stamp sets!!

Each designer is also giving away a copy of Stamp It! 3 Ways so be sure to leave a comment at each stop along the hop. The comment deadline is Sunday, January 29th at midnight MST. I will announce my winner on Monday, January 30th so be sure to check back then. Thanks so much for hopping by today!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Avocado Arts Hello Friend; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Rusty Hinge & Pumice Stone distress inks; foam tape

January Paper Smooches DT Blog Hop!

2012-01-26T09:00:00.007-05:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches February stamp release with you! The three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on February 1st. You will find them HERE. Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new February stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, January 27th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, January 28th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

Emily Leiphart <--- You are here.
Heidi Van Laar
Kryssi Ng
Laurie Schmidlin
Teri Anderson

To increase your chances of winning:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post
2. Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop
3. Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop
4. Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

My card features one of the sentiments from Good Gab. Isn't it amaaazing? And, yes, it does come with the heart! I inked it in red to make it stand out. I bet you're thinking that this sentiment could be paired up with pretty much all of Kim's adorable animals, right? It's so perfect and so versatile!

The rest of my card features the cat (smitten kitten) from Party Posse who is masked into the chair from Vogue Abode which is also masked into the rug from the same set. And, yes, the cat is wearing a lovely pearl necklace. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Remember to check back here on Saturday to see if you are the lucky winner of Good Gab!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Paper Smooches Good Gab, Party Posse & Vogue Abode; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Real Red & Island Indigo inks; Copics; SU Basic Pearls; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper

It's Your Baa-thday

2012-01-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

Kim is sharing this card on the Paper Smooches Blog today! When I first saw the kicking sheep from Party Posse, I knew I wanted to pair him up with the tiny little sheep from FOLKal Points. Eeek! I just love it when a card makes me giggle while I'm making it. This was one of those cards. First, I cut out the green hills and traced the top of the hill in the very back so I'd know where to stamp the sheep and farmhouse. Then I masked a couple of the smaller sheep in the corner next to the farmhouse (bell tower or clock tower), also from FOLKal Points. After adhering the hills to the card, I stamped one extra small sheep and popped it on with foam tape. The big, woolly sheep was stamped directly on the hill in the foreground, then again on white cardstock, coloured, fussy cut and adhered to the card with foam tape. The sentiment, also from Party Posse, was the last to be stamped.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! See you on Thursday for the Paper Smooches January Release Blog Hop when Kim and the design team sneak the February stamp sets. I'm excited!!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; SU Garden Green & Wild Wasabi cardstock; Paper Smooches Party Posse & FOLKal Points; Memories black ink; Copics; foam tape

Skipping Stones Design: Sketch #112

2012-01-24T00:01:00.011-05:00

It's another Tuesday in January which means a new sketch from Skipping Stones Design! I flipped this sketch upside down and cut up some papers from Echo Park's Times & Seasons collection. After adhering the ledger background and top (or bottom) two strips, I stamped one of the Rustic Tiles a couple of times in black. Then I cut out the piece with the antique camera and used the woodgrain stamp from Grunge to frame it in red. The sentiment and ink splotches in the corner are stamped in navy ink and they are also from the original Grunge stamp set.

I set out to create another masculine birthday card for my stash but I think this card would also be appropriate for a lady who is into deep, rich colours. So what do you think of this week's sketch? I think it would work wonderfully in any direction. I would love to see you will play along with us this week for a chance to win some wonderful stamps from Skipping Stones Design!

Sources: SU Naturals Ivory cardstock; Echo Park Times & Seasons paper pad; Skipping Stones Design Grunge & Rustic Tiles; Memories Black ink; SU Cherry Cobbler & Night of Navy inks; Tim Holtz for Ranger Walnut Stain distress ink

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-01-22T00:01:00.007-05:00

Today, the Avocado Arts Pit Crew newbies are sharing projects made with the January Stamp Set: Sweet Treat Sweetie. Visit the following blogs to be inspired!

Emily Branch
---> Emily Leiphart <---
Kelley Eubanks
Savannah O'Gwynn

I used the XOXO background stamp to create the border around the window. I used Post-It Notes to mask off the edges and then stamped at an angle for visual interest.

Then I used my trimmer to cut out the window. The heart with arrow and sentiment, created by combining two different sentiment stamps, were added before attaching the pink panel with foam tape.

Thank you for stopping by today! Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Stay warm!

Sources: SU Real Red & Melon Mambo cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Avocado Arts Sweet Treat Sweetie; SU Real Red ink; Memories black ink; foam tape

Lil' Inker Designs January Release Blog Hop {Day 5} + Bonus Valentine's Release

2012-01-20T00:01:00.012-05:00

Welcome to {Day 5} of the Lil' Inker Designs January Release Blog Hop! Laura is doing a re-cap of the week's projects and releases on her blog as well as introducing the surprise bonus release featuring Of the Heart dies and sentiment stamps and 2 Cute Ink's Hamster Cupid.

My first card features the Hamster Cupid on Broadway. He's performing in a show called XOXO, complete with a flashy sign made with the Flags & Tags stamps and a glittery outfit. LOL This little guy is smaller than Sweet Bee and Cutie Cat so his mini size makes him easier to colour, or paper piece like I did here, and perfect for smaller card layouts like this one.

My second card features the new Of the Heart dies as a cloud of love at the bottom of the larger Rainbow & Clouds dies. When I came up with the concept of organizing the die cut - yes, perforated - hearts into a cloud shape, I never imagined it would take me so many attempts but I was finally able to get it grouped just right. One more pattern of pink may have made it slightly easier but this is a design I could use for my husband or even a close friend.

Check out the bonus release with the following design team members:

Laura Pryor
---> Emily Leiphart <---
Alicia Thelin
Teresa Kline
Jen Carter
Amy Kolling
Lil' Inker Store

Remember, if you comment on every designer's blog each day this week, you have 36 chances of winning a $10 gift certificate to the Lil' Inker Store or both Sweet Bee and Cutie Cat stamp sets!

Thank you so much for stopping by this week to enjoy this mega release with Lil' Inker Designs. I know you will have a great time playing with these new goodies!

Sources for XOXO: SU Real Red, Naturals White, Pool Party, Pink Pirouette & So Saffron cardstock; Lil' Inker Designs + 2 Cute Ink Hamster Cupid; Lil' Inker Designs Flags & Tags stamp set; Memories black ink; SU Pool Party ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Tattered Rose & Antique Linen distress inks; Ranger Stickles in Xmas Red & Yellow; foam tape

Sources for Love Ya: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Life is Good Collection; Lil' Inker Designs Of the Heart dies & stamps and Rainbows & Clouds dies; Memories black ink; foam tape; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper

Lil' Inker Designs January Release Blog Hop {Day 4}

2012-01-19T00:01:00.007-05:00

Welcome to Day 4 of Lil' Inker Designs' January Release! If you've come from Teresa Kline's blog, you are on the right track. If this is your first stop, you will want to start at Laura's blog every day this week so you don't miss a thing. Be sure to leave comments on every designer's blog each day this week for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Lil' Inker Store or the 2 Cute Ink sets being released this week!

Yesterday, I showcased Sweet Bee so today it's Cutie Cat's day to shine. I decided to take a break from colouring with Copic markers and broke out the watercolour pencils. I used a light hand because I'm not very good with them and I was blotting a lot because too much water kept coming out of my water brush. I think Cutie Cat still looks adorable though! The double-ended banner die with a heat embossed sentiment was threaded over the cat's tail and behind its body. I made a soft little quilt out of felt for the background which I think adds to the soft and cuddly feel of this card.

Tomorrow is re-cap Friday but Lil' Inker Designs is also releasing two bonus sets for Valentine's Day and you are going to love them! Now head on over to Ariana Grant's blog for more inspiration!

Sources: SU Basic Gray, Naturals White & Rich Razzleberry cardstock; Hero Arts felt bright white watercolor paper; Lil' Inker Designs Cutie Cat; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Whisper White pigment ink; Derwent Inktense watersoluble ink pencils; Koi water brush; Felt on the Fly 100% wool felt in Baby Yellow, Light Green, Yellow Green & Aquamarine; Spellbinders Nestabilities Lacey Squares; Gutermann white thread; Lil' Inker Designs Flags & Tags die; PSX Snowflake embossing tinsel; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper; foam tape

Lil' Inker Designs January Release Blog Hop {Day 3}

2012-01-18T00:01:00.004-05:00

Welcome to {Day 3} of the Lil' Inker Designs January Release Blog Hop! If you've arrived from Teresa Kline's blog, you are on the right track. If not, you will want to start at Laura's blog so you don't miss a thing. I hope you've enjoyed what the design team has shared so far this week. The first two days of the hop showcased the new Flags & Tags dies and stamp set. Today, the entire design team has created projects using one of two 2 Cute Ink releases: Sweet Bee and Cutie Cat. I've made a card using Sweet Bee, a set that is perfect for Valentine's Day and any lovey-dovey occasion that comes your way!

To make my card, I cut strips of increasing widths of natural ivory and white cardstock. Then I staggered the heights, trimmed off the bottom edge and adhered it to textured black cardstock. I die cut the Curly Label Tag from pink cardstock and the grass using the Fringe Flower die and glitter green cardstock. Both pieces were trimmed and adhered to the card after the bee and sentiment were stamped. I rounded some of the corners and adhered the front panel to the card with foam tape. The Licorice baker's twine is from Paper Smooches.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Don't forget to comment on all the designers' blogs each day this week to increase your chances of winning a $10 gift certificate or the two new stamp sets from 2 Cute Ink. I will see you here again tomorrow for {Day 4} of the Lil' Inker Designs January Release Blog Hop. I'm now sending you over to shop at the Lil' Inker Store. ;)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; SU Naturals Ivory & Naturals White cardstock; AC textured black cardstock; SU Melon Mambo cardstock; DCWV green glitter cardstock; Lil' Inker Designs + 2 Cute Ink Sweet Bee; Memories black ink; SU Melon Mambo ink; Lil' Inker Designs Flags & Tags die & Fringe Flower die; Paper Smooches Licorice baker's twine; SU Basic Pearl; pink Copic marker; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper; foam tape

Miss You

2012-01-17T09:00:00.009-05:00

Kim is sharing this card on the Paper Smooches Blog today! It uses the office (swivel) chair, bottle (vase) and a sentiment from Vogue Abode. When I first saw the chair, I immediately thought of it being the back of the chair but its versatility allows it to work both ways! The 'person' sitting in the chair is the squirrel from Hang Ups. One of the vases from Vogue Abode was the perfect size as a bottle. When my husband saw the card, he burst out laughing and said, "That's great! That's totally what I would do if I missed you." LOL The shadows are from Hot Concoctions and they are masked on to the card. The heart and Xs (stitches as hugs) are from FOLKal Points and the bubbles are from Surf & Turf. When I made this card, I came to the realization that the squirrel is the most useful critter ever. He fits into all my card schemes and therefore I've deemed him a necessity. If you don't already own Hang Ups, do you think you need it now? ;)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Life is Good paper pad; Paper Smooches Vogue Abode, Hang Ups, FOLKal Points, Surf & Turf & Hot Concoctions; SU Melon Mambo; Tim Holtz for Ranger Worn Lipstick, Scattered Straw & Shabby Shutters; distress inks; Memories black ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; foam tape

Skipping Stones Design: Sketch #111 + a Sale!

2012-01-17T00:01:00.006-05:00

It's time for Skipping Stones Design Sketch #111! This week's sketch was a little easier for me because I had fun interpreting those circles and putting my own little spin on it. Instead of repeating the same image across the card, I used the coffee ring stamp from Funny Coffee, Vol. #1 and stamped it across the countertop which I created using the splatter background stamp from the newly-released Grunge Two set. The saucer and the coffee cup represent the last two circles on the sketch. The rest is straight forward. I hope you will play along with this fun sketch this week for a chance to win stamps from Skipping Stones Design!

Before you leave, I want to let you know that Skipping Stones Design is having a Purchase More Stamps (PMS) sale. I know, the acronym is hilarious but it might make you buy more stamps and you'll even have an explanation for the hubby. LOL The sale runs now through Sunday, January 22nd at midnight.

Check out all the details HERE!

The more you buy, the more you save.
Buy 1 set and save 5%. Enter PMS1 at checkout.
Buy 2 sets and save 10%. Enter PMS2 at checkout.
Buy 3 sets and save 15%. Enter PMS3 at checkout.
Buy 4 sets and save 20%. Enter PMS4 at checkout.
Buy 5 sets and save 25%. Enter PMS5 at checkout.
Buy 6 sets OR MORE and SAVE 30% on every set you buy - no limit!!! Enter PMS6 at checkout.

Shop HERE. :)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride mini deck; Skipping Stones Design Funny Coffee, Vol. #1 & Grunge Two; Memories black ink; Hero Arts iris chalk ink; foam tape

Lil' Inker Designs January Release Blog Hop {Day 1}

2012-01-16T00:01:00.011-05:00

Welcome to Day 1 of Lil' Inker Designs' January Release! If you've come from Laura Pryor's blog, you are on the right track. If this is your first stop, you will want to start at Laura's blog every day this week so you don't miss a thing. Be sure to leave comments on every designer's blog each day this week for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Lil' Inker Store or the 2 Cute Ink sets being released this week!

Today, half the design team is featuring the first release of the week, Flags & Tags. This set comes complete with three dies and 21 stamps. It is beautiful and incredibly versatile! There are five background and outline stamps plus little flourish images and a multitude of sentiments for every occasion imaginable. This set is a must-have for your paper crafting projects.

I made a birthday card in my favourite 6½" x 3¼" size using two of the dies from Flags & Tags plus the clouds dies from Rainbows & Clouds. On the sentiment label, I double-stamped the diamond mesh background in yellow and the solid outline in pink. I love having layering options with these stamps! After die cutting the oversized flag die, I added some staple accents and adhered all the layers to the card. As you can see, the possibilities with the Flags & Tags dies and stamp set are endless. Just click on the image to purchase!

Now head on over to my talented friend Jen Carter's blog where she has several fun projects to share with you!

Sources: SU Naturals White cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Bella BLVD Bookin' on the Beach & Magic in the Sky; Lil' Inker Designs Flags & Tags Dies and Stamp Set, Clouds & Rainbows Dies; SU Mambo Melon, Summer Sun & Old Olive inks; Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher & staples; foam tape

You're My Cup of Tea

2012-01-15T00:01:00.003-05:00

Today, the entire Avocado Arts Pit Crew has a load of inspiration to share with you! We've all made cards featuring the January Stamp Set: Sweet Treat Sweetie with sneak peeks of the upcoming February Stamp Set: Wishes & Kind Thoughts. Some of the sneaks are well-hidden, like on my card, and others are pretty obvious. You'll have to have a look for yourself! Check out all these amazing blogs and let me know what you think is my sneak peek:

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Becky Oehlers
Emily Branch
---> Emily Leiphart <---
Julia Stainton
Kelley Eubanks
Kimberly Crawford
Latisha Yoast
Savannah O'Gwynn

I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend! It's freezing here but we are still skating and playing in the snow, trying to make the best of winter and staying active. :)

Sources: Bazzill Basics textured yellow cardstock; SU Melon Mambo, Pink Piroutte & So Saffron cardstock; Echo Park Dots & Stripes Candy Shoppe paper pad; Avocado Arts Sweet Treat Sweetie & Wishes & Kind Thoughts; Memories Black ink; SU Melon Mambo ink; Ranger Stickles yellow; foam tape

Beep Beep!

2012-01-14T00:17:00.004-05:00

This is the birthday card I made for my nephew for his first birthday this past week. I was fortunate to spend extra time with my sister and her family the previous week when my Dad was hospitalized and they came up to see him. Fortunately, everything turned out okay and we were all able to celebrate my Mom's birthday together. I've gotten addicted to WOW Toys lately and ended up getting my nephew the fire engine and the farmer. My sister said she really liked this card and she doesn't usually express that about my cards so I felt good about it. I know she appreciates my cards but I was excited that this one was extra special to her. In fact, I really like it myself. LOL

Tomorrow, the entire Avocado Arts Pit Crew will be showcasing the January Stamp Set: Sweet Treat Sweetie combined with sneak peeks of the February Stamp Set: Wishes and Kind Thoughts. You don't want to miss it! ;)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & white cardstock; Papertrey Ink Boy Basics: Truckin' It & Top Ten; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; foam tape

Christmas Cards from Friends

2012-01-12T16:51:00.018-05:00

It's time to share all the cards I've received in the past two months. Seeing them all lined up on my mantel makes me happy so I'm going to leave them up for a couple more weeks, at least until the Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day cards starting rolling in! In alphabetical order by first name:

***

This beautiful, elegant card is from Angela Hathikhanavala! I love the dark moss green and the deep reds on this, as well as the touch of burlap string and mini wooden house.

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I love the amazing colours and textures on this card from Brenda Urbanik! The clear embossed background is perfect and the touch of ribbon is so cute.

***

I've gotten to know Kelley Eubanks really well in a short time and I'm so happy that our paths crossed! I love this clean and simple card in her signature style.

***

Grace Lin is the best Stampin' Up Demonstrator ever. If you're in the Greater Toronto Area or surrounding areas and looking for great service, gifts and even free shipping on occasion, Grace is your gal!

***

Isha Gupta is relatively new to blogging and brimming with talent! I just love the blues and sparkle on this stunning card.

***

I fell in love with Karen Dunbrook's work on Splitcoaststampers the moment I laid eyes on her gallery. This is just one example of her amazing clean and simple style!

***

Karen Quigley doesn't have a blog but this card makes me wish she did. I love her stitching and use of metal here. Thank you for always leaving the sweetest comments, Karen!

***

Lai Yoke's card is so much fun! I love the way she used snowflakes to create a snowman and the non-traditional purple makes this card a real eye-catcher.

***

I love this fun card from Lexy with an aerial view of a snowman! I love the bright colours combined with kraft.

***

I always swoon over Lindsey's heat embossed cards. I apologize for the shadows but it was hard to photograph two cards and still show the embossing. Lindsey not only sent me a card but she made a penguin one especially for my son! The shiny bits you see peeking out of the bottom of the card are the penguin stickers she included for my little man. He immediately plastered the inside of her card with them. LOL

***

I wonder if Lisa Alonzo and Brenda Urbanik were crafting together when they made their holiday cards. ;) I love all the detail on Lisa's card. The embossed music background and shine on this card are amazing.

***

You all know how much I admire Lisa Arana's work! Stay tuned for our first anniversary of Take Two in March. You don't want to miss it!

***

I adore Lynn Mangan's style and I love the stories she shares on her blog. This card is simply fabulous!

***

This stunning card from Meg Craig features a panda, shimmer paper and her Silhouette skills. Hello, perfection. Love!

***

Wendy ten Hove's card is adorable, just like her personality! She is one of the kindest, most enthusiastic and generous ladies I have met in blogland. This card featuring Paper Smooches is so perfect for me given that I'm a Rat in the Chinese Zodiac!

***

Thank you so much for taking the time to make these beauties and send them to me along with the generous gifts! I hope you've enjoyed seeing them all together here on my blog. If these artists are new to you, I'd recommend that you visit their blogs and say hello! :)

Warm & Fuzzy Birthday Wishes

2012-01-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

In yesterday's post, I mentioned the versatility of Helping Hands by Paper Smooches and here's another example. When this idea popped into my head, I just had to make the card. I think it looks much better in person than I can photograph it. I hope you can see the idea I was trying to convey. When you have a little pet like a hamster, from Party Posse, you hold it in the palms of your hands, right? My first pet was a Teddy Bear hamster named Dumpling. Oh, the memories this stamp brings back. LOL I shaded lines on the hands and curled up the fingers to create as much realism as possible. When the paper was curled, it created tiny little creases which I think adds to the authenticity of the hands. At least I hope it does. I know I don't normally use this much patterned paper or so many layers on one card but I couldn't stop the idea from coming out of my head and forcing me to make this silly card. It just happened. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, right? I blame the hamster because he's bad. ;)

Sources: SU Naturals White & Melon Mambo cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Life is Good Collection; Paper Smooches Party Posse & Helping Hands; Memories black ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large; May Arts natural burlap string; foam tape

Can I Give You a Hand?

2012-01-10T09:00:00.011-05:00

This is my second post of the day. If you are looking for the Skipping Stones Design Blog Hop and Release, please CLICK HERE or scroll down.

Kim is sharing this card on the Paper Smooches blog today! It uses the thumbs-up hand and a sentiment from the just-released Helping Hands set. A while ago, I dreamt of a hand set and when Kim came out with one I was ecstatic! There are so many fun things you can do with these hands. They work for all occasions: baby, wedding, love, friendship, tween, teen, masculine, sympathy, etc. That pretty much covers everything, right?

To make this card, I stamped, coloured and fussy cut two of the thumbs-up hands. I also cut around the fingers so I could wrap twine around the hands to make them look life-like, as if they were really holding on to rope which is perfect for the sentiment. This would be a great card to send to a friend in distress and we all know that happens once in a while!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury black & white cardstock; AC textured green cardstock; Paper Smooches Helping Hands; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; The Twinery Peapod baker's twine; foam tape

Skipping Stones Design Blog Hop + Sketch #110 {Jan 10th}

2012-01-10T08:00:00.012-05:00

Welcome to Sketch Challenge #110 and the release of Grunge Two! If you just came from Stephanie's blog, you are in the right place. If you just happened along my blog today, start at the beginning of the hop at Skipping Stones Design. Aside from myself, this month's Guest Designers are Candice Fields and Julie Day. Pamela Young is providing all the fabulous sketch inspiration this month including the sketch we're using in today's hop.

As you can see, I took my liberties with this sketch but I hope you can see the different elements in it. The card is a one-layer and I used quite a bit of masking. The yellow splattered background is the largest square, the green and blue frame is the smaller square in the centre and the chevrons are the band in between the two squares. The other splatter sections are just background material and, of course, the sentiment is obvious. Grunge Two is a fantastic set and it's going to get a lot of use from me!

Thank you for stopping by! Now it's time to head over to Taylor's blog for more Skipping Stones Design inspiration.

Jingle
Joann Valderama
Pamela Young
Karen Baker
Katie Gehring
Candice Fields
Shannon Teubner
Stephanie Mino
---> Emily Leiphart <---
Taylor Usry
Wendy Price
Julie Day

Be sure to hop along and leave comments on all the fabulous designers' blogs. Jingle will be giving away a free stamp set of her choice!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Skipping Stones Design Grunge Two; SU Old Olive, Pool Party & Summer Sun inks; Memories black ink; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper

It's a Family Affair

2012-01-08T21:20:00.006-05:00

My head hurts at the moment because I got sick a couple days ago and haven't been able to catch up on sleep yet. There's still so much to do to clean up after the holidays. Hopefully I can get some me time soon. January is already speeding by so it's time to share the holiday card I made for my son, the ones that he made for us and the one that my husband made for me!

You knew it would feature a penguin, right? ;) I inked up Penguin Love for the first time and made this one-layer card for the little guy. He has a habit of wanting to rip off any pieces that are added to a card so I masked everything and made a sweet little Arctic (or Antarctic) scene for him. I coloured only the penguin and his Christmas tree to make them pop, shaded some of the grey areas, and added some Stickles to the snow(flakes) and tree. His reaction? He stared at it for a bit and then said, "Wow, that (is) really beautiful, Mommy," threw it on the ground and moved on to something else. LOL I had to pick it up and ask him what was on it. He said, "One pinguini, his Christmas tree and two igloos!" It's now displayed proudly amongst his toys and he looks at it occasionally.

Before our house guests arrived, I asked the little guy if he wanted to make some Christmas cards for anyone. He replied, "Ya, one for you and one for Baba! Let's go make them now!" I love his enthusiasm for stamping. LOL I showed him all the penguin stamp sets and asked him which ones he wanted to use. He picked them and then I showed him cardstock colours, ink colours and he chose everything you see on these cards! He purposely stamped the two cards a little differently. He even doodled inside with a pen and pretended to write messages to me and my husband. It was all very cute. My husband has his on his desk at work and mine is in the kitchen. :)

If you seen the other cards my husband has made for me, you will remember that he likes to look through my stamps and stash of cards for ideas. Sometimes he remembers certain cards I've made made and will ask me how I made them. I think it's hilarious, especially when I see the result of his questions! I'm sure you can guess what he based this card on. I'm amazed at the way he outlined the sweater and paper pieced it! :O

Hopefully I can find some time this week to share all the Christmas RAKs (or CRAKs) that I received! They went on my mantel as soon as they arrived and I've been admiring them ever since. Thank you to all of you who sent cards over the holiday season!

Sources for my card: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; There She Goes Penguin Love; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Ranger Diamond & Xmas Red Stickles

Sources for Little D's cards: SU Garden Green cardstock; DCWV glitter cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; There She Goes Penguin Love; The Stamps of Life penguins4Christmas; SU Riding Hood Red ink

Sources for Hubby's card: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; SU textured Crumb Cake cardstock; Hero Arts+Sizzix Holiday Cheer; Unity itty bitty Tinsel in a Tangle; Memories Black ink; Memento Tuxedo Black & Lady Bug Dual Markers; Divine Twine holiday twine; foam tape

I Love You This Much

2012-01-07T00:01:00.004-05:00

This is my first official share as part of the Avocado Arts design team! Today, I - along with the other new additions to the Pit Crew: Emily Branch, Kelley Eubanks and Savannah O'Gwynn - am sharing a project using the January 2012 stamp set, Sweet Treat Sweetie. This set is classic, perfect for birthdays and love-themed cards, and will serve as a builder set for upcoming releases!

For my card, I masked the thermometer into the jar, traced the jar with a grey Copic marker, stamped the sentiment in two colours, then stamped three small hearts on the edges. I love how easy it is to use these stamps. I'm still pinching myself that Lisa Hetrick and Michelle Ogdahl asked me to join the Pit Crew! I was a huge fan of Lisa's when she was an Unity Artista and now I feel so lucky to be designing for her own line of stamps. I think you will become addicted to Avocado Arts as quickly as I have. ;)

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury black and white cardstock; Avocado Arts January 2012: Sweet Treat Sweetie; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Riding Hood Red ink; Copics

For You, Mom

2012-01-05T20:50:00.015-05:00

I've just had the most stressful week! My house guests left on Saturday after 11 days and I was hoping to have some time to clean the house and relax. On Monday, when my father was admitted to hospital with heavy gastro-intestinal bleeding, we feared the worst. Due to his liver condition, he can't have any kind of surgery, even for his hernia. On Tuesday night, after some tears over the phone, my sister made the decision to drive up with her family so she could see him if he had to have surgery. Yesterday afternoon, after a colonoscopy, the doctors deemed it was an infection and flare up of another condition that was operated on years ago. After a blood transfusion and antibiotics, all is well and my father was able to go home this morning. My sister asked me not to tell my parents she was coming so they were surprised and, hopefully, delighted.

Today was a good day since it was my mother's birthday! It's been almost 20 years since the entire family has been together on my mother's birthday. I ran out to get a cake from Dufflets and she shockingly loved it. My mother doesn't appreciate gifts in general but she's been on a 90% cocoa kick lately so I picked a dark chocolate truffle cake and her reaction was, "Wow, this is good! It's pure chocolate!" She even asked me to leave the cake! Those of you familiar with this story would totally understand. LOL When my mother made her wish, my sister had to remind her not to say it out loud because she was about to. I think we all know what she wished for!

Anyway, I had about 30 minutes to design, assemble and photograph this card before my husband came home and we had to leave to head over to my parents' house to celebrate! Figures I would want to use my new Mini Rolled Roses die for the first time and not be able to figure out how to use them for 10 whole minutes. I kind of just threw these colours together using whatever scraps were next to my paper trimmer, hoping they would look good together. It was pure luck. Then my camera wouldn't cooperate so it doesn't even look like the edges of the card are straight! Needless to say, I started panicking and sweating. That doesn't happen too often when I'm crafting! :P

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white & kraft cardstock; SU Garden Green & Pool Party cardstock; Paper Smooches Word Up; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Antique Linen & Walnut Stain distress inks; MFT Die-namics Layered Label Die & Mini Rolled Roses; Felt on the Fly red & marigold 100% merino wool felt; SU Basic Pearls & Basic Rhinestones; May Arts brown burlap string; foam tape

Squeal

2012-01-03T09:00:00.016-05:00

Kim is sharing this card on the Paper Smooches blog today! It uses the hamster and a sentiment from the just-released Party Posse stamp set. I'm sure I squealed at least a dozen times while making this card. Even my husband who walked by while I was making, editing and blogging this card, shook his head and said, "Bad..." Since we're a silly bunch, bad means ridiculously cute! LOL

I coloured the hamster with Copic markers, fussy cut and adhered him to the card after stamping the shadow from Vogue Abode. The paper pieced bees are from Perky Plants. Either the hamster is squealing over his own adorable-ness or he's squealing because the bees have come to see how cute he is. If you click on the close-up photos, you can see the tiny whites of the hamster's eyes which is how Kim designed him! Eeek!!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & white cardstock; SU So Saffron & Pink Pirouette; Echo Park For the Record paper pad; Echo Park Dots & Stripes Candy Shoppe paper pads; Paper Smooches Party Posse, Vogue Abode & Perky Plants; Memories Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Pumice Stone distress ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; MFT Die-namics Say What?; Gutermann white thread; foam tape

Skipping Stones Design: Sketch #109

2012-01-03T00:01:00.004-05:00

It's the first Skipping Stones Design sketch of the year! If you've been following my blog for some time, you will know that I rarely use sketches so when Jennifer Ingle asked me to guest design for Skipping Stones Design this month, I knew I was personally going to be challenged. After all, it's a New Year and I could make some improvements. The ability to look at a sketch and know what I'm going to do is one of them. LOL It took me three attempts before I was satisfied with this card. I rotated this sketch 90 degrees to the right and used Funny Coffee, Vol. #1. Any one of my coffee-loving friends would appreciate this card so it will be going in my stash for that perfect pick-me-up! ;)

I hope you will play along with this fun sketch this week. Imagine all the things you could do with those stripes!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & ivory cardstock; AC textured red & orange cardstock; Paper Reflections yellow cardstock; Bazzill Basics textured yellow cardstock; SU Whisper White cardstock; Skipping Stones Design Funny Coffee, Vol. #1; Memories black ink; May Arts bittersweet burlap string

Skipping Stones Design: January Guest Designer

2012-01-02T10:00:00.001-05:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm guest designing for Skipping Stones Design this month! Every Tuesday for the month of January, I will be designing a card using the featured sketch and SSD stamps. For more information and a mini introduction, please visit the Skipping Stones Design Blog.

Today's card is one I made when my package finally made its way to me after a little detour. There was an address mix up and it ended up at the wrong house on the wrong street. Luckily for me, the lady who got my package did her homework and figured out where it belonged. I made this card for her to express my gratitude. I used the woodgrain background from Grunge for the tabletop and paper pieced the mug from Funny Coffee, Vol. #1 using Echo Park papers. The sentiment is from the same set and the steam was drawn with Diamond Stickles. I lightly sponged the top of the lid and the very base of the cup.

See you tomorrow for the first sketch of the month!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Life is Good paper pad; Skipping Stones Design Grunge & Funny Coffee, Vol. #1; Memories black ink; SU Tempting Turquoise; Tim Holtz for Ranger Antique Linen & Walnut Stain distress inks; Ranger Diamond Stickles; foam tape

New Year, New You

2012-01-01T00:15:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!!! This card didn't turned out exactly like I dreamt it in my head but I wanted to make a special card for today. The sentiment is from Take Your Time and Advent was on my wish list for an entire year! I'm happy to finally have it so I had to ink it up. I've never been one to make New Year's Resolutions but I know I need to get more sleep. LOL I prefer to reflect on the past year, to remember as much as possible in detail, and I'm extremely grateful for so many wonderful things both in my personal life and also here in crafty land. In 2011, I started getting published in June and then went through a lot of design team changes. I am thrilled to be where I am today. I am very thankful for all of you because it was your support through amazing opportunities, encouraging comments, private emails and mailed packages that buoyed me and helped me soar! I do hope that I have done even a bit of that for you, too. I wish you all happiness, love, success and, most importantly, good health for 2012 and beyond!

Stay tuned, it is going to be a busy, busy month here on the blog. ;)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Unity November 2011 Kit of the Month - Take Your Time; Unity+Donna Downey Advent; Memories black ink; Hero Arts Punch, Poppy, Grass, Cerulean & Iris chalk inks; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper

Paper Smooches Winner Announced!

2011-12-31T09:00:00.002-05:00

Woohoo! My Paper Smooches package arrived yesterday and I whipped up this card using Vogue Abode to tempt your wallet out of hiding tomorrow when all three new releases will be available for purchase! ;) Random.org has selected the lucky winner as:

Congratulations, Karen! Please email me with your mailing address so we can get Vogue Abode sent out to you right away.

Thank you all for hopping along with the Paper Smooches design team for this release! See you on the Paper Smooches Blog for inspiration all month long. Have an amazing New Year's Eve and Happy New Year!!

Sources: SU Naturals White cardstock; Echo Park For the Record paper pad; Paper Smooches Vogue Abode; Memories black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Mustard Seed distress ink; SU Crumb Cake ink; Papertrey Ink medium scalloped border die; May Arts natural burlap string

Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge {Dec 29th - Jan 11th}

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

A new Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge began yesterday! I love not only the words but also the fact that they are in rainbow colours. This inspiration photo is simply beautiful. I was inspired by the rainbow effect and the encouraging words. For my card, I used the two faces and a sentiment from Wake Up.

This Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge runs until January 11th so I hope you will play along with us! As always, there are fabulous stamps to be won and, if you don't have any Paper Smooches stamps yet, there is a holiday promotion going on HERE for only two more days, or you can grab the free digis that Kim offers every month. I look forward to seeing how this photo inspires you as we head into the New Year!

I'm sure you know by now that this is my last post for the SPARKS Challenge design team. I will see you on the Paper Smooches blog as a design team member there. I am so excited!! Thank you for all your sweet, congratulatory wishes!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; SU Island Indigo, Tempting Turquoise, Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Tangerine Tango & Real Red cardstock; Paper Smooches Wake Up; Memories black ink; Lil' Inker Designs Rainbows & Clouds dies; foam tape

December Paper Smooches DT Blog Hop!

2011-12-29T09:00:00.013-05:00

I'm super excited to be participating in my first blog hop with the Paper Smooches design team! It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches January stamp release with you! The three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on January 1st. You will find them HERE. Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new January stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, December 30th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, December 31st to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

Emily Leiphart <--- You are here.
Heidi Van Laar
Kryssi Ng
Laurie Schmidlin
Teri Anderson

To increase your chances of winning:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post
2. Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop
3. Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop
4. Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

Unfortunately, my stamps didn't arrive in time for me to show you something with the brand new Vogue Abode set but here's a little teaser.

Oooohh, I know, eh? And, of course, I couldn't let you go without showing you a Paper Smooches card, even if it doesn't use the new stamps. This one uses Santa Paws and features a fun post-holiday word from Santa. If you didn't get Paper Smooches stamps in your stocking, you should definitely treat yourself on January 1st. ;)

This Santa is completely paper-pieced and the white parts were shaded with Copic markers. The skin colour is patterned paper. The brim of his hat, eyes/glasses and beard were all fussy cut/X-acto'd in one piece and adhered as the top layer.

Remember to check back here on Saturday to see if you are the lucky winner of Vogue Abode!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury black and white cardstock; Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas paper pad; Paper Smooches Santa Paws; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Memories black ink; Copics; Gutermann grey thread

Happy New Year

2011-12-28T23:15:00.003-05:00

As hard as I try to remember everyone at Christmastime, and I sent out more than 60 handmade cards this year, there are always a handful of cards that show up unexpected. If I were to return the favour, a Christmas card would no longer seem appropriate so a New Year's card is the next best thing! The best part is it can arrive any time after New Year's Day, within reason, and not seem silly.

I'm playing with some new things I got before Christmas and didn't have a chance to play with 'til now. I was so excited when Unity included a 'Happy New Year' sentiment in the November 2011 KOM because they are rare (there's one other in Greetings of Christmas) and they are also perfect for Chinese New Year celebrations (Year of the Dragon begins on January 23, 2012). This particular sentiment is from Take Your Time and I used the must-have skyline border die from My Favorite Things. Imagine all the fun you could have with those tiny windows! I left them all unpunched this time to make it easy on myself. I made a half-dozen of these just in case. ;)

Sources: SU Pool Party, Island Indigo & So Saffron cardstock; Unity November 2011 Kit of the Month - Take Your Time; Memories black ink; MFT Die-namics Skyline Border; SU Basic Rhinestones

A Super Fun Birthday

2011-12-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

Some of my new Hero Arts stamps arrived on Christmas Eve but I couldn't play with them 'til last night after some of our house guests left. They were staying in my craft room so I couldn't craft late at night like I love to do. You can only imagine how I felt! LOL I had to whip up a quick birthday card for a friend of mine who has a birthday on the second day of the year. This sentiment from Good Friends is perfect for him because he has an eight-month-old daughter, rides a motorcycle and races boats. 'Super fun', eh? ;) I used the Newspaper Skyline on the card base. This stamp had to come live with me! The dies were a Christmas gift from my brother-in-law and nephew, and the papers were one of many gifts from Angela. Thank you!! I also love that I finally have a tiny attacher. It felt so good to play with new craft supplies! I hope you're all finding a bit of time to wind down, too. :)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; My Mind's Eye Away We Go paper pad; Hero Arts Good Friends & Newspaper Skyline; Memories black ink; Hero Arts poppy chalk ink; MFT Die-namics Layered Label Die; Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher & staples; foam tape

Merry Christmas + A Winner!

2011-12-25T14:30:00.002-05:00

I'm just popping in quickly to say Merry Christmas to you all! It's been supremely chaotic in my house and that's all I'll say for now. LOL I wanted to share a card I made a couple of days ago for my brother-in-law and his eight-year-old son. It turns out my nephew also loves penguins, plus he skis! I hadn't inked up any of the stamps from Pain and Pride or Take Your Time and I was happy to have a reason to. In fact, there couldn't be a more perfect stamp for him except if it's sports-related but this one is much more festive. ;)

Also, I'm here to announce the winner of my holiday giveaway from THIS post. Random.org has chosen the following winner:

Congratulations, Caroline! Please email me with your mailing address by 11:59pm on December 31, 2011 and I will ship out your stamps. If I do not hear from you by New Year's Day, I will draw another winner.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are all enjoying the wonder of the season and the hustle and bustle of festivities with family and friends.

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & white cardstock; Unity November 2011 Kit of the Month - Take Your Time; Ippity Pain and Pride; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Hero Arts snow chalk ink; Copics; foam tape

Season's Greetings

2011-12-22T22:40:00.006-05:00

This is my last design team post for Jane's Doodles. :( It's never easy to leave a team and I would stay with all my teams forever if I could. Jane and Judith have been so sweet and when they invited me to join the team, I was very honoured. I'm so appreciative of what they've given me and I will miss designing for them. I know they will continue to impress you with their future releases!

For this card, which I designed for my parents, I used Vintage Christmas. The outline poinsettia was stamped and heat embossed twice, fussy cut and adhered together. Then I die cut the banners and stamped the sentiment in two parts. After determining the placement of all three pieces, I used the three tiny snowflakes to stamp a partial background and adhered everything on to the card base. Once I finished the card, I added some rhinestones and burlap string.

I hope you're all having a great time with holiday preparations! We are having the best time with my brother-in-law and eight-year-old nephew. They both think our little man is loud, which he is, but it's so cute to see my nephew patting my son on the head and looking at him with such sweetness! Considering the fact that they only met each other last night, they are getting along really well. :)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & white cardstock; SU Real Red cardstock; Jane's Doodles Vintage Christmas; SU Whisper White pigment ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Hero Arts Snow chalk ink; PSX Snowflake embossing tinsel; PTI Double-Ended Banner dies; May Arts forest burlap string; SU Basic Rhinestones

Let's Hang Out

2011-12-21T01:00:00.000-05:00

Not only do I make Christmas cards at this time of year, I also make New Year's and friendship cards. There are always friends that I haven't seen in ages and would love to get together with in the New Year so I sent them a card like this one which features Paper Smooches stamps. The sentiment and branches are from Hang Ups and the owl is from My Peeps. I love how the lines are so clean yet there are so many details and you can colour this cutie or paper piece him/her in so many different colour combinations. And I've used the word 'so' three times in that sentence. LOL I hand-cut a parallelogram shape for the base of the swing and hung it from the branches with burlap string. The branches are only adhered to the card at the outermost ends.

I just wanted to remind you all that there is a holiday-themed Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge going on and you have exactly one more week left to play in this round. Click HERE for all the details! :)

Only four more sleeps 'til Christmas Day and our first couple of guests arrive this afternoon from Denver! Eeek! I'm not sure how much crafting or blogging I'll get to do 'til after Boxing Day so I want to wish you all a very happy Christmas with family and friends. I have received cards and generous gifts from several of you so I also wanted to express my happiness and gratitude. I am one lucky gal!!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & White cardstock; SU Pool Party cardstock; AC textured brown cardstock; Paper Smooches Hang Ups & My Peeps; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Walnut Stain distress ink; Copics; May Arts natural burlap string; SU paper piercer; foam tape

Merriest Wishes Recycled Tag Set

2011-12-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

Someone stop me! I seriously cannot stop making card sets. Thanks to the Hero Arts December Contest, I've discovered a new addiction. As if I needed a new addiction in card making. LOL I have sent out most of my holiday cards and I'm proud that I even sent out a lot of my favourites. I've made so many and since I didn't send out many last year, I wanted everyone to enjoy them this year. This set of tags was still sitting on my desk and I realized I had no one to give them to, nor did I ever think I would use them so I decided to turn them into cards! I needed a few extra cards so they came in handy.

The sentiments featured on the tags are from the Hero Arts clear set Very Merry Christmas. I snipped the twine off the tags and replaced it with natural burlap string. Then I stamped the Dash Pattern directly on to the card bases and sponged the edges with distress ink. I've owned this houndstooth background for a while now and I've been desperate to use it so I'm happy I finally found a reason to. I can't wait 'til my order of chalk inks arrive so I can play around with it more.

I'm still not happy with my photography for groups of cards. I wish I had a huge studio with a backdrop and big lights just for that purpose. Yes, I wish. LOL Well, back to holiday preparations. I hope yours are going well!

Sources: SU Natural White cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas & Dash Pattern; Memories Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Antique Linen & Walnut Stain distress inks; Clearsnap SmoochSpritz in Gold Glow & Holly Berries; Clearsnap Funky Forest Design Adhesives; Clearsnap Irish Eyes Designer Foils; Papertrey Ink Tag Sale #3 die; May Arts natural burlap string; foam tape

What a Life Set

2011-12-19T14:06:00.010-05:00

I made this quick and easy set of cards using the Hero Arts sets What a Life, Joy Ride and Bicycles for the Hero Arts December Contest. It's good to have a couple of last-minute gifts on hand during the holiday season for surprise drop-ins! ;)

I wanted to use all seven sentiments from What a Life because they cover all types of occasions and I love the impact of the bold fonts. The tricycle card even works for a new baby gift!

I paired up each sentiment with bikes from two sets, Joy Ride and Bicycles. The package of seven cards and envelopes is tied together with olive green burlap string.

Sources: SU Natural White cardstock; Hero Arts Joy Ride, Bicycles & What a Life; SU Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Summer Sun, Wild Wasabi, Ballet Blue & Melon Mambo inks; Tim Holtz for Ranger Scattered Straw & Dusty Concord distress inks; Memories Black ink; May Arts olive burlap string

Joy

2011-12-18T00:01:00.014-05:00

Over the past three nights, my husband has been working on the Christmas card he's going to give me and I suddenly realized that I don't have one for him yet. LOL So I used one of the sketches from the Hero Arts December Contest to make this card for him. I've used the set Happy Holidays to sublicate but I haven't shown you anything I've made with it so I'd love to know what you think of these charming images! While looking through all my Hero Arts stamps, I realized that I have a lot more holiday stamps than I thought I did but I would love to have more. Isn't that always the case? ;)

Since this will be our first Christmas in our new house, I thought these houses from Happy Holidays would be perfect for the card, especially since the sketch called for a heart! I used three different reds to create a stone pathway like the one we have outside our house. On the card base, I stamped the Clouds background with watermark ink and the Envelope Pattern with Snow chalk ink. I kept the background subtle so that the holiday colours would pop right off the kraft card base.

I hope you're enjoying all the last-minute holiday preparations and taking some time to relax, too! We are going to try to clean the house from top to bottom today since we're entertaining friends from Italy tomorrow and our first house guests arrive on Wednesday afternoon. Eeek!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & white cardstock; Hero Arts Clouds, Envelope Pattern & Happy Holidays; VersaMark watermark ink; Hero Arts Snow chalk ink; SU Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red & Riding Hood Red inks; foam tape

Christmas Wishes Set

2011-12-17T20:42:00.000-05:00

I made these a couple of days ago for the Hero Arts December Contest and posted them to the Hero Arts Flickr Group already but I needed to share them here. They are already in the mail and I want to make more because they were so much fun to make! I trimmed the card base slightly smaller than the standard A2 size to accommodate the bits that are hanging off the edges. That way they fit into a standard A2 envelope for easy mailing. I wanted to make good use of the Hero Arts set Wishes Come True so I used all four in this set with the leaping reindeer from Holiday Cheer. Their sweaters are coloured with red Copic markers and bodies with warm grey Copic markers.

Thank you for stopping by during this busy week before Christmas! I have exactly three days to craft my little heart out before I have house guests for ten days so I am planning on taking full advantage of that. I don't know if I'll survive if I can't craft for that entire length of time, especially since the next Paper Crafts call comes out on Wednesday. LOL Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Hero Arts Holiday Cheer & Wishes Come True; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Rose Red ink; Copic markers; foam tape

Unity Friends With Flair {Dec 16th} + Holiday Giveaway

2011-12-16T22:30:00.002-05:00

It's been more than two months since I posted to Friends With Flair and I've missed all the fun! I do have a personal giveaway so I will provide details at the end of this post. This card was one of three cards I had published in Paper Crafts Magazine's November/December 2011 issue. This one was featured as an online bonus so that is why I wanted to show it here. It uses a holiday sentiment from Samantha Walker's Greetings of Christmas. I love the sentiments in this set and could easily make an entire set of cards just using this set. I created Carrick Bend boating knots (also shown HERE) with red and green baker's twine and added clear rhinestones. The white panel is adhered to the card with foam tape.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have a holiday giveaway of random Unity stamps! Most are brand new, never-been-inked stamps from sets that I own. I figured someone should give them love and since it's the week before Christmas there's no better time for someone to win some of Unity's fabulous stamps, right? One random winner will receive this EZ Mount 8.5" x 11" lightweight storage panel filled with Unity stamps. There are exactly 34 stamps total and you can see on the photo that they cover both sides of the panel. You must be a Follower of my blog to qualify. Just leave a comment in this post by midnight EST on Friday, December 23rd and I will announce the winner via Random.org on Christmas Day. Good luck to all! :)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury black and white cardstock; Unity+Samantha Walker Greetings of Christmas; Memories Black ink; The Twinery Maraschino & Peapod baker's twine; SU Basic Rhinestones; foam tape

Lil' Inker Designs + 2 Cute Ink Release Week {Day 5}

2011-12-16T00:01:00.009-05:00

Welcome to Day 3 of Lil' Inker Designs' December Release featuring a collaborative new line of stamps with 2 Cute Ink! Artist Heidi Schwoerer, formerly of 2 Cute Rubber Stamps, will now exclusively release her stamps with Lil' Inker. All stamp sets will be released in clear stamp format and feature sentiments in a fun font designed by Laura and Ariana of Lil' Inker Designs with ag designs! If you've come from Jen Carter's beautiful blog, you are on the right track. Today, the entire design team is featuring Cocoa Bear!

Look at that darling little bear! First, I used one of the sentiments to stamp a broad border. Then I coloured, fussy cut and adhered him to the card with foam tape. Even though there's a bit of dimension, it will still pass through the mail easily with regular postage. Cocoa Bear comes with three fabulous sentiments and two smaller images that you can use separately or inside the cocoa mug!

I have a cute little story about a snowman on a mug if you could bear with me. ;) My sister gave us a fun set of winter mugs and there is a snowman with feet skiing in the background. For fun, I asked my son if he thought snowmen could ski. Without skipping a beat, he said, "Ya, the real ones can, like that one (pointing to the skiing snowman on the mug), but not the ones that people build because they have round bums to the ground and no feet!" LOL

I think you'll agree that Arctic Friends, Snow Mouse and Cocoa Bear mix-and-match beautifully. Just click on the graphic below to purchase.

Thank you for stopping by today! Be sure you hop along all week and leave comments on all the design team blogs for a chance to win all three of the new winter-themed stamp sets or one of two $10 gift certificates to the Lil' Inker Store. I hope you've enjoyed this fun and fabulous release!

Your next stop today is the extremely talented Alicia Thelin!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Lil' Inker Designs + 2 Cute Ink Cocoa Bear; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Real Red & Garden Green inks; Copics; foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge {Dec 15th - Dec 28th}

2011-12-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

A new Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge begins today! As you can see, this is going to be a super fun holiday challenge. Even though it's a very busy time of year, I hope you'll find a bit of time to play along! I was inspired by multiples of three, red antlers, red noses, googly eyes and brown background. For my card, I used one of the newest releases, Chubby Chum Pals.

Initially, I was going to stamp three reindeer using Santa Paws but when Chubby Chum Pals landed in my mailbox on Monday, I just had to ink up these cuties. While I was stamping the moose, it dawned on me that the tops of all the heads were the same size. Being the type that loves silly animals and silliness in general, I decided to include the bear and chick in moose costume! Aren't they festive with their holly berry antlers and red snouts? LOL I came close to using googly eyes but I couldn't bear covering up Kim's illustrations and the original eyes give them so much more character and expression than googly eyes so I just added some glossy accents instead. I didn't have blue ink that matched the patterned paper so I played around and came up with a solution that I'm going to make note of for future reference. If I ink the stamp twice, first with Faded Jeans distress ink and then a second time with Basic Gray dye ink, I get the exact shade of slate-grey-blue required to match the patterned paper! Since Gina K's kraft cardstock is Copic-compatible, I gave the animals some light shading and finished by adhering them to the card with foam tape.

This Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge runs until December 28th so I hope you will play along with us! As always, there are fabulous stamps to be won and, if you don't have any Paper Smooches stamps yet, there is a holiday promotion going on HERE or, you can always grab the free digis that Kim offers every month. I look forward to seeing how you interpret this photo!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; Echo Park Wintertime Collection; Paper Smooches Chubby Chum Pals; Memories Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Faded Jeans distress ink; SU Basic Gray ink; Copics; SU Crystal Effects; foam tape

Lil Inker Designs + 2 Cute Ink Release Week {Day 3}

2011-12-14T00:01:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Day 3 of Lil' Inker Designs' December Release featuring a collaborative new line of stamps with 2 Cute Ink! Artist Heidi Schwoerer, formerly of 2 Cute Rubber Stamps, will now exclusively release her stamps with Lil' Inker. All stamp sets will be released in clear stamp format and feature sentiments in a fun font designed by Laura and Ariana of Lil' Inker Designs with ag designs! If you've come from Laura's blog, you are on the right track. Today, we are featuring Snow Mouse!

Isn't she the cutest?! I love mice and rats in general just because I was born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rat. My husband and son are also rats so we are just a cute rat family. LOL I probably wouldn't want to encounter a real one but cute illustrations, and especially stamps like this one, make me go crazy! :D I paper pieced this cutie using Echo Park paper. I didn't add dimension to this card because I had a certain person in mind when I made it and I wanted it to be easy to mail.

Much like Arctic Friends, showcased on Monday and Tuesday, Snow Mouse comes with several versatile sentiments that are perfect for Christmas and throughout the winter season. This is definitely one of those sets that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside even though the weather might be frightful. Just click on the graphic below to purchase!

Thank you for stopping by today! Be sure you hop along all week for a chance to win all three of the new winter-themed stamp sets or one of two $10 gift certificates to the Lil' Inker Store! For Day 4 of this release and to see more projects using Snow Mouse, please start at Laura's blog tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. EST. I'll be posting for Lil' Inker again on Friday for Day 5 and the final stamp set of this release!

Your next stop today is fabulous Sarah Jay!

Sources: SU Island Indigo & Natural White cardstock; Echo Park Be Mine Collection; Lil' Inker Designs + 2 Cute Ink Snow Mouse; Memories Black ink

Lil' Inker Designs + 2 Cute Ink Release Week {Day 1}

2011-12-12T00:01:00.012-05:00

Welcome to Day 1 of Lil' Inker Designs' December Release featuring a collaborative new line of stamps with 2 Cute Ink! Artist Heidi Schwoerer, formerly of 2 Cute Rubber Stamps, will now exclusively release her stamps with Lil' Inker. All stamp sets will be released in clear stamp format and feature sentiments in a fun font designed by Laura and Ariana of Lil' Inker Designs with ag designs! If you've come from Laura's blog, you are on the right track. Now how 'bout a card using the first featured set, Arctic Friends?

Yes, you're still at my blog! LOL Even I couldn't believe what resulted since this card features a lot more layers and papers than I normally use. Sometimes the stamps just inspire and I like to run with it, you know? ;) Of course, I had to colour and fussy cut the penguin and polar bear. Aren't they cute?! I liked the idea of them dripping different flavours of ice cream all over. I made a monochromatic background using some patterned paper and glittery trees die cut with the Holly Jolly dies released last month.

Check out all the versatile sentiments that are included with these two cuties! Just click on the image to purchase. ;)

Thank you for stopping by today! Be sure you hop along all week for a chance to win all three of the new winter-themed stamp sets or one of two $10 gift certificates to the Lil' Inker Store! For Day 2 of this release and to see more projects using Arctic Friends, please start at Laura's blog tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. EST. I'll be posting for Lil' Inker again on Wednesday for Day 3 and the next adorable stamp set in this series!

Your next stop today is the amazing Jen del Muro!

Sources: SU Pool Party cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; My Little Shoebox Heartfelt-Ella; DCWV glitter cardstock; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Lil' Inker Designs + 2 Cute Ink Arctic Friends; Lil' Inker Designs Holly Jolly dies; Copics; Gutermann thread; foam tape

Holiday Cheer

2011-12-11T21:13:00.010-05:00

I finished up another commission yesterday and thankfully it was before I fell down the stairs. I know, I've got to stop doing that! I do have nightmares about it being fatal one day which is really scary. For some reason stairs and I just don't get along! This time I twisted my left knee and shoulder, plus I can't move my neck backwards without severe pain so I'm going to get off the computer as soon as I finish this post and schedule tomorrow's Lil' Inker Designs release.

One of the themes for the Hero Arts December Contest is card sets which ended up being perfect since I already had this commission to fulfill. The firm designs bicycles for manufacturers all over the world so these cards had to feature a bike. Of course, I think of Hero Arts when I think of bike stamps! I own almost all of their bike stamps. That doesn't surprise you, right? ;) I used the Envelope Pattern and Snowing Village as back drops. The little bicycle is from Joy Ride and the sentiment is from Holiday Cheer. My client chose this sentiment out of all the holiday ones that I own. He really liked the style of my other bulk commission, hence the tabs to the left of the Snowing Village.

The distress inks worked out nicely because it made the bike tires look like spiked tires which are perfect for the snow. I used a Copic pen to draw in the black frames. I also added bling to some of the flakes for visual interest. I would've loved to have included dimension on these cards but, unfortunately, commissions that will be mailed all over the world need to be flat.

See you tomorrow for the reveal of a new line of stamps from Lil' Inker Designs and 2 Cute Ink!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft, white & red cardstock; SU Old Olive cardstock; Hero Arts Envelope Pattern, Snowing Village, Holiday Cheer & Joy Ride; Hero Arts Snow chalk ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Pumice Stone, Peeled Paint & Fired Brick distress inks; Copic 0.8mm Multi-Liner; Papertrey Ink Double-Ended Banners die; Ranger Diamond Stickles

You're Great

2011-12-10T01:03:00.008-05:00

I hope you all know you're great! That much is true. I whipped up this card on Thursday night before my husband went on his business trip and tucked it into his bag as a surprise. We had a little conversation about how he was feeling overwhelmed and discouraged at work so I felt he needed a little pick-me-up and this is what happened. It was close to midnight and when I have little brain power left, this is what happens. LOL In general, we are very silly together and perhaps that's why our son is so silly, too. I love that! ;)

Paper Smooches provides the perfect stamps for a silly mood. We love coffee or tea and we love to watch the ridiculous squirrels in our backyard and neighbourhood in general. In fact, just the other day, a squirrel came on to our deck and appeared to wave at our son who started giggling in the cutest way. You'd never believe it if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes! Now he thinks every squirrel will wave at him which, as you know, doesn't happen. Still, whenever he sees one, he says, "Hi, squirrel!" How funny is that?

The squirrel and the forest in the background were created from Hang Ups. I got the inspiration for the forest from one of my son's favourite books by Oliver Jeffers. I also altered the position of the tail on the squirrel. The mug and shadow are from Hot Concoctions and the custom sentiment was created from My Guy. All the papers are from Echo Park's Life is Good Collection.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend gearing up for the holidays!!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Life is Good Collection; Paper Smooches Hang Ups, Hot Concoctions & My Guy; Memories Black ink; SU Crumb Cake, Rose Red & Tempting Turquoise inks; Tim Holtz for Ranger Scattered Straw distress ink; foam tape

Jane's Doodles {Celebrate}

2011-12-08T22:04:00.004-05:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged in over a week! I'm back 'til at least the 21st when we'll have house guests for ten days over the holidays. Then it might be ultra quiet here. Hopefully I won't go insane with the lack of time or ability to craft!! You know how that can be, right? ;)

Today's Jane's Doodles cards were made with the poinsettias from Vintage Christmas and a sentiment from Big Sentiments.

I don't heat emboss very often because it's messy and I don't think I'm very good at it. Maybe I'm just a messy heat embosser. ;) When I don't show the entire image or I can just punch out parts of it like on these two cards, I don't mind heat embossing. I love the impact it makes and I wish I were better at it!

I haven't mailed a single holiday card yet! Have you? I meant to stop at the post office today to buy a bunch of stamps but I forgot. The stroller was loaded with groceries and I was exhausted. I guess I should start addressing my envelopes soon or I'll be making a lot of New Year's cards! LOL

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white & kraft cardstock; SU Old Olive cardstock; Jane's Doodles Vintage Christmas & Big Sentiments; Memories Black ink; VersaMark Watermark ink; SU Whisper White pigment ink; PSX Red & Snowflake embossing tinsel; McGill 1 1/4" square punch; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper; foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge {Dec 1st - Dec 14th}

2011-12-01T09:00:00.016-05:00

A new Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge begins today! There are so many inspiring elements in this photo. I singled out the wall itself as well as the frames. I used birds from My Peeps and Santa Paws. The heart is from FOLKal Points, the tulip is from Perky Plants and the sentiment is from Sentiment Sampler.

First, I die cut all the frames and arranged them on my Scor-Pal to determine the card size. Then I cut the base and scored the white panel for the bottom part of the wall. I stamped all the little images inside the frames and sponged the edges before colouring. This is the very first time I've ever sponged using nesties. These were so tiny and I almost gave up even before I started but I'm glad I didn't. If you decide to try this, choose a much bigger size! LOL

This Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge runs until December 14th so I hope you will play along with us! As always, there are fabulous stamps to be won and, if you don't have any Paper Smooches stamps yet, you can always grab the free digis that Kim offers every month. I look forward to seeing how you interpret this photo!

Sources: SU Bashful Blue cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Paper Smooches My Peeps, Santa Paws, FOLKal Points, Perky Plants & Sentiment Sampler; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Faded Jeans distress ink; Copics; Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Fourteen, Labels Four, Classic Ovals Large, Standard Circles Large & Wonky Rectangles; foam tape

A Cozy for Koko

2011-11-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

My son's first exposure to Chuggington was at the mall shortly after we moved into our house. We were there to stock up on Halloween candy and we had popped into the bookstore because I was looking for a specific issue of Paper Crafts Magazine. I didn't have any luck finding my magazine there but my son noticed Chuggington: Chug of War on the shelf and couldn't leave without it because it had magnets. He has a gazillion Thomas trains and quite of a few Thomas books including one with magnets. It was sealed so we couldn't actually read the story and we didn't know the Chuggington story so I didn't want to buy it.

"No, I want it!
Please, please, please?
Come on... (groaning voice)
Just pay for it..." (dejected voice with shoulders slouched and head hanging down)

It was hilarious because he carried it to the cash and put it on the counter! He was just too cute and my husband said that it would be nice for him to have since he was behaving. We've always rathered he have more books than toys. So then I decided to let him watch the show and now we all love it! While we were potty training, I discovered that I could bribe him with Chuggington trains and it worked so now he has quite a few of them. They fit on the Thomas wooden tracks which is a bonus.

Koko was the first Chuggington train he wanted and my best friend sent him the Over and Under Starter Set which includes Koko. Instead of letting him keep two Kokos, we decided that he would give his cousin the extra Koko. He'll realize that there should be two trains when he opens his gift at Christmas so we bought Irving (one of the other trains he wants) and put it in Koko's place in the box.

My niece loves the usual girly toys but she also has a big love for cars and trains. In fact, my sister admits her daughter chooses cars over dolls, not that there are necessarily boy or girl toys. That is just something that is learned, right? After all, I loved playing with G.I. Joe and Transformers when I was a kid! My niece was so thrilled when she received this gift today, along with the helicopter she requested, and I wish I got better photos of her carrying the little bag around. She really loved it! My son opened the catalog we gave them, since my sister doesn't know anything about Chuggingtons, and explained who all the characters were. Hilarious!

Since there was no box for Koko, I decided to make a little holiday bag for it. My niece will be able to carry her new train in it or use it for whatever she wants. I was able to pull felt from two sources and match Koko's colours. The Chartreuse felt (handles and flower) is from Felt on the Fly. The Violet Sky and Baby Pink felt is polyester made from recycled plastic bottles by The Kunin Group. I used Lil' Inker Designs' Holly Jolly dies to cut the Christmas tree from the front of the bag. Then I used Fringe Flower die to make both the handles and flower at the top of the tree.

***

In honour of yesterday's Pinguini post, Felt on the Fly is offering free coordinating Mama and Baby Seahorse felt die cuts with every order! All you have to do is mention PINGUINI in the 'Notes to Seller' at Checkout. Head on over to the shop HERE!

Thank you for stopping by to enjoy this post and for your support of Felt on the Fly. :)

Sources: Felt on the Fly Chartreuse felt; The Kunin Group Violet Sky & Baby Pink felt; Lil' Inker Designs Holly Jolly & Fringe Flower dies; Gutermann thread

A Fish for Pinguini

2011-11-27T00:01:00.030-05:00

*Warning: This is a long post with a lot of photos!*

English: Penguins
Italian: Pinguini

First the story and then the project. ;) It all started when we took my son to the Toronto Zoo this past summer to celebrate his third birthday. We had taken him to the Zoo the previous fall but we missed the penguins. This time we spent some time there watching these little guys. We saw a lady win a petting session with the penguins.

Then we saw this little guy wander off by himself. I think my son really wanted to take him home.

When it was time to leave, we went to the gift shop to let him pick something to take home.

"What would you like?"
There was some quiet thinking then, "I want one (of) those black guys!"
"You mean a penguin?"
"Ya!"

He marched straight over to the penguins and grabbed one off the shelf. Then he proceeded to hand my husband one and me another saying, "One for me, one for Baba and one for you, Mommy!" LOL Oh, how I would have loved to buy three of them! But we knew it would only be special if he had the only one.

After an exhausting day at the Zoo, he actually fell asleep in the car and he never sleeps in the car! I think this photo of him cuddling his newest friend is just the cutest. This penguin which he has aptly named Pinguini (even though he's just one) is so loved. Then early this month, he told me that Pinguini needs a fish friend. I asked him if Pinguini needed food and he said, "No, he (will) not eat him! He need(s) a friend," giving me a look like I should know better. LOL So off I went to make Pinguini a fishy friend.

Oh, boy, did I ever wish I had the Spellbinders Nested Fish! I may get these dies yet but this time I settled for my own hand-drawn version in a similar shape. I cut Pinguini's friend out of grey felt from Felt on the Fly.

I'm not really a button person but these white Stampin' Up buttons from Sunghee really came in handy as pretty eyes. After stitching them on securely (before sewing the fish together and stuffing it), I glued in black centres using black felt die cut with the small berries from Lil' Inker Designs' Holly Jolly dies.

The fish's pectoral fins were created using both the Mini Pinwheel and Pinwheel dies from Lil' Inker Designs and they were cut from white and black felt from Felt on the Fly. I secured the fins by stitching them facing forward, then folding them back and stitching them again to hide the holes.

And finally, Pinguini's new friend is ready for his close up. Squee! Look at those kissable lips. LOL

This all occurred one evening when, after making dinner, my son became adamant that Pinguini have his fish that night. I relented and had my husband eat with him while I went downstairs to make it. My son wanted a white fish but my husband and I knew that would get dirty quickly so all three of us agreed to make it grey with some black and white parts. It took me 45 minutes but it was worth the rush. Not to worry, the marionette strings were required for photography but removed before the hand-off. My son was so happy to meet his new fish!

Then, of course, Pinguini had to make his acquaintance. Awww! Look at him tucking the fish under Pinguini's wing. How sweet!

And, of course, they are both now carried together everywhere.

This photo is just so endearing, it makes me want to squeeze all three of them! Teehee. :D

***

In honour of this post, Felt on the Fly is offering free coordinating Mama and Baby Seahorse felt die cuts with every order! All you have to do is mention PINGUINI in the 'Notes to Seller' at Checkout. Head on over to the shop HERE!

Thank you for stopping by to enjoy this post and for your support of Felt on the Fly. :)

Sources: Felt on the Fly Grey, Black & White 100% merino wool felt; Lil' Inker Designs Holly Jolly, Pinwheel & Mini Pinwheel dies; Stampin' Up buttons; Gutermann thread; Fairfield polyester fiberfill

Season's Greetings

2011-11-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today I'll be sharing 18 cards with you. 18 of the same cards, that is. ;) This is my third official corporate commission and I seem to be adding one every year. At this rate, I may not be able to keep up! LOL This project has been about six weeks in the making. First, I had to dream up a design that incorporated the essence of the company as well as their corporate colours. Then I had to order the stamps, estimate all the measurements and get the logo die cut. That's where having an incredible bloggy friend like Meg came in handy. I got to use her Silhouette from 1600 kilometres (or 1000 miles) away!

At first the company requested a dozen cards so I ordered 16 of their logo. I even asked Meg to make a few extras but the company added six more cards to their order which left me with two short. I contacted Meg again and she knew what to do. She sent me plenty of extras just in case. Let me just say that it would've been faster to drive to Alabama and back but thankfully we had plenty of time! Meg, you're the best. :)

Once all the logos were in my possession, I went to work. I completed these in stages, sometimes with several days in between each stage. Just stamping the Formula Fun math background 18 times was a lot of work and my fingers and forearms were sore afterwards! The rest of it wasn't so bad, 'til I got to the rounding of the corners. Can you imagine punching out 72 corners? I must've been out of my mind to do it all in one go. The absolute worst part? Adhering those die cuts! LOL I won an Xyron last year and haven't used it much because it leaves globs and webs of glue in the little spaces and I have to use an X-acto knife to clear out every single space. Is it me or does anyone else have that problem? After adhering the first one, I walked away and dreaded completing this project. Eventually, when I felt like I had more patience, I went to work and completed all 18 cards. I don't think the company knew exactly what they were ordering but I heard they were impressed. They're already talking about next year's order so I guess that's good, right? ;)

I hope you're all having a splendid weekend!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury Soft Sand, Black Onyx & white cardstock; SU Tangerine Tango cardstock; Hero Arts Formula Fun; Papertrey Ink Stylish Sentiments: Holiday; Tim Holtz for Ranger Pumice Stone distress ink; Memories Black ink; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper; The Twinery Mandarin baker's twine

Jane's Doodles {Merry Christmas}

2011-11-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! I hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday had a wonderful time with your family and friends. My sister is up for the weekend with her husband and two kids so I'll be spending the better part of my time with them. I'm also going to do some holiday shopping at the One of a Kind Christmas Show and Sale. It is the most amazing place for unique handmade gifts and I've been going every fall for as long as I can remember! And, now, a holiday card made with Jane's Doodles' Vintage Christmas clear stamp set.

Jane's hand-drawn lines on this Santa are so amazing that I literally stared at it wondering if I should colour or paper piece him. Then I decided to show off the beauty of those lines by leaving it black and white. I created a drop frame for the sentiment. I purposely offset the frame so that it's heavier at the top than at the bottom. It draws the eye from the Santa to the sentiment. A simple card like this only needs a simple bow of holiday twine, from Divine Twine. (Please note: I've linked to the (k)Not spools because Whisker Graphics is sold out of the original single spools in this colour. You can still purchase the holiday twine at other stores such as Ribbon Carousel and from various sellers on Etsy.)

Don't forget! Jane's Doodles is having a 20% off sale on all clear stamp sets until November 30th. Check 'em out HERE!

Happy weekend to you all! I hope it's filled with good food, stamping and shopping. ;)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; SU Certainly Celery cardstock; Jane's Doodles Vintage Christmas; Memories Black ink; Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 14; Marvy-Uchida 1/8" long reach circle punch; Divine Twine holiday twine; foam tape

Warm Holiday Greetings

2011-11-21T00:06:00.013-05:00

I hope you all had a super weekend! Mine was super busy getting things ready for next weekend when my sister and her husband drive up with the kids for their long weekend. We did some cleaning up at my parents' house where they're staying and we skipped the Santa Claus parade because the little one said he'd rather stay home and play Legos. :) I've also officially gone into 'sublication hibernation' so you'll see a bit less of me here until the current Paper Crafts call is over. I missed several calls during and after my move so I'm more determined than ever to get back into the swing of things!

That being said, I decided to take a little break and create another tag for the Hero Arts November Contest. Once again, I combined all the categories in this month's contest. I used more of my new goodies including burlap string (or jute twine) which I bought in every colour available. I've been seeing it everywhere and now that I've started playing with it, I wonder how I ever crafted without it! LOL At first it drove me crazy with all the fuzz, kind of like a mohair sweater, but I do like the traditional warmth it gives to my projects.

To create this tag, I first stamped the kids from Warm Holiday Greetings in pink and blue and painstakingly fussy cut them. I had thought to myself that I would make several of these but after I finished one, I nixed that idea! The tree was die cut from glitter cardstock using the medium tree die from Holiday Cheer. The snowflakes stamped in chalk ink and the sentiment are from the same set. The glittery white tree skirt was made using an oval punch. The light blue felt at the top of the tag is from Felt on the Fly and the burlap string is by May Arts. It's so much fun playing with new goodies!

Well, it's back to the grind for me. Don't worry, I won't let too much time pass before popping in again to say hi! If you miss me, you could always join me in sublication hibernation. ;)

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft & white cardstock; DCWV green & white glitter cardstock; Hero Arts Warm Holiday Greetings & Holiday Cheer; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Hero Arts Snow chalk ink; SU Pink Pirouette & Bashful Blue ink; Papertrey Ink Tag Sale #3 die; SU/EK Success large oval punch; Ranger Diamond Stickles; Felt on the Fly 100% merino wool felt in Aquamarine; May Arts ivory & brown jute twine/burlap string

Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge {Nov 17th - Nov 30th}

2011-11-17T09:00:00.008-05:00

A new Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge begins today! Kim has chosen another stunning photo which is sure to inspire something amazing from you all over the next couple of weeks. I used the colours, flower theme and textures to create my card. I immediately pulled out Perky Plants and went to work.

I made masks of the flowers because I wanted them to be one complete piece. I stamped the flowers using the masks, lightly shaded them with Copics and traced a green outline around the entire image. Then I fussy cut it in a single piece. I trimmed the card so that the overhanging petals on both sides makes it the perfect A2-sized card.

The 'grass' was made using the Fringe Flower Die from Lil' Inker Designs. I stitched the two grey rows on the blue panel before adhering it to the base. Then I just pulled some of the 'blades' forward to create dimension in the grass.

This Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge runs until November 30th so I hope you will play along with us! As always, there are fabulous stamps to be won and, if you don't have any Paper Smooches stamps yet, you can always grab the free digis that Kim offers every month. I look forward to seeing how you interpret this photo!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; SU Certainly Celery & Pool Party cardstock; SU textured Basic Gray & Going Gray cardstock; Paper Smooches Perky Plants; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Lil' Inker Designs Fringe Flower die; Gutermann grey thread; foam tape

My Memories Suite Giveaway Winner

2011-11-16T23:22:00.010-05:00

I've been delinquent in announcing the winner of My Memories Suite Giveaway featured HERE. I used Random.org to choose a winner from the comments left in that post and the lucky lady is...

Congratulations, Lisa! Please email me and I will provide you with the coupon code you can use to pick up your free copy of My Memories Suite. The coupon itself expires November 30, 2011 so you have until then to claim and download it.

Thanks to all who were interested in this giveaway! If you are still interested in giving digital scrapbooking a try (the papers are also wonderful for cardmaking) and would like to purchase the program for $10 off, please use the discount code at the bottom of my sidebar. Remember, My Memories Suite offers a lot of free downloads and new ones become available all the time!

'Tis the Season

2011-11-14T12:46:00.002-05:00

It's a card! It's a gift! It's both! I used one of Lil' Inker Designs' newest releases, Holly Jolly Die & Stamp Set, to create a card with a removable ornament. It's a card for this year and an ornament for many years to come! It's a great way to send a small gift that doesn't break the bank.

Isn't that the sweetest little felt tree? I die cut two trees and two trunks, stitched around the trunk and zig-zagged down the centre of the tree after inserting the twine hoop. Here's how the card came together:

I punched a slit at the top of the white panel, pushed the twine loop through to hold the ornament on the card and adhered the white panel to the card base with foam tape. The recipient can just pull the ornament through the slit and off the card for a keepsake.

The tree is embellished with the large berries from the Holly Jolly Die & Stamp Set and accented with clear rhinestones. The beautiful felt is from Felt on the Fly, one of my newest finds. What's not to love about a great product and fantastic customer service? I can't wait to make more of these!

Sources: AC textured cardstock; Lil' Inker Designs Holly Jolly Die & Stamp Set; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Felt on the Fly 100% wool felt in Spring Green, Red & Acorn; SU Basic Rhinestones; Gutermann thread; The Twinery Honeydew baker's twine; SU slit punch; foam tape

A Few Cards from Friends

2011-11-14T00:48:00.006-05:00

I'm grateful for my friends! What can I say? I love receiving handmade cards. It's not just the thought but the time and materials involved in the creation of one and also the postage. I appreciate all of it!

This sweet Halloween owl is from Lindsey. She knows I love her embossing and of course twine! You can read all about this card on her blog HERE.

Next up is this gorgeous card with a Paper Smooches sentiment from Lynn. Those hexagons, pearls and misting are amazing! She blogged about this card HERE.

You may think you've seen this awesome autumn card before and you're right! You've either seen it on Meg's own blog HERE or you recognize its other half that I blogged about HERE (and now I realize I photographed it in the wrong direction). I solicited Meg's help with a project that I will show you later this month and she had to mail me more parts, hence this card. ;)

Up next is a stunner from Lisa. My jaw hit the floor when I pulled this one out of the envelope and then I laughed at her note inside. She sent me this card for many reasons! You can read all about this card and watch the video on her blog HERE.

Finally, a gem from Jessi. I love how she personalized this card. The stickers are so cute! You can read more on her blog HERE.

Thank you, sweet friends! I love that my home is overflowing with your beautiful work. Now I need to get more of my own in the mail. :)

I'll be back shortly with another Lil' Inker Designs project!

Holiday Cheer

2011-11-12T16:17:00.011-05:00

This past week, I received packages from Felt on the Fly and Simon Says Stamp. I love getting new craft supplies! One of the new stamp sets I bought was Holiday Cheer by Hero Arts + Sizzix. I may or may not have squeal a bunch of times over this set. In fact, after playing with it, I highly recommend that everyone own this set for your own squealing pleasure. LOL I had so much fun using these stamps and coordinating dies. Imagine if every stamp set came with its own dies! I'd be in heaven.

I desperately needed to play with my new goodies so I decided to play along with the Hero Arts November Contest. Originally, I was just going to make something for the colour challenge but then it turns out I used blingy cardstock and it happens to be a tag so I ended up covering all three of the categories without realizing it. It was purely unintentional! I'm thinking that I might be mailing some people gift tags in lieu of cards this year. ;)

The trees and hills were adhered directly to the tag and the reindeer is popped with foam tape. I coloured in the sweater with Atyou Spica glitter pens and added enamel accents to the reindeer's eyes. The papers are from Echo Park's Holly Jolly Christmas and the ribbon was die cut from the stash of felt I bought from Felt on the Fly. Now that I can make my own felt ribbons the possibilities are endless. If you're looking for good felt that die cuts cleanly and doesn't fuzz up, you'll love the assortment of colours Felt on the Fly has to offer. Based on a couple of recommendations from crafty friends, this was my first time ordering from Janet and her customer service was exceptional! I will definitely be ordering from her again.

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend! See you again soon. :)

Sources: DCWV glitter cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas paper pad; Hero Arts + Sizzix Holiday Cheer; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Tim Holtz for Ranger Worn Lipstick distress ink; Copics; Atyou Spica pens in Clear and Blossom; Ranger Inkssentials Enamel Accents; Papertrey Ink Double-Ended Banner & Tag Sale #3 dies; Felt on the Fly 100% wool felt in Light Green; The Twinery Blossom & Caribbean baker's twine; foam tape

Jane's Doodles {Believe} + Honouring Our Veterans

2011-11-11T20:59:00.006-05:00

Just popping in to share a Jane's Doodles holiday card using the newest Vintage Christmas release. I love this snowman! The way Jane drew him with his arms outstretched almost makes him look so appreciative of snow. I love how relaxed and peaceful he looks, too, which is why the 'Believe' sentiment is so perfect for it. I just got the Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas papers and I thought the falling snowflakes and chevron 'hills' would be perfect backdrops for the snowman. I wanted him to have the layered look but not so much that this card couldn't be mailed easily so I used mini Glue Dots instead of foam tape.

***

Honouring Our Veterans

Since it was Remembrance Day here in Canada and Memorial Day in the U.S., I'd like to take a moment to reflect on this important day. On the news tonight, they remarked that this is was one of the rare Remembrance Days in which Canada is not involved in a war which is pretty incredible. I believe in peace. If my mom hadn't escaped from the Japanese in China during World War II, I would not be here today. Every year, I wear a poppy pin for two weeks from Halloween through Remembrance Day. I didn't have time to make a poppy card this year but you can read my post from last year if you like. That is still one of my favourite cards. Thank you to all who have served and serve today to protect our freedom.

***

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas paper pad; AC textured white cardstock; Jane's Doodles Vintage Christmas; Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Ovals Large; Memories Black ink

Lil' Inker Designs Holiday Release Blog Hop {Day 5}

2011-11-11T00:01:00.008-05:00

Welcome to the final day of Lil' Inker Designs' Holiday Release Week! Today, the entire design team is hopping with fresh projects to showcase both releases from this week. If you've come from my wonderful friend Jen Carter's blog, you are on the right track. If you'd like to start at the beginning for all the details, including prizes, please click back to Laura's blog now.

For this clean and simple, easy-to-mail card, I started off with a kraft base and stamped the letters from the Jingle Joy Stamp Set in the houndstooth pattern. I was so excited to see that pattern! Then I die cut the large holly berries and small leaves from the Holly Jolly Dies to complete the word 'jolly'. I used one of coordinating sentiments from the Holly Jolly Stamp Set to finish the card. If you're running over to the Lil' Inker Store now, why not pop both of these sets in your cart? They work so well together! ;)

If you missed my {Day 2} project using Holly Jolly, CLICK HERE.
If you missed my {Day 4} project using Jingle Joy, CLICK HERE.

I'd like to take a moment to say thank you to our design team coordinator, Julie Ranae, for her excellent leadership. This is her last day with our team so if you haven't stopped by her blog yet, please be sure to leave some love there. And now it's time to join the uber-talented Alicia Thelin!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury kraft cardstock; AC textured green cardstock; SU Real Red cardstock; Lil' Inker Designs Holly Jolly Dies & Stamp Set and Jingle Joy Dies & Stamp Set; Memories Black ink; SU Garden Green ink; We R Memory Keepers corner chomper

Lil' Inker Designs Holiday Release Blog Hop {Day 4}

2011-11-10T00:01:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Day 4 of Lil' Inker Designs' Holiday Release Blog Hop! You should've arrived from Debby's blog but if you didn't, be sure to start at Laura's blog because you don't want to miss a thing. If you hopped with the first half of the design team yesterday, you'll know the Jingle Joy Die & Stamp Set is adorable and there are so many possibilities when designing with it!

It would be so easy to whip up a bunch of these right now or even at the last minute. After choosing my papers and colours, I simply die cut the letters and bell, strung a thin sliver of paper through the loop at the top of the bell and curled it with a pair of scissors. Then I adhered the bell to the card and slid rhinestones underneath the stars. I love all the details on that cute little bell!

Run, don't walk, over to the Lil' Inker Designs Store and grab this set for yourself! There are so many possibilities and it is so much fun to play with. I want to die cut a whole pile of those bells just to decorate tags with. I can almost hear them jingling. Almost. LOL I hope you will join us again tomorrow when the entire design team hops for the final day of the Lil' Inker Designs Holiday Release!

Your next stop is Jen Carter's blog where you are sure to find plenty of inspiration!

Sources: SU Old Olive cardstock; AC textured maroon cardstock; Basic Grey Oxford paper pad; Lil' Inker Designs Jingle Joy Dies & Stamp Set; Papertrey Ink Linen & Canvas impression plate; SU Basic Rhinestones; foam tape

The Twinery + The {Stamps} of Life Blog Hop {Nov 9th}

2011-11-09T08:00:00.011-05:00

Are you ready for some fun? The {Stamps} of Life and The Twinery Design Teams are playing together for this hop! You should've arrived from my lovely and talented friend Emily Niehaus' blog. If not, please start at The Twinery Blog so you don't miss a thing!

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
and
One winner will win the Ultimate Color Sampler Pack ($25 value!) from The Twinery!!!

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

***

For my project today, I used Holly4Christmas and Buttercream baker's twine to make a sweet and simple holiday card.

For the background, I cut some coordinating patterned paper for the two panels and adhered them to the card base. Then I tied two sets of sailor's knots. Before securing them to the card, I die cut the sentiment panel and used it to gauge the position of the sailor's knots.

Since there are hollies on the paper but no actual leaves, I die cut a couple of leaves using the newly released Holly Jolly Die from Lil' Inker Designs to complement the twine and highlight the sentiment. I tucked them under the sentiment panel and adhered everything with foam tape.

Thank you so much for joining this hop with us! I hope you are inspired to break out The {Stamps} of Life and add some baker's twine from The Twinery to your holiday projects.

Your next stop is Beverly Sizemore!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Wintertime Collection; SU So Saffron cardstock; The {Stamps} of Life Holly4Christmas; Memories Black ink; Spellbinders Nestabilities Wonky Rectangles; Lil' Inker Designs Holly Jolly Die; The Twinery Buttercream baker's twine; foam tape

Lil' Inker Designs Holiday Release Blog Hop {Day 2}

2011-11-08T00:01:00.009-05:00

Welcome to Day 2 of Lil' Inker Designs' Holiday Release Blog Hop! You should've arrived from Laura's blog so be sure to start there because you don't want to miss a thing. If you hopped with the first half of the design team yesterday, you'll know the Holly Jolly Die & Sentiments set is adorable and there are so many possibilities when designing with it!

Every curve of this tree is perfect. I cut mine out of glitter felt that was crunchy enough you can still see the little perforations if you look closely enough. I used the berries as ornaments on the tree and chose the sweet little 'Merry and Bright' sentiment to finish it off. I love how the little perforations on the tree trunk give it a woodgrain look. Imagine how quickly you could make a batch of holiday cards using just this set!

Now head on over to Julie's blog for more inspiration using Holly Jolly Dies and Sentiments! Remember to leave a comment on each blog for your chance to win one of two $10 store credits. Start again at Laura's blog tomorrow for Day 3 of the Lil' Inker Holiday Release. I will see you again on Thursday!

Sources: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; SU Real Red & Early Espresso cardstock; Lil' Inker Designs Holly Jolly Dies & Sentiments; SU Riding Hood Red ink; The Kunin Group Kelly Green glitter felt; foam tape

Ahoy, Birthday Boy

2011-11-06T13:37:00.007-05:00

My best friend's son is turning four tomorrow and he loves pirate-anything so I thought it would be fun to cut up a lot of Echo Park's Little Boy Collection and make this card for him. This is a lot of layers, much more than my usual style, but I had so much fun with it.

It's always nice to work outside of clean and simple once in a while. The design may not be perfect but sometimes it's nice to let go and not worry about that. All the stamps and dies used on this card are by Papertrey Ink and the Lemondrop baker's twine is from The Twinery. I used a quadruple knot and double string.

Surprise! I even decorated the inside. I thought the 'brave' sentiment would go really well with the pirate theme and the '4' looks like a ship, doesn't it? The waves are hand-cut and I left a lot of white space because I tend to write novels inside my cards. :)

I hope you're enjoying a lovely fall weekend!

Sources: SU Night of Navy cardstock; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Echo Park Little Boy Collection; Papertrey Ink Tiny Treats: Birthday & Big Birthday Wishes; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Night of Navy & Tempting Turquoise inks; Papertrey Ink Mat Stack 1, Limitless Layers 1 3/4" circle & By the Numbers dies; The Twinery's baker's twine in Lemondrop; foam tape