Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Sweet Stamp Shop December Preview -- Day One


Hello, hello! Yes, it's that time of the month--Sweet Stamp Shop's previews! Hopefully you arrived here from Lindsay's blog. Today we're all featuring cards and projects using the new Sweet Victoria set, and here's my card.


I used Hero Arts' Large Canvas Stripes for the background, and die cut the silhouette with Spellbinders Labels 10 because the die reminds me of a cameo.





The set comes with several different sentiments, and I chose "Gratitude", as well as the design scroll and roses.

The leaves are from the Melvin and Vernie set, and as a finishing touch, I created a choker on the silhouette with a few small pearls.






Please visit the rest of the SSS design team to see more ideas using this sweet set. Here's the order, and if you ever get lost or if there's a broken link, simply head over to Sweet Stamp Shop.
Donna  

As she does each month, Nicole is giving away each of the stamp sets to random commenters. Make sure that you leave comments on each team member's blog for your chance to win.

Please note:  Some people are having issues with Blogger,
and if you can't visit, please come back to leave a comment. Thank you!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Head over to Geny's blog, and please visit us tomorrow for more sweet previews. See you then!

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop, Hero Arts
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink, Paper Accents
Ink: Memento, Versafine, Ranger distress inks
Other: Copics, Spellbinders Labels 10, pearls, dimensional adhesive, corner chomper

Monday, November 28, 2011

Mimi in pink

Hello, friends! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got some great Black Friday deals. I can't believe how quickly Thanksgiving came and now we're in Christmas mode!


Here's a card I made with Ornamental Mimi from Penny Black, in a non traditional color--pink! She was colored with Copics and I used Frosted Lace Stickles on the stars and the furry parts of her hat.

I used Reverse Wonky Rectangles and the faux letterpress technique on the frame. I swiped some Victorian Velvet distress ink on the inside of a Sizzix dots embossing folder and ran it through the Cuttlebug.

I've got to send this, and a few other Christmas cards to Vera and her card drive. I hope Mimi will bring a smile to someone this holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by today. I'm hoping to share a new release from Sweet Stamp Shop this week, along with some exciting news from Purple Onion Designs. Have a wonderful week!

Stamps: Penny Black
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress ink
Other: Copics, Spellbinders die, Sizzix embossing folder, Frosted Lace Stickles, dimensional adhesive

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'd like to share a recipe card--complete with a recipe!--that I created with Pilgrim Mary, one of the new Autumn Kids by Stephanie Ackerman for Purple Onion Designs.


Pilgrim Mary was colored with Copics, trimmed, and adhered to a card, printed with a recipe. I punched out a few maple leaves, ink distressed them and added them to the bottom, and tied a bit of Cappuccino twine on the top.

The recipe is a family favorite and goes well with ham. Feel free to adjust the amounts according to your liking. We'll definitely be preparing this for our Thanksgiving dinner.

I hope my US friends have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Stamps: Purple Onion Designs
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress ink
Other: Copics, Martha Stewart maple leaf punch, Twinery twine, dimensional adhesive, corner chomper

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Birthday, Virginia!

My blogging friend Virginia Lu will be celebrating her (ahem!) "21st" birthday next month, and I'd like to share a card that I created for her, along with a little background on our friendship.


I first met Virginia several years ago in the Hero Arts Flickr group. What amazed me back then was that she kept using a single stamp (Hero Arts' Background Scallop Circle) in so many different ways. She formed umbrellas, apologizes for not having any heart stamps and then whips up a batch of hearts! Amazing!

Over the years, she has blossomed into an awesome, creative cardmaker and has been scooped up by numerous design teams and her work is always being noticed and recognized. And she just had her first card published and I'm sure there will be many, many more!

She continues to amaze me daily with her creativity, wit, and charm. If you aren't already a follower of her blog, then head over there and meet her! She's a super wife and mom, a worldwide traveler and a gourmet cook to boot. 


For Virginia's card, I white embossed Hero Arts' Circle Lace and added some felt roses and leaves. The sentiment was embossed and attached with dimensional adhesive.

If you'd like to celebrate Virginia's birthday, become a follower of her blog and create a card to mark this special occasion. Wish her a Happy Birthday and link your creation here and Virginia will offer some generous prizes to random entrants.

Happy 50th Birthday, dear Virginia! I know you'll continue to amaze and inspire us with your creativity and your talent. I wish that I could send you 50 real roses, but this card will have to suffice for now. Here's wishing you a fabulous day, today and EVERY day!

Stamps: Hero Arts
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Versamark, Ranger distress ink
Dies: My Favorite Things mini roses Die-namics
Other: Detail white embossing powder, felt, pearls, corner chomper, dimensional adhesive

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Sports fever

Hello there! Today is my day on the Sweet Stamp Shop blog and I'm featuring a card using the new Sports Fever set.

I wasn't into sports "way back when" and I wasn't a soccer mom, either. Maybe things would have been different if the sports equipment came in fun patterns and colors?


I paper pieced the different balls with Basic Grey Picadilly and Making Memories Just Chillin' papers and cut them out. The football background was stamped with Shabby Shutters distress ink and I attached the balls, and stamped the sentiment.

The background was lightly ink distressed in Shabby Shutters, I rounded one corner, tied a bit of twine and the card was done.

Will you be watching football this Thanksgiving? Then this card is dedicated to YOU!
Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving...and enjoy the games!

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress ink
Other: Twine, puffy heart stickers, corner chomper

Saturday, November 19, 2011

peace•love•joy







Today I'd like to share a card that I made with Sweet Alpha Doodles from Sweet Stamp Shop. This set features Nicole's handwritten alphabets and numbers, along with some adorable doodle frames.

When I saw the smallest frame, it reminded me of an ornament, and a Christmas card was born.


I stamped the frame on patterned papers from My Mind's Eye and trimmed them out. I adhered them with dimensional adhesive and scribbled in the hanging strings.


The sentiment was made using the alphabets in the set, and I formed all the words without having to double up on the letters! Some gemstones were added and the card was done. Hooray for thinking "outside of the frame"!

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento
Paper: My Mind's Eye Lime Twist
Other: gemstones, dimensional adhesive





And here's a heads up from Nicole. From now until Thanksgiving, the delightful Thanksgiving Owl-fits set is on sale for just $6! Once the stamp set is gone, it won't be reproduced, so get your set while you can.

Please visit Sweet Stamp Shop and don't forget to follow us on Twitter and "like" us on Facebook. And Nicole has uploaded some great videos on YouTube, too!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you're having a wonderful, crafty weekend!


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

joy

Hello there! Did you check out all the new designs over at Purple Onion Designs? I'm excited about the houses and buildings that are coming out--Stephanie really outdid herself with this release! 

Today I'm sharing a card that I made with some older stamps. Everything was stamped on the smooth side of some watercolor paper and colored with Memento ink pads and a Tombow colorless blender pen. I added some Glossy Accents to the ornaments and hand scribbled the "joy". An easy peasy card!



Purple Onion stamps used: Doodle Branch, The Bird Cage, Merriness

I love how happy and joy-ful the little bird looks after decorating his branch.

Check out the new images in the Purple Onion Designs store, and I'll be sharing some cards that I created with them in the next few weeks.

I hope you're having a great week so far. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Purple Onion Designs
Ink: Staz On, Memento
Cardstock: Canson watercolor paper (Thank you, Elizabeth!)
Other: Glossy Accents, Sharpie extra fine pen, Tombow colorless blender pen

Friday, November 11, 2011

Did you know....

...there's a huge Fall and Winter stamp release at Purple Onion Designs! Go here, hereand here to see all the new designs from Michelle Clement and Stephanie Ackerman. Then visit Michele's blog to see what the design team created with this fun release!

And there's a special offer on Stephanie Ackerman's Autumn Kids. The stamps have some bumpy spots on the low lying areas of the rubber. These bumps do NOT affect the stamped images, but are not the quality or normal look of Purple Onion stamps. So Michele is offering the entire Autumn Kids collection of 7 stamps, plus the Sentiment Bubble Word set (a $47.00 value) for just $26.00! 

There's a limited number of about 20 sets, and will sell on a first come first served basis. There's a separate button on the bottom of the webpage for ordering the full collection at the discounted price.

Stamps used: Christmas Trees Doodle Frame, Stitches set

Here's a card I made with the Christmas Trees Doodle Frame set. I stamped the frame with Staz On ink on the smooth side of watercolor paper (thanks, Elizabeth!) and colored it with various Memento ink pads and a Tombow colorless blender pen.

The sentiment is framed, but I chose to ink just the words, and the faux stitching is from the Stitches set. I also added some Glossy Accents to the ornaments, and a bit of Frosted Lace Stickles to the tree's trim.

I love how the card turned out and now I have another card to send to Vera's card drive.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you'll find something you like in the new release, and I'll be sharing more cards soon. Have a wonderful weekend!

Stamps: All Purple Onion Designs
Cardstock: Canson watercolor paper
Ink: Staz On, Memento
Other: Tombow colorless blender pen, Glossy Accents, Frosted Lace Stickles, dimensional adhesive



Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Warm thoughts

Hello there! I'm sharing a card that I made using some dies that I bought a while ago, but never used before. Namely, the mini rolled roses from My Favorite Things.


I was inspired to play with the dies after I saw Kristina Werner's card on her latest Make a Card Monday.


The Large Canvas Stripes background and sentiment were both stamped with Papertrey Ink's Fresh Snow ink. The sentiment was cut apart to fit and embossed with white detail embossing powder. I added some white faux stitching around the label, and a few Hero Arts pearls. The leaves were handcut by me.

The roses were surprisingly fun to make and I'm only sorry I didn't attempt them earlier. I'm sure now you'll be seeing a few roses popping up on future cards and projects...

Have a great rest of the week, and thanks for stopping by! I know I always say this, but I really do appreciate your timely visits and gracious comments.

Stamps: Hero Arts
Cardstock: Hero Arts layering paper
Ink: Papertrey Ink
Tools: Papertrey Ink label die, My Favorite Things mini rolled roses Dienamics
Embellishments: Hero Arts pearls
Other: Wool felt, dimensional adhesive, Signo white pigment pen

Monday, November 7, 2011

Merriest wishes

Hello there! Today is the first day of Holiday Card Boot Camp and I can't wait to see what Kristina and Jennifer have in store for us!

Here's a card that I made for the Pre-Class Gallery using all Hero Arts stamps. The ornament die was stenciled and stamped before it was removed from the die. I stamped the sentiment from Very Merry Christmas and added some punched leaves and gemstones. 






The background was embossed with a stripes folder, and the ornament was attached with dimensional adhesive.

The next time I make a card with an ornament, I'll attach it in a way that the recipient can remove it and hang it on their tree.



I think I'll be sending this card to Vera for her Cards that Care card drive.

Thanks, always, for stopping by. Have a wonderful, crafty week, and I hope to see you in class!

Stamps: Hero Arts
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Versafine, Ranger distress inks
Tools: Spellbinders Heirloom ornament die, Couture Creations Pinstripes embossing folder, McGill leaf punch
Embellishments: gemstones, gold cord
Other: dimensional adhesive

Friday, November 4, 2011

Cards that Care


Two sweet friends, Vera Yates and Jennifer McGuire, have teamed up for the Cards that Care Card Drive and today's blog hop. The card drive will collect handstamped cards for the elderly living in nursing homes to bring them a little holiday cheer.

You can get all the details of the card drive here on Vera's blog. Send in your cards and you'll be eligible for some fabulous prizes from such wonderful sponsors. The more cards you send in, the more chances to win!

* * *
Today's blog hop is huge, but it's for such a worthy cause--AND, there are prizes just for leaving comments! Winners will be randomly chosen from participating blogs, so the more you comment, the better your chance of winning.

The prize sponsors are some of your favorite  companies: Hero Arts, Lawn Fawn, May Arts, and Penny Black, to name a few. Visit Vera's blog or Jennifer's blog to see a complete list of prizes and start hopping!

You should have arrived here from Aga's blog. If not, start at the beginning at Vera's blog and you'll find the master list of blogs. You can also visit Vera's blog in case you get lost, or if there's a broken link along the way. 

Here's my card for the hop and the card drive. All stamps are from Sweet Stamp Shop's new release. The snowflakes and sentiment are from Tree Traditions, and the adorable bunny is from Furry Friends Forever


The snowflakes were clear embossed and ink distressed with three different distress inks. I added some Glitter Domes for a bit of bling, and I made sure the bunny was cozy warm with a ribbony scarf.
And now hop over to Nicole's blog. Remember to leave comments along the way for your chance to win some awesome prizes. You have the whole weekend to visit and comment. The deadline is Sunday, November 6th at midnight CST.
I hope this hop has inspired you to create some cards for the card drive, spread some holiday cheer, and win some prizes, too.  Happy hopping!

Stamps: All Sweet Stamp Shop
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Ranger distress inks, Versafine, Memento, Versamark
Other: Copics, clear embossing powder, Glitter Domes, ribbon, dimensional adhesive

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Hello, Gnomies!

Hello, hello! It's the last day of Sweet Stamp Shop's previews and today we're all sharing the Sweet Alpha Doodles stamp set. The set includes some doodled frames and a cool handwritten alphabet font, too.


Fellow Sweet Tooth gal, Leigh Ann, designed this door template that you can find here on her blog. It makes for a charming card for the cute little Gnomies who remind me of some holiday elves. 

I stamped Hero Arts' Woodgrain Background and die cut a hole with some Circle Nestabilities. The leaves are from the Melvin and Vernie set, and do you see the "hello" sentiment? That was made using the alphabets from the new set. 


I like that there are several duplicate letters in the set, so you're able to spell out words like "hello" that can be stamped all at once.

The sweet news is that the three new stamp sets will be released today! If you've been following all three days, you have a chance to win some stamps just by commenting on each blog post. 

Now hop on over to Geny's fabulous blog and see what she's created. When you reach Nicole's blog at the very end, she has a coupon code you won't want to miss! 

And thanks so much for hopping along with us the past three days. We hope you love the new release as much as we do!

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop, Hero Arts
Cardstock: Paper Accents kraft
Ink: Memento, Versafine, Ranger distress ink
Other: Copics, Nestabilities, dimensional adhesive, door template by Leigh Ann, Liquid Appliqué

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My giveaway winner!

(Note:  Please click here or scroll down to see Day 2 of Sweet Stamp Shop's previews! Thanks!)

Just popping in to announce the winner of my "with hope" giveaway.


Random.org helped me choose #15--Linby.


Congratulations, Linby! Please email me with your mailing address so I can send your goodies to you. Thank you all for your comments and for your support of breast cancer.

Girls rule!

Hi there! Here's my card for Day 2 of Sweet Stamp Shop's new preview--Sports Fever. This stamp set is dedicated to all the tomboys out there who love sports as much as guys do. Nicole came up with some fun sports equipment and clever sentiments to match.


I paper pieced the football, basketball, and baseball with Making Memories' Just Chillin' papers. The background was stamped using Hero Arts' Raindrop Background and Versamark ink.


The baseballs were popped up using dimensional adhesive, and I masked one of the footballs to add the "Girls rule" sentiment. I added a bit of wonky faux stitching with a white pigment pen, and some Twinery twine finished the card.


Here's a peek at tomorrow's card. I mixed some older stamps with the new set and used a cool template designed by a fellow Sweet Tooth gal. Now head over to Geny's blog to see her sweet creation.

And be sure to comment on all of today's blogs for a chance to win the Sports stamp set. See you tomorrow for the last day of previews. Thanks for hopping by!

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop, Hero Arts
Ink: Versafine, Versamark
Cardstock: Paper Accents kraft
Patterned paper: Making Memories
Other: Copics, corner chomper, dimensional adhesive, puffy heart stickers, twine