Sparkle

Hello there! Wow--can you believe it's almost the end of the year? For me, it was a whirlwind year with both sad and happy occasions. But that's life, huh?

I'd like to share a card using the Sweet Victoria set from Sweet Stamp Shop. I used the chandelier with lots of bling and the sentiment from Hero Arts. The background is stamped with Hero Arts' Raindrop Background.

Thanks to all of you for your blog visits and for leaving such sweet comments. You really do make my life sparkle!

Wishing you and yours a safe and Happy New Year!

Supplies used:

InLinkz.com

A blooming good day

Hi there! Today I'd like to share a card made with some new images from Stephanie Ackerman for Purple Onion Designs. Her Hometown collection features different buildings, which are so popular now, along with some matching sentiments.

For my card I chose the Flower Shop. I colored the shop with Copics and stamped the sentiment below it.

I used Martha Stewart's hydrangea border punch and drew some faux stitching lines around the edge. The piece was mounted on an embossed card and tied with some rayon seam binding.

Please visit Purple Onion Designs and see the selection of buildings and store fronts in the Hometown collection. Thanks for visiting today, and have a blooming good week!

Stamps: Purple Onion Designs
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress inks
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Other: Copics, Sizzix dots embossing folder, Prismacolor pencils, Martha Stewart hydrangea border punch, rayon seam binding, dimensional adhesive

A very Merry Christmas!

Hello, and Mele Kalikimaka to you! I'd like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and thank you for your visits throughout the year.

Thank you, too, for your cards that have been sprinkling in. My mail carrier gets just as excited as me when he sees the the return addresses from my friends in different states and countries.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday and I hope that Santa brings you everything you wish for!

Stamps: Hero Arts
Cardstock: Canson watercolor paper
Ink: Hero Arts chalk ink
Other: Memory Box Country Landscape die, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Frosted Lace Stickles

Peace, love & joy

I so admire my stamping friends who are awesome fussy cutters! I've been known to change a hairdo or amputate an image--ouch! It must be my scissors...

And because I'm "scissors impaired", I love that some of my favorite stamp companies are coming out with dies that match some of their stamps.

Here's a quick card that I made using Poppystamps' new penguin stamp and die.  I clear embossed Hero Arts' Starry Sky Design Block--which kinda sorta looks like snow--then ink distressed with two different shades of distress inks.

The penguins are supposed to represent my hubby (green scarf) and me. It was quite addicting to stamp and die cut them. I have a whole army of penguins waiting to be attached to cards or tags.

Thanks for taking the time to visit today. I hope you're having a stress free week as the countdown to Christmas begins...

Stamps: Poppystamps. Hero Arts
Ink: Memento, Ranger distress ink, Fresh Ink, Versamark
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink
Other: Clear embossing powder, Poppystamps penguin die, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, 
Frosted Lace Stickles, dimensional adhesive

Cups of Joy

Hi there! Today I want to share a new stamp by Heidi Grace Kress for Purple Onion Designs, called Cups of Joy. As soon as I saw it, I knew that I wanted to make a gift card holder.

I stamped the image on some watercolor paper and colored it with Copics. The sentiment is from the Handwritten Holiday set. I adjusted the measurements to fit a gift card and attached a small piece inside to hold the card.

To give some subtle texture to the card, I stamped Hero Arts' Envelope Pattern over the image. I rounded the corners and ink distressed with Antique Linen distress ink. Some faux stitching and a bit of twine finished it off.

This was so much fun and so simple to make. I may be commissioned by my daughter (again!) to make some for her friends who are avid Starbuck's fans.

Visit Purple Onion Designs to see more of Heidi's Clever Handmade line and be sure to visit her blog to download some wonderful Christmas papers--for free!


Stamps: Purple Onion Designs, Hero Arts
Cardstock: Canson watercolor paper
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Other: Copics, corner chomper, twine

Meet Ben and some Mistletoe

Hello, hello! Today I'd like to share a couple of cards that were featured on Michele's blog last week.

First up is one of Stephanie Ackerman's Winter Kids named Ben. After coloring him with Copics, I thought he looked a little "flat", so I added some shading with Prismacolor pencils.

I went around the edge of the card with a Sharpie, and drew the wonky lines alá Julie Ebersole that she shared here. It was a lot of fun and adds to the playfulness of the image. Thanks, Julie! After stamping the sentiment, I added some gemstones which look like Christmas lights when the card moves.

Next up is a card using Mistletoe Ball from carolyn draws. I colored the image with Copics and drew those wonky lines again.

I showed this card to my hubby and asked him what it was. Staring intently, he asked me if the "ribbon is supposed to be like that" and I said yes, I didn't DRAW the image, I just COLORED it.

It took a while for him to answer until I pointed to the sentiment and he said, "Oh!! Mistletoe!" Yay for him. Little does he know, it's his Christmas card and he'll be seeing it again in a few weeks.

You can find these and many more holiday images at Purple Onion Designs that help make quick and simple cards.

I hope that your holiday cardmaking is in full swing. Have a great week and thanks, always, for stopping by!

Stamps: Purple Onion Designs
Cardstock: Canson watercolor paper
Ink: Memento
Other: Copics, Prismacolor pencils, Sharpie pen, gemstones

It's a steal!

Hello, friends! Here's a heads up for you. Scrapbook Steals is offering a steal today, for just twelve hours starting at 9:00am MST.

They're featuring a choice of three different stamp bundles of Sweet Stamp Shop's stamps up for grabs at an incredible steal! It's your chance to get your hands on Nicole's hand drawn stamps for a great deal! And all of the sets will be retired once they're gone so now is the best time to get 'em before they're gone forever!

Here's my card that's being shared on the Scrapbook Steals blog.

I used Cool Scoop and paper pieced the scoops of ice cream. Nicole's images make for fun and easy paper piecing and I find myself doing this often, rather than coloring.

Visit the blog to see the rest of the Sweet Tooth gals' amazing cards and projects and then hurry over to Scrapbook Steals for the 12-hour steal!

Thanks for stopping by today....have a cool weekend!

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop, Hero Arts (Large Canvas Stripes)

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Ink: Versafine, Ranger distress ink

Paper: My Mnd's Eye

Other: Spellbinders Labels 8, twine, pearls

Three stockings

Hello there! Today I'd like to share two cards and also remind you about Purple Onion Designs' annual Holiday Sale with all stamps 25% off.

Stamps used: 3 Stockings, Handwritten Holiday

I used 3 Stockings, an older stamp from last season and colored them in non traditional colors of pink and green. The white card is a simple one layer card with a bit of twine and a rounded corner to finish it off.

Stamps used: Happy Holidays noteblock, 3 Stockings

The green card was stamped with the Happy Holidays noteblock in Versamark ink, and the stockings were attached with dimensional adhesive. Two different looks from the same stamp.

You have until Sunday, December 11th to take advantage of great savings on all Purple Onion Design stamps. Simply enter code HOL2011 upon checkout. Happy shopping!

Stamps: All Purple Onion Designs
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (white), Flavours Gourmet (lemongrass)
Ink: Memento, Versamark
Other: Copics, corner rounder, twine, dimensional adhesive

Most wonderful time

Just a quick post to share something "other than a card"--a stamped candle! My creative friend and Penny Black designer, Elizabeth Allan, inspired me to try this after seeing her samples and following her great tutorial on her blog.

I stamped and trimmed out  Mademoiselle Noel but she was a tad too tall for my candle, so I performed some minor surgery. I trimmed off less than 1/4" off from her legs, and she became a perfect fit! Can you tell? Probably not, because this technique is very forgiving.

I was equally surprised that when I heated the white tissue paper with my heat gun, it magically "dissolved" into the green candle and there wasn't a hint of any paper. It's truly magical!

I added some gemstones and was quite pleased with how the candle turned out. I was even commissioned (by my daughter) to make some for her friends for Christmas. Stamped candles make for a quick, festive, "last minute" gift, with endless possibilities using all your holiday and non holiday stamps.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you're all off to a great week!

Stamps: All Penny Black
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Other: tissue paper, candle, waxed paper, gemstones, heat tool

A Holiday Sale + Heidi Grace Kress!

There's a Holiday Sale happening at Purple Onion Designs! From now until Sunday, December 11th, receive 25% off all stamps--old and new. Enter code HOL2011 upon checkout.

Michele has decided to release Stephanie Ackerman's Hometown Collection--some wonderful buildings and matching sentiments you can view here.

And Michele is adding another line of stamps by Heidi Grace, under the name Heidi Grace Kress. Check out her adorable stamps here. Heidi is also offering free downloads of some Christmas papers on her blog, that match the new stamps perfectly.

The design team will be sharing cards and projects made with all the new stamps in the coming weeks. Stay tuned, and meanwhile, happy shopping!

December stamp preview and release!

Hi there! Thanks so much for visiting all three days and checking out the new stamps that will go on sale today in the Sweet Stamp Shop store. And starting today through the weekend, Nicole is offering a 25% discount on a set of your choice with coupon code NRD25.

Today we're featuring the Buddy Bee stamp set, which has a puppy dog theme. Here's my card, welcoming a new pup into a household.

I paper pieced the dog food bowls with Basic Grey's Oliver papers and adhered them to the card with dimensional adhesive. The background was stamped with pawprints and ink distressed with Antique Linen distress ink. I rounded off the corner and tied a bit of Cappuccino twine and the card was done.

If you want a chance to win this stamp set, visit each designer's blog and leave a comment. Here's the list of blogs:

Sweet Stamp Shop

Julie

Savannah

Lindsay

                       Donna -- you are here!

Geny

Aga

Leigh Ann

Nicole

Please note:  Some people are having issues with Blogger, 

and if you can't visit all the blogs, please come back again to leave a comment. 

Thank you!

If you have a Facebook account, you can get an extra "entry" by sharing about the giveaway and let us know that you shared by posting on Sweet Stamp Shop's wall.

You can see the full reveal of all three stamp sets and the store is now open. Remember to use the code NRD25 to receive your discount on any one set, old or new, through Sunday. Many of the sets are running low and once they're sold out, the set will be retired.

I hope you love the new release as much as we do! Please share your cards and projects in the SSS Flickr group or SCS gallery. We'd love to see your work!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy shopping and good luck with the giveaway!

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop
Cardstock: Paper Accents
Ink: Versafine, Ranger distress ink
Patterned paper: Basic Grey's Oliver
Other: Twine, dimensional adhesive, corner chomper

More Sweet previews

Hello there! Welcome to the second day of Sweet Stamp Shop's December previews. I hope you arrived here from Lindsay's fabulous blog. Today we're featuring cards and projects made with the new Spectacle set, and here's my card.

I went with a simple design with lots of bling to match the sentiment. I stamped three pairs of eyeglasses and simply added gemstones and pearls on each. I realized later that the glasses look more like something Elton John would probably wear...

Here's the list of the rest of the design team.

Sweet Stamp Shop

Julie

Savannah

Lindsay

               Donna--you are here!

Geny

Aga

Leigh Ann

Nicole

Please note:  Some people are having issues with Blogger, 

and if you can't visit all the blogs, please come back again to leave a comment. 

Thank you!

Nicole will be giving away one stamp set every day so be sure to comment on each blog for your chance to win. If you have a Facebook account, you get an extra entry if you help spread the word about the release and post it on Sweet Stamp Shop's wall.

The full release of all three stamp sets will be shown here tomorrow and the shopping will begin! Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to see you tomorrow for the third and final preview.

Now let's head over to Geny's blog to see what sweetness she's created....

Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Ink: Versafine

Other: gemstones, pearls, corner chomper

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.

Julie

Savannah   

Lindsay

Donna  

Geny

Aga  

Leigh Ann 

Nicole

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

Did you know....

...there's a huge Fall and Winter stamp release at Purple Onion Designs! Go here, here, and 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

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

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