Got A Button???

Today I'm sharing an O2M, N2U (old to me, new to you!) project! Last fall, I submitted this project to Crafts 'N Things when one day Dawn Gehring, the magazine's Editor gave me a ring and asked if I would whip up a coordinating button jar using the same Gina K. Designs set!

Well, after I wrapped my mind around it - this is what I came up with!
I kind of chuckled when I printed out the Have a button? Give a button phrase thanks to my printer. I thought of it after a trip to the gas station and saw one of those penny jars! I thought -- it works! Don't you just love that measuring tape twill ribbon?

Here's a peek at the top! Thanks to a scalloped circle Nestie and classic circle Nestie, I came up with a decorative way to deck out the lid!

If you want the actual directions for my button jar and card, it's actually an on-line extra project for Crafts 'N Things! All you need to do is click HERE to print off your copy!

Don't forget, you have until next Monday at midnight to take part in Laura and I's celebrating 300,000 hits challenges! You can check out her challenge HERE and mine HERE! That's also where you can read up on the prizes that are on the line! There are some serious goodies up for grabs!

I'll see you back here tomorrow!

I'm celebrating!!!

Ok, when a bloggin' bud invites you to a party... can you really say - no? I think not! So, when Melanie Muenchinger asked me to help her celebrate her first year as a designer and illustrator for Gina K. Designs -- I said -- "You Betcha!"

For the next few days she and some other fabulous designers will be showing off their creations with Mel's sets!

For my day, I chose one of my all time favorites -- Little Tees! I love just how spunky and universal this set is! In fact, when I was brainstorming an idea, this one hit me..... I hope you can follow me on this idea! There is a couple that my hubby and I know and they just found out the baby they are expecting is a girl! So, when I thought of a congratulations card to send using this set -- it hit me and then I got the giggles! When a couple starts to date, it's all about flowers and sparkly fun shirts. Then, comes the comfy stage where you know he is the "one". Then, one day--- bam -- baby on board! LOL! I think the sentiment -- When a man loves a woman... pretty much sums it up! To get the maternity look of the last tee, I did stamp the top part of the tee and then drew in the flouncy bottom part of the maternity tee-shirt.

Now, on the inside I'll write - "Congrats on your next big adventure!" or something fun like that! I did make this card a 5 by 7" so that all the tees could fit. I used Basic Grey Urban Prairie. I wanted some fun pink prints and this paper pad has them!

Want to see some more Anniversary fun? Check out...

Carolina

Barb

Donna

Jessica

Lee

Jessie

Rose Anne

See you back here soon!

p.s. If you head over to Melanie's place -- she's got some Scor-Pal goodies up for grabs!

Cards 4 Kids!

Hi all! Today's post is a shameless plug for my mom and a new charity effort she just started. I think it's marvelous! And, she got the idea from our bloggin' bud Bela over at Bela's Creating Place. For some time, Bela has delivered handmade cards and notebooks to her area's children's hospital to try to put a smile on these kids' faces! Well, my mom got to thinking. She could do the same and impact the lives of kids in the greater-Detroit area! She started Cards 4 Kids! Cards are needed for all ages (up to 20 years old) and will target all the major holidays - Christmas, Hannukah, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, etc. as well as Thinking Of You cards and Birthday cards. Do you have a few spare cards to help these children who are facing so much at such a young age? Cards can have stamped or computer generated sayings inside but otherwise, keep them blank. These will be used by the caregivers and parents who are staying with their children at the hospital. It's a way we can help these parents lift the spirits of these children when they can't make a mad dash out to the Halmark store. My mom is also taking in altered notebooks -- something that will fit in a pocket or a purse. When you are a parent of a child in the hospital - it's not uncommon for unplanned meetings with your child's doctor. Having a notebook handy to jot down information on your child's care is critical.


Do you want to help in the effort to put smiles on the faces of hospitalized kids? Just email my mom at mrsmiley6@aol.com for the details!

Today's card is actually one that landed in the box headed for my mom and her cause! I packed up all those cards that I have made over the last year that I thought might fit this cause!

I love this image. It's one of Melanie Muenchinger's sets released through Gina K Designs called Cuddles and Hugs. It's a PERFECT set for this cause! I love how these kitties are just snuggled up together!

I used my nesties scalloped heart and classic heart to create my heart and frame. I stamped the kitties in black and then used some pink chalk to give the kitties a soft glow. Outline them with a super light grey marker and then use the patterned paper to paper piece the spots on one of the kitties. Mat it up with a scalloped edge and some scraps of paper for the "Purrfect friends" saying! That's it!

Here's a close up... gotta love that snuggling that's going on!

So, if you have some extra cards lying around and would love to help! Just email my mom or visit her blog HERE for details!

Good luck MOM! Can't wait for a progress report! Until tomorrow!

Fan-tastic!

Hi all! A while back, Gina K held a secret swap. The cool thing was, all you needed to do was just swap one card - that was it. You had no idea who would be giving you a card... until it arrived in the mail! Well, this was the card I made for my secret swapper. It was using Rupa Shevde's set Many Happy Returns from Gina K. Designs. I think the set is just too fun!

To make the card, I used the Abstract set from Spellbinders, and then I paper pieced the fan so that my "fan blades" were silver. I cut the fan out and then added a silver hot fix nail head in the center. Layer it on some metallic patterned paper and a piece of paper that I ran through my Wizard with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, add a tag, some ribbon and you are done! The tag is actually just a 1-1/4" circle punch that I punched a smaller hole at the top. Nothing to it!

This next week brings lots of excitement over here at my place! What's coming up? Only three new sets being released by Flourishes, three new colors of Shimmerz Paints perfect for fall, a new Friday Stamp Simply Challenge and who could forget - every 15th of the month you'll find a brand new Y.ou K.now Y.ou R.ock challenge to get those creative juices flowing! So, stick around for a busy and fun week! Sneak peaks for Flourishes start tomorrow!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

A Sketch Challenge For YOU!

Just wanted to give you all a heads up! I have a fun challenge going in the Gina K. Forum! Want to speed stamp? All you need to do is use my sketch and make a creation by tomorrow Monday, July 28th at noon central time. The challenge is super duper easy! The fun thing about this challenge is -- the winner is chosen out of a hat! It's kind of like a stamping lottery! If you win, you walk away with a Gina K Designs set valued at 18.95 or or less!

Here's my creation.... It's made with the new 1 Free with 3 set from Gina K. Designs. You order three sets and you get this one free!


Here's a close up of the card! I just colored the cherries with watercolor pencils and added some pizazz with some Crystal Lacquer on the cherries to make them pop! Can't really see all that well. Trust me, it's kind of cool IRL! And here's the "official" sketch!! :-)

Once you're done, simply upload to SCS using the keyword: JULYGKDJK

Happy Sunday! Off to enjoy some family time!

The Count Down Is On!

This Thursday- Gina K and her talented team of illustrators will unveil a handful of new sets perfect for summer stamping! Since the count down is on.... that means it's time for a bunch of sneak peaks!!

I was honored to be able to use this first set that Gina is giving you all a peak at. It's Asela Hopkin's new set called Flowers for Daisy. The wonderful thing about this set is not just the beautiful images, thoughtful sayings and Bible verses but the fact that for a limited time, a portion of the sales of this set will be donated to the American Cancer Society in honor of Asela's friend Daisy who is fighting a courageous battle with cancer. Doesn't that make dipping into your stamping budget a whole lot easier?

Since I wanted the daisy to pop, I wanted to make sure my overall card layout was really pretty simple. So, I added a scallop border, edged it with some darker green paper, added some 3/4" green grosgrain ribbon, stamped my saying and that part was done. I stamped the daisy on a 2-1/2 by 3" piece of white cardstock, used my ticket corner punch on two corners and then started to color. I edged only one side of my daisy with a very light blue Tombow marker. I used three shades of yellow Prismacolor pencils for the center of my daisy and then accented some of the petals with a slate blue. Since this was a bit dark at first, I went back over the petals with a white pencil to help blend the color and make it look more like subtle shading.

Here's a close up...
I matted my daisy piece onto a dark green cardstock piece, added two glazed brads (Basic Grey) and voila.... done!

Be sure to check out Gina's blog for all the release party details PLUS a sneak of her own! If you want to check out what some of the other DT members did check out:

Michelle Joanne Emily Asela

Thanks for stopping by! See you back here Wednesday! Hope you have a little Christmas spirit in you! :-)

p.s. Voting is still going on until Thursday at noon for the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol Contest! Click HERE to vote for my card. Click HERE to see the gallery. Hope you like the card I made!

An Orchid and IDOL news!

Hi all! Thanks for stopping by! I made this card forever ago and just realized - I never posted it here! It was from Gina K's release in late June. I just love Asela Hopkin's new images for Gina K. This set is called Botanical Dreams and it creates such sophisticated cards!

I stamped the orchid in Sepia Brown Versafine ink and then used watercolor pencils to color it. I actually printed off some photos of orchids just to make sure I colored it right. That's fun! Google "orchids" and man, you will be able to pull up library upon library of photos showing all the different varieties. The kind I chose is fairly common - a white orchid with blush accents and a vivid yellow center. After I colored my image, I distressed the background with a stipple brush. Mat it on a green piece of paper that is edged with the help of a gold leaf marker and you're almost done! I added the word "friend" (also in the set) on a strip of paper that I embellished with some gold embroidery thread and then matted everything on a piece of textured paper. Coloring is really the hardest part of this card and-- that's not hard!

Thanks so much for the emails and comments about the PC Idol contest! If you read yesterday's "This Just In" post, you know now why I have an intense love/hate relationship with computers. Voting is now set to begin at noon mountain standard time - so be sure to check back here for the link as soon as it becomes available. The good news is - the voting doesn't end until Friday at noon MST. So, we've got some time --- thankfully!!

Now to fun news from Flourishes! You have probably heard the name Faith Hofrichter before. She's the stamper who loves to have her cats help her in her stamp room, loves white dots, and has a son that is a little jokester! She often sprinkles stories of her day to day life on her BLOG in between fabulous creations. Well, I am blessed to create with her on the Flourishes design team. And, now YOU can hang out with Faith every Tuesday night in the Flourishes Forum! From 7 to 9 eastern time, Faith will be there LIVE to answer you questions. So, check it out HERE!

And, don't forget tomorrow the Flourishes fun begins with the reveal of their new stamp sets for July!! BEAUTIFUL new sets! As promised, I'll have a fun tutorial on using mica powders to create gorgeous accents to your stamped creations. It's one of my favorite techniques - can't wait to share!

Oh, I almost forgot-- Susan still has Flourishes blog candy! Check it out HERE!

That's it for now! I know, that was a lot to throw at you! It's a busy fun filled week! What can I say!?!? See ya back here tomorrow I hope!

You're Just My Style!

Hi all! H0pe you are all enjoying your weekend! When I laid eyes on these new stamps from Gina K. Designs - I thought funky chic! (The set is called Retro Boutique!)Well, I also thought this stamp set called for a different kind of layout - so I grabbed a plate - yes a plate - and traced around the edge four times to create this curvy box. After I cut the small shape out of the white, I lined it up on my green piece and did this again adding about 1/4" on each side. When I was done, I had this funky layer! The purses were stamped on the white and again on the decorative paper multiple times so each purse could have it's own "look!" I added some silver leafing on the "metal" parts of the purse, added some bling and the sentiment and I was done! I have to admit, the cutting did take some time - but you know me-- love cutting things out!

That reminds me, I had a question a couple of days ago about my Silver Leafing Pen. I use the two way Zig that I got a few years back from Stampin' Up. One side is gold and the other is silver. I love it because it is a fine tip so I can add fun, fine details. If there are any SU demos out there - let me know if you can still buy these through SU!!!

Well, we are off to hike today - mountains here we come! Can't wait to get a whiff of that fresh mountain air!

Enjoy your day!

Lavender Sprig and some happy mail!

Hi all! Just a quick card for you today! I made this with the new Botanical Dreams set from Gina K. Designs. It's basically a 10 minute card. Stamp, chalk, color, stipple on some distress ink, add brads, mat, add ribbon, done! Sometimes, you don't need a lot of "schtuff" on a card to make it pretty! That's why I love these new images drawn by Asela Hopkins. LOVELY!

Here's a close up! I actually stamped the sprig twice masking the mid-section of the sprig so that it wouldn't look too heavy.

Now... on to some happy mail! A while back Denise Gooch sent me a fabulous card she made with a little surprise for my girl. First, this card! She knows how much I am a sucker for white and black cards!!


Isn't this lovely? She used a set from Tim Holtz/Stamper's Anonymous that I had never seen before and LOVE! Thank you so much Denise! Your card completely rocks! I am always humbled when people send me hand made things. Makes me feel special-- ya know!!

The next goodie came for my daughter and is just too sweet for words. Remember her mission to run our Women's Run race screaming "You gotta want it!" all the way? You can see the pics HERE.

Well, this is what Denise came up with!
It's a vellum card that she did all by hand with the exception of the block style letters. The leaves and the calligraphy are all done by hand. You should see the sparkle to the ink she used! It's so beautiful! Underneath the vellum, right by the E and K, Denise wrote Ellie's name. So pretty!

Here's a closeup! Man is it hard to take a picture of vellum AND sparkly ink!! LOL!
Thanks again Denise! You're the best!

Hope you are all enjoying a great start to your week! We're off to the zoo. Our little town has a rather small zoo but they just got a new bear and the kids are anxious to "meet" him!!

Enjoy today!



P.S. HOLY COW! I just noticed my counter went past 100,000! You know what that means -- blog candy will be coming your way. I've got to make this one good too!!

Family Fun Ticket Book!

Hi All!
Friday was the release of some really fun new stamps from Gina K. Designs! If you liked her Kindred Spirits Moms or Kindred Spirits Dads, then you are going to love her new Kindred Spirit Kids line! When I saw all of the images, I immediately thought of a coupon book that I could make and give to my kids - things like having a sleepover, playing in the dirt, going on a hike, or hitting the spray park! These images work PERFECTLY for this!! There are so many I didn't use too! That means YOU could get even more creative than this!!

Here's the cover of my book - Used decorative paper and some fun embellishments - just gingham and grosgrain ribbon and some fun Making Memories epoxy buttons. The whole thing was held together with a ring that splits open - anyone know the name for this??? I couldn't think of it to save my life! It's like the rings that are on a binder - only it's by itself.
Here's the first "ticket/coupon." I colored all the images with the new Koh-i-noor pencils that Gina K. now stocks in her online store. I tell you what - these pencils have been described as "butter" and that description is dead on. They are so soft, they float on your paper. You then can blend them with odorless mineral spirits using paper stumps or tortillions.
Here's Ticket #2-- family bike rides are a family favorite in our house!
Here's Ticket #3-- With the mountains just about 60 miles away - this is a super duper fun get-away for us! I have to admit, I drew in a pony tail on the little girl to look more like my Ellie.
Ticket #4 - Love the "no questions asked" part. I am actually afraid of them asking to use this one!!! LOL!
Ticket #5- Sleepovers! What kid doesn't ask a million times a week for one of those!!

Want to know something funny? Well, the ink wasn't even dry on this baby and the kids already wanted to cash in one of their "tickets!" So, this weekend we hit the spray park in town and here are the pics to prove it!!
You can see Ellie in the back with the light blue bathing suit - yes, she is striking a pose. What this camera didn't pick up is her screaming - Big Bad Fountain HERE I COME! That girl cracks me up! Cal is there in the orange t-shirt trying to ring out his t-shirt. He thought he was too cool to run through the fountains. Well, we got there and he says - I might just walk Ellie around. Next thing we know he's sopping wet - t-shirt and all! Silly kid!

More pics!


p.s. I made a PDF of this ticket book file, so if anyone wants it to make a book like this of their own - just shoot me an email and I will send it along! Happy Monday!

Sketch Challenge Fun!

Well, if you stopped by the Gina K. Forum on SCS tonight, you might be cross-eyed right now. It's lightning speed fun with a bunch of stampin' addicts, tons of samples, challenges and contests - it's enough to make your head spin!!

This was one of the cards I revealed on the forum. It's Gina's new 1 Free with Three set. Buy three stamp sets and you get this baby free! I love the flowers that are a part of this set. So elegant and timeless! This card is rather simple! I stamped it in black and then colored it with Tombow markers. The cracked glass on the vase was outlined with my Copic Spica clear pen to make it look sparkly - like cracked glass! The decorative paper is actually something (gasp) I got at Dollar Tree. It's the Miss Elizabeth's collection. Not too shabby! Do you see the bling on my card? It's some new bling in the Gina K. Designs store! They are self adhesive rhinestones. What is so cool about this is that the set comes with varying sizes and multiple colors!

Now, for the fun part..... do you like the card's layout? Well, here's the actual sketch that you can try - there are even prizes on the line!!!

All you need to do is use my sketch and make a creation by Tuesday night, June 24th at 7 PM central. So grab your Gina K. Design stamps if you own them and put them to use! If you don’t own any (yet) PLEASE play along! The more the merrier! We know that you’ll be addicted to Gina’s stamps sooner or later!Upload your card on SCS using the keyword "JUNEGKDJK" and be sure to link back to the thread on the Gina K. Forum. On Tuesday night, I’ll take all the entries posted and pick a winner out of a hat. The winner will be announced on Wednesday. Guess what you win??? Any Gina K. stamp set valued at $18.95 or less!

So what are you waiting for! Can't wait to see what you cook up!!!

p.s. If you missed the previews I shared on the forum - check back this coming week. I'll have them all here eventually!! :-)

Sneak A Peek with a Peek-A-Boo!!

Hi All! This Friday, this bouquet of flowers..... could be YOURS! It's one of the new 1 Free with 3 set from Gina K. Designs. Buy three sets - you get this baby free! It's called Friendship Blooms and it has the prettiest flowers in it. Since I love flowers and I love to color--- what could be better?? I stamped my image on a circle that I cut out with my circle Nestabilities die. I then colored the flowers and vase with watercolor pencils and blended it all with a blender pen. Add some Stickles and that was it! I matted a scalloped green circle onto a larger circle that I sponged with sage green ink.

Now comes the surprise! I attached my flower piece to the base with one of Gina K's new kind of bling - they are rhinestone brads - they are smaller than the "mega" ones already in her store but bigger than a lot of the other brands out there -- makes them perfect! Why do I need a brad you ask.... scroll down and see!
There's a peek-a-boo phrase! I love this font - so elegant!
The rest of the card is pretty simple. The center is a strip of paper that I edged with ivory cardstock that was punched with the Threading Water Fiskars Border punch. I used my slot punch from Stampin' Up to create the holes for my ivory satin ribbon. That's pretty much it!!

Do you want to see some of the other Friendship Blooms Sneak Peaks? See what these DT members have cooking!
Kurtis
Michelle G.
Emily
Michelle Z.

There's also some new additions to the Kindred Spirits line - Check these ladies' blogs out!
Linsey , Joanne , Julie B., Barb

If you check out Barb's post, you might get a big chuckle! Remember my 4 year old's Cool Club that she created? Well Barb offered up her services as Treasurer of the club. After a long and lengthy debate between my daughter and I, we deemed she was worthy. Afterall, she will have to handle a LOT of money from dues for all the cool people in the world - you know? Anyway, check out her post -- tooooo cute!!!

Sneak-A-Peak Time!!

Hi all! We're just a few days away from another Gina K. Designs release and this one has so many surprises--- it's really hard to even believe! New sets, new singles, new bling and new illustrator who really rocks... WOW!

Tonight, it's all about the girly girls! This is a brand new set from Rupa Shevde called Retro Boutique! So many fun images in this set that will make up great cards for your gal pals!

I love this little dress! It just screamed "paper piece me!" So, I did! All of the papers are from Lasting Impressions and are all the same color but each layer is a different design. I even sewed an edge on the base of the mat to give it a little more "ooomph!" The sentiment is also a part of the set. I love how little it is. I don't know about you, but I think all sets should come with some mini messages like this. Something that adds without overpowering! The tag is actually a part of a Cuttlebug mini tag set. I added some adhesive pearls, some sheer polka dot ribbon and bam---done!

Here's a close up of the dress... LOVE IT!If you want to see some of the other sneak peaks take a trip on over to see....

Linsey
Melanie
Michelle

And, don't forget to stop by Gina's place for all the release party details! She's also got a great giveaway going on!!!

Until tomorrow!!!

You are my sunshine....

Hi all! Hope you're spending time with the men in your life that are also great dads! I actually made this card for my hubby. I was down in my craft room and he pops in as I was making it and says -- Oh, I like that. Then, it dawned on me - "Wait, you're not supposed to see this!" I laughed and said - Great, cuz I'm making it for you. So, pretend you didn't see it!! He laughed.

I created this card with some fun decorative paper (Kaleidascope), some ribbon (American Crafts)and some watercolor paper (Strathmore, 140lb. cold press). I actually stamped the image - twice. I stamped it once on a piece of watercolor paper that I cut out with an oval Nestabilities die and then again on a scrap. I needed the umbrella in this stamp to pop up! I colored it with watercolor pencils and then blended it all with an Aquapainter. The "sand" was done with a stipple brush using Ranger Distress Ink in Tea Dye. I added some "white caps" to my waves with the help of some white Liquid Applique. I also cut a strip of paper with my scalloped scissors and then used the "wrong" side to create my "wave" strip of paper that borders my ribbon. After I made my card, I though -- I wanna go there! :-)

This set is so fun. It's the free with three set. Check it out HERE. It's called "You Are My Sunshine." The good news? Next Friday, when new images are released -- you'll be able to purchase this one!

Hope you have some sunshine in your lives! Enjoy today! We're barbequing and the kids want to take their dad and grandpa bowling! So, off to the lanes we go!