Challenges, Challenges...

This card was made to satisfy THREE Splitcoast challenges! One was the Ways to Use It Challenge where you need to spray something... I choose to do the water misting technique with markers.

This card was also a color challenge: Soft Sky, Basic Gray, & Whisper White. I really LOVE that color combo- very elegant and soft.

And... I used the sketch from Beate's Blog- Fresh & Fun. It was this weekend's sketch challenge.

Now... I am off to work on some more challenges- an inspiration challenge from something around the home & a Featured Stamper Challenge (Laura of ScrapNExtras). I can't wait to get started!!

Recipe:
Stamps: Always Set
Cardstock: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Basic Gray
Ink: Soft Sky, Versa Mark
Punches: Circle Punches, Scallop Punch, Mini hole punch for holes in scalloped edge
Other Tools: None
Accessories: Grosgrain ribbon- Gray is from the Dollar Tree and white SU!, Clear acrylic from Build-a-Brad for the "Always" sentiment.

More 3x3 boxes...

The girls that I work with and I have been sneaking around for over a month!

One of my co-worker's, Kristie, is pregnant with her first, a girl, to be named Delayna Dessa. How sweet!! I came up with an idea to throw her a mini shower during a lunch hour. From there it turned into a mini shower @ Linda's house- who happens to be like our mom. She is my mom's age, has two grown children of her own, LOVES to throw parties, lives on a lake, and is the closest to Kristie of us all.

So... tomorrow the gig is finally up!! We're working til 2pm, then heading to Linda's to celebrate the new baby. Here are the things I made for Kristie...

2 little 3x3 boxes filled with 30 cards to be used as Thank You's for her "real" shower which she'll have on April 12th.

The flower scallop box has a tag on the top that says "adorable" and the butterfly scallop box has a tag on the top of it that says "welcome"... I'm loving the new Hodgepodge Hardware from the Occasion Mini and I've been using it a lot!! You can see it on the Tart & Tangy box in the post below, as well. There are several kinds of hardware in the box, I'll post some more pics of cards I've used it on this weekend.

I also included a picture of the basket three of us put together because it's just sooo cute!! I wrapped it in cellophane and tied it with an adorable ribbon that I got from... gasp!... the Dollar Tree!!

Tart or Tangy...

Well... I've been rather busy with stamping lately. I'm loving it!! I have a March of Dimes Fundraiser Event Vendor Show that I'm participating in on April 20th. I'll post more details later!!


I've been getting lots of use out of my Summer Picnic paper and Tart & Tangy set- I thought that with summer around the corner, it'd be perfect to use the cute fruits for the show.

I placed all 5 cards (which are 3x3) & envelopes in this mini card box:




Enjoy!

Happy Easter...

Just wanted to leave you with a picture of the Easter card I made for Kevin's Aunt Peg, who hosted Eatser this year. Only Easter one I made (because I don't have many Easter stamps)... I used the balloon stamp from Birthday Whimsy to make this card by cutting off the "tie" part of the balloon.

I love it!! :) Enjoy... hope you all had a great Easter and here's to another Manic Monday! *sigh*

And the winners are....

Since I only had THREE comments, everyone won!!

Sorry I couldn't post earlier, we've been having problems with our internet. I will extend it, and have you get back to me by 9pm (EST) on Tuesday night to redeem your prizes!!

The three winners said the following:

Phyllis: "I like the Sassy Suzie on page 20, because the sayings are so fitting for us old ladies!"

Laura: "I really like the Just Celebrate Set on page 8 and the Full of Life Set on page 22 because you can get several uses out of them!"

ghazel: "My favorite stamp sets from Occasions Mini Catalog are Live Your Dream, Time for You and Essence of Love. I also love the new Rub-ons."

ghazel - Please e-mail me (stampinfanatic@hotmail.com) with your mailing address and info on where to send the stamp set.

** If you have a preference of which set you receieve, let me know! I will do it on a first come, first serve basis. **


If sets are NOT redeemed by Tuesday, March 25th @ 9pm (EST) thne I will offer some more blog candy in the next two weeks- so watch for it!!

Krafty Color Challenge

** Don't forget to leave a comment two posts below for a chance to win a FREE Sale-A-Bration set!**




I made this one for the color challenge this week on SCS. It was Kraft, Orchid Opulence, and Sage Shadow. I never, ever would have put those together on my own!!

I got more use outta my new stuff... I dove in and used my Build-A-Brads for the first time. HOW FUN!!

You need a 1/2" punch. You stamp a small image (in this case one of the flowers from the Always set) or you use can use an image from the Designer Series Paper. You attach the paper to the bubble top, then attach that to your base. I placed mine inside of the "a" in Always.

Not sure how much fun stamping I'll get done the next few weeks. I have a vendor show on the 20th of April, so I am busy getting some things together for that.

Also, this weekend is Easter and on Saturday I'm going with my mom to try out for the next season of The Biggest Loser- my fav TV show!!! I'm thrilled! :) Wish us luck!

If any has any techniques they want demonstrated, let me know! I will try to post as often as I can!!

Recipe:
Stamps: Always Set
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White, Sage Shadow, Orchid Opulence
Ink: River Rock for sponging, Sage Shadow, Orchid Opulence
Punches: Ticket Corner, 1/2" for Build-a-Brad, Designer Tag Punch
Other Tools: Crop-o-dile, White gel pen
Accessories: Tafetta Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Pumpkin and Choco...?!

Not sure if I am a big fan of this color combo... Kevin already voiced his opinion (and while he does like the birdie, he's not sure about much else!). What a shame!!

I got ANOTHER box of goodies in the mail yesterday and it included some of the things seen here: Jumbo Eyelets, Always Stamp Set, Photo Corner Punch and Pumpkin Pie Cardstock. Somehow I had used ALL of my Pumpkin Pie cardstock!! I guess it's a favorite of mine!

I listed the recipe for the card below, but I did use a few new techniques!

One is the rock & roll technique. Use a light colored ink pad, stamp the entire stamp, then roll the edges of the stamp in a darker color. I did this on the both the bird & the sentiment.

Also, the mini medallions- stamp a scallop then... attach your punched scallop to a piece of computer paper (I just used a piece of scotch tape on the back) and then place the scallop back inside the punch & rotate it so that you will re-punch making the little points. Got it?! It's really easy, but if you need a visual, let me know!

I'm still (anxiously) awaiting for some replies to my blog candy offer... I'm kinda sad that no one has replied!; Except my mom who didn't know how to leave a message on here- which, if thats the case, let me know!! I can definately walk you through how to leave a comment WITHOUT having to sign up!!

Recipe:
Stamps: Always Set
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Pie
Designer Series Paper: Summer Picnic (pumpkin pie dots) & Jersey Shore (pumpkin flowers)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie
Punches: 1 1/4", 1 3/8", Photo Corner, 1/8" (for eyelets), scallop punch(made mini medallions)
Other Tools: Crop-o-dile
Accessories: Satin ribbon

So you want a FREE stamp set?!

I'm glad you decided to stop by!! Hang on for some awesome BLOG CANDY!!

Just because Sale-A-Bration has ended (well, technically it ends tomorrow) doesn't mean you still can't get some FREE stamps!!

I'm offering THREE brand NEW and UN-MOUNTED Sale-A-Bration sets. The sets are Birthday Whimsy (shown in the card on the left, part of the Splitcoast Challenge- Ways to Use It: Patterned Paper), Lots of Thoughts, and So Many Scallops.

In order to be entered to win one of the FREE sets you must leave me a comment telling me what things you LOVE from the new Occasions Mini Collection. There is a link to the catalog on the left hand side of this page under the "Links I Visit" headline. Enjoy the catalog... there really are SO many great things to love!

Look back to past posts to see some of the great buys I've already made! Including the Tart & Tangy Set (& the Lots of Thoughts set!) that I used to make THIS card:

I will end the contest on Friday, March 21st at 9pm (EST time). I will choose the 3 winners by using Random.org. I will then post here to let the winners know they are the choosen ones!! I will give the winners until Monday, March 24th at 9pm (EST time) to claim their prize. You may either leave me another comment here or e-mail me... stampinfanatic@hotmail.com.

Best of luck to you all... I absolutely LOVE these sets and hope they will inspire some of you!

-Kristin :)

Chair anyone?

This card was part of the Tecnique Lovers Challenge at Splitcoast. It's called Faux Cloisonne' and you are suppose to find images in a magazine of flowers, etc. then, emboss in gold around those images, cut out and create a card. I've seen some really awesome pieces of work!!


I took an hour yesterday to go through 4 magazines from work and found lots of great images to use. This particular card comes from an ad for a chair!! I loved the stripes and I thought that it was adorable even though it doesn't exactly satisfy the challenge requirements. I also embossed several other pages to use for later dates.

I had alot of fun with it, and here is another card I made with it by CASEing some work by Mary @ Stampin' Pretty.

You can see her blog by clicking the link on the left. I used a potted flower image for this one from "Better Homes & Garden".


Enjoy!

Merci!

I made this card for a challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers. It was a color challenge to use the three main colors- Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black & Basic Gray.

I couldn't wait to try it out... I always love the color challenges because they get me to think outside the box.

I came up with this card- using the Merci set from Sale-A-Bration.

I used a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of cardstock for main card. I stamped the flower from the set all over using the VersaMark pad. It highlights the color of the cardstock that you use it on. It great for leaving a watermark and works good for backgrounds where you don't want something that really stands out. I then used a piece of whisper white cardstock to stamp my main image. I once again used the VersaMark pad and then covered my image in black embossing powder and used my heat gun to set the image. It's a VERY good idea to get the embossing buddy if you choose to do a lot of embossing. It's get rubbed over your cardstock so that the embossing powder ONLY sticks to your stamped image. Love it!

I then took my image, used the ticket corner punch on it and backgrounded it with a piece of purely pomegranate carstock. I place that layer on top of a basic black layer. I left the black layer a bit longer, and used a piece of satin purely pomegrante ribbon tied in front.

Then, I cut a layer of Holiday Harmony cardstock (which is retired)and laid that horizontally across the card. I attached the main image to the card and then got out the Crystal Effects(I used the CE on the birthday card below to create "icing")and placed it inside the heart on the main image. I added some dazzling diamonds glitter to the CE and let it dry. In the mean time I stamped the Merci sentiment in black on a piece of purely pomegrante and then cut it out with the 1 1/4" circle punch. I then cut a circle from the 1 3/8" punch in basic gray and then stamped the mini heart image in versamark on that piece and attched them. I took a stampin dimensional (which raises the cardstock) and attched the sentiment circle with that. I topped it all off by adding two black eyelets to the bottom corners of the Holiday Harmony paper.

Techniques...

Sarah mentioned wanting to know just what to do with the pastels that came in her Start Kit. Now that I am an Upline (yippee!!) it's my job to expand myself some more. For this I need you- tell me just what techniques you're interested in or what products you haven't used since you purchased them.

Like I mentioned last week, I'm going to try to participate in a lot more challenges over on Splitcoast and I'll post the results here often. Watch for those challenge cards as well as more technique cards- either with ideas you guys have provided or from Splitcoast as well.

Stay tuned... and enjoy!!

& a cherry on top!!

Well... I'm sure this card has arrived by now! As soon as I saw the new Summer Picnic paper from the Occasions Mini, I KNEW I'd have to buy it- if only to make ONE card for my VERY best friend, it was worth it!!

I hope she loves it as much as I do... The cased the original card from Splitcoast, and made some minor changes. I altered the size and the layout of the main card.

I used my Perfect Day rub-ons, also from the mini. I stamped the cherry from Tart&Tangy using blenders pens on ink pads then to the stamp. I scalloped punched and paper pierced a piece of real red cardstock for the bottom, attached a great scallop punch in real red behind the cherry & then added a 5/8" piece of real red grosgrain ribbon. I used some bashful blue textured paper for the base.

Hope you enjoyed my "Friendship" card... tomorrow I will be catching up on several challenges from Splitcoast, and I will post pics of cards as well as the recipes then!

Here's one more for the road- I used the Birthday Whimsy set from SAB for this one. I have a FREE SAB set for the next person to book a party with me- it doesn't even have to be hosted in March!! Let me know if you'd like it!! ;)



I made this for my girlfriend, Sarah because my calendar said that March 9th was her birthday. Turns out it's not 'til November 15th!! What?! I didn't know until AFTER I sent it, but I love it none the less!!

I used whisper white cardstock, bali breeze designer paper, apricot appeal designer paper I got with hostess benefits, I stamped the cake in Tempting Turquoise and used my scallop punch and Tempting Turquiose pierced paper to background the sentiment. I colored in the cake's candles and I stamped a second cake in chocolate chip and cut out the top layer to create "frosting"... then I covered that piece in crystal effects to give it a yummy look! I tope it all off with some layering, dimensionals, ribbon, a rhinestone brad from the ice collection, and some silver eyelets.

And the winner is...

The Stampin' Fanatic Challenge for February is over.

The winner is Sarah! (Picked by Random.org) Congrats! I'll be sending you a special package within the next couple weeks! Enjoy!!

I'm going to take a hiatus from the challenges this month- Instead I am going to do lots of promos and try to book some workshops or open houses. With the end of Sale-A-Bration and the Occasions Mini out, hopefully some of you will want to get together!! Also... I am going to highlight more cards, showcase special techniques, and issues challenges to MYSELF from my favorite site for inspiration, Splitcoaststampers.com.

Check back often for more posts, recipes for the cards I've made, and to see just what challenges I'm competing in!

This card: 5x5 card using Real Red CS (cardstock); Summer Picnic DP(Designer Paper) on top a piece of Whisper White CS. I used the ticket corner punch to highlight the change in colors. Rub-On sentiment from A Perfect Day; Real Red 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon tied in a knot to complete the piece. Apple from Tart & Tangy stamped in Real Red on scratch paper once, then rolled onto Real Red again for an outline. Then placed on a 1 1/4" circle, backgrounded by a 1 3/8" circle in Real Red, and then placed on a Scallop Circle Punch with Summer Picnic DP. I punched 1/16" circles all around the scallop to change the look. Then, I placed dimensionals on the back side to raise the apple.

Occasions Mini Catalog

Now thru May 31st!!

There are sooo many GREAT things in this mini. LOTS of new sets and FUN stuff for summer!

I love it and have sooo many things earmarked to buy.

So far, I've bought some Designer Series Paper, Die Cut Blooms, Rub-Ons, and the Tart & Tangy set.

Check it out for yourselves...
http://catalogs.shoplocal.com/stampinup/index.aspx?pagename=shopmain&fsid=e4c916a9-494d-4cdf-89b6-ab7ed2e94485&storeid=1038724&circularid=12510

The link above will take you directly to the online catalog.

Remember that Sale-A-Bration runs through the 17th (the last day I will place orders will be the 16th) and you can combine items from this collection and the regular catalog to make a $50 purchase.

:)