Just Passing this along....

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!! I am still visiting my in laws but wanted to pass on an article written by Julie Ebersole regarding controversial blogging practices. I found it very informative and wanted to share it with you. Thank you Julie!

Enjoy the Season

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving for all of us in the United States....and it also marks the beginning of the hectic holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone--hope you have a wonderful day full of friends and family and food. For those of you who are not in the US...have a wonderful day too! I am thankful for all of you.

This card is a SIMPLE five minute card (sometimes the only ones we have time for!) As we begin the season of shopping, traveling and parties---take time to ENJOY THE SEASON. Don't let the true meaning and the opportunity for some extra family time pass you by!

Materials used: Cardstock- Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!); Making Memories St. Nick paper and die-cuts; gemstones (The Paper Studio); dimensionals (SU!); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); star punch (SU!).

Happy Thanksgiving! My kids are off from school and we are traveling to spend the holiday with family. See you next week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Winner!

Just a quick post to announce the latest winner. Random. Cara picked number 52!!! Congratulations to Bunny B who said..."Great card! Sweet candy! Thanks!"

Please email me your mailing address so I can have the Scor Mat sent to you!

A Christmas CCEE Challenge and a SALE

Time for another CCEE Challenge---Charlene (who was the challenge hostess for this month) sent each of us the following supplies:

Red starburst translucent paper
Three different poinsettias: dark red; red with yellow cream centre; sheer red.
Gold stretch cord & gold ribbon
Red ornament embellishment
Three snowflakes: white; red & gold

Charlene instructed us to create a Christmas card using some portion of the red designer paper,
using at least one of the poinsettias, using the gold ribbon or cord (or both). The red ornament and snowflakes were optional.

Here is what I created with the supplies:

I chose a sentiment from the Sketches Scrollwork Christmas Set, that is filled with lots of beautiful Holiday phrases. You can find this set at Stamper's Dream and until November 30th... ALL Holiday stamps are on sale for 15% off. Just enter the coupon code HOLIDAYS on the checkout page to apply the discount. (This means that the Partridge stamp I used on yesterday's post is discounted as well! Yipeee!)

You can see all the other fabulous cards by the CCEE Gals HERE!

Thanks for stopping by!

Winner, a Musical Card and Another Giveaway!

Hello everyone! Random.Cara picked number 139 for the winner of yesterday's blog candy--the Pure Luxury cardstock and ribbon! Congratulations to Mary who said...."I've heard so much about that paper - would LOVE to win some to try it out. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that you pick me! Mary"

Congratulations Mary--Please email me your address so I can get your prize to you!

Today I wanted to share this Christmas card I created using the adorable Partridge in a Pear Tree stamp and the JustRite Christmas Stamp Ensemble.

I inked only half of the Merry Christmas ring and then positioned the stamped image so that it is framed by the sentiment.
I colored the image with Copics and used some Shimmerz Rustic Red on the bird after it was colored so it is really sparkly!


I used a bell from a Christmas tag to help embelish the card along with some May Arts ribbon.



Here is another look at the card---the bell really rings so this card makes NOISE! Fun!

Stamps and May Arts ribbon can be found at Stamper's Dream store!

Materials used: Stamps-Partridge in a Pear Tree (Impression Obsession); Christmas Stamp Ensemble (JustRite Stampers); Memento tuxedo black; Copic markers; Cardstock- I Wish Designer paper pack (SU!); bell; ribbon (May Arts); circle punches (SU!); jumbo eyelet (SU!); corner punch (SU!); paper piercing tool (SU!); dimensionals (SU!).

Thanks for joining me for the week-long Blogaversary! It has been so much fun having you all celebrate along with me. Today, just leave a comment on this post and be entered to win a Scor-Mat by Scor-Pal! You can view what it looks like HERE! One comment per person. Random.Cara will pick a winner on Monday at 5:00 p.m. CST! Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Winner, A Tin and A nother Give Away!

Hello everyone! Happy Friday. Random.Cara picked number 220 as the winner of yesterday's blog candy--the Gina K Designs set of your choice. Congratulations to Michelle (mla1111) who said... "Thanks for the opportunity to win!"
Please email me the stamp set of your choice (valued at $19.95 or less) and your address!

Today I wanted to share this little tin I created for the Gina K Release. I uses the fun new set called Funky Christmas. The images in this set are darling and totally make me giggle!

REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION

I chose the adorable reindeer image from the Funky Christmas set and put a hand cut heart in his hands instead of the bow. I lined the bottom of the panel with a scallop created by the Threading Water Punch and then threaded some dark hemp through the holes. All of this made the perfect framing for the fun sentiment from the Seasonal Sayings set!

Wouldn't this be a cute way to present a gift card this holiday season?!

Materials used: Stamps-Funky Christmas (Gina K Designs); ink-Memento tuxedo black; real red and olive SU markers; Copic Markers; cardstock-vanilla, red; tin (Gina K Designs); Designer paper-St Nick Collection (Making Memories); Fiskars Threading Water punch; corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); heart punch (Creative Memories); hemp (Hobby Lobby); dimensionals (SU!).

Speaking of gifts and giving....Did you happen to see this blog post by Jody Morrow? She raves about the new Pure Luxury Cardstock from Gina K Designs. I told ya'll it was awesome---but because there still may be a few doubters---one person will be chosen randomly from the comments on this post to receive 10 (5.5 by 8.5") sheets of the 120 lb. Pure Luxury Cardstock (enough to make 10 single layer cards) AND the Pure Luxury Holiday Assortment of ribbon. Good stuff!!! These are a few of my personal favorites that I wanted to share with one of you!

Leave a comment on this post. Random.Cara will pick a lucky winner tomorrow (Saturday) at 6:00 p.m. CST! Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lots o Winners and Another Giveaway!

Thanks for all your well wishes. I am feeling much better today.

Here is what you have been waiting for:

Random.Cara picked number 6 for the winner of the Gone to the Dogs set from My Favorite Things. Congratulations to Tracey who said...
"Happy Blogoversary!! I love your card!! Thanks for the chance to win these fab stamps!!"

Random.Cara picked number 31 for the winner of the Spellbinders Flower Dies. Congratulations to Pat who said..."So sorry you're feeling punk -- hope you're over it soon! Your card is adorable and I love the look you gave it. What a charmer! Wow! That new floral die set is awesome -- oh, how I'd love to win it! Thanks for the opportunity."

Tracey and Pat please email your mailing information so I can get your prizes out to you!

Today, enter to win a stamp set OF YOUR CHOICE from Gina K Designs (value $19.95 or less). Just post a comment on this entry before 6:00 p.m. CST tomorrow (Friday). Special thanks to Gina K for donating this stamp set!

Good luck! Thanks for stopping by!

MFT Blog Hop and the Blogaversary Celebration Continues

I apologize. I am sick with a stomach bug today. The winner of the MFT set will be posted as soon as I am well enough to count through the entries. Luckily, I had this post written already....The winner of this blog candy and the one from yesterday will be posted as soon as I am feeling up to it.

Welcome to the My Favorite Things Blog hop! The MFT team is showing the newest set from the BC DZYNS line And Then I Said today. If you want to jump on at the beginning, head on over to Kim's blog. There is something fun waiting for you at the end!!

I wanted to use this fun and funky set in a different way. The sentiments in this set are geared towards teens and I thought a lot of people would be showing you the set in that form. So, I decided to put a little bit of a Victorian feel to mine:

The image was paper pieced with the My Mind's Eye paper and I used some lace and a button brad to convey a more mature theme.

I added a pearl necklace to her and cut out some of the leaves from the dp and added them around the image. I added some Olive Shimmerz (which MFT carries!) to the leaves. Boy, do they sparkle IRL!


I hope you like my MFTeaser of this set. And Then I Said will be available at My Favorite Things on Wednesday night. Now after you enter to win the Blogaversary candy below...hop on over to Cindy's blog for another MFTeaser of this set!

Materials used: Stamps-And Then I Said (BC DZYNS - My Favorite Things); Memento Tuxedo Black ink; cardstock-vanilla (SU!); Designer paper-29th Street Market, Playground Stripes (My Mind's Eye); Copic markers; Shimmerz Olive Green; Creative Memories Circle Cutting template; paper piercing tool and mat pack; flower; brad (Oriental Trading); Lace; corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); dimensionals (SU!).

Today, I have a Spellbinders Flower Creations die set to give away! (Click HERE for picture.) Just leave a comment on this post and Random.Cara will pick a winner on Thursday at around 5 p.m. CST!

Please note: Winner's must contact me within three days of winning or I will pick another winner from the same post!

Thanks for stopping by!

Winners AND Gone to the Dogs--Blog Candy

Golly!---You all really wanted to win some Gina K Stamps! Well...don't worry if you aren't the winner this time--plenty more where that came from! Well, we had a little bit of an uprising on the homefront--my two OTHER children want to be included in this fun "picking" stuff so I had Random.Lauren and Random.Ben pick numbers today. Random. Cara will be picking the next winner. Good news for you---TWO winners today! Surprise!!!
Random.Lauren picked #40 (no surprise....that seems to be her favorite number these days!). Congratulations Margie who said "Thank you for sharing the letter and pictures with all of us. I check your blog every day for inspiring ideas." AND
Random.Ben picked #199. Congratulations to Barb (GrandmaUpNorth) who said "I knew stampers were caring people, and you have proved it! Happy blogaversary to you! And congratulations on your 200,000 hits! That's amazing, but not surprising. I enjoy your blog, and check it daily."
Winners, please email me the stamp set of your choice from Gina K Designs (19.95 value or less) and your address.

Today I wanted to share a card I created using the My Favorite Things set Gone to the Dogs. It is the featured set for the Monday MFT challenge that you can find here.

Both the woman and the pup are from that set. The buildings in the background are from Going Places and the sentiment is from Bundles of Bouquets.

Materials used: Stamps- Gone to the Dogs, Going Places, Bundles of Bouquets (My Favorite Things); Memento black ink; cardstock-white (Gina K Designs Pure Luxury), teal (SU!); designer paper- My Mind's Eye; circle punch (SU!); Fiskars Threading Water Punch; Copic markers; Prismacolor pencils; Odorless Mineral Spirits (Gina K Designs); ribbon (May Arts); horizontal punch (SU!); brads (SU!); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); corner punch (EK Success); large circle punch (SU!); paper piercing tool and mat pack (SU!); dimensionals (SU!).

Continuing with the week long celebration--I have something to give away. Do you like dogs???---Well then, you will LOVE Gone to the Dogs because this set has TONS of em in it. Ya wanna win it? Just post a comment on THIS post by 9 p.m. CST tomorrow! Special thanks to Kim from My Favorite Things for donating this awesome set.

Note: Most contests this week will run for one day. Winner's are responsible for contacting me after I announce his/her name. If I have not heard from the winner in three days, I will pick a new winner from the same post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Time to Celebrate!!!! Blog Candy Alert!

Woohooo!
Today marks my one year blogaversary! So this week we will be celebrating LOTS on MY BLOG! I am also celebrating 200,000 hits which just happened to fall close enough to this anniversary so I thought I would combine celebrations.

First of all, thank YOU to all of you who come back and have been visiting. It has been such a great year and I have made so many wonderful blogging friends.

I think the one thing I am most proud of is what a wonderful community the stamping world is. So, today I am going to share with you a letter and some pictures from the Artman Home. For those of you who are new to my blog, I organized a card drive (Heart to Heart) for the caretakers of Alzheimer's patients in September. I provided the address of the home that took such wonderful care of my grandmother, who passed away this summer. I wanted to let them feel appreciated for all of the hard work they do each day. Some sent cards to other people they knew who took care of someone suffering with Alzheimer's (which was GREAT!) and well over 200 cards were sent to the Artman home. I received this note from them:

Dear Carolyn,

On behalf of all the associates and caregivers at the Artman Lutheran Home, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for including us in your blog to have cards sent to our caregivers at Artman. In honor of National Alzheimer’s Month, we recently had a party where we gave out these beautiful handmade cards our staff. We received well over 200 cards from all parts of the world and United States. I need to express to you our sincere gratitude and thanks for the joy you brought our staff. The reactions we received were wonderful. There were smiles, tears, statements like “Look my card is from Australia, Switzerland, Hawaii, England, Ireland" etc, “These cards are so beautiful” and many more wonderful reactions. It was a tender moment for all our staff, they were extremely touched and thankful to be appreciated in such an kind way. We currently have the cards hanging in our main hallway for the residents, staff and visitors to enjoy. After which, we will distribute to the staff as a keepsake. I know that some of our staff are personally sending emails or notes of thanks to their card sender. We called your Mom, and she and your Dad were here earlier this week to look at the display.

Carolyn, this was a wonderful way to honor your grandmother, Clare Lyons, who we loved and cared for so much. We are so grateful for thinking of us, this was a memorable experience for all of us and Janet Lorenzon, Skilled Administrator, myself and all the Artman managers are so grateful for the joy you brought our staff. I am attaching some pictures, if there is any way you could mention in your blog the overwhelming success of your request and pass on our profound thanks to all who sent cards.

With heartfelt thanks, Nancy & Janet and all the Artman managers

And here are some of the pictures that she sent and my father sent for me to share:

So Thanks to all of you! You all rock! And, proceeds to donated to the Alzheimer's Association from my set, Whimsical Autumn, have reached $1566.61! (Yipee!!)

I wanted to start the week long celebration with this announcement. This is the first day of many to celebrate! So be sure to check back every day for your chance to win some great prizes!

Leave a comment on this post and Random.Cara will pick a winner tomorrow at 4 p.m. CST. The winner will get their choice of any stamp set from Gina K Designs ($19.95 or less). Thank you Gina for donating this prize! Check back tomorrow for the winner and for another chance to win!

Note: Most contests this week will run for one day. Winner's are responsible for contacting me after I announce his/her name. If I have not heard from the winner in three days, I will pick a new winner from the same post.

Thanks so much for stopping by! It has been a great year!

JustRite ATC Box and Card

Edited to Add: Oopsie! I completely forgot to add my card to this post so here it is! I used the same "With Love" JustRite stamp as I did yesterday but this time created a card using it!

It is Just Rite week at Stamper's Dream. All week the fabulous designers from the Dream Team are showcasing cards and projects. You can find the line up HERE....and you can also enter to WIN a JustRite Christmas Stamp Ensemble and the Classic Circle Stamper III just by answering a question on Michelle's blog! Today, Cindy and I are showing our JustRite Creations so be sure to check out her blog too!

For my project today, I created an ATC (Artist Trading Card) box. I have lots of ATCs lying around from different swaps I joined and I wanted a nice place to keep these little treasures created by my stamping friends. I used a wooden box that I found at Hobby Lobby and painted it an off white (Vanilla) color. NOTE: Be sure to remove hinges before painting!

After painting it, I added some designer paper from My Mind's Eye (Out & About collection) and some rubons. I added some dew drops to the flower centers and then on the top I added the monogram flower. For this project, I used the Monogram Self Inking Stamper in Deluxe Storage Box.

Here is a close up shot of the monogram on the top of the box.

When you open the box, there are different dividers that I created using some red cardstock and matching dp. I used the same border and lettering as I did on the front to tie it together. The separators divide the cards into sections according to theme "Birthday" "Baby" and "Love" so that the cards are easy to find.

Materials used: Stamps-Monogram Self-Inking Stamper in Deluxe Storage Box (JustRite Stampers); real red classic stamp pad (SU!); box (Hobby Lobby); Vanilla paint (Anna's); Chipboard circle (SU!); ribbon (SU!); flowers; Robin's Nest dew drops; cardstock-red, white(SU!); Designer paper-Out & About Collection (My Mind's Eye); Modge Podge; Rub-Ons (SU!); glue dots; dimensionals (SU!); scalloped circle punch (SU!).

Variations on this box are endless---you can use it for special cards you receive and want to keep forever, you can create a recipe box or even a birthday box with month dividers.

I hope you enjoyed this project. You can find lots of JustRite products at Stamper's Dream Store.

***NEXT WEEK--I am celebrating my ONE YEAR BLOGAVERSARY AND 200,000 HITS all at once....so you KNOW what that means--LOTS of giveaways. They will be happening OFTEN so be sure to keep checking back for your chance to win! Also, stay tuned for a Heart to Heart Blog Candy update--pictures of the hundreds of cards sent to the Artman home.

Thank You to Julie Crossley, who gave me the Kreativ Blogger award on her blog. Thanks Julie--your words really made my day! And thanks to Deb Wood, who gave me the "I Love Your Blog" Award. Thanks so much Deb!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gina K Preview #3, JustRite and Free Stamps

I apologize in advance for the extra long post today. I double booked myself (for a good reason!) and I did not want to cut either post off early so I decided to post both together!

First up--GINA K PREVIEW!
I created a simple one layer card with the new set from Alicia, which will be available tonight after the new release party here (from 7-10 p.m. central!)

Alicia's set is called Best Friends and I stamped the main image (isn't it awesome?!) on some of the new 120 lb Pure Luxury cardstock (which will also be available at Gina K Designs tonight!) with Memento tuxedo black ink and then colored it in with my Copic Markers. The sentiment I used on this card is from Rupa's new set My Cuppa Joe.

I layered color, used my blender pen, added more color and....

...flipped the card so you could see the inside....nothing showed through! Woohoo! I am so excited to make one layer cards that I can use my Copics on!

Materials used: Stamps-Best Friends, My Cuppa Joe (Gina K Designs); Memento tuxedo black; cardstock- Pure luxury 120 lb. (Gina K Designs), black (SU!); Copic Markers; ribbon-offray; Threading water punch (Fiskars).

Head on over to the other dt members' blogs to see their awesome peeks for today:

Asela

Donna

Emily

Erika

Jessica

Kurtis

Melanie

Joanne

Michelle (Guest)

Courtney (In the Spotlight Designer)

and, of course, Gina K!

Hope to see you all at the release party HERE TONIGHT, Thursday, November 13 from 7 -10 p.m. central time for some contests, challenges, giveaways and more sneak peeks!


******************

JustRite for Stamper's Dream

But, before you go, I would love to share another project--and a chance to win stamps!!! It is Just Rite week at Stamper's Dream. All week the fabulous designers from the Dream Team are showcasing cards and projects. You can find the line up HERE....and you can also enter to WIN a JustRite Christmas Stamp Ensemble and the Classic Circle Stamper III just by answering a question on Michelle's blog!

Today, was originally the day that Laurie was going to post. Most of you know from reading it here or other places in blogland that her daughter is sick...so the rest of the team decided to all post today as a show of support and to let her know how much she is loved. (((Laurie)))

Here is my project for today. It is a little memo holder. The memo pad is just a mini legal pad that is cut in half. (Note: Office Max and other places that you can purchase these also have a production area and will cut the pads in half for you!)

I found this unfinished wooden box in Hobby Lobby and I just added a coat of paint and dressed it up with some Basic Grey designer paper.

I decorated the Pentel RSVP pen with the same paper. The finishing touch is the "With Love" sentiment from the Harmony Classic Circle Stamper II Stamp Ensemble. I love the scripted look to this sentiment.



Here is a close up look at it. I added some rubons over the stamped words and added two large red brads on either side.





Here is a picture with the notepad and pen out of the box!


Materials used: Stamps-Harmony Classic Circle Stamper II (JustRite Stampers); Memento black ink; Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle nestability dies; Cuttlebug (Provocraft); black paint; wooden box; mini legal pad; chipboard heart (SU!); rub-ons- Stampin' Up!; Pentel RSVP pen; Designer paper-Cupcake (Basic Grey); cardstock-white (80lb Pure Luxury Gina K Designs); Modge Podge; red brads (American Crafts).

You can see all the wonderful Dream Team's projects by visiting their blogs (their posts will not be posted until 8 a.m.):
Charmaine
Cindy
Denise
Kimberly
Tosh
and Michelle

I hope you enjoyed this project, because I have another JustRite project and card to share with you tomorrow (my assigned day to post!) You can find lots of JustRite products at Stamper's Dream store! Check them out and don't forget to stop by Michelle's blog to enter to win the blog candy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gina K Preview Day #2- Have a Cookie

....or at least, make your own! This new set from Melanie for Gina K Designs is just so yummy. When I think of the impending holidays, one of the first things that pop into my head are these AMAZING cookies my dad makes every year. They are beautiful and they are so YUMMY!

So, for my preview of the set Have a Cookie, I created a cookie recipe book. This is intended to house special cookie recipes that you pass down from one generation to the next and pull out during the holidays to bake some fun assortments for family and friends.
The book is held together with a big claw binder ring, which allows the cover and pages to be flipped over for easy access to a recipe.

Removed for Publication

I covered the chipboard cover with decorative paper. Then I added the word "cookies" that I punched out. The focal point is the little equation- milk + cookies = happiness (love).
(Yes, I am spelling it out because my 12 yo kept saying "milk plus gingerbread equals heart with button? SNORT!)

I stamped each image, colored them and cut them out. I paper pieced the heart and added the button. I sewed around the mat and then added the pieces of the equation and the little red scalloped border (which is just a piece of a scalloped rectangular Nestability shape.)

The plus and equal sign are created simply by using the horizontal punch from SU! I used two punches to create each symbol!

After completing the front, I added a ribbon tie to the corner ring and also attached a cookie cutter to show you a fun gift idea.

The pages were cut to size and punched. I inked the edges with Caramel ink and a sponge. Then, I stamped some images from the set along each page before adding the recipes.


You could even laminate each page before you punch the holes to make them last forever! I think this is a great way to preserve those special recipes.

Materials used: Stamps-Have a Cookie (illustrated by Melanie Muenchinger for Gina K Designs); Memento tuxedo black ink; Creamy caramel classic stamp pad (SU!); button; Copic markers; hemp (SU!); Cardstock-very vanilla, riding hood red (SU!); Designer paper-St Nick (Making Memories); Creativeworks 26 piece letter punch set; sewing machine; Horizontal punch (SU!); Scalloped rectangle Nestability dies (Spellbinders); Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Cropadile (We R Memory Keepers); chipboard; ring; ribbon (May Arts); dimensionals (SU!); other- cookie cutter.

Head on over to the other dt members' blogs to see their awesome peeks for today:
Asela
Donna
Emily
Erika
Jessica
Kurtis
Melanie
Courtney (In the Spotlight Designer)
and, of course, Gina K!

Hope to see you all at the release party HERE on Thursday, November 13 from 7 -10 p.m. central time for some contests, challenges, giveaways and more sneak peeks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gina K Preview Day #1

Welcome to the Gina K Blog Hop! Today I am previewing the newest set by Rupa Shevde for Gina K Designs called My Cuppa Joe!

I created a little SWEET box (tutorial HERE) and filled it with coffee candies and chocolate. This would be the perfect presentation for a Starbucks Gift Card for a teacher or a friend.

I created the box and then stamped the sentiment along the top and bottom. Then I crimped some caramel cardstock. The images were stamped (masked) and colored and then cut using the labels Nestability dies (Spellbinders). I crimped the handle to match the other accents on the box. This is an adorable set!

Materials used: Stamps-My Cuppa Joe (Gina K Designs); Memento tuxedo black; cardstock- very vanilla, black, caramel, kraft (SU!), Copic Markers; Spellbinders Labels Dies; Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Crimper (Fiskars); dimensionals (SU!); ribbon (Offray).

**There is one more thing I want to show you before you hop along. Aside from all the awesome new sets being released on Thursday, I am sooo excited for this release for another reason---Gina is releasing her very own PURE LUXURY cardstock. This was a long time in coming and I am so excited to be part of this. Because it is so hard to describe how wonderful this cardstock is...I thought I would show you a little demonstration.

I use Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock a lot. I love how the Prismacolor pencils move across this paper and I also love using Copics on it. The one thing I do not like is that when I do use it, I am limited to layering my cards because the Copics will bleed through.

Gina is releasing two weights of Pure Luxury cardstock--80 lb. and 120 lb. I used both of them and SU! Whisper White cardstock to show you a comparison of them.

I stamped two separate images on each 3" by 3" square. To color the leaf (from Whimsical Autumn), I used Copics...three shades and I liberally layered the colors always going back to the Sand color to blend the darker colors. To color the acorn (from So Grateful) I used Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits.

NOTE: I photographed all images together so I could not in any way alter the results (well, not with my limited computer knowledge anyway! )

The results:

As far as the stamped image--I noticed no difference. I used Memento ink and experienced no bleeding.

When coloring with Copics, I noticed that the colors were more vivid on the Pure Luxury. I followed all the same steps to color each image and you can see the finished product below.

When coloring with Prismacolor pencils, I experienced similar results with SU and the 80 lb Pure Luxury. The colors blended well. However, I did experience more dramatic color (again) on the Pure Luxury cs, esp the 120 lb weight. This cardstock seems to have a bit more texture to it (but is still soooo smooth) so that may be the reason why color sticks to it so well.

SU! Whisper White, Pure Luxury 80 lb., Pure Luxury 120 lb.

Then, I flipped the cardstock over.

You can see the results below. The Copics bleed through the SU cardstock quite a bit. There was just a bit of bleeding through with the 80 lb Pure Luxury (top right corner), and not a trace of bleeding with the 120 lb. Pure Luxury cardstock.

SU! Whisper White, Pure Luxury 80 lb., Pure Luxury 120 lb.

I am so impressed with this cardstock and am thrilled that I can create simple one layer cards with the heavy weight and not have to compromise the smooth feel and texture I love. On Thursday morning, I will be posting a one layer card I created with the 120 lb. Pure Luxury cardstock. You will be amazed at how much I could color and still not have any show on back. (JOY!)

Ok...now you can go check out all the amazing creations by the other design team members:

Jessica Fick

Joanne Basile

Donna Baker

Asela Hopkins

Erika Martin

Kurtis Admundson

Melanie Muenchinger

Courtney Fowler *In the Spotlight Designer

and, of course, Gina K!

See you tomorrow for another peek!

Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Sunday

Here is a simple card I created for one of the Gina K challenges last month. I forgot to post it so here it is!

Donna issued a challenge to create a card with-
1 ribbon
2 layers
3 embellishments (of your choice but must be same type of embellishment)

This is what I came up with:
Simple and elegant. Since I needed a wedding card, I used the challenge for this! The image is from Heartfelt Hits I (Gina K Designs) and the ribbon is also from Gina K Designs Pure Luxury line. I embossed the background with the textile Cuttlebug embossing folder.

I am just bouncing off the walls about another Pure Luxury edition Gina is releasing this Thursday! Wait till you see.........

LOTS of fun stuff to show you this week---I will be back at midnight on Monday night to begin the Gina K New Release Blog Tour--see you then!

Thanks for stopping by!

Heart to Heart Spotlight #7 - TCP

The Cat's Pajamas!
(Check out the new release Candyland Christmas---ADORABLE!)

Alma (the owner of this swanky stamp line) is a doll. I have had the pleasure of meeting her a couple of times and I can tell you that she is such a sweet and unassuming person (with a rockin' sense of humor)!

When I sent out an email to Alma asking if she would like to sponsor the Heart to Heart blog candy she wrote back "Whatever you need". She sent me a HUGE and HEAVY box of fun stuff to give away......That sums up Alma. Huge heart and great talent.

My first card features this pup (Puppy Love)--he is so cute and I just had to make a little Valentine with him.

I overlayed the swirl cut cardstock over white cardstock. I added red stickles over all the red in the stamped image (around the heart and the heart antenna and collar). I added a little silver clip at the top of the image and tied some fun ribbon to it. Isn't he adorable?

Materials used: Stamps-Puppy Love (The Cat's Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black ink; stampin up real red marker; red stickles (Ranger); cardstock-white, red (SU!); ribbon (Offray); hardware clip (We R Memory Keepers); Swiss die cut cardstock (Creative Imaginations); rub-on - Cherished Memories (SU!); dimensionals (SU!).

I had to make a card with one of my favorite TCP sets- It's a Mod, Mod World. Love this rocket--it is so fun to play with. So I decided to make a birthday card for a four year old boy.

For this card, I paper pieced the rocket. I used my Cuttlebug numbers embossing folder to add some texture and cut out the number 4 from an embossed piece for the tag. (I REALLY need to get some number/letter dies--any suggestions?!)

I added some punched stars to make the rocket look like it is heading into the sky.

The final touch is some rocket "smoke" which I created by cutting thin strips of designer paper and rolling them around a paint brush. Then I attached them under the rocket "thingys"?--what are they called--exhaust pipes? No clue....just like it!

Materials used: Stamps-It's a Mod, Mod World (The Cat's Pajamas); cardstock-very vanilla (SU!); Designer Paper-Zoom Collection (Crate); Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Numbers Embossing Folder (Provocraft); Fiskars Threading Water Punch; Jumbo eyelet (SU!); hemp (Hobby Lobby); dimensionals (SU!); star punch (SU!).

Alma--You Rock! Thank you so much for donating a million bajillion things to the Heart to Heart Blog candy. The drive was such a success in no small part to caring people like you. Love ya!

Coming next week: Gina K Release and some fun altered projects! Coming soon--my one year blogaversary---it's gonna be FUNTABULOUS!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs and a Bonus!

The My Favorite Things release party was so much fun. There were lots of prizes and good conversation....that sometimes went a bit too fast (lol!)

Just a reminder--the new sets are now available HERE.

Here is a card created with the Who's That E-Girl? set.

Remember--If you purchase the November Collection within the first 48 hours (you have until Friday night at midnight EST) you receive one FREE set!
You can choose from:
Gardener Flopsey
Going Places
Gone to the Dogs
What's the Story
Rain or Shine

Now that's a SERIOUS bonus!!! You MUST list your set choice in the comments section, and you only qualify for a free set IF you purchase the November Collection before Friday night at midnight EST.

Thanks for stopping by!

MFT Blog HOP

Welcome to the MFT blog hop! If you would like to start at the beginning, please go here:
Kim's blog

Here is my card for the blog hop! I designed this card that I call Wrap Around Flap Card! I used a long scalloped oval to create the wrap around section. (See second photo to see how the flap opens!)

The card features the newest flopsey that will be available Wednesday night.
This image is called Cupcake Flopsey---isn't he cute?

Here is a photo of the card when it is opened up. I plan to post a tutorial for this design soon!

The design allows you to untie the ribbon and open the flap---to see the inside message! Cute, ugh?

I am sending this to Laurie's (Lauraly) daughter who recently found out she has a mass in her brain--she is only 12 years old. She is hospitalized now and they are running some tests to see if it is cancerous. You can visit this thread to find out how she is doing...keep saying those prayers!

Materials used: Stamps-Cupcake Flopsey (My Favorite Things); Memento tuxedo black ink, cardstock-white, celery; designer paper-The Sweet Stack with glitter (DCWV) ; Copic Markers; Spellbinders oval and circle nestabilities; Cuttlebug (Provocraft); Swiss dots embossing folder (Provocraft); ribbon (May Arts); Cropadile; eyelet (The Paper Studio); brads (The Paper studio); dimensionals (SU!).

Hope you will join us at the release party WEDNESDAY November 5th from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time. This month there are FIVE new sets being released, including THE must have Who's That Girl set of the year! Head over to the MFT forum on Splitcoaststampers to find out all the details and to find out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. We hope to see you there on Wednesday night.

To continue the blog hop--head on over to my friend, Cindy's blog!

Thanks for stopping by!