Happy Birthday, Random.Cara

Today, my sweet Cara turns 14....it is hard to believe.

Although it is rare that she lets me take her picture...I managed to get one a few weeks ago that I loved. I turned it into a b&w for this layout: What I {heart} about YOU Here is a close up of some of the detail:

You can see some of the dimension in this picture:

I just adore that girl.

Materials used: cardstock- 12 by 12 ivory (Stampin' Up!); Designer paper-Fly a Kite: Firefly (October Afternoon); Fly a Kite and Thrift Shop 8 by 8 pads (October Afternoon); What I Like About You title stickers (Soft Spoken: Me & My Big Ideas); luggage tag (Jillibean Soup); rub ons- Farm Fresh, Fly a Kite (October Afternoon); Cream & Green Mini Market stickers (October Afternoon); phrase stickers (Creating Keepsakes); Eyelet lace die (Papertrey Ink); felt (Papertrey Ink); die cut-Hometown:Shapes (October Afternoon); ink-Antique Linen (Ranger); sponge; black adhesive rhinestones (The Paper Studio).

Thanks for stopping by!

Beautiful Butterflies

Hello! Happy Friday!
Well....in case you missed it....all the new Gina K Design stamps are NOW in the store. You can find them here.

My husband was working last night and by the time I got all the kids settled the party was over. And once I got to bed....I had one kid up coughing half the night. (Funny, his first absence of the year is on the second to last day of school.)

Here is another card from the beautiful Hope Grows set:


Just a simple card using those gorgeous butterflies and branches. The ribbon I used on this is from the new Stamp TV kit: Enjoy the Sunshine....love it! I stamped the butterflies, colored them with Copics, cut them out and added them to the card. The large purple butterfly and the smallest yellow butterfly are stamped twice....once on the card base and then I added another layer on top. After I adhered the butterflies, I added some crystal stickles.

Materials used: Stamps- Hope Grows (Gina K Designs); Memento tuxedo black ink; Copic markers; Cardstock-ivory (Gina K Designs); ribbon-Enjoy the Sunshine kit (Gina K Designs); crystal stickles (Ranger).

Hope you have a wonderful weekend:) Thanks for stopping by!

More Gina K Previews...

Hello again! Tonight the Gina K Design team is previewing the new Stamp TV kit- Enjoy the Sunshine and a super cute stamp set by Tami Mayberry called Stars.

Here is the card I created with the Stars set:

I took a photo of the card lying down because the black star is peeking through the cut out from the inside of the card and the back panel is longer than the front panel, and these details can get lost when you photograph it standing up.

I LOVE stars...all kinds. I love that you can use them for birthday cards, scrapbook pages, Fourth of July decor...etc. There is really so much you can do with a good set of stars and sentiments. Although I fought the urge to do a Fourth of July themed project....I am *hoping* someone did tonight so you can see HOW different they look when you just change out the colors.

I really enjoyed creating this simple design. I used a circle Nestability (Spellbinders) to create the cut out and cut the front panel of the card a bit shorter than the back so you could see the patterned paper (October Afternoon: Fly a Kite) along the side.

Here is the inside of the card:

The Enjoy the Sunshine kit includes:
Enjoy the Sunshine stamp set (stamp set valued at $34.95 alone ); Cardstock: (26 total sheets)-Black: 3, Heavy White: 3, Layering White: 3, Red Hot: 3, Turquoise Sea: 3, Grass Green: 3, Sweet Mango: 3, Wild Dandelion: 3, Navy: 2; 8 Yards of Ribbon - assorted 5/8" and 1/4" widths and colors; Silver Brads; Silver Eyelets (easy set); Assorted Patterned Papers

For more samples with the stamp sets being previewed tonight, check out these Designer's Links:

• Gina Krupsky *Enjoy the Sunshine StampTV kit designer
  
• Tami Mayberry *Stars designer
  
• Jessica Fick


• Theresa Momber
  
• Melanie Muenchinger
  
• Nina Brackett
  
• Carolyn King
  
• Cathy Tidwell
  
• Lee Murphy
  
• Donna Baker
  
• Lynn Mercurio


• Emily Giovanni
  
• Erika Martin
  
• Kurtis Amundson
  
• Colleen Schaan


• Kay Simmons *May's CenterStage Spotlight Team Member!*

Reminder--The Gina K Designs Release party is this Thursday night, May 27 from 7-10 central time at StampTV. There will be contest questions, challenges, samples from several designers and lots of chatter all leading up to 10pm central, when all the new products and stamp sets previewed this week on our blogs become available online through GinaK Designs store!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Gina K Previews Day 2

Hello!!! Happy Monday! Tonight is the second night of Gina K Previews. If you missed last night, you may want to start at Gina's blog and cruise through those too!!

Tonight the design team is peeking Candles on Your Cake (by Melanie Muenchinger) and Hope Grows (by Theresa Momber).

Here is my card using Candles on Your Cake:

I love all the numbers in this set and ALL the fantastic birthday greetings...for those reasons alone---this set was a MUST have for me. Then...add in all the fun solid birthday images--candles, cakes, cupcakes. Love it!

See that little yellow ribbon? I ADORE IT.........it is part of the new StampTV kit that will be released this month!

I paired this set with October Afternoon Fly a Kite (8 by 8) pad. I love the combination of the two. To add to the whimsy of the card....I cut small slits on either side of the card and folded up every other one. I have been doing this on my cards/scrapbook pages a lot....just an easy way to add some fun dimension.

Next is a card I created with Hope Grows:
I adore the branches, butterflies and sentiments in this set. (I have another card using the butterflies that I will show at the release party.)

I used the large leafy plant to create the stem for some flowers I cut from designer paper (Thift Shop: October Afternoon). I stamped the sentiment and then used a Spellbinder oval die to cut it out. I tied some raffia around the edge of it before adhering it to the card. A simple card---but I LOVE simple!

Wanna see more? Check out these blogs for more samples with the stamp sets being previewed tonight:

• Gina Krupsky


• Theresa Momber * illustrator of Hope Grows


• Melanie Muenchinger * illustrator of Candles on Your Cake


• Jessica Fick


• Carolyn King


• Cathy Tidwell


• Lee Murphy


• Donna Baker


• Lynn Mercurio


• Emily Giovanni


• Erika Martin


• Kurtis Amundson


• Bev Gerard


• Kay Simmons *May's CenterStage Spotlight Team Member!*

The Gina K Release party is this Thursday night, May 27 from 7-10 central time and will be held at StampTV. There will be contest questions, challenges, samples from several designers and lots of chatter all leading up to 10pm central, when all the new products and stamp sets previewed this week on our blogs become available online through GinaK Designs store!

Thanks for stopping by!

Back from Outer Space

......Sorry I have been MIA.....I had a stomach bug/flu last week and it zapped all of my energy. I am just starting to get it back :)

Yesterday I received my comp copies of the July issue of CardMaker Magazine. Here is one of the cards I have in the issue (Page 49): (Stamp credit: Sandy Sunsets by Our Craft Lounge) See issue for details on how to re-create this card!

I will be back on Monday night with some peeks of the new Gina K stamps that will be released on Thursday of this week. The official previews begin tonight on Gina's blog...so be sure to check them out!

Thanks for stopping by!

RED boots!

Yipeee!....another scrapbook page. I am doing pretty well at my New Year's Resolution to get back at it!!
Here is a page that I HAD to scrap:

"Fashion Statement" When my daughter saw those RED boots in the store....she just HAD to have them. She has a style all her own and I LOVE that about her.... And here are some close up shots of some of the details:

Materials used: Cosmo Cricket-Garden Variety, Early Bird, Material Girl, Joy Ride; Material Girl Chipboard stickers; Nutmeg chipboard letters; twine; red rhinestones (The Paper Studio); small clothespins (Hero Arts); vanilla cardstock (SU!); yellow ribbon (SU!); stapler; slit punch (SU!).

Thanks for stopping by!

MFT Blog Candy Winner!

*Sorry for the delay, had to wait for Random.Cara to wake up! Random.Cara picked number 24 as the winner.

Congratulations to Juli Smith, SU! Demo who said...
"This is adorable Carolyn! Fun, bright colors and patterns and images. THANKS for the blog candy opportunity too! :)"

Juli, please email me your address so we can get you your prize and gift certificate code!

And for those of you who didn't win---stay tuned...this a GOOD week to be a subscriber. Subscriber only blog candy coming very soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dog-Gone SWEET Blog Candy!

***ETA: This contest is now closed.

Hello!!! Happy Thursday evening! Spring has been busy so far and there are no signs of it letting up! But all is good this week because--- we just booked our family vacation to Disney!! (woohoo!) Cannot wait.

Today, I am delighted to be able to offer you some fantabulous blog candy, courtesy of Kim (My Favorite Things!) But first, a card:


Ain't she cute? This card features the new Die-namics dies--cloud trio and jumbo scallop and MFT stamp sets: Meet Emma & Wyatt and (sentiment) Dog-Gone Cute.

I coupled them with some October Afternoon designer paper and rub-ons for a little whimsical thank you note!

Materials used: Stamps-Dog-Gone Cute, Meet Emma & Wyatt (My Favorite Things); cardstock-white (Gina K Designs); Copic markers; Designer paper- Fly a Kite 8 by 8 pad (October Afternoon); Fly a Kite rub-ons (October Afternoon); Farm Fresh Shape stickers (October Afternoon); Die-namics dies- Cloud trio die, jumbo scallop (My Favorite Things); Cuttlebug (Provocraft); ribbon -(SU!); circle punch (SU!); Mark Richards adhesive dots.

So......do you want to win a the Scalloped Scallop die-namics die AND a $25 gift card to My Favorite Things? Silly question, I know. Just leave me a comment on this post and you will be entered to win! You have until Saturday, May 15 at 11 p.m. central time to leave your comment. (Yep--subscribers can enter twice!) Random.Cara will select a winner on Sunday! The winner will have three days to email me with their information before Random.Cara selects another winner. Good luck!!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Aloha!

Happy Monday!!

Here is a card I designed for the Moxie Fab Three Cheers for Chairs challenge : The paper scraps are from Cosmo Cricket (Snorkel) and the chair stamp is from The Journey (Gina K Designs). I stamped the chair image, colored it with Copic markers and cut it out.

Just a simple little card.....that takes me right to one of my favorite places---The Beach!

Enjoy your day! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Mother's Day, Friends

To all the moms who read my blog: Happy Mother's Day! I hope you are treated like queens today.

Here is a little card/envelope I created with October Afternoon Thrift Shop paper: I cut out the flower shapes and layered them with a crochet flower. I used some Farm Fresh (OA) shape stickers to accent the flower. The scallops on the bottom are cut from the designer paper and added individually to the card.

Materials used: Cardstock- red, ivory (Gina K Designs); Designer paper- Thrift Shop 8 by 8 pad (October Afternoon); Farm Fresh shape stickers (October Afternoon); red adhesive gemstone (Mark Richards); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories); crochet flower.

Enjoy YOUR day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Feeling Crabby?

....You are not alone! I have been in a bit of a funk the past few days. It is probably because:
I registered my baby for kindergarten (sob!),
The same soon-to-be-kindergartner vomited in my new car on the way to school on Wednesday,
We have had a few interrupted nights with some lingering coughs,
I have been battling a bit of a sore throat/ cold all week,
I just found out that my son didn't get into the Gifted and Talented program at school (although he is definitely bright enough!),
and a few other things.....

But, I know that I am very blessed AND that the sun will come up tomorrow! And if this fella can't put a smile on my face, I don't know what will:

I used the Quite a Catch stamp set from Gina K Designs to create this chipper card. I paired it with some Snorkel (Cosmo Cricket) designer paper. **For a limited time, this stamp set comes with a FREE card kit by design team member, Jessica Fick!

If you want to see some more fantastic designs with this ADORABLE set, head on over to Gina's blog for a list of designers who are posting with this set tonight!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don't forget to.......SMILE!

Sigh! You DON'T want to miss this....

You have probably heard by now that My Favorite Things is releasing a new product tomorrow night. They are starting the Die-namics collection with three three new custom dies and I had the pleasure of playing with two of them to create this card: Every since I saw that little boy from the Dog-Gone Cute set, I wanted to put a kite in his hands. With the help of the dies, creating this card was a snap.

I die cut the clouds (there are three sizes of the clouds on the one die so I cut them all together) and sponged along the edges for some dimension. I cut the grassy hills from the jumbo scallop die. This created the perfect seat for that cute boy.

I created the kite from October Afternoon Fly a Kite paper pad and then I added the sentiment from Fred Bear in Flight to finish this card.

Materials used: Stamps-Dog-Gone Cute, Fred Bear in Flight (My Favorite Things); Memento tuxedo black ink; Copic markers; cardstock-white, ivory (Gina K Designs); Designer paper- Fly a Kite 8 by 8 pad (October Afternoon), Denim Bandanna (The Paper Studio); Die-namics dies-clouds, jumbo scallops (My Favorite Things); Cuttlebug (Provocraft); twine.

Aren't they fabulous? I am giddy with excitement, especially to have a cloud die!!! Woohooo!!!Better head over to the MFT site tomorrow night if you want to place an order. (I have a hunch that they are gonna go FAST!)

Thanks for stopping by!

It's JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream

Happy Monday! All this week the Stamper's Dream team is posting with the new JustRite releases! Be sure to check out what each team member created each day (schedule is below!)

Today, I used the Let's Celebrate 2" Square Border & Frames set to create this summer monkey greeting (designed especially for a monkey loving stamping friend of mine :) I know she will LOVE it. insert evil laugh!)
Isn't that little monkey cute? I stamped him and cut him out and separated the sentiment and attached that under him on the metal tag. Thought this guy would work perfectly with the summer journal card!
There is also a lion, elephant, greeting and square borders in the set. Definitely a funtastic set!!!

Materials used: Stamps- (JustRite); Memento tuxedo black ink; Tea Dye distress ink (Ranger); sponge; Scor-Pal; metal rimmed tag (SU!); twill (SU!); designer paper- Thrift shop 8 by 8 pad October Afternoon; Fly a Kite journal Card (October Afternoon); Mini market stickers-red & cream (October Afternoon); cardstock- white, ivory, kraft (Gina K Designs); raffia.

Here is the schedule for the week:

Monday: Leslie, Cammie and Michelle

Tuesday: Denise, Amy, Laurie, Cindy and Michelle

Wednesday: Dawn, Cindy, Denise and Michelle

Thursday: Leslie, Laurie, Tosh and Dawn

Friday: Amy, Tosh and Michelle

Thanks for stopping by!