The Twinery and Bella Blvd Project Showcase and Giveaway!

Hello! Welcome to the final day of the The Twinery & Bella Blvd Project Showcase that has been taking place all week at The Twinery blog and the Bella Blvd Blog.  Each day designers from each team have been showing their projects created with both products and the results are amazing. 

Be sure to check over at the two company blogs to see all the designers' projects from each day!

Here is my project:

I created a little gift using a flower pot, some dowels and some chipboard to create a notepad:

 

I wrapped each dowel in baker's twine - Blossom and Shore-- and then attached the Bella Blvd chipboard elements (Sophisticates- Stars & Hearts) to the top. I added some more twine embellishing to the tops using Pink Sorbet and Shore.  I finished the heart dowel with the little Bella sweet Heart flag (Flag-Girl) :)

Here is the finished gift:

 

And here is a close up of the notepad.  I think this is a gift anyone can use.  I always keep a notepad in my purse to jot things down and I keep one by the computer for passwords, etc.  I designed this notepad for that purpose so I added the word "Remember" to the front of it.  The Bella Blvd paper is from Plastino-Bermudas and the label and stickers are from Plastino-Label Additions.  I added a little Bella Blvd button (Aqua flower) in the center, threaded with some Pink Sorbet baker's twine.  I used the Pink Sorbet to wrap around the clip as well:

 

Next, I just wanted to share this project that was on the SRM blog this week because it uses both Bella Blvd and The Twinery products.   I created a little photo cube using Bella Blvd. chipboard (Sophisticates- Stars & Hearts) and patterned paper (Plastino):

 

I used some Honeydew baker's twine to cover up the place where I cut the chipboard flower in order to attach the picture of my daughter.  I really don't think I make any projects anymore without at least a touch of twine. Sigh!

Giveaway:  And since everyone loves a giveaway----The Twinery is giving away 3 different 'Original Sampler' packs to 3 winners: 

Comments must be left on each of The Twinery's designer's blogs on all 5 days ( a total of 3 blogs per day ).

A complete list of participating blogs will be on The Twinery blog each day.

Deadline to visit and leave comments to win is 11:59 EDT, Sun May 20th
Winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 22nd on The Twinery blog

Be sure to stop by the Bella Blvd blog as well to check out their giveaway.

Thanks for stopping by!

The GKD Previews BEGIN!

Hello! Welcome to the first night of Gina K Designs release previews! On Thursday night, Gina K Designs will be releasing SEVEN new stamp sets as well as new digital paper, new cardstock, coordinating button assortments and ribbons. Wait till you see it all!!!

Tonight the design team is previewing A Very Merry Christmas (new set by Theresa Momber) and Special Delivery and Special Delivery Add-on (by new illustrator, Tami Mayberry).

Theresa's set is full of her amazingly detailed gorgeous drawings--these images will get you in the holiday mood. I chose to work with this tree stamp today:
I stamped the image with Memento ink on white pure luxury cardstock. The tree is colored with Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils. I added tiny red stickles over the berries to add some sparkle and some adhesive rhinestones to the corners of the card.

The red cardstock is rocket red (Gina K designs). I used some of the new ribbon and buttons that Gina will be carrying on Thursday. They are both from the Holiday Assortment collection.

Next, Here is a glimpse of Tami's sets- Special Delivery and Special Delivery Add-On. I can tell you right now...I will be using these a lot! These sets are very cool---I have a thousand ideas running through my head for these but I went with a gift set today. One of the biggest requests I get is to show some more simple (READ: Fast to produce and FLAT to mail!) cards. So, I used these sets to create a little card set:

(Sorry about the glare on the gift box!) I used a clear box (which will be carried in Gina's store on Thursday) and created the front of the box with a sturdy peice of onyx cardstock. I stamped the images in the set on ivory cardstock like a postcard. I added a bit of rocket red (Gina K Designs) and some new Holiday Assortment ribbon.

Here is a better view of the front of the box (without glare!):

Every image is from these sets. (And there are a TON more!) Then I created an EASY TO MAIL card set....each card mails flat so this will be the perfect gift to give someone and they don't have to worry about additional postage. Here is the card. I stamped the stamp outline and then added the pink block of ink and finally stamped the two hearts at angles. I used the rocket red cardstock and ivory cardstock on this as well as the Holiday collection ribbon again:

I left the sentiment off so that the recipient can use the card for any reason.

Finally, I created a little stamp holder. This small, vellum envelope slides right in the box and holds enough stamps for each card in the set.

Wouldn't this be a fun holiday gift? College kid gift? With all the fun stamps in this set, gift giving just got a lot easier.

Don't forget to stop by GinaK's blog today to add your comment to her blog entry for a chance to win the new stamp sets being previewed tonight our blogs!

Then, check in with the Illustrators of our two stamp sets featured tonight:
Theresa Momber: A Very Merry Christmas
Tami Mayberry: Special Delivery and Special Delivery Add-on
Design Team Members participating in the hop tonight:
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Cindy Lawrence
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Jessica Fick
Kurtis Amundson
Lee Murphy
Lynn Mercurio
Melanie Muenchinger

CenterStage Spotlight Designers:
Kay Simmons
Linda Payne

Thanks for stopping by!

PaperCrafts Blog Hop and some Moxie Fab Prizes!!!

ETA: This contest is now closed.

Hello everyone! Today is a fun day.....my birthday (25 AGAIN!) AND a MOXIE Fab blog hop/contest to help kick off the newest PaperCrafts Publication called 225 Cards & Gifts!

The PaperCrafts special publications are always my favorites---jam packed with amazing projects to spark creativity. "Need a gift to welcome a new neighbor or to thank your child’s teacher? Dive right into this special issue from Paper Crafts which features personalized gifts of all types to give to family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, teachers, coaches, and anyone else you’d like to acknowledge in your life. You’ll find marvelous ideas for home décor, card sets, food wraps, organizational sets, and more. Think of how proud you’ll be to give these gifts away because you know you’re sharing a little of yourself."


PaperCrafts invited group of designers to be a part of this kick-off and design some fun new projects to help celebrate. But....that is not all. There are some FANTABULOUS prizes involved!!! Read on.....

Being a practical person.....I decided to create a set of monogram cards with a matching box for a gift card or a treat. This would make a perfect Mother's day present or end of the year teacher gift.



Here is the set of monogram cards and a matching pen:

Materials used: acryllic paint (black); designer paper- Anna Griffin; stamps-JustRite Monogram Stamper; Memento tuxedo black ink; white cardstock (Pure Luxury-Gina K Designs); Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle dies; ribbon (May Arts); wooden box (Hobby Lobby); small Kraft box (Hobby Lobby).


Now...do you want to hear what you can WIN????
You can win one of these three prizes from Provo Craft ): Cricut Expression, YourStory Laminator/Binder, or a Yudu Screen-Printing Machine.
Simply post a comment on all of the amazing blogs below and you will be entered to win. That is TWELVE chances to win!!!

Here are the names/links of the other participants:
Maren Benedict
Kimberly Crawford
Beatriz Jennings
Kim Kesti
Anabelle O'Malley
Melissa Phillips
Danni Reid
Roree Rumph
Sherry Wright
Paper Crafts Connection
Moxie Fab World

What is your favorite gift you have ever made/or would like to make? Just leave a comment on this post to be entered into the drawing. The deadline for commenting on all 12 blogs is Sunday, April 26 at midnight MST. Winners will be announced on both the Moxie Fab World and PC Connection blogs on Tuesday, April 28.

Have a great day!!! 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!

Eight Days...

.....that is how long my daughter's cell phone lasted. Yep---she dropped it in the pool on Monday. Sigh! She was pretty devastated so to make her feel better I told her that I thought it would last at least two weeks---bawaaaa!

.....that is how many days we have before we move. Packers start on Friday---so time is ticking away!

Here is a picture of (most) of my stamping supplies that I wanted to pack up before the packers get here. Sigh! Makes me so sad to see it sitting there all organized! lol!

I also have a quick gift project to share with you. I made these for my son's and daughter's preschool teachers. I created these (super easy) sets of cards and tucked Border's gift cards into the back of them. Each set is tucked into these clear packages I purchased from clearboxes.com and I tied a piece of tulle at the top.

I used My Mind's Eye decorative paper slab to create the cards--then simply stamped these cute frames and greetings in black ink on white cardstock. The stamps are from a clear Hero Arts set called "Frames & Messages." You can find this and TONS of other stamps, embellishments and paper at Stamper's Dream store. If you haven't checked out this store yet---you should. Michelle has tons of fun stuff and is constantly getting new inventory in.

I chose to use the "thinking of you" sentiment because I figured they could use them for many occasions (birthdays, anniversary cards, mother's day, etc.) I kept the designs super simple so that the recipient would not have to worry about adding additional postage when mailing them. Each set has a variety of card designs.

Materials used: Stamps- Frames & Messages (Hero Arts); cardstock-white (SU!); My Mind's Eye decorative paper pad; brilliance black ink; clear card envelope; tulle.

Thanks for stopping by! Back to packing!

Blog Winner, Pictures, RAK and a Gift Set

LONG POST WARNING!!!!

Thanks again for all the well wishes for Cara. Here is the picture of her when she came home from school on Friday---we gave her the cell phone then. Look at her face as she opens her gift and sees the cell phone box. (Little did she know then that the cell phone inside was just a card. Bawaahwaaa!) I didn't make her wait too long for the real thing. I had her cell phone ring in the house after she opened her card---She really loves it.

Blog Candy Winner:
Random.Cara selected #176 this morning before school. I had to count the posts about 6 times to make sure I got it right (She couldn't pick an easy one, could she?) Woohooo! Congratulations to Christina Gerlof who said "Congrats on being 12! Wow, I remember when I turned 12 I was finally able to shave my legs! LOL Happy Birthday!" Congrats, girl! Please email me (email link is on the side of blog) so I can get your goodies to you!

I had to show you the room my son, Ben (5), decorated for Cara while she was in school on Friday. On Fridays, I take my littlest two children out for "Fun Friday." Every week we do fun stuff like go to the park, McDonald's for lunch and the dollar store to pick out a prize. This week, my youngest (almost 3) picked out balloons. When she was napping, Ben took some of her balloons and decorated the playroom for Cara so she would be surprised. I asked him what was on the wall with the balloons and he rolled his eyes and said "Stringers, Mom!" (I guess he was improvising because he didn't have streamers! I thought this was so cute (and I tried not to think about the fact that he must have CLIMBED the cabinets to hang the balloons---UGH!)


Onto a RAK. I spotted this ADORABLE card on Charmaine's blog last week. I LOVED it when I saw it and wanted to case it. Little did I know that it was coming to me. I was so excited when I got this in the mail on Friday....Thanks so much Charmaine. You can read all about her card here.

Did I mention HOW MUCH I loved Charmaine's card????? I told her I was gonna case it and here is my version. I am not normally a big caser but I HAD to do this----This card was such a cinch to make because Charmaine already did the hard part for me.

I used this adorable set from The Cat's Pajamas called It's a Mod, Mod World. I love this set---it has TONS of images and I cannot wait to play with every one of them. (I have used this set already but cannot post the card--heehee!)

I used a muse twinkle stickers for the cat's collar--they are so small and fit perfectly (even on the tag!)


Did I mention HOW MUCH I loved Charmaine's card---Well, I decided that the card would make a perfect gift set. So I used a clear box and created a little handle out of beads. (The beads are strung on hemp and tied through small holes punched in the top of the box with my Cropadile.)

And here is a close up of the matching tag (The It's A Mod, Mod World set has an identical small cat image PERFECT for a matching tag---YEAH!)

Materials used: Stamps-It's a Mod, Mod World (The Cat's Pajamas); cardstock-whisper white, celery (Stampin' Up!); American Crafts Designer paper; Brilliance black ink; Nestabilities (Spellbinders) and Cuttlebug (Provocraft); tag punches (Stampin' Up!); twinkle stickers (a muse); Cropadile; silver eyelet (SU!); silver cord (SU!); black craft beads (Hobby Lobby); hemp; celery ribbon (SU!); paper piercing tool and mat pack (SU!); dimensionals (SU!); clear box (www.clearbags.com).

Thanks again Charmaine!!! I will be back tomorrow with another MFTeaser for you!

My Favorite Things (www.mftstamps.com) is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, June 4 from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time. LOTS of fun (and a surprise release) is planned including finding out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. Head over to the MFT forum on www.splitcoaststampers.com to find out all the details and we hope to see you there on Wednesday night.

Thanks for stopping by!