Gina K: Season's Greetings Inspiration Hop

Welcome to another fabulous Gina K. Designs Inspiration Blog Hop! We hope to inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through the blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News Forum at Stamp TV a few days after the hops.

Today, we are featuring the new Stamp TV kit--Season's Greetings, which is available now at Gina K Designs! (New products are bold in post and will be linked up asap!)

Here are my samples using the kit:
For the first card, I stamped the circle medallion on Kraft cardstock using the NEW Gina K. Pigment white ink.  (sigh!)
I love it.  I stamped the thin line greeting using it as well to show that it picks up even the smallest of details.

 I love this medallion stamp and I am sure I will be using it often!

Here is another sample of the white pigment ink---this time I stamped it on Navy cardstock.  Look at the detail of the snowflake:

 

Next, I stamped this little fella from the kit and decided to just use some glitter on the ornament and leave the image uncolored.  I stamped the sentiment using Cherry Red ink.  I like the look:

 

 

Next, I have a simple classy greeting using the deer and the awesome season's greetings sentiment.  I stamped the sentiment and the deer in Charcoal brown (another new ink color that I am adore!)  I embossed the snowflakes in silver:

Finally, I have this greeting that I made to show off a few of the ink colors ---  the snowflakes are from the kit but the large one on the right is from the free set last month.   The inks I used to create the background are Kraft, Navy, and Powder Blue:

Check out these blogs for some amazing designs and inspiration using the new Stamp TV kit:

• Gina K
• AJ Otto
• Beth Silaika
• Carolina Buchting
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Debbie Corbari
• Latisha Yoast
• Laurie Schmidlin
• Lee Murphy
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Michelle Woerner
• Sean Fetterman
• Sharon Harnist
• Valerie Stangle

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Gina K Designs Illustrators Blog Hop...and

YOU'RE INVITED!!

Tonight is the night! We are all so excited to party with you from 7:00- 9:00 PM Central Time in our forum at StampTV.com! All of the fun starts right here:

StampTV Release Party Forum


Today, the illustrators and some of the design team have put together a little invitation hop for you! This hop features stamps that will be released tonight! So come hop along with us and don't forget to add a comment on each blog...we will pick a random winner to win an awesome grab bag of Gina K Designs Goodies!!

My card today features elements from these sets:  I used the gift from Beyond Baskets 2 and the sentiments are from Lots of Lines and Let It Snow--

I cannot wait to show you more.....until then------> Start hopping and be sure to leave a comment!!

• Gina K
• Becky Oehlers - Illustrator of Poster Board Christmas
• Beth Silaika- Illustrator of Lots Of Lines
• Melanie Muenchinger- Illustrator of Beyond Baskets 2
• Tami Mayberry - Illustrator of Winter Blocks
• Theresa Momber - Illustrator of Let It Snow
• AJ Otto
• Carolina Buchting
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Debbie Corbari
• Lee Murphy
• Sean Fetterman
• Sharon Harnist
• Valerie Stangle

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Crafts Special Issues

I am so delighted to have projects in the two recent Paper Crafts Special issues--

First-- Card Creations is one of my favorite Paper Crafts issues every year and Card Creations, Vol. 11 did not disappoint. Here is one of the cards that I am fortunate to have in this issue:

 You can find the issue HERE.

Next, the Handmade Home Decor issue is fantastic--the projects in it are so inspiring! 

There are so many super creative ideas in this issue and I am still pouring over them all.  Here is my Tree Ornament (page 82):

You can find this issue HERE.
Thanks for stopping by!

Hug Your Children!

Hi there!  Today is my son's 10th birthday.  Hard to believe that just 10 short years ago this guy came into our lives!  I cannot imagine my world without him.  Happy Birthday Ben!

With the recent tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, I am reminded more than ever what a gift our children are.  After several days just feeling very depressed...I saw this on Facebook and I got some comfort from it so I thought I would share it:

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.

"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

***

Aside from spending more time with family and all the normal holiday hustle, I am taking a little time to get my CHA projects done so they are ready to ship AND I am anxiously awaiting the Jan Gina K Release----you are gonna love it! 

Here is a project I had in a recent Crafts 'n Things weekly:

Supplies: Plastic Craft Water Globe- Celebrate It! (Michael’s)

Buffalo Snow Flurries

Star Stick Pin- Little Yellow Bicycle

Baker’s Twine- Honeydew (The Twinery)

Sentiment sticker- Winter (SRM Stickers)

Patterned paper- Dots & Stripes: Ruby Red, Small Dot (Echo Park Paper)

Silhouette 3d Christmas Tree file (by Lori Whitlock)

Silhouette MachineEnjoy!

Make sure to sign up to receive Crafts' n Things Weekly in your inbox.  It is filled with great ideas and it is FREE!

Hug your babies every chance you get.  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Holidays

Hello! It's been a few days...:)  ---'Tis the Season!
So...I will be sharing some holiday cards I have been working on over the next few days. Hope you like them!

This card uses the Joyful Holiday stamp set (Gina K Designs). Love how easy it is to just do a little stamping and get a clean design--perfect for mass producing:)  I stamped the greenery with Memento Cottage Ivy ink added the bells, hemp and bells.  The background paper is from Season's Greetings (Echo Park).

Have a great day!

Gina K Designs Inspiration Hop Day 3!

Hello!  Welcome to Day 3 of the Gina K Inspiration hops! 

Gina and the Design Team hope to inspire you with many wonderful projects using the newest releases!   As you hop along, be sure to leave a comment at each stop because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a few days after the hops.

Today the team is sharing projects with Perfect Plaids and Snow One Like You (the New One Free with 3 set---- Purchase any three stamp sets and you will receive this month's One Free with 3 stamp set!)

Here are my projects for today--- :)

The first card today uses both of these sets---Perfect Plaids and Snow One Like You and it also uses a previous release called You Say Goodbye, and I Say Ello (speech bubble):

The birdhouse is from Snow One Like You. I stamped it in Memento tuxedo black ink on Pure Luxury white cardstock and then colored it with Copic markers.   I added the little picket fence border using Memento Lady Bug ink. (This is one of the stamps in the Perfect Plaids set that I thought resembled a picket fence!)   The sentiment is from Lots of Letters (...yes, I will be using this set a lot...hooray for letters!)  I stamped it in Memento Teal Zeal.

Next I have a simple tag using Snow One Like You:

The snowmen in this set are adorable.  I embossed him in white and then I stamped some of the smaller snowflakes in the background (kinda hard to see in this picture) and embossed them in clear.  I paired this fella with the border from Warm Woolen Mittens, which I embossed in white on the bottom of the tag.

Next, a colorful snowstorm:

These snowflakes are from Snow One Like You.  I stamped them on the pure luxury white cardstock using Memento Bahama Blue, Memento Lady Bug and Memento Dandelion inks.  I used the sentiment from Warm Woolen Mittens to finish it off. 

Finally, a plaid snowflake card using Perfect Plaids:

I used the same layout as my light bulb card from Monday...but this time, I added a Kraft layers with punched snowflakes that I stamped in Memento Bahama Blue ink using one of the fun plaid stamps.  Love how fun those snowflakes look!  Again, the sentiment is stamped in Memento Lady Bug ink using Lots of Letters set.

Now it is time to send you on your merry way--so you can check out the beautiful projects on these blogs:

• Gina K
• Tami Mayberry – Illustrator Perfect Plaids
• AJ Otto
• Becky Oehlers
• Beth Silaika
• Carolina Buchting
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Deb Felts
• Emily Giovanni
• Giovana Smith
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lee Murphy
• Lori McAree
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Michelle Woerner
• Sharon Harnist
• Theresa Momber
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher

Thanks for stopping by!

Gina K Designs Inspiration Hop Day 2

Hi!! Ready for Day 2 of the Gina K Designs Inspiration Hops?  Here we go...

Welcome to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop! Gina and the Design Team hope to inspire you with many beautiful ideas with the newest Gina K releases! And, as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a few days after the hops.

Today, the design team is sharing projects created with Elegant Florals and Sentimental Holiday. Here are my projects for today-

First up- a tag featuring Elegant Florals:

I love these silhouetted stems.  And I love tags. Put them together---I am one happy gal!  I added a bit of Jute twine to the top of the ribbon on this tag.

...And another card using Elegant Florals:

 

For this card, I changed up the color palette and made a more colorful creation.  The stem is stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink on Ivory cardstock.  This one is easy card to mass produce!

Next, a card using Sentimental Holiday:

I clear embossed the snowflakes from the set on Kraft cardstock.  I embossed that gorgeous sentiment with white embossing powder and then I punched out the snowflake shape and adhered some black vinyl under it to keep with the neutral palette.  The base is Pure Luxury ivory cardstock.

..And another card with Sentimental Holiday:

This card was super simple---just stamped the tree using Memento Cottage Ivy ink on Pure Luxury white cardstock and then used a black pen to draw the border around the edge of the card.  I stamped the sentiment in Memento tuxedo black.  Then I stamped the stars in Memento Cantaloupe and Memento Dandelion.  I punched a star to add to the tree and topped it off with a rhinestone.

That is it for me today.  Head on over to these blogs to see some amazing projects: 

• Gina K
• Beth Silaika – Illustrator Sentimental Holiday
• Theresa Momber – Illustrator Elegant Florals
• AJ Otto
• Becky Oehlers
• Carolina Buchting
• Carolyn King (You are here!)
• Cathy Tidwell
• Deb Felts
• Emily Giovanni
• Giovana Smith
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lee Murphy
• Lori McAree
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Sharon Harnist
• Suzanne Dean
• Tami Mayberry
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher

 Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Tag and a Twine-tastic Giveaway!

Hi there! Happy Friday!  Today I have a tag (and some twine!) to share.  Tags are one of my absolute favorite things to create.  I love the smaller canvas and all the fun shapes/details you can add to make them special.

Today's tag features a glittery reindeer and some Carta Bella Merry & Bright paper.  I used my Xyron Creative Station to add glitter (Doodlebug) to the die cut reindeer (2 reindeer with swirls and mat- Silhouette store by Samantha Walker).  I popped him up on the tag using some dimensional foam.

The sentiment is from SRM Stickers (Stickers by the Dozen: Christmas) and I finished off the design with some baker's twine--Strawberry and Platinum Shimmer (The Twinery).

Now...I mentioned the new colors that The Twinery has just released---and if you would like to get your hands on some...just leave a comment below.  I will be sending one person a full spool of the two newest fabulous colors--Platinum Shimmer and Gold Shimmer!  (Subscribers may enter twice.)  You have until Sunday night at 8 EST time to enter.  Good luck!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cardmaker Flower Soft Animals Hop

Hello! I am very excited today because the Cardmaker blog team is paring up with the Flower Soft team for our blog hop today. The theme is Flower Soft animals---create any type of animal-themed card incorporating Flower Soft into the design.

If following the hop, you should have come from the amazing Jen's blog.  If not, head on over to the Cardmaker blog to start at the beginning.

For my card today, I used a Silhouette image of a penguin (by Lori Whitlock) and I ran the base of the penguin through my Xyron Creative Station to make it sticky before adding the Ultra Fine Black Flower Soft to add texture to him.  It worked like a dream.  I also added some Bright Orange Flower Soft to his feet and beak to add some more fun texture.  (You can see in the photo that the ultra fine is not as textured as the regular flower soft.)

I added the image to my card to make a whimsical holiday greeting:

The next stop on the hop is Cibele's wonderful blog.
Thanks to Flower Soft for sponsoring today's blog hop! You can find lots of ways to use this product on the Flower Soft blog!  Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Joy Ornament

Hello! Whew!  I took a long break---and it was so nice:)  The kids go back to school today.  My youngest already told me twice yesterday that she is going to miss me a lot today because she will be away from me all day again :(  Guess we had too much fun! 

Anyway, I am slowing getting back into my craft room as I have had little time to fit much in between putting up the Christmas decorations and visiting with family.  I do have an easy ornament project to share today, however.

Remember the advent calendar I made a few weeks ago?  I had several tins left over from it and thought they would made cute ornaments.  Here is the first one I made:

 

I used Echo Park- This & That: Christmas chipboard on the inside and paper to frame the outside edge using Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle dies.  I used an SRM sticker (Fancy Sticker Sentiments: Christmas) to layer over the outside of the tin.  I punched a hole in the top of the tin using a Cropadile and then threaded the hemp through to create a hanger.  A little bit of Marashino baker's twine and a heart stick pin (Little Yellow Bicycle) finish off this easy project.

Speaking of baker's twine---Did you see the two new colors that The Twinery just released---Platinum Shimmer and  Gold Shimmer? Heavenly!  Might have to give some of that away soon ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Handmade Holidays Hop

Hello! Today is Day three of the Handmade Holidays Blog Hop going on over at The Twinery Blog.  The Twinery, and many other amazing companies,  have teamed up to bring you a hop filled with special HANDMADE gift ideas for the holidays.

Today is the last day of the hop, so you will want to be sure to head on over to The Twinery blog to be sure to stop at all the blogs participating.
While you hop, be sure to leave comments at all the stops along the way because each company is giving away prizes to random participants.
The Twinery is giving away:

 3 spools of baker's twine in your choice of colors

{$48 retail value}

Before you go, I have a project to share that uses product from The Twinery, Fiskars and Tombow (three of the wonderful companies sponsoring the blog hop!).  It is a stocking perfect for presenting some holiday treats or gift cards.

First, I cut the stocking design using a Silhouette file (Lori Whitlock).  I adhered the pieces together using Tombow Permanent Adhesive Dots Tape Runner.  I added the lace border along the top using the Interchangeable Border Punch Starter Set by Fiskars and the Lacy Doubles Interchangeable Border punch cartridge. Then, I punched holes all along the scalloped edge of the stocking:

 

I used my Fiskars Original scissors to cut some Peapod baker's twine so I could thread it through the holes in the stocking.

 

I used these snowflake punches by Fiskars to decorate the stocking--Medium Lever Punch Snowflake and Medium Lever Punch White Christmas. Then, to add some dimension to them, I used some Tombow Mono Aqua liquid glue to apply a large dot of glue in the center.  After wrapping a section of Peapod baker's twine, I added it to the glue:

Finally, I punched the Fiskars XXL Lever Punch TAG to complete the stocking gift.  I added an SRM sticker (Fancy Sticker Sentiments- Christmas) to it.  Here is the finished project:

 

Hope you like it! Thanks so much to Fiskars and Tombow for the wonderful products to work with!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gina K Designs Inspiration Blog Hop Day 3!

Hello! Happy Halloween!  Welcome to another day of inspiration from the Gina K Design team.  Hope you like what you have seen so far from us.   Today, the design team is showing their projects using the new releases---Merry Little Christmas StampTV Kit  and  Holiday Tags (free w/ three set).

Be prepared to be inspired as you check out all the stops on this hop.  Make sure to leave a comment at each stop along the way because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops.

Here are my projects for today: 
My design for the first card uses Holiday Tags.  I paired the tag element with the ornament strand from  Deck the Halls.  I stamped the circular tag and then punched a picture of my daughter to pop up inside.   I think this would be a great design to shrink a family photo and put that inside OR add pictures of all three kids in the tag along the strand.  Alas, I only did one of my kiddos because I thought of the family photo idea too late to have a photo shrunk :(

Next, I have some samples using the new Stamp TV Kit- Merry Little Christmas! Wow...this kit is JAM PACKED with stamps.  My head was spinning when I got them all.  Seriously, enough stamps for holiday cards galore!  My first design uses the little penguins that I adore beyond belief.  Simple card...stamped penguins and some patterned paper and stitch design. I added the metal heart over the stamped one to bring the red into the design.  A 5 minute card :)

 Next, I have another easy design using the kit.  I embossed the fun snowman in white on some blue cardstock.  I cut it out with a circle die and mounted it on a Spellbinders label that I punched from felt for the bottom of the snow globe.  *TIP: I enlarged the snow pile under the snowman by painting the area white to bring the snow to the edge of the circle.*  I stamped the tiny sentiment at the bottom (which is from Deck the Halls.)

Finally, here is one more design using the same Stamp TV kit.  This one features the wise men stamp and sentiment.  I stamped the text background (From Mistletoe Memories) along the bottom in sand ink.  Then, I stamped the sentiment from the kit on top.  The wise men are stamped in Memento tuxedo black ink and I added the strip of paper and tulle ribbon.  Next, I embossed the star in gold and embellished it with rhinestones.  I added one last rhinestone to the sentiment to finish it off:

The wonderful thing about all the stamps this month is that they all work so well together :)  (As you can see from many of my samples--I love mixing and matching them all!)  Enjoy!

That's it for me today....
But you can head on over to these wonderful blogs for more Gina K inspiration:

• Gina K
• AJ Otto
• Beth Silaika
• Carolina Buchting
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Deb Felts
• Emily Giovanni
• Giovana Smith
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lee Murphy
• Lori McAree
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Michelle Woerner
• Sharon Harnist
• Suzanne Dean
• Tami Mayberry
• Theresa Momber
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher

Thanks for stopping by!