Lord, make me a rainbow that shines down on my mother...she'll know I'm safe with you as she stands under my colors...

Happy Tuesday, y'all! I have another Skipping Stones Design Sketch Tuesday card for you today, and, yep...another emboss resist card! *grin* I can't seem to stop embossing things lately.


I used the ornament from Christmas Swirls for Cristina's awesome sketch. Before I stamped and embossed it, though, I stamped the "merry and bright" part of the longer sentiment from the same set repeatedly in Old Olive ink on watercolor paper. Then I stamped the ornament and embossed it in clear detail powder. The final step was a dark wash of Old Olive ink over the entire panel. Here's a closeup:

The set is full of awesome images and sentiments, for inside and outside your holiday cards. If that weren't enough, we have two Christmas sets on sale today! Christmas Swirls and Wise Men are each just $12.49 this month.

Don't forget to visit all the Design Team members blogs and our guests….

Jingle

JoAnn

Kandi

Karen

Katie

Shannon

Stephanie

Taylor

Wendy P

and our Guests…

Cristina

Tammy

Andrea

Karen

Thanks for visiting me today, and have a fabulous day!

I'm leaving bitterness behind...this time I'm cleaning up my mind...there is no space for the regrets...I will remember to forget...

---

Hello and welcome to the final day of our Winter 2010 New Release Spotlights!

Tonight we'll be partying it up in the Release Party thread in our SCS forum!  Pop in any time between 9 and 11PM Eastern to see the reveals and more inspiring creations from the design team!

So far this week, we've previewed all the new stamps, but there's one more little surprise we have in store for you!

Starting with this release, Julee has designed a new line of coordinating dies called A Cut Above Dies by Verve to compliment our fabulous Verve Stamps!  The Sweet Scallop Tag Die has two coordinating stamps  (the single Sweet Scallop Tag stamp as well as the snowflake tag stamp from Glad Tidings).   As you hop through today's spotlights,  you'll be seeing just how versatile this die can be.  Plus, as with our other hops this week, we've hidden a PRIZE on one of the participating blogs, so leave a little comment love as you hop around to be entered into a drawing to win today's featured die and coordinating single stamp!  Deadline for comment entries is 7PM Eastern tonight!

Here's a quick and easy card I created with the Glad Tidings set and Sweet Scallop Tag Die:




For the main image, I inked up the tag from Glad Tidings with Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler markers, then cut the image out with the die. The base layer is Kraft with all 3 different sizes of snowflakes stamped in Crumb Cake and sponged around the edges. A little seam binding and some pearls & bling were the perfect finishing touches.

Here's a closer look at the focal image:




I hope you enjoy what the divas have to show you today...have fun & I'll see you tonight!

1. Laurie	9. Teresa
2. Charmaine	10. Sankari
3. Lynda	11. Tosh
4. Mercy	12. Jen T.
5. Amy	13. Amber
6. Shannan	14. Jen d.
7. Michelle	15. Andrea
8. Jackie	16. Julee

I don't understand your ways...oh, but I will give you my song...give you all of my praise...

Happy Friday, y'all! How has your week been? Mine has been pretty crazy, so I'm happy that it's Friday. I'm also happy cause it's Bellariffic Friday! Our sketch this week was courtesy of Meahnibella. Thanks for an easy one, sistah!

Great sketch, isn't it? Loved this one!! Here's what I came up with:

I was feeling bright and colorful, and I had my new Joyful Village stamp just waiting to be inked up. I stamped the image in Brilliance Graphite Black (yep, I was feeling different *wink*) and colored it with Copic markers. After cutting it out with my Oval Nestabilities, I added some white liquid applique for snow...I thought it was really fun! I also highlighted the word JOY with my Ranger white gel pen to make the letters stand out against the bright colors.

After I cut my Kraft base layer, I matted it with Chocolate Chip. I cut a strip of my new favorite...Bo Bunny Stripe from the 'Tis the Season collection. LOVE LOVE LOVE the colors in this collection!! I added two Chocolate Chip strips to the sides, both punched with the EK Success Dotted Scallop edger punch. To thread my ribbon through, I used the Making Memories Slot Punch on both sides of the main image and wrapped some 5/8" Olive Grosgrain under and around the card base layer. Then I added a little bow/button combo, tied with cream crochet thread. The button is from the Tortoise button bonanza.

Once that was done, I decided the bottom right corner needed "something"...so I punched a little photo corner and added some olive bonbons for a some bling. The finishing touch was a little handwritten "to the world" sentiment with a brown marker. Then I mounted the whole thing to the cream card base, which measures 5 1/4" square.

Thanks for coming by to see me today...I hope you like my card! To see more inspiration using this sketch, make sure you check out Emily's Blog later today for some fabulous creations from the Babes and the Sistahood...and comment on her post for a chance to win some Bella Bucks! Also, Emily announced in the Bella Forum that there will be a release on Sept. 28th, so mark your calendars!

Have a fabulous day!

Call my baby lollipop...tell you why...his kiss is sweeter than an apple pie...

Hey, y'all! Thanks for coming back to visit me today! I'm back to post my card for the Serendipity Stamps monthly challenge. This month, we were to make a monochromatic card. Hmmm....no coloring? YIKES! I decided to make a set of card using my new Snowflake Flourish stamps. Aren't they gorgeous?

All of the inks used are Memento, except on the gold colored card. That one was done with Antique Linen & Tea Dye Distress Inks. I cut down four white panels to 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" and stamped the Let Heaven & Nature sentiment in Tuxedo Black. Then I stamped the large and small snowflakes in light and dark inks and sponged around the edges. Then I distressed the edges with my Tonic distressor tool, adding some faux stitching texture, and matted with black. Before I popped up the main panel onto the Kraft card base, I added half of a scalloped oval punched from black cardstock, set a white eyelet in the center, and tied a strip of coordinating ribbon through.  The finishing touch was some Diamond Stickles on the snowflakes...perfect! These are super easy to make, and easy to mail...perfect for holiday cards!

Be sure to check out what my awesome teammates have done with this challenge!!

Amy

Anya

Jennifer

Kathie

Kelli

Lynda

Sue

Yvonne

Thanks for coming by to say hi! I'll be back tomorrow with some new Bella goodness! Have a fabulous day!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht...

Happy Saturday, yall! I'm sorry I'm so late posting, but I'm here with my Sketch for You to Try! We have a new guest with us this week, so give a warm welcome to Lynn Put! I am a big fan of her Bella creations, so I'm looking forward to what she has in store for us!

My card this week started with a Maya Road chipboard snowflake, and grew into a shimmery black and white creation. I thought this sentiment from the Silent Night PTI set was perfect for the feel I was going for.
This card measures 5 1/4" Square. I stamped the 5" square white panel with the flourish from the Silent Night set in Versamark Dazzle champagne ink, then also ran my ink pad along the edges. You can't see it at all in the picture, but it's just beautiful in real life! I embossed the black panel with the Swiss Dots embossing folder, then ran my Dazzle inkpad along the dots and the edges for some more sparkle. The side strip was embossed with the Snowflakes Embossing Folder, then I painted the raised parts with Candle Light Shimmerz. So pretty!!

After painting my chipboard snowflake with white acrylic paint, I followed Anna's Crystal Snowflake instructions to make mine, using the My Martha Stewart branch punch as well. To finish off the card, I pounced my Versamark Dazzle ink pad all over the sentiment panel, so the whole thing sparkles. I really love how this card turned out!

Thanks for coming to see me today! Make sure you check out the eye candy from Jen and Lynn on Jen's blog, and other fantastic samples from my stampin' friends Amy R, Amy S, Carole, and Susan. If you upload to SCS, don't forget to use the keyword SFYTT so we can check out your cards. Have a fabulous weekend!

Cause you're hot, then you're cold, you're yes, then you're no...

Hey you guys. I am soooo sorry I haven't posted in so long. My week has been killer. I had a huge bid due for work, so the first 3 days of the week were spent poring over paperwork. Unfortunately, I caught a cold from my boss that took me down today. The doc says it's bronchitis...yuck. *frowny face* I am currently alternating between freezing cold and burning up. Just plain icky.

I do have a card to show you...I think I made it Tuesday night for the color challenge on Splitcoast.

I inked up the bird from Winter Birds Set in Brilliance Graphite Black and stamped it onto Kraft paper. I thought the sentiment from Verve's new Snowflake Splendor set was a perfect match! I cut out the image with my new Labels One Nesabilities die. To accent the image a bit, I colored some of the snowflakes with my White gel pen (the Ranger one is awesome!) and a red Copic marker. I added a little Diamond Dust (thanks a LOT, Anna, AKA the bad bad enabler) and some black brads. Then I ran the edges across my White Craft  inkpad.

The card base measures 4 1/4" square, and I layered the red snowflake embossed panel (sponged with Distress ink) onto black cardstock and stitched around the edge with my sewing machine. Then I popped the main image panel up with pop dots. Super easy!

I hope you like it...and hopefully it'll tide you over until my Sketch for You to Try post on Saturday...I have a feeling I won't do any more stamping than that. Have a happy Thursday!

I'd like to walk you through a field of wildflowers...I'd like to check you for ticks...

Sorry...I couldn't help but title my post with that song...it's totally hilarious! I loved seeing Brad Paisley on Dancing with the Stars last night, and seeing him perform that one was just icing on the cake. Loved it! Anywho...

I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I was home with a very sick little boy! He has nasty bronchitis and we're having to do breathing treatments (now down to about 2-3 per day), but he's feeling better now.

Anywho, here's another card I made for the Verve release, and I really think this one is my favorite. It's super simple, but I love it. Whaddya think?
I love the way the red pops against the Kraft, especially after I sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa and Chocolate chip ink. I stamped the ornament from Ornamental Christmas in Versamagic Spanish Olive ink, then stamped the sentiment in Brilliance Pearlized Chocolate. After coloring the stripes with a Copic marker, I punched the ornament out with my Marvy Super Jumbo (blue) Circle Punch. After everything was totally dry, I layered Crackle Accents on top of the ornament and let it dry. Once it was dry, I sponged Close to Cocoa across it so it would get down in the cracks and age the ornament a bit. Worked like a charm!

On my Kraft card base, I stamped the branch (also from Ornamental Christmas) in Versamark ink for just a little subtle texture. I sponged all the edges of all the layers with Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip ink, then distressed them with my Tonic Distressor tool. I used the Mat pack and a paper piercer to add a little piercing detail on the corner of the red panel.

To finish off the card and "hang" my ornament, I took this hang-a-mabob piece of Hodgepodge Hardware and threaded some twine through it. The twine was then adhered to the back of the Holly DP Panel, and then I added a bow to the hardware so it wasn't so stark.

Anywho, I hope you like this one, and I hope you have a fabulous Wednesday!

My Big News is.......

It's almost Christmas!! Yay!!


Ok, don't hit me. I'm kidding.


Last week I was sitting, minding my own business, when I got an email. From GinaK! She asked me to call her, which I did as soon as I freaked out for a second. And she invited me to join her design team! SHUT UP, you say!! I can't believe it myself! But it's true! I am honored to be a part of this group...and there are 5 other new talented stampers joining with me!!


She's doing this because there are some MAJOR changes brewing over at GinaK Designs...I tell you what, I don't think that woman sleeps. The surprises will be revealed November 1st...with a pre-party in the GinaK forum on Splitcoast.


So I thought I'd make a cute little Sandy Claws card to celebrate. I stamped him in Palette Hybrid Noir on Whisper White cardstock and then colored him with Prismacolors and odorless mineral spirits. I gave him a few extra spiffy details...used the Marvy Puffy Velvet fabric marker on his hat and sleeves. It's like a paint pen, but when you heat it, it puffs up! Fun, huh??? Then I thought he needed a slick ride, so I painted his sleigh with Diamond Glaze. That did the trick!


Added some brads, a cuttebugged layer, and some ribbon across the bottom, and I was finished! What do ya think? I know the other DT members are gonna ROCK the new stuff, so be prepared to be enabled!! *wink*


Stamps: Sandy Claws & Greeting (GinaK Designs)
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Prismacolors & OMS, Diamond Glaze, Marvy Puffy Velvet fabric marker, Vintage Brads (SU), Heat tool, Black Gingham ribbon (SU), Pop Dots, Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles Embossing Folder, Cropadile

YAY!! I did it!!

I finally got my stinkin acetate card to hold still long enough for me to snap a decent picture. Sorry it's not the best, but I am thinking I just got some cheap stuff and next time need some more sturdy acetate. Lesson learned. This was my very first time to stamp on acetate, and there's definitely a learning curve!

I stamped the snowflakes from my Verve Winter Wonder set in White Stazon. Slippery!

This image from Seasonal Circles lends itself so well for emboss resist. First I stamped it with Versamark on Pearlized White cardstock, and embossed it with Clear Detail EP. Then I stamped the greeting (from Winter Wonder) in Versamark, then in Palette Hybrid Noir, and then embossed with Black Detail EP. I love embossing these scripty greetings...it makes them sooo pretty! I then sponged the image with Groovy Guava, Close to Cocoa, and Chocolate Chip ink.

The diamonds are layered in the order I sponged, first Guava, then Cocoa, and then Chocolate Chip, then a white layer on the very back. I added some hardware on the main panel and tied this yummy May Arts ribbon around to finish it off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also got an amazing RAK in the mail today!! Lookie!!

I have been OOGLING over Charmaine's ribbon (who hasn't!), and in my mail today was not only a gorgeous Charmaine original, but 3 rolls of ribbon!! How lucky am I???

Thanks so much, Charmaine, I love it!! That card is awesome...and so you. HUGS!

I'm going out of town this weekend!! This will be my last post until Monday, so don't miss me too much! And don't forget to check out Jen's Sketch for You to Try this weekend!

Stamps: Winter Wonder & Seasonal Circles (Verve Visual)
Paper: Acetate, Pearlized White, Groovy Guava, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Versamark, Palette Hybrid Noir, White Stazon, Groovy Guava, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware, May Arts Ribbon, Clear Detail EP, Black Detail EP, Sponges

Today's the Day!

The two new sets by Verve Visual are now available for purchase...and you will not believe your eyes when you see the price!! I'll keep it a surprise for you, but go look, QUICK, before they sell out!

This is a simple little 4 1/4" square card I made tonight with the new Seasonal Circles set. I used Blush Blossom for the card base, and embossed it with the Cuttlebug Textile folder for some texture. Then I ran over it lightly with my Brilliance Moonlight White dewdrop.

It's hard to see, but I stamped the flower outline on the center circle, and then embossed the sentiment on top with Silver EP. I punched out the circles, added some Diamond Stickles to the scallops, and resisted the urge to doodle or add anything else EXCEPT the ribbon (of course).

I am TICKLED PINK about the brand spanking new member of the Verve Design Team, Charmaine Ikach! I love Charmaine's work and she is such a sweetheart. We're so happy to have her!

Oh, and a little bit of blog business...I made my card pic a little bigger...what do you think? Good, bad, don't care? Just wonderin!

Stamps: Seasonal Circles (Verve Visual)
Paper: Pearlized White & Pearlized Graphite (Paper Accents), Blush Blossom (Stampin Up!)
Ink: Blush Blossom (Stampin! Up), Brilliance Moonlight White, Versamark
Accessories: White Sheer Ribbon (May Arts), Stickles, Cuttlebug Textile Folder, Marvy Punches, Silver Embossing Powder (Judikins)

Happy World Card Making Day!

I had the BEST time today...my boys and I spent the afternoon at Susan's house for a WCMD Case-ing party! There were some awesome stampers there, and we each brought a card for the others to CASE.

One of the cards I chose was this one of Susan's, which also doubled as Jen's sketch challenge card for this week. Isn't it cute?!

I also got to play with some Prismacolor markers...hmmm...the jury's still out on those. I think I'll have to play some more before I can form an opinion.

The details of this card are pretty straightforward, and I'm pooped...I'll come back and add them tomorrow. K?


Stamps: Polka Dot BG, Hero Arts Birdies & Sentiment
Paper: Groovy Guava, Cool Caribbean, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Cool Caribbean, Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Copic Markers, Blender Pen, Dimensionals, Unknown Ribbon, Spots & Dots Cuttlebug Folder

Verve Sneak Peek!!!

Ta-DAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's my first sneak peek of the new Verve Set, Winter Wonder. I LOVE THIS SET!!!!!!!!! (OK, sorry. I just do.)

There are SIXTEEN stamps in this set, and they are all AWESOME!! It's stylish and classic at the same time...definitely something I will reach for again and again. You'll be able to order both the new sets at the Verve Store on October 10th!

I got my inspiration for this card from Kristina Werner aka starofmay on Splitcoast. I cased this card of Kristina's for the Featured Stamper Challenge last week. Yeah, ok, I'm a little behind. *wink*

The card base is Chocolate Chip (Stampin Up!), and there are 3 panels that make up the main image. The top and bottom strips are from the new Cosmo Cricket Be Good collection.....soooooo yummy! The center strip is Pearlized Cream (Paper Accents), and I stamped the snowflake 3 times in Sage Shadow, and once in Chocolate Chip ink (Stampin Up!). I stamped the sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink as well and distressed all the edges with my Tonic Distresser tool. May Arts gold edged Aqua and ivory ribbons tied in a knot finish off the top strip before I popped the panel up on Mini Pop Dots for just a little bit of dimension.

Here's one more little sneaky peek at the other set...Seasonal Circles...more to come later!!I hope you guys like this set as much as I do...I can't wait to see what you think! Have a happy weekend, and stay tuned to the Verve Blog every day until October 10th for more eye candy!

Stamps: Winter Wonder (Verve Visual), Linen (Stampin Up!)Paper: Be Good (Cosmo Cricket), Pearlized Cream (Paper Accents), Chocolate Chip (Stampin Up!)Ink: Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow (Stampin Up!)Accessories: Aqua Gold Edged Ribbon, Ivory Gold Edged Ribbon (May Arts), Tonic Distresser, Mini Pop Dots, Stampamajig

Thursday Throwdown card...on Tuesday!

FINALLY! I've been so behind in blog challenges, and finally got a chance to do something for Colleen's Thursday Throwdown, which was to make a holiday card. Fun!

I borrowed some sets from some AWESOME local SCS'ers / Stampin Up demos to make samples for Christmas cards...and this one I just love. I used the Wanted set (thanks Christy!!!) which I now REALLY MUST OWN, and retired Snowflakes (thanks Chris!!) that I just recently sold on Ebay. lol

I based my design on my card here in case it looks familiar to you. I wish I had the snowflake embossing folder for my Cuttlebug, but I digress. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

The card base is Papertrey White Stampers Select cardstock with a Real Red panel embossed with the D'Vine Swirls CB embossing folder. I rubbed my Palette Hybrid Noir inkpad on the edges to make them stand out a bit.

How yummy is that image from the Wanted set?? Using my Real Red & Old Olive Stampin Write Markers, I colored the image, huffed, and then stamped in the corner. I then masked it and stamped the tiny snowflakes from the Snowflakes set in Soft Sky. The last step was to stamp the Merry Christmas (from All Holidays). I wanted the black to be really rich when I embossed it, so I stamped first in Versamark, then in Palette Hybrid Noir, and then on my Cardstock. (A little trick I learned from AmyR!) Then I embossed with my Black detail EP. I then rounded 2 corners, matted on Basic Black and Old Olive and stitched around the edges for extra OOMPH. The wide black silk ribbon (from May Arts) really polished off the look I think...I tried other colors but this one was the definite winner. Popped the main image up on Pop Dots and all finished!


Stamps: All holidays, Wanted, Snowflakes
Paper: Papertrey White, Real Red, Old Olive, Basic Black
Ink: Versamark, Palette Hybrid Noir, Soft Sky
Accessories: Real Red & Old Olive Stampin Write Markers, Corner Rounder, Black embossing powder, heat tool, Sewing Machine & Thread, Pop Dots, Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls folder, Silk Ribbon by May Arts

A Fun New Card!

I've been wanting to do some different folds, and decided that today was the day! I was inspired by Cambria's blog to do a Criss-Cross card...isn't it cute?! You can see Beate's tutorial here. It was amazingly easy!


I got to use some more of my yummy Gretel Paper from Verve, my sewing machine, and some really pretty cardstock that Julee sent me to play with. It's cranberry-ish color, but It's shimmery, like the pearlized white and cream!! Soooo yummy.

Here's what the inside looks like. I stamped off the flourish (from Inkadinkado) twice in Bravo Burgundy before I stamped it on the Pearlized Cream cardstock. The sentiment is from the All Holidays set, and I stamped it in Palette Hybrid Burnt Umber, stamped off, and then did a drop shadow. The little starbursts are from the Fancy Florals set. I added a tab of the Gretel paper, a couple primas, and tied a ribbon around the outside part. Fun, huh? I am feeling very accomplished.

Hope yall had a great weekend, back to work tomorrow!

Stamps: All Holidays (SU!), Flourish (Inkadinkado), Fancy Florals (Verve Visual)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Bravo Burgundy, Palette Hybrid Burnt Umber
Cardstock: Pearlized Cardstock (Cream & Cranberry), Chocolate Chip, Gretel Double sided paper from Cosmo Cricket
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Thread, 5/8" Grosgrain (SU!), Stamp-a-majig, Corner Rounder, Brad (Antique Brass), Primas