InStyle Stamps Sneak Peek!!!

I am so excited to be able to share this with you! InStyle Stamps will be debuting a brand new line of stamps in a completely different style from the Diva's, and I get to give you a sneak peek. Are you ready? Meet Yuki!


Isn't she just the cutest thing ever? And such a flirt! LOL! Look at her flipping her skirt at the boys! Or maybe it is a certain special boy... *hint, hint*

Don't you just love the designer paper? It is part of the fabulous Love and Romance Inspiration Kit that was just released. It comes in a bare bones paper and ribbon version, and a full throttle I want it all version (shown to the side). Quantities are limited, so get yours now!

To make Yuki's flirty skirt, I stamped her twice in Memento tuxedo black ink, and colored her with copic markers. I cut the skirt out of the first image and rolled it over the edge of my hand to make it curve a bit. I then put a pop dot in the corner I wanted to flip up and 2 way glue on the rest of the skirt and lined it up over the skirt on the second image. This results in most of the skirt lying flat, but that one corner flips up all flirtily (is that a word? LOL!). Neat, huh?

Be sure to keep checking back, because Yuki has lots of friends that want to meet you too!

MDCC29 - sketch challenge

This Thursday's challenge on the Mothers & Daughters Creations challenge blog is a sketch challenge. If you'd like to play along, make a card with this sketch, and post a link to your project on this post on the M&DC challenge blog. If uploading to PCP or SCS, please use keyword MDCC29 to make it easier to find your project.

We've been getting hit with snow storm after snow storm, so I decided to cheer myself up by making a card with spring colors.


I used the adorable Penguin Chick by Imaginisce, and colored her in with SU markers. The pretty dp is both sides of the double sided Perfect Harmony - Lizzie by Daisy Bucket. I added a matching apricot silk flower by Zva Creative for a final touch.

InStyle Stamps Method Monday Challenge

This week’s Method Monday challenge from InStyle Stamps is a “Square Coat Card”. It’s a gate fold card with a twist - a “coat” that wraps around the base of the card and closes with a ribbon in the middle. You can find Maria's wonderfully detailed tutorial on the InStyle Stamps blog.

For my card, I decided to use one of the fabulous digital download images available from InStyle Stamps - Whimsy Cup. The great thing about the digital downloads is you are able to resize them to fit your needs. On my project, I not only used the cup as my focal image, I also made two different custom papers by shrinking the image and pasting it multiple times. Neat, huh? Try doing that with a regular stamp!

After I printed out my images, I colored them in with copic markers, and added diamond stickles to the focal image. I love how using the digital download image allowed me create dp that perfectly matches the rest of my project!

To play along, post a comment on this post on the InStyle Stamps blog with the link to the picture of your card from your blog site, SCS photo, PCP photo, or photo album. If you’re uploading your card at PCP or SCS, tag it with “InStyle” or “ISSMM1-26″ so it’ll be easy to find.

You don’t have to use InStyle stamps to play, but if you have them, why not flaunt them?

Check out the other cards by the InStyle Stamps Design Team:

Shary

Maria

Wedding Wishes

I have several friends getting married this spring, and decided to get a head start on wedding cards.


I went for "simple, but elegant" for this card. The main layer is cream shimmer paper. I cut out the scalloped circle with a nestability, and then ran it through my cuttlebug twice with the Swiss Dots folder, leaving the area in the middle where the ribbon is unaltered. I used my scor-pal to score lines to make a channel for the ribbon.

The cake is from SU Fun & Fast Notes, and the sentiment is by Studio G. I colored the cake in with copic markers, and added Angel Wings shimmerz for a little more sparkle. The combination of shimmer paper and shimmerz makes this card sparkle like crazy in real life!

InStyle Stamps Method Monday

It's time for Method Monday! What is Method Monday, you may ask? Well, every Monday, the InStyle Stamps design team will challenge you to stretch your wings and try something new. Today is my turn to host, and I have chosen to challenge you to try my take on the Polished Stone technique, which I am going to call Faux Granite.

Here is my take on the challenge:


You will need:

* rubbing alcohol
* a cotton ball (cotton squares work too, just layer 2 of them together)
* 2-3 reinkers in your choice of color
* glossy card stock (non-glossy will not work for this technique)
* stamp of your choice
* glossy paper friendly ink, such as Stazon or Palette
* paper towel


Step One:

Soak your cotton ball with rubbing alcohol, and add random drops of color from your reinkers.

*Note that the more drops you add, the more your colors are going to blend together. Limit yourself to 5-8 small drops or you'll end up with a muddy looking project.



Step Two:

Place your piece of glossy card stock onto the paper towel to protect your work surface. Dab the cotton ball all over your glossy card stock in a random motion.




Step Three:

Continue dabbing with the cotton ball until you are satisfied with how it looks. The rubbing alcohol will blend your colors, and will give you a granite effect as it dries.



Step Four:

Allow the glossy paper to dry (this should only take a minute or two). Stamp your image onto the paper using a glossy paper friendly ink.



Step Five:

Finish your card.


I used Sheree for my card. Isn't she sweet? I've been itching to ink her up ever since I got her! I stamped Sheree onto my piece of Faux Granite, and cut out the tub. I then stamped her again onto regular card stock, colored her in with Copic markers, and glued the Faux Granite piece into place. I added stickles in several different colors for the bubbles. You should see how they sparkle in real life! I made a second piece of the Faux Granite, and used it in place of DP. I love how it brings everything together!

Isn't the shower curtain cute? To make it, I cut a square of vellum and trimmed the edge with my scalloped edge punch. Then I used my scor-pal to score folds for the pleats, folded it flat, and punched a hole through the top for the "curtain rod", a piece of silver cord. Neat, huh?

If you decide to play along, post a comment with the link to your project on this post on the InStyle Stamps blog. If you upload your card to Splitcoast Stampers or Paper Craft Planet, please use the keyword ISSMM1-19 for ease in viewing. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Happy Stamping!

Exciting news!

I have some exciting news to share! Virginia, the owner of InStyle Stamps, has asked me to take a more active roll in her company! And of course, I said yes! So you are looking at the new Creative Director for InStyle Stamps! I will be managing the design team, and helping with some other areas that I can't share yet (top secret stuff right now, lol, but you are going to LOVE them!). How exciting is that?!? I've been on cloud 9 since she asked me, and couldn't wait to share it with you! I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to work with such a great company!

Now don't worry, I will continue to be a part of the design team, so you can still expect to see lots of great projects using InStyle Stamps. In fact, check back tomorrow, because I will be hosting Method Monday this week!

MDCC27 - Card Thursdays

It's Thursday, and that means it is time for the Card Thursday challenge at Mothers & Daughters Creations! Today's challenge is to pick a card from any of the MDC design team's blogs and case it! Fun, huh? If you want to play along, please post a comment here, with who you cased and a link to your picture. If you upload to splitcoast stampers or papercraft planet, please use key word MDCC27.

I decided to case this card by DT member, Kathyrn. Isn't it great?

We've been "enjoying" snow and temperatures in the single digits this week, so I decided to cheer myself up by making a card with pretty spring colors.

I used My Prince Charming by Stampavie for the focal image. Isn't is just the sweetest thing? I colored the frogs in with copic markers, and then water colored the grass. I added some diamond stickles to the flowers, and added a dab more to give the lady frog some eyeshadow. Every girl needs some bling, right? LOL!

The pretty dp with the flowers and the dp with the stripes are opposite sides of the Sweet Satin Ribbon dp from the Fairest of the All collection by Imaginisce. The cute green polka dot dp is Mint Dot by BoBunny.

Happy Birthday Jim!

Today is my BIL's birthday. I don't own very many "guy" stamps, so I went digging through my box of pre-stamped images looking for something appropriate. Lucky for me, my BIL loves all things related to the great outdoors, so I didn't have to search too long before I found this image from the retired SU set, The Angler. I borrowed the set from a friend a few years ago and stamped off some extra images. Even better, I found a pile of background papers I had made using the bleaching technique and the fish stamp from the set. Was I planning a head, or what? LOL!

The image was watercolored with SU watercolor crayons and an aquapainter. I didn't have an appropriate sentiment, so it is written by hand with a fine tipped artists pen (mine is a Pigma Micron 005). If you don't have one of these, I highly recommend getting one. I use mine so much, I've just about worn the tip off!

Sorry for the short post tonight. I am tired and still need to pick up the house a bit since we have company coming tomorrow. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a super girly card. :)

Random Acts of Kindness

I received the sweetest gift this Christmas, and it was from someone I have never met. Unni at Unni's Kort heard how much I like the adorable stamps by Hanglar and Stanglar, which you can not purchase if you live in the USA, and promptly offered to send me one. Imagine my surprise and delight when I got a package in the mail from her with not one, not two, but three Hanglar stamps in it along with a beautiful card!

I took a photo to show you, but it doesn't do the card justice. She used glossy card stock for the center panel, and embossed it with several different metallic embossing powders. It is truly a work of art! You can see a better photo on Unni's blog in this post, and be sure to check out the rest of her projects while you are there. She does amazing work!

Unni, if you are reading this, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!

I've been waiting until I was able to make a card with one of the stamps she so generously sent me before posting this, and finally was able to do so last night.


According to my translation program, this little beauty is called "Girl with a heart on a wire". Isn't she sweet? I decided to go with a red and pink color scheme so that I can use the card for Valentine's Day. I haven't decided who I will send this one to, hence the reason for no sentiment as of yet.

I colored her with Copic markers, and added white gel pen for accent. I used diamond stickles on the trim on her coat, and a Sakura stardust gelly roll pen on the string and her wings. I wanted the heart to look like an actual button, so I stamped the image on to a piece of chipboard, colored in the heart, cut it out, and then covered it with Crystal Effects for a nice glossy finish. The pretty DP is from the paper pack you could choose for a SU level one hostess gift, and it is layered on white and SU Pretty in Pink card stock.

InStyle Stamps Thankful Thursday Sketch Challenge

InStyle Stamps will be hosting a Thankful Thursday sketch challenge every, you got it, Thursday. The design team will be taking turns coming up with a fabulous sketch for you to play with, and this week happens to be my turn. How fun is that?

If you want to play along, all you have to do is create a card based on the provided sketch and post a link to your creation in the comments section of this post on the InStyle Stamps blog. But here's the catch... the card MUST contain the word "thank you" ("thankful," "thanks," etc, do count). You don't have to use an InStyle Stamp to play, but if you've got it, why not flaunt it? LOL!

Your entry with a link to your creation must be posted by Wednesday, January 14th, 11:59 PM P.S.T. The design team will look at all the entries and come up with their top 3, and Virginia will make the final decision. The winner will be announced the following day. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize. If the lucky winner hasn’t come forward after 48 hours, another winner will be selected.

If you upload your card to Splitcoast Stampers or Paper Craft Planet, please use the keyword ISSTT1-8 for ease in viewing.

Now I'm sure you are asking yourself what the lucky winner will receive. This week's prize is a pack of Making Memories Ribbon Charms! Aren't they fabulous? I love how they dress up even the plainest of ribbon!

Ready for some inspiration to get those creative juices flowing? Here is my card, using the fun and sassy Roxy.

Roxy was colored in using copic markers, and had Orange Views Dog Days collection. The rest of the papers are Peel stickles added to glam her up. Not that she needs it! LOL! The dp is "Big Polka Dots" from the DejaSU black, Really Rust, and Bordering Blue.

Here's a tip for creating the circle for this card if you don't have a circle cutter that is large enough: I used an old cd, and traced along the edge with a sharp exacto knife to cut out my shape. Easy peasy, and no expensive equipment needed!

For more inspiration, be sure to check out what my fellow DT members came up with.

Jennie

Jennifer

Sandy

Shary

Virginia

Thanks for stopping by! Good luck!

Happy Birthday!

Sorry about not posting for a while. I have had an eventful few days. My sister and her family are in town for a late Christmas get together, DH's b-day was yesterday, and to top it all off, we had a plumbing disaster on Saturday, and have been without water ever since. DH has been working diligently on it, but every time he thinks he is finished, something else starts leaking! Our house is only 20 years old, so you wouldn't think there would be so many issues already! DH assures me it should all be fixed later on today. Here's hoping!

Any hoo, as I mentioned, yesterday was DH's birthday. It wasn't very birthday-like since he spent the day working on the plumbing, but I did make him a card, and thought I would share it with you.


My friend, Mary, swapped some Magnolia images with me (Thank you Mary!!!), and this adorable Edwin with guitar was one of them. DH is very musically inclined, and can often be found in his music room playing one of his guitars, so this image was perfect for a card for him.

Edwin was colored in using a combination of copic markers and water coloring with ink and watercolor crayons. I used Crystal Effects on the guitar to give it a glossy finish. It didn't photograph well, but trust me, it gives the same effect as the finish on a real life guitar. To give the project a little more depth, I cut the bench out of a second image (Edwin comes sitting on it), glued it to the white background, and popped Edwin up on top of it with pop-dots.

The solid paper is SU Ruby Red and Certainly Celery. The dp is "stripe" and "mini brown dot" from the Making Memories Travel Collection. I found a pack of 48 sheets at Big Lots for $2 last week, and was so excited. Be sure to check your local Big Lots soon as they seem to be getting in more paper crafting supplies.

MDCC25 - Card Thursdays - Thanks for the Memories

This Thursday's card challenge at Mothers & Daughters Creations is to make a holiday thank you card to send to someone special. To celebrate the new year, M&DC is offering a prize for one lucky participant - the Serendipity Stamps mailbox stamp that DT member Maria used on her card here! To enter, make a holiday thank you card, and post a comment with a link to the card on this thread on the M&DC challenge blog. If you upload your card to Splitcoast Stampers or Papercraft Planet, please use keyword MDCC25.

For my card, I thought this adorable snowman stamp by Stampavie was just perfect for a thank you card. He just looks so happy to be receiving a present from his bird friend! The image was colored with Copic markers, and I added diamond Stickles for some sparkle. I used Merry Wishes - All the Trimmings dp by Daisy Bucket for the background. It is double-sided, so I cut my piece in half and used both sides on the card for some added interest. Don't you just love double-sided dp?

We have a winner!

DH picked a name out of the bowl, and our lucky winner is....

Shannah - who left me this lovely comment:

Hi Melissa! I've never seen these stamps before - and they are fabulous! My favourite is Marti... but I'm a new Auntie so maybe Jasmine!
Here's the link for you on my Blog...
http://photoholic-sb.blogspot.com/
Congrats on a wonderful Blog and your success, and thanks for the chance for some yummy candy!!
Hugs, Shannah

Congratulations Shannah! Send me an e-mail with your address, and I'll get your goodies right out to you!

Thank you to all who participated! It was such fun to read all of your comments and check out your blogs!

Blog Candy!

*blog candy is now closed - check back later for the winner*

So what can you win? Well, let me tell you! Virginia at InStyle Stamps kindly gave me permission to stamp some images from a few of her brand-spanking-new line of stamps for one lucky winner! Woo! To round out the package, and help beat the winter doldrums, I added some lovely dp in spring colors, along with some coordinating ribbon and flowers. (The ribbon really does coordinate - it is that gorgeous satin ribbon that never photographs well.)


To be entered to win, you will need to:

1. Help me spread the word about the candy by posting about it on your blog,
and
2. Post a comment here telling me which InStyle Diva is your favorite. (I know it is hard to pick just one, but try! LOL!)

Easy, peasy. You have until 12:01 AM EST on January 1st to enter. I will print out all the comments and have DH pick a winner randomly later that day. I will ship internationally, so anyone is free to enter.

Good luck! And Merry Christmas!