Big Design Memory Craft & Paper Smooches Give-Away!

Hey guys!  :)  I have been having so much fun playing with some of my new Paper Smooches stamps (designed by my friend Kim Hughes) along with some cool new products from Design Memory Craft.  And... want to know what else is cool?  I get to give away some of these cool new products to three of you!  Keep reading to find out more.  :)

For this card, I wanted to make a unique background for my cute little scooter to scoot along on.  So... I pulled out some watercolor paper along with some Color Gelatos and got to work.  For the sky, I rubbed a blue Gelato directly onto a cloud stamp & pressed it onto my watercolor paper.  Then, I used a small paintbrush dipped in water & brushed over the stamped images.  To add a little extra color, I picked up a little more blue from the Gelato with a wet paintbrush and painted along the clouds.  For the grass, I used a green Gelato like a crayon & lightly colored the bottom of the paper.  Then, I used a wet paintbrush to even it all out.

This little scooter was so fun to make.  I paper pieced and popped up different sections with foam tape.  For the sentiment, I used part of a stamp from the Spiffy Scooters set & omitted the ending - adding the word "thanks" from the Sentiment Sampler set.

So... want to know what's up for grabs?  :)  One lucky commenter will win the Falling For You stamp set by Paper Smooches: 

And two lucky commenters will win a Faber Castell prize pack from Design Memory Craft!

Mixed Media Sampler Sets in Red, Yellow, Blue and Green encourage you to spread your creative wings and experiment with mixing mediums!  Each set includes a Stamper’s Big Brush, Gelato Metallic Stick, Pastel Pencil and Art GRIP Aquarelle Watercolor pencil.  Experiment with mixing colors and mediums or layer different mediums to create depth and details.  Or try using your rubber stamps with the different mediums to see which effects you like the most. 

Color Gelatos are creamy sticks infused with brilliant color.  The color slides easily onto papers and can then be dissolved with water to create watercolor effects, or left to dry for vibrant bursts of color.  Try stamping with the Color Gelatos, or apply a field of color and use a stamp to remove the color.  Color Gelatos work wonderfully on flocked papers and embellishments too!  Color Gelatos are acid-free and odorless. 

To be eligible for one of these fun prize packs, simply leave a comment on this post.  Please leave an e-mail address or a way for me to contact you.  :)  (You'll have until next Saturday, May 7th to leave a comment.)  Thanks guys, and good luck!  :)

A Little Lawn Fawn Party

Good morning!  :)

I have a quick little card for you today using Lawn Fawn's Bannerific set & fun alphabet stamps.  Have you tried out LF's alphas?  They're my FAVORITE!  First of all, I love that the stamps are clear.... so you can see exactly where you're stamping.  But, my favorite feature of these stamps is the way they are cut.  They have a faint curve & almost click together on the edges, making it so easy to get a perfectly aligned sentiment.

Hope your weekend is starting off great!  The sun has finally come out here in the Midwest!  It's literally rained for weeks.  So... I'm pretty excited to say the least!  :) 

Lawn Fawn Happy Wishes

 Hey guys!  :)  I have a new project posted to my Two Peas gallery that I wanted to share with you.  It all started with this cute little mobile image from Lawn Fawn's Plus One set.  Seriously!  Could those little faces be any cuter?  I love it!

So... I decided to go with a star theme & wanted to make the card gender neutral so that I could be ready for the next time I need a baby card.  This paper from Studio Calico has such fun & funky colors in it & I thought it could probably work for a girl or a boy.

You can find all of my supplies and more info HERE in my gallery.

Thanks for taking a peek!  :)

Sweetest Day Ever!

Today is my hubby's 35th birthday.  I met him almost exactly 14 years ago.  I was 19 and he had just turned 21.  I can't believe this many years have passed already!  Yikes!  But... I think he looks just as good as he did the day we met.  And... you'd think that since I'm addicted to making cards, I would have made him a really awesome custom birthday card.  Hmmm.... yeah.  I kind of spaced it.  Do you think he would mind getting this pink and yellow number? ;)

I'm thinking this one is not going to fly... BUT, I do love this little berry stamp so, so much!  I used more of my Upcycle 6x6 paper pad (Cosmo Cricket).  The colors and patterns are just so happy.  I love this collection!

Hope you're having a super sweet day!

That's Why We're Best Friends!

 Hey guys!  I have a happy, springy card to share with you today!  This is my latest project for Two Peas using one of my Lawn Fawn stamp sets & Cosmo Cricket's Upcycle Collection.

I stamped the Polaroid image onto patterned paper & then cut an Upcycle sentiment accent and adhered it to the center.  I love using Cosmo's Elements paper for cards... and this one fit the inside of my stamped image perfectly!  To make a scalloped edge, I cut several Upcycle doilies in half, layered them onto my card & stitched them in place.

I also used one of these beautiful Sassafras brooches as an accent piece.  I'm pretty proud of myself for actually putting it on a project and not hoarding it. ;)

You can find my Two Peas project HERE, which links to all of the fun products I used on this card.

Thanks for visiting!!!  :)

Two Peas - Favorite Friend

My newest "seed" is up on the Two Peas site!  I just got this awesome stamp set by Unity the other day & had to ink it up right away!

I love using journaling spots to frame stamped images!  I just used Post-it Notes to create a mask before I stamped the city scene.  The sentiment is a mix of a Dear Lizzy rub-on & a Hero Arts stamp.  

Here's a close-up of those cute little clouds:

Thanks for taking a peek!  :)

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Day #4 - Year One

Today is the final day of Lawn Fawn's Inspiration week & we're showcasing an adorable mini set called Year One.

So... are you sick of this paper yet?  I've still got a couple projects to share using Basic Grey's Hello Luscious collection, so hang in there!  ;)  

Sometimes I just really love solid stamped images.  You can pick a nice shade and whip out a card in no time!  --- no coloring required.  I decided to really give this cake center stage by adhering it to a paper rosette.  These are super easy to make & if you've never made one, there are great resources online.  (I just did a Google search for paper rosettes & found pages of information.)

Make sure to check out the Lawn Fawn blog as well as the rest of the designers' blogs:

Chan Vuong
Tiffany Johnson
Latisha Yoast
Lea Lawson
Lynnette Kauffman
Teri Anderson
Nichol Magourik

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Day #3: Smitty's ABC's

Today, the Lawn Fawn team is showcasing a brand new alphabet set called Smitty's ABC's!  I love alphabet stamps!  They allow you to completely customize your cards and projects.

Several days ago, I was browsing around on Pinterest & found some great inspiration.  If you've never been on this site before, you really should check it out!  Basically, it's a place to organize all of the pictures of things that interest you (hence the name.)  When you find something on the site or anywhere on the web, you can 'pin' that item & organize it on your page.  It's such a great place to get creative ideas & I'm completely addicted.  ;)

So... back to my inspiration piece.  I really love all of these prints, but thought the one on the top left would be really cool to reproduce into a card form.  And... I had my new Smitty's ABC's stamp set that was crying out to be used.  :)

I used the Bannerific set to create my pennants & added a tiny bird from Critters In the Forest.  Easy peasy & super sweet!  My favorite kind of cards!

Make sure to visit the Lawn Fawn blog for your chance to win this stamp set!!!  And... if you'd like even more inspiration, check out the DT's blogs:

Chan Vuong
Tiffany Johnson
Latisha Yoast
Lea Lawson
Lynnette Kauffman
Teri Anderson
Nichol Magourik

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Day #2: Fanciful Frames

Today, the Lawn Fawn team is showcasing the new stamp set Fanciful Frames.  I think this set is SO adorable!  I can't wait to see what everyone framed!

For my card, I decided to turn a frame into a mirror.  I love the dress from the new Happily Ever After set & thought I'd create a little scene.

I paper pieced my frame & then carefully trimmed the inside & adhered it to a piece of foil.  The dress is paper pieced too. I'm slightly obsessed with Basic Grey's Hello Luscious collection. The colors and patterns are just really, really pretty. I think I've used about half of my 6x6 pad in just one week. And... I'm hoping that you like it too, because you'll be seeing a lot more of it over the next several days. ;)

The sentiment is computer generated & I used this font from Two Peas In a Bucket.

To see more inspiration, make sure to visit the other girls' blogs:

Chan Vuong
Tiffany Johnson
Latisha Yoast
Lea Lawson
Lynnette Kauffman
Teri Anderson
Nichol Magourik

& the Lawn Fawn Blog

Lawn Fawn Inspiration Day #1: Happily Ever After

Today begins the Inspiration Week for Lawn Fawn's April releases!  Make sure to check out the Lawn Fawn blog for your chance to win all of the sets you'll see this week!  Today, the Lawn Fawn team is featuring the new set Happily Ever After.

One of the reasons I love stamps so much is because they allow you to completely customize your projects.  My parents requested a 60th Anniversary card for some friends of theirs & this is what I came up with:

I couldn't wait to ink up these adorable little wedding bells from my new Happily Ever After stamp set!  For the sentiment, I took bits and pieces from Lawn Fawn's Sophie's Sentiments set & Jessie's ABC's.  (To create the 'th', I just inked up part of the word 'thank' from Sophie's Sentiments.)

To see more inspiration, make sure to visit the other girls' blogs:

Chan Vuong
Tiffany Johnson
Latisha Yoast
Lea Lawson
Lynnette Kauffman
Teri Anderson
Nichol Magourik

Hip Hop... & Some Goodbyes

Today's post is a difficult one for me to write.  With all the changes in my life lately, my days have become very full.  I have two little boys who need their mamma's time & attention... & I still work outside of the home several days a week.  Sports season just started & my evenings are filling up really quickly.  When I stopped to look at my calendar, I realized that I just couldn't do it all and needed to make some tough decisions.  So... with a heavy heart, I've decided to step down as part of the Unity DT.  Unity has been a part of my life for a long time & I've really loved being able to work with Angela & the other designers.  As much as it hurts to say goodbye, I know that this chapter in my life will never be completely closed.  I've met such amazing people and have made some lasting friendships.  And... I'll always be designing with Unity stamps!  I'm slightly addicted.  ;)

So... what does that mean to you?  You probably won't see many changes on this end of things.  I'll be designing with Unity while I work for Two Peas & I love using Unity's stamps for publications with Paper Crafts.  Just knowing this makes the transition a lot easier.  I just want to always make sure that I don't stretch myself too thin and over-commit.  I want to keep my priorities in check and still have time to do things well.  It's important to me to give my all to everything that I do & always enjoy the journey.

OK.  Enough of my yacking!  I've got a card to share with you!  ;)

I made this card with Unity's Hey Girlfriend (Cosmo Cricket) Itty Bitty.  I love the Upcycle paper collection!  The colors and patterns are yum-o!  It's so cool to have stamps that perfectly coordinate!  American Crafts' Mustard Zing embossing powder coordinates perfectly with the paper too.  :)

From here, make your way to see Jen Erickson!

Call Me Stamp WINNER!

Hey guys!  Thanks again for all of your sweet comments over the past few days!

I have randomly chosen a winner for the Unity Call Me Itty Bitty stamp!

Drum roll please.....

 jules said...

lovey cards....thanks for a chance to win a new toy!

April 1, 2011 10:27 PM

Jules (love the name, btw) ;) -- message me at:  julie.stamps77@gmail.com and I'll get the stamp mailed out to you!  :)

Kicking it off with a challenge... and a stamp give-a-way!!!

Two Peas is kicking off their 30 days of cardmaking & stamping starting today!

I have a video tutorial on how to make three very distinctive card styles using one stamp & would LOVE to have you join in the fun!  There is a challenge going on for one week and awesome prizes to be had!  You can find out all about it HERE.

Here are the cards I will be teaching you to make in the video.  They're nice and simple, and can be made in a flash!  :)  We'll be learning how to use paints in lieu of ink, & will also be heat embossing, & antiquing - among other things.  :)

All of my cards feature this adorable Itty Bitty stamp from Unity Stamp Co. called Call Me.  I just so happen to have an extra stamp in my hot little hands and would love to send it to one of you!  If you don't have this stamp yet, but would like to -- just leave a comment on this thread.  I'll pick a random winner on Wednesday.  :)