Key To My Heart

Tonight I am sharing with you a card that I made this weekend for this weeks Color Challenge over at Stamp TV to use black, white and kraft. I was in Pennsylvania visiting my parents this weekend, and whenever I am visiting, I always take advantage of mom's stamps and supplies :) For this card, I used two Gina K. stamp sets that I have not yet added to my personal collection - Timeless Treasures by Theresa Momber and Vintage Borders by Nina Brackett. I started by running a piece of white Pure Luxury card stock through the Cuttlebug using one of mom's embossing folders, and then hit the raised areas with SU! Sahara Sand ink using a piece of yellow sponge. On a piece of Pure Luxury card stock in Soft Sand, I first stamped one of the borders from Nina's set in black, and then added some pearls to embellish. On a square piece of the Pure Luxury white, I stamped the heart-shaped lock from Theresa's set in the Sahara Sand, and then added the sentiment on top in black. The key was stamped in black onto the Soft Sand, and was then cut out using a craft knife. All layers were bordered in Pure Luxury Black Onyx. For my finishing touches, I started digging through mom's ribbons and trims and found the the perfect pieces to add to the card! Thanks for the fun day in your craft room, mom! I am missing you already!

Before I go, I just wanted to give you an update on the house :) We had the home inspection on Saturday (almost 4 hours) and everything went very well! There are a few minor things that we will need to work on, but nothing major! I am so relieved! Next step - the mortgage...

I hope you have a great week!

Sung From The Heart

It has been way too many days since my last post! As some of you may know, I have been house hunting with Shaun since last summer in search of our perfect home. Well, after looking at nearly 80 houses, we finally found it! What a process this has been... Our offer has been accepted, we made it through attorney review, and now we have the inspection this weekend. I am just praying that everything goes well, and if it does, we plan to close in April :) I will keep you posted!

I finally had some time tonight to get inky :) I finished up a card I have been working on for a blog hop featuring Gina K's Sung From The Heart stamp set by Rupa Shevde. This set was just released a few weeks ago and it's perfect for Valentines! All of the sentiments in this set are song lyrics that coordinate with the images. To create my card, I actually added in some images from another one of Rupa's sets, 100% Sweet! I found that these two sets coordinate perfectly to make one "sweet" card :) For the layout of the card, I followed Jennie Harper's sketch challenge over at Stamp TV.

I started with an A2 card that I made from Gina K's Pure Luxury card stock in Lipstick Red. I then added on the layers using designer paper from Basic Grey Sugar Rush. I created a lacy border using a Martha Stewart border punch. I stamped the bird image from Sung From The Heart directly onto the designer paper, and using my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I replaced the heart that was on the string with the cherry from 100% sweet. I have the bird flying over to place the cherry atop my cupcake :) Both the bird and cupcake were paper pieced and were accented using colored pencils. The sentiment was stamped twice and cut out in two parts using my SU! Word Window punch. All sponging was done using SU! ink in Rose Romance. To finish the card, I added a button and some tulle.

If you would like to see other cards that were made using Rupa's new set, visit Gina K's blog here and follow the hop!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

Baby On The Way!

This past weekend I headed down to southern New Jersey for a baby shower :) One of my dearest friends from college, Christina, is expecting and is due on February 19th. The theme for her shower was "Pink or Blue we welcome you!", as the sex of the baby will be a surprise. Christina and her husband, Mike, are so excited! I can't wait for the arrival of their new bundle of joy :) I am sharing with you two of my favorite pictures from this past weekend. The first is of Christina (mother-to-be) wearing the bonnet full of bows that we created as she unwrapped all of her gifts. In the second photo (left to right: Dee, Julie, Christina, Becca, and Tara) is our close-knit group of friends from college standing in the baby's nursery. We all live in different areas (NJ, PA and MD) so we don't get to see each other as often as we would like to, but we had such a wonderful weekend together celebrating this beautiful occasion :) I just noticed as I was posting the photos that most of us are wearing blue - could it be a sign?
So, for Christina's shower card, I decided on a onesie. I don't get to make these often so I had to jump at the chance! Since Christina does not know the sex of the baby, I had to keep the card gender neutral. I used textured yellow card stock from DCWV to create an A2 card. Using my SU! 1 3/8" circle punch, I punched the neck and leg holes. Using a craft knife and ruler, I made two cuts on each side to create the sleeves. I then added some scalloped trim by punching the 1 3/8" holes into textured white card stock, centered the hole inside the SU! scalloped circle punch, and then adhered it to the card. For the image, I stamped the stork from SU! Along the Same Lines with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto the white textured card stock. I then colored the image using Memento markers in Cantaloupe, New Sprout and Desert Sand. The stork was cut out with one of the scalloped heart Nestabilities, and was sponged around the edges with New Sprout Ink. Three green button brads were added across the bottom where the onesie would button together.

I will be sure to update you and share some pictures when the baby arrives :)

My First Blog Award!

What a wonderful surprise that I came home to after such a long Monday! My dear friend Patti has presented me with this award for having a lovely blog - isn't she sweet!? When you get a chance, hop on over to her blog, Stampersize, and check out some of her beautiful creations!

For this award here are the rules:

1. Post it on your blog, along with the name and blog link to the person who sent it to you.

2. Pass the award on to 15 other bloggers that you've newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers and let them know they have received this very cool award!

Being new to the world of blogging, I don't have 15 newly discovered blogs. However, I do have someone very special that I would just love to pass this award on to :) This award is going to my mom - Mary Anne at Lakeside Stamping! Her blog is full of inspiration and creativity so be sure to stop by and visit! Love you mom!

Bundled Up With Love

Good Morning! Today I am sharing with you a Wintry Valentine that I created. I was in need of some inspiration for my layout on this one so I stopped over at The Daily Dare (if you haven't been, it's an excellent blog that updates with new challenges daily) and scanned through some challenges. I came across this fab sketch at Eat Sleep Stamp and I am submitting my card into Tracy's Sketchy Thursday Challenge #66.

For this card, I used one of the stamps from a long retired SU! set called Winter Wilma - isn't she cute!? Her little friends are adorable too! I stamped her using Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with my Koh-I-Noor pencils and OMS. In case you haven't noticed, I just love coloring with my pencils and they are probably my favorite coloring medium. I created my card using Gina K. Designs new Pure Luxury card stock in Innocent Pink - such a sweet new color! I then added my designer paper from the new Basic Grey Sugar Rush collection. I added some stitching around the border with my Janome sew mini. I created my embellishments using my scalloped heart Nestabilities, and two different snowflake punches by Martha Stewart. I stitched on some vintage buttons for some added texture. All elements were sponged using SU! Close to Cocoa ink. This is another technique that I use frequently - I just love how it adds that little extra dimension to the card.

I hope you enjoy your day!

You've Got Mail!

Don't you just love getting mail? I sure do - especially when it's chocolate :) The project I am showing you tonight is an altered tin mailbox that I found at Target in the $1 bin (such a bargain!). I will be giving this as a Valentine to one of my dear friends.

To cover the mailbox, I used Basic Grey designer paper from the June Bug paper pad. I measured the mailbox, cut the paper to fit, and used my Xyron to adhere it. It didn't take me long to figure out what stamps I wanted to use for this project! I couldn't wait to add images from Gina K. Designs Special Delivery by Tami Mayberry. This set is one of my favorites and I just knew the postage theme would work perfectly with my mailbox. Memento Tuxedo Black and SU! Real Red inks were used for stamping. After adding on my images, I began to embellish using my Martha Stewart border punch, some red rhinestones, and a few different scraps of satin ribbon. I finished my project by adding the best part - the Hershey's Kisses of course!

Inspired By A Lamp

Today I created a card for two challenges. The first challenge is the Photo Inspiration Challenge over on the Basic Grey Challenges blog. Isn't the color combination just stunning in this living room? While scanning the scene for some more inspiration, I saw the lamp sitting over on the table and instantly knew what stamp set I was going to use for my card - Gina K. Designs Lovely Shelf by Nina Brackett. Nina's set has the cutest little lamp image :) Well, now all I needed was a layout for my card, and the Stamp TV Sketch Challenge designed by Jennie Harper was perfect!

For my card, I used Gina K's Pure Luxury card stock in Soft Sand and designer paper from Basic Grey - Nook & Pantry. For the center panel, I cut the lace out from one of the sheets of designer paper. To create the lamp, I stamped onto the aqua paper, and then paper pieced the base and shade. I popped up the shade using a pop dot, and decorated the trim using tiny pearls. The ovals were created using my pink and purple Marvy Uchida punches, and I paper pierced around the scalloped edge. All stamping and sponging was done using SU! Close to Cocoa. A few more pearls were added to opposite corners to finish my project.

I also wanted to share with all of you that my Punny Pear card was in the Customer Sunday Spotlight over on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog today. I am so flattered :) You can check out the post by clicking here.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

What Is Going On Down There?

I love to add stitching to my cards - it's such an easy way to give your finished projects some added texture. I have been using my Janome sew mini for about a year now and I don't know what I would do without it. I like to use heavy duty thread in my machine when sewing on paper and card stock, and you can find it in a variety of colors to coordinate with all of your projects.

The new challenge over at JUGS for this week is to add stitching to your project. For this card, I used the smallest straight stitch setting on my machine and some heavy duty white thread to create the border. The designer paper that I used for the background is from Basic Grey - Lemonade, and I used a scrap from this paper and my SU! Corner Punch to create my paper pierced corner treatments. My image (which always cracks me up!) is from Dewey, Inkum & Howe. I colored the birds with pencils and OMS. I then added accents to them using coordinating colors of my Sakura Star Dust pens. These pens are perfect for adding some sparkle to your image. I took a close up picture of the blue bird to show you how much they shimmer and shine :) I cut out the birds with my Labels One Nestabilities, and sponged with some sky blue ink. I then cut out some clouds using my Labels Six Nestabilities, and ran them through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dot embossing folder. Doesn't this sentiment (unknown) work perfectly with this image? I thought so. To finish this card, I added some flowers and coordinating brads.

If Only Truffles Grew On Trees...

With all of the cold weather we have been having, I thought maybe a spring card would help warm things up! Over at the Impression Obsession blog, they are currently hosting a challenge to create a spring theme card using their stamps. The IO set that I have is the Truffle Tree Set - isn't it cute? It also comes with three separate chocolates, a small branch, and a sentiment that reads "When the going gets tough, the tough get chocolate." I used the sentiment for the inside of this card.

I used Gina K Designs Pure Luxury card stock in Chocolate Kiss and some textured pink card stock to create my base. I then stitched on three panels of designer paper from the memory box sprout collection. This paper pack has some of the best spring designs - it's one on my favorites! The image was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, colored with pencils and OMS, and bordered with Chocolate Kiss. I decided to adhere buttons down the side in coordinating colors to create a border. I then attached my image and added some butterflies that I punched out using the Martha Stewart punch, and inked using SU! Close to Cocoa.

So, I am submitting this to the IO blog for their spring card challenge for a chance to win $25 to their store - isn't that a fab prize? If you have some IO stamps and some time to get creative before midnight on Saturday, January 9th, head over to the Impression Obsession blog and play along! Think spring and keep warm!

A Sketch for "Just Us Girls"

If you are looking for an inspirational challenge blog, you should make it a point to check out "Just Us Girls" aka JUGS! Every Saturday they post a new challenge, and their super talented design team creates the most gorgeous sample projects! It's very easy to play along and YOU could be their next "Chic of the Week" - how cool is that!? This weeks challenge was to create a card following their sketch.

I started with a standard A2 card that I made using Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury card stock in Soft Sand. I used designer paper from the Basic Grey Wisteria paper pad for several different elements on the card. To create the horizontal background piece, I ran the designer paper through the Cuttlebug using the Victoria embossing folder. I then used a sponge with some SU! Close to Cocoa ink to highlight the embossed areas and make them pop! For the image, I first stamped the Modern Wood Block by A Muse Artstamps in Close to Cocoa, and then stamped the Solid Tree by memory box in SU! Chocolate Chip ink. I layered the image several times and added a small piece of hemp to embellish. The sentiment is Thank You For Everything, which is also by A Muse Artstamps. To create my funky flower, I used my SU! scalloped circle and 1 3/8" circle punches and added a vintage pearl button from my collection with a piece of the hemp to finish the card.

If you would like to join in the fun and play along with a weekly challenge, stop by and visit JUGS! Next week on the line up is a Technique Challenge, which will be posted on Saturday!

Do Mice Stamp?

This one sure does! I decided to play with my House Mouse stamps today. These little furry friends always seem to bring a smile :) While going through my basket, I came across this stamp - Pogo Stamp - and sentiment by Stampa Rosa. I won these stamps in a lot on eBay awhile back and this is the first time they have seen ink.

I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored it using Koh-I-Noor pencils and OMS. I cut out the image using one of my Nestabilities, embossed the edge, and sponged on some ink in SU! Buckaroo Blue and Vintage Violet. The designer paper is unknown (from my scrap bin) and the card stock is SU! Vintage Violet. I added some flocked mesh flowers across the top and used grey pearls for the centers, as well as on the sentiment.

One Punny Fruit!

During my stay at my parent's in PA over the holidays, mom and I took a road trip to a cute little store in Lancaster County called L & L Rubber Stamps and Supplies. As I was stocking up on some much needed supplies (you know how that goes LOL!), I found this adorable stamp set called Punny Fruits & Veggies by Sweet 'n Sassy stamps. I couldn't pass it up as I thought it would be great for some quick little Valentines.

I stamped the pear image and sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored it using Koh-I-Noor pencils and OMS. I cut out the image and bordered it using a piece of Bazzill card stock in Hollywood. I used a piece of designer paper from Basic Grey - Nook & Pantry for the background, and stitched it onto the card (4" x 4") that I made using Green Apple Pure Luxury card stock from Gina K. Designs. I added some sponging to all layers with some SU! ink in Close to Cocoa. I kept the embellishments simple and added just a few red rhinestones and some ribbon.

If you would like to see the other Punny Fruits & Veggies that come along with this set, you can visit Sweet 'n Sassy stamps if you click here.

Celebrating Melanie's Two Year Anniversary!

Melanie Muenchinger is celebrating two years of blogging and illustrating for Gina K Designs! To help celebrate, I created this Valentine using two of her stamp sets: A Year of Flowers and Inspiration Mosaic.

I used designer paper from Basic Grey - Sugared to create the mosaic for the background, and sewed it onto a piece of Gina K's Pure Luxury card stock in Chocolate Kiss. I then ran two pieced of SU! - Riding Hood Red card stock through the Cuttlebug, using the hearts folder. The image was stamped using Memento ink in Tuxedo Black and was colored using my Koh-I-Noor pencils and OMS. I added a few hearts that I cut and embossed using the Scalloped Heart Nestability set. The sentiment was stamped onto designer paper and then punched out using a tag punch. All sponging was done using SU! ink in Riding Hood Red.

If you would also like to celebrate with Mel and have a chance at winning some of her fabulous blog candy, see the details here. I hope you are able to join the party!

Hello World!

Happy New Year! I took off from work today to wind down after all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, and as I sat down at my desk to start stamping, I decided to finally join the world of blogging! I have been wanting to start a blog for some time now, and what better time to start than the beginning of a new year. I look forward to sharing my paper craft projects and cards with all of you!