Sunday, September 30, 2012

Getting Ready for Halloween

Here is my Halloween sample I shared at the party, using Beyond Baskets (wash tub) and spookies from Basket Additions 3.  I used Copics C-1, 3 and 5 and to add streaks to the tub to make it look galvanized, plus some Lionet Gold Copic for brass stripes, and then crimped some Pure Luxury Silver Lining cardstock to make a make a matching mat.  Doesn't that look so sharp with the Black Onyx?
 
TIP: When using a paper crimper, load your paper and look at the SIDE of the cardstock (not the top edge) to see that the edge of the cardstock is parallel to the sides of the crimper, then gently squeeze to hold the paper in place and check to make sure the sides are still running parallel. If not, loosen your grip and adjust. Then crank the paper through.  Your crimping should be straight!
Something I like about this handle, you can stamp it facing up or down to look like it hanging down the side or the tub is hanging from a hook.  With the clear stamps, you can stamp the handle right over the image, I didn't bother to mask, just colored, and then underlines it with C-5 to crate a shadow.  You can also cut the handle out with the Silhouette cut file.  Another cool thing, because of this image's flexibility you can literally pull it out or in to make the handle taller or wider if desired.  This wire handle with the wooden grip can can also be added to the baskets in Spring Basket or Holiday Basket.

I've had some people write and ask where to find certain samples from previous posts. Anytime you are looking for a project that uses a certain set or you want inspiration of certain stamps, simply look in my labels section on my right hand side bar.  All sets and tops care listed alphabetically and who the number of posts it has been featured in out to the side.  Just click and scan through them all at once.  Sometime I need to use them as well to remind myself what I've already posted!  Hope this helps!

one last thign, are you getting my dfeed? my stats show I am getting way fewer views than readers, and i just want to be sure you are receving updates. Also, I heard form one person, thye are just getting the title and not my fullf eed ofr short feed.  I will check on that, but I have not made any changes, so not sure what is up.  Until then, please click through to sread the while opost if you are only getting the title. Thanks for your help!


Happy Sunday, hope you are having a great weekend!  Gina K Designs Inspiration hops tomorrow at 8 AM!  I still need to stamp something new!  Nothing like the last minute!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Little Red Wagon

Hi!! I am so behind on posting and showing my new cards with Beyond Baskets!! Eek! I assume, though, that *most* of you already checked out my samples with the set so far in the party threads, so I have not been very diligent about posting, but here is one I made for a birthday we are attending tomorrow, for one of my younger son's friends.
I love how you stamp on the side of the wagon so many combinations of the new greetings in this set, like a little Radio Flyer!  Image is colored with Copics.  I made my own patterns with my markers creating a plaid and some polka dots instead of paper piecing.  The topper is cut out and glued over the wagon, see how it covers the handle. (I could have masked it, too, but, eh!) hope you like it. thought hey looked so cute together I came the sketch simple.  Cardstock is Pure Luxury Wild Dandelion, Cherry Red, and White.  I can't wait to piece the wagon with some cute spotty or floral pattern or in piiiinkkk! :)
So, I'm back to where I was before: we have Inspraition Hops starting Monday and I don't know what to show with my set??  too many choices!  All my other samples made, but those, ...hmmm? Suggestions? ;-)

Have a terrific weekend!

Friday, September 21, 2012

CSS Alumni September Hop

Welcome to a color combination challenge blog hop hosted by members of the Gina K. CSS Alumni team! Today the hop is featuring hand drawn sets designed by me and Theresa Momber. As you hop along, make sure to leave a comment, because on Tuesday morning (September 25), we will randomly choose two comments from all the blogs and two lucky individuals will receive a Gina K. Designs Stamps set each (the winners will receive either a set designed by Melanie Muenchinger or Theresa Momber).




Today's challenge was to create a card or project based on the color combination below:
Color Combo: Pumpkin Spice, Fresh Asparagus and Sweet Corn plus neutral colors (white, ivory, black, and brown) are also fine to incorporate.

Okay, are you ready to kill me? I totally missed that there was a color combo challenge for this hop when I was working, slap me now! But thankfully, since I made a fall card it is pretty darn close! (and, um, all the colors are in the stamped scene, so I'm just off a bit on my cardstocks!)
This sample uses the fall topper from the original Basket Additions and the wheelbarrow from the newly released Beyond Baskets set. So these are (ahem!) Gina K Pure Luxury Tomato Soup, Moonlit Fog, and White.
I started by stamping my topper in black and coloring with Copics.  Then I die cut my mat and left the die in place to sponge on some Memento Peanut Brittle for sky.
Next I sponged some Bamboo Leaves below.  Then I stamped the wheelbarrow over my image to overlap and colored just the wheel.  I stamped it again on scrap cardstock, colored, cut out without the wheel and  mounted with pop dots over the first image to create two layers of dimension.  Add shadows underneath and blades of grass with G99 and YG95.

Enjoy hopping! I can't wait to see what the CSS ladies will do with our sets!  Thanks everyone for hopping with us today and thank you CSS team for your fabulous work!
Have a terrific weekend!

All New Gina K Designs Sets Now Available!


Good morning! Thank you all who were able to attend yesterday's Gina K Designs release party! If you missed it or any part, be sure to go watch Gina's video today and you can see samples for each new set in the separate reveal threads on the StampTV main page.  Don't forget to enter the contest questions, too: you could win some free stamps!
Here is the full set of Beyond Baskets! What images are you most excited to use?  One small thing, but I am really loving the rope, especially as a clear stamp, it is very flexible and can be pulled to change the shape on your block! And several pointed out at the party, when colored, it looks like real rope on your card!  Try different colors beyond the typical rope, to look like like thick, colored yarn as an embellishment for anything, or even striped like the very trendy bakers twine!

Also, be sure to check out all the new Silhouette cut files that have been added to the store!  I think I have about 10 new ones:  Beyond Baskets, the previous seven coordinating basket sets, as well as for A Year of Flowers/Pressed Flowers!  The really exciting thing about the A Year of Flowers file and A Year of Flowers masks files: you can also cut out your images from the Pressed Flowers stamp set with these files!  A great two for one deal for only 99 cents each!  :)  I will be starting a tab at the top of the blog with all the cut files we have added to the store.  Look for new ones each month as we release new products!


So Joyce T. said the other day...
love them all Melanie....yep I have them all. The hardest one to use for me (just can't get inspired) is the Basket Buddies. I'd love to see how you use them. Maybe that would be a jump start for me. Thanks!

Joyce was not the only one who requested a mash up with the new set and the Basket Buddies!
 So, here is a card I shared at the party with two cutie patootie puppies in the bucket...
 AND here they are popping up again in the wheelbarrow! And of course, they play well together in the washtub and the wagon, too! ;)

CSS hop tonight at 9PM CST! Stay Tuned!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Release Party Today and Illustrator Hop!

Hello!! Welcome to a quickie illustrator hop before the Gina K Designs new release party at StampTV later this morning! Each of us illustrators will be giving a sneaky peek of our projects with our new sets!

Here is a card using my new set Beyond Baskets. It coordinates with seven of my previous basket stamp sets for endless combinations (The whole team will be doing an Inspiration Hop with this set on October 1st) and of course more samples from me at the party in a couple hours! Your requests the other day helped make finishing the cards easier, but not in deciding what to show for this first peek, so many choices!  A lot of you seem to already be looking forward to Christmas and asking about flowers, so I decided on this one, using poinsettias from the Holiday Basket set and the Silhouette matching cut files.  How many of you guessed there'd be an old tin galvanized washtub?  I think everything look good in it! And lots of different handle options, really fun!  I stamped in gray for a more subtle look when I colored, but the details really pop in black.  I've done these poinsettias in red so often, it was time to change it up and go little less traditional with my color scheme!  Lots of word choices in this set, too, I used about 5 different stamps here to make this sentiment, but clears make it so easy to line them up!

Can't wait for you to see the full reveal and all the new options at 11 AM!  If you didn't see the topper of holiday you had in mind, well, you certainly will at the party! ;)

Now hop with the rest of our illustrators for peeps from the new sets:

Gina K

Becky Oehlers
 
Beth Silaika  
Melanie Muenchinger (you are here!)
Tami Mayberry
Theresa Momber

Party starts today (Thursday), September 20 at 11:00 am Central Time in the Stamp TV Release Party Forum. Join us for Challenges, Contest Questions, Design Team Samples, Full Stamp Set Reveals and, of course, party chit chat!!! Everything will go "live" at 11:00 am Central in Gina's Store (including new CLEAR stamps and cut files, woo hoo!) so there won't be any long wait to start shopping! Hope to see you there! If you've never been to a release party before or would never miss one, we look forward to chatting and sharing with you!

Thanks for visiting!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Congrats! Some Winners

Well! I had even more fun reading your guesses that requests, hee hee!
I am busy trying to finish up some last minute cards so I will  keep this announcement short and sweet!

Winners of the new Beyond Basket sets are:
  Judy I, St. Louis MO who said...
I think a little red wagon would be cute - of course the wagon could be any color. I have an old wooden bucket that belonged to my grandma that would be cute with flowers (or any of the other toppers). An animal planter of some sort would be cute too.
September 19, 2012 7:25 PM

and 
Sylvia who said...
Melanie, I can see your dilemma. How to choose from all your lovely sets? But, like some that wheelbarrow is calling out to the sunflowers or the pumpkins. Maybe I'm partial right now to the fall. But in the spring time, I want to see those rabbits hop on to the wheelbarrow. Thanks for sharing your creativity and for the chance to win.
September 18, 2012 8:49 PM
Delete

 Delete
Congratulations, ladies!  Thanks everyone for participating, got me back in the bloggy spirit after lots of time off!  ;) Winners please email me in the next 48 hours with your snail address to claim your prize so I can put your stamps in the mail!

Hope to see everyone tomorrow at the release party on StampTV 11 AM CST!!

Hugs! Good night!

Keep 'em Coming! (and Guessing!)

This blog candy giveaway is closed.

Well, I am just all the more pumped up to show you samples with the basket sets and new "Beyond Baskets" set in the months to come after reading your responses! :) They are all so different (your choices), and I love that everyone has a different favorite (and that every set got a vote, woot!)! For that reason, there is no clear majority, but I *did* get seven cards done yesterday, hip hip hurray! Your feedback was what I needed to stop being so wishy washy and finish, so thank you very much! I had a great time, hope you love the cards!

Now, Rosy asked the good question about the toppers: "Wait a minute...Do you mean *just* for the wheelbarrow?"

Well, actually, no! This set has LOTS of other containers, in addition to the wheelbarrow, which you have of course not seen yet but will tomorrow (which is what was making all the mix and match choices for me all the more!) So today, let's see if you can guess what other containers I have in this set! Leave a comment below today with your guesses* for another chance to win the new Beyond Baskets! (and go ahead and leave a comment about what toppers you like best in this post if you have not yet done so, open til tonight, so check back!)

You know what, how about I give away another set, since these are TWO separate questions?! I will announce both winners TONIGHT!


Tomorrow we are having an illustrator hop with our sets at 8 AM CST, so you'll get another sneaky peek before the sets are revealed at the party at 11 AM CST and available for purchase. now I have to figure out which of my samples to show first, ack!!) lol!

Hint #1: THREE more.

Hint #2: not a wicker basket (Spring) not a Longaberger basket (Holiday) not a cauldron! (Create a Cauldron)

Hint #3: and not a vase (buds & vases) nor a mug (Mugs and Kisses) :)

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Um...Help! (and blog candy)

This candy is now closed.

So! You MAY or may NOT have already seen the sneak peek of my new set coming out this Thursday from Gina K Designs! I am *loving* all these new images and have been coloring and cutting up a storm (can't wait to show you the full set), but my only problem for finishing my projects is that I have so many cute options to use from all my past Basket sets with this new set, I can't decide! LOL! It's a very good problem to have! (Yep, it coordinates with ALL my Basket sets, seven , count 'em, 7!! How's that for mix and match?) I have just been switching them around and loving them all (and, of course, snapping photos as I go!) but can't commit to gluing them down!

Want to help me out (and maybe win the new set)?
Tell me which are your favorite toppers from the different basket sets, or which set (sets) you want to see me using most with this new one (we do have some fall and winter holidays coming up!) Oh, yeah, I plan to sneak them all in to samples for the blog and StampTV gallery eventually, but since I only have couple more days til our party...! What do you think? Look at the sets below and leave a comment telling me some faves or requests where you are looking for inspiration! I will choose one winner from the comments below to receive the new Beyond Baskets set!


Winner announced tomorrow night (Wednesday) here on my blog so you have plenty of time to know whether or not you won or want to order your set on Thursday! :)

Thanks in advance! I'm excited to read your responses, it'll be like we're stamping together to get ready for this one! :)!

Monday, September 17, 2012

The People Under the Bridge

Just want to share what's going on in William's world! He started second grade. Here is a pic of him on our front porch before we left. I think he would have also let me take a picture in front of the school like in years past, but since Jonathan is too cool for it, William is, too. He also joined cub scouts again. By default, I am the wolf cub den leader. Heaven help me. Popcorn sales have begun. He is eager to get selling for the pack.
I was very proud of him a few weeks ago, before he even made the decision to return to scouting, he was already thinking of doing "a good turn". You see, he worries a lot about the people he sees panhandling while we are out driving, and prays and asks questions about "the people under the bridge". He often tells me he feels a lot of guilt when he cleans his room, as he picks up the many things he has and that he feels badly about how little they have. "If I could have one wish in life" he said, " it's that all the people who are homeless would be rich."

His concerns for the homeless have been around for a long time, but over the summer our church did a ministry for the homeless down town "Church Under the Bridge" . Children weren't allowed to go because it was a rough area and some of the people there could potentially be dangerous. We had to explain in a way he could understand that some people are there because of their circumstances, but some are ill or have had made choices that have led to them losing their families and homes, but that God loves them all, and we are called to pray for them and help them however we can. We were able to buy and collect a lot of supplies to donate. (They actually did this the Sunday we were out of town for the State meet, but I hear it went really well)
Anyway, to get to what he did! One morning he told me he thought they would like some fruit, granola bars and water, so we went to the store and got some stuff to pack up in gallon Ziplocs bags. The day we headed out we weren't seeing people at many of the usual corners so we prayed, "God, we have four bags, please help us find four people that need these." And shortly after, we did. I'm just so proud of his compassion and acting on his concerns instead of worrying about them or leaving it to someone else to do something about. It was a very hot day and their gratitude for the water and food they could have right then and there was evident. He was shy about handing out the bags through the car window, but he said it made his heart happy. "God bless you, young man!" they would say, and he'd giggle and say, "God bless you" back. "Mama, tonight they're all going to get together and have a feast!" he told us on the way home. (Well, not sure about the "feast", but he was so hopeful their day would be easier and more comfortable.) Thank you for reading! I had to post because it's something I never want to forget, and encourage you if you have a child who asks about the homeless this is very doable safe way to go about helping other than giving money.

I thank God all the time that William cares so much about others and pray he never loses this gift. Whether service is part of his career or just something he chooses to do on the side, I think it will always be a big part of who he is. We named him William after my husband's father, and I'd always read it meant "Conqueror", which to me always had a kind of a dark undertone, but in my Bible Study a few years ago, they gave us a print out of the meanings of all the names in our family and his was "Determined Protector". I love that. William is a warrior for Christ.

I am so behind on posting here because of school, the kids sports and activities, and enormous projects coming out, and quite a bit or re-org round the house, but am very excited about our new Gina K Designs new release and party on September 20th, plus a special hop with the Center Stage Spotlight Alumni team on the 21st! Hope your school year is off to an excellent start, and I hope to get caught up soon! Hugs, miss you!