Inspiration Hop, Day 1: Basket Additions and Strength and Hope

Good morning! Hope you all had as much fun as we did last night at the StampTV new release party and are ready to start hopping again! Today we are showcasing two sets, the first is my new "Basket Additions" set. All these new toppers and greeting options will make our many "basket sets" from Gina K Designs truly year round and ready for almost every occasion. Get ready to get your mix and match on!
This first card is what I peeked yesterday, (this basket is from the "Spring Basket" set), it could be an early Valentine with all these hearts and candy, but also with this "Sending hugs & kisses" greeting and perhaps in different colors would make a terrific anytime "I love you", friendship or even get well card. The layering of the images in the drawing allows you to snip off any parts along the edge you want to take out to modify your design to make ti more appropriate for your recipient (or just not ink up), the teddy or candy box or example. I used half a doily to make it look like it's sitting on a table, Scor-Bug to emboss some holes at the bottom and and Scalloped Edgeabilities border.


Next I took the basket from "Holiday Basket" and added this new topper to turn it into overflowing picnic hamper! I think this image works well for masculine cards as well as showers, anniversaries, etc. Lunch anyone? LOL! I also used this long greeting from the "Holiday Basket" set and inked up just the "May your day be filled with" and now you can add any of the words in the new "Basket Additions" set! Here I added "blessings". Card base is Pure Luxury Cranberry Tart and DP is from the new StampTV Wishing You Joy Kit.
Here I added the Christmas topper to "Spring Basket" for a holiday card. I pieced the tasseled liner and ornaments with more DP from the new kit, and added sparkle to the star and ornament tops with Sakura Glitter pens. Card uses Pure Luxury White, Grass Green, and Lipstick Red.
Finally I wanted to show how much more versatile these images are than they first appear. Putting the liners with the seasonal elements allowed for easier and faster stamping, as well as allowing for more images in the set, but you can also separate the image after stamping to make even the liners interchangeable (or omit the liner). Here I snipped apart the "crafting" addition I'd already colored and paper pieced...

...and then put the quilt with the harvest arrangement, brand new!

Now I can use the crafting piece separately to plop into another basket (stamped on Kraft). I couldn't resist pointing out all the fun papercrafting stuff nestled in between the sewing/knitting supplies and yarn to you! :)Lots more to come with all these new stamps and all their coordinating friends, stay tuned!

The next set for today is Theresa Momber's "Strength and Hope". She really hit it out of the park with this set, not only is it beautiful and extremely useful, Theresa will be donating all her proceeds from Strength and Hope, for the first month of sales, to cancer research. I hope you buy this set, it is one you'll use again and again.

I am sure you will be seeing a lot of gorgeous pink cards today on our hop since in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, and I will for sure be making a few myself this month, but I actually really needed to make a card for a girl and her family who attend our church: 16 year-old Hunter is critically ill and was recently diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease (cancer of the immune system) Although I don't know her personally, the church has been lifting up so many prayers for her (if you could say one, too, that is greatly appreciated.) "Strength and Hope" is exactly what I needed to make something special.


I love that Theresa's set includes images and inspirational sentiments that will provide strength and hope for anyone who is going through trials, no matter what the illness or circumstances may be. There is a different colored cause ribbon dedicated to virtually every disease, which you can find online, I learned this way that Hodgkins Lymphoma's is violet.

I colored the ribbon with BV02 an V17, then added shadows underneath and to the flowers with BV00. Cardstock is Pure Luxury White, Black Onyx, and Wild Heather (embossed with the Scor-Bug). I cut out and popped up one of the flowers for more dimension and and added Stardust Stickles to the centers.


I had to use this terrific quote from Christopher Reeve. "Hope" is outlined with a Sakura Stardust pen. Thanks for all the thought and heart you put in this set, Theresa! It will be a "go to set" for me, for sure!

Thank you for visiting today and please enjoy the rest of the hop. Be sure to leave comments along the way for more chances to win a fabulous Gina K. Designs grab bag filled with a least a dozen individual precut images! A winner will be drawn randomly from all comments so the more you leave, the more likely you are to win, good luck!! We'll be back with more sets and inspiration on Monday!

• Gina K
• Melanie Muenchinger illustrator Basket Additions
• Theresa Momber illustrator Strength and Hope
• Michelle Woerner
• Sharon Harnist
• Suzanne Dean
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher
• Carolina Buchting
• Cathy Tidwell
• Deb Felts
• Donna Baker
• Emily Giovanni
• Giovana Smith
• Janice Whiting
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lee Murphy

Have a great weekend!