Gina K. Inspiration Hop Day 1: Triple Play Holiday and Vine & Butterfly

Good morning! The Cast and Crew for Gina K Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop! This blog hop is for  our September Release, just in case you didn't get enough inspiration at last night's party! ;) We hope to inspire you with some eye candy as you hop along.  Enjoy the gorgeous inspiration samples from the team and then comment on each blog for your chance to win an awesome grab bag of GKD goodies! Additionally, I will be giving one of these cards away!  Be sure to let me know in the comments *which* is your favorite! To see who won, please check the Big News Forum at StampTV a few days after the hop.

First up, I have a few samples with my new Triple Play Holiday! It coordinates with the Triple Play Frame, but can do so much more. I am loving all the little bits! 

Who's ready to get started on Christmas cards?  The wreaths, two step images, and and homespun elements in this set make accenting the frame a snap!  Twine!!  Jingle bells!!

I showed this single layer Kraft design at the party. The embroidery combos are truly endless!  Now you can have a homespun stitched look on any card, frame or no,  in any ink pads you choose! I love "no sew"!

 Here is another single layer card. I am so stinkin' excited about this raffia wrap!  The raffia is drawn to look like it is just wrapping around the edges of that layer in the frame, see? here I stamped it in Charcoal Brown and colored it with Spectrum Noir FS1 and GB1 markers. Tracing the underside with a BG3 marker to create a drop shadow adds a lot, but I will show in a video how to create even more dimension on the raffia than I did here, for even more realism, and it's really easy!  Love how the leaves fit in the windows and the smaller two step versions work as accents or a charm (stamped in Tomato Soup ink)  The diamond border is a filler for the open border in Triple Play Fillers, and is a great way to fill in this smaller section. I also added a few stitched to the belly band, to add interest.

And finally I wanted to show one with the leaves again and the dahlia, also fits in the round windows, but no frame this time.  There is a lot of shading in this line art flower, so it's incredibly easy to color.  Begin by stamping the flowers in Dark Chocolate, then the leaves around them in the chocolate and also Grass Green, add the smaller leaves and now you have a vine! I sponged on both inks around the edges. Next, I used a water brush and painted on a bit of Peach Bellini ink to the flower, and a little green and the peach on the leaves.  I'll admit I dropped a huge spot of water (lower left, huge!!) so this was the perfect to time to "just add water" and do some more drops and make it look intentional.  That is the beauty of watercolor: messy, and beautiful, just like life!  So don't throw it away, go with it!  I love how this adds age and romance to the design.  Greeting is from Beth's This &That (our hop tomorrow!)

 If you missed my intro video and single layer cupcake card (mmm, cupcakes!), please be sure to scroll down to the post below. :)  That's all i'm showing now because I have lots of videos already recorded and need to save some surprises! ;)

The next set we are showcasing is Theresa Momber's Vine & Butterfly. I love this rectangular vine stamp!  There are so many ways to configure it on a card, and lots of inky techniques to try. 

Here is a very simple one I did just inking up one piece of the vine by tapping on my ink pads. An easy way to add flourishes on your cards, anywhere you need them.  Sky is sponged with Gina K. Sweet Mango and Dusty Rose. Cardstock is Gina K. Pure Luxury White, Black Onyx and Ocean Mist.  Love the "You've got this"!

I shared this card last night. I inked up the vine image in Jelly Bean Green (and tapped a little of Fresh Asparagus and Grass Green on before stamping to add some different shades) over the stamped Triple Play Frame (this vine fits in there so nicely!) and stamped on the stitched berries from my new Triple Play Holiday set in Blue Denim ink. (I have a wisteria pad but look how nice and purple the Denim ink paints with water!) Next I stamped the butterflies in Black Onyx, cut them out, and water colored them with the Blue Denim ink pad. Finally I popped them up with foam squares and brushed on just a bit of the Wink of Stella glitter pen. Card base is Pure Luxury Wild Wisteria.

Triple Play Holiday

Vine & Butterfly

Ready for more awesome creations? Just click on the links below for more from the Illustrators and Design Team!  Thanks for visiting today!

Allie Gower

• Beth Silaika
• 
  
• Cathy Tidwell
• 
  
• Karen Hightower
• 
  
• Kendra Wietstock
• 
  
• Laurie Schmidlin
• 
  
• Payel Ray
• 
  
• Sean Fetterman
• 
  
• Tricia Traxler

You're Invited! Gina K. Release Party

Here is my newest video, in case you haven't seen it yet!  Check out all the elements in my newest set, Triple Play Holiday, available tonight at 7PM CST!  This single layer card can be made in just a few minutes with this set and Triple Play Frame!  I am so excited to see all the ideas the design team has for this plus our other new stamps sets at the party tonight on StampTV!  Come for inspiration, chat, contests and prizes!  A ton of fun!  Tuesday night 7-8 PM CST!  See you there!

Video: Fun Year Round with A Year of Flowers 2

Here is my latest video. Fun Year Round sold out a few hours after posting (!), but we will get more in stock soon. A Year of Flowers 2 is still in stock.  :)

TIP: Someone made the wonderful suggestion after watching how pretty this design also would be in red and green with the poinsettia from that set for Christmas, so I think I will have to make one like that next time I sit down to craft (and turn it landscape style, just to be different).  I'd also substitute the circle burst for the chunky geometric ones you see, here, since they make me think of sparkles, falling snow, champagne bubbles, etc! Can you picture it?

Description and supply list are on the Youtube page. Please enjoy!  

Hope your weekend is fabulous so far!

Video: Interactive Holiday Basket Card

I forgot to post my Holiday Basket video from last week here on the blog, sorry about that! You probably already saw it through the StampTV broadcast, but just in case! Supplies list and description are on the video page.  I love this harlequin patterned papeer pieced on the basket, looks woven, no? Please enjoy!

How to Stamp Images in a Circle

Hello! I got several comments and emails about how I did my bee card in our hop yesterday. First, thanks for all the wonderful feedback and inquiring. Second, it is easy to do, and this video, one of the first I recorded actually, from over a year ago, shows you how. I used a butterfly from my Stately Flowers 8 set, but this method works with pretty much any stamp, especially with a symmetrical one, like a butterfly or the kit's bee.  So please watch and enjoy!  Basic instructions are: cut your mat or base first. then stamp opposite middles (or corners) on each side and then opposite corners (or middles.)  Fills in very evenly and neatly this way, for a total of 8 images.  An overlap with wings works nicely!  I'm glad I have two examples now so you can see how the doily design works if you are stamping bold stamps, or coloring if you want to use some line art images.  You can create a wreath of flowers in the same way, and if line art petals overlap, it would be absolutely gorgeous to color those intersecting parts in between in a different shade!  I may just have to make another to show you with the line art flower in the Autumn Wishes kit. Please enjoy!

In a few weeks I will be up to almost 100 videos!  (and almost 4000 subscribers) We should celebrate or something! prizes!  let me see what I have...

Also, there was a LOT of interest at the party in a video on taking and editing photos.  I'm not the best, but i have a LOT of experience in this area!  So I know exactly how I can put one together that I think will be very helpful,whether its staging or editing tips. A little knowledge goes a long way! Look for that shortly!

If you have missed any videos, here is a link for every video  (unless it was tagged incorrectly) using my stamps on StampTV!  130 of them, count 'em! Most are mine, but Gina did them for a long time before we started adding my videos to the channel whenever I released a new set. So if there any you have missed, I hope you will check out some from the past.  I try not to repeat techniques*, other than coloring, where I am showing the same basic principle, but show different images and shades. Please enjoy!

*Sometimes I will repeat, if it is just super perfect with a certain stamp set or has a new twist. ;)

Autumn Wishes StampTV Kit: Friends Till the End

Good morning! Today the Cast and Crew for Gina K. Designs is keeping the inspiration flowing for the brand new StampTV Kit, Autumn Wishes. As you hop through the designers' blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each because we will choose a a random comment and that stamper will win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see who won, check the Big News Forum at StampTV a few days after the hop.

Is this not the cutest bee ever? I love creating "mandala" designs with a stamp image, and thought repeatedly stamping the bee to make a little swarm of wings and activity was perfect to go with this "What's the buzz?" greeting!  While not exactly honeycomb shaped, this checked patterned paper in the kit in pale yellows is a perfect backdrop for the bees.

Supplies:
Gina K. Autumn Wishes StampTV Kit
Pina K. Pure Luxury White and Black Onyx cardstock
Gina K. Black Onyx ink pad
Spectrum Noir markers, white gel pen
Gina K. Twisted Twine


Tip: The greeting is stamped on white cardstock, snipped into pieces to fit the design (since this greeting is too long for the middle), and then colored with marker to match the coloring on the images.

 I shared this one at the party. Aren't these little guys adorable?  I love the sheepish looks, perfect for having them check each other out! Some fun accents, too, in this kit you can have critters hold in their mouth, hand, etc, like this leaf, which you know I always like. :)

Supplies:
Gina K. Autumn Wishes StampTV Kit
Gina K. Pure Luxury Ivory, Cranberry Tart, and Honey Mustard cardstock and Autumn Wishes patterned paper (all included in kit!)
Gina K. Black Onyx ink pad
Spectrum Noir markers
scissors, jute

Autumn Wishes

Ready for more awesome creations? Just click on the links below for more from the Design Team!

Allie Gower

• Beth Silaika
• 
  
• Cathy Tidwell
• 
  
• Gina Krupsky
• 
  
• Karen Hightower
• 
  
• Kendra Wietstock
• 
  
• Laurie Schmidlin
• 
  
• Payel Ray
• 
  
• Sean Fetterman
• 
  
• Tricia Traxler

Thank you for visiting! Hope you enjoyed hopping the last two days.

PS Did you know we have a special group that you can join if you are a member of StampTV? It’s called StampTV Addicts! Tricia Traxler has all kinds of good advice and inspiration in there, too!  Join for fun and updates if you love the kits! 

Stamp TV Kit: Autumn Wishes

Good morning! The Cast and Crew for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop! This blog hop is for the brand spanking new StampTV Kit, Autumn Wishes. We hope to inspire you with lots of ideas for the kit the today and tomorrow, and as you hop through the blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a a random comment and that stamper will win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see who won, check the Big News Forum at StampTV a few days after the hop.

In today's video,  I am showing you some reverse masking and sponging techniques and tips with my Inspiration Mosaic set and greetings and images and Autumn Wishes! (Apologies, I said Autumn Blessings in the video, oops, it's WISHES!)  Love these sets together! The mosaic frame stamp is such an easy and elegant way to design interesting layouts for this kit with all its beautiful coordinating cardstock and patterned papers. This two layer card packs a punch!  Inside greeting (which I forgot to point out and demonstrate in the video, sorry, photo below) is from Inspiration Mosaic.

Supplies:

Gina K. Designs StampTV Kit Autumn Wishes, Inspiration Mosaic stamp set

Gina K. Pure Luxury Fresh Asparagus (5 ½” x 8 ½” scored at 4 ¼”), and Ivory (4” x 5 ¼”) cardstock

Gina K. Dark Chocolate, Fresh Asparagus, and Honey Mustard ink pads

Sponge daubers, sticky notes (5 for best results), adhesive, acrylic blocks for stamps

Next, the "splotch" in this kit is very versatile!  Love it for accenting just one thing on your card, or making a tile background as a backdrop for your stamped images, greetings or embellishments like I did here. The patterns on these bold leaves
 are very interesting as well. Not just a silhouette with veins, it's very subtle but creates great texture. I'm all about texture on my cards in the fall!

Supplies:
Gina K. Autumn Wishes StampTV Kit
Gina K. Sweet Corn, Dark Chocolate, Fresh Asparagus, Cranberry Tart and Faded Brick ink pads
Gina K. Pure Luxury Ivory, Dark Chocolate, and Fresh Asparagus cardstock
button, jute

And a simple one I showed at the party! The patterned paper in the StampTV kit is great to stamp on.  A patterned background for a landscape is so interesting and doesn't take any extra time to sponge or color, truly clean and simple but with a pop! Love these silhouettes, they will be very handy.  A torn border of Fresh Asparagus to match the card base creates an easy patch of grass to ground your trees. Since this card is so quick and used so few supplies, I thought it was a good time to add this little wooden embellishment I'd been hoarding, to up the ante to make it extra special. :)

Supplies:
Gina K. Autumn Wishes StampTV Kit
Gina K.  Dark Chocolate ink pads
Gina K. Pure Luxury Fresh Asparagus cardstock
Gina K. wooden button, jute


Fabulous incentives this month with your qualifying orders, too, did you see? Have you shopped yet? (I can't wait to try these cuttable round frames with my scalloped dies!)

StampTV Kit, Autumn Wishes

Ready for more fabulous creations? Just click on the links below for more from the Design Team!  By the way, a few new links this month! We are excited to add two new faces to our team, Payel and Allie! Be sure to give them the awesome GKD welcome that you always do! 

• Allie Gower
• Beth Silaika
• Cathy Tidwell
• Gina Krupsky
• Karen Hightower
• Kendra Wietstock
• Laurie Schmidlin
• Payel Ray
• Sean Fetterman
• Tricia Traxler
• 
  
• Thank you for visiting today! Please come back tomorrow to see more inspiration for all those cute critters in the Friends Till the End portion of the StampTV Kit!
• 
  

PS Did you know we have a special group that you can join if you are a member of StampTV? It’s called StampTV Addicts! Tricia Traxler has all kinds of good advice and inspiration in there, too! Join for fun and updates if you love the kits!