Day 1 Inspiration Hop: Puppies Galore, For the Grad and More

Good morning! Welcome to our April release hop!  Today we are showcasing my Puppies Galore set, For the Grad from Beth Silaika, and other wonderful new goodies!  We hope you are inspired as you hop through our team's links today, we've worked super hard to share our ideas and creations with you! Please leave comments with your feedback for chances to win a $50 gift certificate to Gina K. designs!  It is not required to comment on every blog, but the more you do, the more chances you have to win!  Winner will be announced on Gina 's blog April 19th.

So I got requests from all over for a DOG stamp after Open Book came out, and honestly my first thought was, "Huh? I get it they like dogs but dogs don't really sleep on open books, it's kind of a cat thing..."*, but I looove a challenge, and honoring your requests as our schedule allows! Thanks all of you asked because I love the result so much! SO. MUCH.

This companion to Open Book is also an amazing stand alone set. One dog image just wouldn't do. While there are different breeds of cats, a single cat image can be pretty representative of *most* people's furry felines.  Not so much with dogs, they all look REALLY different!  I just had to come up with lots of different ears to change up not only their look, but their personality and mood. You'd be amazed how different the same ears can look when they are down, up, or both UP AND DOWN! That's a lot of exclamation points for one paragraph, but I AM EXCITED! ARE YOU?

I love how expressive dogs' eyes are, and how they use them to reflect pure joy or adorable begging/guilt.  You can capture any emotion you need with these puppies.
Who wouldn't forgive your belated card with this face? Nobody!

 

 I don't color the images I illustrate until the stamps arrive, and I gotta say I am really enjoying how leaving a lot of white space on these dogs (nose, tummy, paws, etc) makes your coloring more realistic looking and gives the dog more personality and individuality. Less to color, woo hoo!

Here is my walk thru video last night with tips for stamping the elements, including a very *minimal* coloring sample you'll love and explanation of the interactive puppy book mark shown below. 

(I over/understamped a few things, because I was super hurried to get to the facebook live, I didn't do these screw ups any other time with this set than when I was filming. Of course! Mea culpa)

Peek...

 I love those shaggy spaniel ears!

 Here, I'll save your place for you...

 Don't you just want to go make about a hundred different dog bookmarks now to stick in all your books? Whether you're in the middle of one or not. Just for company.

 (The Princess Bride is a good book. William Goldman is so funny. More detail than in the movie (which is one of my favorite movies) Although Robin Wright's Buttercup is much improved, imho. Buttercup in the book is kind of a ninny from what I remember) 

Both heads work on the dog that is sitting up. Heads can be tilted at an angle. As I demonstrate in the video, best way is to first stamp body (so the feet are straight and grounded with the edge of your mat), then add head (choose your angle!), then add ears, THEN add accessories. Coordinating ears are near each other, but a few can be mixed to look like the same ears but one up and one down. Add accessories last. The accessories in here are TO DIE FOR.  On this masculine yappy birthday card, I paper pieced the bow and hat with a plaid patterned paper.  Doesn't he look smart and ready to PARTY? Base is GKD Honey Mustard.

The samples I've shared so far are to represent  different coloring options or breeds, but I'll end with a card I made to look like someone's *actual* puppy, my bestie Carolyn's toy poodle Brett! Furball dogs get their own head topper and ears. :)  He really is this big next to a book.

Cardstock is GKD White and Sea Glass.

The stippling coloring is easy to do and makes it oh so curly, and of course you'll be getting a video for that, too. Referencing her photo, I drew on his shirt from before coloring his body. You'll have endless fun recreating your friends' dogs (with no shortage of inspiration, because you know people post more pics of their dogs on social media than pretty food or their kids!)

BRETT, the Wonderpoodle
(has his own Instagram. Natch)

(This is more than I usually show on the first day, but how could I possibly choose?  Pick a favorite among puppies? As if...)

Next up, we have Beth's For the Grad set!  Really useful not just for the graduation elements (when really nothing else will do because you NEED a grad card! Accept no substitutes!) but also for the dates, banner and circle frame elements AND all the encouraging greetings you can use year-round! The sky is the limit!


 Next year I will have a TON to make because JONATHAN and his friends will be graduating high school, ack! (He was in kindergarten when I illustrated my first set!) But here's one early, I'm ready! GKD Blue Denim and Soft Stone and Stormy Sky for our team's royal blue and gray, GO KNIGHTS!

I also had to throw the cap on a doggy's head from Puppies Galore because my younger son Will is promoting from 8th grade (high school next fall! ohemgee)  His school has a dog mascot, so this was perfect! (Their color is purple, too, hence the Wild Lilac collar and cardstock)

 You could also put the diploma in the puppy's mouth or under his paw! The numbers are easy to line up, and I really appreciated the "20" being a single image as I will be making NO cards in 2100 and beyond, that saves me *loads* of time! (especially with 2020 next year, see above!!) You can use these year numbers with my mini calendar in Stately Flowers 12 as well.

Here is one where I used her circle frame to highlight the greeting from the new Heart Mini Stamp set, along with the heart outlines in the set and a sprinkle of dots from For the Grad for confetti, using several bright Gina K. ink cubes.  Such a festive addition on any card!  I sponged in some GKD Red Velvet after masking the circle frame and added a little GKD Crystalline Drops on a heart in the middle. Cardstock is GKD White and Sea Glass.


Now let's go see the rest of the team creations! Thanks in advance for your comments today, tell me your favorites! (Or, tell me about your dog, you know you want to...)  
Shop new products here. 

Gina K.

Melanie Muenchinger - Puppies Galore-you are here!

Beth Silaika - For The Grad

Cat Tidwell

Donna Idlet

Emily Loggans

Hannah Schroepfer

Karen Hightower 

Lisa Hetrick

Mindy Eggen

Rema DeLeeuw

Sheri Gilson

Susie Moore

* Actual quote from Carolyn, while discussing my dilemma and agreeing with me: "No, dogs don't sleep on books, because they are smarter than cats. Dogs sleep in their beds" (Texts a photo of Brett in his bed)