"Hnad-in Hand" goes to...

The winner of the "Hand-in Hand" is :

lilscrappers said...
Wow...how beautiful, your cyber friendship, as well as the gift you created! I have a lovely friend that introduced me to scrapping and stamping IRL that has been diagnosed with lupus...She has been a great support to me battling my own illness that has kept me at home for 3 months now...bringing supplies and stamping here with me and helping look after my kids when I wasn't able, I am inspired to create something, hopefully this beautiful for her :)
January 5, 2009 11:59 AM

Congratulations! Please send me you addy and I will send you the set! :)

Contest details coming up!!

We've Got Pop Tones Paper ...

...from Paper Temptress for the following people:

Kathy Kelsheimer said...
I'm one of those who couldn't seem to follow directions. I got so excited about all of the colors that I forgot to list my favorite. How 'bout the berrylicious (spelling?) They are all great! Thanks for the introduction, Melanie!
January 3, 2009 9:36 PM

Julie.G said...
Great tutorial on your card. My favorite color is the Berrylicious. I love all of the colors tho, very warm feeling.
January 4, 2009 1:40 AM

Teresa H. said...
Wow - the Berrylicious and Hot Fudge colors are going to be stunning together! May have to go check out that website! Thanks for sharing it!
January 4, 2009 7:02 AM

Congrats ladies! Please send me your addys and I will get your info to Patricia right away! You are going to LOVE these assorted packs that will give you a sampling of every Pop Tone Shade!

Thank you everyone for playing, it was fun reading everyone's favorites, definitely some of my faves were yours! :) Remember, Pop Tones are on sale through the month of January, and Patricia just made some price adjustments for 2009, go check it out and pick out a sampler for yourself or your favorite shade, know you want to! More samples and pics using these colors and comparions, plus Copic matches* coming soon!

Next giveaway starts at midnight! Today's giveaway is still open, enter if you have not already here, winner announced tomorrow, that person will be the proud of Scor-Mat and Scor-tape!!

Tempting Sentiments & Paper! (AND a CHALLENGE!)

This giveaway is now closed. Check this post to see if you won! :)

I am thrilled to have Patricia from Paper Temptress involved today, she has generously offered THREE packs of paper, each valued at 19.99, so today we will have three winners, woo hoo!! The Pop Tones 2 cardstock pack is a sampling of all 24 of the Pop Tones colors (you get two of each!) and I'm totally diggin' on the mouthwatering names and shades. Here are some of my faves from this pack! (colors can be purchased individually too!)

I will be back later to show you in a separate post more color comparisons for you to help you get a better feel for these shades, but I will include some for today's sample! (AND, my new Copics arrived today so my Ciao collection is complete! (hip hip hurray!) I would like to do a color match of these with the Paper Temptress shades for you ASAP, I'll let you know when i'm done!)
Berrylicious is a dead ringer for one of my faves, the RETIRED Cool Caribbean!! (no need to hoard your stash anymore!) Snow Cone is a great alternative to the also RETIRED Soft Sky!! How many of you have both matching inks already, LOL!! ;)

The Tangy Orange is such a vivid red-orange. you cna see how much brighter it is than SU!'s rust. I had to throw the Ruby Red in the pic, because the brown of the rust had me thinking it was like ruby, until I put them together.. .nope! so much brighter! love it!

Gumdrop Green is almost a perfect match ot Su!'s retired Wild Wasabi... :) me like!!

Today's sample uses a quote from my "Say it With Flowers" greeting set. When I selected "When words escape, flowers speak", for this set (which I LOVE!!) I honestly was thinking more about those hard to write sympathy/loss cards. But as I wanted to work in some of these colors for today's sample, I realized there are many happy times too that you just can't say enough how much you mean what you're feeling! So I'm using it on a "fun" card for the first time, I love how exuberant it, turned out, says "happy HAPPY!" loud and clear!

All DP is Basic Grey Cupcake, I was able to find three great matches in these prints for my new Pop Tones papers! I also really wanted to use the Basic Grey Cupcake Glazed Brads I love but have been neglecting, so I poked those through a sateen flower and punched two more for flowers using an EK Success punch out of an ivory distressed print in the same Basic Grey pack. I framed up my quote first in a Square Nestabilitie and added the three flowers below with glue dots. Then I alternated scalloped and classic die cut layers of both DP and the Paper Temptress colors: Tangy Orange (love this fiery shade), Snow Cone ( so close to SU!'s retired Soft Sky (if you're having with withdrawal LOL!) and Gum Drop Green. Instead of using a whole 4 1/4" square, I cut it into 4 equal sections and staggered two so I could leave some white showing through (and I can save a little of that beautiful green paper for something else!) :) Gina K Pure Luxury White is my base.

I had some scrap leftovers so I decorated the inside of the card, too, shown here (It is really is such an extra treat for the recipient if you have the time to make the inside a work of heart, too!) but I want to suggest that this could be your simple version for the outside of a card! "forever grateful" is also from the "Say it With Flowers" set, you can cover almost any occasion with the individual words his set includes! This card has SO many more layers than I normally use, but this paper is 65lb, lighter than my colored SU! paper so you really don't feel how much paper you've added, won't add extra postage to my card, which I like! : )

TIP: To get my sentiment just right, I placed the embellishment I knew I wanted on top of my round acrylic block(you've gotta get these!), which was centered on top of my scalloped mat. I added my words above and below, removed the flower and stamped... ta da!! perfect. :) Then I added the inside flower with another gluedot.

This card has inspired today's challenge: create a project that features a sentiment in some way. How would you show it off? It could be fancy or simple, but something that makes "a statement with your statement" LOL! Please upload you project to SCS or PCP with the keyword GKDMB1 (linking it here would be helpful, too if you can!) by Tuesday January 7th, 9 PM CST, I will pick a winning project and the winner will receive a guest designing spot next month and my January release, coming soon (you will LOVE it!!) I would love for you to use one of my stamps if you can, but if not, please play along anyway! (I expect to have hundreds of projects to pick from , you hear?!) ;)

So who will win today's prizes?* Leave a comment here to enter, today I would like you to go through the Gina K Gallery on SCS and or Papercraft Planet(thanks so much for letting me know about all your faves on here, that is very helpful!) , and link a favorite creation you find that uses any of my stamp sets (or one from your very own blog!) so we all can see!! Check back for the winners tomorrow and more fun samples and FREE stuff! EDITED TO ADD: Okay, very few people are following the directions on this so far LOL!! I asked you to link a card using one of MY stamp sets in the comment section, most are not leaving a link or they are linking to a card that uses someone else's set, OR not even Gina K sets! (That's okay if you like it, but that's not the rules! Don't feel bad if you did, I will assume you haven't had your coffee yet;) ) Try this: check out the Pop Tone Colors and tell me which color or colors you like the best in this post!! (either answer will count as an entry, okay?)

After leaving your comment for the paper, here's today's blog hop (still can't believe how many of your favorite designers turned out for this (happy dance!!!)

Carolyn, Donna, Jessica, Lee, Michelle, Theresa, Carolina, Joanne , Jessie, and Gina K!! (check out THAT prize!!wow! My biggie (Copics!!)is coming up soon!!!) :)

*If you don't... guess what? Patricia has the PopTones on sale the entire month of January 25% off! :-O

PS There is another clue in this post for an upcoming sponsor...

PPS How do you like this "au naturale" backdrop for my cards? The way I've chosen to rearrange all my tools in my stamping space, I don't really have room to do my low-tech mock up of a photo tent(2 sheets of 12x12 white!) I'm kinda diggin it, you?

The First Blogaversary Winner!

The winner of day 1 of my blogaversary has been posted, see here, the first day's giveaway is now closed!

But of course, I'd still LOVE to hear about your blessings! I have been overwhelmed reading about all the new babies, but also the struggles with illness you and so many of your family members have faced, it made me count my family's blessings over! Praying for you and your loved one's continued healing, it was another blessing and inspiration to me to read how you all have so many blessings you choose to count in spite of focusing on your hardships!

There is still time to enter today's "And then I said" candy from Kim, be sure to leave a comment here if you haven't already, winner will be announced tomorrow! And speaking of tomorrow come back, I have: a product review, sample, blog hop, MULTIPLE prizes AND a challenge (that anyone could winand you have several days, so please play!) See you on the other side of midnight, just a few hours away!!! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (and blogaversary to me!)

Today's blog candy contest is closed! The winner is:

Amy Johnson said... Happy New Year. I had a huge New Year's Day Party yesterday, so I wasn't able to get on-line till today. I love your frame of your son's name. I think your animal images are my favorite of yours. I just love them. My biggest blessing in 2008 was good health. I was sick for half of 2006 and all of 2007, so to be completely well in 2008 was such a blessing.

Congrats, Amy! Please email me your addy and stamp set pick, I will let Gina and she will ship it to you! :)

Let me be the first to wish you a Happy New Year! Thanks for stopping by my blogaversary celebration and one year anniversary of illustrating for Gina K designs, I hope you'll spread the word about this week long celebration and goodies giveaway (the more the merrier!) and join me every day this week! This year I have been SO blessed, and I'm so happy to be able to share my love of this craft with you every day, and thankful you all keep coming back! YOU put me on the Stampin Top 50 map and I hope to say there and keep moving up in 22009! I have lots of exciting things planned for us and for the blog this year, some you'll hear about this week, can't wait! (Actually been completely distracted the past couple days putting finishing touches on sets coming out later this year you will LOVE, but more about those later!) ;)

My first post I'm sharing a simple project I made for my younger son for Christmas: his very own name frame. (Remember when these were really BIG a few years ago? are people still amkign them as much?) I grabbed several of these frames at the Dollar Spot awhile back and they have been a dream to have on hand whenever I need a quick personalized gift for someone. I dug out my old SU! Headline Alpha* and stamped his name in Brilliant Blue, Summer Sun and Real Red letters(he actually requested orange, green and purple but those colors are nowhere to be found in his train -themed room, so I had to exercise my executive veto power!:) The majority of my releases were animals sets the first half of 2008, and I'm sorry I haven't been playing with them as much the past few months, many of you have asked, so I'll have to do something about that! Many have also asked "when are you releasing more animals?" that's a good question! So many sets, only 12 months in the year!! we'll see...)

Instead of masking in the animals, I strategically placed some of the "skinnier" ones(sorry, hippo!) between the letters where they had room to fit and cut out the hippo to place in front of the name. These pint-sized animals from "Hip Hop Accessories", my 5th release, are the perfect scale for these letter and size frame. Adding a few little balloons (which I placed dot my "i's"and butterflies from my 2nd release "Just So Hoppy" completed this storybook-sweet scene! Everything was colored with Box A Copics (BTW did you hear I'm giving away Copics this week?? ) plus one sketch marker and I made a little shadow underneath all the animals and the letters with Pale Aqua, it really finishes it off. I completed this project in about 30 minutes, they are one of my go-to projects for baby showers or kinds birthdays! :)
Crafty, Decorating $$$-saving TIP(NSR): Now that 2009 is here, all those pricey calendars you've been seeing everywhere are on sale!! I wanted to do a train theme for William's room last year when we transitioned him out of his crib, and I found a "big boy" train calendar with beautifully photographed trains at Border's for only $1 last January! Buy 12 frames in one color or accent colors (these were from IKEA, $2 each) and create groupings with all the pages, your walls will be done in no time! :)

Now! for the prize: My first blogaversary sponsor, has to be, of course, Gina K! Thank you, Gina for being the best boss/mentor/friend I could ask for, your company and this opportunity has been one of the best things that has EVER happened to me! Now! Please leave a comment on this post telling me which has been your one of biggest and best blessings this past year (craft related or other) and you will be entered into a drawing for any stamp set from Gina K Designs valued at 19.95 or less, thanks Gina for donating this prize! (It doesn't have to be one of my sets (but if it is, uhh, don't tell me LOL! (you probably have them all, right??)) Winner will be drawn randomly and announced here on my blog Friday night, January 2nd!

Tomorrow I will be sharing a new sample and a new prize to win! But come back later today, becuase I have another post!! (I know it gets hard to read one long ginormous post!!!)

After leaving your entry, you can find more samples using my sets today from Cindy Lawrence, and Donna Baker, fellow Gina K Senior Design Team Members, and Jessie Rone, Dirty Girl and past guest designer for me! Thanks, ladies!!

*If you don't have a large stamp alphabet, you can print out a perfectly spaced named on your computer! :)

5,4,3,2...

it's almost here!!!!!!!!

Some things to expect here this week:
tons of new projects!
samples from guest designers, get ready to blog hop!
challenges!
A new ongoing contest!
Who's Who "Where are They Now?" guest spots!
Prizes!!! Stamps, Paper, Copics, oh MY!
a generally fabulous time!!!

come as you are, see you in a couple hours! (unlike the last couple eyars, I WILL be waiting up LOL!! (I thnk this is officially my last post of 2008!! the 474th, good grief!! who will be the last person of 2008 to comment??) For those of you who are out partying, have fun tonight, be safe!!!