Festive Clock

Eek! I am so excited how this clock project turned out!

First color the Festive Frame, as shown in this post. Crop it so there is 1/4" border all around it.

I painted an unfinished wooden panel I got at Hobby Lobby (regularly 99 cents on sale for 30% off) using a foam brush and 2 coats of cranberry colored craft paint (these Plaid paints are 50 cents to a dollar). I adhered the stamped frame with mono multi, this works great on wood, but you could also decoupage it on with Mod Podge, you'll just have extra drying time. Drill a 5/8" hole through the exact center of the plaque, and then assemble your clock kit as shown on the packaging. Here I have it displayed on a bookshelf, propped up with an inexpensive brass display stand (they have these by the checkout at Hobby Lobby also, they are perfect for photographing your cards, too!).

The clock kit ( 3/4" depth for the panel is $5.99 at Hobby Lobby (or 3.63 with their 40% off coupon!)) has a bracket on the back so you can hang it as well, below I have it on the wall. The oval on the frame could be oriented horizontally if you preferred and the clock would be just as easy to read, so consider the space where you want to put it. Fortunately, without numbers you can change your mind at any time (no pun intended!) and turn it if you wish, just reset the hands accordingly!

With these colors and my decor, this is something I could have out year round. I made it for less than 5 dollars, and it would be an attractive and functional home or office gift for family, friends, teachers, etc.

Hope you like this idea, have a great day!

Sneak Peek: Stamp TV Kit Eclectic Summer

So excited about the newest Stamp TV Kit, "Eclectic Summer" from Gina K, which includes a set of images (and a set of greetings!) to satisfy every stamping appetite! For my first project I decided to use this bold seahorse with a Direct to Stamp technique where I used markers to ink up the different areas of the seahorse, I love the style of this image, aren't his different tiny plates and fins sooooo cool? Here I used SU! Night of Navy, Old Olive and Tempting Turquoise.

The Pure Luxury White and new In the Navy cardstocks, and the Basic Grey Lime Rickey DP are all included in the kit!! I love how this pattern looks like iridescent water. I added a piece of torn Turquoise Vellum from Paper Temptress (on sale in June!) over the DP to let more of that cool faceted pattern show through, these colored vellums are a neat way to enhance your patterned papers and still let you see more of the design. I really like how it adds a wavy "water" element to this!

The kit contains an assortment of beautiful red, white and blue brads you will love, but here I added some self adhesive rhinestones for bubbles and sparkle! At first I was on the fence about whether it was too "over the top" to put the ribbon the tail or not, but I just love this striped canvas ribbon so much (it comes in the the kit!) and I'm really glad I did because it adds a touch of sass! I decided to frame it and put it up in our yellow and blue guest bathroom, isn't that fun? The mat in the silver frame is the In the Navy CS again. I just love sea stuff and blue and white in a bathroom, like you're bathing in the ocean! Instant vacation! TIP: When you have a card you're really happy with, frame it! Make it a piece of art, because that's what it is! Make your card the gift! :)

I have a little shopping list of inexpensive home decor items I can stamp with this image, perfect for pulling out when you want to make your house feel like "a summer home!" I'll be sure to share the results here, of course! ;)

For more peeks of the Stamp TV kit, please check these samples from our design team:

Joanne Basile-
Jessica Fick-
Carolyn King
Cindy Lawrence
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Theresa Momber

Gina Krupsky and our "In the Spotlight Designer" Melissa Shultz!

Can't wait to share some more StampTV kit samples at the party, they are totally different and totally fun! One more day til the par-TAY...!! Have a good one!

Sweet treat!

Quickie post, I am stamping up a storm to get ready for a baby shower tonight, but here is a simple cupcake topper I made with "Wee Tees" and a safety pin!
I stamped the polka dot background from Gina's "Bold Flowers" in pink onto my Basic Grey paper (onesie is stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa) and added the little cupcake image from my "A Charmed Life" set (omitting the jump ring part of the image), isn't that fun? (betcha wine isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of onesies LOL!) I inked up just part of "sweetest" from the Wee Tees set to make "sweet" underneath. Ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

I attached the safety pin with a glue dot, and the tied ribbon with a glue dot on top of that. TIP: Use a doublesided DP for these so they look just as pretty from the back as from the front (I figured that out AFTER I made this mock up LOL! it's all good, the 13 new ones I made are!) ;)

This style of cupcake topper coudl be so easily adapted using the "Little Tees" for a girly slumber party or "Just So Sporty" for an after-game celebration! (substitute toothpicks for the pins)

I'll be back from the shower with stamped gifts and decor ideas I used ( think stamped onesies, a centerpiece, framed art, and embellies on the table! I think it's going to be so cute! Can't wait! :)

PS Do you have a shopping list for your Gina K coupon code yet?? Hurry, it expires soon!!

Memories are the Building Blocks of Life

I have found my new favorite item to alter (besides tins, of course!): behold the scrap block!! I've admired these before but was always a little intimidated about getting started and don't see the blocks many places. But shortly after my new "The Best Things in Life" set came, I spied some fence post scraps in DH's workshop and asked him to please cut me some cubes!! :) Score!!

Here you can see the top of the block I stamped and one side: my family. Each side will have a different pic of our family members, plus one surprise! (he he heh!)

Supplies for this project are minimal!

6 sheets DP and coordinating ink, glue, a block (this measures 3.75"), your photos, "The Best Things in Life" set (the only stamps I used for the whole thing!), and some embellishments and or punches (here some silver Hodge Podge, staples,and ghost shapes)

I was able to cover every side of the block with a different pattern from my Basic Grey Wassail pack, and use the leftover scraps for accents or punched photo corners! (I went ahead and ordered this even though it's after Christmas, it has so many beautiful non-holiday prints and these warm, earthy colors and neutral go great with my home decor(and great for masculine cards), so I highly recommend it!) All photos are printed in B&W on Gina K Pure Luxury 80lb I do so much better when I don't use color photographs in my photographs, it really stumps me on choosing colored paperssomeitmes, KWIM? (I love this snuggled pic of my boys!) I stamped my sentiments in Cranberry Crisp ink onto one of the distressed solid papers in the pack, too, and framed it up in the Hodge Podge. Silver Brads are colored here with my Cardinal Copic.

Here's a pic of Paul and me at our first baby shower. I stamped "memories" from my set over the pic in white craft ink (in the past 7 years since this pic was taken, we've created a lot of great ones!) I love the look of stamping on photos! I stapled through two Heidi Swapp ghost shape hearts at the corners. I carried this silver embellishment theme throughon each side, simpler and more unified-looking.

Now the 4th side of the block I wanted to reflect the person holding it to remind him (or her, I need strokes occasionally too LOL!) what an important part they are of our family!! I was loving the real mirrors on the card I made with Rupa's set, so when I had this idea for the last side, I was going to make another trip to Hobby Lobby to buy a square one, but then looking at the little round ones on my desk, I thought it might be so much cooler to use what I already had and create a mosaic with the round ones!! To capture a pic of this side for you, I placed a photo of Jonathan and me reflecting in it (a print out from Chuck E Cheese, hee hee!) It's like a whole side of shine and embellishments, and looking into it and seeing your face reflected in fragments is so playful and unexpected, I'm glad I didn't make that extra "Hobby Lobby run" after all LOL!

I'm just loving this block! (here it is in our entry way) It's like a shiny, textured TOY that begs me to pick it up and turn it over! (I'll probably find myself doing this every time I enter and exit my house LOL!) I created this in just one morning, the hardest part is trying to choose whihc photos! (and don't make it harder than it has to be, you can always make more!now I want one for every room!! ) This will be our "family block", but I have already gotten busy on a valentine block for DH's office, a block for each of my kids to match their rooms, 9and plans for birthday blocks for friends, relatives, and neighbors, and themed blocks to put out at holidays (a Christmas memory on each side, etc!)

Hope this inspires you to make your own blocks celebrating the best things in (your) life! :)

PS In case you are wondering, I did cover the bottom with DP but nothing yet beyond that. for the person who turns it over to see if there's anything underneath, I'm thinking I need a clever quote or really funny family photo: which gets your vote?(I'm off to look for one!) ;) (no 3D embellishments on this side, though, I want it to sit flat!:)

Haunted Tealight Tutorial

This was frightfully simple to make, "Spooky Silhouettes" indeed! I posted this project during our release party and there was enough interest to create a special tutorial to share with you...

For this project you need:
black CS and ink
vellum (paper, not CS)
Scor-Pal
SU! Tag punch
Fiskars Threading Water Punch
Mono-Multi
tealight candle
scary BOLD stamps! (see link above) :)
Score your 3" x 8 1/2" piece of CS at 2, 4, 6, and 8 inches. Cut off 1/4" of the smallest section at the end.
Punch out a tag from scratch paper and use a bit of adhesive to stick it in the center of each scored section (about 3/8" up, leaving more room at the top for you to punch off the scalloped edge). Insert the CS into your punch with it face up, lining it up with the punched tag and punch. Repeat on each section until you have four windows.
Use the threading water punch across the larger top edge to make a scalloped top (like a castle?) Decorative scissors work too, but the holes from this punch in each scallop add so much more interest and allow light to peep through. Sorry so blurry, but see how there's green showing through on either side of the punch, it shows exactly where to line up your holes, perfect every time!

Stamp the four bold images from "Spooky Silhouettes" onto your vellum paper and trim so that the image will be centered in each window. Make sure you leave them bigger than the window so you have room to adhere them. Check each image behind the window to see how you would like to frame them instead of just centering, they are a little taller than the punch and you may want the top (scarecrow's head) or bottom of the image (fire under the cauldron) to show and not mind the other part being underneath.Stamp the four bold images from "Spooky Silhouettes" onto your vellum paper and trim so that the image will be centered in each window. make sure you leave them bigger than the window so you have room to adhere them. Draw a little strip of Mono-Multi around each window on one side and add your stamped vellum vignettes. This will be the inside.
Now fold all scored lines and attach the end strip to the other side with more Mono-Multi or Scor-Tape. I love how unlit the vellum looks just like frosted glass.

Add your tealight inside and carefully light. Isn't that crazy how much it looks like the sun's rising or setting behind those fabulous images? Spoooooooooooooooky!!! Crawl under covers and eat candy corn while you tell ghost stories and watch the light flicker and dance! (Don't be afraid, they're only stamps) :)

How'd you like this Scor-Pal project?? Today is the last day to enter a comment for chance to win a Scor-Pal WITH a Scor-Mat, please leave a comment here. Enter TWICE today if you can also provide an order number from our latest Gina K Designs release you placed any time since Friday night! :) Be sure to check back tomorrow for the winner and a new Scor-Pal project, this time a card using Just So Sporty!

IMPORTANT: Never leave a burning candle unattended and supervise children with this project!!!