My Unplanned e-cation

Yoo hoo! hello! Thought I'd better come check in since I hadn't blogged in a week, God bless Susan White for checking in on me and making sure my family and I hadn't fallen off the face of the earth! :) I hope you are enjoying a great summer with your families, it is really flying by, our days have been packed with swimming, sleepovers, movies, skateboarding (a new passion in the Muenchinger household, more on that in a bit!) and Vacation Bible School! William's class (holding their "Gospel" spiders) is pictured above, sorry for the fuzzy photo I took it with my phone. Can you find William?Here is a pic of a few quick cards I made for my sons' teachers, these "Little Tees" cards measure 5 1/2" x 7 1/2" to give all the student room to sign. I made them to match the tie dye shirts each of their classes wear for school events and class field trips. The tie dye on the left is made by first stamping the shirt outline in black, and scribbling rows of orange and purple with Memento markers onto the BOLD shirt stamp and misting with water before stamping over the outline, it turned out JUST like their tie dye! "U ROCK" is from the same set. The shirt on the right with round tie die pattern was done by inking up the doily from "Nana's Needlework" with yellow and purple Memento markers in circles and then misting. If you don't have the doily stamp, you coudl also just draw circles on the bold tshirt stamp with the markers and mist, whch will create a more "bleeding" effect like on the orange and purple shirt. Don't forget to have a nice day with the "Little Tees" smiley face! The sentiment "TEACHER" on each is from my coordinating "Tee Talk" set. Mats are Pure Luxury Sweet Mango, Wild Lilac, and Lemon Drop.

Sorry I couldn't have posted these cards sooner to provide you some inspiration for your own teacher thank yous, I made them in pinch before the last day of school, nothing like the last minute! But I did enjoy having some time to stamp with my Little Tees" it had been awhile! :)

More photos, stories, tutorials and tips coming soon, I promise! HUGS! I miss you!

Crafts 'n Things Newsletter and something special!

I am excited to tell you about a Breast Cancer project I have in the newest edition of the Crafts 'n Thing newsletter since Breast Cancer Awareness month is around the corner, using a couple of my favorite sets "The Best Things in Life" and "Little Tees"! Be sure to sign up here, it's free and the newsletter is emailed directly to you with lots of crafting projects and tips! Click to see what's in this little tin, because the real fun's inside! (If you can't view that link, you may just need to sign up first.) This will be soem very happy mail in your inbox! As you'd expect, this issue is full of fall and holiday gift and home decor projects, for Halloween and Thanksgiving, some like nothing I've seen before! Definitely on my list of "to make"!

Also, another project of mine that was featured in the current issue of Craft n Things (above) I donated as part of the ginormous blog candy Carolyn King is offering for the Heart to Heart Card Drive, which includes tons of free supplies from sponsors and handmade creations from a multitude of stampers you know, so be sure to look for all the details of that on her blog tomorrow!

New Gina K Designs sneak peeks start tomorrow night, can't wait!

Doilies and Tie Dye??

Do you look at a doily and see tie dye?? I have been meaning to use Nina's beautiful doily from "Nana's Needlework" for awhile now but I thought for a minute about what I could try with it that might be new to you... crossing my eyes while I stared at the stamp it got a little blurry and I had a bit of a "aha!' moment! ;) Time to pull out one of my favorite stamps (from "Little Tees") and do a bit of direct to stamp and misting for a totally groovy shirt, baby!


Choose a few different colored markers, here I grabbed several cool tones. Now loosely trace the rings making circles with each marker, putting different colors in between. Hopefully you can see I did not pick up ALL the detail of the stamp, these skips and wonky shaped rings instead of perfect circles will help with the tie dye feel in the finished image.

Now spritz on some water, these Mini Misters are perfect to keep at your desk when you are wanting a watercolor or blended look. Then stamp onto Pure Luxury White (let the paper dry a moment or heat set if you got it TOO wet) and stamp your T-shirt in black over the middle of the design. (yikes, that tee is one well-loved stamp, sorry!! I really DO clean them sometimes!)

ta DA!!!

I will be back to add a finished card using this tee, have just been so busy (and busy cutting new stamps in the house!) but I was really eager to share a funky style with this country/vintage quilting/sewing set, love the look and versatility! :)

Feel like trying some tie dye? Add your project to the Mr. Linky, then link up this post on your blog on your own blog or online gallery so people will know about the challenge. Just create some tie dye in your card, you do not HAVE to use the t-shirts or the doily stamps to play, just get creative with how you can adapt this technique to what you have or replicate the tie dye look in some way. I will announce a winner next week, that person will get some goodies from me! :)

Have fun!

Fun at the Beach

My son Jonathan has a swim met today (wish him luck!) so I thought I'd share a swim card. The volleyball and goggles are from "Sporty Accessories" and sunglasses, covered in Crystal Lacquer, are from "Little Tees". Greeting is from "Lazy Days of Summer" (BTW, so far our summer has just been HOT (106!!) and anything but lazy, I feel like a professional chauffeur carting the kids around to all their activities and practices!!) The beach towels are Basic Grey Lime Rickey DP. Base is Rocket Red and the ruched Khaki Crepe CS is from Paper Temptress, it has some really fun ripples that looked carved into the shore by the wind and water.

TIP: Paper piece the space inside the goggle straps if you are placing it over a patterned paper, this is easier than trying to cut out those tiny areas!

Don't forget to scroll down and read my tip sheet for my new set if you have not yet done! I'm so excited for all of your "Arranged with Love" orders start arriving next week and see what you've made when your projects hit the galleries! :)

Cheer Up, Girlfriend!

Here's a card I made for a special friend who needs a boost using "Sporty Accessories"! (is that "pep talk" coming in loud enough for you? LOL!) Base is Gina K Pure Luxury Black Onyx, images are stamped in Memento Black on Gina K Pure Luxury Layering Weight White, and background is Pink Passion. Everything is colored with Copics, and several are popped up. Hanger is from "Little Tees" . Try my sketch here if you like, it was fun to puzzle together!

TIP: See how easy it is to modify the long sleeved uniform into a summery outfit with the short sleeves? Any other guesses what you could use the cheer outfit for with the other accessories in this set? Leave your comment here! :)

Have a cheerful day!

Three Faces of Baby

Here's a little "progressive" card I made using "Wee Tees" and the paper piecing technique.

This inside says "Spit happens!" Fun for showing new parents what's in store, reminding second time parents about those crazy baby days, or just aha ha anytime card. I am loving the Basic Grey Offbeat papers, what great colors! Angel onesie is pieced from Paper Temptress White Diamond (for shimmering angelic look! halo is outlined with Lionet Gold Copic), "Stinker" in Kraft paper, and "devil" in Real Red. Base is the new Gina K Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss. The little arrow is from "Little Tees" .

Happy Monday! This week I've got two guest design prjects you'll love, a few GK "sightings" I just have to share, a sweet treat party idea with "Wee Tees" and some blog candy, mmm mmm!

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

I have a few friends who are due in a few weeks/months so I thought I'd make them cards using my new "Wee Tees" to show them have cute they are in their white tees complete with baby bumps! We called our boys"peanut" after we saw their ultrasound pics, even after because of the way they looked bundled up when sleeping. The arrow pointing to the "precious cargo" and the t-shirt are both from "Little Tees". Shade with a light gray marker to give it a nice round belly. :)

I used some Basic Grey Offbeat DP and DCWV Spring Stack paper for contrast and a layer of Creamy Caramel to match the little peanut. TIP: I pierced two rows of holes (there are severall "double tracks in the Scor-Pal perfect for this so you don't have to move the paper) along the top and bottom with my Scor-pal and Scor-Bug and flipped it over so I have rows of bumps (outies!) instead of holes ( innies)! Base is the new Gina K Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss. "Wee Tees" also includes a set of numbers and "weeks" and "months" so you could stamp something on the inside like how many weeks they are along or how many weeks they have left to go! Those countdowns are a BIG DEAL LOL!;)

Have a great day! Off to play with my peanuts! (even at 6 and 4, they will always be...!)

PS Check out this fantastic sample and sketch from Jen Del Muro, she worked it inot this week's "Sketch For You to Try"!

It's Here! Wee Tees Tip Sheet

That party last night ROCKED!!! :)

Finally the BABY version of one of your favorite Gina K sets "Little Tees" is here! I had so much fun creating "Wee Tees" (now available for purchase!) with my little ones' favorite things and it brought back sweet memories of our nicknames for them (they were both "little peanut"s) This month you have 67 greetings and images to work with (I didn't think I'd ever be able to make one with more than "Just So Sporty" LOL!) Enjoy throwing a onesie and all these new sentiments and images into the mix as you match up new cutesy sweats or make sporty baby clothes! Above I made a "studly" card with the onesie on Black Suede paper with "Born to Ride" from my "Tee Talk" set. Notice the metal dots on the snaps and cuffs? I put the big heart behind it like a tattoo...(stopped just short of a set of wings) ;) Wouldn't this be fun to give to a proud new dad (or mom!) with the inside reading "My Daddy rocks!" " ?

Trimming tips, make straight cuts around the numbers so you have little square or rectangle stamps for sticking on on your acrylic block. Trim the words that are under the images with one straight cut between so you can use them separately or line them back up and stamp together at once! Or just keep them together for easy stamping!

Stamped together they will fit in the SU! Tag punch, adorable way to quickly dress up a little gift!

Try out the cutesy images from Wee "Tees" on a "Little Tees" shirt or sweatshirt from "Just So Sporty", for a fun old school vintage style comic tee. Add the "Tee Talk" or "Just So Sporty"Sport words to the onesie for a budding sports hero! (Born to Run, Football Star, etc)

The onesie is perfect for paper piecing! Try two different prints so the inside is lined with a coordinating pattern like those upscale ones you see.

Draw a line through the middle and color or piece the bottom differently for a two piece outfit!

Cut off the sleeves to make a little strappy baby swimsuit (to go with those swim stamps from Sporty and Tee talk!) It'll be adorable on those beach and swim lessons pages for the summer!

Not just for pastels, make onesies with attitude! Think bold prints, distressed papers, fabulous colors!

Try the "Little Tees" images on the onesies, like the lightening bolt with "Super Baby" or smiley face with the shades...

Use the "I heart" from "Little Tees" with Mommy or one of the Wee tees images teddy bear, dinosaur, or any of your favorite images!

Punch the images out with a circle to look like an iron on for your colored, plain, or paper-pieced onesie.

The onesie will fit on the "Little Tees" hanger.

Draw a straight line across the bottom of the onesie just above the leg holes to make a shirt that is perfect for little boys and girl, this set will take them through several years of life!

Use the tiara and DIVA on the onesie from Little Tees or crown and little princess or prince from "Hip Hop Accessories". There is also a pacifier, rattle, party hat and safety pin in this set, perfectly sized!

You are going to love "THE BLOCK"! Stamp the numbers you need on the two front sides for your onesie or scrapbook page tags to say "I am 13 days old", "15 months old", "14 lbs", "6 lb 9 oz" etc!

Write in your baby's initial to the block sides for a monogrammed shirt. Stamp them if you have a mini but hand-drawn works so well with this set! :)

The tiny images are perfect stamped on the onesie, little tags, or to stamp quick monochromatic baby DP(think pink, blue or celery) or in black and colored in with just a few primaries!

Create a patterned DP to match your focal point using the images and words.

Make fun toy borders ( see Theresa's sample) or mask them into pile them into a corner to look like a kids closet)

Create a little bib with punches and Nestabilities you can stamp the sentiments onto for an adorable layered look!

Lots of fun images for the BOYS in this set: a doodle bug, peanut, digger, car, dino, train, space ship and piggy bank. They work for girls too of course! :)

Use the little "whoosh" stamp from "Jumping for Joy" or draw your own underneath the spaceship or behind the vehicles for some extra "go-go!"

Make a card for a new mom or parents with a two onsies on it little devil and little angel to let them know what they're in for! Fun for twins! ;)

Make a "progressive" card or page with the different sets to represent your child at different ages. A fun birthday card would show the onesie, then a tee to represent them as a child, and finally a sweatshirt with their favorite sport to represent them at present time as a tween or teen!

"Spit happens" can be a fun any time card or pick me up, just because it's cute!

Stamping on your photos:

Try taking a pic of your baby laying down wearing a plain onesie. Stamp the images onto the onesie in the photo for a fun addition to a card, announcement, or page!

Take a pic of your child with their arms outstretched or hands on hips. Print and cut out then make little shirts to go on him or her you can attache with magnets, a personal paper doll or magnet set for the fridge(I'm still working on ours , will share soon!)

Stamp the little halo in white StazOn over your little angel's head, beautiful on a sleeping pic!

The onesie is the perfect size to accent that beautiful phoot of a baby in frame or scrapbook page.

Create precious altered boxes or tins with the onesie for a little box to hold a hospital bracelet look of hair, etc!

add the animals from our other Gina K sets, click here to see the options!

Use the "party at my crib", "bring your own bottle" for invites. "Jumping for Joy" has time date, RSVP etc stamps perfect to finish out the invitation!

Add "bug" to "lady" and "doodle".

Add "baby" to "super" and "fly"

"Little" can be trimmed to go with Stinker, Devil , Angel, brother, or sister.

Cut out or use the fancy corner punch to create little wings to put on the back of the onesie to use with "Little Angel".

"I'm here!

super!

out of this world!

dino-mite!"

Gina's "How Sweet it Is" has several coordinating longer phrases in the same font for the inside or soutside of your card! and even a STORK, how perfect is that?!

Use Carolyn's Nurse Feelgood with the onesie to thank the hospital nurse or on announcement to share the news of a special delivery! :)

Send a family member a card from your baby with the onesie on it letting them know that "My Grandma/Grandpa etc rocks!" Looking for more relations stamps? cousin aunt uncle are in "Hip hop Accessories" and the fonts blend beautifully!

projects:

baby showers-try the onesie as cute cupcake toppers, tags for party favors etc

stamped onesies (real ones I mean!) of course!
birthday invites or announcements

calendars showing important dates , weigh ins, etc

scrapbook pages

So much more you can do with this set, I look forward to sharing more soon! :)

Sneak Peek: Wee Tees and Guiding Light

The giveaway for Wee Tees is closed. The winner of the "Wee Tees" set is:

Michelle said...
I love the superbaby! My fave of the sneaks I've seen are the peanut (because mine is sleeping beside me) and My mommy rocks (because I do, of course). I would love to see a monkey face. The onesie is adorable!

Congrats Michelle! Please email me by Saturday, 4/25 with your mailing address so I can send you the stamps! :)

I am so excited about this latest tee set,"Wee Tees": for babies and beyond! We've been waiting to release this one because spring just feels like babies (and a good thing, because I have some showers now to stamp for! LOL!) and if you're a fan of any of the "Little Tees", "Just So Sporty" and/or "Tee Talk" , these must-have stamps open a whole new set of mix and matchy possibilities! (possibilitees!)
Here's a more traditional one: "baby" images, colors and sentiments! Cut 4 2" squares from coordinating DP, this uses Basic Gray and DCWV and adhere to a 4.25" square Gina K Pure Luxury White Base. Punch scalloped corners from DP for the corners and add some matching buttons. The onesie is paper pieced (if you love paper piecing you will love this set!) and I used a marker in s lightly darker shade to color in the neck and leg holes to give it dimension. Hanger is from "Little Tees." You can see here how nicely a little image and greeting from the set will fit on a small tag, too, not just the onesie, here I used SU!'s large and small tag punches. I added an eyelet with my Cropodile and a little piece of tied hemp attached with a glue dot above the hanger. I also used the new Scor-Bug tool with my Scor-Pal to pierce holes around the border like a quilt, love how quickly and easily you can add that detail!

Now this card uses less traditional images and colors on the onesie (but every parent thinks their baby is SUPER, right?!) Here I sketched a really simple cape on the sides of the onesie image to match the tiny one (you can do this!), colored it with Copics, love that pop of red on the sleeves and ribbing! Then I made it into a "tilt card" so it wobbles back and forth, see below...

Constantly on the go, just like baby!! ;)

This next project showcases Rupa's new "Guiding Light", the perfect nautical set, just in time for Father's Day! I love this rope image you can use to make frames, I stamped it in Not Quite Navy on the Brocade Blue and layered the navy CS underneath. I made two nested cut outs through the layers to frame the light house image, which I cut out to make dimensional.

I love to do this technique of creating a beam light, simply place a long triangular strip of paper down where you want the ray, sponge around it and remove! Here it spotlights "Dad" :) last I added the wheel with a little brad in the center and put it all on this shimmery Cappuccino Metallic CS base from Paper Temptress. probably one of my favorite masculine cards ever!

For more peeks of today's sneak preview sets, please see the rest of our Gina K Designs Team's blogs:

Asela Hopkins, Carolyn King, Cindy Lawrence, Donna Baker, Emily Giovanni, Erika Martin, Gina Krupsky, Jessica Fick, Joanne Basile, Kurtis Amundson, Theresa Momber

my two guest designers:

Laura Jean Nygaard and Libby Hickson

plus our "In the Spotlight" Designer Beverly Cole!

More sneak peeks tomorrow, and release party, Thursday! can't wait! Would you like to win "Wee Tees"? Please visit all the sneak peeks and let me know which "Wee Tees" images you are most excited about or hoping to find in the reveal, it's my biggest set ever! One comment will win a copy of the set, I will announce the winner before the party Thursday! Have a great day, enjoy blog hopping! :)

Potluck Friday: Paper Piecing!

So everyone is super excited about paper piecing after Joanne's fabby tutorial this week on STV, so why not make it the Potluck Challenge this Friday? You have all have TONS of paper, I know!
Create a card any patterned paper on your stamped image, see the tutorial here if you have no clue what paper piecing is, it's easy and is sure to become one of your favorite techniques!

Here is my example of paper piecing, I pieced the T-shirt from my "Little Tees" from Basic Grey Cupcake, then stamped my smiley face from the same set on white AND black CS. After cutting out the white face, I trimmed just above the eyes on the black face to make the top of the "Mouse ears" hat so it would be a perfect fit, and glued that to the face. (So I guess that's an example of how you can piece something just partially LOL!) Ears were made with Black CS and the 1/2" circle punch. "Classic" is from my Tee Talk set, I thought that was appropriate for a iconic mouse ears, just makes you feel like a kid again, doesn't it?

TIP: when you paper piece, a great way to add dimension is to create shadow onto the patterned paper with a marker or pencil that's just a shade or two darker than the color of the paper, see how I outlined the shirt and drew in some wrinkles? (click the pic for a closeup) I made this for my son William, he is just the smiliest guy I know (hence the happy button treatment I gave it with a doodle half circle under each pair of holes!)

So back to the challenge! We ask that you make and upload a brand new card for this challenge and if you use Gina K. Designs stamps, you get your name in the pot twice! (Although I used acetate on this card, that is NOT part of or required in this challenge, just making sure you know!) :)

Post your cards using key/tag word- STVPF8 in the StampTV gallery. You have until next Thursday, night, 4/16 at 8:00 PM CST to upload your challenge cards. Next Friday 4/17, I will announce the randomly chosen winner from all who played along and that winner will receive a stamp set of their choice valued at $24.95 or less!

Have fun and thanks so much for playing! Have a great weekend!

Let's do Girls Night!

Here's a card I put together for a friend whom I try to get together with once a month, but with families, activities etc it too often becomes every two or three! I am determined now that I have this "A Charmed Life" set to make more cards to remind my friends (and ME!) it's been too long since we last went out LOL! (our "playdates" are usually pretty casual and low key, and don't involve wine, just dinner and a movie or play, hence the "tees"!) :) The "I heart" is from "Little Tees" also, but the greetings are from "A Charmed Life". Pink tee is pieced from Basic Grey Bittersweet, and I bedazzled the other with some self adhesive rhinestones (and trimmed the 3/4 sleeves of the ringer to make it look like little more flirty) I cut the black CS with my scalloped scissors and then stamped a little charm off each scallop. I made a little shadow around each and covered them with with Sakura Glaze. Base is Mountain Rose Glimmer from Paper Temptress and the ribbon is SU! Tafetta.

Potluck Friday Challenge

I'm hosting Potluck Friday over at Stamp TV this week, and I enjoyed Sharri's challenge last week of incorporating something from the kitchen on the card so much, it got me thinking this week we should incorporate stamping with something that's not a stamp! (it need not be from the kitchen, although mine is) What do I mean? Find something with a cool texture or shape that you can ink...then stamp it on your paper! :) Some example are leaves, a rubber eraser, cork, sole of a shoe, etc and then see how these shapes and textures will compliment your Gina K Designs or other favorite rubber stamp images...
Here I tried to recreate those cool "cup splatter" stamps I've seen before which look so great on collage style cards or similar, using a real wine glass to compliment the wine glass image! I rolled the bottom of wine glass base onto my Cranberry Crisp ink pad, then spritzed it with a little water to blur it and stamped it onto some natural antique parchment paper from Paper Temptress. I love how it looks like a used placemat now, LOL! I painted in the wine with ink from the pad and my Niji waterbrush. I added a teensy bit of shading with a warm grey Copic and painted on a little white from my craft pad to the glass.

I hadn't had a chance to ink up this quote yet from "A Charmed Life", it really reminds of the days BK (Before Kids) when I would show up at my neighbor friend's place after work to moan about "my 8-5" over a glass of vino, there's just something about "whining" to your BFF over some wine! To go along with my little 'tude (that's "attitude" for short! snort!), I used "DIVA" and my tiara stamps (don't forget the rhinestone bling!), both from my "Little Tees" for my charm, LOVE how well these go with the quote LOL! Think thi would be a really fun "having one of those days??" kind of card! :) I ran my black marker along the edge of the mat and adhered it to my Gina K Pure Luxury White Base.

Hope you'll try this challenge, upload your creations to Stamp TV with the tag STVPF5, can't wait to see what you dig up! (Who knows, it just might become your favorite new stamp!) ;) For ore details on the Potluck Friday Challenge, click here!

"And then I said...

...I'd rather be eating chocolate!" (That always makes ME feel better!) Here is my newest creation with BCDzyns "And Then I Said" and two of my own stamp sets: "Say it with Flowers" and "Little Tees" (you can swap out "Just So Sporty" or "Tee Talk" for her jammies top here though with the word you like best!)
For awhile I'd been thinking this image leaning forward kind of looked like she needed to be lounging in some fabulous bed, so after coloring and cutting her out, I placed her on a piece of this Black Market Lucky 'n Love DP to create my sheet and pillow, and sketched a very simple silhouette as if she's half laying on her side, propped up ( nice and "hippy"! LOL!) and a few lines to the left to look like a pillow. Once you're happy with the shape, adhere to the DP and cut this out. (If you look up at the finished card, I trimmed a little more off than I originally drew under her arm, just keep playing with the shape til you get it the way you want. ) I placed another piece of paper from this pack below her to look like the fitted sheet on the mattress and adhered all that to my Pure Luxury 80 lb CS. Another Black Market print, Taken with Teal Base and sateen flower colored with an aqua Copic and rhinestone brad complete the card! (You'll also the in the finished card I added some shadows with a gray copic to the DP under her body and arm, and a nice little "dent" from her head in the pillow) :)

Thought this would make a perfect "get well" or "cheer up" card, or even a (ahem!) "come hither" card for Valentine's day! I'll be back with that one later, (but don't worry, this blog will still be rated "G") ;) I may take some step by step pics of it to show how I color her with the Copics :) Hope you enjoyed this, have a great day!

TIP: If using a pen, err on the side of "bigger" than you want the first time when sketching your shape, you can always come back in smaller with your line. If using a pencil, once you are pleased with the outline, go back over it in a black pen, so you have an outline to match the stamp.

PS ONE more day to enter the Paper Temptress give away! Don't forget to scroll down and check it ut if you have not yet already!

Where are They Now? Jessie Rone

Today's fabulous sample is from my "Dirty Girl" friend, Jessie! I was lucky enought to meet here this summer a few motnhs after she started checking out my blog and entering my contests (at the time she wasn't on any teams at the time, an you believe?!), I am just so awe in her stuff, and so proud of all the she has accomplished this past eyar, when you scroll down you'll just be amazed at what she's been up to the past several months!


She combined two of my sets today: "Hip Hop Accessories" and "Little Tees", is that not the cutest to put a little kangaroo on a prego shirt with "baby on board"??(this greeting is also from the Little Tees set) I love it!! DP is Basic Grey Sugared. I posed the same questions to her today that I started asking all my guest designers after her term, here's some stuff you need to know!;)


favorite:
Technique:coloring-LOVE IT!!
Colors/color combo-right now Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss and Cameo Coral
Type of project to make thatʼs not a card?-I don't but when forced to choose, I do like stamping on candles.
Gina K set by Melanie-hmm, all of them???!!! LOVE the Year of Flowers set
Gina K sets (from any illustrator) Year of Flowers
Craft supplies I canʼt live without: Brads, ribbon, spiral clips, and my markers!!
I've been stamping for (how long) 6yrs..yikes!!
I get my inspiration from other stampers!!
The most important things Iʼve learned about stamping/cardmaking/scrapbooking are to find your own style and stick with it, trying to be something you are not makes for no mojo and no love for your cards. At least for me...


Some of my stamping/crafting goals are I would love to get published, and I am in love with several different stamps companies, so some more guest designer spots would be awesome!!


Some of my stamping/crafting accomplishments are SCS Dirty Dozen member, Paper Pretties DT coordinator, designer for My Favorite Things, Whipper Snapper Featured Designer, There She Goes Guest Designer, and of course Melanie Muenchinger's very first guest designer!! I was also SCS Featured Stamper number 80 and Jen's Sketch For You to Try Sampler!

See?? good things happen to those who enter my contests! ;)

Thank you, Jessie! (Did you see her wrestling card with Hand-in-Hand earlier today?? eek!!) :)
Maybe leave her some love here telling your favorite projects of hers that she created!

Be sure to scroll down for today's tuorial and prize giveaway, leave a comment about what tutorials you'd like tp see for a chance to win! :) Prizes from yesterday's Paper Temptress giveaway will be announced later this evening!

Hope you're having a great Sunday! Thanks for all the love you're showering on my roses! :)

Tee Spotting!!

I was SO excited to read Joanne has a card featuring my "Little Tees" set in "Cards" magazine this month, you can find this wonderful publication anywhere! (I expect a major spike in the sales of this already popular set now, hee hee! ;) get it while you can LOL!! Thanks, Joanne! You rock! I'll be off to Hobby Lobby today as soon as it opens, but I am 99% sure I know which card they chose, hee hee!! It was "divalicious" if I'm right!!) I have several of my own cards coming out with my different sets after the first of the year, too, can't wait for you to see!!

Have you gotten any cards with my sets published or seen cards done by others with my stamps in your favorite stamping publications? Please let me know! :)

I'll have another post later today with a little more about what to expect this week for the blogaversary!!!! can't wait!!

A Quickie...2COOL!!

Told you I had more good stuff to share with BCDzyns and the "Little Tees"! I have not yet completed cards with these next two, but I thought I'd leave you with a little tee shirt inspiration before our peeks start tonight at midnight( in case you need help finding another set to throw in your Gina K cart on Thursday so you can earn all those free sets!!) ;)

No new do's on these (but there ARE more to come, I promise!) but I had to share how two accessories stamps, the tiara and shades, in my "Little Tees" are also a perfect fit for the BCDzyns girl: Check 'em out!! (one is JLo inspired, the other Elle Woods LOL!) And of course their cool tees, "2COOL" and "DIVA" greetings are also from "Little Tees" !) :)So...have you bought these sets yet???

2FUN!!

(MFEO) "Made for Each Other"...

So I got this great new stamp set from BCDzyns "And Then I Said", for many reasons, because:
I love the girl and all the sayings,
I love Kim (whom Gina also loves, which automatically made us friends by proxy, and I've had the pleasure of hanging with her twice!), AND
I knew when I saw this set, that it + several of mine* (and a little "out of the box" vision) would = MAGIC!

First, I gave her a haircut and a new freakin' sweet TEE! (using my "Tee Talk" set; layout is this week's SCS Sketch challenge)
Oh, but do you even recognize this girl with her flirty new 'do?! (I had my hair long for years, but not anymore! A lot of the ladies I send cards to wear their hair shorter also, so I'm SO excited about making different looks with this one stamp...) Check out how very easy it is to crop that luxurious mane!

Don't you love it?! Now look at these below, don't they all look like completely different girls? And all the single words from all THREE of my shirt sets fit, woo hoo! (yeah, it totally looks like we planned it, even though we didn't, hee hee!! Just about one of the most perfect combos ever from two different stamp companies on one project, dontcha think!) Is that fun or what??

I had an absolute blast coloring about 15 of these ladies with my Copics(all from Box A)** the other night to look like people I know (and a few I don't, hee!), and with customized t-shirts to go with LOL!! I'll be back to show you just how to create each of these styles (plus several more, you really won't believe!), along with cards to match, but I'm not even close to being done with showing you what else you can do with these sets together (and with another one of mine from Gina K Designs!! Can you guess which?) Hopefully I've already got you thinking you need them ALL...

If you're a first-time customer of My Favorite Things or BCDzyns, when you order ('cuz I know you want to!) please let Kim know "Melanie" sent you! ;) (and if you're an MFT regular, but don't have any of my "Tee" sets yet, well...what are you waiting for??) :)

More to come!!!

* Tee Talk, Little Tees, and Just So Sporty

** My coloring's really improving, no?? It's practice, AND that great paper!! :)

Card also uses Brushed Silver CS, self adhesive rhinestones, Floral Fantasy CB folder

Guest Designer: Gabriela Arriaza

Today I have a project to share from a stamper I happened to meet through Splitcoast, who had arranged not one but TWO swaps for my "Little Tees" and "Just So Sporty" sets! Gabby made such creative and cute projects with them too, you can see some of them here, so she was an easy choice for one of my guests to design with this month's "Tee Talk" set! Here is a gift she made for a stamper using the "I'd rather be stamping" sentiment(oh my goodness, wouldn't you just freak if a friend showed up at your door with an adorable handmade tote full of stamps and supplies just for YOU??!!) Below is her description:


"I turned this note tote into a "gift bag" and filled it with a stamp set, ink pad, and acrylic block. Next I'll be making and ACTUAL note tote with note cards. This is cute to hand out at stamping parties as a door prize...or maybe even raffle it." Template and instructions for tote: found here- EDITED TO ADD: I found this is actually a template listed in the Splitcoast Fan Club gallery, if you aren't a member of the fan club, you won't be able to view it, and if it's a fan club project, template and instrcutions aren't supposed to be posted elsewhere, I'm aplogize to anyone who doesn't have access! I will say Gabby has her supplies listed at the bottom, if you want to try to "wing it!"


And here are my questions for Gabby:
Gabby’s favorite:
Technique~I'm a direct to paper stamper, but I also like masking and I dabble in brayering, a technique I wish to one day accomplish beautifully.

Colors/color combo~I love elegant looking cards, black & white or neutrals, although sometimes I do go a bit "color crazy". I also like using a lot of brown with pink, mint, & aqua...or any other color that looks fabulous with browns.

Type of project to make that’s not a card?~TOTES!!! I do like making boxes and treat bags as well...but totes are my all time favorites by far.

Gina K set by Melanie~HA...it's a toss up between Little Tee's and Just So Sporty. I'm a tee and hoodie type of gal when I have my "downtime".

Gina K sets (from any illustrator)~my all time favorite that I really don't use often has to be Owl Always Love You (reminder to self...next project...break that set out!) I have a thing for cute looking owls.

Craft supplies I can’t live without:~STAMPS & Prismacolor markers are the tops!!! LOL...but, I also CAN NOT live without my Zots, trimmer, & Scor-Pal! Oh...and Basic Black ink is a MUST have.
I've been stamping for a bit over 5 years now
I get my inspiration from~awesome stampers that are drool-worthy on SCS or many blogs I've visited and just life itself and what's around me or what I'm going through.

The most important things I’ve learned about stamping/cardmaking are~anything handmade that you give to family or friends or just anyone is worth more because it comes from the heart and it's made with love and care. I've also learned to treat stamping like a baby and be patient and have those "sleepless" nights just to see the creations that come from YOUR hands.

Some of my stamping/crafting goals are~to reach the levels of those master stampers and maybe one day be published in a magazine...or even become a design team member.

Some of my stamping/crafting accomplishments are~graduating from single layers and stickers! I may not be a pro yet...but I have come a LOOOONG way!

I like stamping because~it is my creative outlet. Stamping allows me to express myself and share who I am without saying too much. It's also a great way for free therapy. LOL! Well...not too much free...but cheaper and I can do it on MY time.



Supplies used:CS: Basic Black & Riding Hood Red from Stampin' Up! Bright White from Wausau Papers DP: Black & White Collection from Making Memories Ink: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red from Stampin' Up! & Crimson Red Prismacolor marker Stamps: Little Tee's, Tee Talk, & Flourishes from Stampotique Embellishments: Silk flowers on bouquet from Mike's, Build-A-Brad, & Grosgrain Red ribbon Others: Bamboo skewers & make-up sponges

Thank you Gabby for this terrific project and introducing me to these cool totes! Bamboo skewers, very cool!! :) Look forward to seeing more of your work!

BTW: have you seen my Guest Designer Carolina's Advent Calendar?? (that she made with cookie cooling racks?? Brilliant!) Oh my word, YUMMY!

Sneak Peek: Have a Cookie with Those Tees...

I've been waiting to give you this first set "Have a Cookie" since MAY! It's one of my most playful and personal sets, I was inspired to draw the images one day while at the Children's Museum here in Austin with playing with my son up in the "Tinkerer's Workshop". My mother loves baking, and cookie making (and eating!) was a constant comfort and source of pleasure and showing love in our household growing up. You will have a blast with all the elements in this set that will allow to create the cookie cards and packaging of your dreams! :) This set has a whole lot of bakin' and decoratin' and cookies to give you your holiday fix, (and I suspect you will see a lot of samples using these themes today) but it's more than that, a cookie set like no other I've ever seen! I chose to share this fun sandwich cookie image (for those of you that like "store-bought!" LOL!) that can be used year-round, with a little masking thrown in!

Stamp your first cookie near the top of your paper, this will be the top of the stack. Cover with a mask of the cookie, re-ink and slide the stamp down about 1/2" from the first and stamp again. Uncover, repeat the process, occasionally moving just left or right of the one above until you have a nice, teetering tower of cookies!

Notice the little space in the cookie top? I've provided several different words to add to the top to customize your cards, you're gonna have SO much fun with this set, I'm just so excited!!! (Card deets: Background is Basic Grey Sugared, cookies are colored with Light Suntan, Burnt Umber and Sepia Copics.The stack and single cookie are cut out and popped up on dimensionals)

ONTO SET #2!!! If you have my "Little Tees", "Just So Sporty" sets from earlier this year or both, even if your stamps are by now well- loved and inked you probably still have yet to ink them ALL up with all the options you have, but I bet you're ready to expand those sets ANYWAY 'cause it's just so darn fun, am I right? Get ready for "Tee Talk": everything I couldn't squeeze into the first two sets plus a whole lot more(alogn with several "requests"!)! No images, just words, you'll find more sports and hobbies to play with, tons of relationship stamps to declare that someone is the "World's Greatest "Grandma" or "Friend", and other fun greetings!

I am so excited about this project I'm sharing today for the peek! Kind of a down-to-earth "fridge poetry set" for the new millennium if you will! ;) The tee and jersey are from my first two sets, the other phrases you see here are just 11 of the 45 you get in the new set! AND, it's only $15.95! A MUST HAVE if you have either "Little Tees" or "Just So Sporty"!

The words are borderless to give you the most flexibility with your layouts, but all the single words in this set will fit in the word window punch! To learn how to make them shorter to fit on your sweats and tees, follow this simple tutorial by Gina K herself! Here I went around each modified punched word with a black marker against the edge to make it pop against my colored shirts. The shirts and background paper are from the Basic Grey Cupcake Pad, and the white CS is Gina K's new Pure Luxury 80lb, stamped with Memento Ink Tuxedo Black. I adhered all my cut outs to magnetic paper and trimmed. Now I have a mix and match set that makes a really fun and playful addition to your desk or to throw on the fridge if you want to let everyone know where you'd really rather be that day! Notice the phrase"It's YOUR day, do what you like!" This is perfect for the inside of your cards when you're letting the recipient know they need to go have some "me-time" on their birthday or other occasion. :)

Last, I had to show you how you can make your magnetic mat reversible if you want to change up the background by adding a different DP to the back, but of course these will all stick to a fridge without the mat. (Be sure to leave a little border of magnet only around the paper rather than covering the whole sheet because it will not want to stick to your fridge if it is completely covered, starts to slide down(notice in the top pics that band of black around the edge? That's not black CS, it's the magnetic mat itself). The T-shirts do cling to the mat through the paper because they aren't as heavy)

I was also thinking it'd be a fun "battle of the sexes" type game: let each shirt represent you and your significant other on the fridge, post your passion of the moment, and see who's kind enough to slide the "it's your day..." magnet over to the other person's side and hold down the fort so the other can get out for a little break, hee hee!!

Are you curious to see more of "Have a Cookie" and "Tee Talk"? You're bound to find a few more images and words and for sure to see some fabulous projects using the sets here:

Asela Hopkins
Carolyn King
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Jessica Fick
Kurtis Amundson
Melanie Muenchinger
Courtney Fowler
Gina K

plus a couple more guest bakers I lined up (wink!): Carolina Buchting and Jessie Rone!

One more day til the release and our party!!!! Can't wait!

Think PINK

Well, I am really sorry I missed out on 30 days of promoting Breast Cancer Awareness with project samples this month, but it's a cause to support year-round so here goes! I made these for a Little Tees Swap on SCS, should be getting my swaps in the mail some time next week, I'll be sure to take pics of what I receive!
It's a very simple design, but with this classic white tee as the focal point I liked this design better than any of the other more complicated layouts or added colors I was trying out before deciding on this (and I'm very happy with it!) The tee outline and cause ribbon from the "Little Tees" set were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on white CS, colored with Blush and Peach Copics (finally bought a WHOLE box, A, expect a post later about how I decided on this one!) and outlined with my Prismacolor Warm Gray 20% marker to give it a nice curvy shape (and "support the girls"!)

I mounted it on a Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilitie die cut in different prints from the SU! Designer Series pack and made my own little ribbon with a loop of SU! 1/4"grosgrain, glue dots and a self adhesive rhinestone. "Get well soon"(I love this greeting and font, it goes with everything!) is from "Say it with Flowers". I hope the swappers like it!!

Don't forget to scroll down and read the guest designer post! Have a great day! Only one more day til Halloween, are you ready?! (I'm not!)