CSS Blog Hop!

It's time for another GinaK CenterStage Spotlight Team Blog Hop!

Each artist was asked to design their project by drawing inspiration from these photos of the AMAZING Christmas Cookie Bouquet the CSS Team sent to Gina's DT Coordinator Jessica Fick:

Well, since I've had cookies on the brain lately, I had to do a completely literal take on this...here's the outside of the card ("Have a Cookie" image and "Hip to Be Square" face stamped on it and one of Gina K's labels from "Holiday Greetings")
and the inside!!! My Perfect Pattern Pop Up Oven with the window frame and snowmen suitors peeping in again from Hip to Be Square, and the punched out little snowman (woman!) inside holding the tray of cookies!

I stamped a greeting from the holiday Hospitality set onto a Petite Oval Nestabilities rug made from Ocean Mist that I Cuttlebugged with Herringbone. All DP is Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses, you can do the most fun matchy-match kitchens with these BG DP packs!! :) I stayed away from the very Christmasy ones in this pack like holly and Santa so it can just be a winter card I can send before the cold eason ends... Something else I really like about this card is that I printed the template onto glossy cardstock and now I have sleek, shiny counters and an enameled oven, see the reflection on the burners from the dials? Very sharp!

Click on these links to see what the participating Designers have prepared for us tonight:

Jessica Fick,
Betty Neville,

Jen Charboneau,
Joan Ervin,
Vicki Dutcher,
Lori McAree,
Cheri Weston,
Melissa Cash,
Carla Suto,
Giovana Smith,
JenMarie Taylor,
Sue Morris,
Carolina Buchting,
Sharri Seffens,
Brenda Turner,
Kay Simmons,
Peggy Wainman,
Sue Van deVusse,
Shannon Bracken,
Tina Gilliland,
Deb Felts,
Jennie Harper,
Geri Utterback,
Selma Stevenson,
Melissa Shultz,
Linda Payne,
Joy Hadden,
Karen Knegten,
Melanie Muenchinger, ( you are here!)
Nina Brackett

Everyone's projects will be added to the StampTV gallery and Idea Center over the next few days. You can search for them by using this tag: cssjf4

Tech Talk Blog Hop

Are you ready to hop with "Tech Talk"?? I've got candy tonight, plus an original template I've designed as a free gift for ALL of you, free, come look!
Here is a card using Pure Luxury Creme De Menthe as base and the cover of my Cosmo Cricket Boyfriend pack, I was able to get all these swatches from the front piece and then just flipped down the corner to cover up the little price! :) I stamped "hello" from the set in the corner and held it down with a paperclip, in keeping with the office theme and "you've got mail!" greeting (stamped and punched out with 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circles). I folded up a tiny envelope from Pure Luxury White and stamped my little heart on the flap, then added a few pieces of notebook paper I cut out from the same patterned pack.

Now for the really fun part, a pop up desk inside!!! Do you LOVE it?? Check out the little dotted drawer pulls, these are part of the pattern and can be left as is like you see here or used as a guide to cover with nail heads, adhesive pearls, rhinestones, etc! This desk is SO simple to make when you download my pattern for free at the end of this post. Instructions for assembly are included along with ideas for how to modify and decorate it, and I am just SO excited what a great complement this is to the "Tech Talk" stamps!! :)

First, line the inside of your card with mats 4"x 5 1/4" (you don't have to, but adding carpet and wallpaper will really complete your scene), these are two more prints from the DP pack.

Here you can see my desk cut out and scored along the front and back edge as well as the flaps. The back flap will be secured behind and below the desktop, but you can also flip it up like a bulletin board or back splash, I will show examples of this later.

Now open your card flat and cover just the back flap of the desk with adhesive and press onto the top inside of the card, with the bottom edge meeting the inside score of your base.

Push the desk back and add adhesive or Scor-Tape to the little flaps.

Press the inside bottom of the card against the desk. This method for adhering the desk ensures that the desk surfaces will be at right angles when you open it and the card will shut properly, closing flat.

Open up, and voila! You're ready to decorate your desktop! :) I kept today's simple just adding the computer stamped on Moonlit Fog and a few more sheets of the notebook DP. Here without the accessories, I hope you can begin to imagine the possibilities for this template that go beyond a desk: kitchen counter, workshop, vanity etc. Of course I'll be back to show more of these options! ;)

Download the free template here. Please remember this is a copyrighted pattern, no selling, submitting for contests or publications, etc and please be sure to give me credit when posting pics of creations made with it. Thanks, I hope you enjoy it!

Please leave a comment below if you would like to win a signed copy of the "Tech Talk" set! I will announce a winner tomorrow night.

For more inspiration with Tech Talk tonight, check out these links:

Melanie Muenchinger {Illustrator}
Jessica Fick
Donna Baker
Lee Murphy
Lynn Mercurio
Nina Brackett

Theresa Momber
Sankari Wegman

Melissa Shultz {CSS Designer}
Peggy Wainman {CSS Designer}
Tina Gilliland {Guest Designer}
Karen Knegten {Guest Designer}

The Tech Talk discussion on the StampTV Idea Center is a very valuable resource filled with tips, sample projects, and tutorials. My tip sheet, this free PDF template as well as the Card Kit is available in the discussion as well.

If you haven't already, stop by GinaK's blog today to leave your comment on her blog for your second chance to win today's featured stamp set or any other stamp set valued at $23.95 of your choice!

Shoe Template Update: We have a pdf!

I have added the pdf to the post below in a link, but just in case you can't find it, click here for the template, I posted it to the Gina K forum (the thread also explains what to do if part of the shoe does not print for you). Be sure to read the post below for more details on creating these cards, thanks! Good luck, happy creating, thanks to every one who offered their help with this!

My little soccer star will be missing his big game today: he was up all night throwing up...which meant, I was up all night, too. :( more later, gonna try to catch some zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sporty Shoes, Just for You!

This project uses one of the very first designs I uploaded to my blog, but I've done some updating with my "Just So Sporty" set and finally gotten around to creating a template for it! For a pdf of the template, click here. This A2 sized shaped card* opens to look like two little shoes and looks fantastic sitting out on a shelf with the rest of your athletes trophies, team pics and memorabilia! It can be adapted for any sports you need cleats or athletic shoes(using the different sports in "Just So Sporty"), and made more colorful with a coordinating color of CS or adding stripes to the side or a "whoosh" with scrap CS. I used a Cropodile to make the holes for the laces. Buy your own shoelaces or make some from twill tape and Scotch tape wrapped around the ends like I did here. I used one piece through the holes attached at top and bottom with glue dots, then made a bow out of the remaining piece and stuck that to the top with another glue dot. For girls shoes, you may ant to try some fun ribbon instead!) and my piercing tool to poke a design into the card front (difficult to see in top pic, but see below) Embossing in a contrasting color (this is Vanilla to match my natural twill I got from SU!) is a great way to add authentic looking designs to your shoes. (Again for girls, think how fun self adhesive rhinestones and colored/shaped eyelets would be!) On this sample, I added my son's number "06" and "Soccer Star", using "Just So Sporty".

I made the sole of the shoe straight in the pattern, but the intent is for you to cut that using any decorative scissors, zig zag or scallop, whatever looks most appropriate for the "traction" you need LOL! (Edited to add: To print this template, simply click on the pic which will enlarge it, then hit print in your tool bar. (I had one person write and say they couldn't and needed a pdf file, but I just tried and it worked for me. I don't know to add the file another way, so if someone can help me with that...thanks in advance! Edited to add more: saving to a pdf is not an option on my computer or scanner, my choices are tif, png, bitmap or jpeg, help!! My mom's been working on converting it for me, but the resolution isn't good and it's cutting off one side...I'll keep working on it, hang in there!!! Edited to add even more: so how do I add a pdf here now that I have one LOL!! I tried and blogger said it couldn't recognize that format, or was corrupt... that Gina K, sending me stuff that's corrupt! just kidding!! ;))

Please enjoy this original pattern of mine, but if you share it please remember to give me credit and do not submit this design for contests, thank you!

*At this size, it is about life size to a child's shoe! If you want to make shoes for "the big guys" in your life, better plan on a larger piece of CS and custom envelope if you want them to scale!! :)