All I Want for Christmas

Here is a pic of my son William taken with Santa at his school. William wants a new Nintendo DS (to replace the one he got in February from his Papa, which is now broken beyond repair!) Well, Santa would have to bring that gift because I'm not!!
isn't he darling, though?? He assured me Santa said he promised to bring him one...

Just had to share, thanks for visiting! I'd like to know: what do YOU want for Christmas?? Do tell! :)

Alter it! Mouse Pad

Blah.
Better!!!

This was the mouse pad my husband gave me to go with my new computer. Well, what kind of stamper would I be to let this big, bare space go to waste?? All it took was some StazOn, stamps are obviously from "Tech Talk". I put the computer smack in the middle and then had fun collage stamping the other smaller images and greetings all over it. finished it in less than 5 minutes, I think I used about 15-20 stamps from the set! I like this sooooo much better, the little emoticons and LOL!'s bring a smile to my face, which is often since I loooove to be on my computer!! :)

Now I have to make some other coordinating desk items, will be sure to share! ;)

Have a great day! Next up, a guest design spot! :D

Light it Up

Here is a card I made with Theresa's "Life is Good". Pure Luxury White is matted on Chocolate Kiss with an In the Navy base. I really wanted the focus of my card to be the cabin with the adhesive rhinestones like big old school colored Christmas lights so I chose a simple layout. I colored the image with Copics, choosing BV31 Pale Lavender for the small shadows on the snow and to round out the little hill and create a path, then sponged just a bit of blue ink around the top edge of my mat. I'm too lazy to mask the image or emboss it when sponging sometimes so I was just careful LOL! TIP: Leaving some white space around the cabin really works though for this snowy effect rather than coming up to the very edge of the outline with the ink. Last was adhering the rhinestones along the roof line and going in with my Inkssentials white pen to add a few icicles and then the dots and dashes for falling snow. I didn't add any other details or embellishments , wanted the tiny lights to draw you in. :)

Click for a closeup and you'll see the glowing yellow windows to suggest that someone is home making a fire and the curling smoke coming out of the chimney....

Enjoy the day! How is everyone doing on their holiday shopping and baking??

Computer Holiday Shaker!

Here is a simple shaker I made with "Tech Talk" , crafting plastic for the screen, Doodlebug glitter, and Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly papers. Simply cut out the screen on the stamped computer and adhere the plastic to the underside, I stamped {fun} from "Sweetest Memories" on it beforehand (because what's more fun that a shaker??) with Stazon. Make a continuous row of pop dots around the edge and pour some glitter into the center. Adhere a coordinating piece of paper to the underside, and mount on your card.

Here you can see the glitter spread out when the card lays flat. Cardstocks are Rocket Red, White, and Ocean Mist. This was really easy to make, and I just love the effect! The aqua glitter is so fun as snow with this swirling printed snowflake paper.

Have fun today, whatever you do!
:)

"Tech Talk" Tip Sheet

"Tech Talk" is a really fun set for guys and gals of all ages, for anyone who loves their 'puter and all their friends who live inside it! Please refer to this image sheet of the set as you read through the tips below...

Great for guys cards, birthday, father's day. Make him a manly office to match, or make it look like your place along with a "you've got mail!" Create valentines for anyone with the heart and heart theme throughout the set.

Works beautifully with Nina's "Lovely Shelf": add some of these feminine elements like the vases and lamps to round out the desk scene when creating cards for your lovely lady friends and relatives. Also try putting the shelf above the screen, or put the mugs and pictures on the shelf.

The style of the images in this set will also work with many of Rupa's sets, like this birthday card above with the cupcake from "100% Sweet", the coffee them in my new set with the mugs and sentiments is also a nice complement to "My Cuppa Joe", have fun mixing an matching these! Using "Back to School" is the obvious choice to create a laboratory or classroom! :)

"Inspiration Mosaic" behind the computer makes a really cool modern little background or with accessories stamped into the boxes, a bookcase! The little circles, squares and lines from this set are perfect touches for a "Tech Talk" project corner or homemade patterned background.

The words, relationships and hobbies from "Tee Talk" (ex "I'd rather be blogging" fit the screen, as do most of the greetings in our other Gina K Designs sets, and the rest of your stamp collection!

Make some "computer wear" with the jargon and emoticons from this set stamped onto the "Little Tees" shirts or "Just so Sporty" sweats! Or for a future techie baby by stamping them on the "Wee Tees" onesie!

Stamp your favorite images or sentiments onto the screen. Create a reverse mask like in this post to add images easily.

You can also sponge ink into to the screen to add color or create a glowing effect.

Pop up the heart button on the keyboard.

Have the fun with the various emoticon faces, just stamping on on the screen will speak your message loud and clear! Add a coordinating sentiment inside the card.

The sentiment also looks great stamped above or going or up or down the side of the computer. the small greetings would look great on a popped up tag as well.

Paper piece the screen with DP or a photo to make the ultimate screen saver.

Use the emoticons or acronyms like LOL! to make your own custom designer papers to match

Create the office or craft room of your dreams but putting a beautiful wallpaper background of DP behind the computer! Add a picture frame cup of pens, and mug to complete the scene. Use geometric and bright prints and colors or vintage and traditional papers to make a more sophisticated one.

Ground the images with one line by placing a straight edge over the middle of your computer screen and desk accessories then draw aline across with a epn, now you have the dimesnion of a wall and desktop. Easy peasy!

Stamp your favorite little images or words in the picture frame or add a real photo! The easiest way to put the photo in is to stamp the frame right over your picture and cut the little rectangles out to piece over your stamped image on CS. Try this with pictures from postcards, magazine etc to really personalize it for the recipient. Do this to make beautiful screen savers for the computer too.


Lefty and righty mouses have been provided. ;) Add the cord or make them wireless, you choose!

Cut a little parallelogram out of your favorite patterned paper to go under the mouse for a mouse pad.

Cut out and pop up the mouse to make it look like it's front of the keyboard for more dimension.

Make a cute dangling charm out of the mouse like Cat did by cutting out both the left and right one and adhering them back to back with a piece of real cord running through, looks good from both sides!

Make a shaker by cutting out the screen, stamping you image or greeting on acetate and putting your favorite shakey stuff inside.

Add a tiny bow or flower to the corner of the screen to make it look more girly.

Add small scraps of paper adhered just along the top edge around the sides of the screen stamped with the little emoticons, like sticky Post it reminders!

Place a piece of acetate over the screen or use Crystal Lacquer to give it realistic shine and smooth texture.

Add some bling around the perimeter of the screen. Put a rhinestone, pearl, or nailhead over the heart on the keyboard.

Stamp the small faces, words or other images onto the mugs or try paper piecing the mugs.

Cut the little easel part off the left of the picture frame to use the facing front or put a collection of them above the computer like they are hanging on the wall.

Combine the different words in the set or other words from collection under "password".


Create a pop up of the laptop opening inside you card by cutting out the image, scoring where the screen meets the keyboard, folding and then adhering the laptop to the inside of the card. See Melanie's blog for the tutorial.

Add a raindot heart over the heart on the keyboard. Omit the heart when inking up the stamp (can do on the mouse as well) if you want to bypass the heart element completely and add your own little stamp or embellishment.

Tech speak translation:

TTYS= Talk to you soon!

omgosh= oh my gosh

WTG= way to go!

LOL! = laughing out loud

:) smile (the tiny ones with circle, dashes or etc in between are added noses!)

:( sad

;) wink

;P silly, sticking tongue out

: O open mouthed, wide eyed ( use this with omgosh!) :)

: l hmm, blank expression

Makes wonderful gifts, tags and gifts wrap for teachers, techies, teens and tweens!

Decorate desk sets and office supplies with the different images and greetings, think mouse pads, stationary, memo pads, pencil holders, your stapler etc! With a little Stazon you could put a smiley just about anywhere! :)

Create the perfect gift card holders, especially for online shopping! Adhere the gift card inside and cut out the window of the screen on the card front so the amazon.com logo (or whatever!) shows through.

More tips to come plus some special projects (I have a plans to create a pop up desk for the isnide, just need to get a template made so I can share it with you here, going to be so! cute!) and a blog hop on the 18th! You will LOVE this set!

Away We Go...

Here is a card I made with Rupa's "Are We There Yet?" set. This stamping off technique of stamping your image again and again without reinking (I recently heard it called "generation stamping", makes sense but that term was new to me! LOL!) is one of the first I learned when I began stamping, often it's just to create a variety of colors to make a pattern but you can also create motion with an image like falling leaf or this rolling bicycle. It went well with the "we'll miss you!" sentiment. I added a little row of dots from "Inspiration Mosaic" in front of it, these dots have become one of my favorite images lately, just for when you need a little somethin'! Card uses Pure Luxury Smoky Slate, Black Onyx, Rocket Red and White.

So do you all plan to keep reading blogs in the next few weeks or will you be too busy making holiday plans and preparations?! :) I will be posting soon about what things you'd especially like to see here in the next year. My two year anniversary blogging and illustrating is rapidly approaching!

Gift Bag! Open Me...!

I can't believe I forgot to share this gift bag from last month! (I totally got this idea for a "card on a bag" from Carolyn King, who gave me an adorable zebra card gift bag on my day this past year!) You may be out doing a little holiday gift shopping this weekend so here's an inexpensive and easy idea for gift packaging: these small plain gift bags can be found at craft stores, I found this at Hobby Lobby, they have solid colors too, 4 for $1! They are the perfect size to adhere an A2 card to the front to decorate the bag and have your greeting inside, "lift the flap style"! Stuff your gift and some tissue inside and you're done! her I used the Festive Frame and cut out the window allowing the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses DP to show through. Greeting is stamped on a diecut oval to make it pop.

Have a wonderful weekend, we are going to cut down our tree tomorrow, it's super chilly which will be sure to put us in the mood, there have been seasons past that it has been in the 60's or 70's; not so Christmas-y!

Speedy Recovery

Thanks everyone for coming to the party last night!! :) Here is one of my favorite cards I shared with "Tech Talk", it also uses Nina's lamp from "Lovely Shelf". I made this card a little larger, not because my scene wouldn't fit on an A2, but I just LOVED this flourish on the Basic Grey June Bug DP I wanted to use the majority of the 6x6 sheet! Also it allows me to show off more of the beautiful new Creme de Menthe Pure Luxury above and below it! :) After stamping the element of the scene onto Pure Luxury White and coloring (the pencil holder is pieced with another sheet of June Bug. I cut the bottom straight and then made a line through the middle and cut around the top, popping it up over the DP. The small mats of black above below and under the desk really provide a beautiful contrast wit the lighter color. TIP: I love how using mats the same width and color of the laptop screen frame really tie them all together! The rectangular screen doubles like a framed tag on your cards when you have a greeting in the center. :)

I enjoy the feminine touch the DP and lamp give this scene, just because you have gadgets in your office doesn't mean it has to look like a computer lab! ;) A few more details were cutting along the bottom with some decorative edged scissors and adding adhesive pearls, then coloring a sateen flower and adding to the top. Oh, something else fun: the raindot hearts fit perfectly over the heart on the keyboard, click for a closeup! ;) Inside says "Praying for a speedy recovery!" (I really got taste of praying for recovery in a computer kind of way over the summer when my hard drive died and I was not able to get ANYthing off of it, years of stuff, booo! So although it wasa totally frustrating thing, this pun of this sentiment kind of cracks me up, hee)

The only person I know who is sick right now is ME! (throat! huuuurts!!) But I will wait to send this card to someone else, I know it won't be long with flu season...

Being under the weather the last few days I have not yet completed my tip sheet for the new set, but I will share very soon here as well as posting it to the STV Idea Center. More to come, have a great weekend!

"Tech Talk" Winner!

and the random winner of the "Tech Talk" set from my sneak preview blog candy is....

Cammy said...
This set is awesome and I love your cards! I've made some fantastic friends on SCS and the pleasure to meet one of the girls & her family this fall. It was such a great day! Everyone had a blast -- husbands, kids & most of all moms.

(It doesn't hurt that hubby is in IT, so this set would be perfect!)

November 30, 2009 10:11 PM

Please email me your snail mail addy within 48 hours Cammy and I will send it out to you! I just loved reading her comment and everyone else's about the lifelong friendships you have forged through the wonders of modern technology! :)

I'm off to the party! please come, by now it's in full swing!!!

Sneak Peek: "Free with Three" Sweetest Memories

Today we have our final new release peek, GinaK's "Sweetest Memories", this month's free with Three" set! It is full of larger scale sweet greetings that make terrific scrapbook elements and titles, as well as tags or focal points for your cards. Greeting sets often make the best free sets because we stampers can always use more greetings! :)

My sample is super simple, I used Pure Luxury White and Chocolate Kiss with Basic Grey Indian Summer as a background. These layered flowers and vines in the pattern are just so dazzling I though it would be perfect with the "unforgettable" sentiment. The stitched and lined border around it makes it easy to crop even without Nestabilities. I adhered it with pop dots and added a few punched flourishes to embellish and create the illusion of the vines coming out of the patterned paper. Sometimes simple is best! (especially when you're sick, like me today, booo!) Off to rest for the big party, sorry I don't have more today, I'll be sharing lots more samples over the next few weeks with this set, some photo Christmas ornaments, gift packaging etc!

For even more ways to use this fabulous stamp set, please check tonight's featured Illustrator's blog:

GinaK {Sweetest Memories}

Then, visit our Designer's blogs participating in the previews tonight:

Carolyn,
Cathy,
Emily,
Erika,
Jessica,
Lee,
Lynn,
Melanie,
Nina
Tami,
Theresa

Don't forget the party this Thursday night 7PM CST for more samples, full set reveals, contests, challenges and chatting!

Sneak Peek: "Life is Good" & "Warm and Wonderful"

Welcome back!! Our first preview tonight is of Theresa Momber's "Life is Good" set! While Theresa has included a snow covered cabin perfect for winter, there are a number of other greetings and images in this set that allow for cards year round. When I saw the steam train, though, I couldn't resist making an extra Christmas-y card with it, based on "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg! Most anyone receiving this card would recognize the nod to that celebrated holiday classic. :) The train fits perfectly into the "Festive Frame" window, with the poinsettias setting the holiday tone, and the borders are reminiscent of framed up illustrations in a book.
After coloring the frame and train (I took some liberties on the colors here not being a "train expert" LOL! as well as adding a little wreath to the front with a green ring and red dots) , I reverse masked the oval so I could sponge blue ink around the edges to make the stormy winter night. I cut a little diagonal beam from scratch paper to sponge around the create the light coming from the front of the train. Add falling snow with the Inkssentials white pen. The nail heads around the frame and on the bell make wonderful "train bling" rivets! Last I added the "Believe", the theme of the story, this greeting is from "Botanical Dreams". This is a two layer card, using Pure Luxury White and In the Navy. I just love this set! Thursday night at the party I will have sample using that cabin I mentioned... ;)

"Warm & Wonderful" has all these snuggly knit images in it, and I noticed the rounded cap would be SO cute plunked on top of die cut heart (made from Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly DP) I stamped both this cap and my scarf onto Rocket Red CS, which has the ribbed texture, perfect for knitwear!) accented with White Inksenntials pen. The scarf I cut in two so I could have it hanging over the other side. It may be a bit difficult to see, but if you click for a closeup I stamped the argyle from Gina's "Ribbon Stripes" over each in red for a subtle tone on tone look , this gives these images some additional knit texture! Now my bundled heart on the scalloped square goes perfectly with this greeting "You warm my heart" from the set. I stamped snowflakes from the set onto the new Pure Luxury Ocean Mist and added some adhesive rhinestones to a couple of the flakes centers.

For even more ways to use these fabulous stamp sets, please check tonight's featured Illustrator's blog:

Theresa Momber {Life is Good}

Then, visit our Designer's blogs participating in the previews tonight:

GinaK,
Carolyn,
Cathy,
Cindy,
Donna,
Emily,
Erika,
Jessica,
Lee,
Lynn,
Melanie,
Nina

We also have one of our special Center Stage Spotlight Designer joining tonight:

Peggy Wainman

Sneak Peek: "Tech Talk" and "Lovely Shelf"

Hello! Today we are previewing new Gina K sets from Nina and I, and I couldn't be more pleased that we are showcasing the two together, as you will soon see how perfectly they coordinate! :)
First, a little about my newest set "Tech Talk": the perfect set for making cards for the techie men in your life that they can really appreciate or for all your online "besties"! Whether a computer is more for work or pleasure for you, it's become a huge part of all our lives, and even if you don't consider yourself someone who is "technically savvy" (and I'm not certainly not!) if you think in emoticons or "LOL!", this set is for you! (I saw a funny quote recently on Selma's blog recently that completely captured the spirit of this set: "I love my computer, my friends live in it." SO! TRUE!!!) I've seen other computer stamps in the past, but none I felt were really suited for both masculine and feminine cards...you're going to LOVE all the options this one provides! :)

Here I made a card/Valentine for my husband, the greeting stamped onto the screen is one of many from the set. He, like most men, likes things really plain, so I used neutrals (Soft Sand base) and kept "his desk" very minimal. Isn't that fun making a quick scene with the mug and picture frame images?? I stamped the open frame over a photo of myself, trimmed it out and adhered over the center of stamped image as if I were paper piecing.
Now for the fun part inside of the card for a surprise reveal, a few changes to my new scene and a pop of red, I couldn't leave it that plain, could I?? I stamped this little heart from the set all over both desktops (hee!), changed out the "DAD'S" on the mug to a little smiley emoticon and substituted this photo of us nuzzling at our wedding in the frame. I love this Valentine! Hang on for a more feminine desk set in a minute... ;)

Next, I have a card using Nina's new "Lovely Shelf", she is just an illustrator after my own heart with these elemental sets she designs! It has, of course, a shelf and lots and lots of other lovely things to pile on top. Today I stamped the shelf upside down, this way the brackets can look more like bookends or turn the shelf into a serving tray, so I added a teapot, cup and vase. Super sweet and simple! And how do you like that beautiful card base color?? It's the new Gina K Pure Luxury Ocean Mist and I am in heaven!!! It freshens up any color you pair it with, here I went with clean Black Onyx and White. The scalloped mat behind it looks great with the all the curvy details in these images. I added just a touch of color to my pot and cup for shading and vase of flowers with pastel Copics.

Now do you see where I'm going with these two sets? Plunk another one of her vases next to my 'puter (pink!) from "Tech Talk" and add some fun and funky DP (Basic Grey Lime Rickey) and you've got a hip and cheery card for a friend! Don't these images look like they came from the same set?? The clean lines and open images make them all amazingly simple to color, too! There's that Ocean Mist for the base again! A little tip for creating some dimension for your "desk": use a straight edge and draw a line behind the computer and other images you've stamped into your scene with a pen (I did this on the hubby card above too) Now you've grounded all your objects in a snap! On this card, I cut out everything above the line so my DP would be like a wallpaper backdrop behind the images. Showing the DP below too makes for a more interesting layout and also makes the desk look like a more modern counter top. ;)

Something else simple and fun for inside: I cut out a second computer I colored, scored between the screen and keyboard, and adhered it to the card, adhering the back of the screen to a little "box I made with a strip 1" x 4 1/2", that I scored at one inch intervals and then adhered the little half inch left over. When you stick this into the scored middle of the card, the computer will open and close as you open the card and give you a 3D scene...

I also added lots of flowers from the vase to the screen with the masking technique, I love all the possibilities this screen provides go crazy making your favorite "screen savers" with stamps, DP, postcards, whatever!

So you don't have to drag out the Post Its every time, I recommend stamping the computer onto scratch paper and cutting out the screen. Now you can place this over your image stamped on CS and go to town adding whatever you like. Remove your mask and color as desired.

Below is one last pic of it so you can see the dimension and pop up mechanism. I added the vase and mug again more subtly to the background in Versamark this time and a couple more sentiments from my set above and below. Oh, BTW, I can't believe I almost forgot: how do you like my keyboard I designed? In my perfect world I wouldn't make any more typos: just send some love out with one click! LOL! Just another little bit of whimsy (as well as all the hearts hiding in the set!) that I hope you'll really enjoy when creating with this...

Would you like to win "Tech Talk"? Please leave a comment here telling me about an online friend you've made (I know you have some if you're reading this, and will need this set to make them some special cards!) I will draw a winner randomly and announce it Thursday before the release party. I have been blessed meeting hundreds of wonderful women online in the past two years of blogging, too many to mention here, but I will tell you about a special one later in the week who is guest designing with my set this month! ;)

For even more ways to use these fabulous stamp sets, please check tonight's featured Illustrator's blogs:

Nina Brackett {Lovely Shelf}
Melanie Muenchinger {Tech Talk}

Then, visit our Designer's blogs participating in the previews tonight:

GinaK,
Carolyn,
Cathy,
Cindy,
Donna,
Emily,
Erika,
Jessica,
Lee,
Lynn,
Tami,
Theresa

We also have two of our special Center Stage Spotlight Designer's joining us with samples as well:

Cheri Weston
Melissa Shultz

More previews tomorrow, thanks for visiting! :)

The Look of Fabric

Here is a simple card using "Arranged with Love" stamped in gray on one of the digital Summer Fabrics, a freebie from Gina K Designs, which I printed out on Pure Luxury White. Doesn't that look like real fabric? I love how stamping over this looks like a woven tapestry! This photo looks so dark I know, but the layer underneath is In the Navy to go with the pale blue flowers. Get well cards I often try to combine a mix of muted as well as more cheery colors to try and convey both "I'm sorry you're sick " and "things will turn around!". This card measures 4 1/4" square, I used a scalloped Nestabilitie under the image, which is also an example of how you can crop the larger flower frame from this set to adapt to your square cards.

Gina K new release sneak peeks start tomorrow night, eek!!! :)

Triangle Tree

This was my first time to try out my new Cuttlebug Herringbone folder, it's such a cool intricate design, and makes fabulous pine needles on the All Spruced Up Pure Luxury CS! I cut out a tall triangle of the embossed paper (you can get 2-4 of these out of a mat you've embossed with the folder, great for mass production!) and then added several buttons from the Gina K Holiday assortment, tied with hemp and then adhered with glue dots (I left the big white one untied to add a little more interest) I popped up the tree on this dotted Basic Grey Junebug DP and layered onto the same green mat and a Rocket Red base, easy peasy! (except for tying those little knots! Still worth it, though, no time spent stamping or coloring here!) ;)

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

..and a happy new year!! (this sentiment from the set is what's stamped inside the card, sorry I forgot to take a pic!)

This is a two layer card, with the Festive Frame stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Pure Luxury White with a Rocket Red base. I used Copics Lionet Gold for the borders and Strong Red for the background. Let me tell you I loved coloring instead of cutting out an extra red layer and it doesn't add weight to my card! :) Oval was sponged with Antique Linen Distressing Ink and stamped using Nina's music border to go with the Christmas caroling title/greeting from the set, and to be honest I can't look at this card without wanting to burst into song! (come Dec 1, Christmas music will be playing in my house during every waking hour for the WHOLE month LOL! Last , gold edges white organdy ribbon provides the "necessary" holiday sparkle!

This was very simple to make, I hope it inspires and put you in the holiday spirit! Thanks for visiting! :)

Bye! (goes off humming...)