Wednesday, September 25, 2013

UWYH #17 - Gratitude

Hello, friends!  Just stopping by with a card I made for the latest Use What You Have Challenge #17 at the Sweet Stamp Shop!


Here is the inspirational sketch/color combo...I loosely followed the color combo for my card this week.



So, the stash this time around involves my growing collection of patterned paper scraps.  I have them in bags and the bags in drawers, no particular system of organizing other than by size.


I started to play with my Fall Gratitude set, stamping the gratitude sentiment (which I love) in various colors and coloring the heart with different Copic markers.  I had a little fun and highlighted the inside of each closed letter with a glitter pen.



I die cut the sentiment, then added another sentiment to the card base (from the God Bless America set).  As a final touch I drew intersecting lines with my Sakura "Clear Star" gelly roll pen.

The end result? 


 Can you see the sparkle?





I'm also entering this card in the current Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge this week.



I do enjoy using my stash for these Sweet Stamp Shop challenges! 
Thanks for stopping by,
Judy

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

CASology #63: AUTUMN

Hello, friends!  We are back again with another awesome cue word at CASology!



Our sponsor this week is DeNami Designs ...be sure to check out all the details at the CASology blog!

This past Sunday was the first day of Autumn here in the US, and the weather in my neck of the woods has been beautiful!  The leaves are starting to turn orange and yellow and brown...and aside from all of our BAD allergies at the moment, we are loving the start of the fall season!

My card was inspired by the colors of the changing leaves...one of my favorite things about autumn!

Materials Used:
Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop "Fall Gratitude," Hero Arts "Brush Stroke," Simon Says Stamp "Lots of Thanks"
Inks: brown dye ink; Distress Inks: Wild Honey, Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint
Other: Hero Arts Sunshine Mixed Accents, Martha Stewart scoring board


Since I used a Simon Says Stamp sentiment set (available in the Simon Says Stamp store), I am entering this card in the  Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember® Wednesday Challenge Group Blog Hop found HERE.


Check out some beautiful inspiration by our guest designer as well as our Design Team...you won't be disappointed!  I do hope you can play along with us this week...you have until Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CDT) to upload your entries.



Jen Wills
Guest Designer: LeAnne


Thanks for visiting...I do appreciate it!
Judy

Monday, September 23, 2013

Sweet Stamp Shop: Designer Spotlight #2

Hello, friends!  I'm up today on the Sweet Stamp Shop blog with my second post in a series called "Designer Spotlight." 

This time around I am spotlighting one of the most amazing card-makers in the industry (and a fellow CASology design team member) ... Maureen Merritt!  Her blog, Mama Mo Stamps, is one of my favorite blogs in blogland.  You MUST visit her, she never disappoints!  Her clean and simple style is SO appealing, always fresh and fun and unique!  She participates in many challenges each week and has won multiple honors...and rightly so!  You must check out her Moxie Fabber of the Week interview HERE...it highlights her wonderful work and personality!

For full details...including an interview with Maureen...check out my post at the Sweet Stamp Shop today.  Here's a sneak peek at Maureen's wonderfully sweet card over there:



In the meantime, I have a card to share.  As I was playing with my new Fall Gratitude set, I was inspired to CASE this card by Maureen (seen HERE):



Here is my interpretation using my Sweet Stamp Shop stamps:

Materials Used:
Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop "Fall Gratitude"
Inks: blue dye ink, light blue Copic marker
Other: navy and pool card stock, light blue gems


Stamp set used:

Great big thanks heading your way, Maureen...thanks for letting me highlight you and CASE your awesome card!  You are an inspiration to so many of us!
Be sure to check out the full card and interview with Maureen at Sweet Stamp Shop.  Don't forget to stop by her blog, too!   

Thanks for stopping by!
Judy


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

CASology #62: ARROW

Hello, friends!  I'm returning for yet another week of fun at CASology where our cue this week is a very popular trend right now:
 
How about that, right?  Fun! 



I decided to break out some red tinsel embossing powder to accent the glittery red paper framing my sentiment...
Stamping Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop "Fall Gratitude," "Made By #2"
Inks: black dye ink, Versamark ink, red Copic marker
Other: Stampendous "Red Tinsel" embossing powder,
Papertrey Ink "Framed Out #1" die, red glitter paper
 

So, break out your arrow ideas and be sure to join us for some fun this week!  Need some inspiration?  Check out our Guest Designer and Design Team projects -- just follow the links below.  You won't be disappointed!  Enter by Sunday 4:00 p.m. (CDT) and have fun with us!


Guest Designer: Janet
 
Thanks, as always, for stopping by...I appreciate your visit!
Judy

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Sweet Stamp Shop: Designer Spotlight #1

Hello, friends!  I'm here today with my very first edition of what we will call "Designers Spotlight" for the Sweet Stamp Shop.  Twice each month I will spotlight a favorite designer in our crafty industry, share some of his/her work, and create a Sweet Stamp Shop card or two using his/her designs as inspiration.   Be sure to head over to the Sweet Stamp Shop blog to check it out.  Here we go!

My PhotoMy first designer spotlight is none other than Heather Campbell of Parker & Molly fame!  Heather has a fabulous blog and has many, many cards published in both Paper Crafts Magazine and Cards magazine.  Oh, did I mention that she was both Stamping Royalty and in the Top 10 of Gallery Idol at Paper Crafts Magazine in 2012?  This is all on the side...by day she is a full-time Manufacturing Engineer for one the world's top aerospace manufacturing companies!  This young lady has LOTS of skill and works magic with stamps, let me tell ya!  Be sure to visit her blog HERE for lots of inspiration.



I have always adored Heather's style...so perfectly clean and simple and wonderful!  I mean, check out this card...perfect lines, angles, soft colors, interest. Yum!



Here is how it inspired me using the Kiss Me set from Sweet Stamp Shop:



Image 1


OK, thought that was good?  Check out THIS amazing card by Heather...I love the symmetry and patterns!



Here is where I went with it using my Sweet Stamp Shop supplies:



I used Sweet Stamp Shop Fall Gratitude, the heart from Kiss Me, and the arrow in Made By #2 to make my my card:

Image 1

 



OK, one last inspiring card by Heather (although I could go on and on, I had to stop myself!).  Isn't this graphic card fun?



I saw this card and immediately thought of our new release set, Super Mom.
I paired up the stamps with some sequins and sparkly Perfect Pearls mist for some shine!



 

Isn't it amazing how we can inspire each other?  Big sweet THANKS to Heather Campbell for allowing me to spotlight her this week!  Be sure to visit her blog HERE and give her some love...I'll bet you will be inspired by her work, too!

For lots more inspiration and information, be sure to check out the Sweet Stamp Shop blog.  We are still celebrating our September Release, too! 

Did you know we also have a Facebook page and an awesome Flickr group you can join?  So many great cards to check out!  Be sure to upload your cards to the group...share and inspire us!  The Sweet Stamp Shop Pinterest page has a board for each stamp set (seen HERE).  The ideas are endless out there...be sure to check it out and be inspired!

Have a sweet day,
Judy

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Sweet Stamp Shop - September Stamp Release and Coupon Code!

Hello, friends!  I am so excited to announce that the Sweet Stamp Shop September stamp release is here!


Today we are releasing a whole bunch of wonderfully sweet stamps!  For a full description of the release and lots of great inspiration, be sure to check out the Sweet Stamp Shop blog!

I had the priveledge of playing with these two awesome sets: Super Mom and Made By #2:

 
 

I had a blast making cards with these sets!  Here's what I was inspired to make...first up, a card for all you Super Moms out there!


 And here's the back...

 

Next up, for all of you who consider yourselves "da bomb-diggedy!"



(Can you see the sparkle I added to the fuse and the side angles?)



Here is how I signed the back of the card...

 

Aren't they amazing sets?  You'll definitely want to get your hands on them before they are gone.  And, to make it even better,  there is a discount at the shop for the new release - you will receive 25% off the new release stamps if you use the coupon code NRS25 -- good only through Thursday at noon (PSD).  Be sure to check out the Sweet Stamp Shop blog for more inspiration from the Design Team and all the sale details.
 
Other Sweet places to check out:
** Flickr

Thanks for stopping by...have a sweet day!
Judy

CASology #61: SILHOUETTE

Hello, friends!  What a wonderful week of delicious apple cards we had at the CASology blog last week...I was totally WOWed by all of the entries!   And now I'm back again this week with another cue from CASology:



This week we are lucky enough to be sponsored by Annabelle Stamps...be sure to check out the details at the CASology blog!

One of the first silhouette stamps I ever bought was THIS sweet, playful image from Hero Arts.  It was nice to pull it out again and play with it!

Materials Used:
Stamps: Hero Arts "Dancing with Flowers," "All Occasion Sentiments"
Inks: black dye ink; Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Broken China, Weathered Wood
Other: Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangles die, Hero Arts Sunshine Mixed Accents (pearls)


Silhouettes are all the rage right now...I do hope you will play along with us this week!  Link up your entry by 4:00 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday and check out our awesome Guest Designer and Design Team projects this week for some inspiration, too!


Guest Designer:  Deepti

Thanks for visiting!
Judy

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

A Sweet Announcement!

Hello, friends!  This is my second post for the day...scroll down to see my CASology post with our new cue word for the week.

I am SO thrilled to be able to finally spill the beans...I have been named as one of the new Design Team members at the Sweet Stamp Shop for the fall term!  I have loved their stamps since owner, Nicole Rixon, first debuted her line a few years ago (in July 2011 to be exact!).  I have slowly increased my SSS stamps collection and I adore the cute, whimsical images and sayings she keeps producing with each new release!

This card is a birthday card I sent to Nicole last week for her special day...these images are so fun to paper piece!

Materials Used:
Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop "Furry Friends Forever," Hero Arts "Woodgrain" and "Clouds" backgrounds
Inks: black dye ink, bubblegum midtone ink
Other: MFT Die-namics Insta-Frame die, sequins, patterned papers

Be sure to stop by the Sweet Stamp Shop blog today to check out the new (and some returning) design team members...what a great group of ladies!  We have exciting things in store, including the September stamp release on September 10th, you'll want to check that out!  You can find info on Facebook, too!



Thanks for all your continued support and, as always, thanks for stopping by!
Judy

CASology #60: APPLE

Hello, friends!  Today is time for a new challenge at CASology, and the cue is a delicious one!



Of course my first thoughts went to school (this is my first day back to work in a school and my kids start back tomorrow).  Then I thought of the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

When I showed my card to my daughter and explained my thought process, she flatly stated, "Well, I guess it's too late for that if they get this card."

(Yeah.  Thanks for that.)

Materials Used:
Stamps: Hero Arts "Four Apples," "All Occasion Messages," "Ledger"
Inks: black dye ink, soft pool midtone ink
Other: Hero Arts blush cards, MFT Die-namics 3x4 notebook paper die, 
patterned papers, green gems, corner rounder 


I can't wait to see what the word APPLE brings to mind for you...I do hope you play along!   In the meantime, be sure to check out our Design Team and our Guest Designer this week for some AMAZING inspiration.  You have until Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CDT) to play along.



Jen Wills -- did you see she was named Moxie Fabber of the Week this week? (Yay!)
 
Guest Designer:  Sandie

Thanks for stopping by, I do appreciate your visit!
Judy