For the Love of Paper

Spring over at CardMaker Magazine’s blog

2012-02-22T07:19:00.001-06:00

Its my turn at the CardMaker Magazine blog today! I am sharing my favorite new color for spring and some great color palettes for you to use to bring some sunshine in your day! :)

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Patterned paper-My Mind’s Eye On the Bright Side Two 6x6
Stamps-Mint Motif (Simply Sentiments available March 12)
Cardstock-Bazzill Kraft
Tsukineko Memento-Tuxedo Black
Twine-May Arts
Buttons-My Stash
Adhesive-3L Scrapbooking Adhesives EZ Runner

CardMaker Blog Team Little Lullabies Hop

2012-02-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

For our CardMaker Magazine blog team hop today, we are creating baby cards. Babies are on the mind in our family right now because my sister is expecting in June. We just found out that she is having a boy! But I just had to make a card for a boy and a girl.

It was very easy to make two cards with this new paper pad from My Mind’s Eye. Miss Caroline; Howdy Doody has the sweetest papers! To go along with the papers, I wanted to add something soft. Then the idea struck me to die cut some felt with Donna’s Alphabet from Spellbinders.

And notice the stamped sentiment? Well, it’s a sneak peek at what Mint Motif has coming out in March! :)

Visit the rest of the team and see what creativity awaits!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Patterned paper-My Mind’s Eye-Miss Caroline (Howdy Doody 6x6)
Stamps-Mint Motif (Simply Sentiments available March 12)
Ink-Tsukineko Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Spellbinders-LF-003 Donna’s Alpha, E8-001 Classic Scallop Edgeabilities
Twine-The Twinery
Adhesive-3L Foam Squares (White Small), EZ Runner

Feel Better with Avocado Arts

2012-02-14T23:00:00.000-06:00

Today the projects from the Pit Crew use not only the February Kit, Wishes and Kind Thoughts, but they also show a peek of an image from the upcoming March kit, Springtime Celebrations.

When I look at the two sets together, I noticed that the cute bubbly background (Springtime Celebrations) I used also coordinated with the darling little owl’s (Wishes and Kind Thoughts) rain gear. Love how all these sets work together!!

The background was stamped in clear ink and then the smaller bubbles were colored in with a UniBall Signo Broad white gel pen. I added the same detailing to the owl’s rain gear, after he was colored with Copic Markers.

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Stamps-Avocado Arts (Wishes and Kind Thoughts, Springtime Celebrations)
Ink-Tsukineko Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Copics-Y11, Y13, Y15, E53, E55, BV20, BV22
Spellbinders-S4-132 Classic Rectangles LG
UniBall Signo Broad White Gel Pen

clothespins

2012-02-10T02:01:00.000-06:00

So this is a project I just had to share again. I made this about this time last year. Being in love with all things clothespins (still am), I stamped on the basic wooden pins with Palette Ink. The reason I bring this up again, is because I saw lots of clothespins at CHA-W. So many cutely decorated ones!! Clothespins can be easily covered with patterned papers, or stamped. Lots of possibilities!! :)

From Crate Paper, Story Teller, clothespins

From American Crafts, Gardenia, clothespins

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

My Top 10 Trends from CHA-W

2012-02-09T02:01:00.000-06:00

The trends I saw at CHA-W. No particular order, just things I noticed.

1. Sewing, quilting.

Sewing Elements from Spellbinders Paper Arts

Lily Bee. Handmade.

2. Aqua and Yellow color palettes

Lily Bee. Buttercup.

Pink Paislee. Indigo Bleu.

Also Theresa Collins.

3. Brighter color palettes. Lots of 80’s type colors starting to appear.

Lily Bee. Victoria Park.

Basic Grey PB & J.

Check out lines from Heidi Swapp and Glitz for more bright palettes.

4. Quick, easy, and beautiful scrapbooking.

Following along the Project Life trend, there were quite a few new products on the market making it quick and easy to scrapbook, but still keep that handmade and beautiful look.

Simple Stories. Mix and Match.

World Win papers also had a fantastic new set of albums in kraft.

5. Woodgrain, shaped wood pieces and flags.

My Mind’s Eye. Die cut butterfly from Miss Caroline.

Also see Jillibean Soup’s Wood Flags.

6. Borders, borders, borders-with texture is even better, think felt, lace, ribbon.

Spellbinders Paper Arts. Classic Edges One.

Spellbinders Paper Arts. Classic Decorative Inserts Five.

7. Buttons-wooden, solid colors, shaped, decorated

Bella Blvd. Button Market.

Basic Grey.

8. Flags. Pennants. Bunting.

Maya Road.

Bella Blvd. Flags.

9. Chevron pattern

Studio Calico/Hero Arts stamp.

Pink Paislee. Prairie Hill.

10. Tags, Postcards

Pink Paislee. Prairie Hill.

Hope that inspires you to try something new!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Top 10 Favorites from CHA-W

2012-02-07T20:19:00.001-06:00

My top 10 favorite products from CHA-W 2012, in no particular order, of course!

1. My Mind’s Eye all the collections, On the Bright Side, Miss Caroline, Follow Your Heart

Follow Your Heart “Be Amazing” 6x6 pad. Love the kraft, aqua, yellow color combo. And the hexagon patterns, bicycles, and kite images.

Miss Caroline. Love the distressed wood grain.

Miss Caroline Love. The colors of this are so soft and beautiful. And look at all the amazing shapes on the journal tags.

On the Bright Side. Great colors. More wood grain.

On the Bright Side One 6x6 pad. Again, the colors are exactly me. A fun denim print and a chevron pattern!

2. Lily Bee

Buttercup. Super trendy color palette. Text print chevron!!

Double Dutch. Another trendy color palette. Loving the oranges and navy blues.

Handmade. Works with the sewing theme trend. Great size patterns.

Victoria Park. AM.AZ.ING! Julia Stainton knocked it out of the park with not only the colors, but with the patterns too! Loving the new shade of green in this-that color was pretty popular.

3. Bella Blvd Button Market and Flags

Buttons are not leaving the scene any time soon and these are darling!! Perfect to have them packaged together as well! And then those flags! How cute?!

4. Jillibean Soup

Alphabeans and Soup Labels-cute alphabet stickers in fantastic colors, along with label stickers with cute sayings. Click here.

Game Day Chili-great kraft printed papers, perfect for those of us with little boys. Click here.

5. Crate Paper-Story Teller

Love the patterns and colors. Trendy.

6. Webster’s Pages

Clean and Simple designs. Such a fabulous concept. The great motifs of their lines, but more simple to use. At least for me. :)

7. Pink Paislee

Prairie Hill. Soft. Pretty. Chevrons, of course! More oranges too.

8. Simple Stories

Documented. Beautiful. LOVE LOVE LOVE the subway art pieces!

9. Basic Grey

Plumeria. Stunning. Look at the purple and orange!

10. Studio Calico

Take Note. So pretty!!!

There you go. Just a few of my favorites. Now the waiting and the shopping!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

finally a winner!

2012-02-06T22:32:00.001-06:00

Oh my goodness! Its been WAY too long!! CHA-W was amazing. Truly amazing. So many exciting things to share. SO many great products! Stay tuned and once I can get my feet back underneath me, I will share.

When I got home it was time for the little man’s birthday party and today was his golden birthday. Six on the sixth. Where does time go? How can you be so proud of someone and the person they are becoming and yet have your heart break just a wee bit with each passing moment? Ah, the love of a parent.

I bet you have been waiting to the winner to be announced…remember this blog post with the Paper Crafts Stamp It! 3 Ways blog hop? I barely do either. Hee hee!

Tiffani said...

Love the colors and the card!

January 27, 2012 1:47 PM

Congrats Tiffani!! Please email me at the address by my photo and we will get you a copy of Stamp It! 3 Ways in the mail!!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

wishing you a wonderful day

2012-01-31T23:00:00.000-06:00

A cute and simple card using Avocado Arts February kit, Wishes and Kind Thoughts for today.

The darling watering can was stamped onto cardstock and colored with Copic markers. A bit of fussy cutting was done, which I love. And to get inside the handle, I used an X-Acto knife.

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

I am still at CHA. I should be back tomorrow night! After last year and spending 3 bonus days in Los Angeles, let’s hope I can get back on schedule! The little man has a birthday party this weekend! :)

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Stamps-Avocado Arts (Wishes and Kind Thoughts)
Patterned paper-Lily Bee (Head Over Heels)
Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Spellbinders-Circles LG, Standard Scalloped Circles LG, Lacey Pennants

thank you with Avocado Arts

2012-01-29T23:00:00.000-06:00

Today it’s a look at the next kit from Avocado Arts, Wishes and Kind Thoughts.

I used several of the smaller images from the set to create my own patterned paper. Its easy to do, just place the stamps on an acrylic block and stamp away. The best thing is, you can turn the block around and around to get the pattern the way you want it to look.

And I wanted to show you how easy it is to create a pennant shape panel for your cards. Cut the patterned paper to the width and length you desire. Then, use another piece of patterned paper, or scrap cardstock, that has a 90 degree corner. Center the corner, trace the lines lightly with a pencil, and then cut. Doing this with the same piece of cardstock on the patterned paper, as well as the stamped piece, allowed them to layer perfectly.

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Stamps-Avocado Arts (Wishes and Kind Thoughts)
Patterned paper-Lily Bee (Head Over Heels)
Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black),
Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk-Razzberry)
Twine-The Twinery
Spellbinders-Classic Postage Edgeabilities

Paper Crafts Magazine: Stamp It! 3 Ways Blog Hop

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Stamp It! 3 Ways blog hop! This new special issue from Paper Crafts magazine is now available. Its stamping, all stamping!! What I love about this issue is how its set up. Three designers were given the same stamp set and they each created a card based on their own style. The creative ways each designer used the stamps is astounding! So much creativity! And so many ways to be inspired to use stamp sets in your stash.

Today I am using one of the stamp sets I used in the issue, My Mind’s Eye Lost and Found Princess stamps.

I stamped the pennants onto white cardstock with aqua ink. Then I added a piece of twine to the card base. Each of the pennants was cut out and foam mounted to the card. The butterfly was stamped with yellow ink, cut out and foam mounted. The sentiment fit perfectly between the embossed details.

The embossing on the background was created by Spellbinders Paper Arts latest; M-Bossabilities!! These dual-sided embossing folders are brilliant and create such a deep impression! This folder is called Elite. M-Bossabilities will be available for ordering at CHA-W. So look for them soon at your favorite store!!

Check out these talented stampers and see what they have created for today!
Jaclyn Miller
Julie Masse
Laura Williams
Heidi Van Laar
Emily Leiphart
Mariana Grigsby
Julia Stainton
Sarah Moerman
Karen Baker
Laura O’Donnell
Kelley Eubanks
Kimberly Crawford *you are here*

Congrats for making it this far on the hop! :) For your persistence, how about a giveaway? I have a copy of Stamp It! 3 Ways to give to one reader! Leave a comment on this post telling me your current favorite stamp set or stamping technique. You have until Sunday, January 29, at 12 midnight to leave a comment. I will draw a winner when I return from CHA on Feb 3. The winner will be announced sometime on that day.

AND there is an uber-amazing, cannot believe they are giving away all the stamp sets used in the issue give away on the Paper Crafts Connection blog!!! So be sure and leave a comment there for a chance to win too!!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Stamps-My Mind’s Eye (Lost and Found 2 Princess)
Spellbinders-M-Bossabilities (Elite)
Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk-Canary, Turquoise), Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Twine-The Twinery

This is a scheduled post as I am in California for CHA.

CHA bound

2012-01-26T02:01:00.000-06:00

ETA: There is lots of fun and giveaways happening on the Paper Crafts Connection blog today!!! Its the celebration of Stamp It 3 Ways and Susan Opel is featuring something near and dear to my heart! Pinch me please!! :) Ok, read the rest of this post and then go! :)

Today I am off to Anaheim, CA and CHA-W! I will be working in the Spellbinders Booth #1883 . If you are attending the show be sure and stop by and say hi!!!

Its going to be an exciting show for me for a few reasons.
Reason #1:

Spellbinders Quick and Easy Crafts for Entertaining will be available and Stacey Caron, the president of Spellbinders Paper Arts, will be giving books away and signing copies (CHA Booth #1883 Sunday, January 29, 1-2:30 pm. Or until supplies last.)! I still cannot believe that my artwork is on the cover! Holding this in my hands and will make it very real!

Reason #2:

This book from Paper Crafts Magazine, Party Ensembles will also be given away! One of the ensembles I created for this book is SO COOL! Seeing how they photographed it is going to be very exciting! This issue is very exciting!

Reason #3:
Ok, this one is a big secret. One I have been keeping in for awhile. Its pretty cool. Another surreal happening. As soon as the show starts, I will be able to share, well, show you. :)

When I get back (Feb. 2), I’ll share some of the things I saw on the floor. I honestly won’t have too much time to wander, but I will do my best. (If I get the chance to take/share photos, I will on Facebook and Twitter.)

Off to enjoy the palm trees! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Stamp It 3 Ways

2012-01-25T02:01:00.000-06:00

Stamp It 3 Ways, another special issue from Paper Crafts magazine is now available. I am always excited and honored to have projects in any print publication, but this particular issue holds a special place in my heart. The reason being, one of the stamp sets I designed was used in the issue!!!!!

Beyond Borders was used by three very talented card makers, Kim Kesti, Jaclyn Miller, and Amber Daigre. A huge thank you to them! Its amazing to see what others create using something you designed!! Its totally unreal actually, who are we kidding? :)

thanks for stopping by and listening to my stories! :)

~kimberly

my little boy

2012-01-24T02:01:00.000-06:00

Another Spellbinders project to share. A sweet and simple layout with my little man. And look at all the die templates I was able to use!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

See above for Spellbinders
Patterned paper-Echo Park (Little Boy-Little Boy Buttons, Boxer Stripe, Awesome Dots, Sailboats )

go with all your heart

2012-01-23T02:01:00.000-06:00

Finally getting to share a Spellbinders Paper Arts project with you! We create so many projects, all that are used in various ways. Once they show up in the fabulous Spellbinders idea gallery, we can share them on our blogs.

See the supply list below for all the wonderful die templates that I used. One tip I want to point out is the inking. Be sure and add some ink to your embossed (raised) edges to bring out the beautiful details!

Its been a wee bit crazy here. The little man got ill over the weekend, which changed our plans. Poor thing. I am testing students this week, and I leave for CHA on Friday. Oh, did I mention I teach class Tuesday night? What would we do if we didn’t have to be a thousand places at once? :) Hope your weekend was wonderful!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Spellbinders-S5-071 Twisted Metal Tags and Accents
E8-001 Classic Scallop Edgeabilities
E8-003 Classic Triple Scallop
Patterned paper-My Mind’s Eye (Lost and Found 2 Breeze 6x6)
Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk; Creamy Brown, Chestnut Roan)
Stamps-Flourishes
Pearls-Want 2 Scrap

more with Spellbinders Square Swatches

2012-01-19T02:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome back! Thank you all so very much for all your sweet comments on my post for the Spellbinders Blog Frenzy!!!!!

To create the frame on the front of the card, I started by die cutting a square of cardstock. Then, I die cut S4-342 Square Swatches from the center, using pieces of low-tack tape to keep it exactly in the center. Then the edges were inked. Using the same technique as my layout from the other day, I used the square die template to draw lines. A paper piercer was used to makes holes, allowing me to stitch. The stitched frame was then foam mounted to a piece of patterned paper.

The flower was die cut with S4-351 Spiral Blossom One and felt. Ahh that 100% wool felt again! Add leaves from S4-321 Nested Leaves, and a decorative brad from My Mind’s Eye.

The border on the bottom was die cut and embossed using E8-013 Classic Decorative Borders Five and E8-001 Classic Scallop Edgeabilities. To add extra depth to your embossing, be sure and rub some ink over the top, gently.

Ok, back to work, CHA is quickly approaching! So much to do, so little time!!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Spellbinders-S4-342 Square Swatches (available for order at CHA-W), E8-013 Classic Decorative Inserts Five (available for order at CHA-W, S4-351 Spiral Blossom One, S4-126 Squares LG, S4-321 Nested Leaves, E8-001 Classic Scallop Edgeabilities
Patterned paper-Jillibean Soup (Sweet and Sour Soup 6x6)
Brad-My Mind’s Eye (Stella and Rose-Hazel Decorative Brads)
Stamps-Flourishes (Tag Lines)
Felt-National Non-Wovens (100% wool felt-Ivory)
Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Ranger-Distressing (Frayed Burlap)

Spellbinders Abilities and Beyond Blog Frenzy Day Six

2012-01-16T20:58:00.001-06:00

Welcome to day six of the Spellbinders Abilities and Beyond Blog Frenzy!

Spellbinders™ Paper Arts is absolutely thrilled to bring you our largest product releases ever! These new collections are some of the most innovative and beautiful die cutting and embossing templates in the world! The Spellbinders Abilities and Beyond Blog Frenzy allows you a sneak peek of our introductions for the 2012 Winter Craft and Hobby Association trade show later this month.

Win today’s new Spellbinders products!

Be eligible to win the Grand Prize by entering each day, see the schedule below!

Enter my Blog Frenzy from 12:00 am Eastern Standard Time (EST) January 17, 2012 until 11:59 pm January 18, 2012.

Today’s participating Blog Frenzy includes my blog and Donna Salazar and Ken Oliver's. You can enter yesterday’s blogs, Holly Simoni, Heidi Blankenship, and Judy Hayes through January 17th at 11:59 pm EST.

See the Spellbinders Blog for the complete schedule of designers and contest rules.

Thank you Spellbinders Paper Arts for sponsoring this contest!

The first time I saw S4-342 Square Swatches Spellbinders Nestabilities®, my thoughts immediately went to a quilt. With quilts being warm, cozy, and full of love, this family photo was going to be perfect to use with a quilted background!

S4-342 Square Swatches
MSRP: $24.99
DIE SIZES:
1. 3/4"

2. 1 1/2"

3. 2 1/4"

4. 3"

5. 4"

E8-013 Classic Decorative Inserts Five
MSRP: $19.99
DIE SIZES:
Diamond: 5/8" x 8"

Scalloped Dots: 3/4" x 8"

Scalloped and Swirls: 5/8" x 8"

I started by using die number 5, where one is the smallest. It was placed on the A-Base Plate with the cut edges facing up.

Then the patterned paper was placed face down into the die template.

Always place whatever side of your paper you want showing face down into your die template. This ensures that your embossing will be on the correct side.

Top the patterned paper with the C-Cutting Plate. Run through the Spellbinders Grand Calibur® machine.

Leaving the paper inside the die template, place the Tan Embossing pad and B-Embossing Plate over the top, as shown. Run through the machine again.

Ink the edges of each square.

Using S4-126 Classic Squares LG, die template number 6, trace faux stitching lines.

The die template nests inside the die cut shape perfectly.

The finished square.

Repeat these steps for each square, using different colors of patterned paper. A 12 x 12" layout can have a total of nine squares when using the largest die template.

To create the 100% wool felt border, I used E8-013 Classic Decorative Inserts Five. This set comes with three decorative inserts. I chose the one third from the top. It works perfectly with E8-003 Classic Ric Rac's edger.

Each Spellbinders Edgeabilities® die measure 8.” So to "measure" my piece of 100% wool felt, I placed the edger on the felt and trimmed.

To keep the edger and decorative inserts in place, use several small pieces of low-tack tape. I use one piece on each end of each die template, for a total of four pieces.

To maximize the effectiveness of the delicate cutting of this decorative insert, place the insert, cut edge up (so the felt is on top), on the center of the A-Base Plate.

Because these dies feature such intricate cutting and embossing detail, you may need to cut twice. If an area didn’t cut completely, add a paper or cardstock shim only that section. Cut again, then emboss for a beautiful and intricate design!

With one pass through the Grand Calibur, look at how beautifully the details cut!

Layer the felt border on top of a cardstock border.

Here is another project I made using S4-342 Square Swatches and E8-013 Classic Decorative Inserts Five. For more details about this card, please stop back in a couple of days!

By entering the Spellbinders Abilities and Beyond Blog Frenzy you agree to the Official Rules. For questions on the Spellbinders Abilities and Beyond Blog Frenzy, send an email to contestquestions@spellbinders.us; no entries will be accepted at this email address.

TO ENTER:

My blog is open for entries from 12:00 am, January 17, 2012, until 11:59 pm, January 18, 2012, EST.
1) Send your Blog Frenzy email entry to: reveal16@spellbinders.us
2) The subject must be S4-342 Square Swatches and E8-013 Classic Decorative Inserts Five.
3) Send!

Be sure to visit all the Designers on their Blog Frenzy dates!

Daily winners will receive an email within 24 hours of the blog frenzy’s closing. The winners will have 72 hours to reply to that email to claim prize. If a winner fails to respond within 72 hours, a new winner will be drawn.
To be eligible for the Grand Prize, enter each and every Blog Frenzy within its designated time period, send your entries from the email address for each entry. The Grand Prize has a retail value of over $1900 and includes the complete Spellbinders line of die cutting and embossing templates released at the 2012 Winter CHA show, and a Spellbinders Grand Calibur® Die Cutting and Embossing Machine!

I love your comments! Unfortunately your comment does not count as an entry, so be sure to enter as stated above, and then leave a comment.

Thank you for visiting and good luck!!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-Grand Calibur, S4-342 Square Swatches, E8-013 Classic Decorative Inserts Five, S4-126 Squares LG, S5-028 Nested Pennants, Patterned paper-Cosmo Cricket (Togetherness 6x6), Cardstock-WorldWin (Kraft), Chipboard-Jillibean Soup, Twine-The Twinery (Maraschino), Buttons-Michael’s, Ink-Ranger-Distressing (Frayed Burlap), Felt-National Non-Wovens (100% wool felt)

To receive information and announcements from Spellbinders, sign up for the Newsletter and subscribe to the Spellbinders Blog. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and Pinterest. Thank You!

Spellbinders and M-Bossabilities are trademarks of Spellbinders Paper Arts, llc.

Grand Calibur is a registered trademark of Spellbinders Paper Arts, llc.

wood buttons

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today I am sharing my current favorite thing over at the CardMaker Magazine blog. Pop on over and see how to create all these buttons with stamps!!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

I love you with Avocado Arts

2012-01-14T23:00:00.000-06:00

Today’s project is featuring January’s kit, Sweet Treat Sweetie and a peek at what is coming up next month.

The umbrella was stamped onto patterned paper, but it still needed something. So, to give it more depth and interest, I colored the underside of the umbrella with Copic Markers.

And it’s the day that the entire Pit Crew is posting projects! The eye candy will be amazing, with all these talented ladies!

This week is going to be exciting on the old blog! Tomorrow is a CardMaker Magazine post, and Tuesday is my Spellbinders Blog Frenzy post day!! Lots of fun! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Sweet Treat Sweetie, Feb. Kit), Patterned paper-Lily Bee (Head Over Heels), Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk-Picante, Turquoise, Razzberry), Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copics-W1, W3, W5, W7

Sweets for Your Sweet

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another CardMaker Magazine Blog team hop! Today we are sharing projects all about sweet treats!

I have a thing for candy jars. There is something so nostalgic about them. Each of these little candy jars are filled with stamped hearts. And each heart got a little bit of sparkle.

Be sure and visit the rest of the team and the CardMaker Blog:
Tami Mayberry
Carolyn King
Trudy Sjolander
Colleen Schaan
Kimberly Crawford *you are here*

Happy Friday the 13th! Its always a good day for me and I hope its lucky for you too!
thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Stamps-Mint Motif (Sweet Hearts )
Patterned paper-Lily Bee (Head Over Heels)
Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Palette-Stewart Superior (Belle Rose)
Twine-The Twinery
Stickles-Ranger (Star Dust)
Cardstock-Bazzill
Spellbinders-Lacey Pennants

on his way

2012-01-12T02:01:00.000-06:00

I forgot to share this layout with you last year, so here it is today. This is the little man walking down the street on his very first day of school. I was looking at the JustRite Stampers set, You’re the Best, and thought, hey, those award ribbons could make a pretty cool fence…

…and here the fence is!

A look at the clouds and sunshine. So easy to create with Spellbinders dies. Which is pretty obvious because I always do this with Labels Six and Inverted Scalloped Circles. :)

The journaling reads, “You are on your way to an amazing adventure; school. Always keep your excitement for learning things. Stay curious. Do your best work. Look to be challenged. Be brave. Be kind. Be helpful. And always stay our sweet, thoughtful, funny little man. We love you! August 18, 2011.”

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies:

Stamps-JustRite Stampers (You’re the Best)
Spellbinders-Labels Six, Inverted Scalloped Circles, Circles LG, Foliage
Patterned paper-Graphic 45-An ABC Primer (ABC Primer, Alphabet Soup, Happy Go Lucky)

Cool Tools for Paper Crafters

2012-01-10T02:01:00.000-06:00

The latest special issue is on stands now from Paper Crafts! Called, Cool Tools for Paper Crafters, this issue will knock your socks right off! The entire issue is devoted to how to use your tools. Tools you have in your stash. Sometimes in ways you never would have thought about. I know I had some A-HA moments reading through it! And of course, I am thrilled to have projects included in this!!

Here is one of my projects. This project focuses on stenciling through your die templates to create a beautiful focal point on your projects. For this card I used Spellbinders S4-114 Circles LG and S5-061 Daisy Flower Topper, along with several colors of Colorbox Chalk ink from Clearsnap. The issue includes step shots of many of the projects, including this one. Be sure and pick this one up. It’s a keeper!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

And a quick PS. Huge congrats to all the Spellbinders design team contest finalists! Best of luck to each and every one of you! Yes, I was not on the list and I knew it. Because…I am still with Spellbinders, just moving into another role within the company!! It’s a wonderful opportunity and when I can share more, you know I will! :)

favorite layouts of 2011

2012-01-06T02:01:00.000-06:00

And last, but not least, a look at my favorite layouts from 2011…there are still a few more to share soon!

First day of kindergarten

I Love You to Space; Spellbinders Edgeabilities

Stinker: Unity Stamp Co and Spellbinders

Bug Catcher: Avocado Arts

Hope that you enjoyed looking back on 2011! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

favorite altered items of 2011

2012-01-05T02:01:00.000-06:00

Today it’s a look back at a few of my favorite altered items from the past year. Hope you enjoy!

Boo to You: Avocado Arts, stitching over your stamping

Hydrangea Frame: Stampendous, with video tutorial

Video tutorial: Coloring with Distressing Inks

Faux Slatted Wood frame

Stamped fabric photo mat

Snow globe with Avocado Arts

Coffee Cozies: Spellbinders

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

favorite cards of 2011

2012-01-04T02:01:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope that your year is off to a wonderful start! It seemed like it would be fun to share some of my favorite projects from the past year. Today cards, then altered items, and scrap pages. Its fun to look back and remember all the projects and ideas and work! If the link is worth visiting, I added it underneath the card. Some of the projects have video tutorials, so there are links for those as well. Enjoy!

CardMaker Magazine blog post: Faux Letterpress, Spellbinders, Hero Arts, my very first blog post on the blog team

Faux Letterpress: Spellbinders, with video tutorial
Video tutorial: Faux Letterpress

friends: a favorite publication reject

just saying hello: another reject, and its ok :)

another hello: resist embossing technique

those you hold well: Moxie Fab World challenge card

my favorite pattern-chevron: Spellbinders, Mint Motif

SORRY! This project had to be removed for publication. :)
Look for it in the June 2012 issue of CARDS magazine.

thank you: die cutting felt, Spellbinders, Technique Tuesday, Kaiser Craft

pair of socks: Avocado Arts

the little things: Hero Arts, with video tutorial
Video tutorial: Acrylic block stamping
Its great to be back home after visiting both sets of families in MN last week. We had a great time celebrating Christmas and eating way too much good food! Snow tubing and ice fishing, board game playing, and movie watching also rounded out our time together. Its tough to get back into the groove of things! CHA is approaching quickly, which means tons of artwork to complete. The Spellbinders Abilities and Beyond Blog Frenzy is also on its way…oooh fun stuff to share! It means that the old blog here will be a bit neglected again, but I am learning to say no, even to posting. :)
thanks for stopping by and for all of your comments, encouragement, and emails!!!
~kimberly

I love you jar with Avocado Arts

2011-12-31T23:00:00.000-06:00

Let me start this post off with wishes for a very Happy New Year!!!

Today’s project from Avocado Arts again features the latest set, Sweet Treat Sweetie.

The background behind the jar was die cut and then stamped with the x’s and o’s image. The jar was stamped onto patterned paper, cut out, and foam mounted to the rectangle. Each heart was also stamped onto patterned paper and foam mounted to the inside of the jar. The tag was tied to the jar with twine, after it was stamped (via masking) with the sentiment.

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

And there is very exciting news from Avocado Arts! There are new members joining the team!!

Be sure and stop by and visit them and welcome them!! And they will be posting their projects on January 7th!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Sweet Treat Sweetie), Patterned paper-Lily Bee Designs (Memoranda), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Distressing-Ranger (Frayed Burlap), Twine-May Arts, Spellbinders-Rectangles LG, Standard Scalloped Rectangles LG, Tags Five

happy heart day peek from Avocado Arts

2011-12-29T23:00:00.000-06:00

Today it’s a look at Sweet Treat Sweetie, the next release from Avocado Arts! Hard to believe its time to think about the next holiday! ;)

The background of this card was stamped several times in different colors of ink. (The stamp image itself has three rows of x’s and o’s.) To make it easy, I used a Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk Queue set of inks. They are five inks, stacked up, that all coordinate.

The extra touch to this card is the stamped button. Yep, I cannot get enough of those wood buttons. Perfect for making your own embellishments! This button was sanded first, then using Palette ink, I stamped the heart image. Tie some twine through the button and you are done. Lots of possibilities with that idea.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays! thanks for stopping by!

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Sweet Treet Sweetie), Ink-Clearnsnap Colorbox Chalk (Rose Petals), Button-Maya Road, Twine-Martha Stewart, Spellbinders-Lacey Pennants

card and a tutorial at CardMaker

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today is my FIRST blog post over at Cardmaker Magazine’s blog! Stop on over and find out more about my article in the January 2012 issue and how to make this card!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T02:01:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours! May the next year bring many blessings to your life!

Luke 2; The Birth of Jesus

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

~kimberly

CardMaker Blog Team Hop

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the first CardMaker Blog Team Hop featuring last minute Christmas cards. Also known as quick and easy and I have too much going on cards! :)

Quick and easy cards, at least to me, mean a small number of supplies and a basic design that is effortless to re-create several times over. While thinking about this hop, I went wandering in Michael’s. Already marked down on clearance (which makes this even better!), was a package of decorative tape and a package of dimensional star stickers. Perfectly coordinated for me by Martha Stewart (ha ha), I knew I had found my solution.
My three supplies:

Decorative Tape
Dimensional Stickers
White cardstock

For this card, I placed two pieces of decorative tape across the center of the card. The tape overlapped the edges and I trimmed away the excess with a pair of scissors. I added the star sticker to the right side, over the tape. Then added a sentiment by cutting the words from another roll of decorative tape. Total time: 3 minutes, maybe.

For this one, same thing. Layer the decorative tape across the card and trim the excess. While placing the worded tape, I made sure that the words “Merry Christmas” were in the center of the card. Three dimensional stickers were added around the sentiment and voila, another card done. Total time: 3 minutes. Again, that’s generous.

Check out what the rest of the team has created! Hey look, that’s 5 (or more) cards for you to use if you are running behind, like me! :)
Tami Mayberry
Carolyn King
Trudy Sjolander
Colleen Schaan
Kimberly Crawford *you are here*

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly
Supplies: Stickers and decorative tape-Martha Stewart, Cardstock-Neenah (Solar White)

A homemade Christmas gift with Avocado Arts

2011-12-14T23:00:00.000-06:00

Having cute dish towels is something I love to have in the kitchen. Nothing like adding a bit of holiday décor or just some fun personality to the room! These plain dish towels were a great find at my local fabric store. They are made for decorating, typically with stitching, but Brrr! and the Nerdy Snow Peeps stamp set from Avocado Arts (and those stinking cute snowmen) were perfect to use! This is a quick project, which makes it a perfect gift to make for someone this holiday season!

Here is a look at the stamping on the towel. If you are going to do this, here are some tips, well, instructions for what you need to do, if you want the stamping to stick around. :)

Wash the towel/s first. No dryer sheets or fabric softener, though.
Stamp on a single layer of towel and consider putting a piece of scrap paper underneath to save on your stamping surface. If you stamp on all the layers, your image will go through to the underside.
Use PALETTE inks from Stewart Superior. These are hybrid inks made for this type of application.
Heat set the image using an iron. Place another dish towel over your stamped image before you iron, to help avoid burning.

The towels were simply wrapped with ribbon and a tag. The ribbon was cut to wrap around the towels and was fastened together with a large glue dot.
The tag was die cut and stamped. Chalkstock was used and it takes ink beautifully! Versamagic Cloud White was used. Keep in mind this is a juicy pigment ink, so it needs dry time or a little help from a heat gun. The tag was tied to the ribbon with a piece of twine and a cute wood button.

And here is a sneak peek of the next kit being released, Sweet Treat Sweetie. Stop back on December 30 for the full reveal!
Be sure and stop by and visit the rest of the team to be inspired!
Avocado Arts Blog
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers
thanks for stopping by!
~kimberly
Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Brrr! and the Nerdy Snow Peeps), Ink-Palette (Noir, L’Amour), Versamagic (Cloud White), Chalkstock-Canvas Corp, Twine-Martha Stewart, Ribbon-Making Memories, Button-Maya Road, Towels-Hancock Fabrics, Spellbinders (tag no longer available)

joy

2011-12-13T02:01:00.000-06:00

The grand re-decoration of the “department store” tree has begun! (The name my husband has given the upper level Christmas tree.) The burlap ribbon is wonderful looking, especially for the cat who thinks it’s a treat. Yikes. :) Jingle bells have been added to the snowflakes already hanging on the tree. It still needs more, but I am enjoying the hunt. This past weekend, I knew I wanted to make some ornaments for the tree. I was inspired by last year’s Pottery Barn catalog. (You can see the projects for table décor and the original ornament I made last year on this post HERE.)

These only took a couple of hours and I made 20 of them. Here are the instructions.

Die cut cardstock with Spellbinders S4-172 Pinking Circles. Add Stickles to the edges. Set aside to dry.
Die cut cardstock with Spellbinders S4-114 Standard Circles LG.
Stamp Holly Leaves with black ink onto the cardstock circle.
Stamp Music Background with Frayed Burlap distressing Ink over the top.
Add Scattered Straw distressing ink to the center of the ornament, avoiding the leaves. No worries on perfection, though.:)
Apply Peeled Paint and Fired Brick distressing inks onto a craft mat.
Spritz lightly with water.
Using a paintbrush, paint the leaves and berries. Again, not worrying about perfection. And to add more depth, add another layer of ink, or use less water when spritzing.
Stamp Joy with black ink.
Ink edges with Frayed Burlap ink.
Assemble.

Sickness is still in our house. Hoping this week will mark the end for the poor little man. We have important Christmas activities to participate in! Hope you and yours are well. thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Music Background Cling, Get Merry, Classic Holly Cling), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Ranger Distressing Inks (Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap, Stickles-Ranger (StarDust), Twine-May Arts, Spellbinders-S4-172 Pinking Circles SM, S4-114 Standard Circles LG

photos on Friday

2011-12-09T02:01:00.000-06:00

A photo of the little man in our yard. I loved catching him throw me this look over his shoulder! (MCP actions used.)

Well, the last week has been complete insanity in our house. I had a major project to ship, 5 art projects to make and ship, I broke my middle toe, the little man was sick and needed to go to the doctor, we attended the city Christmas party in the park, took the little man back to the doctor for uber-pricey antibiotics, hubby had a business trip, oh and I hosted a tasting party at our house… so, yes I took a much-needed nap yesterday. Needless to say, there hasn’t been much photo taking or creating going on. That will change, I promise! :)

And let me send out a huge thank you for all of you that congratulated me on my new gig at CardMaker Magazine! Your comments and emails were so greatly appreciated! I am very blessed with wonderful friends and kind and thoughtful paper crafters in my life!

Have a wonderful weekend! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

exciting announcement

2011-12-05T09:06:00.000-06:00

My fun and oh, so very exciting news can be found at the

CardMaker Magazine blog.
One smiley face is not enough. :)

Advent Conspiracy

2011-12-04T02:01:00.000-06:00

Oh, the season is upon us. For everyone it has a different meaning. And different priorities. In my life, I am working on making memories, living life and focusing on my family. At the end of the month of gratitude, I want the thankfulness to continue. And I want to be able to give to those less fortunate. I am so blessed in this life. My family is so blessed.

Our church has been participating in the Advent Conspiracy since its inception. The Advent Conspiracy encourages us to give less purchased gifts and give more of our time this holiday season. And then to take the money that would have been used and donate it. The money is given to groups that are digging fresh water wells in Africa. This year our church is focusing on wells in Zimbabwe. You and I turn the faucet on for water. Thousands of people around the world die each day from unclean drinking water. This is the chance to make a difference. A real difference. A lasting gift to someone you don’t know.

Please watch this video and take the impact into your own life. It is moving. It is powerful. It is my hope and wish for you this holiday season. Enjoy your family. Enjoy your time together. Give time. Give less gifts. Give yourself.
Jesus is the reason for the season.

~kimberly

Video Tutorial: Making windows in gift bags

2011-12-03T02:01:00.000-06:00

When I made this project, using a small bag to hold a gift card, I got quite a few emails asking how to make the window in the bag. Well, I finally got around to it, and here it is.

For those that need the direct link: Making windows in gift bags

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Ho Hos and Holiday Blessings, Hello Friend), Ink-Palette, Copics, Bag-Canvas Corp (Small Kraft), Spellbinders-Standard Circles Large, Twine-May Arts, Large Clothespin-Canvas Corp

faux metal jewelry and a video tutorial

2011-12-02T02:01:00.000-06:00

Today I am excited to share this project with you! Did you know that you can create a beautiful piece of jewelry like this, using paper?! Yes, that butterfly is paper!

To show you how easy this is to create, I have made a video tutorial for you. Be sure and check it out for two reasons, one there is different piece of jewelry being made on the video, and two, this would make a wonderful gift to make for someone!

For those that need the direct link: Faux Metal Jewelry

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-S5-070 Ornate Artisan Tags and Accents, Silver Engraving Art Board (Royal Langenickel)

final gratitudes

2011-12-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

Gratitudes:
Nov. 24 For my family. Our wonderful little family. So filled with love. And of course its not perfect, but its mine, all mine. And it makes me smile from the inside.
Nov. 25 For an understanding husband who is willing to take his wife out shopping in all the Black Friday craziness.
Nov. 26 For laughter and silliness. We went to The Muppets and giggled. Manana. :)
Nov. 27 For the freedom to worship. For a wonderful church. For being with believers and digging deeper into His Word.
Nov. 28 Grateful to be a stay-at-home-mom. All the things that I can do for my family during the day, helping at school, helping a friend, and so much more. While there are days I struggle, it is the greatest experience ever.
Nov. 29 For my crock pot. I always say this, but boy, does it help out in goofy schedules we keep some days!
Nov. 30 For the end of the month. I am looking forward to all the fun that the Christmas season will be bringing to our family! We are starting a new tradition this year, and I will share it later. Can’t wait to start tomorrow!
Well, that is the end of the month of gratitude. I hope you don’t mind I posted this way. I didn’t want to bombard you every day with an email. I hope that this encourages you to continue your gratitude all year long!
Living with a grateful heart!
~kimberly

Avocado Arts and a snowman

2011-11-30T23:00:00.000-06:00

Another day for Avocado Arts! Today I am using the snowmen from Brrr! and the Nerdy Snow Peeps! It’s a quick, fun card today. I layered up patterned papers and some die cut felt on the base. The snowman was stamped onto a separate sheet of cardstock and I added a scarf and a heart. Isn’t he cute?!?

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Brrr! and the Nerdy Snow Peeps), Patterned paper-Echo Park (Holly Jolly 6x6), Twine-The Twinery, Felt-National Non-Woven (100% wool felt), Spellbinders-Nested Pennants, Classic Ric Rac Edgeabilities

Remember those videos I mentioned? Hang on, they are coming tomorrow and Saturday! :)

Avocado Arts and an ornament

2011-11-29T23:00:00.000-06:00

Yay! Its Avocado Arts day! Today everyone has projects to share with you using the December set, Brrr! and the Nerdy Snow Peeps.

This year I have decided to re-design our Christmas tree. My hubby likes to call it the department store tree, but I can’t help it. There is something so fun about creating a beautifully themed tree! This year I have large and small glittered snowflakes and burlap ribbon. I am wanting to add music somehow, sleds. I love sleds! As I looked at my stamp set, voila! There it was, a sled! Time to make ornaments!!

Instructions:

Die cut Classic Scallops LG from red cardstock. Add Stickles to each scallop.
Die cut/emboss Standard Circles LG from patterned paper. Ink edges. Stamp with snowflakes.
Stamp trees twice, one with light brown ink, the other ink dark brown ink.
Die cut/emboss same die template with a different piece of patterned paper. Free hand cut a hill. Ink edges.
Adhere to large circle. Add Stickles to the upper edge.
Stamp sled onto patterned paper with dark brown ink. Cut out. Foam mount to hill.
Adhere to the red scalloped circle. Punch hole in the top. Tie with twine.

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

Another video tutorial is on its way tomorrow! Be sure and stop back! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Brrr! and the Nerdy Snow Peeps, Bring on the Holiday Cheer),Patterned paper-Echo Park (Season’s Greetings), Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk-Creamy Brown, Chestnut Roan), Distressing Ink-Ranger (Frayed Burlap), Twine-May Arts, Stickles-Ranger (Star Dust), Spellbinders-Standard Circles LG, Classic Scalloped Circles LG

congrats with a video tutorial

2011-11-28T02:01:00.000-06:00

In October my parents celebrated 41 years of marriage! Wow! What an accomplishment! What an example!

I made this card for them using S4-351 Spiral Blossoms One and 100% wool felt. This die template makes beautiful, and easy, 3D flowers. To see how it works, I made a video tutorial for you.

For those that need the direct link: Spellbinders Spiral Blossom tutorial

This week will be full of video tutorials, so stay tuned!! :)

Hope you had a super weekend! We played golf on Thanksgiving, enjoyed a huge meal, and are still enjoying it with all the left overs, went to The Muppets, shopped till we dropped, ate out at a new restaurant in town, decorated the inside and outside of the house for Christmas, and so much more! Needless to say, we have a happy and tired little man, and maybe us too!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-S4-351Spiral Blossom One, S4-328 Foliage, S4-314 Lacey Ovals, S4-110 Oval LG, Patterned paper-Crate Paper (Portrait 6x6), Sticker-Echo Park, Pearl-Hero Arts, Felt-100% Wool Felt (National Non-Wovens)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T02:01:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Psalm 100:3-5

May you have a day that is filled with gratitude and love. May you be surrounded by the love of family and friends. May you know His love for you.

~kimberly

winners!

2011-11-23T21:49:00.001-06:00

Winners, Winners!

Congrats, ladies!! You have each won Stamp Art from Klutz books! Please email me, at the address under my photo so I can pass your information along.

Angela Fehr said...

So just last week my 5 1/2 year old son got out his sisters' stamps, appropriated MY stamp pads and wanted to stamp - I would love for him to have his own set that he could create with and I think he would too! And we love Klutz craft books - we have a few of them in the house already!

November 21, 2011 8:44 AM

Mary D said...

What a great book! I would share the prize with my sister who got me hooked on stamping! Thank you for the chance to win for both of us.

November 22, 2011 3:57 PM

Gratitudes:

Nov 19 For Saturday mornings. My wonderful hubby gets up with the little man and they make breakfast. Sometimes they run and get breakfast and bring it home. :) Listening to them talk in the morning melts my heart. Listening to what they talk about together, wow. What a wonderful dad!

Nov 20 For medical advances. For all the care my sister is getting during her pregnancy. So thankful for doctors and their willingness to care!!

Nov 21 For great customer service. It sure is nice to have a company do what is right! Thanks amazon.com!

Nov 22 For unexpected surprises. Isn’t it great to have something you never imagine happen!?!

Nov 23 For friends. We are so lucky to have met friends here. Good friends. Good people. They moved here from MN right after we did. Our boys are the best of friends. Its great to know that someone is there to help you out, when you don’t know anyone. Its probably not luck we met them, because they are a blessing from up above!

a Klutz discount!

2011-11-21T22:16:00.001-06:00

Ooooh! Look at what Klutz is offering to all my blog readers!!!!!

Remember you have until Tuesday night at 10 pm CDT to enter the drawing for TWO winners of the latest release from Klutz, Stamp Art.

Leave a comment ON THIS POST (click please). Let me know who you would give this to, if you were chosen as a lucky winner.

And I love their tag line, “Arts, Crafts & Laughs. The Perfect Holiday Gift for Any Child!”

Its true! :)

Enjoy shopping with your discount! :)

Klutz Stamp Art book review and a giveaway

2011-11-21T02:01:00.000-06:00

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY.

I was asked to review the latest book from Klutz Books, Stamp Art, and I am still waiting to get it back from the little man! It immediately caught his attention and he begged to open it. His own stamping stuff. Not momma’s. He was pumped! It’s the perfect medium for his creative mind.

The book comes with stamps (keep in mind these are not photopolymer), a black ink pad, 3 dual-ended color pencils, and an acrylic block. Along with the idea book, which doubles as a place to stamp images.

All the stamps in the set are shapes. Not images. The book shows how to create images using the shapes. Its well illustrated with fun, bright colors, and inspiring little images to copy. Being a reader, the text was perfect for him to read on his own. Being an independent little bugger, this made him happy. He could do it “himself.”
(The suggested age range on this book is 8 years +, however, the little man is 5 and a half and he was able to use it with minimal help.)

Another look at the book pages. Look at these creative ideas!

The little man busy creating.

Stamping.

Coloring.

Visit all the Klutz links!
Product Page http://www.klutz.com/Stamp-Art?merch_location=Search%20Results%20Listing
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/KlutzBooks
And now the fun part…I have TWO (ERV $21.99) of these books to give away to my readers!! Perfect timing for Christmas! Leave me a comment telling me who you would give this book to and why. You have until Tuesday, November 22, at 10pm CDT to leave your comment. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 23, 2011.
Good luck and thanks for stopping by!
~kimberly

fall fun

2011-11-18T02:01:00.000-06:00

This is an 8x8 layout I made for Spellbinders using the Presto Punch™ Machine. I used my all-time favorite photos of the little man on this. It was his first time out in the fall leaves. He was eight months old. We had gorgeous sugar maple trees filling our backyard at our first home and they filled it with red gorgeousness.

I punched out squares of patterned paper using P3-002 Square Punch Templates. Then I punched P5-001 Fall Leaves from each one. Keeping the paper in the punch template, I embossed the leaves. (everything is foam mounted to add lots of dimension)

The letters were also punch from brown cardstock using, PT-F02 Plain Jane Lower Case alphabet.

I am pretty excited about this project because it was re-created on Scrapbook Soup, the PBS show all about paper crafting!! Check your local listings for the show!

Gratitudes:

Nov 16 For lunch dates. When his schedule allows, I pick my hubby up for a lunch date. We try a new-to-us restaurant and get to chat without a 5 year old interjecting. Its really nice. Really, really nice.

Nov 17 For will power. Its been nine days since I have had a soda or caffeine. Its been tough, but I am determined to give them both up once and for all!

Nov 18 For Friday! :) We all look forward to the weekend to sleep in, enjoy breakfasts together, and just hang out. Enjoy your weekend!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies-Spellbinders-Presto Punch, P3-002 Square Punch Templates, P5-001 Fall Leaves, PT-F02 Plain Jane (lower case), Patterned paper-My Mind’s Eye (Stella and Rose; Mabel 6x6), October Afternoon (Seaside Seashells 8x8 ), Stickers-My Mind’s Eye (Stella and Rose ), Ink-Ranger (Distressing-Frayed Burlap), Buttons-my stash, Twine-May Arts, Cardstock-Bazzill

Fall Sneak Peek Blog Hop for Crafters Home Day Three

2011-11-15T23:00:00.000-06:00

Join Spellbinders™ Paper Arts and Crafters Home as we celebrate a Fall Sneak Peek!

Spellbinders and participating stores in the Crafters Home Buying Group are excited to introduce three new die template sets sold exclusively through Crafters Home stores through January! You’ll have to wait until February to find these die template designs in non-member stores.

These new dies are in stock! Get yours now at a participating Crafters Home store! See Spellbinders website for a complete list.

Visit the Spellbinders Blog November 14 - 16 to see a new Spellbinders die template revealed each day! Visit designer blogs to enter the daily contests and see inspiring projects using the new releases. Comment on Designers Blogs and the Spellbinders Blog count as entries into daily drawings. Daily winners receive all three of the new designs!

Today's new die is S5-350 Nested Tea Cups:

S4-350 Tea Cups $19.99

Small Cup: 1 ¼ x 1 1/8”

Small Handle ½ x 5/8”

Medium Cup 2 1/8 x 1 7/8”

Medium Handle ¾ x 1 ½”

Large Cup 3 x 2 5/8”

Large Handle 1 1/8 x 2”

My favorite flower is the Lily of the Valley. My great-grandmother grew them and they were her favorite. And I remember picking them at my grandma’s house. Those flowers had been transplanted from my great-grandmother’s home. The sweet smell takes me back to her kitchen and listening to her Swedish lilt as she talked and called me her “sweetie peach.”

Which leads me to my project, as I was turning the tea cups around and around, planning out my project, I immediately saw that they looked like Lily of the Valley flowers when upside down.

I die cut and embossed the middle sized tea cup from white cardstock. The stems of the flower were die cut/embossed from green patterned paper, using the handles from Nested Tea Cups. I wanted them to hang down like real flowers, so the edge of the card is where I placed them.

I added grass to the bottom using E8-002 Classic Bracket Edgeabilities. The sentiment was stamped onto S5-028 Nested Pennants.

Visit these designers!

Contest Details

Participants wishing to be included in the daily drawing for the Spellbinders Summer Surprise contests need to adhere to all of the following rules.

The Fall Sneak Peek starts November 14, and ends November 16, 2011. It consists of three individual contests, one each day.
Each Fall Sneak Peek Bog will accept comments as entries from 12:00 am until 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time, on its scheduled day.
Each comment counts as one entry. One entry per person, per blog please.
One winner each day will receive the three new die templates available exclusively at Crafters Home stores.
All three winners will be announced on the Spellbinders Blog on November 17. The winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email address on the winning post to claim their prize. If a winner fails to respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.
By entering, you allow Spellbinders to publish your first name, city, state, and country of residence and a quote from you, on the Spellbinders Blog, website, and in promotional materials.
Spellbinders Designers, contractors, employees and immediate family members are not eligible to win.
The invitation to the Fall Sneak Peek Blog Hop is extended to all, we are happy to ship prizes worldwide.

Any questions regarding this contest should be sent to ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-S5-350 Nested Tea Cups, E8-002 Classic Bracket Edgeabilities, S5-028 Nested Pennants, Grand Calibur, Echo Park (Springtime 6x6), Stamps-Flourishes (Tag Lines ), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Enamel Accents (White)

a holiday hello with Avocado Arts

2011-11-14T23:00:00.000-06:00

Its another project day with Avocado Arts!! And its time to start making those Christmas cards. Scary thought, but Christmas is only40 days away!

I started by stamping stars onto the aqua background paper, using November’s kit, Bring on the Holiday Cheer!

For the snow, I hand cut the patterned paper to fit the card base. I stamped the trees on different patterned papers and cut them out. Simple and very easy to mail.

For the not-so-mailable part, these darling mini jingle bells! I have been on a mission to find card-sized jingle bells for a long time and I finally found some at Michael’s! Too much fun to not add to a card! :)

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

Gratitudes:

Nov 12 For family get-aways. We escaped for the weekend and it was wonderful to hang out, eat out, and swim in the pool.

Nov 13 For coupons in the paper. I love cutting them out, knowing I can get a good deal. Hey, it’s the little things. :)

Nov 14 For a wonderful husband, who is an amazing father! He left work early to watch our little man at his swimming lessons. The look on the little man’s face was priceless!

Nov 15 For my mom! Its her birthday today! She’s my mom and she is great!!!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Bring on the Holiday Cheer), Patterned paper-Echo Park (Holly Jolly Christmas 6x6), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Palette (Water Lily), Twine-May Arts, Jingle Bells-Michael’s

And happy birthday to my sister-in-law, Michelle today!!!

gratitude and photo Friday

2011-11-11T02:01:00.000-06:00

I love berries. Probably because they are red.

Nov 8

For the right to vote. So many gave their lives for this freedom. It’s a responsibility that I am grateful for and one to pass on to the little man as an important part of his citizenship.

Nov 9

For my Graceful Parenting Bible study. This group meets twice a month and we are all moms of elementary aged children. Such a wonderful group! Its nice to know that you aren’t the only one dealing with issues and concerns and fears. Our speakers have been wonderful-full of encouragement and inspiring ideas to try at home. I recommend that everyone find a group of moms to meet with!

Nov 10

For music. I love music. Listening to it, singing, playing my piano. Its so moving and fills a place in my soul.

Nov 11

For our veterans. For our service men and women. For their families who also sacrifice. We honor you.

Have a wonderful weekend! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

publications

2011-11-08T02:01:00.000-06:00

I am always thrilled to have work published and these issues are the latest from Paper Crafts magazine.

Paper Crafts Holiday Cards and More Volume 6.

GREAT ideas for cards and gifts!!

This is a fun card to make and very mail-able! The cardstock was stamped with the music image. Then the holly leaves and berries were stamped with black ink. Distressing inks from Ranger were used to “paint” the leaves and berries. I pushed the ink pads into a mat and misted with water. A water color paintbrush made it easy to apply the ink. If you try this, press your paper underneath a heavy book to allow it to flatten out as it dries.

Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Get Merry!, Music Background, Classic Holly), Inks-Ranger Distress Inks (Peeled Paint, Fired Brick, Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap), Memento (Tuxedo Black), Patterned paper-Basic Grey (Jovial)

Paper Crafts special issue 365 Cards.

Clever issue! There is a card for each day of the year, including silly days, like Watermelon Day. It’s a great resource for card makers and senders!!! So many excuses to make a card, or shop for supplies to make that card. :)

This was a fun way to make a flower. I started by die cutting a piece of cardstock using Spellbinders Pinking Circles Small. Then I wrapped baker’s twine around it to create a pattern. (Each of the ends are taped to the back.) The center is a brad from Prima. I added leaves die cut from patterned paper using Spellbinders Foliage.

Supplies-Stamps-Hero Arts (Graph Background, Thank you for being my Friend), Twine-Divine Twine (Brown Sugar), Patterned paper-Graphic 45 (Once Upon), Ink-Palette (Burnt Umber), Memento (Tuxedo Black), Distress ink (Vintage Photo), Brad-Prima, Spellbinders-S4-172 Pinking Circles SM, S4-328 Foliage

Gratitude for Nov 7

Ah, Monday morning. I look forward to it actually, because I am volunteering at my son’s school. Not only do I get to work in his classroom, I also get to work with another student and his reading. It is so great to be back in a school setting, doing the things that I did before mommy hood. Teaching has forever been a passion in my life. I forgot how much I enjoy it. How much it is a part of who I am. This time around, I get to observe my little man at school and he how he is doing. What a change of viewpoint, being a parent. So grateful for it. So one day, if I decide to teach again, I will be able to bring an even deeper passion and perspective to my job.

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

a loss

2011-11-07T13:14:00.001-06:00

It is with a very heavy heart that I write to you to let you know that Katie Renz has passed. Early in the morning, Monday, November 7, at 5:10am PST. She passed peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by her family until the very end.

There was such overwhelming support for the Swimming for Katie hop and fundraiser, and it was so greatly appreciated. The donation link is still live, as is the static page with the fundraising items for sale. All the information is HERE. If you feel moved, you still have the opportunity to purchase or donate.

Sympathy cards can be sent to:

The Renz Family
PO Box 5913
Bellingham, WA 98227-5913

Also, in case you're interested, the twins, Nate and Will, will be turning 6 on Nov. 19th and Hunter will be 12 on Dec. 1. It would be wonderful if we could shower them with cards for their special day, just like their mom would do. Kevin's birthday is November 17.

Please keep Kevin and the boys in your prayers. And for more than just the next few days…

Rest in peace, Katie.

gratitude

2011-11-07T02:01:00.000-06:00

Nov 4
The kindness of strangers. Today at the Starbucks the pay it forward game was on. If you don’t know what that is, you pay for the order of the person behind you. Apparently it had been going all day and we stopped at 3 pm! We gladly played along. What a great way to add a little smile to someone’s day!

Nov 5
My husband. Well, I could say that pretty much every day! He is amazing. He is so supportive, thoughtful, helpful, kind, a wonderful father, and on and on. But maybe what means the most, are the million little things he does for our family every day. He is such a gift. I am blessed!

Nov 6
For my sister. She makes me laugh all the time. Her humor is such a gift. I absolutely adore her!

Hope your weekend was great! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

photos on Friday

2011-11-04T02:01:00.000-05:00

I am taking a photography class that is giving me great assignments to work on during the week. A couple of weeks ago, it was about lighting and more specifically, lighting from different sides of the object. This is one of my back lighting shots. Back lighting is gorgeous and is something I want to get better at.

Day 3-
Today I am thankful for my health. I take it completely for granted. I pray for all those who are sick and hurting, that they can feel some relief quickly.

Day 4-
For the wonderful school/district that the little man is attending. Wow. Its just so impressive. What a committed staff who go the extra mile. It sure makes it easier to put him on the bus every morning. He loves it so much, he sprints to it! :)

Have a wonderful weekend! thanks for stopping by!

The rays of happiness, like those of light, are colorless when unbroken.
Henry W. Longfellow

month of gratitude-day 2

2011-11-02T02:01:00.000-05:00

Nov 2
Today I am grateful for Facebook and my “little” cousins. We all grew up playing together at family functions (and of course I was the oldest girl/bossiest :)). Now they are all beautiful women, wonderful mothers, and talented professionals. We are all on Facebook and we can continue to be a part of each other’s lives, even when we all live far apart. Its so great to chat about our kiddos, their schools, our parents and grandparents, and sharing all the ups and downs. I am truly blessed to know each of them and even better, be related to them!

Spellbinders and Annie’s Attic are releasing a new book come January! This is filled with beautiful projects all about entertaining. You can pre-order this book now and see a bunch of sneak peeks here Spellbinders Quick and Easy Crafts for Entertaining.

And I guess the most exciting part about this book is, the projects on the cover are mine!! I am still in complete shock and so super excited!!

Have a wonderful day! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

month of gratitude

2011-11-01T02:01:00.000-05:00

Last November I participated in a month of gratitude. For each day of the month I expressed gratitude for all the blessings, big and small, that I have in my life. It was a wonderful project for me and I recently found out that it was for some of you as well. So, again, this month, I will be posting something everyday that I am grateful for. A couple of days might be posted together, but that’s ok. I hope that you will join me. Either on your own blog, or in a journal that you keep, or any way that works for you.

November 1

Today I am grateful for email. Not the junk ones, although coupons are great, but for the encouraging messages that I am so fortunate to receive. Some days we all wonder if what we are doing is the right path for us. Some days its hard to see God’s plan for our lives. Am I really following His path or my own? Yesterday, a beautifully-souled woman emailed me about her experience with last year’s month of gratitude. Let me just say that doing something so easy, caused a ripple effect and touched several lives in return. Could you ask for any more? To spread His love to those you have never met? I am so blessed today. I am so overwhelmed by God’s goodness and timing. Be encouraged in His love for you today, my dear readers.

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

a holiday hello with Avocado Arts

2011-10-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

A little playing around with patterned paper and Avocado Arts latest stamp set, Bring on the Holiday Cheer! I stamped the half looking tree image several times onto patterned paper, cut them out, and layered them over the label on the patterned paper. Then I stamped the sentiment on the space left on the label. Easy, mailable holiday card.

Be sure and check out the rest of the team:

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Bring on the Holiday Cheer!), Patterned paper-My Mind’s Eye (Lost and Found 2-Rosy), Ink-Palette (Noir, Giverny Green), Ribbon-Creative Impresions

Snow Globe with Avocado Arts

2011-10-29T23:00:00.000-05:00

I am super excited to share this Avocado Arts snow globe with you today! I used the November kit, Bring on the Holiday Cheer! This snow globe is very easy to create and I think would be SUCH a fun project to make with your children over the holidays.

I started off by stamping the tree image several times onto green cardstock. I over-stamped the trees with the tinsel-looking image, also in green ink. The tree images were cut out and scored in half. Gluing each tree side back–to-back, I was able to make a dimensional tree. The tree was glued to the base of the snow globe.

Then I stamped the cardinal, banner, and peace sentiment. They look so cute all nestled inside the tree, don’t they? :)

Using ink formulated for shiny surfaces, I stamped the small snowflake from Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings. To make it easier, I put one hand inside the globe and stabilized it while I stamped with the other. This needed some lengthy drying time.

Once everything was dry, I poured some of this cello glitter into the edge of the globe. Then I pushed the base inside and screwed the bottom into place. The snow globe is from Michael’s. It contains directions on how to turn it into a real, liquid-filled globe. If you are going to buy one and do that, be sure and pop out the directions because there is a great supply list included.

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Bring on the Holiday Cheer!, Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings, Avocado Type), Snow Globe, Glitter-Michael’s, Ink-Memento, Palette, Copics (R22, R24, R27)

photos on Friday

2011-10-28T02:01:00.000-05:00

My dad and the little man had fun digging up the last of the carrots when we were up in MN last weekend. And I had fun taking photos of it all. :)
I am off to spend the day shopping in Chicago with a friend tomorrow. We are looking forward to checking out all the stores we won’t take our children into! :) Have a wonderful weekend!
thanks for stopping by!
~kimberly

coffee cozies

2011-10-26T02:01:00.000-05:00

These were a fun project created for Spellbinders Paper Arts for the last CHA show. I used pre-made coffee cozies that I found at Michael’s. They came stitched and closed with Velcro. (Check out the t-shirt/canvas bag aisle.)

To start with, I die cut canvas from Canvas Corp using E8-001 Classic Scallop Edgeabilities. And attached a piece on the top and bottom of each cozie. This was done with fabric glue. Then I die cut several sets of flowers from LF-005 Grand Peony. Using Ranger paint, I stamped Unity images onto each flower part. The leaves were die cut and totally painted with green. Once everything was layered together, I added a twine-tied button. (of course I did, there is always twine and a button!)

And I wanted to mention that Spellbinders Paper Arts is having their annual design team try out contest. I don’t think I need to mention what a great company they are to work for and the product, well, it doesn’t get much better than die templates!!! For all the details, and I wish you the best of luck, see the Spellbinders blog.

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-LF-005 Grand Peony Creations, E8-001 Classic Scallop, Canvas-Canvas Corp, Stamps-Unity (Love Always), Paint-Ranger, Twine-May Arts, Cozies-Michael’s

wishing you

2011-10-25T02:01:00.000-05:00

Today I am excited to show you a new product, well, old product, re-done for paper crafting. It is SO MUCH FUN! Remember those honeycomb bells and other things used to decorate for parties? Inky Antics is now selling sheets of it for making cards! Its brilliant! They even have stamps to let you create scenes using their product, Honey Pop.

Check out the inside of this card!! How fun is that? I hand cut the Honey Pop with scissors. I tried the Grand Calibur and die templates, but it was just too thick. Imagine the possibilities!

Here is a closer look at the Honey Pop. The card gets thicker, but not so much that you couldn’t mail it easily. Looks like its time to have fun decorating the *inside* of our cards for a change! :)

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Honey Pop-Inky Antics, Patterned paper-Jillibean Soup, Stickers-Jillibean Soup, Stamps-Unity Stamp Co., Spellbinders-Foliage, Classic Scallop Edgeabilities

photos on Friday

2011-10-21T02:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Well, as usual, its been a mad house around here! We spent a long 5-day weekend in MN with our families. We had a wonderful visit, including a stay at the waterpark. I am doing testing at school this week with Kindergarten and 1st graders, and Thursday was America Reads! day at school, and I was one of the coordinators. Its great to be involved in school again and put that teaching degree back to use. Not to mention how great it is to see what goes on at the little man’s school and participate in his new world.

Enjoy your weekend! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Unity Stamp Company and Spellbinders Blog Hop

2011-10-17T07:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our TWO-day event!

You should be joining me from Stephanie Muzzulin’s blog, if not then head to the beginning on the Unity Stamp Co. Blog.

With all the blog-swaps that are happening out there lately, I can't think of one more exciting than when the amazing women of SPELLBINDERS™ get together with the rock stars of UNITY STAMP COMPANY!

We can't wait to show you a special line of coordinating products featuring SPELLBINDERS dies and SAMANTHA WALKER for Unity Stamp Co. rubber stamps!
Not only are we thrilled to be collaborating on such a special 2-day event, but ONE of you will win ALL of the coordinating stamps and dies from the Samantha Walker collection! We will also have 1 winner each day from the comments that will receive 1 Samantha Walker stamp set and coordinating dies.
So be sure to enjoy our hop both days, leave comments on all of the blogs each day and check back to see if you won!

(winners will be posted on Wednesday, October 19^th on the Unity Blog and Spellbinders Blog)

My little stinker. He makes me smile and lights up my whole world.

The Samantha Walker Spellbinder die templates and Unity Stamp Company stamps coordinate beautifully! For the large journaling flower, I stamped the flower “petals” first. Then I used a small piece of tape to hold the die template in place, perfectly over the stamped image. The open inside of Spellbinders die templates make this so easy to accomplish!

The smaller orange flower was simply die cut/embossed and then I used an orange ink pad and inked through the die template. Another brilliant feature of Spellbinders products!

These leaves were stamped onto green cardstock, once again placement die cut/embossed with a small piece of tape, and finally inked through to bring out even more detail.

And you know I have a thing for stamping on buttons lately, so I couldn’t resist stamping a few wood buttons with more of these fantastic Unity Stamp Company images!

Now please head over to Jessica Diedrich’s blog!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-S5-072 Blossom Tags and Accents, LF-133 Grand Scalloped Rectangles, Stamps-Unity Stamp Company-Blossom Stackers from Samantha Walker, Patterned paper-Jillibean Soup (Apple Cheddar Soup; Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Milk) (Soup Staples; Orange), Twine Button-Jillibean Soup (Bean Blossoms; Red), Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk; Roussillon, Dark Moss, Warm Red), Ranger (Distress Ink; Frayed Burlap, Walnut), Stewart Superior (Palette-Reflection Blue), Buttons-LA Fashion District, Twine-May Arts,

tis the season with Avocado Arts

2011-10-14T23:01:00.000-05:00

Hello and welcome to another day of Avocado Arts projects! Today I am using the October kit, Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings. This card is the epitome of clean and simple! We all know how crazy the holidays get. If we are going to make cards, let’s make them easy, quick to produce, and easy to mail. This one fits all those requirements!!

The card base is 4.25 x 4.25.” The bottom corners were rounded. I stamped the sentiment in black ink. The Santa hat was stamped onto a separate piece of cardstock, cut out, and foam mounted. BUT, if you wanted, you could stamp the hat directly above the sentiment and color it there. And some Liquid Applique or Fun Flock would be cute on the fluffy white parts of the hat.

Here is a sneak peek of my project using the November kit, Bring on the Holiday Cheer. I CANNOT wait to share this with you! So fun and really easy!! Might be a great project to make when the kiddos are home for holiday breaks! :)

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings), Cardstock-Neenah (Solar White), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copics-R22, R24, R27

photos on Friday

2011-10-14T02:01:00.000-05:00

Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.
-Samuel Smiles

have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Swimming for Katie Renz

2011-10-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

From October 10-12 some of the best stampers are joining together to support and encourage our friend and fellow stamper, Katie Renz, who is currently battling inoperable gastric cancer. If you're not familiar with her, Katie’s cancer story started just before Christmas last year. This young, beautiful, healthy, vibrant mother of 3 with her infectious smile was suddenly diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, virtually overnight. A few tummy aches and then stage 4 gastric cancer. Her first post about it is here. The idea of “Swimming for Katie” came from her recent post here.

This exclusive stamp used in my sample, designed by Becky Oehlers is available as a clear stamp, as well as a digis or a dig and SVG cut file. 100% of the profits go to Katie's fund to help her and her young family. Her husband Kevin and her three young children need our help and support. In addition to the Keep Swimming Octopus, Marianne Walker and True =D Doodle Designs both also donated digis that are for sale. Direct donations are also being accepted. Information central is HERE. This is a permanent page that will stay active at i {heart} papers with current information and the full 3 day blog hop listing, as well as the donation button.

Here are all the items available for sale. Please click to see your choices.

Here is my project for the day.

AND THIS JUST ADDED:

To help raise money for Katie, Creating for Causes has generously donated a FREE ticket (value: $249.95) to one of their upcoming 3-day Scrap & Stamp Retreats.

The winner of the free ticket will enjoy 3 days of non-stop fun and creativity with fellow scrappers, stampers and paper crafters, and can choose between the Charlotte, NC Scrap & Stamp Ritzy Retreat at The Ritz-Carlton on October 21-23 or the Orlando, FL Scrap & Stamp Retreat at the Marriott World Center on November 4-6. Both retreats promise to spoil you and provide 48-straight hours of creating, camaraderie and fun!

To learn more about the events, please visit: http://www.creatingforcauses.org/our-events/scrapbook-events/.

Not only will you be raising money for Katie by making a donation, you get a chance to win a wonderful weekend getaway for yourself! And, because all of Creating for Causes' events are charity events that raise money for local charities, you'll be giving back twice!

Wow, a weekend retreat for you and two chances to help others. Does it get any better than that?

Here's how it works:

Simply make a $33 donation (or more) for Katie and indicate that you want to be entered in the Creating for Causes Retreat ticket drawing. Everyone who makes a qualifying donation will be entered into the drawing and one lucky person will be attending this 3-day retreat for FREE! That lucky person could just be you! (If you have already donated and wish to be included, just email kate(at) iheartpapers (dot) com)

DEADLINE TO ENTER FOR THIS GIVEAWAY IS FRIDAY 9PM EST, although other donations will be accepted for weeks to come.

I hope you will join me in supporting Katie through a purchase or donation. The following is a list of everyone who has projects posted today. I hope you will be inspired by them and moved to purchase or donate.

Amy Heller
Jackie Pedro
Julie Masse
Kecia Waters
Sandie Dunne
Susan Liles
Latisha Yoast
Laurie Schmidlin
Lisa Arana
Lisa Henke
Lisa Silver
Lydia Fiedler
Lyn Bernatovich
Lynette
Maria Gurnsey
Meg Craig
Melissa Bickford
Michelle Woerner
Mona Pendleton
Niki Estes
Robyn Weatherspoon
Sarah Jay
Sarah Martina Parker
Savannah O'Gwynn
Stephanie Washburn
Susanna Boyd
Tobi Crawford
Julie Lacey
Kim Kesti
Shemaine Smith
Danielle Lounds
Debbie Carriere
DoBea A.
Fran Gumprecht
Geny Cassady
Gina K.
Holly McMillen
Jak Heath
Javablustamper/Jacquie
Kimberly Crawford
Jeanne Streiff
Trudy Sjolander

If you would like to send Katie a card, her mailing address is:

Katie Renz
PO Box 5913
Bellingham, WA 98227-5913 To donate money, please click the donate button below.

thank you for helping

~kimberly

Easy Canvas Prints

2011-10-10T02:01:00.000-05:00

Pictures on Canvas

(My Easy Canvas Prints in our upper living room.)

I was asked to review a canvas from a company called, Easy Canvas Prints. Seeing as the holidays are coming and the grandparents go cuckoo for anything with the little man’s face on it, I thought, hey, these might be pretty great! And they are! (and, I am going to have to order others, this one is all mine! :) )

Easy Canvas Prints has several canvas sizes to choose from. Once you start the ordering process, the website has a great photo of what your canvas would look like over a basic couch. I loved that. It gave me a great idea of how large my canvas would be.

The next step is uploading your photo. Its quick and easy. Please use very high quality photos when doing this, to ensure that your canvas looks the best it can look. You can move it around a wee bit too. But wait and move it around after you choose your image wrap. My pick was image wrap, so the photo continued around the corners.

Here is a closer look at the 8x8 canvas I chose. This photo was already in black and white, but for a fee, you can have Easy Canvas Prints change it for you.
If you are looking for great holiday gifts, or if you are looking to hang some of your photography on your walls, Easy Canvas Prints is a great company to order through. And I am thrilled with my canvas!
Oooh, and Easy Canvas Prints has a sale going on right now! 25% off canvas and free standard shipping!!
Sorry its been so quiet around here. The little man had double ear infections, my parents came for a several day visit, which was wonderful, and well, I have over-volunteered myself at the little man’s school! :)
thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly
And a reminder that the Swimming For Katie blog hop and fundraiser starts today. I will be participating later in the week. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE help if you can. Visit i {heart} papers.com for more details and to read Katie’s story.

Operation Julie’s Smile

2011-10-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am so glad that you joined us on this amazing blog hop for Operation Julie’s Smile. If you came here from LARUEL BEARD’S blog, then you are in the right spot. If not, you may want to start from the beginning at the Sweet Stamp Shop’s blog and take your time. You have ALL WEEKEND to hop with us and win prizes!

The creative blogging community is coming together this weekend to help one of our friends, Julie Ranae. You may know her as the Design Team Coordinator for many wonderful companies from bakers twine, die cuts, rubber stamps and more. What many people don’t know about Julie Ranae is that she has had some pretty major dental surgeries in her lifetime due to medication she had to take as a child. It was in her plans to think about having all of her teeth replaced at some point in the next 5 years, a decision that was pretty easy to plan out. But then it happened…she chipped her front teeth on a weekend a month ago. The dentist told her there was no way to save them & that it was his recommendation that she give in and have them all her teeth removed soon, but for that day, they needed to get her front teeth done so her gums could begin to heal. He said he would 'work out payments with her to have ALL this work done...but when she called to make her appt for the first step of impressions, they told her the amount of money that was needed and that the 'payments' applied only to the two teeth that were extracted that day. Her husband Paul was with her & that too, was his understanding as well. So this is how she has found herself in this situation…Needing at least $4000 to get started and another $3000 to finish the process…a total of $7000.

Nicole Rixon, owner of Sweet Stamp Shop put together this benefit after finding out about this situation and before Julie Ranae knew it, it took flight!
Because she is an event organizer by trade, she has taken on the job of organizing all of the blogs in this hop as her way of ‘working overtime’ for what she needs, the same as if she were able to work overtime at an outside job to pay for the work to be done.
It is the goal of all of these generous friends & sponsors to help make this situation more do-able for our friend so that she can share a brand new smile with all of us soon.

If there is anything you can do to help with a financial donation, there is a donation button ready for you to click. Any amount is appreciated and ALL I hope you enjoyed your stop here on the hop!

Just a quick project to share with you today. I love this color combination in the Blissful 6x6 paper pad from Authentique. The little bit of pink with the yellow and the grey makes me happy.

The border is die cut from 100% wool felt and a Spellbinders Edgeabilities. It’s a combination of the cut edge from Classic Scallop and a decorative insert from Classic Ric Rac.

Now, if you are wondering how you can be eligible to win the $2500 worth of prizes up for grabs, there are a couple of ways. First, leave comments on the blogs. And second, a list of all the donations via Pay Pal. Names will be drawn from both those lists.

To donate to this cause via Pay Pal, please click here:

The next stop is VERA YATES’ blog. Make sure you leave a comment here before you go so that you can have a chance at the amazing prizes up for grabs and if you can, please make a donation so we can help bring back a new smile for our friend. DONATIONS will be eligible for prizes from our sponsor pool of over $2500.

thanks for helping and for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders Edgeabilities (Classic Scallop, Classic Ric Rac), Patterned paper-Authentique (Blissful), Twine-Pink Paislee, Felt-100% Wool, Stamp-Hero Arts (Thanks for being a Friend)

Happy World Card Making Day! and video tutorial

2011-10-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

There is a lot of card making going on today, please be sure to scroll down to my second post!

Welcome to World Card Making Day! If you are wondering what this is all about, be sure to click the hyperlink and check out everything that is happening!

My card today combines Spellbinders die templates and Want2Scrap Nestabling. Two products that are beautiful and easy to use!

If you have never worked with Nestabling before, I encourage you to watch this quick video tutorial about how easy this self-adhesive bling is to use.

Spellbinders Lacey Ovals and Want2Scrap Nestabling

For those that need a direct link: Spellbinders and Nestabling

Have fun making cards today! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-S4-314 Lacey Ovals, LF-006 Wonderful Wings, Want2Scrap-Nestabling (Lacey Ovals, Black), Patterned paper-Crate Paper (Farmhouse 6x6, Random 6x6), Letter stickers-Authentique

perfect pair with Avocado Arts

2011-09-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

Today its more projects with Avocado Art’s current kit, Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings. I thought it would be fun to make a quick and easy holiday gift, one that would be great for just about anyone on your list.

These stretch gloves were in the dollar bin at Michael’s and made me think of the sentiment in July’s kit, Hello Friend, that said, perfect pair.

I die cut a circle in the front of this small gift bag and then stamped the wreath from Ho Ho’s and Holiday blessings around it. Then holly leaves and berries were stamped and colored. A gift card fits perfectly inside too!

Check out the rest of the team:
Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

Have a great weekend! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings, Hello Friend), Ink-Palette, Copics, Bag-Canvas Corp (Small Kraft), Spellbinders-Standard Circles Large, Twine-May Arts, Large Clothespin-Canvas Corp (Red)

Merry Christmas with Avocado Arts

2011-09-29T23:00:00.000-05:00

Its time for a project share from Avocado Arts! This month’s kit is called Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings.

I stamped the ornament onto kraft cardstock and colored the outside in with a Copic marker. Then I stamped and heat embossed the snowflake. It was cut out and foam mounted. To hang the ornament from the card, I added a small, red clothespin and a twine bow.

Check out the rest of the team:
Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings), Patterned paper-Echo Park (Happy Days), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Versamark-Watermark, Twine-May Arts, Clothespin-Canvas Corp (Red)

Spellbinders and Core’dinations Blog Swap

2011-09-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Spellbinders and Core’dinations Blog Swap!

This week Spellbinders™ has teamed up with our Core’dinations Color Core
Cardstock® to showcase the wonderful ways our products work together! For more details and information please visit the Spellbinders blog.

For my project today, I used Core’dinations Black Magic cardstock and Spellbinders newest product, Grand Impressabilities. (Grand Impressabilities will be available for shipping starting 10-6)

Black Magic cardstock is black, with a colored core. By embossing the cardstock and then sanding away the raised surfaces, you bring out the core color. The results are beautiful and elegant.
GI-003 Sea Flowers was the Grand Impressabilities used, along with S4-310 Labels Eighteen.

To see how to create this piece of cardstock here is a quick video tutorial:

Spellbinders Grand Impressabilities and Core’dinations cardstock.

For those that need a direct link: Spellbinders Impressabilities and Core’dinations cardstock

Sophistication, value and maximum versatility make Spellbinders™ die
templates #1. Beautiful Details Inspiring Creativity…Spellbinders unique
triple function die templates allow you to cut, emboss, and then stencil
through the die template for unlimited possibilities. The Spellbinders Grand
Calibur® machine and Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities™ die templates cut and
emboss up to 11¾”, taking die cutting to grand proportions.
Follow
Spellbinders on Facebook , Twitter and the Spellbinders Blog.

Core’dinations ColorCore Cardstock is the only sand able cardstock with a
color core. Sand it, tear it, emboss it and so much more! The Core
Essentials line comes in over 160 colors with matching color families. Or
maybe you are looking for something a bit more contrasting like the Black
Magic or Chocolate Box collections. The sand able core will shine through the
unique black and brown colors once it is sanded. Core’dinations has also
teamed up with industry leading companies such as Pink Paislee, BasicGrey,
Graphic 45 and more to create new and unique pre-embossed cardstock that
perfectly accents their patterned papers.But there is more! Check out Core’dinations website for the new Cardmaker Series, Kraft-Core and various other wonderful cardstock lines.
Follow Core’dinations on their blog, website, and Facebook page.

Check out today’s designers:
Julie Overby
Tina McDonald
And visit the Spellbinders and Core’dinations blogs for the rest!

And of course there is winning involved!!!! Leave a comment on each designer’s blog post. Spellbinders will choose two names from all those comments and they will win!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-S4-345 Picot Edge Circles, GI-003 Grand Impressabilities Sea Flower (AVAILABLE 10-6), S4-310 Labels Eighteen, Core’dinations Cardstock-Black Magic (Awake ), Color Core (Nightfall), Patterned paper-My Mind’s Eye (Lost and Found Two Sunshine 6x6), Stamps-Flourishes, Ink-Ranger (Distress Ink-Frayed Burlap), Tsukineko (Memento-Tuxedo Black), Button and Twine-personal stash

photos on Friday

2011-09-23T02:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

stamped fabric photo mat

2011-09-20T02:01:00.000-05:00

Out shopping the other day, I saw a line of frames with fabric photo mats. They were beautiful and interesting, and of course I ran home to see if I could make my own! :)

I picked up a $5 frame at Michael’s that included a mat. Muslin fabric was cut larger than the mat. Then the corners of the fabric were cut in towards each corner of the mat, creating a mitered edge.

Wrap the fabric around the mat, working one side at a time. Scor-Pal tape was used because its holds great and because the mat would be held inside the frame.

Cut an X on the inside of the mat, where the photo would be located. Cut almost all the way to each corner. Fold each triangular part in. You might have to apply a small drop of glue to each corner of the mat to get the tuck perfect.

The fabric covered mat.

Martha Stewart has an entire new line of paints and paint tools. You really must check it all out. Amazing colors and products! These are multi-surface paints. Perfect for all my paint needs. Quick drying too, at least on muslin.

The paints are all displayed in shades of colors. I chose two that I thought were father apart. So if you are looking for contrast, grab colors that aren’t sitting right next to each other. :)

This Cling Jumbo stamp from Stampendous (Think of You) is beautiful! I knew it would be an excellent choice for this project. The paint was brushed onto the stamp surface with a foam brush. Stamp as usual. Repeat as desired.

A close up look at the stamp on the fabric.

I am thinking Christmas presents…thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies-Stamps-Stampendous! (Cling Jumbo Think of You), Paint-Martha Stewart, Frame-Michael’s, Fabric-Hancock Fabric

a playing card challenge

2011-09-17T16:03:00.000-05:00

Did you see the challenge up at Moxie Fab World? It’s a playing card challenge! I am jumping up and down with excitement!! I happen to know of a perfect stamp set for this challenge. *big smile* Its from Mint Motif and its called, “What a Card!”

(ok, honestly, I might also be jumping up and down because I was out in front of a trend! *another big smile* let’s face it, that doesn’t happen often!)

This set is all about card playing! So, I thought I would share a project with you today using it.

I have been stamping on wood buttons a lot lately. It’s a great way to make a very custom embellishment. Palette ink was used to stamp on these. It’s a super formula meant to work on many surfaces. The buttons I picked up in the LA Fashion District back during the bonus CHA-W adventure. :) The supply is getting low, so I will have to check out the local fabric stores here and see what is available.

Have fun with the challenge, the deadline is October 3. thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (What a Card!), Patterned papers-My Mind’s Eye Lost and Found 2 (Rosy 6x6), Tag-My Mind’s Eye So Sophie, Twine-Jillibean Soup, Ink-Stewart Superior Palette (L’Amour, Noir), Memento (Tuxedo Black), Ranger Distress Ink (Frayed Burlap), Buttons-LA Fashion District

photos on Friday

2011-09-16T02:01:00.001-05:00

I went shopping at a local greenhouse and home décor store the other day and took some photos of pieces that I liked. I thought I would share them with you.
These pumpkins were cute all corrugated like cardboard. Love the wall hanging behind too.

This wall hanging was screen printed onto burlap. Swoon! Wonder if that would work with ink and stamps?

This cloche is lovely and delicate, but what really caught my eye was the burlap-wrapped votive candle holders, with text printed upon it. Definitely another idea to try!

That is a stapler! Too pretty to use! It would look awesome in a home office.

Faux carmel apples! Cute or kitschy? I can’t decide.

Another item that was cute or weird. Little planters that look like ice cream cones. Maybe writing this out makes them just weird. :)

Hope you are inspired by something today! Have a super weekend! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Happy Halloween with Avocado Arts

2011-09-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

Its hard to believe that Halloween is already approaching. The little man has his costume already. What are the odds of his changing his mind before then? :)

Todays project is simple and very easy to mail. The pumpkin, from Thankful for You, was stamped onto patterned paper and pieced together. A chevron (my absolute favorite) was stamped with watermark onto the base. The twine was way too white for this card, so I went over it with some Distressing Ink. Much better!

And my sneak peek of sorts for today. We are all giving you a peek at the next set to be released by Avocado Arts. This is outside the box. Not even close to what the next set is intended for. Is that cheating? :)

A closer look at the flower. The image was stamped onto kraft cardstock and cut out. The same image was stamped onto patterned paper and the middle was cut out. Which equals a funky flower. I love when I can do things like this with stamps!

Be sure and visit the rest of the team today:
Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

If you could continue to keep my mom in your prayers, we would all greatly appreciate it. Her surgery went well on Tuesday, very well. And it went as planned, which means much less hassle for her in recovery. We are hoping she can go home on Friday. Its hard to be so far away from “home” right now. Phone calls just don’t cut it.

thanks and thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Happy Halloween Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Thankful for You), Patterned paper-Basic Grey, Pink Paislee, Cardstock-Bazzill, Ink-Memento, Watermark, Twine-The Twinery, Spellbinders-Label Trio

Thankful Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Thankful for You, Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings), Patterned paper-Authentique (Blissful), Button-Crate (Emma’s Shoppe), Twine-May Arts, Ink-Memento, Spellbinders-Label Trio, Classic Bracket Edgeabilities

scooting by to say hi

2011-09-12T02:01:00.000-05:00

Aren’t Paper Smooches stamps just the cutest? Trendy and funky and drawn by the wonderful Kim Hughes. Spiffy Scooters is a darling, clear photopolymer set, with this image, a motorcycle, and cute building pieces to create a scene. Love that in a stamp set!

For this scooter, I stamped the image onto a couple pieces of patterned paper (My Mind’s Eye Everyday Flair) and cut out the parts I wanted to use. One thing I am sure to do with this technique, is to cut on the outside of the stamped line, to keep the image lines intact.
The wheels were colored with Copic markers. And that means that I built up the image on a stamped piece of Copic XPress paper.

Look at these cute little puffs!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! I had a make and take at the store where I teach and we took in Orchestra Iowa on the lawn of a historical mansion here in town. It was a great weekend!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Paper Smooches (Spiffy Scooters), Patterned paper-My Mind’s Eye (Everyday Flair 6x6), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Copics-C0, C1, C3, C5, C7, Copic XPress Cardstock, Spellbinders- LF-110 Grand Ovals

Photos on Friday

2011-09-09T02:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the second Photo Friday! These photos were taken with my phone camera again, using the same app, Hipstamatic. When my parents and sister were here for a visit, we went to a national historical site called the Amana Colonies. It’s a great community to visit. They were of German ancestry and lived communally. The buildings are still around and they are filled with wonderful stores and candy shoppes and restaurants. There is a wonderful book store and fabric store as well. It made for a wonderful afternoon of walking outside, shopping, and hanging out together.

I should have bought these!

Don’t you love those zinnias? Hope you have wonderful plans for the weekend!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Want to Make It Fabulous blog hop

2011-09-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Want2Scrap™ , Spellbinders™ Paper Arts and JustRite® Stampers Designers have teamed up to bring you an amazing four day Blog Hop Event Sept 6 -9, filled with fabulous designs that are sure to inspire all!! Each day we will be sharing a link list with you for the featured designers!

Today my project is about sisters because it is my sister’s birthday today. Happy Birthday to an amazing, supportive, hilarious sister!!

The whole project started with Eggplant colored bling from Want 2 Scrap. It is designed to work with Spellbinders S4-319 Lattice Rectangles.

ETA: Yes! The Want2Scrap bling really is that easy to use! Peel and adhere. Look at the detail from this shape!!

And then I stamped the images using JustRite Stampers Family Garden and Because I Care.

What would a blog hop be without prizes? Yes, we will also be giving away
prizes!!
*Want2Scrap will be giving away 2 $25.00 Gift
Certificates.
*Spellbinders Paper Arts will be giving away 2 Die Template sets with a value of $24.99 each.
*JustRite Stampers will be giving away 2 Stamp Sets of the winner’s choice.

The winners will be drawn from the designer’s blogs, so be sure to visit them
all and leave a comment at each one to increase your chances of winning. The
contest for the prizes will be open until midnight Saturday, September 10th.Winners will be announced on Monday September 12th on the company blogs.

Are you new to Want2Scrap , Spellbinders Paper Arts or JustRite
Stampers? Here is a little information about all
three of these amazing companies. Each company offers a unique line of
products that work wonderfully together to make some fabulous designs.
Sophistication, value and maximum versatility make Spellbinders die
templates #1. Beautiful Details Inspiring Creativity…Spellbinders unique
triple function die templates allow you to cut, emboss, and then stencil
through the die template for unlimited possibilities. The Spellbinders Grand
Calibur® machine and Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities™ cut and emboss up to
11¾”, taking die cutting to grand proportions. Follow Spellbinders on
Facebook , Twitter and the Spellbinders Blog.

Want2Scrap™ manufacturers rhinestone lines
including the specialty Nestabling™ line along with the newly released
Nestaboard™ chipboard line that coordinates perfectly with the Spellbinders
Nestabilities® die templates. Want2Scrap also manufacturers their own line
chipboard albums and accents, acrylic albums, and multi-layered laser
designs and other fine scrapbooking products. Want2Scrap brings ease of use
and flexibility in their product lines by offering products uniquely
tailored to its customers’ needs. Follow Want2Scrap on Facebook
and the Want2ScrapBlog.

JustRite Stampers entire collection of stamps are designed to be compatible with Spellbinders die templates. JustRite Originals interlocking
stamp system allows you to mix and match borders and centers to create
dozens of design possibilities. Since the spring of 2008, JustRite Original
stamps have been designed to coordinate with the Spellbinders Nestabilities,
Decorative Elements, and Basic Shapes. In January of 2011, JustRite began introducing Cling Stamps Sets designed to coordinate with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels. JustRite Cling stamps are deeply etched pre-cut red rubber mounted on Static Cling Foam made in the USA . Cling sets come on a colored 8 1/2 x 6 1/2" Storage Panel for easy storage in our Cling Mini Binder Box. For thousands of ideas on projects using JustRite and Spellbinders die templates visit the JustRite Design Gallery and the JustRite Blog. You can also follow our blog by following us on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe to each company’s blog!
Want2Scrap Blog, Spellbinders Paper Arts Blog and JustRite Stampers Blog.

Today’s featured bloggers are:
Debbie Olson
Shanna Vineyard
Michelle Woerner
Mimi Leinbach
Kimberly Crawford
Judy Hayes
Sankari Wegman
Dana Gustafson
Angela Barkhouse

Thank you, I hope you enjoy the Blog Hop. Your comment will count as an
prize entry!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-S4-319 Lattice Rectangles, Stamps-JustRite (Family Garden, Because I Care), Want2Scrap (Eggplant Lattice Rectangles), Patterned paper-My Mind’s Eye (A Beautiful Life 6x6), Cardstock-Bazzill, Ink-Clearsnap (Colorbox Chalk-Pumpkin Spice, Dark Moss, Maroon), Memento (Tuxedo Black)

first day of kindergarten

2011-09-07T02:01:00.000-05:00

Its hard to believe that the little man is into his 4th week of kindergarten! He loves every minute of school and cannot wait to get out the door in the morning. Its quiet around here, but the highlight of my day is when he gets off the bus and tells me all his stories.

This piece is where this layout started. I used a cling stamp set from JustRite stampers called, You are the Best. It’s a great set because of all the ways you can create a fair ribbon, but also because it can be cut with Spellbinders die templates. You are the Best coordinates with Blossoms Three and Nested Pennants.

I created a notebook edge, using this hole punch and scissors technique I have shared in the past here: Video Tutorial Notebook Edge.

A couple other things to note; I used black cardstock as the base to look like a chalkboard. The flash cards were cut from the patterned paper. (My new patterned paper love. Seriously! I bought the 12x12 and the 8x8!) The photo was edited to remove color, to work with the papers.

All this week there is a blog hop going on with Spellbinders Paper Arts, JustRite Stampers, and Want 2 Scrap. My day is tomorrow, so be sure and stop back and check out all the fun, and as always, the chance to win great prizes! To see the previous days designers, check out the Spellbinders Blog.

Have a wonderful day! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-JustRite Stampers (You are the Best), Patterned paper-Graphic 45 (An ABC Primer; One Two Buckle My Shoe, Jumping Joan, The Three R’s, School Days), Cardstock-Bazzill (Beetle Black), Buttons-Nikki Sivils, Letter stickers-October Afternoon (Mini Market; Black and Cream), Jenni Bowlin, Spellbinders-Blossoms Three, Standard Circles LG

thank you

2011-09-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

SORRY! This project has been removed for publication.
Look for it in the June 2012 issue of CARDS magazine.

Happy Labor Day! Just a fun card to share with you today, using supplies I am totally in love with right now. Kaiser Craft Miss Nelly’s line, felt, denim, and Edgeabilities from Spellbinders.

The fun part about this card is the two borders. The top border was created with Spellbinders Edgeabilities and 100% wool felt. Wool felt is available at your local fabric store and it cuts like a dream. Look at the detail I was able to get in one pass! It was a combination of E8-001 Classic Scallop Edgeabilities (cut edge( and E8-003 Classic Triple Scallop Edgeabilities (decorative insert).

The border underneath was made from denim. It was a piece that came in a Bo Bunny package of trims. (It was cut in half to fit a card better.) I was trying to think of way to create a pleated border that would be easier. After staring at my supplies for a while, I though, I wonder if my Xyron machine would work? So, I ran the fabric all the way through and started pleating. It was simple and effective. Its been well over a week and the border is still holding on!

Hope you are enjoying your long weekend! We are catching up on some house projects and rest here. thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Technique Tuesday (Loving Words), Patterned paper-Kaiser Craft (Miss Nelly), Felt-100% wool, Denim-Bo Bunny, Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Twine-The Twinery (Honeydew), Button-Crate (Emma’s Shoppe), Spellbinders-Edgeabilities (E8-001 Classic Scallop, E8-003 Classic Triple Scallop), Nestabilities (S4-110 Classic Ovals LG)

winner

2011-09-04T22:21:00.000-05:00

The winner of the issue of Card Ideas for Paper Crafters is:

Auntie Em said...

Your card is so pretty! I love all the pretty patterned papers you used and the layering.
Thanks for sharing! :)

August 26, 2011 9:46 AM

Congrats! Please email me at the address underneath my photo on the right side soon!