hostess hop winner!

Back again! :) First of all, thank you so much for your lovely comments. I read every single one! And they all mean a lot to me. ♥

OK, time to announce the winner of my personal drawing from the 2013 Hero Hostess Blog Hop! Random.org says the winning comment was #201...

..and that comment belongs to...

..congratulations, karenelr! I've emailed you. :)

See you all soon!

simon says... anything goes! and a winner!

Hi, friends! How's your week going so far? Can you believe it's almost September?! Time's a-flyin'... as usual.

Time for another Simon Says Stamp challenge!


This one is always s fave - it's Anything Goes! And as always, your participation puts you in the draw for a very generous gift voucher to the Simon Says Stamp superstore!


This week, the DT was asked to use Hero Arts on our projects - YAY! Love me some Hero! ;) We'd love to see you use Hero Arts on your creations as well, but of course it's not mandatory. :) Anyway, my card:

Just something simple and kinda elegant, using a stamp set called Speckled Ornaments. Stamped tone-on-tone (Hero's punch ink on punch layering paper), then over that in black, a script sentiment, some bling, and it's done. :)

So get creating! "Anything goes" is always a fun challenge, because with no guidelines, everyone's personal style really shines through. :) Love seeing the diversity in the entries, and I will be out leaving comments! Just upload HERE by next Wednesday morning, and you could be spending $50 at Simon Says Stamp!



Be sure to go HERE as well, so my fellow teamies can blow you away with their creations! ;)

•  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  •

And now on to my give away winner from last week! Drumroll....

Random.org says the winner is comment 14, and that comment belongs to...



Congratulations, Kimmy! :D Please email me (see the 'contact' tab at the top of my blog) so I can get your goodies out to you. :)

Thanks for peekin' today. Be back soon!

SUPPLIES

InLinkz.com

happy birthday, stephanie!

Hi, friends! How was your weekend? Mine was crazy, full of unexpected, unwanted events (like a stomach bug, for one - UGH). But I'm looking at the positive and enjoying the sudden, cooler temps! Fall is finally in the air around here. Now that we've been living in area of the country that actually has seasons, I think autumn is my favorite. How about you?

Here's a card for my sweet fellow ABNH teamie, Stephanie K. It was her birthday a few days ago. So sorry I'm late, but happy belated birthday, Stephanie! :D

I just love this tablecloth image. LOVE. IT. I stamped it on acetate and then mounted it on to a smaller black card stock panel, so the black shows through where the flowers are, with the pool border around that. It's a cool look in real life. :)

And now for the giveaway I promised! I have a humble collection of brand new (unopened) Hero Arts goodies that need a loving home. There's a clear set, a cling stamp and a wood mount stamp...I've even thrown in a gorgeous Memory Box die!

Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing about fall, and I will use random.org to draw a winner on Saturday morning. One comment per person, please, and only comments received by 11:59pm Friday, August 24th will be accepted. Good luck! :)

Thanks for peekin'... see you Wednesday with a new Simon Says Stamp challenge! Hope you have a great week. ♥

***Comments for this post are now closed. Thanks!***

SUPPLIES:

InLinkz.com

winners!

Hi, everybody.. time to announce the winners of my drawing! :D I did something a little bit different with this drawing than what I normally would do. I tallied up the number of commenters for each stamp, in the order that the comments were made: the first person to pick the Lattice stamp was person #1 for that stamp, the second person to pick it was #2, and so on. I did this for all three stamps, and then after getting my totals for each one, was able to do the drawing for each one. And now, here are the results:

The winner of the Lattice Background is number...

..and the seventeenth person to pick that stamp was Plumtuckered!


The winner of the Tablecloth background is number...

..and the ninth person to pick that stamp was omyn!


And finally, the winner of the Pattern Hearts & Flowers set is number...

..and the third person to pick that set was Tracy!


YAY! Congratulations, everyone! Winners, please email me your addresses (my email is on my contact page - link at the top of my blog) so I can get your stamps out to you. :) And thank you all for your lovely comments!

I'm entertaining guests for the next few days, so I just don't have time to post any cards at the moment, I'm sorry. But I will as soon as I am able. :) I hope you have a good week!

it's give-away time! ('stretch your stamps' related)

Hi, friends... it's FRIDAY! :D I'm sorry I don't have my card ready to show you - I completely forgot to photograph it last night, and haven't had time to do it today, either. Oops! But, I really want to get this give-away started, so that's exactly what we're going to do! :)

*Hero Arts Cling Stamp LATTICE BACKGROUND Studio Calico 2012 331065

*Hero Arts Cling Stamp FLOWER TABLE CLOTH Basic Grey 2012 CG431

*Hero Arts Clear Stamps PATTERN HEARTS AND FLOWERS Basic Grey 2012 CL596

InLinkz.com

I have one each of these three Hero Arts stamps to give away... some of the very same stamps that will be featured in the upcoming 'Stretch Your Stamps' Online Card Class that's right around the corner! ;) So if you'd like to have one in time for the class, then this give-away is perfect for you! But even if you haven't signed up for the class yet (don't wait - it's going to be incredibly useful, and the guest artist lineup is AH-MAZING... yours truly not included... I honestly have NO idea what I'm doing with all those other crazy-talented peeps, LOL), please feel free to comment anyway! This drawing is open to everyone. :)

Just comment on this post by 11:59pm EST Sunday, June 24th, telling me which stamp above is your favorite (the one you'd like to win), and I will use random.org to draw one winner for each stamp (three winners total). Only one comment allowed per person, please (so pick your stamp carefully), and make sure to check back on Monday when I announce the winner. Good luck!

Thanks for reading today. I'll be back soon with my card... until then, enjoy your weekend!

***Comments are now closed. Thanks!***

stretch you stamps online card class winners!

Hi, friends! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was super busy... wasn't able to get all the things done that I wanted to. I'm sure you know how that goes. ;) But today's the day to annouce the winners of my Stretch Your Stamps class drawing!

Random dot org picked the numbers for me, and those numbers are:

By my count, that would be Barb and Donna! Yaaay, congratulations, ladies! Please email me (my address is on my contact page above) and I will get you all set up. Thank you to EVERYONE who entered, and thank you for your lovely comments. :)

I know I said I'd have a card and another surprise soon... I'm still working on the card, and the surprise is ANOTHER drawing! Stay tuned, and once I get caught up with life, I will post. ;) Thanks so much for reading!

exciting news and a give-away!

Hiya, friends! I know it's been quiet here on the blog, especially after posting every day for a month with my A Card A Day In May series. The fam and I took a little road trip to Texas to watch my oldest niece graduate from high school! It was wonderful seeing everyone, and we couldn't be more proud of her. ♥ But I'm back home now, and SO very excited to share some A-MAZING news with you...





I will be guest designing for the newest Online Card Class, Stretch Your Stamps! I know, right? ME?! But it's true! :D Here are the deets:

Registration is open for the newest Online Card Classes interactive class - Stretch Your Stamps! This class shares techniques and tips for getting the most from many different stamp styles. Each day of class focuses on a certain type of stamp - background, collage, borders, etc - and shows 5 cards (and 2 videos) using them creatively. With 50+ card ideas and 20+ videos, you will be sure to look at your stamps in a whole new light.

In addition to the teachers Kristina Werner and Jennifer McGuire, there are many fabulous guests (including me!) and special appearances from stamp designers themselves, including Tim Holtz, Ali Edwards, Kim Hughes and Claudine Hellmuth.

Class runs from July 9 - 23. Hope to see you there! Head HERE for more information.

I am SO humbled by this opportunity. :) Flat out, this class is going to ROCK. It takes the "one stamp 3 ways" concept to a whole other stratosphere, and shows you FIVE ways to use each stamp. Learn how to get the absolute most bang for your stampin' buck? Yes, please!

And guess what else? I have TWO spots in the class that I can give away! :D Just leave a comment on this post by 11:59pm EST Sunday, June 10th, and I'll randomly draw two lucky students (one comment per person, please, and be sure to include your email address). I'll post the winners on Monday. Good luck!

Thanks for reading and sharing in my excitement. ♥ See you soon with a card and another little surprise! ;)

*** Comments are now closed... thank you for entering! Drawing is tomorrow, Monday, June 11th! ***

a card a day in may - 5/4: BEEN TOO LONG (and a giveaway!)

Hi, stampy peeps! It's finally FRIDAY! If you saw my post already, you'll know that I accidentally published it mentioning it was Thursday. Oops. LOL I originally thought I was going to post this card yesterday, but ended up going with the purple one. Then a bit ago, just as I was about to edit the wording for today's post, I inadvertently hit 'publish' instead. DOH! Just goes to show how ready for the weekend I really am! ;) Anyway, time for another A Card A Day In May post... this one has very little stamping and instead features a cute die cut made with my Cricut:

Love that cute little giraffe. :) He's from the Create-A-Critter cartridge. I used the layer feature to get the yellow/orange/brown colors. The only stamping was done with that ever-useful Clouds design block from Hero Arts, and the sentiment which is from the Rubber Soul clear set, 'A Day at the Zoo'. Love the play on words. ;)

And the googly eyes! Who doesn't love little googly eyes?! :D

Now, I could really use a favor: I'm finally ready to try my hand at videos and could really use your input! What would you like to see me do... certain technique, maybe? Product review? Stand on my head? :) Give me your best ideas and I'll even make it worth your while! ;) Just leave a comment with your video topic suggestion before 11:59pm EST Sunday, May 6th, and I'll randomly draw one commenter to receive some new Hero Arts goodies. :D One comment per person, please, but you can offer as many suggestions as you'd like in that one comment. Only comments with video suggestions will be considered, winner will be announced next week... thanks!

Okay, that's enough from me... thanks for reading and TGIF! ;) See ya tomorrow!

***Comments for this post are now closed. Thanks! :)***

SUPPLIES
paper: all colored card stock is Stampin' Up, white is Georgia Pacific
stamps: Hero Arts S5215 and Rubber Soul 3004-CS
inks: Colorbox chalk ink Blue Lagoon & Stampin' Up Close to Cocoa
other: Cricut Expression, Create-a-Critter cartridge, 2mm goggly eyes & pop dots

winner winner, chicken dinner! and a hero challenge card

Howdy! WOW - thank you for all of the great comments on your springy/Easter plans. So many of you love gardening... that's cool! It's still snowing out here about once a week, so outdoor activities are sporadic at best. And we have no extended family out here either, so we'll just be celebrating Easter with our own little family - eggs, goodies, church, maybe some afternoon kite flying... :)

Anyhoo - the winner! I had random.org pick a number for me:



And the 21st comment belongs to:



Congratulations, Jessica! I will email you for your mailing address. And thanks to everyone for playing along! :)

Now, for something to see... the Hero Arts blog challenge this week is to stamp on anything BUT paper. Here's my card, inspired by Tami Hartley's adorable tote (see link above):



I stamped on acetate and buttons. The acetate is "floating" due to putting the stamped panel up on pop dots, which are strategically hidden under the flowers. Also hidden is some stamping I did with VersaMark on the card base - they're the same dots and circles used on the flower centers, embossed with some clear EP. This color combo was a bit of a stretch for me. Overall, I'm not too sure if I like how it came out. But it's good to try new things every once in a while, right? That's what challenges are for. ;)

Thanks for peekin' in today. It's almost the weekend! :)

SUPPLIES: All stamps Hero Arts, StazOn and VersaMark inks, DCWV card base, clear EP, acetate sheet, flowers are Prima and Hero, buttons and gemstones are also Hero, and pop dots

celebratory give-away

Hey there! :) So very SORRY that I didn't get this posted last night as originally planned. I am pretty swamped right now (SNR deadlines looming, personal deadlines looming,) and it completely slipped my mind - DOH! But as they say, better late than never, right?

Besides... it's now Monday, and who couldn't use a little pick-me-up on a Monday? ;)

I know the offerings are slim, but I really am grateful for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me lately, and just want to say "Thanks", in whatever way possible. :)



I have a bunch of these Stampin' Up! Simply Scrappin' kits from Sale-A-Bration '07, I believe...? (Angela, feel free to correct me! LOL) It truly is a FABULOUS kit - thus why I have extras! LOL

- Two 12x12 sheets of Bashful Blue card stock
- Two 12x12 sheets of Certainly Celery card stock (my FAVORITE green of all time)
- One 12x12 sheet of So Saffron card stock
- Four sheets of gorgeous patterned paper (2 sheets each of two different patterns)
and
- Six 6x12 sheets of self-adhesive diecuts... embellies, borders, tags, the works!

Really, a beautiful kit... perfect for those springy, Easter cards and layouts! ;) Also included is this awesome DesignBlock stamp from Hero Arts (it wouldn't be a "celebratory give-away" without something from Hero)! You can see cards I've made with this stamp HERE and HERE. It is absolutely one of my favorite Hero stamps ever. Sooo many possibilities with it! (Don't worry - I'm not giving away MY stamp... this is an un-used extra that was sent to me.) I'm also going to include one more little surprise with the package - probably something fun like embellies or flowers or ribbon... but you'll have to wait for it to arrive to find out what it will be! Muahahaha... ;)

Anyway, just leave me a comment to this post telling me about your springy, Easter plans. Do you garden? Travel? What does spring time mean for you and your family? Only one comment per person, please. **COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED, THANK YOU.** And only comments posted by 10:00pm MST Wednesday, April 8, 2009, will be considered. Random.org will select the winner on the folllowing Thursday. Thanks for playing and I'm excited to hear what you have to say! :)

Thanks for stopping by today. More cards to see soon!

Another winner!

And another WOW for all the great comments! I am actually very excited about making our Thanksgiving dinner this year, now that I have all of these great ideas, so thank you! The dishes you all mentioned sound absolutely fabulous! :D

On to the winner... random.org picked a number for me, and that number is...



...comment #19, which belongs to...



DAWN!!! Congratulations! I can't seem to find an email for you, so if you could email me (link in sidebar), I will get your stamps out to you right away! :) And thanks again everyone for playing. More give-aways to come soon. :)

Here's a real quick card I did for a "sheer/transparency" publication assignment over at SNR. The floral panel underneath was stamped with various SU! images and inks, and the sentiment was stamped on the vellum and heat embossed (click to see larger):


Just a real simple one here. The inks I used are actually very vibrant, but with the vellum overlay, they look much softer. A tip when heat embossing on vellum: try to use vellum card stock and detail embossing powder if at all possible. Vellum card stock is thicker and more resistant to warping, and the finer granules in detail EP will usually melt faster, and therefore lessen the chances of warping your vellum as well. Also, keep your heat gun at a considerable distance and in motion during the entire process. It takes time to emboss on vellum, so patience is key... but the results will definitely be worth it. ;)

Thanks again for peekin' in today. Hope your weekend was a good one! :)

PAPER - Stampin' Up! card stocks and vellum card stock
STAMPS - Stampin' Up! "Petal Prints" and "Close As A Memory" stamp sets
INKS - Stampin' Up!
MISC - black detail embossing powder and heat tool, organdy ribbon

More from WCMD and another give-away

Hi, there. :) It's been a busy week over here, with my SNR assignments due, my mom's birthday, my son's birthday, some scary issues with my flash card reader, and a pitifully intermittent internet connection (reasons unknown, as we have high speed cable). :P Anyway, I'm hopeful things will resume back to normal around here soon.

Here's another card I made for one of the WCMD challenges held over at SNR. This one was for the "We Three Kings" challenge where you had to use at least three patterned papers on your card. It came together really quickly and would be another great layout for holiday card mass production (click to see larger):


Real easy - just four coordinated papers, a square punch, a chipboard star (could be a simple card stock star), and a stamp. The sentiment was stamped in Cranberry Crisp ink, which was only available in a dye formula, but is actually heat embossed! Just ink your stamp with VersaMark first, then lightly ink it with the dye ink and stamp. Some clear EP and a blast from the heat gun - presto! And embossed image with dye ink. The star was covered with Old Olive card stock and the edges were inked to give a finished look. And for the tool lovers out there like me, you can't go wrong with the Basic Grey chipboard file set. Absolutely worth every penny if you like to work with a lot of chipboard!

So... how about another weekend give-away? The last one was so much fun, I wanted to do another. :)


I have more Hero Arts goodness to share... this fabulous Flower Blossom Border set and the Artistic Leaves set (click photo to see larger)! This time, I'd love to know what your family's favorite holiday dish is. I admit, I'm in a bit of a rut when it comes to our holiday dinners. Since moving away from family over a year ago, and no longer being able to rely on the variety of our potluck style holiday family get-togethers, the entire menu and its preparation is left up to me. And to make it all easier on myself, I tend to just stick to the classics. But I really need to change it up a bit! So just leave me a comment telling me what your most-loved holiday dish is. Only one comment per person, please, and only comments left prior to November 15th, 11:59 PM EST will be considered.

I'll draw a winner (via random.org) sometime Sunday. Can't wait to read the replies! Thanks for stopping by and reading today. Have a great weekend! :)

PAPER - SU!'s Vanilla and Olive card stock, SU!'s "Holiday Thyme" DSP
STAMPS - Hero Arts' "Jolly Christmas" (CL232)
INK - SU! Cranberry Crisp, Versamark, and Olive Fluid Chalk
MISC - square punch, Heidi Swapp chipboard star, Basic Grey chipboard file set, clear EP and heat tool, pop dots

We Have a Winner!

WOW! Thank you all very much for your lovely comments. :) I read every single one, and am so grateful for your suggestions! However, it appears I'm not the only one who tends to stick to the classics! I am in good company. :) I can't believe I completely forgot about Josh Groban... DOH! Of course I need his CD! LOL But thanks to you all, I now have many others that I want to check out as well. ;)

And now on to the winner! :) I used Random.org to pick my number, and it chose...


...comment #84. Which was from...



RONA!!! Congratulations! I can't seem to find an email for you, so just send one to me by clicking the link under "Contact Me" in the sidebar, and I'll get these great stamps right out to you! :)

And for something to see, here's a real simple Christmas card I did for a World Card Making Day challenge over at SNR. All of the challenges that day were based on holiday tunes, and this one was for "The Holly & The Ivy" (click to see larger):


The challenge was to use some sort of holiday greenery on our card... holly, ivy, poinsettias, etc. I think my card is pretty self-explanatory. LOL ;) Those Hero Arts Felt Poinsettias are awesome! They add great texture. Anyway, a real simple one that would be super easy to duplicate in large numbers. Don't forget to stamp your envelope for that extra special holiday touch!

Thanks again for stopping by today and for reading. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

PAPER - Hero Arts Crimson Notecard, red strip and green card stock are unknown
STAMPS - Hero Arts Holly Flourish and Winter Messages
INK - VersaMark, Colorbox gold pigment, and Colorbox Fluid Chalk in Lipstick Red (envie)
MISC - Ranger clear EP and gold EP, heat tool, Hero Arts Felt Poinsettia & Leaves, and MM gold brad

Today's the day!

It's finally here! The day I co-host with the super sweet and talented Nancy on the Hero Arts Club Blog. :) See our cards and the rest of the post here, and leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for some goodies!

And to celebrate here on my blog, I'm giving away some fun stuff, too (click to see larger):


First up are some of the same stamps that I used on my cards for today's post at the Hero Arts blog. One randomly drawn winner will receive a brand new Clear Design Branch and Leaf Long Border set AND a brand new Poinsettia & Birds DesignBlock!

Just leave me a comment to this post telling me about your favorite holiday music. I tend to be nostalgic when picking out Christmas tunes, and always lean toward the classics that my parents played when I was a kid - Sinatra, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, etc. However, I recently heard Sarah McLachlan's "Wintersong" and was blown away! I realized that I need to expand my holiday music collection with some more modern artists and would love your input! :) Only one comment per person please, and only comments left prior to 11:59 PM EST Friday night (Nov. 7) will be included in the drawing. I will post the winner on Saturday morning. What a way to start the weekend! :D

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing in my excitement today! :) This has just been such an amazing and surreal experience. Nancy is an absolute sweetheart! Such a pleasure to work with, and so kind and patient. I have been so blessed! Have a great day and check back soon... I'm not done with the give-aways just yet. ;)

EDIT TO ADD 8/10/09: Here are my cards that were featured. Be sure to click the links at the beginning of this post to be taken to the Hero Arts blog for full product lists and details. :)

Monochromatic Merry Christmas:


Season's Greetings:


You Are Amazing:

Thanks again for looking!