an ending

A quick card tonight, with two of my favorite companies, Hero Arts and Mint Motif! :)

The background started with a Hero Arts Graph Design Block. Then Mint Motif’s Beyond Borders image was generation stamped over the top. Generation stamping is stamping your image and then continuing to stamp, without re-inking. Cool effect. One more thing, the brown paper is thick cherry wood paper.

Today is the end of an era in my family. This morning my parents closed on my grandparent’s house. It was time. My grandma is now 90 and grandpa has been gone since 1998. They built the house in 1960, just to their design. Its hard to believe that we won’t be stopping over there anymore. I know with us living in Iowa now, we wouldn’t be able to stop much, but its still the idea. When we were up north last week, we spent quite a bit of time there, cleaning the last nooks and crannies out. It was easier to be busy than to stop and think about what was really happening. The kitchen was the hardest. Its where grandma always was. Where we had to be to hang out with her. I still felt like a 10 year old girl, standing at the stove, learning how to make gravy for the family dinners. A feeling of gratitude also swept over me, knowing that she had taught me how to make the traditional Christmas cookies, right there. I spent quite a bit of my childhood, well, my whole life, at the house and even lived there for two summers during college. I have so many wonderful memories of the house. Part of my life story is a part of it. So, my heart is breaking just a little bit today. Life is very bittersweet.

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Beyond Borders, Very Square Sentiments), Hero Arts (Graph Design Block, Watercolor Petals), Ink-Palette (Giverny Green, Noir), Ranger-Distressing Inks (Frayed Burlap, Tumbled Glass), Gems-Hero Arts (Midnight Black Accent Pearls), Wood paper-Creative Imaginations (Cherry Thick)

thinking of you

SORRY! This project has been removed for publication. It will appear in the April 2011 issue of CARDS magazine.

Just a fall-ish card for today, with some playing around. When I saw the new papers from Basic Grey, called, Pyrus, I knew they were calling my name. Kraft, neutral, grey, orange…well, you get the picture. :)

The background was stamped with Hero Arts, Friend Definition, and the edges were inked with the same ink-Frayed Burlap Distressing Ink. Then I stamped and heat embossed Circle Lace. Because it was so bright white, I rubbed more Frayed Burlap ink over it. That helped toned things down.

Oooh, and these were a pretty Etsy find. I added some gems to the center to make them pop a little bit more.

Have a great day! thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Circle Lace, Friend Definition, Everyday Sayings), Patterned paper-Basic Grey (Pyrus), Ink-Ranger (Distressing Ink-Frayed Burlap), Versamark (Watermark), Embossing Powder-Stampendous (White Detail), Twine-May Arts, Flowers-Etsy (Poppy Loves Paris), Spellbinders-Lacey Circles, Classic Circles Large

trick or treat

Need a last minute trick or treat bag? This one is very easy to make and very cute for any little ghosts and goblins you have around. :)

The felt treat bag is very easy to assemble. I cut the felt to size. (in this case, about 5”x12”) Elmer’s Fabric Glue was used to adhere the sides together, leaving extra fabric at the top, to create a flap. Two holes were punched in the top flap and ribbon was run through and tied into a bow. I found that if I placed something heavy on top of the bag while it dried, the sides adhered much better than me holding it in my hands.

I had to make my favorite spider from felt, using Spellbinders dies, and then I put him on a tag. He’s pretty easy to make, die cut an Inverted Scalloped Circle from felt and then a smaller Standard Circle from the same felt. (Remember felt is fabric, you will probably need to run it through your machine twice.) The legs are pieces of leather trim, glued inside with same Elmer’s fabric glue. And of course, everyone’s favorite crafty item-googley eyes! :)

To make the tag, the spider web stamp from Hero Arts (Large Web) was heat embossed with purple embossing powder and it was covered in Black Soot Distressing Ink. Then I die cut the cardstock with Standard Tags die #2.

Sorry these Halloween projects are coming in so late. We were in MN with our families for the last 10 days. It was a wonderful time, spent with my in-laws for a few days, and then with my parent’s celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. We had such a good time! Its strange, it still feels like we live there. It was hard to come back, as it always is. But sleeping in my bed was good! :) Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Large Web, Happy Halloween), Inks-Ranger (Distressing-Black Soot) Versamark (Watermark), Embossing Powder-Stampendous (Grape), Felt-Creative Imaginations (Creative Cafe), Ribbon-American Crafts, Spellbinders-Classic Circles Large, Inverted Scalloped Circles Small, Standard Tags

Mint Monday: Introducing the Mint Motif Design Team

When we posted the design team call, I really had no idea how difficult it would be to chose a group of women. Every time I read about a team that has been chosen, someone always says that, but I now know how true that is. It was truly painful to only be able to choose 6. The quality of applicants was astounding! There is so much stamping talent in the world and I could not be more thrilled that so many of you chose to try out for Mint Motif’s team! And now, introducing the new Mint Motif Design Team!

First off, let me re-introduce Geny Cassady. Geny will be taking on the role of design team coordinator. I could go on and on about her talent, kindness, thoughtfulness, and professionalism. I am thrilled to have her back!

Geny Cassady

Madison Avenue

"Geny discovered her love of papercrafting in college, roughly 10 years ago. Stamping is her favorite medium, she loves to make hand stamped backgrounds and combine stamps in fun, unexpected ways. She has served on the design team for Papertrey Ink and currently works with Mint Motif. Look for her work from time to time in the pages of Cards and Paper Crafts magazines.
Geny is married to a very understanding husband ;) who encourages her crafting in every way. She also has two little boys which keep her very busy. She lives in the beauty of Northern California and finds inspiration in her surroundings everyday."

Bonnie Rose Kempenich

A Life Unrehearsed

Bonnie has been scrapbooking for well over 17 years now and in the past two years, has changed her focus to card design, and she is simply loving it! Her style is clean and simple with lots of bright bold punches of color! She is also presently dabbling in mixed media/collage. She has always been a creative soul. One of her biggest passions is writing, and one day, she hopes to live somewhere further South; writing and hearing the ocean waves. She currently lives in Fargo, ND, with her husband Greg, and their dog Angel. She is also a mother to two teenage girls, Sara and Bethany. They constantly light up her life. Currently, she works from home building her Rendi business. She is thrilled to be working with this great group of women. Bonnie says she, “can't wait to get started with the future releases of Kimberly's amazing stamps!”

Julie Masse

Stampin' With Julie

She lives in Maine with her husband and 5 small children. She has been stamping since her first child was born and has found that stamping is her stress reliever, a great way to meet wonderful people, and a fun hobby that she has been able to enjoy with her children as they grow! She is so excited for the chance to join this amazing Mint Motif team, and says, she “cannot wait to start working with Kimberly's beautiful stamps!!”

Melissa Bickford

Just Dandy

Melissa lives in Maine with her wonderful and supportive husband of 17 years. They have two children, and one wild and crazy Labrador puppy. Her love for paper crafts started with scrapbooking after the birth of her daughter nearly 13 years ago. She was introduced to stamping a few years later and fell in love immediately. Her love for it has continued to grow over the years and what was once just a hobby, has now become such a huge part of her everyday life. Not only is she a stamper, but also a stamp illustrator for Papertrey Ink. She feels extremely blessed to be a part of this amazing creative world!

Ryann Salamon

Ryann Marin Designs

Her name is Ryann (pronounced like Ryan) and she lives in sunny San Diego, California with her husband of 3 years and sister kitten combo, Parker and Posey! She works full time in Accounting and loves to play with stamps and ink in her spare time. Ryann says, “I'm excited to join the Mint Motif design team and can't wait to get started!”

Tobi Crawford

Tobi's Place

Tobi is a mom to a brilliant little boy, named Phoenix, who at 8 years old shows more athletic talent than her whole family combined. She is married to a wonderfully supportive husband, named Ian, who graciously folds her laundry for me because laundry makes her cry. She am a high school choir and band teacher by day, and by night (and some weekends) she works and teaches at her LSS. She LOVES stamping, and coloring with Copic markers, and she says, “she is humbled to be on this team.”

**And in honor of our new team members, we are having a HUGE give away of stamps!!! From all the comments left on the new team member’s blogs, welcoming them to the team, we will be drawing names for the following stamp sets!!!

• 4 sets of Very Square Sentiments
• 2 sets of Cake Shoppe and Cake Shoppe, Too
• Beyond Borders
• Very Merry Sentiments

You have until Tuesday, October 26 at 10 pm CST. We will announce the winners on Mint Monday, November 1.

Welcome new team! Cannot wait to see what you have in store for us!! thanks for stopping by!

goodbyes

Today I want to take the time and thank the Mint Motif design team. The very first team. Full of my talented friends who helped me get this adventure started. How do you thank those that helped you with your dreams? Well, I guess I really cannot, but thank you my friends. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart. Your time, talent, and encouragement were greatly appreciated!!

Charlene Austin: Willow and Paisley

Geny Cassady: Madison Avenue

Julie Overby: Mini Moments

Kazan Clark: Nunu Toolies

Latisha Yoast: Busy Little Craftee Bee

Tomorrow I have the immense pleasure of welcoming the new Mint Motif design team! These are talented women! Women who are excited about stamping and Mint Motif! I cannot wait to introduce them to you!!

thanks for stopping by!

40 years

Today is my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary. Wow. They are a wonderful testimony to marriage, love, and family. I am blessed by their example and all the hard work they put into our family, and still continue to share with us as adults. Happy Anniversary, Dad and Mom! Glad we are able to be spending it with you! We love you!

Cards for Kids

I want to share an amazing project with you. Its called Cards for Kids. I hope that you have already heard about it, but it case you haven’t; Cards for Kids is a card raiser. There are currently 13 children that are very ill that would love to get cards from you. Not only do you get the chance to make the day of a sick child or their family by sharing your talents and your love, you also are entered into a drawing to win some amazing prizes!

This is the fourth round of Cards for Kids. Last round over 1500 cards were sent in! Let’s work to get over that number for this round!

A few details:

• This card drive will be ongoing. We have no end date set. However, this round of prizes will be drawn from cards shipped by November 30th.
• Cards can be anything cheery, encouraging, supportive, etc. Anyone can send a card - even your children, scout troops, etc.
• Cards can be for the child or for their family members. For family members, please make the names on it "Brother Nate" or "Sister Olivia" so we can tell between multiple names.
• All cards need to have a message in it for the child/family. Please also sign your name and where you are from. On the card envelope, write the name of who the card is for. Also, please don't seal the envelope, as the parents might want to preview cards before the kids see them.
• Please stick to just cards or lightweight things like stickers, etc. If you want to send anything heavier, please include a bit of money to cover the added cost.
• There is no need to send money with your cards. However, it is greatly appreciated as it helps with the cost of mailing the thousands of cards and many, many prizes. Very appreciated.
• All cards can be mailed to the following address:

Jennifer McGuire
Cards for Kids
PO Box 428612
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242

• In each package, PLEASE include a piece of paper with your name, address, email address and how many cards you sent and for which child/family they were for. This helps us greatly in keeping track for prizes! For each card you send, you will get a chance. So the more cards you send, the better your chances.
• PRIZES! In December, we will pick LOTS of prizes to send out - based on the cards I receive by the end of November.
• If you would like to see the prizes please click HERE.
  

Please consider participating in this amazing project. thanks for stopping by!

Just Rite 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hop 7

Welcome to JustRite Stampers’ newest Wednesday feature, 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hops 7! Every Wednesday up until Thanksgiving some of your favorite designers will be joining some of the JustRite design team for a series of Christmas blog hops, showcasing JustRite’s entire Christmas Collection of stamps! You also might see some projects from the JustRite design team, using some of their newly released line of CLING stamps! You can find our new collection of cling stamps HERE. This week, the designers joining us are most of the Spellbinders and Caardvarks design teams! So mark your calendars for Wednesdays at 9am Central for great Christmas gift, card & project ideas, starting at the JustRite Inspiration blog!

For my project today, I once again used the acrylic block stamping technique. (Yes, I am addicted. :)) Using one of my smaller blocks, the background gave me the perfect place to stamp the JustRite images, From Our House 2". Once the backgrounds were dry, I die cut/embossed the cardstock with Spellbinders Classic Squares Large.

Then I stamped the sentiment image, From Our House 2”, with Peeled Paint Distressing Ink. The snowflake was stamped with Broken China Distressing Ink. To add a little bit of pop, a small pearl was placed in the center of each snowflake. The white color didn’t work, so I colored each pearl with a Copic marker. Simple, easy, and beautiful to send. I think these are perfect for a mass-produced Christmas card.

Please visit these designers’ blogs to see what fabulous JustRite Christmas inspiration they have for you on the hop today!

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Spellbinders Blog
Debbie Olson
Kimberly Crawford
Sharon Harnist
Beth Pingry
Amy Crockett
Kellie Fortin
Latisha Yoast
Becca Feeken
Lucy Abrams
Sankari Wegman
AJ Otto
Beate Johns
Heidi Van Laar
Kazan Clark
Julie Overby
Peet Roeven
Michele Kovack
Judy Hayes
Kathy Racoosin
Stephanie Kraft
Terre Fry
Angela Barkhouse
Holly Simoni
Heidi Blankenship

enjoy the hop and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps-JustRite Stampers (From Our House 2”), Ink-Ranger (Distressing; Peeled Paint, Broken China), Gems-Creative Impressions, Copic-YG25, Spellbinders-Labels One, Classic Squares Large

i {heart} papers 2nd Birthday Bash

Hello and welcome to the i {heart} papers 2^nd Birthday Bash blog hop and scavenger hunt! You should have arrived here from Kimber! If you're jumping into the middle (or if you're lost!) be sure to start at Kate's. You don't want to miss a thing!

Today we’re celebrating two great years of IHP and are delighted to have some fabulous guest designers playing along with our talented design team members to bring some birthday paper-crafting inspiration your way! Our design team and guests are revealing their creations for this month's design team challenge--to design the "Perfect Pair"--a birthday card and coordinating gift, tag or other presentation item.

We would love if you would join us in making a Perfect Pair of your own (upload to your blog or an online gallery with the keyword IHPBB10). Be sure to post your link on Kate’s blog so we can see your project and enter your name in our challenge prize drawings.

In addition to today's design team challenge, we've got some fun celebrating in store for tomorrow and Thursday! Don't worry - you won't have to hop every day! Kate will be hosting a sketch challenge tomorrow on her blog, and Deb has another challenge for you on Thursday. Winners for each day will be randomly drawn from each day's entries, and everyone who plays along, either with the challenges and/or the scavenger hunt (more on that below) will be eligible for the grand prize drawing that will close the festivities on Friday.

Submitting your challenge projects is not the only way to win! Tucked into the text of today's blog posts we've provided clues to an easy scavenger hunt (most have to do with our favorite products and tools or hobbies and interests we have) that we invite you to play as you hop. When you find the answer, click the link to visit the store and collect "evidence" that is listed on that particular product’s page and email your complete list, in blog hop order, to Kate when you're finished. You can take your time and stretch the hop over the three days of our Birthday Bash celebration...it's not a race, but like any other sale, the earlier you shop, the better the selection! Deadline to submit your scavenger hunt entry is Friday morning, 3AM EST.

By participating in the scavenger hunt you'll receive an exclusive, one time use 20% off coupon code to use when you shop at i {heart} papers. (This will be emailed to you after the Bash when entries are checked.) You will also be entered for your chance to win the grand prize $50 gift certificate drawing on Friday.

ALL orders placed during the Bash (Oct 19-21) will receive a free goodie bag of surprise merchandise. The more you spend, the bigger your goodie bag!

Also, there will be random drawings for additional prizes from our PaperCraft Planet group members, our mailing list (sign up on the right side of the homepage) and our fans on Facebook. If you are on all three, then you’ve got triple the chances to win!

For today’s project, I created a small tin that could be used for candy, gift cards, or any small birthday gift, and a birthday card.

For the center of the lid, I created my own patterned paper by using the handwriting line stamp from, School Basics. And what is even better, is the words from the set, fit on the lines!

I just *might* be addicted to these roll flowers. :) They were created by die cutting a Spellbinders circle and cutting a spiral by hand into the center of the circle. Then the spiral was rolled up, glued together, and a gem was added to the center.

A side shot of the tin. Patterned paper and lace was also added to the edge of the lid.

A closer look at the card. The background is Spellbinder’s Lacey Circles and the sentiment is from Cake Shoppe, Too.

For my project I used: Stamps-Mint Motif **HINT, HINT**SCHOOL BASICS**HINT, HINT**

Your next stop on the hop is ***Latisha***

have fun and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Mint Motif (**HINT, HINT**SCHOOL BASICS**HINT, HINT**, Cake Shoppe Too), Hero Arts (Design Block Graph Background), Patterned paper-Sassafras Lass (Indie Girl), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Ranger (Distressing Ink-Frayed Burlap), Gems-Hero Arts (Hero Hues Sea), Lace Ribbon (Hero Arts), Spellbinders (Lacey Circles, Classic Circles Large, Scalloped Circles Large, Grand Circles, On the Vine Border Grand)

Mint Monday

Happy Monday!! Another card I made using the latest releases from Mint Motif, Beyond Borders and Very Merry Sentiments. Once again, I used this amazing stamping-with-your-acrylic-block-technique from Jennifer McGuire. The original background was masked off with two post it notes, once it was dry. And this time, I generation stamped the Beyond Borders quatrefoil on the left side.

Supplies:Stamps-Mint Motif (Very Merry Sentiments, Beyond Borders), Ink-Ranger (Distressing Inks-Peeled Paint,Broken China) Memento (Tuxedo Black)

And here are a couple of projects from a wonderful Mint Motif fan!! Remember to share your projects with me! I love to see them!!

Project by Cecilia Stephens using School Basics:

Another project by Cecilia Stephens using Cake Shoppe and Cake Shoppe, Too:

Have a wonderful week! Its going to be a busy one on the blog here. thanks for stopping by!

may His love

Today’s Mint Motif project is a gift all in itself. Its a handmade box, filled with a handmade ornament.

For the top of the handmade box, I stamped Beyond Borders with Distressing Ink. Inside each quatrefoil shape, I stamped a snowflake with the same ink.

The inside of the box holds a handmade ornament. Its a flat, circle-shaped glass ornament from Michael’s. I cleaned the inside with alcohol and turned it upside down in a cup to drop dry for about 24 hours. I poured Glimmer Mist into the ornament and rolled it around. Once again, I put it upside down in a cup to drip dry. Its splotchy. Not the results I wanted. I would definitely do the standard paint treatment the next time.

The front of the ornament is SO COOL! I die cut double sided adhesive from 3L with a snowflake from Spellbinder’s Create A Flake 2. Peeling off one side of the adhesive backing, I placed it on the ornament and smoothed it out. Then I removed the top piece of backing. Glitter was poured over the top and pressed down. A gem was added to the center, along with a bow on the top. I am thinking that video tutorial is going to be helpful…soon, ok?

Both Very Merry Sentiments and Beyond Borders are now available at i{heart}papers.com. Have a super weekend! thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Beyond Borders, Very Merry Sentiments), Hero Arts (Holiday Sayings), Ink-Ranger (Distressing Ink-Frayed Burlap, Broken China), Ribbon-American Crafts, Gems-Hero Arts (Star Gems), Glimmer Mist-Turquoise, Adhesive Sheets-3L, Ornament-Michael’s, Spellbinders-(Create a Flake 2, Standard Tags)

Introducing Mint Motif: Very Merry Sentiments, Beyond Borders

Very Merry Sentiments $10

• 8 sentiments
• Sentiments fit on Very Square

Beyond Borders $10

• 5 border images
• Each border measures 5.55”, allowing you to cover the long side of a standard A2 card

Both sets are now available at i{heart}papers.com!!

Check out what the fantastic design team members created for today!!

• Charlene Austin
• Geny Cassady
• Kazan Clark
• Latisha Yoast
• Julie Overby
• Kate Baldwin, iheartpapers.com owner

AND, like always, there is a chance to win!! From all the comments left here, and on the rest of the team's blogs, I will be drawing names of TWO winners! One person will win Very Merry Sentiments and another lucky winner will get Beyond Borders! You have until Saturday, October 16 at 10 pm CST to leave comments. The winner will be announced on the i{heart}papers.com blog on Monday, October 18th.

Can’t wait to see what you create with these images! Don’t forget to send them my way, so I can share them with everyone; Kimberly1Crawford@gmail.com. thanks for stopping by!

Mint Motif: Very Merry Sentiments

For this card, I applied distressing ink onto an acrylic block, misted it with water, and then stamped it onto the cardstock (thank you Jennifer McGuire for the inspiration!!) Once it dried, I stamped the sentiment from Very Merry Sentiments.

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Very Merry Sentiments), Hero Arts (Holiday Sayings), Ink-Ranger (Distressing Ink-Tumbled Glass, Frayed Burlap), Holly leaves-Making Memories, Brad-American Crafts

For this card, I focused on the sentiment, from Very Merry Sentiments, by stamping it inside the Heirloom Ornament from Spellbinders.

Supplies:Stamps-Mint Motif (Very Merry Sentiments), Patterned paper-Basic Grey (Jovial), Lace-Hero Arts(Cream), Twine-Metallic String Gold, Spellbinders-Heirloom Ornament

And, once again, I focused on the Very Merry Sentiment by placing it inside a circle on Snowflake Pendant.

Supplies:Stamps-Mint Motif (Very Merry Sentiments), Patterned paper-Crate (Snow Day), Ink-Ranger (Distressing Inks-Broken China), Palette (L’Amour), Gems-Hero Arts (Green), Spellbinders-Snowflake Pendant, Classic Circles

The reveal is coming in the morning!! thanks for stopping by!

Another peek

Another quick peek at Beyond Borders today. This was inspired by a new line of products by Jonathan Adler. I stamped the lemons border in Memento ink . Then colored the insides and outsides of lemons with random Copic markers. Fun, graphic, and easy!!

Tomorrow will be the full set reveal! And I will have more projects to share with you!! With having to teach a class last night, and pre-school and swimming for the little man, well, you know how that goes and how mommy didn’t get a chance to create! :)

thanks bunches and bunches for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Beyond Borders, School Basics), Copics-B37, E55, Y15, G07, YR07, Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black)

more Mint Motif peeks

Its day two of sneak peeks! Today I am focusing on the set, Beyond Borders. What I love about this set is the fact that the borders are all 5.55” long. Meaning, you can cover a standard A2 card, the long way!

I designed this set on paper at CHA this past summer and then on the computer the second I got home. Borders and patterns like these were everywhere!!! And now you can create your own papers, in any color you want!

I like to call this border, gems. I love how easily these emboss to create a wowee look!

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Beyond Borders, Very Square Sentiments), Ink-Versamark (Watermark), Embossing Powder-Stampendous (White Detail), Spellbinders-Labels One, Classic Rectangles Small, On the Vine Border Grand

Doesn’t this make you think of Rainbow Bright? Or maybe leg warmers? I am pretty sure I had a sweater with this pattern on it! :) I love it. It makes me smile! So, the warm fuzzies sentiment worked swell. :) Zig Zag borders are so popular right now and this one will let you have a ton of fun!!

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Beyond Borders), Hero Arts (Everyday Sayings), Ink-Palette (L’Amour, Orangerie, Paris Lights, Giverny Green, Reflection Blue, Lavendar Sachet)

Be sure and check out the sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You site this week, as this card was created before the sketch came out, but happened to be one and the same. Great minds think alike! :)

This background is called lemons. This might be my favorite one, at least right now. :) I stamped the background in the same ink color as the cardstock. Then, I used a Copic marker and colored the inside of each lemon. A small dot of white was added to the centers.

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Beyond Borders, Very Square Sentiments), Ink-Palette (Hawaiian Shores) Versamark (Watermark), Embossing Powder-Stampendous (White Detail), Copic-BG10, White pen-Uniball Signo U53 Broad, Spellbinders-Classic Circles Large, Lacey Circles

Check back tomorrow and a peek at Very Merry Sentiments. Both sets will be available on October 14th at i{heart}papers.com. Hope you are enjoying what you are seeing so far! thanks for stopping by!