a very special issue

Stamp It 3 Ways from Paper Crafts Magazine always has a special place in my heart, but this issue, like last year’s, means just a bit more. Not only do I have cards in the issue, but a stamp set that I designed was used! Now THAT is unreal!

Here is the set, from Mint Motif, available exclusively at i {heart} papers.com. Its called I’ve Got Your Number. I love this set because each number is individual. And I think it is perfect for all the Project Life style scrapbooking going on these days. Easy to make your own journal cards!

And a HUGE thanks to these fantabulous designers who used the stamps in the issue! Their creations were beautiful and inspiring and classy!

• Heidi Van Laar
• JJ Bolton
• Kim Kesti

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

CardMaker Magazine blog team hop: Summer Dreams

Whose summer dreams don’t include ice cream?!? On our blog hop today we are sharing projects inspired by the ice cream  truck. I have a triple stacked cone of fun patterns and a cute sentiment to go with it. Fun, easy, and perfect for summer.

Check out the other cards and inspiration from the rest of the team:

• CardMaker Magazine blog
• Kimberly Crawford *you are here*
• Carolyn King
• Colleen Schaan
• Anya Schrier
• Trudy Sjolander
• Michelle Woerner

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

CardSwaps Blog Hop: Time to Shine

Welcome to the CardMaker Magazine CardSwaps blog hop! The blog team gets to join in the fun today! We are all making cards about your Time to Shine. And what a better day to shine than a birthday?
With washi tape being the craze these days, I thought, why not make my own custom tape by using masking tape?!? :)

1. Place strips of masking tape down onto silicon mat.
2. Cover each piece of tape with Distress ink using the foam applicator.
3. Stamp the lemon border from Mint Motif’s Beyond Borders in the same color ink over the top.
4. Once dry, applied the tape pieces to the piece of patterned paper.
5. To make the candle tops, stamp another row of the lemon border onto a piece of white cardstock using Spiced Marmalade ink.
6. Then rub Scattered Straw ink  over the top.
7. Apply Stickles to the centers and once dry, cut out and foam mount to the top of each candle.

We are supposed to share a day that we personally had our time to shine. Well, seeing as I made a birthday card, I will share one of my favorite birthdays. It was my 30th. I had just given birth to my son, and my husband and family were around me that day. It was a simple and beautiful way to celebrate a new decade in my life. Everything that I am and was grateful for was around me that day.

Ok, now for some FUN! “Unscramble It game for hoppers... You will be unscrambling a word once you will collect a letter at each blog you visit. The hostesses can play along, because they don't know any of the letters but their own... Once you collect ALL the letters, the last hostess in the blog hop will direct you to the thread in the forum where you can find all the details you need to enter the drawing. All hoppers collecting all the letters, unscrambling the word or phrase, entering the game by following the directions in the forum, and leaving feedback on EVERY blog they visit WILL be entered in to a random drawing held on May 23, 2012. ONE lucky hopper will have their name drawn and will win a prize!! Fun, right?? So, make sure you visit every blog and find the letters. Your hints are... it’s a phrase, it has four words, and it’s a way you will be able to shine.”

You should have arrived here from ANGELINA’s blog. If not, hop on back and collect the letter. If you haven’t started the hop at all, start at the beginning and have a great time! Here is a list of all the blogs, just in case.

• Brooke Smith -CardMaker blog
  Jeanette
  Ashley
  Anya Schrier
  Golda
  Ivanka
  Ana
  Michelle Woerner
  Judy L
  Lisa
  Trudy Sjolander
  Jane
  Angelina
  Kimberly Crawford *you are here*
  Laura
  Tammy
  Carolyn King
  Marlene
  Susan
  Colleen Schaan
  Meredith
  Lora

AND the letter you are looking for is B.

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Party Ensembles

This book from Paper Crafts Magazine and Leisure Arts is a true stunner!! Party Ensembles is available at book stores now, or click the link and purchase it online. The ideas inside for parties are endless, brilliant, and completely re-creatable! The book also includes a CD in the back that has all the patterns and supply lists you need to make one of these celebrations at your house.

And here is my party ensemble from the issue. I thought it would be great fun to create a His/Hers Wedding shower theme with my stamps from Mint Motif, What a Card. The ensemble includes placemats, food picks, beverage cozies, wine glass markers, centerpieces, custom card decks and be sure and check out the book to see the pretty-cool-if-I-say-so-myself chandelier made from playing cards! :)

Here is the stamp set, What a Card. And yee haw! it is now back in stock, along with a bunch of other Mint Motif sets at i {heart} papers. :)

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

CardMaker Blog Team hop

I have another post below this! A look at the new stamps from Mint Motif and a chance to win them!

photo from Pinterest

Its another CardMaker Blog Team hop today! We are using the photo above as inspiration. I love using photos like this as a starting point for projects!



And here is my take on the inspiration. The first part that struck me was that amazing mirror. To re-create that look, I stamped and heat embossed this hexagon pattern on cardstock. Then I stamped the image onto foil, cut them out, and adhered the hexagons to the background. (You can see the close up below.)

To finish it off, I added white and fuchsia cardstock that was die cut with Spellbinders Labels Twenty Five. And then a lamp stamped in Teal.



A little birdie told us that is Brooke Smith’s birthday today, so this is a birthday wish for her! She always brightens my days with her emails and contagious happiness!! Happy Birthday, Brooke! Hope your day is fantastic!!!

Stop by all the blogs today and be inspired!

• Tami Mayberry
• Carolyn King
• Trudy Sjolander
• Colleen Schaan
• Kimberly Crawford *you are here*

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Mint Motif and a giveaway

SORRY! This project has been removed for publication.

One more day of Mint Motif projects to share with you! Beyond Borders Too and Simply Sentiments are both available now, exclusively, at the i {heart} papers store.

I wanted to show off all the borders in a project. A bunting immediately came to mind. Fun, festive, and irresistible, at least to me. :)

I started by hand cutting each pennant from kraft cardstock.
Then I stamped each background from Beyond Borders Too repeatedly and heat embossed them with white powder. To create the repeating border, I started by turning the pennant on its side and stamping the long way.

A piece of felt was die cut using Spellbinders Edgeabilities and adhered to the top of each pennant.
To add a sentiment, a strip of kraft cardstock was stamped with a sentiment from Simply Sentiments.



For the final touches, Spellbinders Spiral Blossom Three was added to each side of each pennant. And a butterfly was die cut and stenciled through with ink.

Check out what these creative ladies have for you today:

• i {heart} papers
• Julie Masse
• Tobi Crawford

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

more with Mint Motif!

Welcome back today for more looks at the newest sets from Mint Motif!! Today I am focusing more on Simply Sentiments. Why not make the sentiment the main element of your card?
I repeatedly stamped the sentiment in black ink, starting at the top of the cardstock. Once I got past half way down, I switched and stamped one sentiment in red ink to make it stand out.



A few die cut hearts were added and Beyond Borders Too was stamped on the card base. Oooh, I love that honeycomb pattern! So many possibilities!

Check out these projects today:

• i {heart} papers
• Geny Cassady
• Kimber McGray
• Melissa Bickford

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

New Stamps from Mint Motif!!

Today is SO exciting!! The two newest stamp sets from Mint Motif are now available at i {heart} papers!! Beyond Borders Too and Simply Sentiments are in the store! And for the next few days myself and some other fantastic designers are going to share projects with you!!


A close up look at one of the borders in the set Beyond Borders. It was stamped several times, one of top of the other, starting at the bottom of the cardstock. Then it was heat embossed. I love creating my own custom patterned paper!!
Check out these projects:

• i {heart} papers
• AJ Otto
• Latisha Yoast
• Ryann Salamon

thank you for stopping by!

~kimberly

the latest from Mint Motif is now available!

The latest sets of stamps from Mint Motif are now available at i {heart} papers!!

Beyond Borders Too:

• 4 border stamps
• $12
• each stamp measures approximately 5.7” so you can stamp the length of a standard A2 card
• the ability to continue the pattern with each border

Simply Sentiments:

• 16 stamps
• $12
• straight line sentiments
• variety of sentiments for many occasions

Check back for posts on March 12 (today), 13, and 14 for projects from myself and several other designers!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Mint Motif sneak peeks

These peeks have been such a long time coming!! I am so excited to share them with you! Starting next week, two new sets from Mint Motif, available exclusively at i {heart} papers, will be for sale!!

March 12, 13, and 14 will feature these designers showing the new sets. Oh boy, I can hardly wait!!! Stop by and see what peeks they have for you:

• i {heart} papers
• AJ Otto
• Latisha Yoast
• Ryann Salamon
• Geny Cassady
• Kimber McGray
• Melissa Bickford
• Julie Masse
• Tobi Crawford

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Spring over at CardMaker Magazine’s blog

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

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!

• Tami Mayberry
• Carolyn King
• Trudy Sjolander
• Colleen Schaan
• Kimberly Crawford *you are here*
• CardMaker Magazine Blog

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

Stamp It 3 Ways

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

Sweets for Your Sweet

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

favorite cards of 2011

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

Sorry, this project has been removed for publication. :)
friends: a favorite publication reject

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

another hello: resist embossing technique

Sorry, this project has been removed for publication. :)
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

Stamping and Stitching with a Tutorial

A project! Shocking, I know! I cannot tell you how great it feels to be back into the swing of things. (at least this week :) )

I have noticed embroidery hoops being used everywhere on the internet and something about them just appeals to me. I am not good at sewing. My mother was the seamstress. But there is just something appealing about creating a little project like this!

As I thought about how I could create my own stitching pattern (because I cannot sew straight), I immediately thought about my stamps! I could stamp the images on fabric and stitch over the top! Oh the possibilities!!

I picked up a small 3” hoop, thin muslin, and a water washable fabric marker. The fabric was trimmed to a smaller size. The inner hoop was traced onto the fabric, to give me an idea of how far I needed to stitch, to fill the hoop. (you might have to click the photo to be able to see the faint image)

Wanting to mimic the pale color of the fabric marker and knowing I would stitch over the top and it really wouldn’t be seen, I used a pale blue ink. Stick with dye-based ink (or fabric ink) because you don’t want wet ink for this.

I stamped the handwriting line from Mint Motif’s School Basics set until the circle I drew was completely covered.

The clear stamps make it very easy to line everything up.

The final stamping.

The stitching. I used a back stitch, so they would be continual.

For the blue and black stitching, I used 3 strands of DMC embroidery floss. For the red lines, I only used two strands, to make it stand out less. Looking at this now, if I did the lines again, I might use only one.

A look at the letters. Just follow the letters with small stitches, especially around the corners. Having never done anything like this before, I am pretty happy with the results. I am off to see what other images I have in my stash…

Some advice from my mom. Thanks, Mom!:

• If you want this to be a project to hang on the wall, pre-wash the fabric.
• Move the hoop around while you are stitching, to keep the fabric taut.
• Keep your hands clean because the oils can rub off and leave marks.
• Don’t leave the project in the hoop if you walk away from it. The hoop could leave marks in an undesirable place.

Another last look at the hoop. It is glued to this card, but it might be fun to make it removable as a keepsake.

Hope you are inspired! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (School Basics), Fabric-Hancock Fabrics, Michaels (DMC Floss, Hoop, Marker), Ink-Palette (Water Lily), Patterned paper-Kaiser Craft Miss Nelly, Spellbinders-S4-127 Classic Scalloped Squares Large

pubs

The May/June issue of Paper Crafts Magazine is now available. Its a great issue, like always! What’s not to love? :) I am thrilled to see several projects using my Mint Motif stamps inside, and to have a couple projects of my own!! Wow, I am totally biased on this! :)

This card was made to be a music teacher thank you. Having amazing piano instructors throughout my life definitely inspired this project! All the details are available in the magazine. :)

thanks ever so much for stopping by!

you’re so sweet

I couldn’t love the Nested Ice Cream Cones dies from Spellbinders anymore if I tried! So fun. I made a whole set of these felt pieces for the little man. Now he has an ice cream shoppe to play with. :) With double scoops, of course. :)

Hope you are having a wonderful day! thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Sweet Hearts), Patterned paper-Basic Grey (Hopscotch), Ink-Palette (Noir), Cardstock-Papertrey Ink, Felt-Michael’s, Spellbinders-Ribbon Baners, Labels Eighteen (not available yet) & Nested Ice Cream Cones

this is a scheduled post...if all goes as planned, I should be home late tonight. :)

Introducing Mint Motif Sweet Hearts

Sweet Hearts $10

• 17 images, including 7 sentiments and one border
• the gumball machine measures 2 3/4” tall x 1 1/2” wide
• the border is 5.7”, so you can stamp the length of a standard A2 card
• the single heart fits inside the gumball machine, the smaller heart inside the candy jar
• the small hearts create sprinkles on the malt

This set is now available exclusively at i {heart} papers!!

Check out and see what the rest of the fabulous design team has created!

• Geny Cassady
• Julie Masse
• Melissa Bickford
• Ryann Salamon
• Tobi Crawford
• Kate Baldwin- i {heart} papers owner
• Kimber McGray-guest designer

AND, like each release, I will draw a name from all the comments left on each designer's blog, including mine, and that winner will get their own set of Sweet Hearts!

Happy shopping and thanks for stopping by!

sweets for my sweet

Today’s project shows you a cute box for holding some gumball machine cake pops. :) You know me, any excuse to bake! :) Instructions can be found HERE.

I made the box and die cut a window from the front, using a Spellbinders Standard Circle Large. Then I die cut a frame from patterned paper using the same circle and a Scalloped Circle Small. And there is another peek at one of the new dies releasing at CHA-Ribbon Banners. :)

The heart border from Sweet Hearts was stamped from top to bottom in red ink. Then in a few hearts, I added the small, solid heart from the set. Love how they fit together.

A base was created to hold each of the gumball machines.

Here’s a peek with the lid open, so you can see the gumball machines inside the box better. I am pretty sure that I will have a happy little man in the morning! :)

thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (Sweet Hearts), Ink-Palette (L’Amour, Noir), Patterned paper-Jillibean Soup (Soup Staples), Spellbinders-Standard Circles Large, Scalloped Circles Small, Ribbon Banners<>