Just Beachy with InStyle Stamps!

Put on your swimsuit...

Grab your flip flops and sunglasses...

don't forget the sunscreen....

because we are headed to the beach!

Welcome to the InStyle Stamps May Blog Hop!

Our Theme this month is:
"Just Beachy"

We have lots of fun in store for you today! The DT put on their sunscreen and went to work on all the beach projects! There are many new releases over at InStyle Stamps today so make sure you head over to the store to check them out and place your order....let me tell you they are VERY CUTE and you definitely don't want to miss them!!! Like last month, after you go and view all of the other DT's projects (their links are in my side bar), make sure you head on over to the InStyle Stamps Blog to vote for your favorite project (I hope it's mine...hee hee)! The DT member who gets the most votes will win a prize....AND YOU CAN WIN A PRIZE JUST FOR VOTING!!! All you have to do is place your vote; then leave a comment on the post with the poll to be entered for a PRIZE! You need to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. The contest will remain open until 11:59pm EST on Saturday, May 30th, and winners will be announced on Monday, June 1st.

Now....onto my project:
I had the opportunity to work with the new mermaid image...her name is Ariel! Oh my goodness is Ariel adorable! I just couldn't get enough of her....so beware you will be seeing more of her on my blog! I decided to make a gift set with her. I found this awesome starfish shaped soap bar while browsing around Michaels in the dollar bins and thought it would be perfect in my little bucket. Then of course you need a card to match! (Please click on any pictures to see them bigger.)

Here is a close up of Miss. Ariel! Isn't she so cute and tropical!

A close up of the card. I used the sketch over at Sketch Saturday. My Ariel really does sparkle IRL as I used my Twinkling H2Os on her but of course my camera can't catch that effect. Umph...I sure wish it could, because they both are beautiful!
Then the finished inside of the card! I decided since this was a beachy theme I sure needed to add Leila to my card! She's all decked out in her hula skirt ready to party with the mermaids! I added tulle to her skirt to give her more depth! Then I used my seashell shape from this card for the message side.

Now....Don't forget to go vote for my project....I mean your favorite DT member's project over at the InStyle Blog!

Recipe:

Stamps: Mermaid and Leila from InStyle Stamps

Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Twinkling H2Os

Papers: SU & Coordinations Black Magic cardstock, SEI dp

Tools: oval nesties, EK Success leaf punch

Embellishments: Rosebuds are primas, Tulle from HL, charms from HL, other flowers and ribbon are from my stash.

Hope you are having a GREAT Friday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gorjuss Matching Notebook!

Here is the matching mini notebook that I made to go along with yesterday's card! I have used another Gorjuss Girl from the new set! These beauties are a dream to color....and each of them is so cute! I got these mini notebooks in a pack of 3 at the dollar store and they are so easy to cover and personalize! I think I need to make one in pink for in my purse!

A close up of our cutie pie!

And the designed background with my personilzed stamp! I know many of you have asked me before where I got my personalized stamp! I ordered them from Lisbet at Scrapmagasinet! She is so wonderful to work with!!! And she custom makes the stamps for whatever one is looking for! She designed this one here personally for me! Thanks Lisbet you are so sweet!!! And her shipping is super fast....and it even came over the ocean! :) Recipe:
Stamps: Gorjuss Girl from Sugar Nellie
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Papers: SU cardstock, Basic Grey Whimsy dp
Tools: Fiskars eyelet border/emboss punch
Embellishments: flowers, Ribbon, tulle, lace from my stash.

Tomorrow is the monthly Blog Hop for InStyle Stamps! Oooo are there some fun stamps that are being released....and I just loved the one that I got to play with...and I can't wait to see what my other DT members came up with! Make sure you come by tomorrow to take a peek!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sugar Bowl Challenge 11

This is my entry for the Sugar Bowl Challenge 11 which happens to be a sketch challenge and then add pearls to your creation. The sketch was a lot of fun (yes, I know...I say that about every sketch I play with...I just love sketches...they get my brain thinking!) My pearl elements is the pearl-like centers on my flowers. I just love this little Gorjuss Girl from the second set! She has to be my favorite one! I decided to use my Whimsy BG papers.....and got my Copic lavender colors from watching my great buddy Suzanne's lavender coloring tutorial. She has the greatest video tutorials...if you haven't checked them out you need to head over to her blog and see them! She ROCKS!

A close up of Miss. Gorjuss herself!

On the inside I decided to keep this one a little more simple, I carried the same papers through.

Recipe:

Stamps: Gorjuss Girl from Sugar Nellie, Tapestry Stamps

Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Papers: SU cardstock, Basic Grey Whimsy dp

Tools: Fiskars eyelet border/emboss punch, Labels 4 nesties, MS border punch

Embellishments: flowers, Ribbon, tulle, and charm from my stash, lace from Walmart.

Thanks for stopping by!

Be on the lookout as I'm going to be having some blog candy soon

for my birthday....so stay tuned!

Mark your calendars....

Sumthin’ Bout Summertime

Blog Hop & Contest

You are cordially invited to the first ever Embellish-It.com Blog Hop! We wanted to kick off summer in a big way so come along and get inspired, play a little game and enter to win an American Crafts Prize Package & a Stampavie Stamp !

How to Play:
Hop along from Blog to Blog in the order given below. Each blog stop will provide
one letter to a mystery word. At the end of the hop on June 3^rd , unscramble all the letters to figure out the mystery word, and post your guess in our forum in the specified post below.

On June 1^st start at the Embellish-It.com Blog, then head to the IT-Girls blogs in this order:

Christine
Cindy
Danni

June 2nd head to:
Julie
Kim (yep...that's me!!!)
Michelle

June 3rd head to:
Lee
Suzy
The Hop ends at the EI Forum on this post where you can unscramble the letters and post your guess word! (Make sure you head to the forum now and register early so on June 3rd you are ready to post your answer....there is no fee to join our forum!)

One winner will receive a prize package consisting of a Stampavie Stamp, American Crafts papers and Thickers, and ribbon. Value of prize is approximately $25. The winner will be announced on June 21^st, the first day of Summer!

Rules:

You can post your guess anytime between June 3^rd and Midnight CST on June 20^th, 2009. One entry per person please. We apologize, but due to high shipping costs, you must have a North American address to ship your prize package to.

Good Luck to Everyone and hope to see you at the hop!

Willow's so bright we need shades!

This week at the WOJ Challenge blog was another fun Heather sketch! I really wanted to use my DCWV citrus paper...however these colors were so bright and bold they were a little scary to play with. However, in the end I got over the "busyness of the papers" and did like the end result! I used my new Willow from the WOJ summer kit! This kit is amazing...Elisabeth Bell always does such an amazing job! Katharina your kit rocks!!!

This is the inside of the card on the left hand side:

And here is the inside of the card on the right hand side:

Over at the Everyday Art Challenge their challenge this week is to create a 3D Creation! I think this card qualifies in more than one way for 3D...LOL! Willow is popped up on foam tape. The flowers and tulle are popping right off the card, and on the inside I have also put the flower on foam tape to pop it up! :)

(Please click on any picture to enlarge them.)

Recipe:
Stamps: Willow with strawberries from WOJ
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Twinkling H2Os (used on the apples on Willows dress)
Papers: SU & DCWV cardstock, DCWV citrus stack dp
Tools: Fiskars sunburst border punch, Labels 4 nesties, Scalloped Octagon nesties, Retro flower punches
Embellishments: Glossy Accents (on strawberries), Prima flowers, Ribbon, flowers, tulle, rhinestones, charm, hat pin and beads from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Sketchers with InStyle

Meet Akemi, she's a cutie over at InStyle Stamps! She's so much fun to color and can be used for any type of card (birthday, just because, thinking of you, etc.) I used the sketch over at Friday Sketchers for this card. Heidi did an amazing job with this sketch...it was a lot of fun to play with (after I figured out how to cut my square to the correct size so I could turn it into a triangle to fit the page.) I wish the rhinestones showed up better on the upper right hand side of the card...they are nice and sparkly IRL. I colored the small roses on the bottom right of the card with my twinkling H20s to give them the black shimmery look.

Here is a close up of Miss. Akemi:
And then the finished inside, which I carried the sketch to.

Recipe:

Stamps: Akemi from InStyle Stamps

Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Papers: SU cardstock, Bo Bunny dp

Tools: EK Success corner punch

Embellishments: Ribbon, flowers, lace, tulle, and rhinestones from my stash

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day!

The other Tilda card and The ABC's of Me!

As I promised yesterday....here is the other card that I made for my Mom's boss. I used the same sketch as the post below...I just changed up the colors! At first I was worried that this one would look too christmasy with the red and green....but seeing how Tilda was in summer clothes and holding flowers I think that took away the christmas look.

A close up of Miss. Tilda and her flowers! I sure do love my flower soft! And then the finished inside of course with another angel charm of mine.

Recipe:
Stamps: Tilda with Marguerites
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Papers: SU cardstock, DCWV dp
Tools: EK Success border punch, EK Success corner adorner punch
Embellishments: Ribbon, flowers (prima and from my stash), crystal stickles (on Tilda's wings), flower soft, and my handmade angel charm.

The ABCs of Me!!!

I saw this on my great friend, Tiffaney's blog! I thought it would be fun to pass along some facts about me...so.....Copy and change the answers to your own, then post to your blog with a link to mine ( or when your blog friends copy yours, they link to you). Let's see how far this gets.

Here's ME:
Age: 28 but only for a few more days!!!!
Bed size: Queen
Chore you hate: Dusting
Dad's Name: Dennis
Essential start your day item: Big Train Sugar Free Vanilla Chai
Favorite actor(s): Don't really have a favorite
Gold or Silver: Silver
Height: 5’6"
Instruments you play(ed): Clarinet (in elementary and jr. high school)
Job title: Wife, Student, Administrative Assistant, Accountant, Agent (oh love this one...thanks bro!)
Kid(s): None...unless my hubby counts...somedays he may qualify!
Living arrangements: very cozy apartment above our funeral home
Mom's name: Mary Lou
Nicknames: Kim, Kimmie, Mrs. Deadman
Overnight hospital stay other than birth: None
Pet peeves: Back stabbers
Quotes you like: Live in the moment and live life with no regrets
Rightie or Leftie: Rightie
Siblings: younger brother and younger sister
Time you wake up: non-school days 9:00AMish and on school days 6:00AM
Umbrella: no usually just a hood
Vegetable you dislike: green beans
Ways you run late: Just because I can't get ready on time (my hubby will tell you this!) I like to dawdle and be pokey!
X-rays you've had: foot, ankle, hands, chest, back, teeth
Yummy food you make: Cupcakes,
Zodiac: Gemini
Now that you know a little more about me, let's hear about you. Leave a comment & I'll read your ABC's.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope your weekend is wonderful!

Just Magnolia - Week 5 Sketch

Yesterday I finished my Just Magnolia Sketch Challenge....of course it was too late to enter into the challenge last night, but that's ok......the 2 cards that I made for the sketch turned out super cute that I still wanted to share them with you! Back in January my Mom asked me to make a birthday card for her boss.....you can see that card HERE. My Mom's boss loved it and wanted 2 cards made exactly like it....as you can see my style has evolved since I made the first card so I had to add extras to the new cards....and had so much fun making them! I'll share one with you today and the other tomorrow! :) I just love Tilda holding her flowers! She's so fun to color and the flower soft looks awesome with her!

And here is the finished inside of the card! I used one of my handmade angel charms to tie to the ribbon....thanks to my buddy Fran who helped me get the right beads to make them!

Recipe:

Stamps: Tilda with Marguerites

Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Papers: SU cardstock, BG dp, Bo Bunny dp

Tools: EK Success border punch, EK Success corner adorner punch

Embellishments: Ribbon, flowers (prima and from my stash), brad, spacer, crystal stickles (on Tilda's wings), flower soft, and my handmade angel charm.

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

ISS Wednesday - Birthday Challenge

A Day Late and A Dollar Short:

Yes, yesterday was the InStyle Stamps Wednesday Challenge....and this week our theme is Happy Birthday! I had planned to have my card done and posted for yesterday morning; however, there was some tragic news in my hometown on Tuesday (you can see the info here), so I didn't get my card done until today. I did not know the people involved in the tragic event, but it is still sad and so close to home.

But now on to the card! I used Mellie from ISS along with the sketch over at Sketch Saturday! She is so sweet with her cake!!! I want to dedicate this card to Mary who is on the DT over at ISS with me! It was her birthday yesterday, so this was made in honor of her!!!! Happy Birthday Hun!!! I used pink liquid applique on Mellie's cake for the frosting....but totally forgot to do my nestie cutout until after I already had the frosting made and fluffed...so when I ran Mellie through my cuttlebug her frosting made a mess all over...but I did manage to save the image (just barely)! Her frosting did look much better before her cuttlebug experience! LOL!

Here is a close up of Miss. Mellie:

Recipe:
Stamps: Mellie from InStyle Stamps
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Papers: SU cardstock, DCWV dp, and some papers from my stash
Tools: Nesties, EK Success border punch
Embellishments: Ribbon, flowers, tulle, brads, spacers, pink liquid applique, and MS glitter

GUEST DESIGNER CALL AT INSTYLE STAMPS:

We also have some exciting news right now over at ISS! We are looking for 2 fabulous guest designers to join our team for the June-July term. Wanna join us?

To apply for the guest design team spot:

1. Make a project based on today’s birthday challenge.

2. You do not have to use an ISS image. However, if you’ve got one, you might as well flaunt it! Please keep in mind that most of our images are line art, so be sure to show us your coloring skills.

3. Post your project on your personal blog and write about the guest designer call. Then to to the InStyle Stamps Blog and leave a link to your blog post in the comment section HERE. Please include your email address so we are able to get in contact with you if you are selected.

4. All entries must be received by 11:59pm PST on Wednesday, May 27th.

5. We will be announcing the winner during the blog hop on Friday, May 29th

If you have any questions relating to the guest designer call, please contact Melissa at:
instylestampsdt@aol.com

Good Luck!!!!

Thanks for stopping by, your comments truly make my day!

Flower Soft Gift Card Holder

This was a gift card holder that I made for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day! This was the first time that I used flower soft as a main focal point and I loved the effect that it gave. I also got to use my new EK Success border punch and love it! The inside isn't as fun as I would have like it to be, but the gift cards we got for my MIL took up the whole inside anyways, so I decided to leave the inside plain.

Recipe:

Stamps: Oval from Alota Stamps, Sentiment from SU

Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Papers: SU cardstock, MME dp

Tools: Nesties, EK Success border punch

Embellishments: Ribbon, flowers, tulle, pearls from my stash, flower soft

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Gorjuss Graduation!

My dear friend graduated from college today! She is also my car pooling buddy so I am truly going to be lost next year without her! Her favorite color is pink and when I found some black and pink zebra ribbon the other day I knew I had to buy it to make her Graduation card! I found this diploma looking card in a magazine and thought it was super cute so I thought I would give it a try!
And what card is complete without a Gorjuss Girl on it! Of course I had to make her a Gorjuss Graduation Girl!!! Here is the inside of the card:

And a close up of Miss Gorjuss in her Graduation Cap!
And here is the inside of the card with the small card that I added to the envelope!
Yes, I just can't get enough of those fabulous paper flowers that I have been creating!
Are you getting sick of seeing them yet?

Don't you love it when your end product turns out even better than what you have planned in your head? That is very much how I felt when I finished this one and couldn't wait to get to the party to give my friend her card....which by the way she loved! YAY! Love it when that happens!

My final exams are now all done! I am so relived and just anxiously awaiting my grades now....but am so happy that how it is crafty time for me! I can't wait to share more fun projects with you and get back to blogging....I have been really out of the loop lately! Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

InStyle Stamps Wednesday Challenge - Flowers

Who wants to win some free InStyle Stamps?!?!

Every Wednesday we will have a challenge on the ISS blog. This week's challenge is

...flowers...

use flowers on your creation and post your link on the ISS blog for your chance to win!

Virginia (our wonderful boss over at ISS) gave us the digi image of Leila to play with for this week's challenge! Isn't she so adorable? I think she's super cute! She would be perfect for any summer card, birthday/party invitations, or just a fun thinking of you card! When I saw her I immediately knew I wanted to create a card in the shape of a seashell (yes, I even free-hand drew it...and I don't think it came out too terrible at all....don't you just love pleasantly surprising yourself....I really do stink at drawing!!!) I didn't want to cover up the kraft cs seashell so I only accented the card a little bit.

A close up of Miss. Leila!

Now click HERE to go and see the official challenge post and

see what the other DT members have made!

I can't wait to see what you make!

Thanks for stopping by!

Please pray for me as I start my final exams today! Eeek!

CBCC 38 Inspiration Station - People

Today our challenge is an Inspiration Challenge-People! Let people inspire you, whether it be loved ones, friends, celebrities. Make a card and post your link to your creation on Courtney's blog for your chance to win a prize!

Sorry this is a little later than normal! I am battling a HUGE sinus infection and finals are this week so between blowing my nose and studying I am usually napping. I hope to be feeling better soon so I can share some new projects with you.

My project for this week's challenge is this cute flower pot card that I have been seeing many people make! This was my Mom's Mother's Day card and she inspired me to make this because she loves flowers and her yard is always beautiful every year with fun flowers (I can't wait to see what she plants this year!) Happy Belated Mother's Day to all of your Moms out there!

The side view with a stand.

Then the note card that slides inside.

Thanks for stopping by!

InStyle Sneak Peek - Meet Ava!

Check out Ava! Isn't she a sweet fairy? I just love her! I decided to use the peach and blue color combo after seeing it on Jacquie and Bev's blogs! (Thanks girls for the inspiration!)

Ava was colored with my Copics and then her dress and wings were highlighted with Twinkling H2Os (even though you can't see it in the picture she really does shimmer!)

And of course here's a close up of Ava the little cutie!

Ava and the rest of the new releases by InStyle Stamps will be available in the InStyle Store this afternoon, so be sure to stop by! These cuties really are a must have in my book...I just adore the fairies! Happy Shopping!

Recipe:

Stamps: InStyle Stamps - Ava

Papers: SU cardstock, MME, Me & My Big Ideas

Tools: MS border punches

Embellies: Peach flowers from clearance bin at Michaels, tulle and ribbon from my stash

Thanks for stopping by!

CBCC #37: April Showers Bring May Flowers & BIG NEWS!

Hi Everyone! This week's challenge at CBCC is April Showers Bring May Flowers....so we want to see some flowers on your creation! This was my favorite challenge so far....I just LOVE FLOWERS!!!! The more flowers I can put on a card the happier I am!!! I even got to use my new mini roses on this card!

I used Willow with Umbrella from Whiff of Joy, and colored her with my Copics. Her umbrella was colored with my Twinkling H2Os (which I am still trying to get the hang of....don't really have the hang of shading with them yet)! The sparkles on the umbrella are some chunky glitter (don't really care for this look either....but they were already glued on so I just went with it)! I added glossy accents on the rain drops to make them shine.

Here's a close up of Miss. Willow! She's so sweet!
And then a close up of my funky fun flower! This was so much fun and so easy to make, thanks to the directions that I got from HERE! I saw my good buddy, Rach, make one of these not so long ago and had to give it a try! It adds fun dimension to your card!

Now go and create your flower creation and make sure to link it to Courtney's blog for your chance to win some goodies! Also make sure you go and check out what the other chickies did with flowers....I can't wait to see their amazing creations! Their links can be found in my side bar!

******************************************************************************
Now I have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT to make!

I am honored to say that I have been selected to be on the Embellish-Online DT! Woo-Hoo....I am so excited to work with these girls (especially my dear friend Michelle...she's the one who told me to try out for the DT Call in the first place....thanks so much hun)! My term is going to be from June - December so get ready to see some fun creations with all sorts of products! You can read the official post HERE! Congrats to all the ladies who have been chosen...I can't wait to get to know you all!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a great day!

I will be working on those literature papers that are due the end of this week! Oh how I am counting down the days until the semester and finals are OVER!

Blogaversary Candy WINNER!!!

Thank you for everyone who entered and commented on my Blogaversary Candy! All of your kind comments have made my day! I am amazed at the number of enteries I have had....thank you for all coming by to see my blog! I hope you continue to come back and say hi! :)

But I know you all want to know who the winner of the candy is....

Random Generator has chosen #158:

which is LINA!!!

Lina said...

Congratulations! And what a nice gesture with the blog candy. I've linked it on my sidebar of my blog here: http://linascraps.blogspot.com/


CONGRATULATION Lina! You have 24 hours to contact me, otherwise a new winner will be chosen!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I am stuck writing papers for my literature classes today...so sorry I don't have any fun projects to share with you!

Blogaversary Candy!

This post will stay on top

until May 2, 2009!

Please scroll down for my current post

I know I have been teasing all of you that blog candy has been on its way! Well it is FINALLY here! I am celebrating my 1 year Blogaversary which was this past Monday (April 20th)! Thanks to my great blog followers, my blog has surpassed 20,000 hits, in just one year....thank you to all of you who leave me such wonderful and kind comments....I greatly appreciate them all. I am so thankful for all of the great friendships that I have made in the past year, and all the support and encouragement that I have gotten from all of you! It's hard to believe that I have only been stamping for a year now...I don't know what I did without it!

Now....onto the goodies....the blog candy that's up for grabs:

What you can win:

BoBunny Friendship Sticker Sheet

1 Package Petaloo Flora Doodles

3 Paper Pads from Colorblok

I Package Cloud 9 Epoxy Eyelets

Beerafella Stamp from Stamping Bella

1 Package of Queen & Co. Fall Leaves Felt Fusion

1 Versamark Marker

Seroogy's Almond Meltaway Chocolate Bar (this is the best chocolate EVER, and is made right here in Wisconsin)!!!

The details to win:

All you need to do is link my candy on your blog and leave a comment here with your link to my candy on your blog. If you would like to become a follower or subscribe to my blog that would be great too....but it's not required. You have until May 2, 2009 at midnight to enter (see clock on my sidebar.) I will draw the winner using a random generator on May 3, 2009. I will post worldwide and this is open to ALL, so if you don't have a blog please email me. The winner will have 24 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck, and again thanks for making my year of blogging so much fun!