Just Us Girls Challenge #521~Word Week...Valentine Mail Boxes

Hello,

Welcome to Just Us Girls Challenge #521, where lovely Lisa has selected BOW (as in the kind you tie) as this week's theme.

We are super thrilled to have incredibly talented Betty Jacobson as our Guest Designer! Not only is Betty supremely creative, but she lives 'just down the road' from me! I've had opportunity to meet her in real life and she is an absolute gem!! Please check out her wonderful card, along with those from the JUGS team: Sue, Angie, Vicki, Ina, Bobby, Nancy, Lisa, Maria and Cécile. If you have a chance to comment, that would be a real treat; they would love to know you dropped by.

No way in heck can I tie 'real' bows on cards (believe me...I've tried unsuccessfully enough to say 'no more'!), so I opt for dies! And with the plethora of bow dies in craft-land, finding pretty ones is easy.  Today, I'm sharing - again - a couple of my mail box gift card holders, dressed up in Valentine finery and sporting a charming scalloped heart bow! Cute and such fun! No tying myself in knots to get these right! 

That's it from me; looking forward to seeing how 'BOW' inspires you!

Thank you for dropping by!

STAMPlorations Throwback Thursday (January 2020)...Snowman Shaker Tag-inspired Birthday Projects

Hello,

Welcome to my first, of three, STAMPlorations Throwback Thursdays, where we select a previous card/project - one of our own or a teammate's - and 're-vision' it in three ways. 

My Throwback inspiration is my Layered Snowman  Luggage Tag shaker from November 2017 (I made 20 of those for my nephew's kindergarten class!); plenty of 'little' details to spark new ideas. Details like: dots, shaker elements, circles, kraft...you'll see what I mean.

Card #1

I drew inspiration from the shaker and dots, and revisited them in card form. I've created a frameless shaker (inspired by the fabulous cards/videos by Ilda, of I Love Doing All Things Crafty fame). Clever, simple, not too bulky and still wonderfully shaker-y! Here's the basic shaker base...

and here's the completed card, filled with shimmery fun!

STAMPlorations Products:

Dots All Over stencil

Skinny Sentiments - dies

Blue Shimmer Shaker Blend

Card #2

The snowman/snowball circles inspired my second card; another of my 'let the stencil be the star of the stage' creations. The Retro Circles stencil is such fun 'as is'; the addition of a Skinny Sentiment makes for a quick-and-easy card. A trio of onyx pearls completes the look.

Sharing a couple of closeups to show how well the stencil and the die cut letters take ink, without losing even an iota of detail!

 

STAMPlorations Products:

Skinny Sentiments - dies

Retro Circles Stencil

Card #3

As the original creation was a tag with a kraft base, I 'had' to replicate that in some fashion, which I've done here. I shifted gears from whimsical to 'dainty' for my slim white/kraft panel (I've yet to decide if I'll add it to a card base or leave it as a tag) that features one of my all time favourite stencils - Happy Flowers - and a sentiment from Bloom Happy.

Scattered Straw (to create a subtle glow in the flowers' centers), Tattered Rose and Shabby Shutters distress inks make for a soft, pastel palette.

STAMPlorations Products:

Happy Flowers

Bloom Happy

There you have it: my first Throwback Thursday #1 is a wrap!  I'll be back in February...and March!

Two reminders: 

• Shery is offering a $15 gift code to one lucky winner who will be drawn from all comments left on the Throwback Thursday post for the month, as well as from my post, here.

• If any of the products have caught your eye, I invite you to use my discount code - STAMPGIRLCAROLM - when you shop at the STAMPlorations Online Store (some great deals to be had!)

Thank you for dropping by!

Uniko January 2020 Release in Review Blog Hop & Giveaway

Hello,

Welcome to Uniko's January 2020 Release in Review Blog Hop & Giveaway!

The release launched two weeks ago; however, at that time several of the team were late in receiving products. Even though we're fairly confident that the products and inspiration are still fresh in your mind, we've decided to have another go-round with the new goodies...just in case!

My package is due to arrive either today or tomorrow, so my cards will feature those I showcased earlier: Background Blocks - Scattered Hearts and Sentiments Outlined - You Are.

My first card is simple repetitive stamping in shades of pink/red/blush of one of the sweet You are sentiments, then cut with a series of heart dies and re-stacked.

For the second card, I stamped the Scattered Hearts in red, then offset them 1/2 a heart width to the left and right, stamping with lighter inks. Really simple with the help of my Misti, although perhaps I should have used black as one of the colours. The photo (or perhaps the photographer *grin*) makes the hearts appear out-of-focus, but in real life, they're visible and crisp.  Still, I like the palette - it's all 'Valentine-y'!  If you look closely (but not too closely as you're likely to see flaws!), "Love" is die cut/stacked into the background and, in turn, serves as the base for the sentiment from Simply Said.

Be sure to comment on all the Brand Ambassador blogs for your chance to win the Hello, Lovely and You Are sets!

Here's the hop list:

Bev

Carol  - you are here

Hannelie

Izzy 

Jane 

Julie

Linda

Rahmat

Sarah P

Wiebke 

You have until Midnight Thursday 6th February 2020 to leave a comment and the random winner will be announced Friday 7th February 2020.

Thank you for dropping by!

Uniko Brand Ambassador Inspiration: Reach for the Stars

Hello,

Welcome to my Uniko Brand Ambassador post where I'm sharing two cards to showcase Reach for the Stars. The combination of images and sentiments in this set span a variety of occasions - birthdays, encouragement, friendship - when used on their own. Pair them with other sets and watch the possibilities multiply!

Using the same palette for both cards, I've created one as a shaker (made ever so easy using 'star pouches'), filled with a Studio Katia blend of sequins,

and one to express gratitude.  Here, the swirl of stars was stamped several times, then cut using star shapes in my collection and popped up for dimension (a 'must' when I make cards). A sprinkling of one of the smaller stamps added a bit of background.

Hope my cards brought you a smile and some inspiration!

Thank you for dropping by!

Inkspirational Challenge #205~Designer's Choice...I Love You and You are Fabulous!

Hello,

Welcome to Inkspirational Challenge #205, where lovely Marlena, as her designer's choice, invites us to add a strip of glitz/glitter to our projects! How fun is that!

Below, you'll see the first card I made, having not read the 'a strip' part of the challenge very well! I chose to share it regardless, because the belt on that snazzy dress is also glittery...and it is a 'strip'. Or, so I've decided *grin*! After some pondering, however, I figured I'd best go back to the drawing board...

 to create a card that does feature the glitzy strip component properly. Indeed, I went with three (in an effort to save face!).  Easy-peasy, thanks to the wonderful Paper Smooches hearts die and sentiment!

My wonderful teammates have created cards featured glitz strips far better than I! Please visit and leave them some love, which I know will be deeply appreciated:

Marina, Shauna, Pia, Marlena, Anila, Nonni

Looking forward to seeing you in the gallery!

Also sharing at:

Paper Smooches January 2020 Anything Goes Challenge

  

Thank you for dropping by!

Just Us Girls Challenge #520~Photo Week...Butterfly Embossing and Stenciling

Hello,

Welcome to Just Us Girls Challenge #520, where our lovely Vicki has selected this lovely butterflies and blooms photo as this week's inspiration. Those butterflies...swoon!

Hard to believe that January is nearly over and with it, the final cards from our fabulously talented Guest Designers:  Mary Deatherage and Hannelie Bester! Thank you so much for amazing inspiration this month! Please check out their wonderful cards, along with those from the JUGS team: Sue, Angie, Vicki, Ina, Bobby, Nancy, Lisa, Maria and Cécile. They would love to know you dropped by.

While I have too-many-to-mention a few *ahem* butterfly stamps/dies/stencils in my collection, I recently watched a Crafters' Companion video featuring their 3D Embossing Folders and Stencils sets. A local retailer carries a variety and I succumbed to purchasing ONE (and only one! Truth!). I'm so easily influenced *grin*  Anyway, below is my card: embossed background and butterfly, then  distress ink stenciling over the butterfly. I definitely need more practice to do justice to the combination but, for now, I'm okay with the result for this challenge. The butterfly is also coated with Perfect Pearls for a lovely sheen which, in real life, makes it much more vibrant. No sentiment; it's one of those 'generic' cards that can be used for any occasion.

That's it from me; looking forward to seeing your photo-inspired projects in the gallery!

Thank you for dropping by!

STAMPlorations Hey Love Blog Hop and Linky Party...Happy Valentine's Day Trio

Hello,

Welcome to the second STAMPlorations Hey Love Blog Hop and Linky Party!

We're featuring a variety of Love/Spring themed projects and inviting you to play along. Shery's even offering free digis for you to download to create projects of your own. Leaving comments and/or joining our linky party puts you in the running for a chance to win prizes: products, gift certificates and coupon codes! You'll find all the details at the link, above! 

I'm sharing a trio of Valentine cards, created with one stencil inked over one sort of  big' panel! Cheers for a three-fer!! 

STAMPlorations Products: 

Hearts All Over stencil

A Full Heart - Big Grins by Becca Cruger

XOXO Word Die

Basic A2 Panel Nesting Dies

Sending you off to hop and create (ends on February 8th, 2020)! 

Oh...before you go: from January 22 to February 10, products in the LOVE/SPRING section are 20% off instantly. If you use my DT code - STAMPGIRLCAROLM - take off an extra 20%!

Thank you for dropping by!

Uniko January 2020 New Release...Scattered Hearts and You Are: Sentiments Outlined

Hello,

I'm delighted to join Bev and the rest of the Brand Ambassadors in welcoming you to  Uniko's first release of 2020.  Yet again, Bev has outdone herself! Awaiting in store are 4 brand new clear stamp sets and a re-introduction of one returning from retirement.

My showcases feature two of the newcomers:

• another addition to the  Background Blocks series -  Scattered Hearts - which is a fun outline scattered heart pattern, perfect for Valentine's, weddings, anniversaries and more.  
• another addition to the Sentiments Outlined series - You Are - which features a set of three sentiments that are guaranteed to bring smiles and lift spirits.

First up: my Scattered Hearts Shaker. I stamped the hearts a few times over my card base, in red, pink and light pink ink; die cut a heart aperture; stamped the sentiment; added some pink tourmaline crystals (Studio Katia) and....done! Easy!

My second card speaks for itself...

and the third sees the new hearts paired with sentiments from Big & Bold: Hugs.  Since I'll be 'sending' this card, using a postage stamp panel/frame seemed the perfect fit!

Small images of the new release are below; for full details of all the awesomeness, head to the Uniko blog, then hop and shop!

 

 

Be sure to comment on all the Brand Ambassador blogs for your chance to win the ENTIRE Release! You have until Midnight GMT Saturday 25th January 2020 to leave a comment and a winner will be announced Sunday 26th January.

Here's the hop list: 

Bev

Carol  - you are here

Hannelie

Izzy 

Jane 

Julie

Linda

Rahmat

Sarah P

Wiebke 

Thank you for dropping by!

Just Us Girls Challenge #519~Colour Week: Purple, Pink, Red...LOVE

Hello,

Welcome to Just Us Girls Challenge #519, where sweet Sue has selected purple, pink and red for this week's palette. Valentine's come to mind, perhaps???

Joining us as our January guest designers, we have the fabulously talented Mary Deatherage and Hannelie Bester! Please check out their wonderful cards along with those from the fabulous JUGS team: Sue, Angie, Vicki, Ina, Bobby, Nancy, Lisa, Maria and Cécile. They would love to know you dropped by.

Concord & 9th's Sew Happy Hearts stamps and dies recently joined my collection; they were easy choices for this colour challenge! My first card shows a few of the days ' as is', while the next two...

are stitched. Hard to tell, but the purple DMC really *is* purple! The stitching: super fast and easy!

Looking forward to seeing your purple, pink and red creations in the gallery!

Thank you for dropping by!