Tuesday, June 30, 2015

{Gina K Inspiration Hop} The Wetlands


The Cast and Crew of Gina K Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop! Gina and the Cast and Crew will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News Forum at StampTV a few days after the hops.


Today's hop features cards made with Theresa's new set, The Wetlands.  It is such a nice mix of images and sentiments and I love that there are images to color along with silhouettes.  For the card above, I used the two silhouette images, one in the background and another in the forefront.  I made a mask for my sponging by cutting an opening with my deckle rectangle die and sponged through it with inks... I don't remember exactly which ones, but I think Kraft, Prickly Pear, Honey Mustard and Charcoal were some of them. : )  The brownish birds were stamped first in Honey Mustard, then in Kraft, and the other background bird was stamped in Charcoal Brown that had been stamped off once. The bird in the front was stamped with Black Onyx.


This card is a repeat from the release party, but I just love it, so I'm sharing it again. : )  I watercolored the background after I had stamped my silhouette in Versamark and clear embossed.  I colored the dragonfly with Spectrum Noir markers and pencils.



And finally, a clean and simple anniversary card using papers from the Shabby Spring paper pack.  LOVE the combo of Turquoise Sea and Charcoal Brown!!


Well, that's it!!   I hope you've enjoyed today's hop and are all excited to start stamping !!  I'll give you the list of my fellow designers again, in case you're just getting started... otherwise, you can jump right over to the shop to check out the stamps and supplies you saw on today's hop! :)

Theresa Momber – Illustrator for The Wetlands stamp set - http://craftingtheweb.blogspot.com/
Cathy “Cat” Tidwell - http://catdidit.blogspot.com/ 

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

Monday, June 29, 2015

{Gina K DesignsInspiration Blog Hop} Triple Play Fillers

Hi everyone!

The Cast and Crew of Gina K Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop! Gina and the Cast and Crew will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News Forum at StampTV a few days after the hops.



I haven't had a ton of stamping time since my husband's unexpected brain surgery earlier this month, but I just had to make a card with the zipper element in Mel's new Triple Play Fillers set.  I tried to give my card a "hoodie" feel.  I stamped the zipper down the center and then cut a "V" to make a "neckline".  I stamped hearts in the new Peach Bellini ink for some decoration, then cut out an extra pull tab and tied a tag on with a little bit of Black Onyx Twisted Twine before attaching it with some 3D Foam.  I matted it all on Peach Bellini cardstock.  Don't you just love the new colors??? : )

Off you go now!


Here's the list if you're just getting started... otherwise, you can jump right over to the shop to check out the stamps and supplies you saw on today's hop! :)


Gina K - http://ginakdesigns.blogspot.com/
Melanie Muenchinger – Illustrator of Triple Play Fillers stamp set -http://melaniemuenchinger.blogspot.com/
Beth Silaika - http://silaika.blogspot.com/
Cathy “Cat” Tidwell - http://catdidit.blogspot.com/
Karen Hightower - http://www.karenscreativemess.blogspot.com/
Laurie Schmidlin - http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/
Lee Murphy - http://luvleestamper.blogspot.com/
Sean Fetterman - http://fettermandesigns.blogspot.com/
Theresa Momber - http://craftingtheweb.blogspot.com/
Tricia Traxler - http://simplystamping.blogspot.com/


Have a great day! Thank you for stopping by! 

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

{TCP} Follow Your Dreams


So how's this little guy for cuteness???

I played along with the current sketch on SplitCoast and used this sweet bear from the "I Are Fun" set from latest TCP release.  I paper pieced some of the balloons and the bear's tummy with some coordinating patterned paper.  The clouds are from the new Stitched Fly Cut Ups and the sentiment is from another new set "Drop In".

The patterned paper is Americana by Pebbles.   I got it last year from the Stamp Simply Ribbon Store, but if you like patriotic colors I think it is still available!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia




Wednesday, June 17, 2015

There's No Place Like Home - Literally


Last week on Monday I took my husband to Urgent Care with a horrible headache. About half an hour later he was on an ambulance heading to the Emergency Room after a CT scan revealed a 17 mm cyst in the center of his brain that was blocking the flow of Spinal Fluid. Surgery was last Wednesday, and Monday he came home. We will be celebrating our 28th anniversary on Saturday and I am SO glad to have him still here. In sickness and in health, for better for worse.  There's no place like home with the one you love.

It was nice to make a card again this afternoon - a little bit of normal in my caretaker role. I was blessed to received a number of stamps and dies from the latest TCP release because I was the Swanky Stamper a few months ago.  I used the colors from the TCP Tuesday color challenge, along with a number of new Cut Ups from the latest TCP release and one of the new sets called Bird Friends. 

Do you see the stitched branch under the bird?  It's actually the "f" and "l" from the Stitched Fly Cut Ups. : )  I love thinking outside the box!!

Here are the Cut Ups I used...
Bird Friends
Birdhouse
Stitched Fly
and the FREE with $65 Stitched Clouds (LOVE!!)

I'm entering this into the Curtain Call Challenge as well as the TCP Tuesday Challenge.



Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia


Saturday, June 06, 2015

The Right Kind of Awesome


Hi everyone!  I had so much fun making this card today!  I had three different challenges in mind and I wanted to make one of the Triple Side Step cards using the template I'd gotten from TCP awhile back.

Here are the challenges I had in mind...
TCP Tuesday is Anything Goes
Crazy 4 Challenges is Sunshine
and
The Curtain Call uses this inspiration picture...

I started by making my Triple Step card base, and then built my scene using lots of little dies - including some hills and trees cut with the Holiday Toppers from TCP.  I stamped and colored my image from the Flying By set and attached it with pop dots over my sponged vellum sky, then I stamped my sentiment.  Hmmm.... it still needed something.  I know!  It needs smoke coming from the plane!  So... I cut a piece of acetate and attached it to my middle step and then stamped my smoke balls and stuck them on behind him.  How fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Have a restful weekend!

Tricia

Thursday, June 04, 2015

{Gina K Designs} Stamp TV Kit Inspiration Blog Hop

** This is a busy day on my blog!  For my Stamp Simply post just scroll down or click HERE! **

Hi everyone!

We are hopping up and down with excitement that you will be able to order the fabulous new Flowers & Frames Stamp TV kit again! This Stamp TV Kit and other sets will be in stock 8 AM Central Friday, 6/5. Enjoy samples from the team today and browse the store for other crafty items you need so you'll be ready to put them in your cart tomorrow morning and head directly to checkout!  By the way, did you know we have a special Stamp TV Kit group that you can join if you are a member of StampTV?  It’s called StampTV Kit Addicts!  Join us every Friday for some inspiration and during the week for lots of chat.  Now, don't forget, as you hop this morning, to leave a comment on each of the blogs, because we will choose a a  random comment and that stamper will win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full who won check the Big News Forum at StampTV a few days after the hop.

I have two cards to share with you today and I didn't use ANY patterned paper.  NONE.  Nada.  GASP!!!  Can you believe it?? : )  Here's the first one - made with the gorgeous roses and one of the pretty thank you stamps.


I started by stamping the shadow layer of my roses in Cherry Red ink, then masking the flowers and stamping the base of the leaves in Grass Green.  I went back and added detail with my Black Onyx pad, masking when necessary.  I attached my white panel to a black mat, then cut out a white circle with the circle from the frame die.  I used a couple of Spellbinders dies to mat it.  I wrapped my focal layer with Twisted Twine, popped up my sentiment and added a few enamel dots before attaching it to a white card base with a Cherry Red mat.  

I love the bright colors on this - don't you?  Plus they were perfect for the Color Throwdown challenge this week!

For my second card I tried to give it a two-step stamped look as well.


First, I stamped the flowers in Sweet Corn ink across my panel.  Then I colored over the light ink with my green and orange Spectrum Noir markers.  Finally I went back and restamped my image in Black Onyx and added my sentiment.  The enamel hearts are from my stash and the cardstock is all from the kit.

So are you proud of me??  NO patterned paper at all! LOL!!

Thanks so much for hopping with us today!

Here's the list again in case you missed anyone... otherwise I'll see you Friday over in the Stamp TV Kit group for another Friday Funday! : )





{Stamp Simply} Sunshine and Love



Good morning!

I have a soft and sweet card for you today made with the gorgeous Fancy That papers from My Mind's Eye and a couple of JustRite sets.  I was following this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge for my layout, so I chose three coordinating papers from my 6x6 pad for the main elements.  I ended up using two of the plain color pieces as well, to mat my  circle and base layer.  I colored my flowers with Copics, Spectrum Noir and Promarkers ... a little of each! - and then filled in my white flowers with a white Wink of Stella brush.  You can see a hint of it in the picture, but in real life it is SO sparkly and gorgeous!  The sentiment I used is from the new JustRite set Choose Joy.  I love the mix of fonts!  I finished up with a few Fancy That enamel shapes and popped up my flowers.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Here's my Stamp Simply shopping list for this week's card...

Spellbinders Circle and Petite Scalloped Circle Dies

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

{Mojo Monday} The Glory



Wouldn't that be a stamping dream come true??  To work with Julee and those fabulous sketches and her sweet team every. single. week??  Sigh.

OK, enough dreaming - let's talk about the card.  I used stamps from three of my favorite places Verve - for the sentiment - Stamp Simply Ribbon Store - for the JustRite background stamp - and Gina K - for the pretty butterfly.  Which , by the way, is another reason I love challenges like this... I can mix and match my stamps!

I stamped the Rose Garden background stamp in Versamark and clear embossed it on a piece of white cardstock.  After I cut the circle out of the corner with a BluePrints die by MFT, I sponged in the rays using Gina K's Sweet Corn and Innocent Pink inks.  I cut another circle to inset into the corner and stamped a verse from Verve's Scripture Medley 2 in the same inks, and then swiped the center with Dark Chocolate ink to make those words stand out.  Then I stamped a butterfly from Gina K's Warm Spring Wishes set on vellum and white embossed it.  I colored it with Spectrum Noir markers on the back and with a Wink of Stella brush on the front.  It is SO sparkly in real life! : )  A few Prima Sugar Dots and some matting and I was done.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia