Stamp Simply #100 - Happy Birthday!

It’s a Birthday Party! — Yes, today is Stamp Simply’s 100th Challenge, so that’s good enough reason to celebrate for me!!! Thank you ALL for coming to read our challenges, check out our projects and play along with us over the last 100 weeks — we’ve loved every minute of it!!! So, it only follows that today’s challenge is to make a birthday card — that’s it — how simple and how fun!!! Above you can see my gift chicken birthday card, that matches one of the projects I have to show you below! (My "gift chicken" stamp is from Whipper Snapper, and my card design was completely inspired by this card I saw on Kendra Wietstock's blog!)

And going beyond the challenge, we at Stamp Simply ARE having a Birthday Party, and YOU are invited!!! Today many of the designers who have worked with us in the past in any capacity — Retired Designer, Guest Designer, Party Participant — have been invited to join in our celebration to bring some fun projects and ideas to YOU!!! We have a wide variety of things going on. My post today is quite long, so instead of listing all the blogs that are participating today, I invite you to hop over to Sharon's blog for the complete list! Then I hope you can find some time to sit down with a nice cup of coffee or tea and start cruising to see what you can find — have fun everyone — and THANKS for coming!!!

For my project today, I decided to create a birthday reminder book using my Bind-It-All. For making as many cards as I do, I'm terrible at getting them sent out! So I thought maybe a little notebook that fits in my purse would be nice to have for reminders of not only birthdays, but thank you notes and other greetings. So many Sundays I sit in church and make notes in my bulletin to remind me to send cards to people who are in need, and then what happens to the bulletin when I get home? Yep... in the trash without another thought! So hopefully my new little notebook will help!

To start out, I chose some fabulous new paper that I just got from My Mind's Eye, and some chipboard coasters. In this picture there are 2 rectangular coasters, but I've also used some 4x4 coasters, too. (My coasters come from ecletic Paperie.) Here I have enough paper to cover both sides of 2 coasters, and a scalloped embellishment.

I used a foam brush and Modge Podge to adhere the paper to the coasters.
Once the Modge Podge is dry, I used a heavy-duty emery board to sand all the edges.

After sanding (and creating a LOT of dust!) my paper is nicely rounded to the edges of the coaster, and ready for a final coat of Modge Podge.
For extra layers and my scalloped border, I apply more Modge Podge to adhere, then another coat to seal it down.
Done, and dry! The coasters on the left are the 4x4's that will be in the next photos.
I line the coaster up in my Bind-It-All evenly, and cut my holes for the binding.

Ooooops... excuse me while I take a momentary break! Hubby brought me a fudge sundae from the Dari-ette!
OK, back to business! I cut some filler notebook paper to size for the inside of my notebook as well as 3 pieces of designer paper for dividers within the book. Here's everything with the binding holes cut.
I have some old white coil binding, shown here that I use to bind both of my notebooks. You'll see the finished product below.
A great alternative if you don't have a Bind-It-All is to just punch some holes in the chipboard coasters with your Crop-a-Dile, and use some binder rings instead!
And here's my finished product! I'm lovin' this new MME paper! My scalloped border is made using a Martha Stewart punch available at Hope Stamps Eternal. The crocheted flower is hand-made by my boss' Mom (and available at Toyrifix!)
I have the inside divided into 3 sections and figure I'll label them "birthday", "thank you" and "other" (for get well wishes, thinking of you, and other cards), and used my SU! round tab punch to make the dividers easier to find on the right side.
And here's the 4x4 version, also using some yummy new My Mind's Eye paper, and some Zva crystals and and a Zva flower for embellishment (also available at Hope Stamps Eternal)! The scalloped border punch used here is from EK Success.
Since this one is smaller, I alternated two tabs on the right and one on the left!
Would you find a little notebook like this handy? Well, guess what? To celebrate the 100th Stamp Simply challenge, I'm giving this 4x4 notebook away! Leave a comment here, and tell me your best birthday memory! I'll draw a winner on Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. EST! Only one comment per person, please and make sure your contact information is included with your comment (either by including your email address in the comment or make sure your Blogger profile has it... please make it easy to find!) so I can let you know that you won! (*Please note, the contest has ended!*)

Good luck, and thanks for stopping by today! Remember, you can find links to all the party girls projects and prizes by stopping at Sharon's blog to view the complete list!

Color Throwdown #55 with Simon Says Stamp

Time for another Color Throwdown and this week it's my turn to be the hostess! I saw a card using these colors on another blog and thought it was such a pretty, striking combination so I kept it in mind for my challenge today. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I saw the card to give credit!

We have another sponsor this week... Simon Says Stamp! Stop by the Throwdown blog and check out some history about their company, and a chance to win a GREAT prize!
For my card, I used this cute little flower stamp from a Prima Clear Stamp Kit that I got from Simon Says Stamp, and my sentiment comes from Hero Arts.
Check out the fabulous designs from the other Throwdown girls, too!

Broni

Cathy

Barbara

Danielle

LeAnne

Sylvia, August Guest Designer

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

Our Craft Lounge - Thankful Flourishes Winner!

Thank you to everyone for the fabulous comments on the sneak peek of the new set from Our Craft Lounge, Thankful Flourishes! I had my daughter Kelsey pick a number, and she chose #55 so the winner is Lori Barnett! (Actually, that's not the first number she picked, but the first one didn't leave their contact information, so being second fiddle paid off for you today, Lori!) I will forward your email address to the ladies at Our Craft Lounge, so they can contact you and get your Thankful Flourishes set out to you! Congratulations, and thanks again to everyone for all the wonderful comments all week long!

Cupcake Inspiration #19

It's time again for another Cupcake Inspired challenge with the Sweeties from Hope Stamps Eternal! This week is #19, so if you upload to an online gallery like Paper Craft Planet, be sure to tag your photo with CIC19 so we can check it out! And also leave a link to your cupcake-inspired creation on Rachel's blog!

Rachel finds the neatest cupcakes to take inspiration from, and this week is no exception! Aren't these bright pink cupcakes just fabulous? I love the rainbows! Even though there are rainbows, these cupcakes just made me think of a bright, sunny, blue-sky day....

...so here's what I came up with! I used a new stamp set I got recently from the Hope Stamps Eternal store! It's from The Greeting Farm and is called Fly Away. Creating this card with the balloon high up in the sky gave me the perfect opportunity to try out the Copic Airbrush system that I just recently got. It's giving me fits though, and I have yet to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I added a little sentiment "flag" to this, accented with a white daisy with a sparkly yellow center to mimic the flowers on the cupcakes. My daughter Kaylie was offered her first job today, so I think I might sneak this card into her purse when she leaves for her first official day on the job with a little "good luck" note!

Stop and see what the other Sweeties have created today!

Jessica * Kelli * Michelle * Colleen * Bonnie * Carolina * Rachel

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

Stamps: Fly Away (The Greeting Farm available at Hope Stamps Eternal)

Cardstock: Barely Banana, Cool Caribbean (Stampin' Up!), white (Neenah), designer paper (Bazzill Swiss Dot)

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, London Fog (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)Accessories: glitter (Gary Burlin), Nestabilities (Spellbinders), brad (Doodlebug), daisy punch (Stampin' Up!), concave corner punch (EK Success).

Stamp Simply #99 - You've Got a Friend in Me!

WARNING: Put on your shades, or risk burning your retinas! This one is bright!

It's time to Stamp Simply again, and this week Sharon has issued a challenge that's so easy, I expect EVERYONE to play! All you have to do is make a card for a friend, for any occasion! Just make sure the word "friend" is somewhere on your card! See, I told you... easy-peasy!

And hey, did you notice? We're up to challenge #99! That means next week is #100 and that is reason to celebrate! We're gonna' have a little party and the Stamp Simply team is going to have some extra fun things to share with you next week, so be sure to check us out!

Sharon has an as-always stunning sample for you to see on her blog! We bid farewell to our July guest designer Rose Ann Reynolds, and welcome our August guest designer, Pat Adam! Pat is Julie's mom, and a regular participant in the Stamp Simply challenges each week! I had the pleasure of meeting Julie and Pat last month at our Stamp Simply getaway weekend, and let me tell you... the woman is a HOOT! Pat can keep you in stitches, and has such a wonderful spirit! You're going to love seeing what she creates with us this month!

See what the other Stamp Simply Girls have for you today, too...

Barbara * Jenny * Janine * Julie * Deb * Jennifer * AJ

Now, for my card! (Here's the part where you need to put on your shades!) While visiting with Joan Fricker last month, I found this totally cute stamp in her stamp drawer, and took the opportunity to stamp it off about 2 dozen times for future use because it was so stinkin' cute!

This bathing beauty is colored with Copics, and I even tried to give her a little sunburn! My super-sweet friend Sankari Wegman did a fabulous job giving her Rearview Ruth stamp from I Brake for Stamps a sunburn the other day, so I tried to do that too, but didn't succeed nearly as well as Shawnie did! (Check out her card here!) My Bella Blvd. paper comes from the Hope Stamps Eternal store, as well as the Zva crystals on my sentiment circle!

So, thanks for stopping by today and all week long! I know it's been crazy-busy here on my blog, and I appreciate all the wonderful comments you've left for me! Don't forget, the blog candy is still being offered from Our Craft Lounge, so if you haven't commented yet on this post for a chance to win, you'd better get busy!

Stamps: Mrs. "Ed" (Art Impressions), sentiment (Penny Black)Cardstock: Bermuda Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!), white (Neenah), designer paper (Bella Blvd.)Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Rose Bud (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)Accessories: Nestabilities (Spellbinders), gemstones (Zva Creative), ribbon (Stampin' Up!), scalloped punch (EK Success).

Our Craft Lounge - New Release Day Blog Hop and Candy

Well, today is the big day! Have you enjoyed seeing all the new Our Craft Lounge sets that have been featured all this week? Today is the day you can purchase whatever your heart desires! Stop by the store locator on the Our Craft Lounge website for a list of online and retail stores where the stamps will be available! (Toyrifix customers... unfortunately, I won't have them available right away!)

Today is also the day you can enter to win one of the sets! There's a big list at the OCL blog of all the blog hop participants today! Check out that list, visit as many blogs as you can and follow their instructions to be entered to win!

Today I am giving away this beautiful stamp set you see below called Thankful Flourishes! To be eligible to win, leave a comment on this post! (If your contact information isn't linked to your Blogger profile, be sure to leave it in your comment so I can contact you if you're the winner!) All of the blog hop participants will draw one winner from their blog on Sunday night, August 9th at 9:00 p.m. EST. Winners will be chosen randomly. However, one person can only win one set. If someone wins more than once, they'll be contacted to select which set they want. (*Please note, this contest has ended!)

And here is a sample I made up using this beautiful stamp set! I double-layered the large flower, and colored them all with Copics. The flower centers all have a layer of sparkle from my clear Spica glitter pen, but as usual my camera doesn't show it!

So, don't forget... stop at the The Lounge (the OCL blog) for a list of all the blog hop participants that you can visit to try to win one of the new sets, and GOOD LUCK!

Many thanks to all of you who have visited me multiple times each day this week! It's been a whirlwind for sure, and I actually still have a few sneak peeks of Chicken Girl Designs new stamps yet to show you but that can wait until Friday and Saturday! Also thanks to Kendra Wietstock and the other Our Craft Lounge ladies for inviting me to be a part of the new release festivities! It's been an absolute thrill to be along for the ride!

Happy stamping!

Stamps: Thankful Flourishes (Our Craft Lounge)

Cardstock: Kraft (Stampin' Up!), Ruby Red (Bazzill), designer paper (Bo Bunny), white (Neenah)Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)Accessories: ribbon (Papertrey Ink), clear dew drops (Robin's Nest), Nestabilities Labels 1 (Spellbinders).

Our Craft Lounge - Sneak Peeks Day 3

Welcome to the final day of sneak peeks for the new releases from Our Craft Lounge! Today I have one of the most fun sets to share with you! When Our Craft Lounge first launched their line of stamps, there was a character in one of the sets that everyone just fell in love with! Her name? GRANNY! Well, she's back again and this time she's been busy shopping in this new stamp set called Shop 'til Ya' Flop!

Obviously, Granny has had a busy and productive day at the mall since her hands are full! This set has a bunch of fun images, and equally fun sentiments! Be sure to stop at Kisa's blog too, to see what she's done with this set! And also, check out the blogs of Heather McNally and Deb Felts, where you'll find Granny getting ready for Halloween, too! And if you stop by the OCL blog, you'll find links to all the other sneak peeks today, rounding out all 31 new sets!

Tomorrow I'll have one more card to share with you called Thankful Flourishes, and a chance for you to enter and WIN that set! Thanks for stopping by all three times today! I appreciate your visits very much!

Stamps: Shop 'til Ya' Flop! (Our Craft Lounge)Cardstock: Confetti White (Stampin' Up!), Watermelon, Lagoon (Bazzill), white (Neenah), designer paper (My Mind's Eye)Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)Accessories: Scallop Dot border punch (Martha Stewart from Hope Stamps Eternal), ticket corner punch (Stampin' Up!), ribbon (craft supply).

Paper Craft Planet - I Brake for Stamps Sketch Challenge

Today, the Paper Craft Planet Super Novas are taking part in a sketch challenge sponsored by I Brake for Stamps! To play along, create a card using this sketch. Post your photo in the gallery at Paper Craft Planet using the tag PCPIBFS (all caps, please!) and be eligible to win a $30 gift certificate to the I Brake for Stamps store! AND any orders placed from now until Saturday, using the code PCPlanet you can receive 15% off your order! How's that for some enabling (and awesome generosity from the IBFS store!)

The Super Novas all chose to play with the Humorous Seniors stamps, and I picked Hard of Hearing Helen because she reminds me of my Grandma Frances! Now mind you... my Grandma did NOT wear dresses that were as revealing as Helen's, and she didn't show that much leg! But, she did have a hearing problem for awhile, so my Dad pulled out the old megaphone that my Mom used to use when she was a high school cheerleader for Grandma to use! He meant it as a joke, but it worked well for Grandma so she kept it close to her side!

So here is my card! I used some of my Basic Grey June Bag designer paper for my card, because it also reminds me of my Grandma! She must have had an apron, or a pot holder or something in these colors because this paper always makes me think of Grandma's kitchen!

When you check out the sketch for this challenge, you'll see that the sentiment is actually supposed to be on the front of the card. Well, the sentiment I received to use is too big for the card front with this particular sketch, but it's too priceless not to have on the card somewhere, so I put it on the inside instead! Check it out....
Is that not perfect?

The rest of the Super Novas have some fun projects for you to see using these stamps, so be sure to check them out!

Adela Rossol

Wendy Price

Kim Burmeister

Lynn Mercurio

Jen Tapler

Sankari Wegman

Lori Tecler

Erika Martin

Melanie Muenchinger

Susanna Boyd

Two posts down... just one more! Thanks for stopping by again!

Stamps: Hard of Hearing Helen, sentiment (I Brake for Stamps)Cardstock: Kraft, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!), red (unknown), Cheddar (Bazzill), white (Neenah), designer paper (Basic Grey "June Bug" available at Hope Stamps Eternal)

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)

Accessories: ribbon, rick-rack (May Arts), ticket corner punch (Stampin' Up!), button (craft supply).

Color Throwdown #54 with Whimsy Stamps

Hello everyone! This is my first of three posts for today, so I'm gonna' make this short and sweet! I know things have been pretty busy here at Stamp Happy this week and I apologize to those of you that dislike multiple-uploads. I'm not a fan of uploading more than once a day myself, but a girls gotta' do what a girls gotta' do! I promise next week will be quieter, so please stick with me!

Today's Color Throwdown is being sponsored by Whimsy Stamps! Stop by the Throwdown blog for all the details, and help us welcome our Guest Designer for August, Sylvia Nelson! LeAnne, Broni, Cathy, Danielle and Bar have some great samples for you to see too, so please stop by their blogs!

For my card, I got to use this Whimsy Stamps giraffe, and paired him with some Basic Grey Ambrosia paper, and a sentiment from one of Melanie's sets from Gina K Designs.

One post down... two to go! Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: giraffe (Whimsy Stamps), sentiment from Just So Hippy (Gina K Designs)

Cardstock: Really Rust, Blush Blossom (Stampin' Up!), white (Neenah), Thunder (Bazzill), designer paper (Basic Grey)

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamagic Jumbo Java (Tsukineko)Accessories: ribbon (May Arts), Nestabilities (Spellbinders), distressed stripes Cuttlebug embossing folder (ProvoCraft).

A *NEW* Winner!

Earlier this week, I announced that I'd be giving away blog candy on the first of each month to one of my followers, chosen by random number. Patti J has not contacted me to collect her prize, so I have picked a new number. And the winner is....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

40 

Timestamp: 2009-08-04 14:16:26 UTC

Pat, you feisty lady.... COME ON DOWN! Give me a shout sometime today with your address, so I can mail you a 6x6 pad of Lemonade or June Bug Basic Grey paper! Everyone, please take a stop over at Pat's blog, The Rubber Maid! She's always got a good laugh!

Our Craft Lounge - Sneak Peeks Day 2

It's day two of the sneak peeks to see all of the fabulous new releases coming from Our Craft Lounge! Did you catch everything yesterday? All the stamp sets are just amazing, and you'll love everything today, too! Be sure to stop at the Our Craft Lounge blog for links to all the designers and see what they have in store for you today!

The stamp set I am showing you today is called Ghostly Greetings, and it has the most adorable little ghosts in it... nothing spooky about these little cuties! Denise Marzec, Kisa Peters and Deb Felts are using this stamp set today too, so stop by their blogs and see what they've done with these cutie-patootie ghosts!

I love leaving little treats for the girls at the store, so I thought I'd work on something to give them when Halloween gets closer! Of course, these gummi worms won't last until then... my daughters will probably get to them even before the end of the day, but I'll create more tags as we get closer to October and be ready to go!
I simply colored by images, and cut them out with my Nestabilities to make these little tags to tie on to cello bags. The orange polka dot ribbon is my most favorite ribbon, from Creative Impressions.
This sweet little girlie ghost is my most favorite one of the bunch! She looks so cute with the bow in her hair, so I decided to use her on this card but thought I'd make my card a little less Halloween-ie, and a little more girlie to suit her style! This card will be great along with a little basket of treats for my 3-year old niece!
I even added a little Zva crystal flower to her bow, and used this Bella Blvd. paper I recently got from Hope Stamps Eternal! I used the Mojo Monday #98 sketch for the layout, but ended up keeping my design pretty simple. After the day I had yesterday (flat tire that took forever to fix after work.... less than 3 hours sleep the night before...) I needed to keep it simple!

Thanks for stopping by today and checking out the fun new releases again today! I have really enjoyed seeing what all the fabulous ladies have created with these new stamp sets that I know you're going to love... your pocketbook is going to be in trouble, that's for sure!

Stay tuned tomorrow for another sneak peek from Our Craft Lounge, and on Thursday we'll be having a giant blog hop with all the new sets and a chance for you to win one of them!

Our Craft Lounge - New Release Sneak Peeks!

(*please be sure to go here for my Storage Units, Ink & More sneak peeks today!)

A few weeks ago, I got an email from Kendra Wietstock, asking me to participate in the sneak peeks this week for a bunch of new releases from one of my favorites companies, Our Craft Lounge! Well, I'm sure you felt the earth move with how much I jumped up and down with excitment over that message! What a thrill to be joining a whole bunch of really talented designers today to show you some fabulous new stamps that will be released to online and retail stores this Thursday, August 6th. I'll have sneak peeks on Tuesday and Wednesday, and another one on Thursday with a chance to WIN the set I'll be showing you (and there will be lots of other chances to win, too!) Can you feel the excitment? Did I say I was thrilled??? :)

So today I am showing you a really fun and funky new set called Fueled by Caffeine! Many of us are daily "fueled by caffeine" so this is a set I know you'll have to have! Now, in my case it ought to have a case of diet Coke with it, as that is where my fuel comes from instead of a java bean! But isn't this cute?

I just love the funky circles on the coffee cups, and the font that goes so well with the image. I decided to pair this with some great paper that I got recently from Pebbles Inc.
Since my card base is brown, I added some pink cardstock inside and colored and cut-out a coffee pot for added embellishment!
You can stop by the Our Craft Lounge blog where you'll find links to many others who have sneak peeks to show you today of other soon-to-be-released sets, and you can stop by these blogs below for more sneaks of the Fueled by Caffeine set!

Lila Holgate * Bethany Paull * Debbie Fisher

It's going to be a busy week here at Stamp Happy, as I have some other sneak peeks to show you this week, as well as the usual Color Throwdown challenge on Wednesday, and Stamp Simply on Friday! There will be a lot of posts, but I hope you'll stick with me! Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Fueled by Caffeine (Our Craft Lounge)

Cardstock: Walnut (Bazzill), Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!), white (Neenah), deisgner paper (Pebbles Inc.)

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)Accessories: Nestabilities curved rectangle (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder (ProvoCraft), ribbon (craft supply).

Hope Stamps Eternal-Cupcake Inspiration #18

It's Sunday and that brings around another challenge from the Sweeties at Hope Stamps Eternal! This time, Rachel has found this adorable assembly of cupcakes with a "wise" theme to inspire you to create! Be sure to check out the fabulous creations from the other Sweeties, too!

Natalie * Jessica * Kelli * Michelle

Colleen * Carolina * Bonnie * Rachel

It seems like I've done owls a lot lately, so for this challenge I chose instead to be inspired by the pastel colors, and the flowers and created this card using Diana's sketch challenge from Paper Craft Planet, and my new stamp set from The Greeting Farm called Butterfly Wishes (available from Hope Stamps Eternal!)
We hope that you'll play along with this challenge! Just take a look at the cupcake photo, and be inspired! Leave a link to your creation on Rachel's blog, so we can all see what you designed!

And, DON'T FORGET! Everything in the Hope Stamps Eternal store (including this brand new stamp set that I've used here!) is on sale right now! Everything is 20% off to make way for new items, so get on over to the store and do some serious shopping! The sale runs through today, so don't dawdle!

Have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Butterfly Wishes (The Greeting Farm available at Hope Stamps Eternal)

Cardstock: Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss (Stampin' Up!), dark red (Die Cuts With a View), designer paper (Girl Friday from Cosmo Cricket)

Inks: Rose Red (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories: ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Nestabilities (Spellbinders), button, linen thread.