Stamp Simply #121 - Have a Heart!

Well, here we are at another Friday and it's time for another Stamp Simply challenge! With Valentine's Day being the next card-giving holiday on the horizon, Sharon has decided today's challenge should have a heart! Just make something with a heart/Valentine/love theme! It doesn't necessarily have to be a Valentine, though. Perhaps you have a wedding coming up that you need a card for? For today, just have a heart.... feel the love!

For my card, I couldn't resist using this sweet Whipper Snapper wheelbarrow stamp once again. It's so fun to color, and with this image I paired some brand new Lovestruck paper from Making Memories, and my new Martha Stewart double loop border punch! I got these punches at the store last week, and just had to open one up for demo'ing!

I added a little pink button with string to my tag on the right side. Did you know Sharon stocks a great variety of buttons in her Stamp Simply store? AND they're on sale right now! Check 'em out! I also used Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge #55 for the layout on my card.

Be sure and hop over to Sharon's blog to see her beautiful sample for today. There you will also find Mr. Linky so that you can link your own heart-full creation for all to see! After you visit Sharon, be sure to pay a visit to my Stamp Simply sisters blogs, too!

Barbara Anders

Barb Schram

Deb Saaranen

Janine Orchard

Julie Koerber

AJ Otto

Jenny Gropp

Jennifer Buck

Michelle Woerner, Guest Designer

Thanks for visiting my blog today! I appreciate your comments so much!

Stamps: Wheelbarrow of Love (Whipper Snapper Designs), sentiment (Hero Arts)Designer Paper: Making Memories "Lovestruck"

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

Accessories: Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug embossing border (ProvoCraft), double loop punch (Martha Stewart).

Color Throwdown #74

Hey, Color Throwdown fans! It's time for our first challenge of 2010! And to add to the excitement, we're introducing a new member of our team! We have long discussed adding an additional member to our team, and when the time came to get serious about picking someone, we knew no one would be a better fit than Kristin Bueter! So we're thrilled to have Kristin join our team, and host the first challenge today with these fabulous colors! (Plus she's one of my bestest friends!)

And to add even more excitement, Kristin recently started designing digital papers for Lauren Meader at My Time Made Easy, and so Lauren is generously offering two prizes for some randomly chosen participants in this weeks challenge! Be sure to stop by the Throwdown blog for all the details. And be sure to refresh your memory and review the "Prize Eligibility Requirements" in the right hand sidebar!

Kristin provided all the Throwdown team members with her new digital papers this week to use for the challenge, and let me tell you.... they're fabulous! The colors are just delicious, and there's an awesome variety! The two collections of Pretty Printables that we used are called Fluttering-by and Shutt-erfly.

I decided to use this adorable Pure Innocence stamp set from My Favorite Things that I got as a Christmas gift from my wonderful friend Barbara Anders! She knows how much I LOVE this line of stamps, and made my Christmas quite bright with this sweet gift!
For the dress, I took the pink gingham paper from Kristin's Fluttering-by paper pack and reduced the size to make a tinier pattern! The rest of my image is colored with Copics.

Be sure to check out all my Throwdown Sisters creations by visiting their blogs, including our January Guest Designer, Deb Horst of Sendable Sentiments!

Kristin Bueter

LeAnne Pugliese

Broni Holcombe

Cathy Indelicato

Barbara Anders

Danielle Kennedy

So c'mon and show us your stuff! Join in the challenge, link your creation using Mr. Linky on the Throwdown blog and have some fun!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping!

Stamps: Fairy Girl Pure Innocence (My Favorite Things)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, Regal Rose (Stampin' Up!), Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink), white (Neenah), designer paper (Shutter-fly and Flutter-by - Pretty Printables by Kristin Bueter for My Time Made Easy)

Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa, Versamagic Jumbo Java (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)

Accessories: Nestabilities (Spellbinders), ribbon (Stampin' Up!), brads, gemstone (craft supply).

Stamp Simply #120 - In With the New!

Welcome to the first Stamp Simply challenge for 2010! It's out with the old and in with the new for today's challenge.... use something new for your creation today! Maybe you got a great new stamp or papers for Christmas, maybe you treated yourself to some new supplies, or maybe you've had a stamp for awhile that you haven't used yet, therefore making it new. Or here's a great opportunity to try a new technique, a new fold to your card, or anything that is new to you! You get the idea, right?

For my card, new meant using the Rubbernecker stamps that were delivered to my front door just yesterday! And the reason I received these stamps is because I was asked to join the Rubbernecker team full-time for 2010! Yay... blow the party horns, and pop the cork on the champagne! I'm thrilled to get to keep working with the great girls on the team, and with Dave and his wife (Mr. & Mrs. Rubbernecker!) My husband thought this stamp was hilarious when I showed it to him shortly after it arrived yesterday, and so I decided to use it for today's card since I knew it would require a minimum of coloring.

I also used Lori's sketch from last Saturday at Paper Craft Planet for the layout of my card. Isn't this guy just the cutest, showing us his boxers? LOL On the lense of his glasses, I applied just a little bit of Glossy Effects. I have a friend going through a tough time right now, so I might just send this off to her!

Check out Sharon's beautiful new card for today's challenge on her blog, and see what my Stamp Simply sisters have that's new today, too....

Barbara Anders

AJ Otto

Deb Saaranen

Julie Koerber

Janine Orchard

Jennifer Buck

Jenny Gropp

Barb Schram

(sitting out this challenge due to her AWOL camera!)

Michelle Woerner, Guest Designer

I hope your new year has started off with a bang! Enjoy the day, and GO BUCKS!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Ralph Picking Up Paper #78-02, Behind You Text #78-03 (Rubbernecker)

Cardstock: gray (Core'dinations), black (Stampin' Up!), white (Neenah), Red Double-Dot (Bo Bunny)

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)Accessories: Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder (ProvoCraft), circle punches (Stampin' Up!, Marvy).

2009 Favorites

Happy New Year everyone! I hope whatever you did to celebrate, you stayed safe and had a great time! We spent the evening with friends, bowling and playing games and now I'm ready for some stamping, some pork and sauerkraut, and some football! GO BUCKEYES!!!

In years past, I have enjoyed seeing some of my favorite bloggers post their favorite cards from the past year and I thought it'd be fun to do the same today! I never imagined though that it would be so tough to choose only one from each month! But here goes....I hope you enjoy! (Click on the months to be taken to the blog post that corresponds to each card!)

For January, I chose this card that I created for a card buffet at the store.

In February I was lucky enough to purchase some stamps from Our Craft Lounge for the first time, and this card ended up being my favorite from that month.
Tulips have always been a favorite flower for me, so my favorite for March was a no-brainer... this card using Kitchen Sink Stamps!
In April, I created this card for a Stamp Simply challenge and have always been very pleased with my Copic coloring on it. This was when I finally started feeling like I was getting the hang of using my Copics!
I was introduced to stamps from Magnolia this past year, so this card from May was a fave!
This card was for a Color Throwdown in June, and I initially didn't like the color combination, but ended up loving it when this card came together so sweetly!
This sweet Hedgie from July stole my heart!
In August, one of the Color Throwdown challenges was sponsored by Rubbernecker. It was another color combo that I initially didn't like, but loved once my card was completed!
I was also introduced to Whipper Snapper Designs stamps in 2009 and they're definitely some of my favorite stamps. This card was created in September for a store display.
I had so much fun making Halloween cards this year, and it was hard to pick my favorite but this witch enjoying her spa treatment was my final decision for October.
This card with another Whipper Snapper image jumped right to the head of the pack for November favorites!
And this card using a beautiful snowflake from DRS Designs in non-traditional colors was just one of my many favorite Christmas cards from December.
So there you have it! My 2009 faves! 2010.... let's bring it on! I'm ready for another fun year of stamping and designing!

Stay tuned! I'll have my card for the first Stamp Simply challenge of 2010 ready to show you in a little while!

More Valentines

Continuing on my quest to switch gears from Christmas to Valentines, I have a few more cards I've made in the last few days to share with you.

This first one is Piper, a Moonlight Whispers stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. She's not necessarily a Valentine image, but paired with some Basic Grey Bittersweet paper, and the "You Warm My Heart" sentiment from another stamp set, it turns into a Valentine. On this card, I also used some of my most favorite (and most often hoarded!) gingham ribbon from Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply store! For the layout on this card, I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #54 (but I forgot to add the pretty little punched border at the bottom!)

This second card uses an image from Whipper Snapper Designs that I just HAD to have! My sweet hubby and I have a daily ritual of sending a text message that says "I love you!" Typically, the response is always "I love you more!" so when I saw this stamp, I knew it'd be perfect for a Valentine for my awesome husband. I'm not sure if I'll save this actual card for him, or make a new one but it will definitely use this image. For the layout of this card, I used Karen's Sweet Sunday sketch #49 from last week, and I used some new K & Company paper that I picked up recently.

Hope you like my Valentine's! Take a peek at my Etsy shop... you might see these and others there available for sale very soon!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Switching gears....

Even though I didn't make a whole lot of Christmas cards this year (didn't mail a lot either, since they're still laying here on my desk!) I'm definitely ready to switch gears and start working on cards for the next holiday... Valentine's Day! I ordered some new release stamps from Whipper Snapper recently and couldn't resist getting a few of them inky!

This first card uses Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #53, the Wheelbarrow of Love stamp, and a computer generated sentiment. I pulled out some Basic Grey Bittersweet paper from last year to use on my card, and embellished with an acetate heart and button.

This second card uses some new Valentine paper from My Mind's Eye and the Just One Kiss stamp from Whipper Snapper. The X's and O's stamp is from Kitchen Sink Stamps. My froggie's crown is accented with some sparkle from my Spica glitter pens.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We had a perfectly lovely day in the Hershberger household, and the girls are anxious to do some after Christmas shopping today, so we'll be headed for the mall! I'm hoping to squeeze in a stop at Archiver's while we're out and about!

Have a great weekend!

Stamp Simply #119 - Thank You

"For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Evelasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

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Merry Christmas everyone! If you're lucky enough to squeeze in some stamping time today or during the weekend, you could play along with Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simply challenge! This week we're making clean and simple thank you cards! These can be of any style or theme, but if you're like me right now, you've got plenty of Christmas thank you's to send! Remember that Sharon has Mr. Linky on her blog now, so when you have your card created and uploaded, be sure to put your link in the Mr. Linky!

For today, I created six very simple and clean designs using my beautiful Snowflakes & Stardust stamp set from Rubbernecker (which incidentally is on sale right now!) The tree was stamped in Old Olive ink, the second layer in Certainly Celery, and the stars in Encore Gold. I then stamped some snowflakes around the top in Encore Gold, stamping second generation for a more subtle look.

Hop around and see what the other Stamp Simply girls have created for today! You're sure to be inspired!

Barbara Anders

Janine Orchard

Jenny Gropp

AJ Otto

Julie Koerber

Barb Schram

Deb Saaranen

Michelle Woerner, December Guest Designer

Thank you for stopping by, and I wish you all a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

"Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:9

Peace!

Paper Craft Planet Sketch Challenge (with a prize!)

Hey everyone! There's less than a week until Christmas.... are you ready??? If you're not scrambling around trying to get all those last minute things done, why not play along with the sketch challenge today at Paper Craft Planet! I'm hosting the challenge, and I'm going to give one lucky participant a Christmas present, too! I recently won 12 sets of mini clear stamps from Basic Grey, and while they're all great stamps, most likely I'll never use them. So enter a card for this sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet, be sure to tag your upload with sk121909 (just like that... no spaces, all lowercase letters) before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 25th and I'll draw one winner at random to win the stamps!

Because I've been busy with the last minute stuff too, I don't have a sample to show you (yet!) Maybe later this weekend, if I'm not too pooped after working all day today (the last Saturday before Christmas in a toy store.... anyone wanna' trade places with me?) My fellow PCP Super Nova Lori Tecler has a great sample on her blog already today, so go check it out for inspiration!

Happy stamping!

Stamp Simply #118 - Let It Snow!

For today's Stamp Simply challenge from Sharon Johnson, we're going to make it snow in cyberland! Some of us may have snow for Christmas, and some of us may not, so for today we'll bring in some snow! Everyone can play along with this challenge... just incorporate something snowy in your creation, and while you're at it, we're trying for clean and simple designs, too!

For my card, I was lucky to have this wonderful Antoinette image from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps already colored! So I paired her with this snowflake paper from Basic Grey, and thought a pop of cranberry red would look good with the brown and aqua-blue! I kept a fairly simple design to my card, choosing to keep all my cuts straight and embellishing with a simple ribbon/button combo.

For an added snowy element, I decorated Antoinette's coat with some Polar White Flower Soft.
Sharon has a fabulous sample for you to see on her blog, along with all the challenge details! And Sharon has started using Mr. Linky for the Stamp Simply challenge, so be sure to go leave a link to your creation at the end of her post so we can all take a look! (Remember, direct links to your post, not just to your blog! It helps everyone find your post immediately rather than having to sift through anything else you might post afterward!) Then be sure to hop to the blogs of the Stamp Simply team members and see their snowy creations, also!

Barbara Anders

Julie Koerber

Jenny Gropp

Jennifer Buck

Barb Schram

Janine Orchard

AJ Otto

Deb Saaranen

Michelle Woerner, December Guest Designer

Thanks for stopping by today! Please check back tomorrow... I'll be hosting the Sketch Challenge at Paper Craft Planet, and I'd love it if you play along! There may even be prizes involved!

Happy stamping!

Color Throwdown #73 with There She Goes Stamps

It's time for another Color Throwdown, and we're up to #73 today! This will be the last one for 2009... the team is taking a well-deserved break after this!

Our challenge today is being sponsored by There She Goes Clear Stamps! Stop by the Throwdown blog for all the details, including a prize for one random player!

I chose these colors for today based on the 'Tis the Season paper from Bo Bunny! It's a great combination for a fun Christmas card, but is also perfect for something playful like I've done today! I got to use the set You're So Punny from TSG for my card, and just love all the characters and sentiments available in this set. I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of it!
My little whale was colored with Copics, and popped up on foam tape for dimension. I also applied a thin layer of Glossy Accents to his body. I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch challenge #52 for my layout, turning the sketch on it's side to accomodate my image.

My Throwdown sisters have had some fun with their There She Goes stamps this week too, so be sure to stop at their blogs! And don't forget our December Guest Designer, Carol Longacre! Carol has rocked out some awesome designs this month, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her entries for the Throwdown challenges in 2010!

LeAnne Pugliese

Broni Holcombe

Cathy Indelicato

Barbara Anders

Danielle Kennedy

Be watching for Color Throwdown #74 on the first Wednesday in January, which will be hosted by a new member of our team! She's one of my most favorite people in the world, and I'm so happy she's joined our team!

Happy stamping!

Stamp Simply #117 - Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace

We have another fun Stamp Simply challenge today from Sharon Johnson! Today's challenge is quite different... alter a store-bought card! If you don't have your Christmas cards done yet, this might be a good option for getting them done. Use a store bought card and add a family photo, some embellishments, or a stamped image. Or take an old card and cut out some portions from it that you like to create a new card. The possibilities are endless!

I don't save my Christmas cards from year-to-year so I was totally at a loss for what to do with this challenge. Of course, since it's the Christmas season my only thoughts were of Christmas cards, but you can of course make a card for any occasion. I found an old box of store-bought cards that I sent out years ago (before I was a stamper!) and had a few cards left in the box. So I cut off the top portion of the card, the part that has the most important part... the part that declares the true meaning of the season! I added a ribbon across the bottom of this panel, layered it on a piece of gold cardstock, and then on a piece of hunter green cardstock. I also used a Quickie glue pen and some chunky gold glitter on a few of the holly berries, and I'm totally happy with how this turned out!

My Stamp Simply Sisters have some great inspiration for you, so be sure and stop by their blogs!

Barbara Anders

Deb Saaranen

Barb Schram

AJ Otto

Janine Orchard
Jenny Gropp

Michelle Woerner, December Guest Designer

Please give this challenge a try! I promise, you'll have fun!

TGIF!!! Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Holiday Cheer, anyone?

Just a quick blog post this morning.... this is a card I made while I was at work the other day. I have always thought this cute "Minty Coffee" stamp with accompanying sentiment from Stamping Bella is so cute, but it isn't selling. So I made up this card, hoping it sparks some interest from customers.

I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch challenge #51 for the layout, flipping it to a mirror image. I did that because I wanted the tag to hang on the right side, so flipping it allowed me to put the brads on the left side to balance things better. The cardsdtock is Bazzill, and Neenah Solar White, and the designer paper is from the Eskimo Kisses 6x6 pad.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope everyone is safe and warm from all this crazy weather we're having! Mother Nature is trying to blow us away here in Northeast Ohio, but here an hour south of Lake Erie we don't have much more than a dusting of snow (I'm sure they have more up along the shore!)

Have a great day!

Color Throwdown #72 with My Favorite Things

Here's another Color Throwdown for you! Can you handle it? I'm sure you can! We've got some cool Christmas colors for you today, inspired by the Basic Grey paper Eskimo Kisses! Broni picked a winning combination this week, and we're all using stamps from one of my favorite companies, My Favorite Things!

I chose to use the Pure Innocence Flurry of Love stamp set for my card today, and used the Sweet Sunday sketch #47 from Karen Giron's blog. My sentiment is from another MFT set called Sassy Sayings. I don't see it on their website, though so maybe it's sold out.
I colored my image with Copic markers, then masked the main image and airbrushed the blue background. I used a white gel pen to color in the snowflakes after airbrushing, and I applied some Polar White Flower Soft to the pom-pom on her hat and the cuffs of her boots.
Stop and see what my Throwdown sisters have created for today, and please join us! My Favorite Things is offering a $15 gift certificate to one lucky participant!

Broni Holcombe

LeAnne Pugliese

Cathy Indelicato

Barbara Anders

Carol Longacre, December Guest Designer

(Danielle is sick this week... we hope she's feeling better soon!)

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you're having a great week!

Stamps: Flurry of Love, Sassy Sayings (My Favorite Things)Cardstock: light blue (Bazzill), Wild Wasabi, Riding Hood Red (Stampin' Up!), white (Neenah), designer paper (Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses)Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), markers (Copic)Accessories: Airbrush System (Copic), Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder (ProvoCraft), Nestabilities (Spellbinders), border punch (Martha Stewart), Polar White Flower Soft, ribbon, button (craft supply).