A few roses....

almost open....by tomorrow it will be petaled out!
Tag is long gone, it might be Arlene Francis as I remember it having Arlene in its name.
It is our most abundant bloomer and was planted in memory of a good friend who adored yellow roses.

Double Delight

Unknown pink variety, tag and notes long gone, unfortunately.

Peace.

blooming in the front yard....taken after doing a little yard work whilst avoiding a paper engineering issue I am having with a project.

Tune in tomorrow for an announcement and a card or two....

V.~

Another year.....

another birthday....

Hope it was memorable!

A simple birthday card for an upcoming birthday that we are celebrating a week late due to conflicts trying to get together on the actual day.

Seems lately there's a trend of many cards that are extravagant in layers, patterned papers, embellishments, bows and inside decorating that I often feel the simple cards I make myself are....well, not keeping up with the pack. But after years of dabbling with with different styles, clean and simple is where I settled comfortably - so I am staying put. While clean and simple is where I am, and what my eye is drawn to naturally, I admire the many styles of card making and can find my clean and simple inspiration no matter the complexity of the card. I hope you find inspiration in the clean and simple I share.

V.~

Supplies:
Stamps: Thanks2You and late4Bday by The {Stamps} of Life
Ink: Memento Lilac Posies, Pear Tart and Tangelo by Tsukineko
Paper: Pure Luxury Soft Sand And Pure White by Gina K Designs
Patterned Paper: Green at Heart by Basic Grey
Other: Corner rounders, Orange mini brads, Sanding block, Dimensional foam

Anticipation~

The first Brigadoon of the season opened its first bud today - full bloom and fabulous scent are coming soon!

V.~

Thanks, Coach~

High School girls soccer ended a few weeks ago and the team party is later this week. The team captains are gathering donations to put towards a coach's gift. Being a captain's mom I made the card to go along with the gift.

All stamps are by Our Craft Lounge:
Thanks sentiment is from Big Thanks
Soccer ball from Go Team
Dandy Days provided the grass

I discovered the soccer ball fits a 3/4" circle punch perfectly, so the ball is punched out and popped up on a dimensional foam hex. While most of the "grass" the girls play on is synthetic turf, they have played on grass that seems as long like the grass in the panel. :)

Patterned papers are from The Guy Stack by Die Cuts with a View
Inks: Vivid! Coffee Bean. Taupe, Olive and Adirondack Stream
4 mini brads and a simple brown bow finish off this not too fancy coach's card.

High School is over, club has just started. Jay and Morgan just returned from a weekend college showcase in Las Vegas - they won all 4 games. YAY!

V.~

Challenged Anniversary~

Each month (a brief hiatus during the holidays) there's a challenge posted for SCS Dirty Dozen and Alumni - this month's challenge, was brought to us Joanne B. :

The Birds and the Bees.....

Challenge Focus: I'm so tired of winter, lets think spring!
Required Element: Use either a bee or a bird in your project this month
Restricted Element: No border bunches

A friend asked me if I would make a gift certificate and enclosure for one of her client's to give to his wife for their anniversary while they are on a cruise - a gift PLUS a cruise, what a lucky lady!

I'm still not feeling the stamping bug much, so I kept the stamping part pretty simple and used gorgeous Graphic 45 paper to make the envelope. An oval focal medallion, romantic papers, a pretty ribbon bow, and the gift certificate nestled inside makes a perfect presentation.

Here's a link to the rest of the gallery over at SCS:
The Birds and the Bees

Hope Spring is in the air in your next of the woods! We apparently went from winter straight to summer this week, having temps in the mid 80's!

V.~

Supplies:
Stamps: Love Notes and Purr-fect Wishes by Our Craft Lounge, bee from Botanicals by SU!
Ink: Memento Desert Sand and Rich Cocoa, Vivid! Olive
Paper:Gina K Pure Luxury Fresh Asparagus, Ivory
Patterned Paper: Graphic 45
Other: Nestabilities Oval dies, Prima flower, Clear button, Linen thread, Organdy ribbon, Jumbo dauber, Glossy Accents, Copic Marker, Dimensional foam

Happy Spring and a Blog Hop!

It's time for another Gina K Design Card Kit set preview - Happy Spring

You'll see my samples here and be sure to hop and see samples from other Card Kit Designers, too.

My first sample uses just the sentiment "you're my best bud" from the set. When I saw the sentiment, my mind didn't go directly to flowers, gardening or things of that nature, it went to my son. I thought it would be a great using the sentiment as the focal point of a small 3" x 3" card. Maybe as a small pick me up left in his room, or discretely placed in his lunch or even mailed to him....I haven't decided yet.

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Spring by Gina K Designs
Ink: Vivid! Coffeebean
Paper: GinaK Pure Luxury Ocean Mist (base) and White
Patterned paper: Basic Grey Max & Whispers
Other: Assorted punches (Modern Label, Designer Label, Spiral), chocolate grosgrain, clip, dimensional foam

My second card, below, is a "seed packet" gift card enclosure using the image of the pot of seed packets and the "friends" sentiment from the set. It's hard to see, but the glove from the set is randomly stamped in light pink on white layer of the gift card holder itself. The finished packet is 3-1/2" x 4-1/4"

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Spring
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Angel Pink, Vivid! Olive
Paper: GinaK Pure Luxury Kraft, Artichoke, White
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Green at Heart
Other: Copic Markers, Scor-Pal, Scor-Mat, Scor-Tape, Corner rounder, slit punch, GK ribbon, pink button, linen thread, dauber, distressing tool, brown brads, dimensional foam

To find out more information about the new Card Kit here:

Jessica Fick

Are you ready for even more inspiration?

Gina's Blog

Finally, check out these Designer's blogs:

Asela Hopkins {Illustrator of By Your Side}

Melanie Muenchinger

Theresa Momber

Nina Brackett

Cathy Tidwell

Lee Murphy

Kurtis Amundson

Emily Giovanni

Erika Martin

Bev Gerard

Colleen Schaan

Sankari Wegman

Valerie Stangle

Jennie Harper - our Guest Designer for this Month!

StampTV is celebrating it's first birthday and the festivities are in full swing with this month's release! We'll be holding this month's Release Party on StampTV and couldn't be more excited about all that Gina has planned for everyone! The party kicks off this Thursday, March 18th starting at 7pm and ends at 10pm (all times CST) when all the new products will be available for purchase in Gina's online store.

To keep informed of all the party plans and activities, check out this link:

Release Party Forum on StampTV

Whew, that's a lot of info! Have fun hopping!

V.~

Surprise!

It's a Surprise Party!!!! It is Stamp TV's 1st birthday and we just wanted to throw a little party for Gina! Happy 1st Birthday Stamp TV!!! To celebrate, a bunch of design team members and challenge hostesses decided to create birthday cards using a previous Stamp TV kit (or Gina K set). Leave a comment on every blog along the way because one lucky commenter will receive the all new Stamp TV kit that will be released next week!!!! (And....you're gonna LOVEEE it!) You will have until Sunday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m. central to post comments on all the blogs. The winner will be posted on Stamp TV on Monday!

Be sure to check out all of the birthday cards on these blogs:

Carolyn
Jessica
Melanie
Theresa
Lee
Tami
Lynn
Nina
Erika
Emily
Cathy
Bev
Tina
Karen
Val

Stamps used: Dream Birds, Happy Spring
Ink: Vivid! Coffee Bean
Paper: Gina K Pure Luxury White, Chocolate Kiss, Lovely Lavender, Ocean Mist (base)
Patterned Paper: Kioshi by Basic Grey
Other: Gina K Spring Assortment ribbon, Nestabilities Scallop Circle and Circle dies, Distressing tool, Piercing tool, Dimensional foam

Remember to leave your comment below for a chance to win!

V.~

New {Stamps} are in the house!

Yesterday's mail arrived and with it some new toys! Assorted stamp sets from
The {Stamps} of Life were delivered. I've been eying these stamps for a while now, even before meeting Stephanie at CHA when she came by the Scor-Pal booth. When I saw the newest flower set, Thanks2You (not this set) I knew I had to get my hands on them! This card uses their debut set Back2Basics. I love that the circles fit punches I have owned for a long time!

Anyway, I combined a couple of SCS challenges for this card, the Color Challenge 261 and the Ways to Use it Challenge 261

Circle punches, ribbon, along with a simple and clean layout fit exactly what I was going for when I started this morning.

I know I am going to have fun with these stamps!

V.~

Supplies:
Stamps: Back2Basics by The {Stamps} of Life
Ink: SU! Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo, Versafine Onyx Black
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Basic Black, Certainly Celery
Other: 1" and 1-1/4" circle punchs, CTMH hanger, Gingham check ribbon, Distressing tool, Dimensional foam

Vintage Fella~

Today's Try a New Technique Challenge over at SCS was Very Vintage. *gulp*
Vintage is not something that is generally up my creative sleeve, so today's challenge was just that, a challenge. So this is what I'm calling hybrid vintage, it's fairly clean and simple with a touch of vintage.

Images are stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and quickly dunked into clear embossing powder before coloring with Copic Markers. A hardware buckle and thread accents are all the manly embellishments necessary.
Now off to clean up my vintage mess...........

V.~

Stamps: Favorite Fellas by Crafty Secrets
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, VersaMagic Night Sky, Memento Desert Sand
Paper: Gina K Pure Luxury Ivory and In the Navy
Patterned Paper: Graphic 45
Copics: E000, E33, E51, E53, E97, B34
Other: Nestabilities Oval Dies, Clear Embossing powder, Circle punch, thread, Gingham check ribbon, Hardware, Jumbo dauber, Dimensional foam

Broken Dreams~

This is one of the most difficult cards I've made in a long time. I have never met the family for who this card is intended for, but the death of their daughter at the hands of a monster touched all of San Diego. My heart has been heavy since she went missing and broke in a way I didn't think was possible when her body was found. Maybe I was affected so deeply as my daughter is the same age with drives and ambitions of her own and to have them taken away so abruptly just isn't fair.

This is not a typical sympathy card, how does one make a sympathy card for someone just beginning their independent life at 17? How does a parent recover from broken dreams, their child's and their own? I cannot wrap my brain around it.

Instead of a dark and heavy card, I made a card using the color of her eyes with hints of her favorite color orange.

Layout is based on a card I've previously made and that was selected as the OCL DT Sketch Challenge.

V.~

ETA: I located a mailing address online for a post office box the family has set up, if you'd like to mail a card, here's the link:

Chelsea's Light



Supplies:
Stamps: Dandy Days by Our Craft Lounge, sentiment from Gina K's Spring Florals
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Cantaloupe, Potter's Clay and Desert Sand by Tsukineko
Paper: Gina K Pure Luxury Ivory and Green Apple, SU! Bermuda Blue
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye
Other: Memento markers: Pear Tart, Cantaloupe, Copic BG04, Jumbo dauber, Circle dies, loose glitter, Real Juicy Orange Sparkly Fluff, Prima flower, Clear button, Waxed thread, Dimensional foam

Concept HeART~

Sometimes I get a concept idea in my head when I see a stamp set, not necessarily something I would make for my own use, but something I could see a crafty entrepreneur or rep make. This is one of those projects.

The set New Digs by Our Craft Lounge is a set designed for
cards/pages/projects for the new homeowner/homeseller and has many components that are perfect for that application. I saw a little appreciation gift from a crafty Realtor to their client - a congratulations card and a divided desktop box with scratch paper and new address cards (address could be computer generated on the backside before trimming and stamping) inside.

A few details:
The card is based on the SCS Sketch Challenge this week.
The double-walled box and insert I designed and used my Scor-Pal to make and its finished size is 4" x 6".
Supplies not listed above:
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Lilac Posies and VersaMagic Turquoise Gem by Tsukineko
Adirondack Snow Cap by Ranger
Paper: Pure Luxury Kraft by Gina K Designs, Rich Razzleberry by SU!, Intense Kiwi by Prism (Bazzill)
Patterned Paper: Kraft Kuts Striped Girl and Dotted Girl by Jodi Sandford for Fancy Pants Designs
Other: Copic BG72 Ice Ocean, Prima Flowers, Buttons, Linen Thread, Dotted ribbon, Scor-Tape, Dimensional foam, Distressing tool

V.~

CPS Hello~

Hello~
It's been a while, hasn't it?

Sometimes the longer you stay away, the harder it becomes to create again.
To jump start my creativity this morning I headed over to the CPS site, a great site for providing weekly layouts and many samples by wonderful designers.

Card Positioning Systems

This layout was perfect for a taller, narrower card and narrow focal point. I decided to use one of OCL's newer sets, Spring Sketches, with some fabulous BoBunny patterned papers.

I stamped the stem in lime ink onto the ocean mist scrap before matting it on white and then chocolate. The flower image was stamped onto a scrap of patterned paper and trimmed. A second flower was stamped and the center petal was trimmed and adhered to the first flower with dimensional foam. The completed tulip flower was adhered to the stamped panel with dimensional foam. A border punch and stamped brown swirl create the horizontal element from the sketch. Two aqua mini brads, a green ribbon tied to emulate leaves, and a punched greeting complete this sketch card.

V.~

Supplies:
Stamps: Spring Sketches by Our Craft Lounge
Ink: Vivid! Coffee Bean, Wild Lime, Butterscotch by Clearsnap
Paper: Gina K Pure Luxury Ocean Mist, Chocolate Kiss, White
Patterned Paper: Flower Child Far Out, Flower Child Free Bird by BoBunny Press
Other: Aqua mini brads, Lime grosgrain, Oval punch, Fiskars Threading Waters punch, dimensional foam