Bloom Where You Are Planted...

Good morning!  Well, the work week is halfway over, and it's a rainy, gloomy and chilly day, so I'm bringing out some warmth and cheer with this sweet little gnome card.  "Bloom where you are planted."... Isn't that a wonderful thought?  I surely think so, and making cards with this PK-564 Teamwork stamp set gives you the opportunity to share that wonderful sentiment of encouragement any time.  The sweet faces on these cuties brings a smile and warms the heart.  I ♥ them!!! 

 This sweet image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with my Copics.  All of the card stock and patterned paper, as well as the balsa wood tree came from the March Peachy Picks Kit.  To color the tree, I used a variety of green Copic markers and air brushed it.  The trunk of the tree is wrapped with orange and white twine from Jillybean Soup, and I added some to the top of the card as well.  The negative die cut panel was done using the new nesting dies from Stampin' Up!, and the scalloped edging was done using the scalloped ribbon punch, which is also from Stampin' Up!.   I've said it so many times before, and I'll say it again (A little differently this time).  These monthly clubs are the bomb diggity!!  Just drop by the Peachy Keen Stamps Store and click on the Peachy Keen Clubs link to find out all the details about how to enroll and have all this peachy goodness arriving on your doorstep  every single month.  There are special "perks" to being a member, and there's a new kit due out soon, which you're just gonna LOVE!!

Thanks so much for dropping by today.  I hope this little card brings you a smile and warmth today.  We sure need it here.  I think we've got a little bit of everything going on as far as weather goes in this country.  Snow in the northwest, rain in the heartland, and warm springtime temps in the east.  Yep!  I think we've got it covered!!   Have a glorious day and enjoy some happy stamping while you're at it!!

 

Peach Keen Challenge #09

 Good morning once again!  I'm back with another post, and to share the newest challenge from Peachy Keen Stamps.  This challenge is a photo inspiration challenge, and I love the warm and wonderful colors in this one.  For my card, I chose to use some of the new stamps from the SOTM Club.  I just can't seem to get enough of these adorable little gnomes from the PKSC-03 set.  They've been wildly popular, and when you see them and all the wonderful things you can do with them, it's very easy to understand why!  You can purchase these without the subscription, but you get HUGE savings on them if you enroll in the monthly club. 

 This cutie was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers, matching the  inspiration photo as closely as I could.  The PK-565 Mushroom Soup stamp was what I used for the background, and all of the card stock, embellishments, and patterned paper comes  from the March Peachy Picks Kit.  I just keep using all the wonderful contents of this kit.  It's like a bottomless resource for paper crafters, and I can't believe how many cards/projects I'm getting out of these kits!!  I did use my Stampin' Up! distressing tool to add a lot of fraying/distressing to the edges of the card stock and paper.  For the sketch, I followed along with this week's sketch challenge #376  at Splitcoaststampers.

Here's a look at the inspiration photo, so that you can play along.  

Just upload your creation, inspired by this photo to the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog,  for your chance to be "Top Peach".  There's always a wonderful prize at stake, and we LOVE seeing your work!  Also, if you're not a member of the Peachy Keen Connection, we'd love for you to come over there and join us!  You can hang out there, chat with fellow PKS fans and DT, and save your work in your own gallery for everyone to see and be inspired.  Hope to see you there!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Have a beautiful weekend, and if you're not outside enjoying this gorgeous weather, I hope you're doing some HAPPY STAMPING!!

CottageCutz Elegant Easter

 Good morning!!!  It's TGIF, another weekend is upon us, and I hope you have plans for making it a great one.  Today, I'm sharing a card I created for Easter, using some really wonderful and oh, SO EASY CottageCutz dies.  I call this one an elegant Easter card, because that's exactly what comes to my mind when I see these beautiful Filigree Easter Egg CottageCutz dies.  These amazing designs afford you the opportunity to make positively gorgeous creations with very little effort.  With some beautiful patterned paper, glitter card stock, and just the right embellishments... VOILA!  Something that looks like you spent hours!!!  Now, THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!!  Here's my card in several views so that you can take in all the wonderful detail of these dies.

 I used DCWV glitter card stock to cut these beautiful Easter eggs.

 A close up view of all the gorgeous detail and sparkle.  Just a few strategically placed pink pearls were just the ticket! 

 You can see that I nestled the eggs into three layers of grass that I cut using the CottageCutz Grass Border die.  This die is a MUST HAVE staple in any collection.  I use mine for so many projects!  I LOVE IT!!

The banner for the sentiment was cut by hand, and the patterned paper is from my scrap stash.  I loved the muted colors with just the pop of pink and burgundy in the paper.  It's very Victorian, and again... SO elegant!

I'm so glad you could join us today.  I wish you a wonderful day, and  weekend filled with everything you love.  If you're lucky, maybe there will be some crafting with CottageCutz in it for you!!  Happy crafting!!

Ta Da!!!

 Good morning!  Boy, we're sure enjoying some GORGEOUS Spring weather this week, and it won't be long before this will be the scene around here!  I can't wait for beautiful flowers to plant and grow AND enjoy!  This got me in the mood for Spring when I received this wonderful stamp set from Peachy Keen Stamps.  This stamp set, PK-563 Garden Wheelies holds endless possibilities for wonderful cards and scrapbook pages.  There are some amazing new images to work with over at Peachy Keen Stamps, and if you haven't seen them, they you are REALLY missing out!!!  Get on over there and check them out TODAY!

 All of the card stock, patterned paper, tag, and ribbon are a part of the latest Peachy Picks Kit.  These are the absolute best thing EVER, and I look forward to seeing what the new one will be each and every month!!  Sign up for this subscription based kit club, so you don't miss even ONE of the wonderful and inspiring kits showing up at your door!  As usual, the images were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers.

Have a happy Tuesday, my stamping friends!!!  Wishing you a blessed and beautiful day!!!

Good morning!  How's your day going?  The week's almost over and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weekend.  It's been a busy week, but busy is good.  Today I have a card to share that I made with the Peachy Picks March Kit, and one of the new gnome themed stamps.  This one is PK-562 Gnomegrown.  These little gnomes are just as cute as they can be, and there are some great sentiments with this set, which make it a must have for your fun Spring and Summer cards.  Check out the Peachy Keen Stamps Store for all amazing new releases.  This release has quickly become a favorite of so many, and I'm certainly no exception!  I just LOVE 'em!!!

All of the card stock, patterned paper, and even the sentiment tag are a part of the Peachy Picks Kit.  The cute little gnome was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers.   The pearl trim and the brads on the sign are the only elements that weren't part of the wonderful kit this month.  It's so much fun choosing what to use for a card from all the fabulous things that are included in each kit.  If you haven't figured it out by now, I am LOVING these kits!!  Give them a try, because I know you will, too!!

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I'm off to meet one of my siterhood friends.  Our little SCS group has been swapping cards for nearly 4 years, and today I get to meet another sister in person!!  Can't wait to enjoy this day out, so I'd better get to it!  Have a beautiful day and happy stamping!

Happy Easter Layout

Good morning! Spring will soon be sprung, and with it comes one of my favorite holidays, which is Easter. Today, I'm working with the CottageCutz Bunnies in the Grass border die. This is such a versatile set, which includes sentiments AND the cute bunnies in the grass border. This border can be used as an accent, or focal point, depending on how you choose to use it. I'm actually using it as more of a focal point on my layout. Since I can't get my new computer's software to help me with editing a video, my instructions for the technique I used are in the form of pictures today. Playing with this die cut was sure fun. I hope you like it, and if you need a closer look at any of these photos, just click on them! :-)

Here's a picture of the supplies I used. I don't know that there's an actual "offical" name for the technique I use here, besides "chalking". Items for this crafty adventure include colored chalk, Stampin' Up! whisper white craft ink (this is different from regular staming ink and is almost the consistency of acrylic paint), black Sharpie pen, sponge dauber, and of course the die. Can't forget THAT!

I started by cutting the bunny border with Wisteria Wonder cardstock from Stampin' Up! There was no particular reason I used this color, other than I had scraps of it left from cutting my 8x8 inch mat. After cutting the border, I sponged the entire piece with the white craft ink. It will take a while for this ink to dry, which is why it works perfectly. The reason I used white ink on the colored card stock is because I needed a neutral background in order to lay down color from the chalk.

After the surface was sponged in white, I colored the different parts of the die cut with various colors of chalk. When working this technique, you will want to use more than one shade of each color so that your work takes on a three dimensional look. I tried to choose colors that matched my patterned paper. Once you have everything colored the way you like, then it's time to add the eyes, and noses with the black Sharpie marker. I wanted their tails to have some texture and shimmer, so I added some pearlized dimensional paint to them. Just give it plenty of time to dry before you glue it down!!

I finished my layout off with a bow and ribbon accent using green grosgrain ribbon. I love me some ribbon, and find I hardly ever make a card without it!! Can you say addicted? LOL!!

All in all, this was a pretty quick and easy page, and I hope it has inspired you to try a new technique. Thanks so much for visiting The ThINKin' Spot today. Have a blessed and beautiful day and Happy Stamping!

Gnome Sweet Gnome

Hello and happy Friday! WOW! We've seen so many wonderful creations from the new Peachy Keen Stamp of the Month, and Peachy Picks Kit, and I've got another one for you.  For this card, I used the PKSC-03 March 2012 stamp set, which is filled with the cutest little gnomes, and all kinds of little "gnomey" things to go with them. The stump, made into a sweet little house was what I chose to work with from the set for today, and I used a masking technique to add the mushroom and flower and grass around the bottom of the tree.

The image was stamped with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers, and the card stock is from this month's Peachy Picks Kit. I even used a bit of card stock and twine from last months kit for this card. I love that I'm finding ways to use up all of the contents of these kits, rather than hoarding them up like I tend to do. They're so much prettier on display like this, rather than stashed away.

Here's a little closer look. I thought that little mushroom made the perfect chimney for this sweet little house, and I cut some puffs of smoke out of white card stock to showcase the Gnome Sweet Gnome sentiment. The fabulous balsa wood tree, which is part of the Peachy Picks Kit was left au naturale, other than a bit of sponging on the edges with some Tim Holtz Distress Ink. I also inked the edges of the image panel with the same Vintage Photo colored ink. I actually used nearly the entire piece of green lace from the kit. I adds such great texture to this card, and is just perfect for a plush, grassy effect. I attached it with some red line tape by scrunching it up and sticking it to the tape as I went along the bottom of the card. The green resin flower tucked into the faux grass is also one of the wonderful elements in this kit.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great Friday and a fabulous weekend!! Happy Stamping!!

A Little Behind...

Happy Sunday to you!! Boy, does my blog title say it all today!! I've had a plan for this card ever since I saw the cute Bunny Front and Back Cottage Cutz dies from The Scrapping Cottage. The thought for this card immediately came into my head, and I got right to work! Well, the best laid plans often go awry (as the quote goes), and that's exactly what happened to me!! I finished my card, even saved all of the markers I'd used into a basket for photographing, and all I needed to do was computer generate the "We're A Little Behind" sentiment. THAT is as far as I got! I got busy and completely forgot to print the sentiment and post my card!! SO, I'm late today and I do so apologize for that! With ALL that being said, here is my card for you, and I hope it was worth the wait. It sure makes me laugh when I see these bunny behinds, and I hope it gives you a chuckle, too!

All of the card stock and paper for this card came from my scrap bin. I added some pleated satin ribbon and chocolate colored pearls for embellishment, and kept it at that, because I want these bunny behinds to shine!! They are, afterall the main attraction, and what cute little behinds they are!!  The Happy Belated Birthday sentiment is from the Country Bumpkin Gracee Goose (CB-09) stamp set from Peachy Keen Stamps.

(Click on the Picture to see a bigger photo.)

This basket contains every marker that I used to color these bunnies, and yes, I DID use each and every color, AND you can add C1,C3, and C5 to that mix, because I took those out to work on something else, and they didn't make it back to the basket.

So glad you could visit The ThINKin' Spot today. Make it a great day... EVEN if you're a little... BEHIND!!!!