Hero Arts Spring Catalog Blog Hop and Giveaway

 

Hello, friends! I am so excited to be joining the Hero Arts Spring Catalog Blog Hop today! If you came from Jenn Shurkus' blog, you are off to a great start! If not, feel free to jump over to the Hero Arts Blog to get the full hop list! This catalog is stuffed with SO many amazing new designs and it includes some less new designs you may not have noticed before, too, so be sure to check it out! AND.... guess what?! There is actually a second catalog available now, as well! The Creative Essentials catalog is full of all of the most essential craft supplies you could possibly desire from Hero Arts. It's pretty amazing. 

I actually have TWO cards to share with you using the beautiful new Wonderful Day bundle and a few other fantastic things from this catalog. 

For this card, I used the new Overlapping Circles stencil as my background and then used the Wonderful Day stamps, stencils, and dies to create a CAS design that is loaded with color! The sentiment comes from the Every Day Sentiment strips stamp set cut with the sentiment strips die. 

AND...I have a surprise! I made my first ever card making video. Please be kind, it is literally my first and I have no idea what I am doing, but it was wicked fun to create! I will grow with it. I promise. LOL!

I loved this set so much I had to make another card with it right away! For this one, I used the full collection of gorgeous flowers and went with lots of color and a bit of glitter! I used the sentiment strip die to emboss the background, giving it a very deep, pronounced striped look. 

Thank you for stopping by today! Your next stop is Jennifer Kotas. You can find the complete hop list on the Hero Arts Blog! 

GIVEAWAY! 

Leave a comment to enter!

Hero Arts will be giving away two $50 gift cards, drawn from the comments left along the hop. Comment on all the blogs for more chances to win! You have until Sunday, February 26 at 11:59pm to enter. The winners will be announced on the Hero Arts blog.

Pigment Ink is not the Enemy

 Is it just me, or does it seem that pigment ink has gone a bit out of fashion. Hybrids seem to be all over the place and we love our reactive and I think our trusty Dye inks are still the king when it comes to every day creating, but good old fashioned pigment ink - the SUPER juicy kind - doesn't seem to get any hype anymore. Well, I'm here today to give it a bit of hype. 

Rose Gold metallic Hero Hues ink, folks. Yup. It's pigment ink. And that, my friends, is the very reason it stamped so smoothly, so evenly, and so shimmery on this card background! That amazing cling stamp, along with the others used on this card, came from the December My Monthly Hero kit and oh, my goodness!!!! Honestly, I was intimated by the ink at first, but I really wanted to try it because the color is just so gorgeous. I inked up that rubber cling stamp and made it happen and I am so glad I did!

Quick tip: Heat set pigment ink backgrounds and seal with Workable Fixatif before adding other elements to the card. That will help prevent smearing. 

Go dig out one of those pigment ink pads and have some fun! 

British Ducks and Whatnot

 Did you know that was a thing? There are British Ducks. No, really. Very. British Ducks. I didn't know that until I went to London over Christmas, where I met the most British duck I've ever seen. Here... let me introduce you....

There she is. Tell me she is not the most British duck you have ever seen. And, yes, she lives in the Queen's Gardens. And she is lovely. I did not take her home. but I sure did want to do so.

All that to say, ducks are pretty fun. and this new SUPER cute duck die set from Spellbinders is no exception to that!

Ummm... seriously, though! I used an amazing new raindrop 3-D Embossing folder for the background along with blended distress inks and then pieced together the adorable duck, giving him sparkly red rubber rain boots and a sparkly rain cap along with a red umbrella. 

The sentiment die is from the new Raining Hearts Etched Die set and I love it! I stacked it three deep to give it a bit of structure and dimension. And... because I borrowed a couple of the child's rubber ducks for this photo shoot... he insisted on being in a shot with them.

He's a pretty cute little duckling, himself, if you ask me! HA! 

So, head on over and check out the newest release from Spellbinders and spend your day contemplating the nationality of ducks. If you do those two things, I promise you will have a wonderful day. You truly will!

Have a good one!

Deck the Halls With Inky Paws Blog Hop!

 

Welcome to the BLOG HOP! It has been so amazing to be a part of this wonderful Deck the Halls with Inky Paws celebration! I have loved Newton's Nook from the very beginning and I truly think I always will! Today I have two cards to share with you showcasing some amazing holiday products from Newton's Nook!

I created this slimline card using the Christmas Tree Line Stencil. I used a couple of different greens to stencil the tree and then used warm brown tone for the tree trunks. A bit of yellow for the stars tops off every other tree!

To add a bit of decor to the tree, I stenciled with VersaMark ink and then heat embossed using colorful embossing powders.

Finally, a strip of glitter paper and a simple stamped sentiment strip complete the card.

But, that's not all, folks! I have a second card to share with you today using one of my all time favorites, the Beautiful Blizzard stamp set. 

To create this design I stamped and embossed the snowflakes on a white panel and then used blending brushes to create the blue background. I used a few water drops to add an even snowier look and then spritzed the entire panel with shimmer spray to make it SPARKLE!

So much shimmer! Love that! The sentiment is an amazing die that comes in the Main Street Christmas die set. There are actually THREE great word dies in that set along with the coordinating dies for the Main Street Christmas stamp set. It's amazing. I think I said that already. But it is. For reals. 

Not only is there a TON of inspiration, but we also have an amazing sale to share with you AND a chance to win a Gift Certificate! 

Deck the Halls with Inky Paws SALE!

$5 off every $30 You Spend!
That means $5 off $30, $10 off $60...up to $25 off $150!*
No Coupon Needed
Now through Sunday, December 11th!
*Maximum $25 discount per order.

Enter to Win! Deck the Halls with Inky Paws Hop Prizes!
We will be choosing two lucky winners to win a $25 store credit for Newton's Nook Designs online shop! To enter, just leave comments on the Design Team Member and Guest blogs (see list below)! Two winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the blog hop. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Sunday, December 11th at 9 pm EST to comment -- winners will be announced on the NND blog on Monday, December 12th.

Deck the Halls with Inky Paws Blog Hop List:

Newton's Nook Designs
Jennifer Timko
Jenn Shurkus
Jennifer Ingle
Amy Tsuruta
Donna Idlet
Ellen Haxelmans
Tina Herbeck
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Zsofia Molnar
Maria Russell
Farhana Sarker
Tatiana Trafimovich
Amanda Wilcox

I cannot thank you enough for visiting me today! I wish you a very Happy Holidays and an absolutely wonderful New Year! 

Deck the Halls With Inky Paws: Celebrating With Newton's Nook Designs!

 

I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the team over at Newton's Nook Designs for Deck the Halls with Inky Paws week! 

What is your favorite Christmas song? Mine is silver bells. Why? Because it beautifully describes the amazing feeling of the holidays in the city. There is nothing better than walking the streets of Boston during Christmas time, seeing all of the beautiful decorations, the lights, hearing the holiday music playing, and breathing in that cool, crisp air. I LOVE it. I am excited to share with you a card I created using the absolutely stunning Main Street Christmas stamps and coordinating dies. I chose this set because it has that same feeling of Christmas in the city that I adore so much.

To create the background for this card, I first created a simple circle stencil using a punch and a sheet of printer paper. I used ink blending brushes in yellow tones for the moon. I then masked that area off and used blending brushes to blend a variety of blues to create a gorgeous night sky. I then spritzed some shimmer spray onto the whole thing to make it really sparkle! I stamped Santa and his reindeer over the inked background.

I then stamped the row of buildings and colored them with Copic markers before die cutting and adhering to the panel with foam tape. The sentiment is heat embossed on black to make it stand out perfectly! 

It truly IS the most wonderful time of the year, isn't it?! I hope you will make your way over to the Newton's Nook Designs blog to check out what the other featured designers are creating this week! The line-up is pretty darned amazing, let me tell you. 

Wishing you a very Happy Holiday Season! 

Coffee = Smiles

 

That's how math works, right? I mean, it must be. Because we all know it's true. Coffee = Smiles. And today is the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop and THAT makes me smile, too! Because basically a whole bunch of talented crafty folks come together and post super fun projects showing off yummy beverages. Coffee, tea, hot cocoa... they all apply. And I am HERE for it, man!

If this is your first visit, WELCOME! I'm Jingle and you can find me on Instagram, too! 

You guys! I even pulled out my Dunkin Donuts scrunchy for this one. Because of course I have a Dunkin Donuts scrunchy. Do you not? 

I created this card with a wonderful amalgam of products from different places. That wonderful coffee cup is from the one and only Erin Lee Creative. I don't know if her coffee stamp set is available anymore, but her Harry Potter stuff CERTAINLY is, so you should just go buy that now because it's freaking amazing. The little mouse is an undeniably adorable stamp from the Simon Says Stamp and Colorado Craft Company Stamptember exclusive. Ummm.... CUTENESS! You can find all kinds of sets with these cute mice designed by Anita Jeram. They are incredibly adorable. And that sentiment. That wicked cute freaking sentiment? Yeah, that one is a wood block stamp from Simon Says Stamp so not only does it look adorable on a card, but it looks wicked cute on my shelf, too! I die cut the tiny heart from the Simon Says Stamp Mini Hearts die set - this is a super useful set to have around. I highly recommend it.

I colored this one with Copics. Shadows and I aren't actually really good friends because, well, quite frankly, I have very poor spacial orientation and struggle with the entire concept of 'where is my light source', but I think this one turned out pretty cute. All in all, I had a super fun time creating this card! Now, head on over to the Coffe Loving Cardmakers Blog to check out all of the amazing creations out there! 

A Little Halloween with a Little Potter Mixed In

Is that okay? Can I squeeze in one more Halloween card for this year? I had fun with this one, taking some fun Halloween stamps and giving them a bit of a Harry Potter twist. Because who doesn't love a sorting hat and a Nimbus 2000? Right? Right. Good. Glad we had this chat.

So, not gonna lie. This one sat on my desk for several days while I decided if I was brave enough to share it. Now that I'm looking at it fresh again, I think I actually really do like it. It's fun! I stamped the hat and the broom from the Simon Says Stamp Toil and Trouble stamps and dies set onto kraft paper and then colored with Spectrum Noir colored pencils. I went for the weathered Sorting hat look on the hat and um..... I REALLY REALLY LIKE IT. K? K. Thanks. I die cut both pieces, along with the tree from the Ghouls and Tree die set from Simon. 

I finished the card by adding just a touch of Reverse Confetti patterned paper and then stamped, embossed, and die cut the sentiment and frame together. 

And, my friends, there you have it. A bit of Halloween and a bit of Harry Potter all rolled into one fun card. Now... where did I leave my robes, I gotta fly......

Hello WORLD! - A Blog Hop for a Cause [Giveaway!]

Sometimes a message pops up in your inbox that you just aren't expecting. Sometimes, a message pops up in your inbox that brings tears to your eyes. Sometimes, a message pops up in your inbox that brings tears to the eyes of your husband.

One day, not too long ago, one of those messages popped up in my inbox.

Catherine Pooler and Chaitali Narla popped up in my inbox. They had seen me post a link to a GoFundMe that I had set up for my husband, Sean's, classroom. And they wanted to help. Today is the result of that message. This stamp set. This blog hop. And it still brings tears to my eyes. There is simply no way to express how thankful I am that this amazing group of talented designers have come together to help Sean's students get Chromebooks in their classroom.

Why Chromebooks? Because they are affordable and offer everything these kids need access to in the classroom. They are also durable and classroom ready, making them easier to set up, maintain, and use to share documents, classroom materials, and resources with the students. You can read Sean's thoughts here: https://www.donorschoose.org/project/chromebooks-for-urban-education/2208813/.

Why are they needed? Because the school can't buy them. They also haven't provided curriculum for Sean to use, so he has to create his own. Great teachers create their own curriculum often, and he is capable of doing this, but he does need his students to have access to resources. This is what these funds will be providing. They will allow Sean's students the opportunity to say, "Hello, World!"

All profits from the sale of the Hello World stamp set and the coordinating dies from Saturday October 1 - Friday, October 7 will purchase computers and other school supplies for Sean’s classroom in Boston.

I can’t wait to see how this week unfolds and how many computers we can provide for these kids!!!



I combined the Hello World stamp set and Hello World dies with the beautiful Lovely Flowers stamp set, also releasing today from Catherine Pooler! Isn't the Hello World set AMAZING?! Chaitali stunned me with her thoughtful creativity in the design of this set. It couldn't be more perfect for our purpose!  I love how well these worked together, and I simply HAD to use the Hello, World sentiment. As a woman who lives in the tech world... it's fun to combine girly things with computer things sometimes... totally throws the guys off. ;) LOL!

I want to take a moment to thank each and every person on this blog hop for participating and also for each and every one of you who has taken the time to hop today. It means a lot to me. The WORLD, actually. And it means a lot to Sean. And, while they don't know it yet, it means so very much to each and every one of his middle school students.

As a thank you, I'd like to offer a SURPRISE stamp set (okay, probably more than that) to one commenter on my blog. Simply leave a comment by 7 October 2016 and I will randomly select one winner. Be sure there is a way I can contact you.

If you are just finding the hop here on my blog, please take a moment to check out these amazing designers!

• Catherine Pooler  
• Maureen Merritt  
• Amy Kolling  
• Laurel Beard  
• Miriam Prantner 
• Kristie Goulet  
• Amy Sheffer 
• Heather North
• Donna Mikasa 
• Allison Cope  
• Amy Tsuruta 
• Lisa Harrolle 
• Kelly Griglione
• Kimberly Wiener 
• Chrissie Tobas 
• Ingrid Blackburn 
• Michele Kovack 
• Stephanie Klauck 
• Chaitali Narla
• Dana Joy 
• Jessica Frost-Ballas 
• Laura Bassen
• Jennifer Ingle  

It's the FINAL DAY of the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps release party!!!

You GUYS!!!! It's the last day of the July CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Release party!!! That means the new stamps are gonna be in the store mighty soon! Don't forget that you can save 15% on your order in the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Store by using the code JINGLE2016.

But first... ! We have two more sets to show you today!



Yup! Once again, CAS-ual Fridays Stamps has created not one, but TWO gorgeous Hanukkah stamp sets! You guys... I would venture to say that CFS is the leader in fabulous Hanukkah designs! For reals. I used both sets to create this card. That sentiment is going to be my go-to this year for the Hanukkah cards I need to create for my Jewish friends!

Be sure to check out the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog to see even more fabulous designs AND to find out when the the new stamps are available in the store!!! WOOT! WOOT! Pssst! Sometimes that button gets pushed a little early. *wink* *wink*

Have a Happy!

How Would YOU Have Felt?

You guys. Seriously. The puns. I can't even help it. I just can't. even. HELP IT. So.... as you may have surmised by my ridiculous blog title, this week the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge is all about FELT! Yup! We want to see how YOU feel..wait.. nope. It doesn't work when you go and change tenses, now, does it? HA! Well, we want to see how you FELT on your projects! Incorporate felt in some way and make it AWESOME! The Design Team is featuring the Simon Says Stamp Spring Plush collection today! If you have anything from this awesome collection, this is a great excuse to pull it out! If not, that's okay! Use whatever you have on hand to play along!



You GUYS!!! Stuffed carrots!!!! I had way more fun with this card, than, perhaps, one should. But, YOU GUYS! STUFFED CARROTS! I used the adorable Mini Plush Carrot Dies from Simon Says Stamp along with the gorgeous wool felt from Simon. A bit of quick stitching and some plastic Target bags for stuffing (yup... I like to recycle... lol!), and just like magic, I have adorable carrots. I dry embossed the background for some texture and interest. The sentiment is pulled from the Lawn Fawn Rooting For You stamp set. I love these stamps!



I added the faces with a pen. Yup. That easy peasy! YAY!

Now it's YOUR turn! Create something awesome using felt in some way and link it up to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Simon Says Stamp Store! SHOPPING TIME!!! 

I can't WAIT to see what you all come up with! This is a super fun one!

Have a Happy!

Peace and Happiness

I mentioned how much I LOVE the new Create Joy release from Simon Says Stamp, right? Well, I am mentioning it again. Because, you guys... FOR REALS, I love it. And this wreath die. I love this wreath die LOTS! I pulled out some glitter papers to create a super fun and super sparkly design! Because: GLITTER!



I die cut the wreath four times, once in each of the colors, and then reassembled the pieces to create my sparkly finished wreath. I then heat embossed the sentiment on vellum so that the wreath could shine through while still standing out enough to be seen.



I used the Ring Wreath die and the absolutely AMAZING So Very Merry Stamp set. I seriously love this sentiment set! They are gorgeous and some can be easily used outside of holiday stamping, as well! LOVE versatility.

Have a Happy!

Rainbows and Butterflies

Hello! I have a fun tutorial up over on the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog showing you how I got this way fun rainbow effect on my card! Head on over there and let me know what you think!

I am also linking this one up to the Virginia's View 100% stamped challenge, because... stamps. YAY!

Have a Happy!

A New Beginning

I realized after I wrote that post title that it sounds all 'something-big-is-happening'. Nothing big is happening. Well, I mean, nothing other than a new ANYTHING GOES challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog. That's pretty big, seeing as you could win a $50 Gift Voucher to Simon Says Stamp. WHAT?! Yup. Totes, you guys. Totes.



The Design Team is featuring Spectrum Noir products this week. The kind folks over at Spectrum Noir sent us some of the new Aqua Markers to play with for this challenge! Umm...watercolor markers from my favorite marker company? YES, PLEASE! I love them so much! I used them to create the mint and grey background on this card. I also used my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and my Spectrum Noir colored pencils on this one. I'm just an over achiever like that. HA! No, but, for reals, though.



The stamps are from the Simon Says Stamp Hop To It release. For some reason I held off on ordering this set and then it sold out and my devastation was beyond normal, so I figured I should order as soon as it came back in stock. So I did. That's what you would do, right? RIGHT?!

Anyway, now it's YOUR turn to play along! It is Anything Goes week and if you have Spectrum Noir products we would so love to see you rock them! You can enter up to five NEW creations in the challenge. One lucky participant will win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store! Woot! Woot!

Supplies:

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Work Out

Dies: Simon Says Stamp Exercise Girls (Or get the bundle HERE)

Markers/Pencils: Spectrum Noir

Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black

Embossing Powder: Ranger Liquid Platinum

Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh

Have a Happy!

It's Your Time to Shine!

We have another awesome new stamp and die set from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps to release today! Do you guys love stars as much as I do? 'Cause, for reals, I REALLY love stars. Lots. That being the case, I REALLY love these stamps and dies! Lots.



I die cut two of the stars, overlapping them, to create the shaker window. I then added my acetate and popped up a star frame over the smaller star to highlight it a bit. I traced around them with a grey pen for some added definition.



I heat embossed the sentiment on patterned paper for a quick and easy finish. This is just a shiny, bright, & happy card. I love it.

The Ink Squad has done some SERIOUSLY amazing things with this set! You really have GOT to head on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog to check them out!

AND...there is no waiting! These Twinkle stamps and Star Fri-dies are available for purchase in the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps store right now! WOOT! WOOT!

Have a Happy!

I Believe I Can Fly

Yes, we are flying high with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge this week! The theme is Things That Fly and the design team is featuring American Crafts products this week. You don't have to use them to play along, but we would love to see what you do with them if you have some on hand!

I pulled out the Shimelle 6x6 paper pad along with the new Tim Holtz birds, with which I may or may not be slightly obsessed, to create a fun encouragement card for today!



I used the Simon Says Stamp curved die to die cut my paper to create a 'wire' of sorts for my bird to stand on. I then pulled the sentiment from the Mama Elephant Up and Away stamp set. I colored the bird using various greens and yellows from Spectrum Noir. I just love how he turned out! I did add a touch of an icy blue to his eyes, as well.



I added a few little Simon Exclusive heart sequins from Pretty Pink Posh for a bit of shine.

Now it's YOUR turn! Create something based on the Things That Fly challenge and link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store! WHAT?! You guys, for REALS! It's pretty awesome!

You can find my complete supply list below. These are affiliate links and your support is always appreciated! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Tim Holtz Birds, Mama Elephant Up & Away

Ink: My Favorite Things Black Licorice Hybrid, VersaMark

Patterned Paper: Shimelle 6x6 Paper Pad (American Crafts)

Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh for Simon Says Stamp

Markers: Spectum Noir

Die: Simon Says Stamp Curved Edge Die

Embossing Powder: Ranger Liquid Platinum

Tools: Milwaukee Heat Gun, Fiskars Stamp Press, EK Sucess Powder tool, Fiskars Titanium No. 5 MicroTip Scissors, Scotch Foam Tape

Have a Happy!