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.

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! 

Season of Wonder

 So, I made this card and then I was so excited about it I just had to post it before the stack that I have waiting to be posted. It happens, what can I tell ya?

Here's the thing...since I took a super long break from crafting, a few trends have emerged on the technique side and I am trying to learn some new things and do different stuff. Stencils are EVERYWHERE now. Like... they are huge. And hot foiling seems to be pretty big, too. Sooooo...I decided to pull out some of my new Pinkfresh Studio goodies and practice a bit of both of those things! 

I used the absolutely gorgeous Wintry Forest stencil set with some distress inks to create this scene. Now, folks, understand that I often struggle with color choices. I am not super great at brining a bunch of colors together, but I was SO HAPPY with this color combination. Seriously. I love it so much. It makes me happy. For the final stencil, I used VersaMark ink and then heat embossed the snow onto the branches to complete the look. 

The sentiment is hot foiled using the Thrill of Hope hot foil plate set along with the coordinating dies. I cut the sentiment several times and stacked them to give it depth. 

No joke. This is one of those cards that I just kept looking at and thinking... whoa! I made that! LOL! Don't you love it when that happens? Drop a link to a project you are particularly proud of in the comments and I'll come check it out!

Have a great day!

Black Dogs are the GREATEST!

 Did you know that black dogs end up in shelters longer than any other color dog? For some reason adopters shy away from black pups. Personally, I think that is ridiculous because black dogs (labs, in particular) are WONDERFUL! I have my super great buddy, Wyatt (along with my chocolate lab, Morgan), and he is a great big ball of love. He's also a 100 lb. lap dog, but, alas....

The Newton's Nook and Simon Says Stamp Stamptember collaboration stamp set had this absolutely perfect little Turkey Day pup and I could not resist using him to create a fun Thanksgiving card! I colored him, black of course, with Copic markers and simply stamped and heat embossed the sentiment.

The background is Simon Says Stamp Fractured stamped in grey ink. Nice and simple. While this particular Thanksgiving stamp set is no longer available as it was a limited edition for Stamptember, don't you worry your little puppy loving head... you can check out the Newton's Nook collection at Simon Says Stamp and find ALL KINDS of cute critter stamps that you will just love!

Since this is such a simple card, I only took the one shot. Also... Wyatt was literally hunting me down because I got caught steeling treats for the photo. So... I will share a photo of Mr. Wyatt, since he inspired my card! YAY!

A Bit of Red, A Bit of Green, and a Bit of Brown

 I mean, when you start working on your holiday cards it's possible that 'Oh! I had better stock up on brown cardstock!' isn't the first thing that comes to mind, but, folks, I'm here to tell you that you just may want to stock up on brown cardstock for your holiday cards! This color combination presented in the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge is really quite gorgeous!

The next thing that may or may not come to mind is to use these colors for... snow. Snowflakes, to be exact. Yup. From the Beautiful Blizzard stamp set. That's what I did. And you know what? I absolutely LOVE it! Turns out snow doesn't have to be blue and silver all the time. 

See what I mean? I used a combination of Hero Arts and Simon Says Stamp inks and I absolutely love how the rich color tones work with those beautiful detailed snowflakes. I stamped and embossed the Pinkfresh Studio sentiment in gold and added a strip of gold glitter paper along the edge for plenty of sparkle and shine!

And... I'm not the only one who loves stamping these pretty snowflakes! Sterling wanted to make a card, too! He is a big fan of pink, so he had to have pink on his and he chose his other colors, too. It doesn't quite fit with the challenge, but that's okay, he's two, he can pick his colors. LOL! He particularly loved the gold ink! This was the first time we've used that one and he thought it was great! We did cheat a little and used the Misti so his snowflakes were a bit easier to stamp and then ended up right where he wanted them. It is so much fun crafting with him!

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! 

We Need a Little Christmas, Right this Very Minute

 We need a little Christmas NOW!

Okay, so I know some of you would prefer to wait a bit, and that's cool, but I had to start on Christmas cards, at least. 

Also, now that song is in your head and that's fun, sooo......

I did lots of things on this card. I don't often do lots of things, but for this one, I did lots of things. I started by stamping and embossing this wicked cool Simon Says Stamp Star to Star background in gold. I kind of love it. I then used the Simon Says Stamp Peace Hope Love Stencil and did some blending with Hero Arts bubblegum ink. That gorgeous medallion is die cut twice, once in black for the 'underneath' part (that's the technical term, naturally), and once from gold cardstock. A bit of foam tape raises the gold over the black.

Finally, the sentiment is an older Simon Says Stamp Joyeux Noel die cut from a nice bright pink cardstock.

I love that this card mixes fun stuff from several collections. I always appreciate when I can use supplies I've had around for awhile along with some of the newer stuff to create new looks.

And thus, we begin with the holiday cards of 2021. Yes, my friends, it has begun. Don't worry too much, though...I will have some others mixed in there, too. I promise.

Have a wonderful day! 

Cute Spooks

 So, seriously. When you give me absolutely adorable Halloween supplies I just cannot help myself! I am loving creating these cards! 

For this one, I started by die cutting the  Simon Says Stamp Window Webs from a white panel. I just knew I had to create a super cool background to put behind it, so I decided to ink up another cardstock panel to create a night sky using distress inks. I then put a little white ink from a bottle of reinker on a paint brush and splattered it to create the stars in the sky.

You guys! This was a lot for me. LOL! I don't do a ton of messy things anymore, but I absolutely LOVE how this turned out and I super love that it uses those techniques and still results in a clean and simple card.

I stamped the absolutely adorable ghost witch stamp and the spider from the Too Cute To Spook stamp set from Simon Says Stamp and colored them with Spectrum Noir colored pencils. I cut the ghost out, but you can purchase dies with the stamps if you prefer to go that route. Either way... this stamp set is THE CUTEST!

The sentiment is stamped and embossed on a strip of black cardstock to finish off the card. I am linking this little guy up to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge.

I hope you have enjoyed my Halloween fun this week! I may do more, I may do some other stuff... we shall see. Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave a comment to let me know you are here! 

Friendly Little Bats

 I mentioned that I really like bats, right? When I saw the Reverse Confetti challenge to create a card with a Thanksgiving or Friendship theme, I figured it was a perfect time to combine my love of Halloween and bats with a friendship sentiment for a cute little card.

I stamped the three little bats from the Reverse Confetti Best Witches stamp set and colored them with Spectrum Noir colored pencils. I am discovering that I REALLY love coloring with colored pencils. I honestly feel like I work better with them than I do with my markers a lot of the time. I am loving it. It is also wicked relaxing to feel the smooth pencil over the paper. I don't know...I just really enjoy it.

After stamping and coloring the bats I added a quick stamped star and then finished it off with a great Lawn Fawn Hello die. The friend is actually hand written with a Copic pen to get the look I was going for.  

This card was one of those ones that I just really enjoyed creating. It makes me smile.

What are the kinds of things that just make you happy when you create? Is it coloring? The actual stamping? Putting together various design elements? I'd love hear about it in the comments!

Stamp of Approval - Candy Cane Lane Blog Hop

Hello, friends! I am excited to be guest designing for the Stamp of Approval Candy Cane Lane Collection. Stamp of Approval is a collection of products (stamps and dies) that work fabulously together but they’ll also work incredibly well with supplies you already own. They are released quarterly and sell out SUPER FAST. To be the first to know when they go for sale, make sure you are on the wait list.. You’ll get the link to purchase one day before it goes for sale publicly!

I have created some super fun projects using this kit! I had SO many ideas when it arrived, I cannot even TELL you!!!

Ummm... that deer head, though?! FOR REALS, right?! And I was so excited to have the added pattern stamps to add that unique touch to this classic design! I absolutely love this stamp set and will certainly be pulling it out often for my winter and holiday cards!

I super love these tag dies! Are they not PERFECT for gift topping?! And these holiday word dies are perfect over that fun, candy stripe stamped background! These came together fairly quickly, too, so they are great if you have lots of tagging to do!

This collection will be officially available to the public on 22 September, so GET READY!!!! HOWEVER, if you are on a StampNation member, you get the sale link on the morning of the 21st and if you are on the wait list, you get that sale link an hour after the StampNation members! So, GET ON THAT WAITLIST, folks!

I hope you will head on over to Catherine Pooler's blog to check out the entire hop and all of the amazing inspiration, along with the collection, itself! You will NOT be disappointed with this box of goodness! I am the last stop on the blog hop for today! Thank you for hopping with us!

Have a Happy!

It's STAMPtember!!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the stampy year!!! It's STAMPtember!!! Yes, it's that wonderful time when Simon Says Stamp releases all kinds of amazing exclusive products for us to gobble up! And boy has it begun with a bang this year! Some of the best products EVER!!!! To celebrate, our challenge this week is STAMP IT! Yup! We want to see you use some awesome stamps! Get inky! The Design Team is showing off brand new STAMPtember products! If you have some Simon exclusives, we'd love to see you use them!

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I used this absolutely AMAZING background stamp to create this fun card. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I used it on the card I posted yesterday, as well. Keep following...I have MORE COMING!!!! I just love this background so much! I stamped and clear embossed it and then used Distress inks to blend ink over the words. I made sure to only partially stamp so the words only go partially across the inked area. I layered embossing powder over the die cut sentiment to add both shine and dimension so it would really stand out.

And now it's YOUR turn! Create something awesome using stamps in some way and link it up for your chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Simon Says Stamp Store! WOOT! WOOT!

Make for the Border!

Hello, folks! Happy Wednesday! We have a super fun new challenge this week! We are Running for the Border on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog this week! That's right, we want to see you use border stamps, border dies, create a border.... however you interpret the challenge, as long as it is AWESOME, of course! The Design Team is featuring Memory Box products this week. I pulled out this SUPER cute bow and string border die to create my card. I kind of love it. Kind of lots, actually.

I don't normally do horizontal cards, so that was an extra bit of challenge for me, but I love how this turned out. I used Lawn Fawn plaid paper to create the look of a wrapped gift and then stamped the border strip with HB2U using Lawn Fawn Milo's ABC's. 

Now it's YOUR turn! Create something fabulous based on the Make for the Border theme and link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for your chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Simon Says Stamp store! YES!!!! You totes wanna win that, yo. For reals.

Have a Happy!

We're Going WILD!

Hello, friends! It's time for another awesome challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog! This week we are GOING WILD! You can feature whatever comes to mind when you think of WILD on your card. Wild colors, wild animals, wild flowers? What are YOU going to create?! The Design Team is featuring WPlus9 products this week. I absolutely LOVE WPlus9 stamps! I pulled out a recent favorite for my card today!



I just love this little panda!!!! The cuteness!!! I wanted to keep the design simple, but I also wanted to add some pop to the design so I used Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens for the grass. It glitters SO MUCH! I love it!



And now it's YOUR turn! Create something awesome inspired by the WILD theme and link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Simon Says Stamp store! WHAT?! Yup. That's an awesome prize, folks. It is, indeed.

Kids, have a super fabulous, spectacular day!

Hello, folks! It's time for a fun new Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge! This week we want to see Things with Wings! Incorporate something with wings into your design for this week to play along! The Design Team is using Doodlebug Design products this week. You don't have to use them to play along, but if you have some, we'd love to see how you rock that cuteness!

So, you know that sticker stash you have? Did you know you can create complete adorable card designs using it? 'Cause you totally can! And I had SO much fun challenging myself to do just that with these Doodlebug Design stickers! I added a fabulous little sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Handwritten Sentiments stamp set to finish off my design! 

Pro-tip: If you want to use foam tape to adhere your stickers, adding dimension and offering more layering options, simply brush the back with your EK Success Powder Tool to remove the sticky from the back!

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And now it's YOUR turn! Create something inspired by our Things With Wings challenge theme and link it up over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to the Simon Says Stamp Store! WOOT! WOOT!!!

Have a Happy!!!

Newton's Nook is Turning THREE! {Blog Hop & Giveaway!}

Hello, friends! I am very excited to be participating in the Third Birthday Celebration for Newton's Nook Designs! I absolutely love Jen and her fabulous stamp designs and I am so excited to see that you guys love Newton's Nook, too!

I was lucky enough to snag the brand new Party Pops stamps and dies to use for today's hop and boy do I LOVE them!!!

You GUYS! This stamp set is so cute!!!! I for reals LOVE it! I had so much fun creating this card!!! I stamped the three pops in Simon Says Stamp Melon ink and then used my Simon black ink to add the sentiment to the center pop. It really POPS! Bwahahahaha! See what I did there? *sigh*...okay...

Celebrate with Newton's Nook Designs for a chance to win!

Would you like to win a $25 store credit to spend at Newton's Nook Designs online shop? How about a $25 Gift Voucher to Simon Says Stamp?

EVERY Blog Stop in the hop today is giving away one of each! WHAT?! That's CRAZY!!!! And AWESOME!!!!

Here's how to win: We will pick two random winners from each blog listed below (one to receive a store credit to Newton's Nook Designs and one to receive a gift voucher to Simon Says Stamp). Winners will be chosen at random from the comments posted on each of the blogs listed below. You have until Sunday, July 17th at 9pm CDT to comment. Winners will be announced on NND blog post on Monday, July 18th and will need to contact us to claim their prize.

Special Guests:

Sandy Allnock

Taheerah Atchia

Jennifer Ingle

Amy Tsuruta

Newton's Nook Design Team:

Newton's Nook Designs

Lydia Evans

Larissa Heskett

Samantha Mann

Crafty Math-Chick

Jess Gerstner

Stephanie Muzzulin

Danielle Pandeline

Naki Rager

Kimberly Rendino

Yukari Yoshioka

Also... the first 100 orders this weekend will receive a FREE Thank You stamp! SUCH CUTENESS!!! That font, though... it is seriously fabulous. You need it. 

Have a Happy!