Yours Forever

Good Monday Morning!  It's a beautifully sunny but bitterly cold day here today so we'll be sitting close to the woodstove all day!  It's the last day to get those Valentine's made, I have a few I need to do today.  But here's one I made this weekend with Kitchen Sink Stamps and the CPS sketch for this week.

I was going for a bit of a monochromatic look when I started but the I added the pink to step one of the heart stamp and it changed my plan. The heart is from Multi-Step Sweetheart Roses from Kitchen Sink Stamps.  The ink recipe I used is:

Step 4 - (Smokey Shadoe) Papertrey Ink, Step 3 - (Going Gray) SU!, Step 2 - (Going Gray stamped off) SU!, Step 1 - (Angel Pink) Memento

The sentiment is from Never a Loss 4 Words, also from KSS.  Please visit the rest of the KSS Crew today for more inspiration!  Have a wonderful day!

Connie • Lisa • Lynn • Makiko • Maria

Cardstock: (Sweet Blush, Black) Papertrey Ink, (White) Neenah), Patterned Paper: (Yours Truly) Echo Park, Stamps: (Multi-Step Sweetheart Roses, Never a Loss 4 Words) Kitchen Sink Stamps, Ink: (Black, Angel Pink) Memento, (Going Gray) SU!, (Smokey Shadow) Papertrey Ink, Accessories:  (Rhinestones) Zva Creative, (Ribbon) May Arts, Tools:  (Square & Square Scalloped Nestabilities) Spellbinders

Finally . . . my KSS card!

Thank you all for being patient with me today!  I know that I am not the only mom out there with a busy schedule these days - you all can relate, right?!!  It's nice to know you have friends who sympathize - lol! :) 

I used one of the new sets from Kitchen Sink Stamps - Multi-Step Ivy for my CPS sketch card today.  As I mentioned in my post earlier, KSS is the sponsor of the CPS (Card Positioning Systems) sketch  #185 this week.  By making a card with the sketch and linking it up on the CPS site you have a chance to win a great KSS prize!  This set is just beautiful and I can think of so many uses for it - it would work so wonderfully with all of the KSS floral sets.  I thought it would make a nice sympathy card (which sadly, I've needed several of lately).
 

My ivy was stamped as follows:  Step 4 - Imperial Green (VersaFine), Step 3 - New Leaf (Papertrey Ink), Step 2 - Bamboo Leaves (Memento), Step 1 - Pear Tart (Memento)

Please check out all the new sets Kitchen Sink Stamps released last week and remember to use my coupon code JULIE10KSS for 10% off your order any time!   Also, here are the links for the KSS Crew again, their cards are gorgeous!!   Have a wonderful day!

Angela • Connie • Lisa • Lynn • Makiko • Maria

Get Well

Happy Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday! It's an exciting one too because Kitchen Sink Stamps is sponsoring the CPS (Card Positioning Systems) Sketch this week, #176!  You can check out the sketch and the first set of designer cards HERE.  You have a chance to play along with the sketch for a chance at a KSS prize by leaving a link to your card HERE.

I also want to mention that KSS will be hosting their second Multi-Step Stamping Workshop - this time in TX!  There will be more information coming but we'd love you to save the date now!

Multi Step Stamping in Texas with Kitchen Sink Stamps

Where: La Quinta Inn & Suites - Pearland (Houston area), Texas

Dates: Oct. 8 & 9, 2010

More info to come, so save the date - space is limited

Ok, here's my card using the CPS sketch.  I used Multi-Step Sunflowers from Kitchen Sink Stamps. Here are my ink recipes for the wonderful watering can and sunflowers:

Watering Can:  Step 4 - Vintage Violet (SU!), Step 3 - Potter's Clay (Memento), Step 2 - Rhubarb Stalk (Memento), Step 1 - Rhubarb Stalk and then repeated Step 1 using Potter's Clay (stamped off).


Sunflowers:  Step 3 - Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink), Step 2- Summer Sun (SU!), Step 1 - Dandelion (Memento), Step 4 - Potter's Clay (Memento), Step 5 - Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)

As you can see I did some sponging (which I don't do very often!) to add depth and a bit of character to the card.  I just love that very cool watering can!  The sentiment is from Never A Loss 4 Words also from KSS. 

I hope you get a chance to play along, but first take a look at what the other Crew members have done today!! Thanks for visiting!

Angela • Connie • Lisa • Lynn • Makiko • Maria

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red (SU!), Ivory (Gina K Designs), Patterned Paper: Jillibean Soup, Stamps:  Multi-Step Sunflowers, Never a Loss 4 Words (Kitchen Sink Stamps), Ink:  Dandelion, Rhubarb Stalk, Potter's Clay, Bamboo Leaves (Memento), Dark Chocolate, Summer Sunrise, New Leaf (Papertrey Ink), Vintage Violate, Summer Sun (SU!), Accessories:  Twill (SU!), Nestabilities, scoring tool, foam adhesive, sponge dauber, brads

Earth's Poetry

Happy Friday everyone! I never did get around to posting yesterday - phew what a day!! It rained (surprise, surprise) all day, and not a light rain either! My phone line went dead sometime before lunch and I went a bit stir crazy waiting for the repairman (whom I was told may not be able to get here until Monday! What??!!). Now I can live without a phone for while, but my phone company is also my internet provider so no phone, no DSL - not a good day!! I called to tell my husband and he told me later that he hadn't heard me that panicked in quite a while! LOL :)

Moving on . . . I got a yummy box of Rubber Soul stamps yesterday and just had to make a quick card - and this one is super quick! I love that you can make a card with these images that is elegant and meaningful, but doesn't take a lot of time! This set is called Poetry of the Earth and I love these bird images!

I found this old stash of handmade-type papers and thought it fit the "earthy" theme of this card. I love the chunks of leaves and flower petals right in the paper! The sketch is this week's CPS#122 - such a great "go to" sketch!

I actually have some Jules Jewels (aka blog candy) to give away courtesy of Rubber Soul, but I need to take a picture so I'll come back and post that in a bit! Until then, have a great day!

Cardstock: Green (Bazzill), handmade papers (unknown), Stamps: Poetry of the Earth (Rubber Soul), Ink: Noir (Palette), Accessories: Ripe Avocado ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Nestabilities, Dimensionals, Brads Finished Size: 6.5" x 3.75"

P.S. I just had to share this photo too! My children got a hold of my camera last night when I was dozing a bit . . . here is one of the shots they snapped. That face (Ethan's) cracks me up!

Summer Invites!

The weekend has arrived and since the sun is out finally (briefly I believe) it makes me want to barbeque or have a beach party! I pulled out a great set from Rubber Soul today, Party (which happens to be at a fantastic sale price!) and made a quick, fun invitation for all your summer gatherings.

The sketch is this week's CPS Sketch #121 - great sketch!! These invitations would be so fast and easy to whip out - then you'd have more time to clean - LOL! :) The dp is also from Rubber Soul, it's called Garden Variety and I love the fun citrus colors and the pop of red!

I colored the limeaid using Copic markers and my 1 Prismacolor marker - it's Chartreuse and it's the perfect shade of yellowish-green that I can't seem to find in a Copic. I added a nice thick coat of Glossy Accents to the pitcher to make it glass-like.

Take a look at all the great sales going on at Rubber Soul! Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

P.S. We've extended the deadline just a wee bit for Stamping Around CT - head over to the website and register to come stamp with us! I'll be teaching, it's going to be soooo much fun!! :)

Cardstock: White (GP), Patterned Paper: Garden Variety (Rubber Soul), Stamps: Party (Rubber Soul), Ink: Memento, Accessories: Nestabilities, Copic markers, Prismacolor marker, Glossy Accents (Judekins), Dimensionals

Mahalo

Welcome to Kitchen Sink Stamps Monday! Before I talk about today's card I wanted to wish Tammy Hershberger a fond farewell!! Today is her last day on the Crew. Best of everything Tammy, you're beautiful work will be missed!!! :)

Can you ever have enough Thank You cards? Seems like those and Get Well cards are the ones I need the most (although I am so very bad at mailing my cards - ugh!!). I reached for 3 Step Aloha today - I just adore the vintage Hula girl! She's so easy to stamp too - I use my Memento Dew Drops to ink the skirt and body separately and with their pointed tips it's a cinch! I also stamped a little plumeria flower under the sentiment . . . mmmm, I'd love a whiff of the tropics about now!! The sketch is this week's CPS #120 sketch.

Take a minute and check out what the rest of the KSS Crew has for you today! Only a couple more weeks until 7 NEW Kitchen Sink Stamps are released - I can't wait!! Until then, don't forget to use my coupon code (JULIE10KSS) for 10% when you order!

Maria, Dee, Lynn, Tammy, Lori, Angela, Makiko, Connie, Lisa

Oh - and don't forget you have until the 19th to join this month's challenge for a chance to win FREE stamps!! You can't win if you don't play! Check out all the details HERE. Happy KSS Monday!

Cardstock: Sweet Blush, Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Patterned Paper: October Afternoon Daydreams collection, Stamps: 3 Step Aloha (Kitchen Sink Stamps), Ink: Blush Blossom (SU!), Dessert Sand, Rich Cocoa, Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves, Angel Pink), Rose Bud (Memento), Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink), Accessories: Sweet Blush Twill (Papertrey Ink), Brads (Bazzill), sewing machine, Dimensionals, Blossom Nestabilities

Funky Chairs

I loved this stamp the moment I saw it!! It's called Chairs and it's from Rubber Soul - and it's on sale!. I think the simplicity of the images are so beautiful - think of all the colors combinations and paper piecing opportunities there are here!! As you can hopefully see, I added some Crystal Effects to the seats to give them that "pleather" feel - you know that fun fake leathery material??? :)

I used the current CPS (#119) sketch and just turned it on it's side to fit my image. The dp is also from Rubber Soul, called Hoop-La. In case you haven't noticed, that particular shade of green is really one of my favorites!! And I probably never would have paired it up with the Summer Sunrise or Amethyst but it really works!

I made a quick little crocheted flower for one of the accents - it's probably only about 1" around or less so it really was quick! I didn't have the right shade for the center so I tried dying my white thread with a Copic markers . . . it worked! Now I wouldn't want to do it for a large project and it did make the cotten thread a bit stiff, but I was so tickled that it came out a perfect match! As you can see, I added a small brad to the center and backed it with the smallest size Blossom Nestabilities.

Thanks so much for stopping in today! I'm watching my nieces today so we'll have 7 children here - probably won't be stamping - lol!! :) Have a great weekend!

Cardstock: Summer Sunrise, White (Papertrey Ink), Almost Amethyst (SU!), Patterned Paper: Hoop-La (Rubber Soul), Stamps: Chairs, sentiment from Baby (Rubber Soul), Ink: Memento, Accessories: Summer Sunrise Ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Buttons (Pink Hedgehog Crafts), Brad, crocheted flower, Crystal Effects (SU!), Copic markers

Forever Young

I got some new stamps last week and I've been itching to use them . . . you know how that is right?? This set is just sooooo adorable, from The Greeting Farm, called Never Ever. I think Peter Pan is one of my favorite Disney movies and the style of this set is just so cute!! Note to self: must get the cute Wonderland set as well!! :)

The layout is this week's CPS Sketch #118 and the papers are from My Mind's Eye - seemed appropriate for Peter! The only thing you probably can't see is that I used my clear Spica pen to add a few sparkles to Peter's freckles and his costume - not too much but a bit of "fairy dust" you understand *wink* *wink*!!

We're headed down to stay at my parent's house (while they are away) down at the beach for a few days - hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! :)

Cardstock: Green, Orange (Bazzill), White (Papertrey Ink), Patterned Paper: Bloom & Grow (My Mind's Eye), Stamps: Never Ever (The Greeting Farm), Ink: Memento, Accessories: Buttons (Foo Fa La), Rafia, Copic markers, Spica Pen

Kitchen Sink Flowers of Love

Don't forget to comment here for a chance for some Jules Jewels!

I'm so happy for it to be Monday . . . a new week!! Last week was tough, the weekend was tough, I'm hoping for a better week! My children all were sick, one by one since last Sunday afternoon, hubby was sick this weekend - so far, I've escaped (fingers crossed- lol!). I think it's just a bad cold but they all had a day or 2 of a fever and general listlessness.

So I'm so happy to have Kitchen Sink Monday roll around. We have a Guest Challenger today - would you like to join us? If you enter the What's Cook'n Contest you could have the chance to issue the Crew Challenge some week. All the details are here. Today our Guest Challenger is Connie, the winner of the last What's Cook'n Contest. Her challenge was to make a Valentine's Day card using a KSS flower stamp set BUT we couldn't use red or pink . . . I know, WHAT?!! :) It made made think - ouch!! I'll let you be the judge how I did.

I used 3 Step Hearts & Roses and "Love" from Words of Love. I took a piece of black cardstock and stamped the 2nd step rose using Fresh Snow (PTI's new white) ink. I used Platinum Planet for Step 3 and London Fog for Step 4. Finally, I took the first step stamp - the most solid image - and I stamped it over the 3 steps with Versamark and embossed it using clear ep. I did this several times until I filled a large enough area to cut out with my heart Nestabilities. I stamped the sentiment using the same Fresh Snow ink. The Spring Moss panel is stamped using the 4th step rose stamp (both sizes) and Fresh Snow and the 2nd step leaf stamps using Versamark. I used a little heart from Plaid Plus and stamped that randomly to fill in some spot.

The sketch is CPS#102 which I didn't plan on using but when I got all my pieces together and looked at the sketch I realized it worked out well. I'm thinking that Spring Moss does not photograph well. Everytime I make a card with it the pictures looks so much worse than the card!

Remember to visit the other Crew members to see their fabulous creations!! And come visit us on the Paper Craft Planet - we'll all be linking our projects there and we'd love to see your creations with the challenge today so come add your link!! Remember if you make something with 100% KSS stamps you can enter it in the Contest (the theme for Jan/Feb is "Show the Love").

Maria, Lynn, Nicole, Tammy, Lori, Angela, Dee, Connie

Cardstock: Kraft, White, Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink), Black (SU!), Stamps: 3 Step Hearts & Roses, Words of Love, Plaid Plus, Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink), Platinum Planet (Brilliance), London Fog (Memento), Versamark, Accessories: Button (Foo Fa La), Nestabilities, Clear EP, Corner Rounder punch, Dimensionas, paper piercer, Linen Thread, Gingham ribbon (SU!)

Happy Anniversary CPS!

Have you visited CPS (Card Positioning Systems) lately? They are having a big anniversary this week - their 2nd year and 100th sketch! Today Kitchen Sink Stamps is the sponsor! They have a fabulous contest going on - you could get published!! Go check out the details . . . very cool!!

Now I have to say that this sketch really threw me - I had no idea what to do with! I think I was just thinking too hard - LOL! But when I just relaxed and decided to just start stamping it all came together quickly. This sketch really is fun because it gives you a good showcase for some pretty paper!

For my card I used some fun Pink Paislee paper and the new 3 Step Hearts. I just love this "globe" image on the heart - isn't that totally cool?!! I stamped mine and then cut it out and layered it with Dimensionals on a white circle that I had stamped with the "xoxo" stamp from Love & Luck. I added a little crystal to each "o" for a bit of bling!! :) The trim used is also so fun Pink Paislee that coordinates with the Sweet Cakes collection.

This is one of the cards where the picture doesn't do it justice! The colors are just so fun - the green dp didn't translate very well photographed. Oh well! Oh and I forgot to take a picture of the inside, it says "You are my World" using the Words of Love - a must-have set from Kitchen Sink Stamps!!

Please go have a look on the CPS blog to see what there designers have done with the sketch and also visit the other KSS Crew Members - we've all played along today! :)

Maria, Lynn, Angela, Tammy, Nicole, Lori and Dee.

Cardstock: White (Papertrey Ink), Patterned Paper: Sweet Cakes collection (Pink Paislee), Stamps: 3 Step Hearts, Love & Luck (Kitchen Sink Stamps), Ink: Soft Sky, Baja Breeze (SU!), Accessories: crystals, Nestabilities, Dimensionals, trim (Pink Paislee)