Happy Mail!

Hello friends! Hope your week is off to a great start. :)

I wanted to share a tag featuring one of the brand new Peekers that was just released last week at SCACD. This is "Happy Mail Peeker". I just love the charm and innoncence of all the Peekers...they are so sweet, and a lot of fun to colour up. I pulled out an Inkssentials Manilla Tag, embossed it with a Couture Creations folder and then painted the tag with Luiminarte Mica Powders in Teal Zircon, Pink Azalea and Mallard Green mixed with some matte medium. I added a bit of a paper doily, some text paper from a She Art 6x6 pad and a snippet of crocheted trim. The little bit of vine peeking out was cut with a Memory Box Die. (pretty much everything was given the Luminarte touch!)  The sheer ribbon was tied with my Bow Easy. That gorgeous beaded pin is from Prima...love these pins! The flower in the upper corner is from Petaloo.  

Happy Mail Peeker was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with my Copics. The image was cut out and and adhered with more of the matte medium.

There Peekers are available exclusively at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for our international friends. Susana also re-released some gorgeous Guardian Angels. These stamps are all available for purchase as complete sets or as individual stamps. The sets are available at a great discount for all of you who "need" them all. ;)

SCACD New Product Alert!!

Here's where I get to be a total enabler, lol. Make sure to check out the following products:

• Martha Stewart Molds
• Martha Stewart Clay
• Sheet Metal 
• Tim Holtz Diffusers and Embossing Folders 
• New 6x6 Paper Pads

Have a great week folks!

Blessings,

Melanie

"The Peekers" Blog Hop with SCACD!

Hi friends! By now I'm sure you've heard the news that a brand new crop of "Peekers" by Elizabeth Bell for SCACD was released a couple of days ago! Susana is also re-introducing some of the gorgeous Guardian Angels. Available for purchase now are the:

Sweet Home Peekers!!!

Summer Time Peekers!!!

Guardian Angels!!!

We wanted to celebrate the release of these fabulous stamps with a fun blog hop full of inspiration from the entire SCACD design team as well as a few special guests. To make sure you don't miss any stops on the hop, just start over at the SCACD Store Blog where you will find the complete list of links. If you've been following along, you will have arrived here after visiting with the lovely Dianne. 

I have two cards to share with you today. The first features the sweet "Puppy Peeker" from the Sweet Home Peekers. The papers are all from the fantastic 6x6 pad from Simple Stories "Fabulous". I absolutely love this paper pad. It has several papers with different tags and labels, some of which include sentiments like the "BFF" label on my card. Others are perfect for journaling your own message. (it would also be great for use in scrapbooks or Smashbooks) The corner embellishment was made with the Memory Box Madera Corner Die. To finish it off, I distressed the paper edges, sponged with them with brown ink and added pearls made with a Viva Decor Pearl Pen. 

She was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. The box was paper pieced with kraft carstock. 

My second card features "Meadow Peeker" who is also part of the Sweet Home Peekers. The papers on this card are from Kaisercraft Blae and Ivy...oh, and this paper pad just happens to be on sale right now for 20% off!!  It also includes some die cut borders and tags, one of which I used on this card. I used the Memory Box Delicate Vine Die to create the vine. Once again, I reached for my Viva Decor Pearl Pen to create the pearls. 

The scene was mostly coloured with Copics, but I used some ShinHan Touch Twin markers to colour her red dress. The sky was sponged in with blue ink and a hand cut cloud template. 

All the new stamps are available for purchase as individual stamps or as complete collections which are available at a discounted price. You will only find them at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for our international friends living across the pond. :)

It is now my pleasure to send you off to visit with the lovely Crystal. :)

Happy hopping!!

Blessings, 

Melanie

The Peekers are Back at SCACD!!

SCACD Release Day!!!

Elisabeth Bell for SCACD

Sweet Home Peekers!!!

Summer Time Peekers!!!

Guardian Angels!!!

Available NOW!!!

It's time for another Peeker release at SCACD!!! Susana is introducing the 3^rd in the series of Peekers today There are 4 Sweet Home Peekers as one set and then another set of 4 Summer Time Peekers!!!  These new collections are adorable...Peeker Fever is sure to be in full swing again!

Also being re-introduced are 4 of the sweetest Guardian Angels along with a fresh new Angel face!!!

These are all available as individual stamps or as a set for a sweet discounted price!!!

Pop on over to the SCACD Store Blog for details. The stamps can all be found at the SCACD Store and for our International Friends, at Quixotic Paperie!!!


We will also be having an inspirational Blog Hop on Friday April 27th so be sure to come back to hop along with the Fab SCACD DT and Special Guests!!! 

We hope that these Peekers bring back memories of the FUN we all had one time or another as kids and/or watching other cherished young ones grow and have fun  :)

***New Product Alert***

 Thought I'd be a total enabler and give you all a heads up on some of the latest and greatest products hitting the shelves at SCACD! ;)

• Martha Stewart Molds and Air Dry Clay
• Sheet Metal...perfect for embossing and finishing to make fantastic trinkets for your projects and/or jewelry
• 6x6 paper pads by Studio Calico and Authentique

See you Friday!!

Blessings, 

Melanie

"Glinda" (It's Release Day At Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!)

Welcome to the release day blog hop at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!! Kimmie has yet another fabulous line-up of stamps for April including the "Playtime Lulu Set" by Cheryl Alger, "Bug Buddies One" and "Bug Buddies Two"  which are two new sets by Emilie Goulet, Wizard of Oz themed stamps by Annie Rodrigue and finally the "Oz Sentiments Set" to compliment Annie's stamps this month.

Our hop today began over at the Kraftin Kimmie Stamps Blog where you will find a complete hop list. If you've been following along, you should have arrived here after visiting with the super sweet and talented Angie Baker. As you hop along, make sure to leave comments because Kimmie will be drawing two lucky winners who will each receive a package of some of the new April stamps.

My card today features the gorgeous good witch Glinda. Well truthfully, this was supposed to be my challenge card from yesterday, but we had a little something come up that prevented me from being able to play along. (The challenge is a sketch, so make sure to check it out HERE and play along for your chance to win yet another new April stamp!) I used paper from two MME pads, Miss Caroline All Dolled Up and Madison Ave. The flourish was created with an MFT die and I topped it off with a spray of pearls and some Prima roses. All paper edges were distressed and then sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I adore the font on the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" sentiment which is part of the "Oz Sentiments Set"...it's so pretty!

Glinda was stamped in Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. I also added some additional shading with a black Conte crayon and a paper blending stump. The background was sponged in with Antique Linen and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. She was cut out and matted with Spellbinders Circles and Lacey Circles.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20  Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59  Dress: B000, B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, C9, RV000, R81, R83, R85, R89  Crown: Y17, Y21, E17, E18

Make sure to stop by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store after the hop where you will find all the new April stamps available for purchase! Kimmie will of course be offering the Gimmie Kimmie Kits again for those of you who just have to have it all! These kits grouped together by artist are available at a discounted price, but only at a limited time so make sure to grab yours before they are gone!

It is my pleasure to send you off to visit with one of our lovely guests Tammy who I know has something gorgeous to share with you.  :)

Have fun hopping...and don't forget to leave those comments for your chance to win some new stamps!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Bug Buddies...Day Two of Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Previews!

Good morning and happy Friday to you all! It's day two of the April Kraftin' Kimmie sneak peeks and today we are introducing two fun new sets by Emilie Goulet, "Bug Buddies 1" and "Bug Buddies 2". Each set contains three main image stamps and several coordinating sentiments.

This cute ladybug is from "Bug Buddies 2", as is the "Hey Ladybug!" sentiment. This is a little 4x4 note card. The heart paper is from Cosmo Cricket "Tea for Two". The image was stamped in Memento Ink on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copics. It was cut out with Spellbinders Labels 2. The sky was sponged in with Memento Summer Sky and a handmade cloud template.

Black: C1, C5, C9  Reds: R27, R46, R59, C9  Stick: E13, E17, E47, E59  Bag: YG00, G82, G85, B99, C9  Grass: YG00, YG03, YG67, G99, C9

SNEAK PEEK BLOG CANDY: Kimmie is giving away ONE "Bug Buddies 1 Set" and ONE "Bug Buddies 2 Set" to two lucky stampers!! To be eligible, just hop around to visit each Krafty Girl who has a sneak peek to share today and leave a comment on their personal blogs. You will find a complete list of their blogs at the KKS Blog, which is also where Kimmie will post the winner tomorrow. Good luck!


Hope to see you tomorrow for our weekly challenge and another round of sneak peeks!


Blessings, 


Melanie

"Playtime Lulu"...a Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peek!

Hi folks! It's almost time for another release at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps and we're kicking off the previews today! For this first round of sneak peeks, the Krafty Girls are introducing a brand new set by Cheryl Alger called "Playtime Lulu". The set includes three main image stamps and several coordinating sentiments.

I inked up the image of Lulu playing dress-up for my card today. I think this image will be very nostalgic for many KKS fans. I'm sure we all snuck into our mother's or grandmother's closets to find the perfect outfit and accessories for playing "grown-ups"...and of course no ensemble would be complete without a pair of snazzy high heels. ;)  I used some pretty paper from Cosmo Cricket "Tea for Two" and cut out a few layers out with some Spellbinders.  The flourish is an MFT die and the little flowers were made with a paper punch.

Lulu was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. Her dress and hat were paper pieced with the Cosmo Cricket papers. Shading was added with Copics. Her boa was covered in Polar White Flower Soft and then sprinkled with Glamour Dust. I had originally coloured the pearl necklace with my Copics, but then thought it would be fun to give her some "real" pearls with a Viva Decor Pearl Pen. However, I should have made the pearls a little larger than the ones drawn on the image as my pearls all ended up running into each other and lost their definition. I think making each pearl a little larger would have helped to maintain the "pearl" shape better. Oh well...lesson learned. :)

SNEAK PEEK BLOG CANDY: Kimmie is giving away ONE "Playtime Lulu" set to ONE lucky stamper!! To be eligible, just hop around to visit each Krafty Girl who has a sneak peek to share today and leave a comment on their personal blogs. You will find a complete list of their blogs at the KKS Blog, which is also where Kimmie will post the winner tomorrow. Good luck!

Krafty News:

• Moving Sale: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is having a moving sale!! There are a ton of fantastic stamps priced at 30-75% off! 
• Krafty Klubhouse "Going Places" Kits: Don't forget to pick up your "Going Places" set which is available exclusively at the the KKS online store!
• Kimmie's Kard Kits: Check out these fantastic kits that include card bases, cardstock, design papers, a dew drop Memento ink pad, some twine/ribbon and of course a KKS stamp!

We hope to see you tomorrow for another round of Krafty Sneak Peeks!

Blessings,

Melanie

"Come Hither Eyes"...another SCACD Hop!!

Good morning crafty friends!! We though it would be fun to have another hop featuring the newest exclusive Susana Loves Stamps that hit the SCACD shelves a couple of weeks ago. There are two brand new collections in this line, "Eyes of Beauty" and "Eyes of Dreams".

The complete hop list can be found on the SCACD Store Blog...if you've been following along, you will have arrived here after visiting the talented Crystal's blog. There is also a "mystery prize" that will end Sunday night at 9:00 pm EST.

I decided to make a tag using "Come Hither Eyes" using an Inkssentials tag and some Luminarte Silks. I also wanted to make use of an embossing folder after being inspired my fellow DT member Alex who recently posted a wonderful tutorial on various ways to make use of your folders...you can find that tutorial HERE. I embossed the tag and then used a brayer to roll black craft paint over the raised pattern. I thinned the black paint with a bit of matte medium. I inked up a music staff rubber stamp with Archival ink and randomly stamped bits of the pattern over the tag. I didn't even bother to put it on a block...just held it in my hands touched it to the tag so as to create an "imperfect" impression. I then started randomly applying Luminarte Silks in Guatemalan Green, Coral Berry and Honey Amber. I also mixed a little Teal Zircon Luminarte Mica powder with some matte medium to create a fourth colour to add to the tag. I let my inner child out to play and applied these colours with my fingers. :)  To soften the effect and to aide in blending, I spritzed the tag with water from a Mini Mister. "Come Hither Eyes" is perched on a element cut with Spellbinders dies. I also used the Madera Corner and Elegant Scrollwork dies from Memory Box. Finishing touches were added with a black Viva Decor Pearl Pen, a scrap of a paper doily painted with black acrylic paint, a Tim Holtz ticket painted with the Luminarte products and a Prima flower.

"Come Hither Eyes" was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with Copic markers. I love the cute wings on this image, but you could always exclude the wings to further expand the versatility of these gorgeous stamps. :)

The "Eyes of Beauty" and "Eyes of Dreams" collections are available at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for our international friends.

The next stop on today's hop is Alex...I know she has something fabulous to share with you!

Don't forget to pop by SCACD to do a little crafty shopping. Here's a little teaser of some of the newest products now in stock:

• New 6x6 paper pads! (Heidi Swap, Basic Grey and Melissa Frances just to name a few!)
• Mixed media crafty goodies!
• The NEW 2012 Spellebinders and Embossibilities are on sale for 15% off until this Sunday 

Have fun on the hop!

Blessings, 

Melanie

Playing "Tag" at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Good morning! I woke up this morning and realized I forgot to schedule my post for this morning...oops! As I am literally running out the door to take my daughter to ballet, this is going to be super short and sweet. I'll pop on a bit later to update with details.

The challenge at the KKS Blog this week is to make tags, or to use a tag on your project. I made a tag with the Scripture Sentiments Set:

For full details, please make sure to pop by the KKS Blog where you can also see all the Krafty Girls' handiwork. :)

(As I said, I'll be back later to include all the details!)

Blessings,

Melanie