Back in the Kitchen

Well, hello friends!  I haven’t been here in awhile… not sure if anyone missed me, but I’m here today to share some new creations with you!  I don’t stamp nearly as much as I have in the past, but when I do I find it easier to just share on Instagram.  So if you’re an Instagram user, please feel free to follow me there by clicking this link, or click on the little Instagram camera icon there on the top left column of my blog.

But hey, let’s get to the biggest reason why I’m here today!  Many moons ago, I was honored to be assigned to my very first design team by the wonderful owner of Kitchen Sink Stamps.  And today, Maria is releasing a new bunch of great stamps and has asked me to help her share them with you today by being a guest designer.  Little known fact… in addition to being the first design team I was ever priviledged to serve on, I was also the VERY FIRST online customer at Kitchen Sink Stamps!  I logged on to Splitcoaststampers one day, and saw a banner ad for a company I’d not heard of, but in that ad was a pretty flower!  I was intrigued!  I clicked on the link and liked what I saw so much I placed a quick order as I headed out the door to work.  That first stamp set that caught my eye (in addition to a few others I ordered that day!) was the 3-Step Daisy.  Do you remember this card?

Another fun story from many moons ago… I don’t remember how it got started but the Kitchen Sink Crew members were talking about other flowers we’d like to see as stamp sets, and someone (I think it was me?) mentioned dogwoods.  I have the most beautiful pink dogwood tree in front of my kitchen window, and I look forward to it blooming every spring!  Maria, being from California, didn’t know what a dogwood tree was!  The horror!  So I actually plucked some of the blooms from my tree that following spring, pressed them between sheets of waxed paper, then tucked them between the pages of a magazine, and quickly mailed that magazine off to Maria.  And now… 8-10 years later? I FINALLY have my dogwoods!  Just LOOK!

Say hello to the Enchanted Dogwood stamp set.  Aren’t they glorious?!?!?!  I literally SQUEALED when I saw the stamps, I was so happy!  I stamped my dogwoods with a combination of pink inks, because the pink blooms are what I like best.  We also have another dogwood tree in our yard that has yellow blooms, but the shape of the petals are slightly different than this one.  You seriously can make yours any color you want… they’re all beautiful!  I paired my pretty flowers with some gingham paper, and added a sentiment… the “Friend” comes from another new set being released today, the Words 4 Celebrating set.  You will find SO. MUCH. VERSATILITY! in this new sentiment set… as I did with this card…

How do you like that rainbow?  I picked four of the words from the set… Amazing, Special, Perfect and Awesome and stamped them for a background.  Then I die-cut the letters y-o-u, and combined them with a sentiment from the Other Important People stamp set.  I just LOVE how this one turned out, and I hope you like it, too!

And one more fabulous stamp set being released is the Multi-Step Spring Daffodils!  Check it out…

Daffodils in the spring are such a wonderful sight, don’t you think?  Although, here in Norteast Ohio, they can sometimes look pretty sad when they’re covered by a snowfall, as happens quite often!  One more fun fact, if you can stand it?  When I was a little girl, I called these “dack-o-dills”!  Wasn’t I ADORABLE???  I paired my daffodils with another sentiment from the Words 4 Celebrating stamp set, and I also used the digital cut file that’s available from Kitchen Sink Stamps to cut out the daffodils with my Silhouette Cameo.

Finally, I had to use the Spring Daffodils for one more fun card.  You’ll notice included with the daffodils in the set, some frogs and dragonflies!  So, just for the fun of it, I used the current CAS(E) this Sketch #274 to create this fun birthday card…

My froggie is hiding in the weeds along the edge of a pond, getting ready to snap that dragonfly out of the air!  LOL

PLEASE be sure to visit the Kitchen Sink Stamps website to grab these new stamp sets for yourself.  And stop by the KSS Facebook page to see more creations featuring these new designs.  And visit the other Kitchen Sink Crew members today, who will have fun designs to share…

Lynn McAuley

Jeanne Frontz

Maria Colosimo

So, that’s all for me today… I know, I’ve been long-winded!  I hope someone might still be reading my blog here, and that you’ve enjoyed these KSS creations today!  Thank you for stopping by!

Hello Tulip

When I saw the beautiful photo of tulips this week on the Inspired by all the Little Things challenge blog, I knew instantly that I wanted to create a card for the challenge!  Here’s the inspiration photo…

My beautiful Multi-Step Tulip Garden stamp set from Kitchen Sink Stamps has been severely neglected, so I got it out and got it inky!  This set has always been one of my favorites, as tulips have always been a favorite for me, too.  Here’s my card…

I stamped my tulip using MFT dye inks, in order from darkest to lightest, Brick Red, Persimmon, Coral Crush and Peach Bellini.  And stamped the leaves in Jellybean Green (darkest) Jellybean Green (stamped off once for the medium layer) and Sour Apple (lightest).  I die-cut the piece after stamping using the Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle STAX Die-Namics, then masked off the scallops and sponged some Antique Linen ink around the inside perimeter.  On the background piece, I stamped  a linen background using Whip Cream ink so it’s just very subtle.  Then I added a strip of plaid paper from the Subtle Plaid 6x6 paper pack.  I used the Hand Lettered Hello die from Wplus9 Design for the sentiment, die-cut from Blu Raspberry card stock.  I cut two layers, glued them together, then applied a layer of Glossy Accents for dimenion.  I finished the card with a few sequins (plus a LOT more that I spilled as I was putting them away!)

THAT was a fun mess to clean up!  LOL

Thanks for stopping by today!

Pedaling Cheer

Hello everyone!  Wow, it’s Saturday again and I completely forgot my blog post today for the newest Crazy 4 Challenges challenge!  Joanne is our hostess this one last time for July.  She’s an ocean lover who finds being at the beach brings her peace and joy.  So she’s challenging us today to create a card that depicts something that brings us peace and joy.  I admit I struggled with this a little bit, not knowing what to create.  I find just being at home to be peaceful… I’m always grateful to be on my way home at the end of a work day, and as my husband and I have entered the empty nest stage of our lives, I just find being with my hubby brings me joy.  We like to just sit outside by a campfire (of course, not with the heat wave we’ve been having lately!)  Something else we like to do is ride bikes.  We’re fortunate enough to have some wonderful bike trails in our area, that are built on converted railroad paths, and they’re the best for riding because they’re on a level grade and you don’t have to worry about traffic.  We even recently purchased an old tandem bicycle to ride, but have yet to get it on the trail due to the heat wave and some issues with the age of the bike.  So I created my card today with a bicycle!

I used the Multi-Step Bicycle stamps from my beloved Kitchen Sink Stamps for my card, adding a basket of peach-colored flowers in the basket.  I used the digital cut file for this stamp set as well, so my bicycle just rides right off the card.  The background was watercolored with Peerless watercolors, and I added a vellum circle, a Peach Bellini card stock Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX Die-Namics, and some sequins for embellishment.

Be sure to stop by the C4C blog for all the challenge details today, and be inspired by the rest of the CrAzY girls…

Anja de Regt
Barbara Anders
Caz Counsell
Frances Byrne
Jessie Rone
Joanne Grzelak
Karen Aicken
Maryann Einem
Raquel Mason
Rebecca Ednie
Alexis Crossland-Smith, Guest Designer

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Favorites for 2015

Hello friends!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday, and are ready to begin a new year!

I don't know if this is the "trendy" thing to do anymore, but I've always loved looking back through the past year and picking out my favorite cards from each month.  I found this year to be a little easier to choose from, probably because I just don't find myself doing much stamping anymore.  Not sure why, but if you see my mojo, please tell it to come back home!

But anyway, here are my favorites from 2015!  I hope you like them, too!

In January, I created this card with the To Thine Own Shelf stamp set from Simon Says Stamp...

 

 

For February, without a doubt my favorite card(s) were these beauties made with the Delightful Dahlias from Papertrey Ink...

 

 

 

In March, I just couldn't resist this cute card using Whale of a Time from The Cat's Pajamas.  (This stamp set may no longer be available, as I can't seem to find it on the TCP website.)

 

 

 

In April, there was no other choice but this card made with my beloved Kitchen Sink Stamps!  There is always going to be a really soft spot in my heart for KSS as it was the very first design team I was ever asked to join, and Maria (the owner) could not be a sweeter person!  Plus, the bicycle I used on this card comes from the Multi-Step Bicycle stamp set that I had a hand in designing!

 

 

 

I CASE'd a card from the fabulous Betsy Veldman back in May, and created this card using the Text Block Birthday die from Papertrey Ink.  The sweet co-worker I gave it to still has it on the bulletin board in her office!

 

 

 

The Birdie Brown You Gnome Me stamp set from My Favorite Things was definitely a good purchase this past year, and helped me make this fun card back in June...

 

 

 

SO much of my stamping budget got spent at Simon Says Stamp this year!  (DON'T tell my husband!)  I couldn't resist the fun leaf-shapes in this new One With Nature stamp set, used on this card I made back in July...

 

 

 

My word, did Tim Holtz ever hit a home run with the release of those Crazy Birds this past year, or what?  I resisted the urge to buy them for a month or two, but I finally gave in.  I paired one of those Crazy Birds with this seriously fabulous Seriously die from Lil' Inker Designs for this card that was sent to my youngest as she began her first days in college back in August!

 

 

 

This little giraffe from Wplus9 Design Party Animal stamp set was also one I couldn't resist this past year!  And since my oldest daughter loves giraffes, this card was perfect for her 23rd birthday back in September!

 

 

 

In October, I tried my hand at some no-line coloring with my Copics.  Have to say, I love how it looks and there are a few people out there who do a spectacular job with it, but I'll just stick to coloring within the lines!  But here's a favorite using another darling Birdie Brown stamp set, the Harvest Mouse...

 



 











In November, I CASE'd this card from Lindsay Amhrein using the Smile Circle die from Simon Says Stamp...

 

 

 

And finally, without a doubt my favorite card from December was this one using the Merry & Bright stamp set and matching Confetti Cuts die from Reverse Confetti.

 

 



 

I hope you've enjoyed this stroll through the past year with me!  Thank you for stopping by, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!





Color Throwdown #336

Hello friends!  It’s time for another Color Throwdown challenge, and this week Wanda is our hostess.  Here is her color combo…

Now, I have to admit I reeeeeally struggled with these colors because I thought they just screamed FALL, and a Fall-themed card is not what I want to make when Spring is on the verge of bursting forth.  So in addition to the colors, I just used the photo in general as inspiration and created this card…

I used the Small Brick Wall stencil from My Favorite Things, and some white embossing paste on the background panel then sponged the bricks with Brick Red Hybrid ink after the paste was dry.  I also sponged the outer edges of the background panel with some Antique Linen distress ink.  The bicycle was first cut out with my Silhouette using the Digital Cut File from Kitchen Sink Stamps, and then I stamped the bike using my MISTI and the Multi-Step Bicycle stamp set from KSS.  (Did you know that I had a hand in designing this KSS stamp set?  My green card stock here is the old River Rock from Stampin’ Up! which I’ve always thought was such a pretty, subtle, soft shade of green.  But no matter what I did here, it looks like kraft in my photo, don’t you think?  Trust me, it’s more green than it appears!  :)  All in all, even thought it took awhile to get my mojo started for this card, I’m happy with how it turned out!

Remember, we’ve got something new on the CTD blog… we’re now on Instagram!  Be sure to follow us by searching for colorthrowdown.  You’ll be able to get sneak peeks of the upcoming challenges, and you also might find your card featured there one day!  (And I’m on Instagram, too!  If you want to follow me, just click on the little Instagram camera button way up at the top of my left sidebar!)

Be sure to stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and visit my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration.

Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin (sitting out this week)
Jodi Collins
Lori Tecler
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Karen Giron, April Guest Designer
Tobi Crawford, Guest Star Stamper

That’s all for today… thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My beautiful, wonderful Mom has a birthday tomorrow, and I’m hoping she’s too busy right now to be reading my blog, and won’t see her card until it comes in the mail!  She’s got some friends from Georgia visiting her right now, so hopefully she just doesn’t even have time to be on the computer.  Mom… if you’re reading this STOP!
And since Linda has our new Catered Crop Recipe Swap up for the next round, I thought a card with some beautiful flowers that I know we’re all longing to see would be just perfect for the challenge!  The challenge details are below…

Spring! Oh my. After this freaky cold Winter, Spring could not come any faster or be more welcomed. So, of course, we’re going to celebrate it here at Catered Crop. Just make a project with the colors, holidays (like St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter), or themes (butterflies, flowers, rain, bunnies . . . ) of Spring and come join our party.

• Include a link to us at Catered Crop or add our button, which you can grab on our sidebar or at our {button gallery}.
• Link up and link often, but be sure you link up by 8:00 PM EST on Saturday, March 29.
• Keep the party hopping by visiting the other players and leaving comments.
• Check back with us on March 30 to see if you’ve won an opportunity to be a guest designer.

So, here’s my Spring-themed card for the challenge, and for my Mama’s birthday…

I’ve had this gorgeous card by Iwona on one of my Pinterest boards for forever, and that card is one of the reasons why I finally gave in and bought the Hands of Time stamp set and matching Clock Face die from Papertrey Ink.  So to make my Mom’s birthday card extra special and gorgeous, I just decided to CASE Chupa’s design.  I used my Kitchen Sink Stamps 3-Step Hearts & Roses, added a sentiment from the (retired) All Smiles set from My Favorite Things, spritzed it all with some Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls and finished it off with a seam binding bow and some gold sequins.
I hope you’ll join in with the Catered Crop challenge, and I hope you’ve enjoyed my Mom’s birthday card today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Kitchen Sink Monday on Thursday

I’m chasing my tail this week, and not making any progress!  I made this card on Saturday, meant to blog it on Monday but now here it is Thursday…  Will I ever catch up?

Here is used the Multi-Step Guitar stamp set from Kitchen Sink Stamps to make a simple, and I guess a little masculine, Valentine!  My guitar was stamped with…
#1 – Memento Peanut Brittle (stamped off once)
#2 – Memento Desert Sand
#3 – Memento Rich Cocoa
#4 – Memento Espresso Truffle (boy I could go for a truffle right now!)
If you hop over to the other Kitchen Sink Crew members blogs, I’m sure they had inspiration for you too, back on Monday!  :)
Lynn McAuley
Connie McCotter
Lisa Somerville
Thanks y’all!

Remembering 2013 Recipe Swap

Linda has some fun lined up for us for the first Catered Crop Recipe Swap of the year… a chance to review all of our favorites from last year.
Honestly, 2013 wasn’t the greatest year for me.  My stamping suffered greatly from a lot of stress I was dealing with at my former job, and I even took the month of May off from stamping completely.  My Mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time early in the year (and is thankfully winning the battle!) and then my Dad unexpectedly passed away on December 4th.  Don’t get me wrong…. I have many, many blessings in my life that I’m very grateful for, but all in all I’m glad to see the end of 2013.  It was a difficult one. 
I didn’t really think I’d find a lot of favorites on my blog, but I did end up with a good selection.  Rather than choose one favorite from each month I just decided to pick my faves and leave it at that.  :)  So here ya’ go… my 2013 favorites.
From January, these Valentine tea lights made with stamps and Die-Namics from My Favorite Things…

The newly-learned chalkboard technique was something I loved to do during the past year, and this Sweetness of Friendship card with stamps from Flourishes is also one of my favorites…

In February, I used some newly acquired stamps and dies from My Favorite Things on this card that was for my sweet friend Gretchen.  She was in need of a pick-me-up and this card was just the ticket….

And some more new stamps and dies from MFT were used to create this card…

In April I had the distinction of being the Guest Designer for My Favorite Things’ new release and this Spring-themed banner I made was definitely a favorite…

In June, I was inspired by a card from Lisa Johnson and created my own version here with stamps from Kitchen Sink Stamps.  And my BFF Barbara Anders shared a bounty of sequins with me around this time, which turned into another favorite for me in 2013…

In June I rejoined the design team at Kitchen Sink Stamps just in time for a great new release, and this card showing some paradise was a favorite…

The annual Dare to Get Dirty challenges over at Splitcoaststampers are always a bunch of fun, and this card using some new stamps from Wplus9 Designs I created for one of the challenges was pure joy to create…

Any Color Throwdown challenge with shades of blue makes me want to pull my hair out, as I just don’t work well with blue, but I was pleasantly surprised when this card came together using a variety of stamps from MFT, Hero Arts and Impression Obsession.  This card was sent to my Aunt Linda in Ft. Wayne who also unfortunately passed away this past year.  She was my Dad’s youngest sister, and my Dad died four weeks to the day after she did.  :(

Sunflowers have always been a favorite for me, so this card was a shoe-in for a 2013 favorite, using Kitchen Sink Stamps…

This past year was when I discovered A Day for Daisies digital stamps, and got lucky enough to join the design team!  This sweet card for Color Throwdown #264 was definitely a favorite…

In October, there was another great new release from Kitchen Sink Stamps, and this wonderful Multi-Step Bicycle stamp set was an idea that I came up with, so any card made with this fantastic bike image is a favorite of mine…

Every now and then, a card comes together and you just think “oh, YEAH!” because you’re so happy with it, know what I mean?  This card using a digi from A Day for Daisies was one of those happy moments…

And finally, another new company I discovered this past year was Reverse Confetti.  I just fell in love with this coffee stamp set they released, and just loved this card I created with that set…

So, there you have it… my favorites from 2013.  If you’d like to show off your favorites too, stop over at the Catered Crop blog and leave a link so we can see yours, too!
Happy weekend, and thank you for stopping by!

Color Throwdown #274

Hello stamping friends… time again for another Color Throwdown challenge this week with Vickie as our hostess.  Vickie’s been inspired by the frigid cold weather to stay indoors and dream of redecorating, so this inspiration photo today fits the bill!
And speaking of bills…. here is my card!

This Tiddly Inks image has always been a favorite of mine, and when I noticed that I already had one printed and ready to use, I decided to just run with it for today’s card.  I kept it simple… still struggling a little to get back into stamping, but it’s a start.  The sentiment I used comes from the Multi-Step Rubber Ducky set from Kitchen Sink Stamps.
Be sure to stop over at the CTD blog for all the challenge details, and play along with us!  And see my Throwdown sisters for more inspiration…
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Joan Ervin
Lori Tecler
Melody Rupple
Monika Davis
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen
Linda McClain, January Guest Designer
Thank so much for stopping by today!

Ducky Birthday

Hello friends… it’s me again, with no mojo but I’m trying!  :)
I have a sweet friend with a birthday coming up soon.  She’s not real girlie, so I thought she’d like a bright card with this cute ducky from the Multi-Step Rubber Ducky stamp set from Kitchen Sink…

I picked up some Simple Stories paper on what will probably be my last visit to Archiver’s this weekend… just love the bright colors, and those chevrons!  For the layout, I used the Retro Sketch #96 for this week and placed the sentiment down the left side instead of adding embellishments.
Want some more Kitchen Sink Stamps inspiration today?  Stop and see…
Maria Colosimo, owner
Lynn McAuley
Lisa Somerville
Connie McCotter
Julie Masse
Thanks for stopping by today!

Keep Moving

Hello friends, did you have a great Thanksgiving holiday weekend?  I did… it was so nice to have 4 days in a row off, and to be with my family.
It’s Monday again which brings on another creation from Kitchen Sink Stamps.  I’m a little burned out on holiday-themed creations, so I went with this one using the Multi-Step Bicycle stamp set.

My bicycle was stamped on a digital die-cut from my Silhouette, as is the basket and flowers.  I love the dimension you can achieve by using the cut files for these stamped images.  The layout for my card comes from Seize the Sketch #9.
Be sure to see what the rest of the Kitchen Sink Crew has cooked up for you today…
Maria Colosimo, owner
Lynn McAuley
Lisa Somerville
Connie McCotter
As always, don’t forget that anytime you shop at Kitchen Sink Stamps, you can receive 10% off your order by using the code KSS10Tammy when you checkout!
Thanks for stopping by today!

Tropical Christmas

While looking through my Kitchen Sink Stamps collection this weekend, trying to decide what to create for you today, I had a little Christmas light bulb turn on above my head when I saw my Multi-Step Palm Trees and Multi-Step Christmas Lights stamp sets…

And so, I give you a tropical Christmas tree!  I stamped my palm tree 1-2-3 with Memento Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves and Olive Grove inks, then used a bright red pigment ink to stamp the light bulbs.  After the ink dried I used a clear Sakura Glaze pen to add a gloss to the lights, too.  I created a combined sentiment using Playful Christmas 2 and Never a Loss 4 Words.
Be sure to take a spin around and see what the rest of the Kitchen Sink Crew has cooked up for you today!
Maria Colosimo, owner
Lynn McAuley
Lisa Somerville
Connie McCotter
And don’t forget, the Pre-Thanksgiving Day sale is still going on until midnight Pacific time tomorrow (November 26th).  All in-stock product is 30% off!  Just enter the code THANK30TAM at checkout to get your savings!
And as always, don’t forget that anytime you shop at Kitchen Sink Stamps, you can receive 10% off your order by using the code KSS10Tammy when you checkout!
Thanks for stopping by today!

Early Birds at Kitchen Sink Stamps

Catch the Early Bird Black Friday Sale

at Kitchen Sink Stamps!

Black Friday & Cyber Monday is coming early

PRE-Thanksgiving Day Sale

Friday – Nov.22 thru Tuesday – Nov. 26

(ends midnight – PST).

30% off everything in the store.

(except stamps on back order and out of stock items)

Enter THANK30TAM at checkout

to get your 30% savings!

*****************************

To get you in a Kitchen Sink Stamps shopping mood, I’ve got a Fall-inspired card to share with you today using Multi-Step Pumpkins.  I used the digital cut-file for the pumpkins, and stamped the vine in the background using Memento inks (recipes below), and gave my card a Thanksgiving theme with these papers from Papertrey Ink.  The layout for my card is from the Sweet Sunday Sketch #197.

I added another pumpkin to the inside of the card, along with a sentiment from the Multi-Step Harvest stamp set.

Color Recipes
Pumpkins (card front):
Step #1 – Memento Cantaloupe
Step #2 – Memento Tangelo (stamped off once)
Step #3 – Memento Tangelo
Step #4 – Memento Morocco
Step #5 – Memento Potter’s Clay
Pumpkin (inside):
Step #1 – Memento Cantaloupe
Step #2 – Memento Tangelo
Step #3 – Memento Morocco
Step #4 – Memento Potter’s Clay
Step #5 – Memento Rhubarb Stalk
Vines:
Step #1 – Memento New Sprout
Step #2 – Memento Pistachio
Step #3 – Memento Olive Grove
Step #4 – Memento Northern Pine
Stems:
Step #1 – Memento Pistachio
Step #2 – Memento Olive Grove
I hope you’ll be able to take advantage of this fantastic sale!  As always, don’t forget that anytime you shop at Kitchen Sink Stamps, you can receive 10% off your order by using the code KSS10Tammy when you checkout!

Forever & Always

My aunt and uncle celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary back in July and I realized recently that I hadn’t blogged the card I made for them, so here it is!

The sentiment I used for the focal point is from the Forever & Always stamp set at Kitchen Sink Stamps.
  If I remember right, I stamped it in gold Encore ink and clear embossed.  For the most part, I just let the papers do the work on this card, using some pieces from a (then) new My Mind’s Eye 6x6 paper pad.
And here’s some good news… if you like this stamp set, you can get it now on SALE in the Kitchen Sink Stamps online store!
On the inside I added another sentiment from the set, and embossed the gold 50th in the center.

Quick and easy… and if I remember right, we were scrambling to pack and get on the road to go to my Mom’s for the weekend to attend the anniversary party, so quick and easy was just what I needed at the time!  :)
As always, don’t forget that anytime you shop at Kitchen Sink Stamps, you can receive 10% off your order by using the code KSS10Tammy when you checkout!
Thanks for stopping by today!