Notebook Full of Possibilities!

Hello everyone!

I am here with a rare blog post. This one is not connected with a new stamp release or one of my design team commitments. This challenge is BOOK related.

I am a HUGE fan of author Elise Kova. She is the talented author of the amazing Air Awakens series. She is soon to release the Alchemists of Loom in January 2015. As we build up to the release of the book Elise continues to share with us fascinating details about this amazing world of Loom.

Did you know there are Guilds in the world of Loom?

I am a proud member of the Harvester Guild

You can find out more about the Harvesters Guild here. You learn more about the Guild Games and determine which guild you are part of here.

I used my craft resources to create this note book. I coloured the image (Elisha the Mage by Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps) and decorated the book using a variety of supplies in my craft stash.

The tag on the front of the note book is a sentiment that I feel represents me and the Harvesters really well.

I love to make notebooks. They are great ways to record ideas, lists, creations or they make a great gift. I haven't decided what I am going to do with this special notebook!

Thank you for stopping by.

If you want to learn more about Elise Kova's books check out her website.

Your Next Stamp - Happy Birthday Karen!

SURPRISE!

Guess what? Karen our fabulous crafty boss and owner of YOUR NEXT STAMP is having a very special birthday.

To celebrate this special birthday is Karen offering a BIG one day 40% off SALE!

That's not the only surprise! There was a little conspiring by our DT Coordinator Julie to have a SURPRISE blog hop! Well of course I had to jump in on this surprise!!!! Check out the YNS blog for all of the sale details and the hop participants.

For my birthday card, I went back to the stamp that started it all. That's right, the very first stamp I purchased from Karen was Ellie Loves Latte. I remember how excited I was to find this stamp and to discover that YNS headquarters was so close to my home.

My love of YNS did not stop with sweet little Ellie. More stamps followed. I was a guest designer for Karen in April 2014. That was also the first time I had the chance to work with her, helping out at Scrapfest. I has been such a great time working together with Karen and being apart of the YNS family.

Wishing you a very happy birthday Karen. Welcome to the 40 club!

This sale is ONE DAY ONLY, so hurry!

Sale Details:

• Free shipping will not apply during the 40% off sale. All orders that usually would be eligible for free shipping, will have a flat rate of $10 applied to the order upon check out
• The discount code MUST be applied during checkout - no refunds will be applied to orders placed without the code
• 24 hour sale is valid October 25, 2016 only. The sale ends at midnight EST.
• Discount is on in stock items only. No rain checks.

Thanks for stopping by today and joining in our surprise birthday blog hop for Karen!

Supplies Used
Stamps: Ellie Loves Latte, Sprinkles Coffee and Tea (sentiment)
Paper: Doodlebug Flea Market
Ink: YNS Black Olive, Mocha
Other: YNS Mint Green Gumdrops

Your Next Stamp October Feature - Favourite Technique

Welcome to the October Your Next Stamp feature post. Each month the design team uses specific stamps, dies or themes to create projects that will hopefully inspire you.

You will want to check out the feature post each month at the YNS blog because in addition to inspiration, there is also a chance to WIN a stamp set of your choice.

This month our theme is to showcase our favourite technique!

One of my new favourite techniques is featured in the die cut on this card. I used the "Merry" from the Scripty Holiday Word Die set and created a fun multi-coloured sentiment. You can see the technique below. The card also showcases one of the stamps from the newest release called Warm Christmas Wishes.

To add the extra items in the mug, I used masking paper to stamp everything out.

Here is a look at how I created my sentiment.

• Add adhesive to a sheet of paper (computer paper will work)
• Apply strips of card stock.  This die is smaller, so my paper is approximately .25 inches wide. I also like to adhere it on an angle
• Once you have coverage for your die, run it through your die cut machine
• When you pull out your sentiment, you have a fun colourful addition to your card

Here is a look at the inside of the card.

Head over to the YNS blog to see all of the Design Team members sharing projects for this month's feature. Leave a comment on the blog post for the October Feature and you will have a chance to win a prize. One lucky crafter will WIN a YNS stamp set of their choice.

Your Next Stamp Products Used:
Stamps: Warm Christmas Wishes
Dies: Circle Die, Stitched Circle, Scallop Circle, Scripty Holiday Word Die

Your Next Stamp Sketch/Colour Challenge # 50 (Create a Christmas Tree)

Hello and welcome to another week of the Your Next Stamp sketch/colour challenge #50.

Every two weeks, there is a new challenge that features a sketch and colour inspiration. Pick the one that inspires you most, or try both for an added challenge. The best part of these challenges is you could win a gift certificate to the YNS store!

I love the colours for this challenge and I had so many great Halloween papers that would have worked so well. However, that sketch spoke to me even louder this week. Actually it was one of those crazy things I was running through my mind when I couldn't fall asleep. A vision of the sketch and a window popped into my head and I had my card design.

In my stash I had this fabulous wood grain embossed cardstock. I cut it into 1 inch strips and inked up the edges with distress ink. I used my Fun with Squares Die and cut out the from white cardstock. To create the window, I cut off two of the squares the die gives you. I also used the Stitched square die to add a little more depth to my window frame. Using the Create a Christmas Tree die, behind the window, gives you a real look of a holiday home.

For the sketch/colour challenge # 50, you will have until Thursday October 27th (midnight EST) to play along. Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog for more inspiration and to link up your creation.

One random participant will win a $15 gift card to the YNS store. If you feature YNS products (it must be the main focus of your project), you will receive an additional $5. When you use a YNS stamp/die, there is a chance of being selected as the YNS top pick. The winner and top pick are announced on the YNS blog, the Sunday after the close of the challenge.

If you use YNS products on your project, you can also take part in the YNS Social Media challenge. Simply showcase your YNS sketch/colour challenge #50 project on Instagram, Splitcoast Stampers or Facebook. Check out the currently challenge post at the YNS blog for more details on the social media challenge.

Have a wonderful and crafty day!

Your Next Stamp - Designer Showcase "Trick or Treat" (Fang-tastic Halloween)

Welcome to day three of this month's Designer Showcase at Your Next Stamp.

This week we are celebrating Halloween and all things "Trick or Treat"! The design team will be showcase their cute, spooky, fun and creative Halloween Trick or Treat projects, so check out the blog each day, starting October 17 to 20.

Here is a recap for the week so far:

• Day One - Holly and Dian
• Day Two - Deborah, Kendra and Kymona

My trick or treat inspired project, is a gabled treat box, decorated using the Fang-tastic Halloween. These treat boxes will be for my daughter's teachers, filled with a few goodies. The inside of the box is approximately 4 inches wide, by 3 inches high by 1.75 inches deep.

The original template and tutorial for this box can be found at Splitcoast stamper (here). That template uses one sheet of 8.5 x 11 cardstock. I wanted my box to be wider and shorter, so I played around with the size and came up with the measurements and scoring marks below.

Thanks for checking out my Halloween trick or treat box for this month's Designer Showcase. If you head over to the YNS blog, you will see more fabulous Halloween themed projects.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful and crafty day!

Supplies Used
Stamps: Fang-tastic Halloween
Dies: Stitched Ovals, Open Scallop
Paper: Doodlebug October 31st

Your Next Stamp Sketch/Colour Challenge # 49 - Thanks A Latte

Hello and welcome to another week of the Your Next Stamp sketch/colour challenge #49.

Every two weeks, there is a new challenge that features a sketch and colour inspiration. Pick the one that inspires you most, or try both for an added challenge. The best part of these challenges is you could win a gift certificate to the YNS store!

When using the colour inspiration, you must use at least 3 colours. You may also add neutrals 

This week I got my caffeine fix using a number of coffee themed/named YNS products. My card featured the Thanks A Latte stamp and die set, along with Love Me Some Latte Gumdrops and the NEW Mocha die ink!

This weeks colours and sketch were a lot of fun. I did pull inspiration from some of the colours using the Doodlebug Friend Forest and I put my own little spin on the sketch for this week!

Did you know that YNS now has ink. This card features the new Mocha (brown) and  Black Olive die ink, which is also formulated for use with alcohol markers.

To create the sentiment I used the Fancy Thanks die. I cut thin strips of colour paper to match the colours in the pattern paper. I adhered the strips down to a small bit of copy paper. You don't need anything to think. Once I covered enough area for my die, I ran the multi-colours paper through with my die and the colourful thanks is the fun result.

For the sketch/colour challenge # 49, you will have until Thursday October 13th (midnight EST) to play along. Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog for more inspiration and to link up your creation.

One random participant will win a $15 gift card to the YNS store. If you feature YNS products (it must be the main focus of your project), you will receive an additional $5. When you use a YNS stamp/die, there is a chance of being selected as the YNS top pick. The winner and top pick are announced on the YNS blog, the Sunday after the close of the challenge.

If you use YNS products on your project, you can also take part in the YNS Social Media challenge. Simply showcase your YNS sketch/colour challenge #49 project on Instagram, Splitcoast Stampers or Facebook. Check out the currently challenge post at the YNS blog for more details on the social media challenge.

Have a wonderful and crafty day!

Supplies Used
Stamps: Thanks a Latte
Dies: Thanks a Latte, Fancy Thanks
Paper: Doodlebug Friendly Forest
Ink: YNS Black Olive, Mocha Brown
Other: YNS Love Me Some Latte Gumdrops

Your Next Stamp DT Dare Square Cards (Create a Christmas Tree)

It's again time for the October Your Next Stamp Design Team Dare Challenge. Each month the design team is given a special challenge to help show off the new release stamps and dies.

This month as we see fall just around the corner our YNS DT Dare theme is......making it SQUARE!

For this release I made a few smaller size Christmas cards and I really found them fun, quick and easy. So easy, that I tried to make 3 or 4 similar cards. This will help towards getting enough cards made in time for Christmas. This fun card features the Create a Christmas Tree die set, along with the Stitched Square and Circle Die.

This fun die set also comes with little stars you could add to decorate the tree. I also considered adding a few delicious Gumdrops, however since I would like to mail the cards, I wanted to keep the bulk down.

The sentiment on the card is from the Holiday Reindeer stamp set.

Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog and look for the October DT Dare post. Leave a comment on that post for the chance to WIN a stamp set of your choice!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Supplies
Stamps: Holiday Reindeer
Dies: Create a Christmas Tree, Stitched Square, Circle
Paper: My Minds Eye Winter Wonderland

Your Next Stamp October New Release Hop

Welcome to the Your Next Stamp October release hop. We may be just starting into fall, but at YNS we are looking ahead to snow, winter and Christmas with this release.

We have an amazing blog hop to showcase so many fabulous stamps, dies and fabulous new ink colours! This month we have a number of talented guest joining us for our October release hop, so sit back, grab a beverage (cafe mocha perhaps) and maybe a pen and paper to joint down an item or two or three for your wish list.

My first hop card features those fun little chicks getting ready for winter in Merry Christmas Chickies. I also used the lovely Scripty Holiday Word Die. I used both the stamp and dies on this card along with Double Stitched Hill die and the Stitched Rectangles dies.

YNS Supplies: Merry Christmas Chickie stamp and die, Scripty Holiday Word Die, Double Stitched Hill die, Stitched Rectangle

For my next hop creations I made a trio of Christmas cards using the darling Holiday Buddies stamp and die set.

Here is a closer look at each of the cards.

 YNS Supplies: Holiday Buddies stamp and die, Double Stitched Hill die, Scrapwork Strips die, Various Gumdrops

In celebration of this new release, Karen is offer some wonderful deals!

Thank you for joining us for our new release hop! I hope you found a little inspiration and maybe a few stamps or dies that you'd like to add to your YNS collection. As you are hoping along, we would love for you to leave a comment. There will be a $25 YNS gift certificates available to win, so the more blogs you visit, the greater your chances to win the prize!

Remember to also come back to the YNS blog on October 5th to check out the next Design Team Dare challenge.

Have a great day and happy hopping!

An InLinkz Link-up

Your Next Stamp October Preview (Warm Christmas Wishes)

Do you know what time it is?

It's nearly time for the October release at Your Next Stamp!

With the new release just around the corner, I have the pleasure of sharing a little preview of some stamps and dies that you will see in this amazing and special release. I love preview day. All of the stamps and dies will be available really soon, so you may want to check out the previews today and start making your wish list!

If you head over to the Your Next Stamp blog you will see all of the previews available today!

As we head into October, we are putting fall and Halloween aside and looking ahead to snow and winter! This month I used the Warm Christmas Wishes stamp, along with our fun new Scalloped Circle die for my first holiday card of the year. The card also includes a few favourites dies like the Stitched Rectangle, Stitched Circle and the Scrapworks Strips dies.

I hope you enjoy the previews for the Your Next Stamp October release. Remember to check out all of the previews from the design team. The complete list of previews is available on the YNS blog.

Stop back later tonight (10:00 pm EST) for the start of the October release blog hop. There will be a lot of amazing projects to see and a great prize to be one. You don't want to miss this amazing release. On October 5th there will be another chance for inspiration and a prize with the next DT dare challenge. You don't want to miss all of these chance to see the October release in action.

Happy Peeking everyone!

Supplies
Stamps: Warm Christmas Wishes
Dies:  Scalloped Circle, Stitched Rectangle, Stitched Circle, Circle, Scrapworks Strips
Paper: Doodlebug Frosty Friends