Stamp of Approval ~ Home for the Holidays Blog Hop

This seasonal release of the Stamp of Approval is out of this world gorgeous! It’s called “Home for the Holidays” and it’s a must have for making all those gorgeous holiday cards that you send out each year.

If you are new to Stamp of Approval... here's what's its all about!

Stamp of Approval is a box filled with a special collection of stamps and dies just for you!  

All of the items in the box can be mixed and matched together and are designed to do so. Accompanied by your favorite ink, this box makes a great gift too!  

I would suggest Catherine's own ink line, found here.

This lovely box of creative goodies comes straight to your mailbox but you have to order 

it quickly as it tends to sell out within the first 12 - 18 hours!  All the products 

are brand new and never been seen before.  The individual items won’t 

be available in the shop until much, much later next year.   

To get on the Wait List to receive your "ready for purchase" email, click here!  

You are not obligated to purchase; it’s just simply a reminder that it’s 

available for purchase in the store. If you are a member of StampNation, 

you will be able to shop the day before the public release date.  

Just one of the perks of being a member! :)

This holiday box of goodies contains…

• FIVE co-ordinating holiday themed stamp sets
• TWO amazing die sets
• some embossing glitters too!

Plus, you can purchase separately additional dies that accompany a few of the stamp sets in the collection too!

• 2 co-ordinating stamp dies to purchase separately!

Here are two cards that I made only using this festive Home for the Holidays collection.

As soon as I saw the cute little bell in the "Festive Trimmings" stamp set I knew I was going to make some cute patterned paper with it!  So I grabbed my MISTI tool and away I went with rather non-traditional colors but I think it's very fun and festive!

My second card came to me while checking out the images from the "Christmas Cookies" stamp set. I knew I had to make them a holiday plate to sit on!

 

I even put on some gloss to make them look more like glossy icing!  I added color using some Polychromos Pencils first though.

Now, take a moment and leave a comment.   By leaving a comment you could WIN one of 3 $25 gift certificates to the Catherine Pooler Shop!  How amazing is that! Winners will be announced on Catherine’s blog on Sept. 24th.  

Catherine Pooler 

Kelly Martin  

Lisa Harrolle  

Susan Powell  

Karen Baker  

Kristie Goulet  

Maureen Merritt  

Tracie Pond  

Allison Cope

Kelly Griglione – go here!

Lydia Evans  

Thanks for dropping by!  I truly appreciate every comment you leave!

~ Ally ~

PS… Have you checked out the Home for the Holidays Instagram Hop?  Another chance to WIN big!!! Click here to start that hop.


Lots of Bells
Stamps: Festive Trimmings
Inks: Party Dress, Sweet Sixteen, It’s a Boy, Lime Rickey, Tiki Torch
Paper: Premium White Cardstock 
Accessories: Sugar Cookies Dies, Ribbon (Recollections) 
 
Christmas Cookies
Stamps: Christmas Cookies, Tiny Wishes, Festive Trimmings
Ink: Rockin’ Red, Grass Skirt, Twilight, Versamark, Copic Markers, Polychromos Pencils
Paper: Premium White Cardstock, Sand Dunes Cardstock 
Accessories: Stampendous! (White Embossing Powder), Nuvo Crystal Drops (Morning Dew)

Power Poppy & MISTI Blog Hop

Howdy all!   Thanks for stopping by!  Today's our fabulous blog hop with Power Poppy and My Sweet Petunia, the creator of the MISTI stamping tool.

Since we have a few people to get through, I’ll get right to it!  Today I’m using the fabulous MISTI tool and the brand new “Succulent Singles” and “Loving Tulips” stamp sets on my card.

Join me at my desk…

Watch in HD.

And here’s another quick peek at my card…

Now, for a chance to WIN a $25.00 gift code for Power Poppy or a Mini MISTI from My Sweet Petunia please a comment below!

Now if you are just arriving on my blog, take a moment and start off at the Power Poppy blog at the very beginning of the blog hop so you won't miss a thing!

Power Poppy

Lydia Fiedler

Julie Koerber

Ilina Crouse

Christine Okken

Jeanne Streiff

Cindy Lawrence

Maureen Wong

Ally Cope - you are here!

Kia Gibson-Clapper - go here next!

Kathy Jones

Ceal Pritchett

Tosha Leyendekker

Giovana Smith

Stacy Morgan

Katie Sims

My Sweet Petunia

Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to leave a comment to WIN!

~ Ally ~


Stamps: Power Poppy (Succulent Singles, Loving Tulips)
Embossing Powders: Stampendous! (Detail White), WOW! (Mint Macaroon)
Ink: Tsukineko (Versamark), Ranger Distress Oxides (Cracked Pistachio, Wilted Violet, Iced Spruce)
Dies:  My Favorite Things (In & Out Stitched Rounded Squares) 
Tools:  MISTI, Mini MISTI, Creative Corners
Cardstock: Recollections (110# Black)

Sunny Peonies, A Winner & A Giveaway!

Happy Friday everyone!  Today’s another another fun Power Poppy sharing day!

Today I actually have a sped up video of the making of my card today.  So grab a cup and join me at my desk…

Watch the video in HD.

Here’s a quick look at my card again.  It’s a bright and sunny creation isn’t it?!?

And here's a close up all of that fun shimmer....

Now for the winner of my 3rd Early Power Poppy Birthday Giveaway featuring the stamp set, Tea in the Garden.  Congrats goes to…

Congrats Natalie!  I will email you about your prize.

And my last Early Power Poppy Birthday Giveaway will be the gorgeous “Party Time” stamp set… perfectly birthday themed! 

To enter to win, please leave a comment answering the question: “What is your favorite kind of birthday cake?”.  Please leave your contact email in your comment to be eligible (ie:  myemailaddyATgmailDOTcom).  I'll draw a winner next Friday.

Don’t forget about our month long digital stamp sale still going on…

Now check out what my fellow Bloomies have created for you to check out today showcasing some cool Power Poppy stamps…

Allison Cope – you are here!

Christine Okken – go here next!

Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Tosha Leyendekker

Marcella on the Power Poppy Blog

 

Thanks for joining me!  I hope you have a ball hopping along with all our creations today!

~ Ally ~


Stamps: Power Poppy (Peony Muse, Short Stacks)
Cardstock: Arches (140lb Cold Press Water Color Paper), Recollections (140lb White), MFT (Spearmint)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black, Flannel Gray), Prismacolor Premier Pencils (True Green, Mulberry,Canary Yellow), Ranger Distress (Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Seedless Preserves, Cracked Pistachio)
Die: Your Next Stamp (Funky Line Panel Die), MFT (Stitched Circles)
Droplets: Studio Katia (Clear Round Drops)
Spray:  Imagine Crafts (Sheer Shimmer Spray - Sparkle)
Tools: MISTI

SOA Blog Hop: Introducing... Young at Heart!

Howdy Stamp of Approval fans!  Today is our final day of sneak peeks so I certainly hope that you’re as excited about this collection’s release as I am!  This box is so jammed packed with Birthday goodness, it’s mind blowing!

If you are NEW to the Stamp of Approval collections, this is our THIRD release!  This collection is all about birthdays and it’s called “YOUNG AT HEART”!  This amazing collection includes 2 amazing die sets (with well over 20 individually themed dies), 4 spectacular stamps sets that have birthday related items that are interchangeable PLUS a fantastic large stencil (that’s a whopping 6x6!).  AH-MAZING stuff people!!!

DID YOU KNOW...

...that with the purchase of the Stamp of Approval "Young at Heart" collection you will receive a PDF file that includes a boat-load of step-by-step instructions (with photos) of some of the amazing things you can do with the contents of the box? Super cool!

Our birthday collection goes on sale TOMORROW!  Sign up HERE to ensure you receive your email stating when the collection goes to the store for immediate order and sale. This is your LAST CHANCE to get on that email list!!! If you are a StampNation member, you will receive this email ONE HOUR prior to everyone else!  One of the many fabulous PERKS of being a StampNation member… Cool eh?!?!

WIN? … Did You Say WIN?

Comments close on Thursday February at 9:00am EST.  Good luck!

Now on to the show…

Typically I create A2 sized cards (4 1/4” x 5 1/2”) but this one is 6” tall to make it a little longer and leaner.  I had fun with the SOA "Harleen" stencil and my Copic Airbrush system creating the bright gradient of colour across it!  Plus, I used my MISTI tool to create a graphic paper with the cute little balloon stamp too!

This collection is fantastic and WELL worth the investment!
Now check out our next Stamp of Approval designer blog… and see what Laurel has in store for you!

Catherine Pooler
Maureen Merritt
Kristie Goulet

Heather North
Allison Cope ~ you are here!! 
Laurel Beard <<< VISIT HERE NEXT!
Lisa Harrolle
Joni Andaya
Nicole Picadura
Simon Hurley

Chaitali Narla

Thanks for stopping by… DON’T FORGET to comment to WIN!

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED!

~ Ally ~


Supplies in addition to the Young at Heart Collection:
Inks: Black Onyx (Versafine), Sunkist (Simon Says Stamp!), Copic Markers (R24, V06, Y17)
Paper: 110lb White, Black (Recollections), Dots & Stripes Neutral 6x6 (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Copic Multi-liner 0.25, Copic Air Brush System

Waffle Flower!

This week over at StampNation we are being sponsored by Waffle Flower for this week’s challenge.  Heather North, one of my fellow Dream Team members found this cute little photo for this week’s challenge that was TOTALLY appropriate for our challenge this week.  Here’s a peek…

And here’s a peek at all of the DT creations for this week’s challenge…

Can you guess which one is mine?  Probably not, so here’s a small peek at my card…

So to go along with our sponsorship at StampNation, I thought I would use my Waffle Flower stamps for my Splitcoaststampers Card Sketch example this week.  Here’s this week’s card sketch designed by moi…

And here is the card I created using my Waffle Flower stamps…

I used the “Doily” and “Gemstone” stamp sets for my card today.  I used my MISTI tool to create a heart gem back ground for my circle.

There's actually some sparkle on this card too...

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you’ll come and play along with us at both StampNation and Splitcoast today!

Happy creating everyone!


~ Ally ~



Supplies:
stamps:  Waffle Flower (Doily, Gemstone)
cardstock:  Reflections
patterned papers:  Carta Bella (Yesterday)
dies: MFT (Stitched Circle), Avery Elle (Gift Tag Dies)
sequins:  Craft Medley
ink:  Memento (Black Tuxedo), Versamark, Wink of Stella (Clear), Sakura Glaze Pen
embossing powder:  Stampendous!
tools:  MISTI 
other: silver string

Just Around the Corner

Wow… I feel like it’s been weeks since I created and even longer since I last shared here.

It’s been a really rough last few weeks for me.  Almost 2 weeks again, I had what I thought was an allergy attack one evening.  I took some medication and went to bed.   When I woke up the next morning, I felt worse.  My husband had already left for the city for work and I had no other drivable vehicle.  I texted my neighbour and she quickly took me into the hospital as soon as my son was on the school bus.  After being at the hospital for 2.5 hours and after lots of blood work and a chest x-ray, they diagnosed me with a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung).  They immediately gave me a big dose of blood thinners and sent me by ambulance to Calgary for a CT Scan.  The first hospital we arrived at, all of their CT Scanners were down so the EMTs took me across town and to another hospital.  I was in the machine within 4 minutes of arrival and the scan took less then 10 minutes! It only took the physician about 10 minutes to read the scan and so they sent me back to my hometown hospital.  The scan revealed that the blood thinners had done their job and the clot was gone. Whew!  They discharged me to go home (only 7.5 hours total from admission to discharge!) with a puffer and some other steroids for my lungs. I’m not totally feeling back to normal quite yet… my breathing is fine, I just feel run-down and tired.  

Now that you’ve heard my sob story, this week’s challenge over at StampNation is all about corners…

The full card is revealed at StampNation! 

Don’t forget you have until May 15th to come and play along with our Virtual Retreat 2015 challenges too!  You could win a MISTI tool prize package from My Sweet Petunia or a gift certificate from Pretty Pink Posh out two amazing sponsors!!!

Thanks for stopping in!

~ Ally ~

Retreat Recap!

The StampNation Virtual Retreat was an absolute blast!  Our full week event was filled with challenges, videos, giveaways, prizes, chats and fun.  Look at some of the entries so far...

Although we have stopped adding new challenges to the event, the fun still continues!

Members have until May 15th to enter the challenges to be eligible to win prizes from our sponsors.  Still lots of time to play along yet!!!!

MISTI
(Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented)
from My Sweet Petunia

$50 Gift Certificate to Pretty Pink Posh

Not a member yet? Why not join now?

It's not too late to participate in the Virtual Retreat and you'll get access to SO much more!

Look what one of our members says about the Virtual Retreat,
"I have been popping in and out all week, checking out the challenges and everyone's cards, and I have to say that this place, SN, is unlike any other place online. We are challenged, guided, encouraged, enlightened, our days brightened....I could go on and on. I am sorry I have not had time to comment individually, but wow is there some amazing creativity on these challenges! I just wanted to thank everyone, from Catherine and Maureen and the DT, to all of you that share your talents and your hearts with the rest of us."

Click here to learn more and to join now!

~ Ally ~

MISTI Winner Announced!

Thank you to all the lovely ladies who visited my blog, Pinterest, Instagram and all the places I like to share and play.  A huge thank you to My Sweet Petunia for the amazing MISTI prize package to giveaway on my blog!

The lucky comment number is…

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

68

Timestamp: 2015-04-27 13:53:05 UTC

And that comment belongs to…

CONGRATS Regena!  You now have 72 hours (until 8am MST April 30th) to contact me via email to claim your prize.  Please put "I Won a Misti" in the subject line and provide your full name and mailing address.  Thanks! 

If the prize is not claimed in that time frame then a new winner will be announced.  Please see my contact tab for my email address.

~ Ally ~

And the Party’s Still Raging over at StampNation!

If you don’t already know, StampNation has been celebrating all this past week with our fabulous Virtual Retreat 2015!

Each day we have shared a fun new challenge having to go along with our virtual retreat theme.  Today was our final day of posting challenges but you still have a number of days to play along for a chance at winning one of our amazing sponsorship prizes.  My Sweet Petunia, owner & designer of the MISTI tool and Pretty Pink Posh have generously provided us with some cool things for you to win!  There’s even a discount coupon for Ellen Hutson too!

Not only that some of my few Dream Team members are giving away prize packages of their own.  Check our these Dream Team members’ blogs for further details…

Kristie Goulet – MISTI tool giveaway

Maureen Merritt – Pretty Pink Posh giveaway

Don’t forget about my own MISTI giveaway… right HERE!

Remember, the challenges at SN are open forever BUT Catherine Pooler has extended the deadline for entering to be eligible to win prizes from our sponsors to May 15th!! COOL!!!!

Good luck!  I hope to see around StampNation real soon!

~ Ally ~

StampNation Virtual Retreat - MISTI Tool Giveaway!

StampNation’s Virtual Retreat is here!  We began our celebrations this morning and we have already posted the first challenge!

We have two amazing sponsors that have contributed some amazing prizes for some lucky event participants.  Our sponsors include “My Sweet Petunia”, creator of the MISTI tool and also Pretty Pink Posh!

So in honour of this event, I am giving away a…

Yup… a MISTI tool plus a magnet and pad of graph paper!

Here’s how you can win.  Please read the rules carefully.

You will receive one entry every time you do something on the list below so leave a comment for completing each and every item on the list. (ie: if you a SN member, post a link of FB & subscribe, you should have 3 comments!!!!)

1. Subscribe to my blog either through email or through the Google Friend Connect in the right column. 
2. Subscribe to my YouTube channel: Thecircleguru.
3. Follow me on Pinterest.
4. If you are a StampNation member, please leave your first name and SN username in a comment.
5. Share the image above in your Facebook, Pinterest, personal blog or Instagram account and post the link in a comment.
6. And also leave a comment answering the following question:  How did you find my giveaway?

I will be picking a winner next Sunday, April 26th.  The winner will be posted here and have 72 hours to claim their prize via email (see "Contact Me" in the above tabs).  If the prize is unclaimed than an alternate winner will be chosen.  All comments that don't meet the above guidelines will be deleted.

Contest is open to Canadian and continental USA residents only due to shipping costs.

Good luck!

A WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED!  

Click here for the announcement.

~ Ally ~

Yin Versus Yang

Howdy all!  Wednesday sure came quick this week.  Last week my son was off of school for his Spring break so had a relatively relaxing week of doing nothing so it was back to the daily grind this week.

It’s my week as hostess for the Card Sketch over at Splitcoaststampers!  I opted for a really simple sketch this week.  Check this out…

I had one technique in mind when I created this sketch.  I was basically taking 2 identical stamped panels (Thanks to my MISTI tool for that one!!!) and colouring one panel and leaving one panel darker with a lighter inked image; known as the Split Negative technique.  Sadly the deep dark purple cardstock I used doesn't photograph well so it looks more black than purple... sigh!

And so with the sketch, this is one of the cards I created (and my favourite of the two):

Both cards feature the stunning stamp sets “Lilac Time” and “Good Thinking: Renewal” by Power Poppy. Then I had all the leftovers to create an “yang” card…

It was really fun to come up with a stamped design that would highlight on both cards.

Which one do you like the best?

Another fun thing happening today is Power Poppy is revealing their newest digital stamp release today!  Check out the Power Poppy Blog today (after 8am CST) for the Instant Gardners Digital Stamp Release Team to reveal today’s new stamp set and accompanying sentiments.  It’s a beaut!

Typically on Wednesday, I also have another fun challenge sneak peek or a card for our StampNation weekly Wednesday challenge but this week is special.  We’re preparing for our Virtual Retreat which begins THIS Sunday… April 19th instead!

But for those of you up for an easy challenge, I have my “Let’s Talk Sketches” episode #4 up and I’m giving away some stamps as a prize to one random lucky participant if you participate this week.  It’s a pretty easy sketch so I know it won’t take too long to create something for it.  There’s already tons of great inspiration posted by SN members.  Good luck to all those enter!

Don’t forget… I have a GIVEAWAY coming up this weekend!  You’re not gunna want to miss it!!! Stay tuned this weekend for details on how to WIN!

Have a great Hump Day everyone!

~ Ally ~

Sponsored by:  Power Poppy

Supplies:
stamps: Power Poppy (Lilac Time, Good Thinking: Renewal)
cardstock:  X-Press It White Cardstock, Stampin’ Up! (Blackberry Bliss)
Copic Markers:  leaves: G20, G21, YG17  bugs, branches: R14, R17, E15  background: Y0000, Y000, Y00, C00, C0, C1  lilacs: V12, V15, V17, BV02
ink: Memento (Elderberry), Versamark
die:  Lawn Fawn (stitched rectangles)
embossing powder:  Stampendous! Detail White
sequins:  Pretty Pink Posh (4mm Clear Sparkling), CraftMedley (purple)
#:  #prettypinkposh.

Mass Production of Cards Using the MISTI

Howdy all!  Happy Sunday everyone!  Yesterday I was busy making a series of fun Easter cards using a challenge put up by MFT Card Challenges blog…

Click above for a direct link!

Becky Fleck, owner of PageMaps, has supplied this cute little sketch for everyone to use.  And if you know me... I’m all about sketches!!!

Here is the video I created showing my card making process and some tips and tricks about using the MISTI tool.

Watch at YouTube here!

And here at a second peek at all four cards I created today!

 
Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great weekend!

~ Ally ~


Supplies:
stamps: My Favorite Things (Somebunny)  #mftstamps
cardstock: Recollections 110lb White Cardstock, Neenah Solar White
patterned papers:  Lawn Fawn (Let’s Polka, Mon Amie)
inks:  Memento (Tuxedo Black), Stampin’ Up! (Strawberry Slush)
dies:  MFT (Fluttering Hearts, Stitched Oval STAX), Simon Says Stamp! (Stitched Rectangles), Avery Elle (Dotted Dies)
Copic Markers: E70, E71, BG01, BG05, G02, R02, R32
tools: Copic Airbrush System

Go Green with Happy Bunnies

Hey everyone!  Happy Hump Day! 

Today is another fun challenge day over at StampNation.  This week it’s all about…

…you guessed it… GREEN!

Here’s a little sneak peek of my card for the challenge.   It features “the Wiz” by Mo Manning, a digital image.

I had lots of fun colouring him up!

It’s also time for a new card sketch at Splitcoaststampers today too!  And this week I’m the hostess.  Here’s my fun sketch…

And here’s the simple card I made to showcase it…

It features the little bunny fella from the Hero Arts “Baby Animals Stamp & Cut” set for Operation Write Home.  As soon as Sandy Alnook showed this set on her blog I knew I just had to have it.

I used the die, also included with the stamps, to create a little window where my bunny is actually stamped inside the card…

Super cute right?!?

And a reminder…

March 11th, TODAY, is the day I am to pick a winner for the PageMaps U Cardmakers Class 2015 GIVEAWAY.  I will wait until later in the evening to pick a winner so you still have time.  CLICK HERE for more details.  Good luck!!
Thanks for stopping by!

~ Ally ~


Supplies:
stamps: Hero Arts (Baby Animals Stamp & Cut), My Favorite Things (Somebunny)
cardstock:  X-Press It Cardstock, Bazzill
patterned paper:  My Mind’s Eye (Here is Happy)
die cut shapes: Simon Says Stamp (Stitched Rectangles, Stitched Squares) #simonssaysstamp
ink: Memento (Gray Flannel)
Copic Markers:  BG11, BG10, RV63, R56, YG91
other:  Sakura Glaze Pen.