Neglected Stamp Exchange

 Good morning, and happy Friday!  A few months ago, a member of a  group of my stamping friends  had the teriffic  idea to share some of our neglected stamps with each other as a way to be inspired to use some of the stamps in our stash that had never seen ink, and we called it the "Neglected Stamp Exchange".  So, here's what we did.  Each person in the group had another person whom we were designated to send a stamp set to on loan.  The receiver of the stamp set was to create a card or project with the stamp set they receive, and mail it back to the sender, along with the original stamp/set.  Of course, the receiver had use of the stamp for their own cards or projects while it was on loan.  Now I ask you, is this a brilliant idea, or what?   Today, I thought I share the cards I made with the stamps that my sweet friend Kelly sent to me to use.

 I believe that both of these stamp sets come from Stampavie, and they were filled with details to color.  Oh, you know I LOVE details, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to color!  I was in hog heaven, right here!

All of the patterned paper for these cards came from my scrap stash.   The image panel for this one was cut using the new nesting dies from Stampin' Up!  LOVE those!  The seam binding is from Stampin' Up!, as well, and the pearl embellishments are Kaisercraft, which I snagged from my local Ben Franklin Store.  The little flowers were punched using the flower punch from the Stampin' Up! punch trio set.  I distressed those a little by rumpling the paper, and added three pearls to each flower for the center.  The sentiment for this card comes from Peachy Keen Stamps PK-M16 You Are My Sunshine stamp set.

 For this card, I used my rectangle Spellbinders dies to cut the image panel and matte.  Again, the patterned paper is from my scrap bin, and the pleated satin ribbon is another Stampin' Up! treasure, as is the square rhinestone brad.  The rhinestones for the sparkles around the children were originally clear rhinestones, and I colored them yellow to match the square rhinestone brad using my Copic markers.  I LOVE that little trick!

Both images were stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored with Copic markers. 

This was such a fun idea, and I sure enjoyed it.  I hope that our little group will decide to do this again, and I've still got to show you the wonderful cards I received BACK from the stamp/die set that I sent out on loan!  They are AWESOME!!!!

 I'm so glad you could stop by today.  I'm off to the craft room to finish up the sneak peeks for the new Peachy Keen Stamps release.  I've got 4 cards down and three to go!  Woohooo!!  Only a few more days till the peeks begin, and I just know you're gonna LOVE this release!  I sure do!!!!!!  Have a blessed day, my stampy friends!

Spring Scenes From The Farm

 Good morning!  Well, the weekend is almost here.  Do you have plans for something fabulous?  Nothing too special as far as plans go here.  I've been busy this week in the craft room coloring away on images for the next Peachy Keen Stamps release, now it's on to card stock and paper, and in only a few more days, the sneak peeks will begin!  I think you're really gonna like this new release!  Fun, fun, F.U.N.!!!  Since I can't share what I've been working on with you just yet, I thought I'd share some pictures I took a couple of weeks ago.  It's calving time here on the farm, and 3-5 trips to the pasture every day to check on the girls is a necessity.  I love to ride along, and those times when I can snap a few pictures to share are the best!  I hope you enjoy them!!

 Sundown on the hillside.

 First calf of 2012.

 Rolling hills.  LOTS of rolling hills.

 Curious about what we're doing.

 #9 is very friendly.

 #14.  We helped this one into the world the night before this picture was taken.

 The setting sun... cow silhouettes.

 Speaks for itself.

Smile!

Thanks for dropping by today!  It's gonna be a rainy day here, but that sounds like good crafting weather to me!  Have a glorious day and happy stamping!!

CottageCuts Flying by with Thank Yous

Good morning, happy Monday and welcome to The ThINKin' Spot.   I've got a sweet little airplane card to share with you that I created using the CottageCutz Airplane with Banner die from The Scrapping Cottage.  It's so darned cute paired with this perfectly coordinated paper,  from My Little Shoebox.

 I like to use white card stock for my die cut pieces, and color them with Copic markers, which is what I did for this card, choosing colors to match this wonderful paper.  The clouds are actually self adhesive die cuts from My Little Shoebox.  I found some pompom trim in my ribbon stash, and I added some rhinestone embellishments to the airplane and bottom of the card for bling.  Just gotta have that bling!!  For the stitched look on the wings of the airplane, all I needed to do was accentuate the debossed stitches that were already there with a white gel pen.   All in all, a pretty quick and easy card that looks more complicated than it actually was.  I love it when that happens!!

So happy that you could drop by today.  Have a blessed and beautiful day, and make it even more beautiful by creating something handmade!

Bloom Where You Are Planted...

Good morning!  Well, the work week is halfway over, and it's a rainy, gloomy and chilly day, so I'm bringing out some warmth and cheer with this sweet little gnome card.  "Bloom where you are planted."... Isn't that a wonderful thought?  I surely think so, and making cards with this PK-564 Teamwork stamp set gives you the opportunity to share that wonderful sentiment of encouragement any time.  The sweet faces on these cuties brings a smile and warms the heart.  I ♥ them!!! 

 This sweet image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with my Copics.  All of the card stock and patterned paper, as well as the balsa wood tree came from the March Peachy Picks Kit.  To color the tree, I used a variety of green Copic markers and air brushed it.  The trunk of the tree is wrapped with orange and white twine from Jillybean Soup, and I added some to the top of the card as well.  The negative die cut panel was done using the new nesting dies from Stampin' Up!, and the scalloped edging was done using the scalloped ribbon punch, which is also from Stampin' Up!.   I've said it so many times before, and I'll say it again (A little differently this time).  These monthly clubs are the bomb diggity!!  Just drop by the Peachy Keen Stamps Store and click on the Peachy Keen Clubs link to find out all the details about how to enroll and have all this peachy goodness arriving on your doorstep  every single month.  There are special "perks" to being a member, and there's a new kit due out soon, which you're just gonna LOVE!!

Thanks so much for dropping by today.  I hope this little card brings you a smile and warmth today.  We sure need it here.  I think we've got a little bit of everything going on as far as weather goes in this country.  Snow in the northwest, rain in the heartland, and warm springtime temps in the east.  Yep!  I think we've got it covered!!   Have a glorious day and enjoy some happy stamping while you're at it!!

 

Peach Keen Challenge #09

 Good morning once again!  I'm back with another post, and to share the newest challenge from Peachy Keen Stamps.  This challenge is a photo inspiration challenge, and I love the warm and wonderful colors in this one.  For my card, I chose to use some of the new stamps from the SOTM Club.  I just can't seem to get enough of these adorable little gnomes from the PKSC-03 set.  They've been wildly popular, and when you see them and all the wonderful things you can do with them, it's very easy to understand why!  You can purchase these without the subscription, but you get HUGE savings on them if you enroll in the monthly club. 

 This cutie was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers, matching the  inspiration photo as closely as I could.  The PK-565 Mushroom Soup stamp was what I used for the background, and all of the card stock, embellishments, and patterned paper comes  from the March Peachy Picks Kit.  I just keep using all the wonderful contents of this kit.  It's like a bottomless resource for paper crafters, and I can't believe how many cards/projects I'm getting out of these kits!!  I did use my Stampin' Up! distressing tool to add a lot of fraying/distressing to the edges of the card stock and paper.  For the sketch, I followed along with this week's sketch challenge #376  at Splitcoaststampers.

Here's a look at the inspiration photo, so that you can play along.  

Just upload your creation, inspired by this photo to the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog,  for your chance to be "Top Peach".  There's always a wonderful prize at stake, and we LOVE seeing your work!  Also, if you're not a member of the Peachy Keen Connection, we'd love for you to come over there and join us!  You can hang out there, chat with fellow PKS fans and DT, and save your work in your own gallery for everyone to see and be inspired.  Hope to see you there!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Have a beautiful weekend, and if you're not outside enjoying this gorgeous weather, I hope you're doing some HAPPY STAMPING!!

CottageCutz Elegant Easter

 Good morning!!!  It's TGIF, another weekend is upon us, and I hope you have plans for making it a great one.  Today, I'm sharing a card I created for Easter, using some really wonderful and oh, SO EASY CottageCutz dies.  I call this one an elegant Easter card, because that's exactly what comes to my mind when I see these beautiful Filigree Easter Egg CottageCutz dies.  These amazing designs afford you the opportunity to make positively gorgeous creations with very little effort.  With some beautiful patterned paper, glitter card stock, and just the right embellishments... VOILA!  Something that looks like you spent hours!!!  Now, THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!!  Here's my card in several views so that you can take in all the wonderful detail of these dies.

 I used DCWV glitter card stock to cut these beautiful Easter eggs.

 A close up view of all the gorgeous detail and sparkle.  Just a few strategically placed pink pearls were just the ticket! 

 You can see that I nestled the eggs into three layers of grass that I cut using the CottageCutz Grass Border die.  This die is a MUST HAVE staple in any collection.  I use mine for so many projects!  I LOVE IT!!

The banner for the sentiment was cut by hand, and the patterned paper is from my scrap stash.  I loved the muted colors with just the pop of pink and burgundy in the paper.  It's very Victorian, and again... SO elegant!

I'm so glad you could join us today.  I wish you a wonderful day, and  weekend filled with everything you love.  If you're lucky, maybe there will be some crafting with CottageCutz in it for you!!  Happy crafting!!

Ta Da!!!

 Good morning!  Boy, we're sure enjoying some GORGEOUS Spring weather this week, and it won't be long before this will be the scene around here!  I can't wait for beautiful flowers to plant and grow AND enjoy!  This got me in the mood for Spring when I received this wonderful stamp set from Peachy Keen Stamps.  This stamp set, PK-563 Garden Wheelies holds endless possibilities for wonderful cards and scrapbook pages.  There are some amazing new images to work with over at Peachy Keen Stamps, and if you haven't seen them, they you are REALLY missing out!!!  Get on over there and check them out TODAY!

 All of the card stock, patterned paper, tag, and ribbon are a part of the latest Peachy Picks Kit.  These are the absolute best thing EVER, and I look forward to seeing what the new one will be each and every month!!  Sign up for this subscription based kit club, so you don't miss even ONE of the wonderful and inspiring kits showing up at your door!  As usual, the images were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers.

Have a happy Tuesday, my stamping friends!!!  Wishing you a blessed and beautiful day!!!

Good morning!  How's your day going?  The week's almost over and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weekend.  It's been a busy week, but busy is good.  Today I have a card to share that I made with the Peachy Picks March Kit, and one of the new gnome themed stamps.  This one is PK-562 Gnomegrown.  These little gnomes are just as cute as they can be, and there are some great sentiments with this set, which make it a must have for your fun Spring and Summer cards.  Check out the Peachy Keen Stamps Store for all amazing new releases.  This release has quickly become a favorite of so many, and I'm certainly no exception!  I just LOVE 'em!!!

All of the card stock, patterned paper, and even the sentiment tag are a part of the Peachy Picks Kit.  The cute little gnome was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers.   The pearl trim and the brads on the sign are the only elements that weren't part of the wonderful kit this month.  It's so much fun choosing what to use for a card from all the fabulous things that are included in each kit.  If you haven't figured it out by now, I am LOVING these kits!!  Give them a try, because I know you will, too!!

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I'm off to meet one of my siterhood friends.  Our little SCS group has been swapping cards for nearly 4 years, and today I get to meet another sister in person!!  Can't wait to enjoy this day out, so I'd better get to it!  Have a beautiful day and happy stamping!

Happy Easter Layout

Good morning! Spring will soon be sprung, and with it comes one of my favorite holidays, which is Easter. Today, I'm working with the CottageCutz Bunnies in the Grass border die. This is such a versatile set, which includes sentiments AND the cute bunnies in the grass border. This border can be used as an accent, or focal point, depending on how you choose to use it. I'm actually using it as more of a focal point on my layout. Since I can't get my new computer's software to help me with editing a video, my instructions for the technique I used are in the form of pictures today. Playing with this die cut was sure fun. I hope you like it, and if you need a closer look at any of these photos, just click on them! :-)

Here's a picture of the supplies I used. I don't know that there's an actual "offical" name for the technique I use here, besides "chalking". Items for this crafty adventure include colored chalk, Stampin' Up! whisper white craft ink (this is different from regular staming ink and is almost the consistency of acrylic paint), black Sharpie pen, sponge dauber, and of course the die. Can't forget THAT!

I started by cutting the bunny border with Wisteria Wonder cardstock from Stampin' Up! There was no particular reason I used this color, other than I had scraps of it left from cutting my 8x8 inch mat. After cutting the border, I sponged the entire piece with the white craft ink. It will take a while for this ink to dry, which is why it works perfectly. The reason I used white ink on the colored card stock is because I needed a neutral background in order to lay down color from the chalk.

After the surface was sponged in white, I colored the different parts of the die cut with various colors of chalk. When working this technique, you will want to use more than one shade of each color so that your work takes on a three dimensional look. I tried to choose colors that matched my patterned paper. Once you have everything colored the way you like, then it's time to add the eyes, and noses with the black Sharpie marker. I wanted their tails to have some texture and shimmer, so I added some pearlized dimensional paint to them. Just give it plenty of time to dry before you glue it down!!

I finished my layout off with a bow and ribbon accent using green grosgrain ribbon. I love me some ribbon, and find I hardly ever make a card without it!! Can you say addicted? LOL!!

All in all, this was a pretty quick and easy page, and I hope it has inspired you to try a new technique. Thanks so much for visiting The ThINKin' Spot today. Have a blessed and beautiful day and Happy Stamping!

Gnome Sweet Gnome

Hello and happy Friday! WOW! We've seen so many wonderful creations from the new Peachy Keen Stamp of the Month, and Peachy Picks Kit, and I've got another one for you.  For this card, I used the PKSC-03 March 2012 stamp set, which is filled with the cutest little gnomes, and all kinds of little "gnomey" things to go with them. The stump, made into a sweet little house was what I chose to work with from the set for today, and I used a masking technique to add the mushroom and flower and grass around the bottom of the tree.

The image was stamped with Momento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers, and the card stock is from this month's Peachy Picks Kit. I even used a bit of card stock and twine from last months kit for this card. I love that I'm finding ways to use up all of the contents of these kits, rather than hoarding them up like I tend to do. They're so much prettier on display like this, rather than stashed away.

Here's a little closer look. I thought that little mushroom made the perfect chimney for this sweet little house, and I cut some puffs of smoke out of white card stock to showcase the Gnome Sweet Gnome sentiment. The fabulous balsa wood tree, which is part of the Peachy Picks Kit was left au naturale, other than a bit of sponging on the edges with some Tim Holtz Distress Ink. I also inked the edges of the image panel with the same Vintage Photo colored ink. I actually used nearly the entire piece of green lace from the kit. I adds such great texture to this card, and is just perfect for a plush, grassy effect. I attached it with some red line tape by scrunching it up and sticking it to the tape as I went along the bottom of the card. The green resin flower tucked into the faux grass is also one of the wonderful elements in this kit.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great Friday and a fabulous weekend!! Happy Stamping!!