Project Life Week 4

Ack! Sorry! I've been a bad blogger this weekend! But I have a super good excuse... I promise! I FINALLY got my new camera! It's a Nikon D3100 and I've been having a blast playing with it all weekend! I've started the "12 weeks to better photos" class over at twopeasinabucket.com so hopefully I'll know how to work my camera soon! LOL!

Here are my layouts for the past week: January 22-28, 2011!

Thanks for taking a look!

Steph

Thinking of You....

Hi, there! I'm here to share a super cute card I made for a friend that is going through a hard time. It's in the mail to her now -- I hope it brings a smile to her face!

Here's the card:

This bird cage is one of my all time favs from My Cute Stamps! I hung it with some MS ribbon I had in my stash. The floral branch, bird cage, and bird are all from the set Elegant Birds. Everything is stamped with Walnut Stain Distress Ink- loving this ink, too! The sentiment is from PTI's Through the Trees set!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Steph

Market Street Stamps BLOG HOP!

HI! If you're new to my blog and found me through the Market Street Stamps Blog Hop, WELCOME!

I'm very excited to be playing along this month in the "Designer's Choice" Blog Hop! There are a lot of fun, exciting changes happening over at Market Street Stamps and I'm so glad to be a part of the fun!

Some of the wonderful things to look forward to are monthly NEW RELEASES the last Friday of every month with sneak peaks on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday leading up to the big reveal!

Also, Market Street Stamps will be carrying a few colors of Versamagic Dew Drops- great ink to use with these wonderful stamps!

So, here's what you're here for! LOL! My cards:

I have a pretty one with summer sunrise:

Another one with raspberry fizz:

And another one in blueberry sky:

I had so much fun making this set of cards with the Enjoy Today set! They are super clean and simple, but pack a huge punch! I heat embossed the tea cup image with black filigree embossing powder. Then, I colored the tag with Copic markers to match the ribbon and card. I've been making a lot of card sets like this lately and these are perfect to have on hand to send out some quick notes!

Inside each card is the sentiment "enjoy today" along with a couple quick and simple score lines for detail! Super easy and super cute!

Thank you so much for stopping by and showing me some love today! And, lucky you, there will be 4 winners randomly chosen just for stopping by and commenting!

After you go through the blog hop and leave comments for all the DT members, go back to the Market Street Stamps blog and tell Angelica what your favorite showcased stamp set was! Easy as pie! One winner will be chosen from those comments to win the stamp set they commented on!

Three more winners will be chosen randomly from the DT blog comments! Each of these winners will win one of the three new January release sets!

From here you hop on over to Janice's blog - she's our super talented January Guest Designer!

Bye! Steph

Market Street January Release SNEAK PEEK!

HI! So glad you stopped by today to see my super fun sneak peek of a new background stamp from Market Street Stamps! This AMAZING new background is called "Hearts A Plenty" and just SCREAMS Valentine's Day cards!

Here's my card:

SO cute, right!? This is a new size card for me- it fits in a No. 10 envelope, which is basically those long envelopes you get to send your bills out with! It was a lot of fun coming up with a design for this new shape! I stamped the background stamp "Hearts A Plenty" with Versamark ink on five different colors of cardstock (all PTI: pure poppy, summer sunrise, lemon tart, simply chartreuse, and enchanted evening) and heat embossed with white filigree detail embossing powder. Then, I die cut each heart and adhered them to the card with foam tape! The sentiment is from the set that was "peeked" yesterday called "So Happy"!

I hope you enjoyed this peek! Be sure to check back tomorrow- we're having a "Designer's Choice" Blog Hop leading up to the big release! The Blog Hop starts at 7PM CST at the Market Street Stamps Blog! Be sure to stop by - there will be lots of prizes!! The three new stamp sets will be available for purchase Thursday night at Midnight CST!

Steph

Stamps FOR SALE!

Hi, guys! I'm cleaning out! I'm saving for my dream camera- and I'm not puting it on credit.
Feel my pain, buy my stamps! LOL!

All stamps come from a smoke-free home. There is little to no staining on all of these stamps and, frankly, they just haven't been getting enough love at my house. Shipping (within US) included in the price of the stamps! Shipping outside of the US will be the responsibility of the buyer! Thanks for looking!

First off... Papertrey Ink! Lovely sets, just haven't been getting the love they need:

$18/each $16/each!!!

Butterfly Kisses

Floral Frenzy

Vintage Labels (compatible with Spellbinders Labels One Dies)
Wishing You


Next... UNITY:

Growing in Unity $15 (reg. $25)

Next... Stampin' Up!


Love It (2006-2007 Hostess Set) $5




For a Friend (2008 Hostess Set) $5



Owl Together Now (retired) $10 (reg. $29.95)

And some I picked up here and there:

Inkadinkado Chelsea Sentiments $3 (reg. $9.99)

Martha Stewart Requiem Font Alphabet Stamps $3 (reg. $9)

Hero Arts “Clearly Archiver’s” Sketched Flowers $5 (reg $12.99)

Thanks for taking a look! If you have any questions or would like to purchase any of these sets, please e-mail me at sweetsteph612@yahoo.com! Thanks!

Steph 

Project Life Week 3

Hi, there! We had a very busy week this week! We travelled "home" to Delaware to visit some family and attend my niece's Baptism! We had a lot of fun, but it's good to be home- I'm pooped. Me and the boys went to Delaware and, unfortunately, Eric had to stay here and work. The long 7 hour drive each way was super long all by myself with those two crazy boys! LOL!

Here are my layouts for this week: January 15th-21st!

Thank you so much for taking a look into my week! I truly appreciate any and all comments you leave me! Thanks so much!

Steph

Tutorial: Large Background Stamps

Hey! Good to see you all today! I have something super fun to share with you today! But first, I have a disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: AFTER READING THIS BLOG POST, YOU MAY FEEL A STRONG URGE TO RUN TO THE MARKET STREET STAMPS WEBSITE AND PUT ANY AND ALL BACKGROUND STAMPS AVAILABLE INTO YOUR SHOPPING CART.

Now that the disclaimer has been posted, let's move on to the tutorial. Haha!

So.... there are many beautiful, LARGE background stamps made by Market Street Stamps. If you are anything like me, you think, "Oh my goodness! These are wonderful! But I don't have a block big enough... how much is a block that big gonna cost me.... hmmmm...." and then you move on to something else. Well, no more worries. I'm going to show you how to use these awesome stamps WITHOUT an acrylic block. Perfect results every time (and I've tried it many, many times ;) ) and it will be the fastest card you ever made.

Now, I'm a very visual learner -- I'm sure a lot of you are, too. So, I've walked you through this step by step with pictures! Enjoy!

Ok- here's the cast of characters: Market Street Stamps Here Comes the Sun background stamp, Versamark ink, Distress Ink (I'm using Walnut Stain), a piece of cardstock (I'm using PTI's rustic white), and a piece of scratch paper.

This background stamp is by far one of my favorites, but I have to admit I was a little bit intimidated by it. It's a very solid, very large stamp. But don't worry! I have tricks!

 

First things first, peel the stamp off of the acetate sheet it comes on.

Then, simply stick your stamp down on your work space. I use this self-healing craft mat from creative memories. You could very well just stick your stamp down right on your desk. Use whatever ya got!

Ink up your stamp with Versamark ink. I do this with almost all stamps that are solid. I find that it helps get better ink transfer and, therefore, a more solid, crisp image. Trust me people! It's worth it!

Then, I ink over the Versamark ink with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I am loving playing with my Tim Holtz Distress Ink. Feel free to use whatever ink you love at the moment!

After inking, very carefully lay down your cardstock on top of the inked stamp. Try your hardest not to smush it around. You don't wanna smear the ink.

Lay a sheet of scratch paper on top of your cardstock. This is just a precaution -- you don't want ink all over your fingers!

And this is the fun part! While holding down the papers with one hand, rub with the other hand, making sure you rub over the entire piece of cardstock. Be careful, people. Don't let your paper slip - ya gotta hold it in place. After you rub a little bit, the cardstock will naturally stick to the stamp, but be careful.

Finally, remove the scratch paper, and gently lift up the cardstock.

Drumroll, please........

Wahlah!

A beautifully stamped background. And my card is basically finished and I worked on it for less than five minutes! SO EASY!

And here's my card:

Oh good gracious... I could make like a dozen of these in a half an hour. It's SO SIMPLE! Here I took the background I stamped with Market Street Stamps Here Comes the Sun and adhered it with foam tape to a PTI Aqua Mist card base. The sentiment frame is PTI Fillable Frames #11 and the sentiment is from Fillable Frames #5. EASY PEASY!

Here's where you leave me to run to Market Street Stamps to check out the background stamps. Enjoy.

Steph

For You Friend....

Hi, there! I'm chiming in today to share a birthday card that I made early in the week for a friend. The card uses both Life and Larger than Life to create a wildflower background that is just soooo pretty to me -- I can't stop using these sets together. I also used Mat Stack 2 for this one.

Here's the card:

That's all for me today!

Thanks for taking a look!

Steph

Etsy shop THANK YOU's!

Hey, guys! If you have an etsy shop, or any other outlet to sell items, you know how important it is to include in your perfectly wrapped packages a little "thank you" for your customers! I pulled out my Little Forest Friends stamp set from My Cute Stamps the other day to do just that! These outline images are perfect for coloring with Copics and add A LOT of pop to a short and sweet little note card!

Here are the notecards I made- it took me maybe 30 minutes tops and these can very easily be reproduced in much less time!

First, I stamped and colored each of the little critters -- aren't they cute! I love these fun and whimsical doodles and I've had a blast coloring them! I paired them with Distressed Dots patterned paper by Papertrey Ink. Then I drew a dot dash pattern all around each of the notecards with my white gel pen. The little word bubble with a heart in it is from the Eek! A Monster set! Super cute!

Here are close-ups of each card:

These are going to be perfect for sending a quick thank you note out with my packages! I hope you like them as much as I do!

Steph

Project Life Week 2

Hey! Here is a look at this weeks Project Life layout! Thank you so much for all your kind comments on my previous Project Life post -- you guys make me smile! I'm so glad you're enjoying seeing this peek into my home life! Also, thanks for the tip about the circles at the top of my layout - I don't know who ya are, but you saved me from being super upset when I printed my book and all the pages had 2 and 8 circled... lol!

To answer a few questions I got in my comments:

1. Digital Project Life is printed at the end- in it's entirety. You can't print a page at a time. You can, however, pay for it whenever you like and have it printed when you're finished.

2. For those of you worried about the time commitment of documenting a picture-a-day: it is the easiest thing I have ever done! It literally takes 5 minutes each day to upload the picture, drop it where it needs to go, and type in some journalling. Easy peasy. Not to mention the fact that I'm not struggling to find the words to journal because I'm doing it the same day. I'm going to love looking through it later in life -- it's one of things I look forward to most about this project.

3. For those of you on the fence -- JUST DO IT! It's been a great experience so far and I've even gone back and started an album for last year (the month-at-a-glance book). I couldn't recommend it more!

So...  here are this week's layouts:

Thanks for having a look!

Steph

Market Street Stamps Cheep Talk LOVE BIRDS!

Hi, there! I'm here today to show you a super-cute stamp set that I fell in love with the second I saw it -- it's called Cheep Talk from Market Street Stamps! I had a ton of fun playing with these little birdies and can't wait any longer to show you what I made so here it is:

Oh my word... too cute! When I first saw this image, the bird on the left screamed out that he was shocked and possibly terrified... made me think of all the guys out there that get that face when their lady tells him she loves him... hehe! What a perfectly sweet Valentine's Day card! The heart I used is from Market Street Stamps Follow Your Heart set. Fits perfectly in that little word bubble!

By the way.... please do not be alarmed if I use this background stamp, Bit of Burlap, on EVERY card I make from now on! LOL! I'm in love.... I can't put it down! And it's sooooo easy because it covers the whole card in ONE STAMP! Go buy it now... I promise - you will  never put it down....

Here's a close-up:

I used my Copic markers here and there to color in the branch, leaves, and hearts. The birdies have some paper piecing with PTI's Sweet Symphony Patterned Paper... birdies and music just seem to go hand in hand. The sentiment is from PTI's Love Birds set.

Thanks for taking a look today! I hope you enjoy this card as much as I do!

Stay tuned for a tutorial I'm putting together using these amazing, large background stamps! Even if you don't have an acrylic block big enough! Trust me... I don't have a block even half the size of these stamps! LOL!

Steph 

Project Life Week 1

Hey, guys! I wanted to share my experience with using Digital Project Life this week! I started January 1st, taking a picture a day and uploading and journalling each night. I have thoroughly LOVED this experience- capturing moments that may possibly have been forgotten otherwise. I think these memories will be greatly cherished in years to come!

Along with documenting our memories -- I would love to share with you my layouts each week! I think it will be a fun way to include more of my family life here on the blog and document our memories even further! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we do!

That being said, here is the completed first week: January 1-7, 2011!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Steph

Pretty Pink Posh Giveaway!

Hey, there! Did ya hear? Paulina Nakamura is having a giveaway on her blog! Stop by for your chance to win a $40 Gift Certificate from a store of your choice!




That's all for now!

Steph

Birthday Banner Card!

Hi, everyone! I've been pretty busy, busy this week! School has started back up for Aden and for me so we've been running all around and trying to get lots of stuff done in what seems like never enough time! I'm just popping in really quick today to share this sweet little card!

Papertrey Ink Banner Builder set... love... haven't used it nearly enough yet! I love the bright colors of this card -- it's sure to brighten up the birthday girl's day! I'm also hopelessly hooked on Fillable Frames #10 so I had to include it in this one! The sentiment is from Tiny Treats: Christmas, but I thought it was super appropriate for this birthday card and fit in the banner perfectly!

One more thing before I go... I can't stop thinking about this camera.... I'm trying to be good and save my money, pinch pennies, sell crap on ebay... but I'm also having dreams about this camera.... someone should just give me one... I'm just saying.... lol! It's going to be a huge improvement from my Nikon Coolpix..... I really can't wait....

That's all for me today! Have a great one, everyone!

Steph

Big News!

Hey, guys! I am here tonight to share some very exciting news! I have been chosen to be a part of the
Market Street Stamps Full-Time Design Team!

 I am so very excited to work with this new stamp company and I absolutely love their images!

Be sure to go over and visit the website: Market Street Stamps and also check out the Market Street Stamps Blog!

I can't wait to get my stamps and start playing!

Happy New Year!

Hey, hey everyone! Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a great holiday break. We spent some time just BEING rather than running all over the place and it was really great. Today started back to normal -- hubby back to work after over a week off and Aden is off to school tomorrow! I gotta say... I'm ready to get back into the routine of everyday life!

I'm here today to show you some quick thank you cards I whipped up right after Christmas. They were made with two of my favorite things: Snow Cute from My Cute Stamps and Echo Park Paper Co's Everybody Loves Christmas line! I LOVE this little penguin!

Here are the cards:

So, so cute! AND SOOOO easy! I colored these cuties in with my Copics - I did the black one first... super cute, but very traditional. So... I decided my next one had to be a little more out of the box! How about a purple and hot pink penguin! Out of the box, for sure! The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Fillable Frames #5.

Here are individual shots of each card! I love these and think they are super sweet!

One other BIG thing I want to share with you is that I am using Becky Higgins' PROJECT LIFE this year! YAY! I came across Project Life through Michelle Wooderson's blog and was floored! It is so stylish, organized, and EASY! I have chosen to use the digital version because nothing is easier than dropping in pictures and typing in journaling to me- there's zero stress involved! While I am a huge fan of scrapbooking and documenting memories, I am EXTREMELY behind and am way to stressed about it. I'm starting fresh! I'm almost finished an album using last years Project Life version for 2010 -- and I started it a week ago! YAY! Check it out! It's an awesome product and I am super excited to make Project Life part of MY LIFE!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Steph