Mission: KitPossible Part Deux and Giveaway Winner!

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Hello and TGIF (unless you're in a part of the world where it's not yet -- or already has been -- Friday!  {…but I digress…})!

Welcome back for the final reveal of our Mission: KitPossible Part Deux!  As you know, I have teamed up with some super-crafty ladies -- Melissa Shea and Christy Reuling -- to stretch (or flex!) our creative muscles in using our September Simon Says Stamp Card Kits.  We initially challenged each other with a set of cues and then each made a card, using only the kit, which incorporated each of those cues.  You can see the card I made here.

That was fun, but today is my favorite because we get to see what else everyone has made using the kit and their own inspiration (and maybe a thing or two from their own stashes!  ;)

To remind you, here's the kit we are working with (available as a one-time-only thing or via a subscription to the kit through Simon Says Stamp):

And here are the cards I made:

 This one used the washi tape and some of the Jenni Bowlin stickers and one of the really sweet stamps that come in the kit, along with a couple of Prima flowers from my collection… (you know I love me some Prima!)

This card was one of those that kept changing in my head as I was putting it together…  Used that same sweet sentiment stamp (it was my favorite in the kit!) and die-cut some notched flowers (PTI) and leaves (W Plus 9) and embossed my base (American Crafts) all on the papers that came in the kit.  Though it was a mystery to me till the very end, I am quite pleased (and pleasantly surprised) with the way it turned out!  :)

And this was a 3" x 3" quickie (thanks for the suggestion, Mel!) that used the ruler embellishment, stickers, stamp, and papers from the kit.  {that saying -- "You rule"-- takes me back a few years!  ha!}

I hope you enjoy these…  they were sure fun to put together!  Don't forget to stop by Melissa and Christy's blogs to see what else they have created…  I know I can't wait!  :)

But before you go, I need to announce the winner of my Mission: KitPossible giveaway!  The winner will receive a $10 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamp and a few goodies from my stash!  :)  So without further ado….

Random.org has spoken and the winner is:

Cat CraigAugust 28, 2012 11:19 AM

Cute card, I'm singing up to follow you. Love your wit!

Cat, congratulations!  Please email me your email and physical address at ima_spursfan{at}yahoo{dot}com so I can get your goodies to you!  :)

Happy weekend everyone!

Thanks A Pot! :)

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{For my Mission: KitPossible and Give-away post, please click here!}

Hello, and Happy Wednesday!  Just wanted to pop in to share a card I made a bit ago and just never got it posted on here.  It was one of those nights where I just wanted to "play" and make something I liked, without thought of which products I needed to use, or whose sketch or color scheme.  This one is just me.  {whew… now that I put it out there like that, I'm feeling a little vulnerable… like if you don't like it, then what does that say about me???  and now…..  where do these neuroses come from?!?!  :) }

Anyway, this is one of my favorite stamps from Hero Arts because it's so curly and fun to color…  I had to do some selective masking to get my pots situated just right and to get the vine to trail properly…  kinda fun!  I colored the vine and pots with my Copics to mimic the colors in the patterned papers from Authentique…  love, love this color combination!  :)

Speaking of Copics, I just attended the Intermediate certification class this past weekend and had a blast!  Our instructor was the amazing Cindy Lawrence, who was both filled with information and inspiration and absolutely engaging.  If you love Copics and find she will be teaching a class in your area, I would definitely recommend taking the plunge and applying for the class!  :)

I came home from the class eager to "practice" and found I didn't have nearly enough "coloring" images to work with, so (naturally!) I had to place an order for some!  Can't wait till those arrive!  whee!!  :)

Thanks for stopping in today -- I'll be back on Friday with some more Mission: KitPossible cards and to announce the winner of my give-away.  Remember you have until 11:59 pm Thursday 8/30/12 to leave a comment here to be eligible!  :)

Until then, my friends, may your pots be ever-blooming!  (I think that Confucius-guy said something like that…  :)

Mission: KitPossible Part Deux! {and a give-away!}

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Good afternoon!  Today is the day of the Big Reveal -- the day Melissa, Christy, and I are sharing the cards we made using the Simon Says Stamp September "You're Amazing" Card Kit (try saying that in one breath!! :)  We challenged ourselves (and you... but more on that in a bit!) with three cues and then got loose and more than a little bit crazy with these kits!

First, here's a peek at the kit we were working with:

And now a reminder of the cues we were working with:

1. Make any size card other than a standard 4¼" x 5½" card!
2. Use (at least) three patterned papers!
3. Use the chalkboard!

And, finally, the card I made using the kit and only the kit:

Ok, I must confess to one thing.  Since my card is actually a 6" x 6" square, I did have to use a piece of plain white cardstock for the card base since the kit only comes with 8½" x 11" papers.  Please don't flog me.  ;)

{And while I'm in confessional mode, one more thing:  I'm actually a teensy bit perturbed at myself lately for doing some rather intricate designs that, once finished, I later look at and think , "oh…  I coulda just done it this way and achieved the same effect…"  Take this card for example.  I actually took the time to miter all my pieces together and now that it's done and I'm looking at it, I'm thinking, "why the heck did I do all that???  I could've just cut squares in graduating sizes and achieved the exact same effect!!!"  What is the matter with me?!?!  Aaarrrgghh!  ok, good, glad that's done ~ i feel better now.}

You will definitely want to stop by Melissa and Christy's blogs to see what they created…  I'm on my way over there right now, because seriously, how talented are those girls?!?  :)

But before you go, I'm offering a giveaway!  I will be giving away a $10 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamp (think of it as a down payment on a kit of your very own… :) as well as some goodies from my stash to one lucky follower, so here are the details:

• Comment on this post by 11:59pm Thursday, August 30th.
• Become a follower (if you're not already!  :)
• Receive a second entry by playing along with our cues.  Just leave me a link to your post (or picture gallery) displaying your use of the kit and our cues!
• Have fun!!

Thanks for stopping by -- hope you are enjoying your SSS kit as much as I'm enjoying mine…  and if you don't receive it, maybe you will reconsider for next month??  :)  Talk to you again soon!  :)

Mission: KitPossible Part Deux :)

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Hello, all you Kit-lovers out there!  It's official.  The September card kits from Simon Says Stamp have been delivered and they are smokin' hot!  Seriously.  Love all the colors (lots of primary colors as there's a bit of a back-to-school theme here…) and the stamp set is adorable and I can't wait to get crackin' on it!

That's where my trusty friend Melissa comes in!  You may remember last month we challenged each other to get in there and Use Those Kits!  We gave each other a set of cues and then a set of rules (thou shalt use the kit, and only the kit!  :)  and then set out on our crafty adventure!  I had never worked from a kit before and was thrilled with how many cards I was able to make from that sucker!  :)

So, this month we are back at it again!  And this time, we have added one of the craftiest girls we know to the mix!  Say "hi" to Christy (even though I'm sure most of you are already familiar with her work!). We are so excited to have her join us this month!  :)

We have changed things up a bit because we want YOU to show us what you've got!  Here's a pic of the September "You're Amazing" Kit:

The challenge?   Use the three cues we have for you below to create your own little "wow" moment using this kit!

The rules?   Easy.

1. Use the kit.
2. Follow the cues.
3. Have fun!!  :)

The Cues:

1. Create any size card OTHER than a standard 4¼" x 5½" card!
2. Use (at least) three patterned papers! 
3. Use the chalkboard!

Melissa, Christy, and I will be back on Monday at 6:00 pm CST to share the cards we created using the kit and our cues.  We will also be offering a give-away on each of our blogs and will want to see what you have created, so play along with us!

Until then, happy crafting, my friends!  :)

      

A Sketch in Time!

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Hi!  It has been brought to my (mom's) attention that I haven't been posting regularly enough of late (I'm looking at you, Ms. Angelica!  :)   and I am here to both apologize and rectify that situation…  You ever just have those weeks where you just feel like work is kicking your booty?  Yeah???

Ok, so I'm glad to know I'm not alone  :)

I promise you're about to be seeing a lot of me!  I have big plans to be über-creative, to unleash my artistic mojo, and to light up the blog-o-sphere with cheeky commentary! (and no delusions of grandeur, either, apparently…  :)

Well, here, at long last, is a card I created based on this week's sketch over at RetroSketches.  You'll notice I stuck to the sketch pretty literally, which was kinda a new thing to me…  And I kinda liked it!  :)

The patterned papers are from Basic Grey's Konnichiwa line and the stamps and inks are both from Papertrey Ink (the stamp set is the special edition Natural Beauties from this year's Stamp A-Faire and just may be my new favorite stamp set!  :)

Here's the sketch from RetroSketches I was working off of:

Can't you see how closely I followed it?  Like a good girl??  :)

Hope you have a great end o' the week!  Stay tuned for a flurry of action as Melissa and I (along with a new partner in crime) will be taking on Mission: KitPossible Part Deux starting this weekend using the September Simon Says Stamp kits!  :)

Until then, carry on, my crafty friends!  :)

Hip to be Square!

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Hello, my friends!  Hope your week is going swimmingly -- literally, if it's as hot where you are as it is here…  whew!  C'mon Autumn!  :)

I just wanted to pop in to share a card I created for a friend who just had had a surgery and is facing a rather long recovery -- thought she could use a dose of sunshine right now!  :) 

These papers are from SEI's "Mimosa" line -- I thought they were appropriate for the color challenge over at The Play Date Cafe this week.  I used the sketch from RetroSketches and modified it to be a square card because Cas-ual Fridays demanded it!  :)

Anyway, I hope you like it…  Thank you for stopping by!  Here's hoping you're wrapping up your summer with friends and family and making the most of these last weeks before school starts up again!  :)  Be well!

I {heart} You! :)

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Hello!  Welcome to another fabulous DeNami Designs Blog Hop!  Hopefully you are enjoying yourself, and if you are hopping in order, I know you are…  Because that would mean you have arrived here from the super-fab blog of Paulina Nakamura -- and I have no doubt that she whipped up something fabulous just for you!  :)

I love this month's theme because it is all about COLOR!  Bright, Bold, Beautiful color!  And, boy, did you come to the right place!  Here's my card:

I knew for this card that I wanted to use one of my favorite sets of Petit Fours from DeNami, the Hearts stamp set paired with this super-sweet sentiment.  And, of course, it wouldn't be a DeNami Blog Hop if I didn't use my favorite DeNami stamp -- the Circle Scallop cling stamp (I know, kinda a random choice to be my fave, but seriously… it's so versatile and I use it a lot!!!)…

Soooo…  I just went to town inking up one of those cute little hearts in about a million different colors  to create my background, die cut my heart window (used Hero Arts Heart Frame-Cuts), masked my sentiment strip, stamped and colored and stickled my scallop border, and then colored my ribbon (it was originally a white satin ribbon, so I colored it with a copic marker and spritzed it with colorless blending solution and mushed it around in a ziploc baggie till it was the color I wanted!  :)   And voila!  Bright, Bold, and Beautiful! 

Thank you so much for stopping by -- you're about to head off to see what the very talented Rae Ann has in store for you…  I know it's gonna be good!!  (Remember if you get lost anywhere along the way or if you just want to start all over from the beginning, you can always head back to the DeNami blog for a full list of participants!)

But before you go, I wanted to remind you to leave comments all along the hop for a chance to win one of two gift certificates to the DeNami Designs website!  You have until 11:59 PM PST August 13th to leave your comments to be eligible for a prize, so HOP to it!!  :)

Mission: KitPossible Giveaway Results!

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Good Morning!

Thanks to all of you who visited during our Mission:KitPossible extravaganza!  Melissa and I had so much fun and can't wait tackle next month's kit -- and we just may have a surprise addition to our Kit Crew, so make sure to stick around to find out!  :)

Random.org has spoken and the winner of the Giveaway ($10 Gift Certificate to Simon Says Stamp!) is:

Laura JaneJuly 28, 2012 9:55 AM

What a FUN challenge with the cues!
Your cards turned out great.
Your Birthday card is making me think of using ricrac
for Christmas ornaments:)

Congratulations!  Laura Jane, please email me so I can get you your gift certificate! :)

Have a great TGIF everyone!  :)

You Color My World!

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Hello and Happy Thursday!  I hope your week is going well -- only a couple of days left till the weekend, eh?  :)  Just wanted to pop in today to share a card I made a couple of days ago to play along with this week's Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge…  This week is a photo inspiration spark, and I found the inspiration piece to be quite…  well…… inspiring! :)

Take a look:

I love how the piece is split into three separate works, love the graphic elements, and the mottled background with distressed edging is really cool.

I think you'll be able to see those elements reflected in my card, but I really wanted to tone down the grunginess (is that a word??) and lighten it all up!  Here's my take:  

Don't you just love that sentiment??  Who wouldn't want to have somebody tell them something like that???  I created my mottled background with distress inks and used pieces from the following stamp sets to create my "flowers…"

                      

Thanks for visiting!  Have a great weekend!  Hope it's filled with those who color your world -- wherever they may be!  :)