Doggie Treats

Hope everyone is having a happy weekend! The weather is a bit wet here but the temperatures are wonderful!!! Rachel had her first soccer game today. Eight little 4-year-olds running around in shorts so long and socks so long that you cannot even see there knees is truly priceless! Other than that and eating lunch at the local Mexican restaurant and visiting the nearby Books-A-Million, things have been pretty low key after a very hectic week! Some much needed rest for the Thomas family. Mary Elizabeth and I are off to Atlanta on Wednesday to see the Jonas Brothers, so another busy week looms before us! Tomorrow will probably be spent with chores but tonight after Rachel goes to bed, I'm heading for my Stampin' room!

Today, I'm going to share with you one of the projects that I made for the August 14th Artful Inkables release. This is another image from the oh-so-cute set, Top Dog! I apologize for the darkness of the photos. They were taken late at night and I just could not get the lighting to please me. Santa is definitely being asked for a light box and photo lights this year!!!! My youngest sister lives in Atlanta with her four-legged baby, Gracie May. Since we will be staying with Lee and Gracie Pup during our trip, I wanted to make a cute container to take GP some dog biscuit snacks. I had made this cute little box before, but this weeks SCS Weekly Inkling included the tutorial for the box from the very talented, Laurie Schmidlin, with a twist- to add some scallops to the edges of the lid. Again, it is difficult to see with the dark picture but there is, indeed, some Ruby Red CS scallops all around the edge of this cute lid! While the sample box was used to hold a set of 3 x 3 notecards, I change it up a bit and added the yummy dog treats! I stamped the main image, colored it with Copic makers, paper pieced the "spot" and popped the head and paper pieced the ears. This darling PP is SEI's Park Buddies collection. The only problem with this line of paper is choosing which cute designs to use! The little felt "woof" is Queen & Co. and the ribbon is SU Chocolate Chip twill.

I just noticed that I have pasted the 20,000 visits mark and I want to give each of you that stop by a huge shout out to say Thank you! I do have some awesome blog candy prepared just for this occasion so be sure to visit tomorrow to have a chance at some awesome goodies! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Paradise Found in Artful Inkables New Release

Today is THE day that the ever talented Kristin Soboloski releases FOUR new sets she has designed for her webstore, Artful Inkables. Now I hate to play favorites because all 4 of these fun stamp sets are wonderful, but I have to say that I am quite fond of this little tiki-style set, Paradise Island. Maybe it's the images are just so fun to color, or because they are so cute, or maybe it's because I really need a tropical vacation, I just don't know but I do know that I get pure stampin' happiness using them!

Today's card begins with a blast from the past for inspiration- Basic Grey's Urban Couture. I loved that line of PP and had been hoarding some away for just the right project. The washed-out brights of this botanical print along with the paper that reminds me of bamboo lattice reminded me of a retro (there's that word again) tropical paradise picture. My images were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink then colored with Copic markers. I cut the little native fellow out and pop dotted under the cool palm trees. I almost made it through the entire card without the use of Nesties until I decided I wanted a ribbon slide for the sentiment. Ribbon is SU Bashful Blue, brown brads are American Craft and shell brad is Anna Griffin from Michael's this summer. I actually cut the brad part off of the shell because it was just too bulky. Simply replaced it with a glue dot and was much more pleased! A very straightforward card but such fun to make!

Enabling part: Be sure to check out this set in its entirety at the Artful Inkables web store. I joke about "enabling" 'cause I'm warning you this set would be hard to pass up! Seriously, there are so... many cute images and I think that no stamp collection is complete without a tropical themed set- think about all those cute invitations and decorations you can make for those end-of-the-year luaus! And if the beautiful, red rubber deeply etched stamps are not enough enticement, Kristin is offering FREE shipping for all orders over 35.00 during the month of August. I just love FREE shipping! Check back tomorrow for an idea for a little gift for "mans' best friend!" It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time. Take care!

Let's Celebrate Tomorrow's Artful Inkables Release!

And what better way to celebrate than with a CHALLENGE (bet you thought I was going to say something else, huh- teeheehee)! Well, it it time again for the every-other-week Artful Inkables Design Team challenge and this time around it is a challenge to use a particular stamp set. Since today was already scheduled for sneak peaks of this most FUN Olive You set, it was decided that it would be the Design Team's challenge set, as well. Now because we would love to have loads of folks play along and since this awesome set will not be available to sell until tomorrow, we expanded the challenge to include any stamp with a beverage theme. If you would like to join us, please be sure to post a link to your card with comments on this post or if you upload to your SCS gallery use ARTINK in the keywords. We would love to see your beautiful creations!

My challenge card today took on sort of a retro look. I know that martini's of all different sorts are very popular right now but somehow this elegant martini class with it's olive and little swizzle stick just yelled RETRO to me. When I combined it with the bright, groovy red PP from Cosmo Crickets Hello Sunshine paper pad, it cinched the look I was creating. The base of the card is Basic Black CS which I layered with the Hello Sunshine PP. Next, I took a panel of Green Galore (yes, even GG has it's place-lol) and ran it through the patterned square Cuttlebug embossing folder. I liked the way the squares contrasted with all the circular elements. I stamped my main image on Neenah Classic White CS with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it with Copic markers. I cut it out with rectangular Nestabilities then painted Crystal Effect on the glass. The little olives were stamped, colored then cut out and made into a metal rimmed tag with my MM Tag Maker and the sentiment was stamped and cut out with a circle Nestie. The bling are Jesse James glitter dots (one of my fav sparkly things)! FUN, FUN, FUN! Be sure to check out the awesome teasers from the rest of the AI Design Team, as well as, the AI company blog!

• Jennifer
• Julia
• Kim
• Pam
  

And don't forget all FOUR of the wonderful new sets will be available for sale tomorrow! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Another AI Tease and Jacksonbelle Boosday

Hi, All! It's Tuesday once again and time for a Jacksonbelle Design Team Challenge. It is, also, the day 3 out of 4 of sneak peaks for the Thursday release of FOUR new sets of stamps from Artful Inkables. So sit tight, this is a rather long entry but well worth it! First, the Artful Inkables team (aka "The Ink Girls) are spotlighting a most adorable stamp set in honor of "man's" best friend- Top Dog. This is an absolutely darling set that include 3 different dog images (not to mention sentiments and a few doggy accessories.) I love the fact that Kristin was able to create 3 very different dogs so that the dog lover can choose a style very close to their favorite breed. Once again, the set is designed with versatility in mind! Please be sure to check out the other sneak peaks both on the AI blog and the blogs of the rest of the Ink Girls!

• Jennifer
• Julia
• Kim
• Pam

You may want to get out your sunglasses before catching a glimpse of my card for today's teaser! Believe me, the picture does not pick-up half the sparkle of this little card. I love bling but am usually conservative in the amount I use- I'm definitely a "less is more" kind of girl- but the sassy little face of this darling pup image just pushed me right over the edge- bwahahahaha! I started off with a pink Bazzill base and layered a striped piece of PP and a piece of mint green Bazzill. The mint green cs was embellished with the cute little paw print image from the Top Dog set using The Essential Glue pad and Dazzling Diamonds then punched with my MS scalloped border punch. To accent the holes from the border punch, I glued tiny rhinestones using my Quickie glue pen. The "dog collar" was made with Basic Grey ribbon and and the "tag" is a sentiment from the set framed with hardware from WRMK. I made the little tiara by cutting a Prima Say It In Crystals flower center in half then adding a few individual rhinestones of my own to get the right fit. This was the first time I used my Copics to "color" something white. I simply choose the color that I wanted as highlights and shaded lightly around the edges then pulled the color towards the center of the image with the Copic blender pen. Finally, I added some gray shadowing for added dimension. Tomorrow will mark the day of the AI every other week challenge. The Ink Girls will incorporate the 4th new set with the challenge but have expanded it a bit so that everyone who would like to can play along!
For my Jacksonbelle Embellishment Design Team challenge- a sketch, I could wait NO longer to use many of my new Halloween goodies from the store! I started with my Cosmo Cricket Haunted paper pack and went from there. This paper pack comes with an awesome sticker sheet and is absolutely spooktacular! After choosing the PP for the base of my card, I took a piece of Co'ordinations with a off white core and ran it through the Cuttlebug using a new spider web embossing folder. Next, I lightly sanded this layer to bring out the embossing and give it a distressed look. My focal image is from the Inkadinkado set, Creepy Crawly. I stamped it on to vellum with my Essential Glue pad then sprinkled black Art Glitter on the wet image. Once it dried and I sprayed it with a sealant, I cut around the outline of the image. The little spiders are from the same set, stamped in Craft Elegant Eggplant on to vellum then embossed with Rainbow EP from Ranger. The large eyelets are from SU, the ribbon is May Arts, and the "hinge" is WRMK. All paper edges were inked with a sponge and Andirondack Pitch Black ink. This was such a fun card to make! Please be sure to check out the rest of the DT versions of this awesome sketch. I've included the sketch because we would love for you to play along! If you would like, either attach the link to your card under comments on this post or if you upload to SCS, please use JBE015 in the keywords so we can see your beautiful works!

• Amber Hight
• Broni Holcombe
• Dee Jackson
• Elezebeth Neumann
• Erin McKinney
• Kisa Peters
• Lila Holgate
• Lynda Benden
• Lindsey Botkin
  
• Maren Benedict

For some reason, I am having difficulty downloading the sketch but if you catch out the other DT members blogs you will definitely get a feel for this awesome layout! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Orange You Lovin' The Sneak Peaks!

Another day and another exciting sneak peak from Artful Inkables. This delightful set, Orange You Sweet, will be available for sell along with 3 additional new sets this Thursday. For more samples of this fun set be sure to check out the Artful Inkables blog and the blogs of the rest of the Design Team Members:

• Jennifer
• Julia
• Kim
• Pam

The clean, refreshing appeal of oranges (no pun intended) was the inspiration for my card. I wanted clean lines and bright colors! I started with a piece of Pumpkin Pie CS that I embossed with the Swiss Dot embossing folder from Cuttlebug. I topped that with a piece of wonderfully bright polka dot Chatterbox PP. To define the boundary between the CS and the PP, I adhered 2 pieces of Karen Foster's Scapper's Floss using a Sakura Quickie glue pen. I love to use the floss to maintain clean lines in place of ribbon. The main image is the wonderful decorative orange tree from the set. I have colored it with Copic marker and added some Pumpkin Shimmerz to the oranges themselves. I cut it out and embossed it with a rectangular Nestability and matted it with a scalloped rectangle in Night of Navy. A couple of little Pumpkin Pie grosgrain tabs, some American Craft blue brads and voila- a bright, clean look indeed! Stay tuned tomorrow for another sneak peak that has "gone to the dogs," as well as, a sketch challenge for Jacksonbelle Tuesday. I have Tuesday's post written and timed to be uploaded because I am having an epidural tomorrow for my back. Keeping my fingers crossed that the post appears when it is supposed to- lol! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

A Sneak Peak of Paradise

Paradise Island, that is!!! Wahoo! The Artful Inkables next release is just 4 days away and to peak curiosity and build excitement for the four, yes FOUR, awesome new stamp sets the AI Design Team will be posting some peaks of the new sets this week! Be sure to check out the AI Blog and the rest of the DT blogs for some amazing cards and projects!

• Jennifer
• Julia
• Kim
• Pam

The first day of teasers features this wonderful set, Paradise Island! Kim our fearless leader/owner/designer of Artful Inkables stamps truly lets her magic shine with this cute tiki- themed set! Your Copics, Prismacolor pencils, watercolors, whatever your coloring methods of choice are going to be loving this darling line drawn set. It's an absolutely MUST for luaus, house warmings, scrapbooking tropical vacations, to name only of few of the uses for this very versatile set! Can you tell I'm lovin' it!!! My card started with a base of Blue Bayou CS that was layered with a strip of Bo Bunny striped paper then Groovy Guava CS that I tore and glittered the edges with a peach Art Glitter to get a sand dune type of effect. No, I wasn't trying to make Guava colored sand but I thought the effect looked nice with the theme of this card. For the focal image, I stamped this cute little hut that would make the castaways on Gilligan's Island jealous (dating myself, huh) with my Momento Tuxedo Black ink then colored it with Copic markers. After cutting it out with Nestabilities, I matted it with a scalloped oval of Aqua Mist CS from PTI. The sweet hibiscus blossom is from the set, stamped on Groovy Guava then cut out. Next, I painted it with Pumpkin Shimmerz (love that stuff) and added some texture and more sparkle with Fruit Punch and Yellow Stickles. The ribbon is Always Artichoke by SU and the little brads are from Hobby Lobby. Be sure to check tomorrow for the next sneak peak of this awesome Artful Inkables release!!! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday

Here we are at Tuesday once again and time for another Jacksonbelle Embellishment Design Team Challenge! This week it is time for a Color Challenge and DT member Lila Holgate has chosen to challenge us to use the color PINK ! I'm not sure that is much of a stretch for me because it is a color that I truly love! We would love to have you join us with this fun challenge! If you should decide to play along, please either link your card to a comment on this post or if you upload to SCS use JBE014 in the keycode. We want to be able to see everyone's beautiful pink creations! Be sure to check out the rest of the DTs submissions for this challenge on each of their individual blogs:

• Amber Hight
• Broni Holcombe
• Dee Jackson
• Elezebeth Neumann
• Erin McKinney
• Kisa Peters
• Lila Holgate
• Lynda Benden
• Lindsey Botkin
  
• Maren Benedict

You will, also, want to be sure to check out Jacksonbelle Embellishments to see all the new goodies that are available- new cuttlebug, fall and holiday Inkadinkado stamps, new Cosmo Cricket... the list goes on and on! I made my challenge card this weekend to take to one of my little great nieces for her birthday. The pink PP I choose to use was Basic Grey Two Scoops. I loved the idea of using the sweet ice creamie colors with the Inkadinkado Birthday Cupcakes for a little one-year-olds card! I stamped the largest cupcake image using Momento Tuxedo Black on 3 different pieces of the 6 x6 patterned paper and paper pieced it for a fun dimensional look. I added some white bugle beads as sprinkles, then topped it off the with little "icing" rosebud from the set. The rosebud was first colored with Copic markers then I added some chunky pink glitter from SU. I repeated the rosebud to more times to add as accents on the card. The Nestabilities mat is cut from vellum then the edges are trimmed with the same pink chunky glitter. The ribbon is a sheer piece of American craft topped with a piece of soft yellow rickrack by BG. Rachel starts preschool tomorrow so that mean Mary Elizabeth and I are back to our homeschool glasses. Although it does make for a busy schedule, it will definitely feel good to be back into a routine! Actually makes it easier to find stamping time! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care, Beth