Cornish Heritage Farms Summer Fling Blog Hop Week #4

Welcome to Week #4 of Cornish Heritage Farms' 12 Weeks of Summer Fling Blog Hop!  Can you believe we're already on Week 4?  Eeeeek, the summer is flying by!  This week we are featuring Tom Allen's Friendly Kritters line. 

If you're hoppin', then you've probably just come from CHF's Be Creative Blog, and you know all about this gig.  Your next stop is Tracy's blog.

If you've come here all on your own, let me fill you in with the basics, 'cuz there's candy to be won:  Hop along to each participating blog.  Leave a comment (BTW, you don't have to comment on EVERY blog, but if you do the whole hop - 5 stops in all - you'll have that many more chances to win!).  Simple as that.  What's in it for you?  The chance to win one of two gift certificates, that's what.... to use on anything you want in the CHF store!  First prize is a $25 gift certificate, and second prize is a $10 gift certificate.  All comments must be made before this Thursday, July 1st, midnight EST. That's some seriously great candy for just leaving a comment.  I'm just saying...... :)

If you've already got a Friendly Kritters stamp or two and are feeling creative, you might want to make a little something and post to the special CHF gallery - that will get you in the running for the Design Team's Favorite prize, which is a rubber stamp/stamp set of your choice (up to $16.99).

Anyhow, on to my project.  I didn't have any Friendly Kritters stamps until a couple weeks ago, when I couldn't resist getting this sweet Honey Bees image.  I've owned the Sweet Bee set from the Rummage Bin line ever since it came out, and this little Kritter stamp was just calling to me to complete the whole honey bee theme.

I decided to make a little "Honey Do List" paper pad using scrap printer paper - you know, those pages that print out with only a line or two on them (say, after you've printed out a copy of your online receipt for something, or an email).  I've been collecting all of that, and instead of tossing it in the recycle bin, I cut in all into quarters (4 1/4 x 5 1/2) to use for my lists.  I made a cover from a 10 inch by 6 inch piece of patterned paper (you could also use cardstock, or a combo of the two to make it a little sturdier).  In my case, I used Basic Grey's Kioshi line of papers.  I scored it at 4 3/4 and 5 1/4 inches to make room for the paper.  I used a little Distress Ink in Peeled Paint along the edges, then stamped the lace border from the Sweet Bees set along the edge using Dusty Concord.

For my front cover, I stamped the Honey Bees image in Memento's Tuxedo Black ink, colored it with Copics, die cut it with Nestabilities' Classic Scalloped Circles Small, and inked the edges using Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass.  I used the next bigger die to cut a mat for the image, and inked the edges in Peeled Paint.  I stamped the "Honey Do List" image from the Sweet Bees collection onto another piece of paper, edge punched it, and colored with Copics. For the flower accent, I glued together two different Prima flowers.  For the center, I stamped the Honey Bees image again, and colored just one tiny bee.  I stuck a little "rain dot" (Cloud 9 Design) on top of him, cut him out, and affixed him to the center of my flower.  I think he looks cute down in there!

For the inside, I simply took my quartered scrap printer paper and affixed it to the list cover with two binder clips.  Easy peasy. (I turned the paper around so that the blank sides were facing up.  You can see a little bit of the printed side showing through.)

That's it.  A quick little recycle job that makes shopping lists and "to-do" lists just a little cheerier. 

One last little card, this one using the Mother Hen image that my fellow DT Kristine sent to me (Thanks, Kristine!!).  Deets in the Gallery.  Happy Hoppin' and Good Luck!

Gingersnap and Tag Tuesday All In One

Well, I'm doing it again.... always feel a little guilty, but I've combined two challenges today.  The first is at Gingersnap Creations, where the color challenge is Shades of Blue, and the second is the Tag Tuesday challenge at Kard Krazy, where Louise has challenged us to use Postage on our tags.  Luckily I had blue postage, LOL!!

This card uses lots of little bits that I had in my image stash - the hydrangea is stamped on blue mulberry paper, the butterfly is embossed on vellum and colored with Copics on the reverse, and the music is spritzed with blue Glimmer Mists.  That's some old postage I've used - 37 cents! - that I've been hoarding 'cuz I liked the flower images.  There's some old K and Company paper ribbon across the top.

Hope you can join in these two fun challenges!  And don't forget about the blog hops... Cornish Heritage Farms' Summer Fling and Gingersnap Creations Mad Hatter Day - click on the images in my sidebar on the right for more info.  There's still time to win fabulous candy! 

New Babies!

Fur babies, that is!! Yes, a few of you guessed correctly.... we have two new kitty additions.  We spent the entire day Saturday driving between two cities' animal shelters, trying to adopt two kittens.  This is not as simple as back in the day..... they do a background check, verify your residence (home owner or renter?), take down the name of the vet you intend to use, and give you a quiz (!).  And, they would not let me take anything home without my husband's approval.  He was in Alcatraz that day (as a tourist, silly!!), a continent away in San Francisco.  Luckily he got the message and gave his okay.

We got them home and had a little panic.... the male (the orange one) kept biting my son... hard!  He (my son) was in tears, since that was what he thought of as "his" cat.  I talked with my mom and my husband, and I decided that I would return him the next day (the cat, not the husband).  The shelter was open on Sunday, so I called.  And called.  And called.  For whatever reason, no one picked up, and it did not roll to their answering machine.  (My husband, ever the conspiracy theorist, says they probably use caller ID and make sure no recent adopters can get through, in case they have simple "adopter's remorse".)  I didn't want to just show up with him, but he continued to bite and claw and terrorize the other kitten.  We decided to wait until Monday.  In the mean time, I did some research on the web about this behavior.

Now, I've had cats before.  "Training a cat" is a laughable phrase.  I mean seriously - my two tortie girls may have trained ME, but I never trained them to do a thing, as much as I tried.  But I found a method to stop kittens from biting, and you know what?  It worked.  (Just a matter of giving a loud shout when he bites, then pausing and not playing with him for a couple of seconds.  Repeat as necessary.)  Within a couple of tries, he was really starting to get it.  So I had to think.... things happen for a reason.  He is now an absolute sweetheart.

So, here is Marney.....

He has big floppy ears (well, for a cat.... he looks like a little Yoda most of the time), he likes to talk all the while he, um... uses the litter box, and he is the biggest snuggler you'd ever want to meet.  He likes to play hard, but his sister is setting limits for him.  He and my son are figuring out how to play together, then have a good snuggle.

This little girl is Smokey.....

She is a princess - very delicate, pretty, sweet..... but growls her little ears off at her rambunctious brother.  She was quite timid at first, but is learning to play like a tomboy.  She purrs so loudly you'd think she was a lion, and she does it with the slightest little pat to the head.  I was told she was rescued from a storm drain and bottle fed until she could hold her own at the shelter.  My daughter and I are in great debate over her name.... she (the cat, not my daughter) is black and gray.  My daughter likes "Smokey", but I like "Stormy."  (My daughter doesn't like Stormy because it's the name of our NHL team's mascot, which is a hog, LOL!).  I have a feeling my daughter will prevail. :)

I forgot how busy kittens keep you, and how everything on every surface (and I mean everything) that isn't nailed down ends up on the floor.  Ahhhhh, babies!

One last pic:

BTW, if you are looking for the CHF Week #3 Blog Hop, please see my previous post.  The hop is ongoing through Thursday, so you still have time to get in on a chance for some wonderful prizes.  Happy Crafting!

Cornish Heritage Farms Summer Fling Hop Week #3

Hello, everyone! I'm back hopping this week with the Cornish Heritage Farms 12 Weeks of Summer Fling!  It's Week #3 of the hop, which means that we're featuring the All Things Considered (ATC) line.  If you've just come from the Be Creative blog, then you know all about it.  If you haven't, you might want to start hopping over there.  The basics: hop along, comment as you go, and you'll have a chance to win some fabulous prizes! Yeah!  Create a card and put it in the gallery, and you'll have another chance to win.  And don't forget... 25% off all ATC sets through this Thursday, June 24.

Your next stop on the hop is Joanne's blog.

For my card, I used the Botanical Bliss set for my focal point, my sentiment, and a little additional stamping on the background paper (which is from 7 Gypsies).  I stamped the poppy on some vintage text, colored it with Copics, and distress inked around the edges.  I mounted it on some cardstock and popped it up, so that I could attach my tiny little sentiment with a Tim Holtz mini paper clip.  The lacy border (a punch from Martha Stewart) was punched from the blank part of the vintage text page - gives it a very warm, vintage feeling that only time can create.  I added a little hemp cord and a vintage mother of pearl button, too.

Sorry I've been a bit of a bad blogger.  Our schedule has been wicked hectic, with my husband out of town for a week.  He's back now, and we have two new tiny additions to the family..... they have been taking a lot of our time, since we didn't know if one would work out for us or not.  I'll post pictures when I get a chance (just to keep you guessing for a while)! :)  Have a wonderful Monday!

Gingersnap Creations Challenge - Fairies

Hello everyone, it's time for another Random Redhead Challenge at Gingersnap Creations, and this time it's Fairies!  I've been playing with fairy stamps a lot lately, so I wanted to use one I hadn't inked up in a while.  This little fairy just looked like she was posing for one of those old-time family portrait shots, with her new doll and her best dress, so I decided to go uber-vintage with her.  I stamped her on muslin, frayed the edges, and sewed her onto some distressed paper from Basic Grey's Capella line. I layered that on top of some vintage sheet music.  I used some old mother of pearl buttons and a dogwood blossom (with a Flower Soft center) to continue the vintage cream color palette. The sentiment is stamped on a bit of distressed twine.  Both the fairy and the sentiment are from Oxford Impressions' Fairy Sweets plate.

So if you'd like to take part in a really fun challenge and get some inspiration at the same time, head on over to Gingersnap Creations.  This challenge runs through July 18, so you've got plenty of time to dabble in fairy art of any kind - vintage, ethereal, sweet, cute, artsy-fartsy, edgy - the choice is up to you! :)

A Gingersnap Tutorial Peek

Just a quick little note this morning.  I have a little tutorial up over at the Gingersnap Creations blog - how to make a card with a peek-a-boo spinner.  Some people call it a View-Master card, but we don't want to get into legal trouble using a trade name without permission, so it's definitely not one of those, no way, LOL!!

I also wanted to remind anyone who's interested that the Gingersnap Creations Mad Hatter Day blog hop is still going on, and what I mean by that is - you still have a chance to win!!!  You can start the hop HERE at Gingersnap, where you'll get a look at the fabulous prize that's going to one lucky participant.

And last but definitely not least.... Cornish Heritage Farms is still hoppin!  It's Week 2 of the Summer Fling, and this week they are featuring Thomas Kinkade stamps.  That means that these stamps are 25% off through Thursday (June 17, 2010), AND that if you'd like to hop around the participating DT's blogs (and maybe even enter a card in the gallery), you'll have some chances to win great prizes.  The details are on the CHF Be Creative blog.

The kids are off from school and we're into full summer swing.  Unfortunately it's crazy HOT here with a humidity level that should technically qualify as "underwater."  Is "humiding" a verb?  It should be, because that's what it's doing here... precipitating.... in the form of "humiding."   Ugh.  Hoping to get some crafting done today. :)  Keep cool!

Gingersnap Creations' Mad Hatter's Day Blog Hop!!!

Welcome to the Gingersnap Creations’ Mad Hatter’s Day Blog Hop and Hop Stop #4!

The Gingers are celebrating Mad Hatter Day and hope that you will hop along with us!

If you’ve already been hopping then hopefully you have just come from Hels at Ink on My Fingers. If you are starting here, welcome! It's a loop so you can start anywhere along the way!

At each stop, you need to collect a word! There are 10 stops in all starting and ending with the Gingersnap Creations blog where you can get all the specific information and get a peak at the the goodies in the Mad Hatter Giveaway.

If you visit all the stops, you should end up right back at Gingersnap Creations with 8 words.  When you get all 8 words, unscramble them to form a quotation from the beloved classic, Alice in Wonderland. Once you have your guess at the quote, email it and your name to gingersnapstamp@gmail.com by June 25, 2010. We will be picking one lucky winner at random from the correct entries to win the Mad Hatter package! We’ll let you know who won on June 29, 2010.

That's all there is to it!  If you get lost along the way, you can see the entire route at Gingersnap Creations.

My word is "is".

Your next stop on the hop is Joanne at Made by Joanne.

For my Mad Hatter project, I made a stair step fold card, in which I gave the bonkers old Mad Hatter his twinkling bats!  The fabulous Hatter stamp is from Red Eowyn. (They have a gazillion Alice in Wonderland stamps - it's kinda their "thing" - both full sheets and individual stamps.)  The glittery bats are made from Martha Stewart double-sided bat stickers, sprinked with black glitter and mounted on some acetate swirls that I cut with my Tim Holtz Alterations die.  I also finally used that wonderful Prima flower packaging I've been hoarding for so long.... the rabbit can be seen skulking in the background.  Some Copics, some Distress Inks, some leafy dies... had lots of fun with this.:)

Have fun hopping along with the Hatter, and good luck (it's an awesome prize)!!

And by the way..... if you've come looking for my other hop - the Cornish Heritage Farms 12 Weeks of Summer Fling, click HERE.  Yes, TWO HOPS!!!  Aaaah, life is good. :)

CHF 12 Weeks of Summer Fling Blog Hop - Week 1

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Cornish Heritage Farms 12 Weeks of Summer Fling Blog Hop!!  If you've just hopped from Laura's blog, the next one is Lisa's.  If you've just blurfed into the hop, you may want to check out the CHF Be Creative Blog, so that you can have lots more chances to win.  But it really doesn't matter, you can start anywhere. 

What's the 12 Weeks of Summer Fling? Each week will feature one of the rubber stamp lines at CHF with a blog hop and special gallery showing new samples using stamps from that line. The featured line will also be on sale for the week so it's definitely the time to add to your collection. :)  Two Gift Certificates will be awarded to 2 lucky winners who successfully follow the blog hop and comment as they go in the time allotted. This is not a race. All Blog Hops will start from the CHF Be Creative Blog on a Monday, comments must be made before midnight EST on the Thursday of that week, and winners will be announced on that Friday.

First prize is a $20 CHF Gift Certificate and 2nd Prize is a $10 Gift Certificate, which will be emailed to the winning participants!!

If you upload a qualifying card (using the featured week’s stamp line) to the CHF special gallery for that week, you will be eligible for the Design Team’s Favorite prize which will be a rubber stamp/stamp set of your choice up to the value of $16.99. The deadline for uploading cards for the prize will also be Thursdays at midnight.

This week we are featuring Cornish Heritage Farms' Backgrounder Stamps.  That means that for this week only (offer ends Thursday June 10th, 2010 and is for online orders only) all Backgrounders are on sale at 25% off!

So.... when is a Backgrounder more than a background?  When it can be the star of the show, of course!!  For my card (above) I've used two backgrounders: the gorgeous "Toile" Backgrounder for the featured image, and the "French Script" Backgrounder as the.... well,.... background!  I've kept the color scheme monochromatic, to give the card a vintage tapestry feel.  The "Birthday Wishes" sentiment is from Kim Hughes' Silhouette Blooms II set.

If you'd like a little "how-to" for this card:  I inked up the main image of the mother and son from the Toile Backgrounder, stamped it in Memento's Blue Danube on Simply Smooth Vanilla cardstock, and cut it out with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four.  I had been careful not to ink up the leaves around the mother's head, but then thought the upper right looked a little bare.  So, I inked up some of the flora from the backgrounder in Memento's Summer Sky ink, and placed my image on the inked stamp (so that I knew what I would be getting) and pressed it down with scrap paper.  I used the same technique for the sentiment.... stamped it in Blue Danube, then inked up a portion of the Toile backgrounder with Summer Sky, and pressed the sentiment onto the stamp.  For the background, I first inked up only the top portion of the Toile Backgrounder and stamped it on the left-hand side of a panel made with Simply Linen ivory cardstock (I wanted to get a fabric texture).  Before cleaning the stamp, I stamped again on a piece of scrap paper and used it to make a mask.  I masked off the flowers on my card, and stamped the French Script Backgrounder in Summer Sky twice - once over the top of the flowers, and then moved it to the right to fill in the right-hand side of the card.  I just eyeballed this - I knew the image panel would cover up any misalignment.  I've added some crinkled seam binding from Blue Bird Lane's Etsy shop, some blue rhinestones from Michael's (a.k.a. generic bling!) and a few Prima flowers.

There are lots of great Backgrounder stamps at the store, and you can get them cling-mounted or wood mounted.  Need ideas?  Check out the new 12 Weeks of Summer Fling Gallery of backgrounders.  I hope you have a chance to play along with the Design Team.... have fun and good luck!!

Tag Tuesday -- Music

Okay, I'm getting better.... Tag Tuesday on Saturday instead of Monday!  The theme at Tag Tuesday this week is Music.  I was tickled with this subject - so much so that it was hard to decide on what I wanted to do.  I let the paper be my muse... its Basic Grey's new Capella line.  I layered it with som vintage sheet music and an image from the Rubber Cottage (Violin Player).  I softly colored her with Distress Inks and popped her up for some dimension.  A little twine, a posy, and some glitter were the final touches.

I've got lots of fun stuff going on here next week, including TWO blog hops where you can win some fun prizes.  For the early info on the Cornish Heritage Farms hop (starting Monday), click on the 12 Weeks of Summer Fling blinkie in my sidebar.  The second hop will be with Gingersnap Creations, in celebration of Mad Hatter Day.  Hope you can join me next week!  TTFN - Happy Saturday :)

Cornish Heritage Farms Stamp of the Month - June

Hello everyone!  I hope your weekend was splendid!  We had a lazy-but-busy (does that make since?) time with friends and family.  It just didn't seem like we should have to get back at the routine already this morning! 

My card for today features Cornish Heritage Farms' new Stamp of the Month for June - "To Town, Mrs. Chicken."  It's another storybook-illustration-type of image, so vintage and sweet.  I stamped the main image in red ink and left it uncolored - an option we Copic-addicted peeps sometimes forget about, LOL!  For the background "patterned" papers, I used images from the ATC Collection set called Fall Harvest.  I just couldn't resist using the corn image (wouldn't that be what she's shopping for??) and the vintage receipt image (her grocery receipt, of course!).  I tied it up with a nice checkered country bow, and added a bright little flower and a fabric brad.  The sentiment is embossed in white so that it pops on the red background. 

Now it just so happens that not only will you save 20% on this stamp during the month of June (it's only $5.99 cling-mounted), but you will also receive a printed copy of the card and instructions by *yours truly*.  (Tee hee, had to get that shameless plug in there somehow!). Not bad for a such a happy little image.

Hope you're having a great Tuesday.  I've been working on a ton of craftiness that I can't show you yet - UGH!  Drives me nuts, but that's how it is..... good things to be revealed (and maybe even won!) this summer. :)