It's the Great American Pie Month, a perfect reason to make a Sweet 'n Sassy card!

Did someone say pie? Isn't that the greatest sentiment? February is Great American Pie Month. I'm not sure what that means but pie is good so why not make a card.

I'm excited to announce there's another reason for this card. I was asked to be the guest designer for today's Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Inspiration Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers. This cute "Pie for Cocoa" card is just one of the cards that I created. It uses three different Sweet 'n Sassy stamps: Pie for Cocoa, Did Someone Say Pie? and All My Heart. The images were colored with Copic Markers. A couple of different papers were used: Bo Bunny Blush Dot, Memory Box, Copic X-Press It Blending Card and Neenah Desert Storm.



I love the way the little flowers on the hearts mimick the polka dotted iced cookies in the inspiration picture. I tried to make the pie crust the same color as the cookies but alas, I always burn my pie crusts.

I had so much fun with this challenge, I made a second card using the Sweet 'n Sassy Chickadee and Berries stamp. The sentiment is also a Sweet 'n Sassy stamp. It is part of the Punny Fruits and Veggies set. The berries and the dotted paper represent the pink polka dotted iced cookies while the browns in the chickadee and branches were inspired by the cookies. Did you notice anything familiar about the design of this card? It was inspired by this week's Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Sketch Challenge. It's a terrific sketch that I'm sure will be used a lot.

Again, the image is colored with Copics and the paper is Echo Park's Victoria Gardens.

Here's the inspiration photo:

Are you inspired? Why don't you create something Sweet 'n Sassy and upload it to Splitcoast Stampers. Please remember to add the keyword: SNSSIC25.

And while you're thinking Sweet 'n Sassy, why not play along with their Sketch Challenge. There's also a stamp release blog hop this Thursday night. I'll see you there.

Thank you so much Korin and Taylor and everyone at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Playing along has been so much fun! And Thanks everyone for visiting.

Oh I'm sorry, I never asked...What's your favorite type of pie?

Hello

Hey, it's Saturday. Have you created anything for this month's Stampendous challenge? It is all about bling. Create a card with glitter, rhinestones or anything sparkly and upload it to the Stampendous blog for a chance to win Cherub Wishes Perfectly Clear Set. You have until February 2, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST to play along.

I had good intentions to create something blingy today but it just didn't happen. Instead I thought I'd share this peony panel card. I stamped the flourish from the Cling Jumbo Peony set several times with VersaMark and then embossed with Stampendous Clear Detail Embossing Powder. The pretty colored panel is called Peony Border Panel. I colored it with Copics, matted it and adhered it to the card base. The sentiment is from the Friendly Greetings Class A' Peel sticker set.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my card.


Please visit the following blogs for some sparkly inspiration:

Janelle Stollfus

Kristine Reynolds

Cyndi Bundy

Pam Hornschu

Jennifer Ingle

Melinda Gleissner

Suzanne Czosek

Taylor Usry

Stampendous Saturday Challenge

Good Morning! Have you been playing along with this month's Stampendous challenge? It's all about bling, whether it's glitter, rhinestones or sparkly stickers. Remember, you have until February 2, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST to play along and you don't have to use Stampendous products. We do love it when you do though.

I actually made two cards this week. This first one uses sprinkles of Stampendous Aged Silver Embossing Enamel to create the bling in the background. It's hard to see in the photo but this embossing enamel will give you a fabulous shiny finish. The flower stamp is from the Stampendous Cling Jumbo Thank You. I colored directly to the stamp using Faber-Castell PITT Big Brush pens and then misted the stamp with Perfect Pearls before actually stamping it to the paper. After the image dried, I stamped over it with my all-time favorite Stampendous Cling Music Score and then fussy-cut. Simple.

Today is National Hugging Day. I'm not quite sure what this entails but I thought I'd make a card to celebrate. I stamped the little background block from the Stampendous Daisy Stem Trio set three times with VersaMark ink and then added glitter. Of course I used the following luscious Stampendous colors, Cherry, Rose and Tiger Lily. Pink and Orange is such a happy combination. The sentiment is from an older Stampendous set SSC1052. You may be able to still find it at your local stamp store. This is a terrific set of sentiments so it's worth searching around for.

Please check out the wonderful, glittery inspiration created by Stampendous Design Team members.

Stampendous Impressions Blog
Janelle Stollfus
Cyndi Bundy
Wendy Price
Wendy Jordan
Taylor Usry
Suzanne Czosek
Kristine Reynolds
Pam Hornschu
Jennifer Ingle
Steph Lee


Thanks for visiting. HUGS!

On Valentine's Day, the Stampendous Bling Challenge

It’s Saturday which means another chance to play along with the Stampendous Challenge. This month’s challenge is all about bling. It doesn’t matter whether you use glitter, rhinestones or sparkly stickers, just bling up a card and submit it over at the Stampendous blog. Please add the direct link for your card to the linky tool on the Stampendous blog no later than February 2, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST. You don't have to use Stampendous products to play along, but we sure love it when you do! And as an extra incentive for playing, one lucky person (drawn at random from all the entries) will receive this gorgeous Cherub Wishes Perfectly Clear Stamp Set. Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address.

For my card I inked the Stampendous Heart Stack N228 image with VersaMark Watermark Ink and then embossed it with my favorite black Stampendous embossing powder. I also stamped and embossed a sentiment from the Stampendous Iguana Love set SSC1084 the same way. I dry embossed a frame around the panel, matted it and then added foam adhesive before adhering it to the card base. For bling, I colored one of the hearts with a mixture of Festive Berries Distress ink and Perfect Pearls Mist. I also added a few Stampendous Class a’ Peel Dot Sparklers in red AC672HSR. If you want to add bling fast and inexpensively use Class a’Peel stickers. They come in a huge variety of styles and colors and because you always get a lot of them in one package, this product is perfect for mass producing cards.

Before you run off to create your blinged-out card, please check out the stunning inspiration created by these Design Team Members.

Stampendous Impressions Blog
Cyndi Bundy
Wendy Price
Wendy Jordan
Jennie Lin Black
Taylor Usry
Krissy Fossmeyer
Suzanne Czosek
Kristine Reynolds
Pam Hornschu
Melinda Gleissner (that's me)
Jennifer Ingle

Thanks for visiting!

Resolutions Can Be Challenging So Add Some Bling

We all know how challenging New Year's Resolutions can be. I've broken almost all of my 2012 resolutions, like giving up sugar and pop, exercising everyday and being more frugal...and it's only the first Saturday of the year.

That's why I am so excited that it's also the first Saturday of the month because that means a new Stampendous monthly challenge and this month's challenge is going to help me keep my last remaining unbroken resolution...to fran'tage more often.

You may be asking yourself, What is Fran'tage? It's collaging goodness at it's best and is the brainchild of Fran Seiford, founder of Stampendous. It's a mix of all things Stampendous: stamps, embossing powders, glitters and mica fragments. This month's challenge is all about BLING! Glitter, rhinestones, sparkly stickers...you name it. Just make it shiny and get it on your project! So I pulled out two of my favorite products, Stampendous Kaleidoscope Embossing Powder and Aged Gold Embossing Enamel. I also used some Stampendous Pearlized Mica Fragments. All of these I added over the very pretty Cling Bird Frame image which I stamped on hand-painted tissue paper. To finish the card I added three Copic-colored pearls as eggs in the nest. Voila, glittery, shiny goodness.

Please play along with us! Just add the direct link to your card (make sure you've loaded it up with tons of BLING) to the linky tool on the Stampendous blog no later than February 2, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST. You don't have to use Stampendous products to play along, but we sure love it when you do! And as an extra incentive for playing, one lucky person (drawn at random from all the entries) will receive this gorgeous Cherub Wishes Perfectly Clear Stamp Set (Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address):

Please take a moment and take a look at what these wonderful Design Team members have created:

Stampendous Impressions Blog

Cyndi Bundy

Wendy Price

Janelle Stollfus

Wendy Jordan

Jennie Lin Black

Taylor Usry

Krissy Fossmeyer

Suzanne Czosek

Kristine Reynolds

Steph Lee

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu


We hope you get a chance to play along with us. May all of your stamping this month be filled with glittery, shiny goodness!

Lawn Fawn CHA Winter 2012 Challenge *

Lawn Fawn has a really exciting challenge going on right now.

Winners will have their cards showcased in the next Lawn Fawn catalog and as well as at their booth at CHA. 3 lucky winners will also receive a $75 gift certificate to the Lawn Fawn store.

In the post, Kelly Marie Alvarez who owns Lawn Fawn says, "We seriously love you guys." Seriously, I don't know of anyone who doesn't love Lawn Fawn! I know LF stamps have been some of my most favorite since their start. Yes, the stamps are super cute and of excellent quality, but it's the company as a whole that makes us fall in love with Lawn Fawn. I always look forward to Kelly's posts, they make me smile. The challenges are creative and loads of fun and Kelly's Design Team is packed with amazing artists. The reason I think I love Lawn Fawn stamps so much is the company's attitude towards it's customers. It's Kelly's sincere gratitude and grace that she shows her customers, from the little special thank you stamps enclosed in an order to her response to each and every comment or upload that you make. She and her team (including Laurel and the Lawnscaping Girls) are always nudging and encouraging us with their kind words. We all have secret dreams of having our cards noticed and loved. Kelly's Lawn Fawn makes us feel like our every creation is noteworthy.

So Kelly, thank you for the opportunity to have our cards posted and for possible prizes to win but from all of us, may I say thank you for Lawn Fawn. Seriously, we love you guys!

*On that note, may I say this was not a ploy to try to be selected. Have you seen the submitted cards? They are truly fabulous. I have my favorites and also know the only chance I have of being selected is if Kelly decides to take them all to CHA. I just wanted to say thanks for the joy she has given me.



Thanks for visiting and allowing me to rant.

Lawn Fawn Supplies used:
Critters in the Burbs; Critters in the Forest; Quinn's ABCs;Smitty's ABCs; Plus One

Many Thanks

Oh, it feels so good to sit and write a post. I don't know about you but I'm really glad to be getting back into a routine. The mad push from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day is just that, maddening. I know...bah humbug.

Here are a few thank you cards I made this week using Lawn Fawn stamps. I just realized they look very Christmassy. Maybe, subconsciously, I am not ready to let go of the holidays...bah humbug.

For these cards I used the following Lawn Fawn stamps: Petite Florals, Blissful Botanicals, Judy's Blooms (the single bloom on my first card is the cut-out center of the largest flower), Quinn's ABCs (don't you just love this alphabet), Many Thanks, Bannerific and Schoolhouse Backdrops (I used the notebook paper stamp to create the horizontal lines on the first card).

Oh my goodness, I just realized I created a poinsettia, a wreath and an amaryllis. What's wrong with me?

Eek, I just felt the urge to watch "It's a Wonderful Life." OK, forget the post. I'm running down stairs to tear down the Christmas tree. Maybe tomorrow.

I colored the images with...red and green Copic markers.

The poinsettia thank you: YR04/R24/R39/G12/G14/G17
The wreath thank you:
R02/R05/R08/R30/R32/R35/R37/R81/R83/R85/G20/G21/G24/G28
The amaryllis thank you: R12/R14/R17/R39/YG11/YG13/YG17/G0000/C00/C0/C1.



For some non-Christmassy Lawn Fawn inspiration you can always head on over to the Lawn Fawn blog or the Lawnscaping Challenge blog. Seriously, both blogs are packed with nothing but fabulous art from amazing artists. Please check them out.

Thank you all so much for your kindness and for your comments. It means the world to me. Happy New Year to you all. May 2012 bring you health, happiness and crafty goodness.