Creating Outside My Comfort Zone

All this week, the Stampendous Team has been sharing fantastic projects that were created using all new Stampendous stamps. I am so honored to be a part of this team of extraordinary women whose artistry inspires me and challenges me to push my limits and create.

Please join us today for a New Release Blog Hop. I know you will be amazed with what you see. Please remember to comment on each blog. We love your input and as an added bonus, there will be three random prizes. When you see something you like (I know you will), keep in mind that all of the images are now available at the Stampendous Online Store.

Recently I had the opportunity to take a colored pencil class from Terry Medaris. He is an incredible artist and teacher. I was so excited I drove home (around a two hour trip) and stayed up most of the night to create this framed art. I am a CAS card maker whose comfort zone is coloring with my beloved Copic markers so I surprised myself when I created this unglazed tile in a distressed frame. It uses the new, very cool, Stampendous Nestled Bird stamp, plus the Stampendous Serenade sentiment and my go-to Stampendous Music Score stamp.

The corner embellishments are Momenta Metal Stickers that I embossed with Stampendous Aged Bronze Embossing Enamel. Here is a close up of the Music Score and one of the embossed flourishes and some directions if you would like to try your own Nestled Bird Distressed Frame artwork.

Stamp Nestled Bird onto tile using Jet Black ink; Color with colored pencils.
Randomly stamp Music Score onto tile.
Water-down paint and brush onto tile; Heat set to dry.
Stamp sentiment onto tile using Jet Black ink.
Distress frame using sandpaper and acrylic paint; Stamp Music Score onto frame using VersaMark.
Place tile in frame.
Cover metal stickers with VersaMark; Sprinkle with embossing enamel; Heat set.
Adhere stickers to frame.

Today's Hop List:

 Annette Witherspoon 

Asia King 

Barb Turpin 

Cyndi Bundy

Janelle Stollfus  

Jennifer Ingle 

Jennifer Dove 

Kristine Reynolds

Lea Kimmel 

Mary Dawn Quirindongo 

Melinda Gleissner  (that's me)

Pam Hornschu 

Rhea Weigard

Suzanne Czosek

Taylor Usry

Tenia Nelson

Tobi Crawford

Wenday Jordan

Wendy Price 

Yana Smakula 




Thanks for visiting!

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Release Week Continues

It's Release Week over at Stampendous. Have you been following along? Aren't the new images Fantastic?!

Want to see all of the newest images? Please flip through our newest catalog by clicking on the cover below. You can also print or download a pdf of it to your computer.

Today, I'd like to give you a preview of a super cute new kiddo stamp called Kiddo Hop. I just love this kiddo. She's perfect for birthdays and get wells and everyday cards.

I created the card base and mats* using Spellbinders Lacey Circles and Standard Circles dies. The image was stamped on X-Press It Blending Card and colored with Copics. I wanted to add a little sparkle so I added some Stampendous Stardust Embossing Powder to the flower centers and used my heat tool to melt the powder.

There's lots of inspiration today. Please check out the amazing creations from these amazing artists.

Stampendous Impressions
Asia King
Janelle Stollfus
Jennifer Dove
Kristine Reynolds
Melinda Gleissner (that's me)
Suzanne Czosek
Tenia Nelson
Wendy Price
Lea Kimmel

Thanks for visiting today!



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*Little Yellow Bicycle Tiny Princess Collection

It's a Stampendous Release!

Release Week continues with more sneak peeks.

Want to see all of the newest images? Please flip through our newest catalog by clicking on the cover below. You can also print or download a pdf of it to your computer.

My card uses the new Stampendous Jumbo Spring Bouquet stamp set. I know this one is going to get a workout!

Directions
Create card base and mats using blue, sage and white cardstock.
Die-cut mat; Cover with VersaMark ink and embossing enamel; Heat set.
Stamp Spring Bouquet onto sage panel using Tuxedo Black ink; Color with colored pencils.
Stamp flourish from set onto panel using VersaMark ink.
Assemble card.

For more sneak peeks, please visit the following blogs:

Janelle Stollfus

Jennifer Ingle

Jennifer Dove

Melinda Gleissner

Rhea Weigand

Suzanne Czosek

Taylor Usry

Wendy Price

Kristine Reynolds

Thanks for visiting!

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Some Exciting News

Exciting News...there's a new release at Stampendous! Fabulous florals, cute kiddos, birds, butterflies, even new steampunk. There's something for everyone. All this week, the Design Team will showcase sneak peeks of these new stamps. Please stop by daily for inspiration.

I have more news, exciting for me. I am honored to say I am now creating for the Stampendous Catalog Team. The first stamp I ever tried was a Stampendous image so it is a dream come true to work along side these incredible, talented ladies. I'm so blessed.

My card uses lots of new Stampendous images. The bouquet is called Rose Cluster. Isn't it fabulous! The flourish is from the Jumbo Spring Bouquet set and the sentiment is from the Spanish Greetings Perfectly Clear Set.

I started by stamping the sentiment on cardstock using VersaMark ink, I sprinkled it with Stampendous Midnight Black embossing powder and heat set. I stamped the flourish from the Jumbo Spring Bouquet set using VersaMark. I also stamped the Rose Cluster three times on X-Press It Blending Card using Tuxedo Black ink and colored it with Copics. After fussy-cutting the colored Rose Clusters, I layered the flowers and adhered them to the card base. I added Stampendous Stardust embossing powder to the flowers for a little sparkle.

You can see more sneak peek projects on these blogs:

Cyndi Bundy

Jennifer Dove

Melinda Gleissner

Pam Hornschu

Wendy Jordan

Wendy Price

Tobi Crawford

  

Thanks for visiting!

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Stampendous Rose Cluster
Stampendous Jumbo Spring Bouquet
Stampendous Spanish Greetings

Have a Cool Yule!

I love that Emperor penguins huddle together to keep each other warm. I love that they constantly shuffle around so the penguins on the outside of the huddle get to move inward. I love that it is a collective shuffle. Every 30-60 seconds every penguin in the group takes small steps. It's the penguin equivalent to a football stadium 'wave.' It's instinctive, I know but I choose to believe that each one of them is sensitive to all the others needs. Silly, huh? OK, I'll leave it at, I love penguins.

And so does my son so I try to make penguin cards every Christmas for him to send to friends and family. Today's card is a remake from a card I posted last year. I can't help it. These penguins from Stampendous are so cute. They are from the Yule Penguins set. I used the Stampendous Snow Swirl to create the background, stamping it in Memento Summer Sky ink. I then stamped the three cuties on a scrap of Copic X-Press It, colored them and then trimmed them out. Before adhering them to the panel, I added Stampendous Cotton Ball White Fun Flock to the trim of their clothes. It's really easy to use Fun Flock. Just apply liquid adhesive to where you want the flock, sprinkle it on top and rub it in with your finger. After huddling my penguins on the card, I added some Stampendous Shaved Ice for a little extra sparkly, icy goodness.

Thanks for visiting today!

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A Little Sparkle

Here's a quick share, a card I made by 'watercoloring' with my Copics. After stamping this beautiful Stampendous Amaryllis image onto Neenah Classic Crest White cardstock, I pulled out my Copic refill bottles and a water brush. I've been wanting to try this technique for a while and I'm so glad I did. It's an easy way to achieve a 'watercolored' effect.

Here's how:
I used an inexpensive, plastic plate as my palette. After pouring a little bit of each desired refill color onto the plate, I filled my water brush with Copic Colorless Blender. I used the water brush to pick up the color and basically 'painted' the flower image. After I finished, I smeared the whole panel with VersaMark WaterMark ink and sprinkled it with Stampendous Kaleidoscope Embossing Powder. I used my heat tool to melt the powder, added a bow and attached it to a card base. Another simple but sparkly holiday card.

I'm going to add this one to this month's Stampendous Challenge. The theme is Fabulous Florals. Have you played along yet? Come on, you know you want to. There are prizes to be had. Please click here for all of the details.

Thanks for visiting.

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Worm Wishes

My husband doesn't like patterned paper. He despises ribbon. I really believe this is not a reflection on the wonderful paper and ribbon products out there but on my inabilities to use them. He likes plain and simple with clean lines and coloring and he loves a good pun.

Today is my husband's birthday so I am thankful for Hambo Stamps and all of their adorable images. This Worm Balloon image was perfect. My husband loved his no paper/no ribbon CAS card.

Don't you just love it when a stamp is so cute, it can stand alone without a lot of extras!?! That's Hambo Stamps. They offer so many great images, really something for everyone. I love all of the super cute animals and the sentiments that go along with them. The quality is fantastic too. Because the stamps are made from deep etched rubber, they stamp perfectly every single time.

Hambo Stamps also has a great weekly challenge and guess what? if you play, they email you a free digital stamp that will be featured in the following week's challenge. How cool is that. I've played the last three weeks but alas, I never had the time to post my entries. It's true what they say...you have to play to win:-)

OK, I'm almost done raving. I discovered Hambo Stamps through Kecia Hicks Waters. She is a wonderful person that you just want to hang around. Not only is she sweet and funny, she colors. Boy, does she color. Every card she creates is fantastic. If you aren't familiar with Kecia's creations, please visit her blog, Stamping Deets. Grab a cup of coffee first, you'll want to stay a while.

Thanks for visiting today. Create a card that makes someone smile.

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A Stampendous Core'dinations Blog Hop

Stampendous and Core'dinations are joining forces today for a fun blog hop. It's been a terrific week of inspiration from both teams. If you missed any of it, you can find all of the daily posts here.

I created a card using this fantastic Core'dinations ColorCore cardstock as both my card base and the sanded, embossed panel. The image is the Stampendous Christmas Kitten stamp. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp it on Copic X-Press It Blending Card. After coloring this adorable kitty with Copics, I added some Stampendous Cotton Ball White Fun Flock to the hat. A couple of buttons layered together finished the card.

Here's the hop list. Please remember to comment on each for a chance to win.

Stampendous Blog

Core'dinations Blog

Annette Witherspoon

Cyndi Bundy

Janelle Stollfus

Jennifer
Ingle

Krissy
Fossmeyer

Kristine Reynolds

Lea Kimmel

Mary Dawn Quirindongo

Rhea Weigand

Stephanie Lee (Arty Carty)

Suzanne Czosek

Tenia Nelson

Wendy Jordan

Wendy Price

Melinda Gleissner

Jennifer Dove

Thanks for visiting today!

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Another Great Collaboration

Stampendous has teamed up with another incredible company. All this week, we are playing along with Core'dinations. It's been great fun so far. Please remember to stop back on Saturday for a show-stopping, grand finale blog hop.

I created a card using the Stampendous Cling Jumbo Dahlia stamp and Core'dinations Black Magic ColorCore cardstock. I started by stamping the flourish from the Cling Jumbo Dahlia on the purple back side of a piece of Black Magic cardstock. I then 'embossed' this flourish by once again placing the stamped image side up, black side down on a foam mat and then tracing the flourish with a stylus. I turned the cardstock over so the black side was up and sanded over the raised areas. Here's the magic, the purple color shows through where sanded.

The glorious dahlia image was stamped onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card and colored with Copic markers. I cut out the image and then adhered it to the card. Simple, easy and fun.

And now for more inspiration.

Stampendous Blog

Core'dinations Blog

April Derrick

Kristine Reynolds

Lea Kimmel

Tenia Nelson

Debbie Standard

Melinda Gleissner

(That's me)

Thanks for visiting today. Have a magical day!

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Copic Colors: V000/V01/V04/C1

A Very Sparkly Christmas

I LOVE the festive look at Christmas, the twinkling lights, the shiny ornaments and the glittery cards. I LOVE sparkle. There's been a big trend lately to color over glitter. I'd like to share a card that gives you that sparkly look only it uses a completely different technique with embossing powder.

I started by stamping the Stampendous Cling Jumbo Poinsettia* onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I colored this stunning image and then cut around it. Using a direct-to-paper technique, I inked my poinsettia with VersaMark WaterMark ink and then covered it with Stampendous Kaleidoscope Embossing Powder. Heat setting the embossing powder locks all of that glittery goodness in place so it stays on your card and not all over your hands (and the counter and the floor and...). I absolutely LOVE this particular Stampendous powder. It picks up whatever colors you use underneath it. You can even create a fun, Mercury Glass look with it.

I created the background panel by stamping the Stampendous Christmas Background onto white cardstock. I then placed the Crafter's Workshop 6x6 Mini Cosmic Swirl Stencil over the stamped panel and inked using Ranger Evergreen Bough and Iced Spruce Distress Inks. I sprinkled the panel with water, heat set it and then adhered it to a card base. After attaching my sparkly poinsettia, my card was complete.

*A note about the Cling Jumbo Poinsettia: This has been such a popular stamp that it is sold out at the Stampendous Online Store. It may still be available at your local retailer. For Central Ohioans, Scrapbook Art in Lewis Center still has a few in stock.

Thanks for visiting. May your day be filled with sparkle.

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Stampendous May Arts Blog Hop

Happy World Card Making Day! I'm so glad you stopped by. The ladies at Stampendous and May Arts are celebrating by wrapping up a fantastic week of fun, blog hop style.

So grab a bag of chips and some dip and enjoy the hop. Please leave comments as you hop. There are prizes for the taking.

I have two projects to share. My first is this holiday card. I stamped the Stampendous Christmas Background in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, spritzed it with Tsukineko Goosebumps and then sponged ink over it, using Memento Summer Sky and Teal Zeal. Before adhering it to the card base, I sprinkled Shabby White Embossing Enamel on the stamped panel and heated from the bottom to set.

The Stampendous Snow Bird image was stamped on Copic X-Press It Blending Card, colored with Copics and fussy-cut. It was easy to add Shabby White Embossing Enamel to the image by using a VersaMarker to catch the enamel where I wanted it. I used dimensional foam squares to adhere this adorable image to my card and finished the whole thing by adding this fabulous gold May Arts ribbon.

My second project is this cool Halloween hat which started out as plain paper mache. I found it at Michaels, along with the chains and all of the hardware.

I started by stamping the Stampendous Tin Panel image onto tissue paper. I continued doing this until I covered an entire piece of tissue. I applied the stamped tissue to the hat with Beacon Fast Finish Decoupage. I must say I LOVE how this stamp looks collaged. Next, I adhered this cool May Arts ribbon using Be Creative tape. I wanted to give the hat a little more texture so I pleated the ribbon by once again using this great tape between the pleats.

I found this pendant in the beading section of Michaels. It had the word 'At' in big letters in it so I tore off the back and created my own image. I stamped the Halloween Sprite image on Copic X-Press It Blending Card and colored it with Copics. Before gluing the colored image to the back of the pendant, I sprinkled the inside with Stampendous Pearlized Mica Fragments. I then attached a chain and various charms. A hot glue gun was used to adhere the whole thing to the hat.

Sorry this was such a long one. Here is the hop list. Please remember to comment for a chance to win a prize.

Stampendous Impressions
Cyndi Bundy
Janelle Stollfus
Jennifer Ingle
Jennifer Dove
Krissy Fossmeyer
Kristine Reynolds
Lea Kimmel
Mary Dawn Quirindongo
Melinda Gleissner (that's me)
Pam Hornschu
Steph Lee
Suzanne Czosek
Taylor Usry
Tenia Nelson
Wendy Jordan
Wendy Price
May Arts

Thanks for visiting. Have a crafty-kind-of-day!

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Stampendous May Arts Collaboration Week

All this week, the Stampendous Design Team is collaborating with May Arts. I have to tell you how excited I am about this. May Arts ribbon is the absolute best. There are so many glorious styles and colors which makes May Arts the perfect match for my favorite stamp company, Stampendous.

I created a Halloween Treat Bag. Stampendous released so many fun Halloween stamps this year, you could make a bunch of these, each one a little different. How perfect is this for school parties.

I started with a 10-1/2" x 3-3/4" piece of cardstock, scored at 1", 5-1/2", 5-3/4" and 6". On a panel that is 1/8" smaller, I stamped the Crowscape image using Versamark. After adhering the panel to the front of my scored cardstock, I diecut a small circle through both layers.

I stamped the Scruffles Candy image onto X-Press It Blending Card using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, colored it with Copics and then fussy-cut. I used dimensional foam adhesive to adhere it to the treat bag.

And now for the ribbon. I took this yummy orange gingham and created a korker bow by wrapping the ribbon around a dowel and heating it in my oven for 20 minutes (250 degrees). There is a great tutorial on the May Arts You Tube site, here. I love the look of curled ribbon. To finish the bow, I threaded some more of the ribbon through a button and secured the whole thing to my bag with a glue dot.

OK, there is one last detail. I filled a clear bag with my new favorite candy, white chocolate candy corn m&m's. I stapled the top of the bag, ran a strip of tape on the inside of my treat bag and placed the clear bag inside.

Please visit the following blogs and leave comments for a chance to win prizes from Stampendous and May Arts. Also, please stop back on Saturday for the grand finale, a huge Stampendous May Arts Blog Hop. There will be even more chances to win.

Stampendous Impressions
Jennifer Dove
Kristine Reynolds
Lea Kimmel
Melinda Gleissner (that's me)
May Arts

Thanks for visiting!

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