A very Special Birthday Blog Hop!!

It's a very special day today!! The Stamper's Dream Dream Team has organized a blog hop in honor of our very special friend, and Stamper's Dream owner, Michelle Rodgers!! We've included a special guest in this hop too: Kellie Fortin from JustRite Stampers. What an honor Kellie!! Thanks for joining us!!

Now, I'm the caboose of this hop, so if you've just come from Amy's blog, you're on the right track.

So, how about the deets of this card. I just got this absolutely gorgeous Tim Holtz dp called Vintage Shabby Idea-ology from Stamper's Dream the other day. *sigh*...This has to be my new favoritest (I know that's not a word, but it should be. *grin*) dp. Seriously, the patterns and colors are ultra yummy!!

Now, Michelle understands me, and I get her, so I LOVED this new sentiment from the JustRite set Birthday Centers. I used a Labels 11, Standard Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders) die to frame the sentiment. And see the flourishes on the top and bottom of the Labels 11 die? I just used one of the frames from the Baroque Nested Frames set. I inked it up with a combination of VersaMagic colors: Aegean Blue and Night Sky. The inside of the frames were sponged with Aegean Blue, and all the dp was ink distressed with Pumice Stone Ranger Distress Ink.



Finally, to finish my card off, I added some Martha Stewart punched borders, a couple of flourishes (Sizzix), some Prima Flowers, MS Leaves, a strip of pearls and a couple of Kaisercraft Rhinestones. Oh, and I scored along the bottom right above the border punch. I love the finished look the scoring gives.

You won't want to miss what these gals have to share. They just ooze mad stampin' skills. So head to our guest hopper Kellie Fortin's blog and follow the trail.

Smiles for the Liles!!

Hey there fellow stampers! I don't have a card to share with you today, but I would like to share something really important. A fellow Verve Diva, Susan Liles, is going through quite a trial right now. Her husband, Eric, is battling cancer. And three fantastic Stamp Companies have banded together to help this wonderful family out with a 10% off stamp Sale this weekend. A portion of all their sales will go toward helping the Liles family. Aren't they awesome?!?!

Retail and online sales only.

JustRite release at Stamper's Dream

There are new JustRite images in the house!! Woot!! Gorgeous Frames with beautiful sentiments!!! Check them out HERE.

Here are the deets on my card, with a close-up below. I used one of the smaller frames from the Baroque Nested Frames sets. And framed that image with the new Tim Holtz Hanging Sign! The flourish frame was stamped with Pumice Stone Distress Ink by Ranger, and the sentiment with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink. The frame was edged with a Silver Krylon leafing pen, and the hanging piece was covered with a new metallic ink by Stazon. It's Platinum and stunning in person. Here's a closer look. Michelle has some fantastic new Stazon colors that you can find HERE.



The yummy paper is from one of Basicgrey's new lines called Capella. This is one of my most favorites ever!! Gorgeous colors and designs!! Some of the gorgeous flowers are by Prima, the flourish behind them is a Sizzix die, the rhinestones are by Zva Creative, the leaves are Martha Stewart, the punched border was made with a EK Success punch, the ribbon is silk and is by May Arts, and the cs I used for matting is Birchtone Dark by Prism.

That's it for my card.
You won't want to miss what the rest of the Dream Team has done with these images. They have some wonderfully creative pieces to share.

Check it out:
Cindy
Karen
Cammie
Leslie
Amy
Denise
Laurie
Michelle
Dawn

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a fantastic week!!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Dude, You Rock!!

Is it really Thursday already? Holy cow. This week is going by fast! Well, since it's Thursday, I have a CCEE card to share with you today with a sketch provided by our one and only team member, Shirley Quarry. She has a month of sketches planned, and I hope ya'll will join us. Here's this week's sketch:

Here's my take on the sketch:

Verve's latest release is just full of super fun summer images. And I thought this combo of images would be perfect for my nephew who turned 15 yesterday. I used images from the following Verve sets: Relax, Happy Days, and Dude.

The wave was inked up with Versamagic inks, and the surf boards and sun were inked up with Black Onyx Versafine, embossed with Clear ep, and watercolored with Tombow markers. All the edges were ink distressed with Black Soot Ranger Distress Ink. For the sand, I used some fun handmade paper by Prima, and the dp is by Kaisercraft.

I added his initials, in brand form, to one of the boards to personalize it a bit.

That's it for today's card. We'd love to see how you use this sketch, so head on over to the CCEE Stamper's Blog for all the details.

Happy Stamping my friends!!
Tosh

A Shabby Mix

Okay, I have to just say it. I LOVE this image by Penny Black!!! It's called Mixed Media, and I got it from Stamper's Dream!! It's all one image, is ultra cool and gorgeous, and is so easy to use. I just stamped it a total of four times with Tuxedo Black Memento ink. Three times onto three different Basics Manilla dp designs (Basicgrey), and once onto One Sheet Wonder Couture cs. After that, I diecut the three images from the Basicgrey papers with Labels 1 Nestabilties (Spellbinders), and left one whole, tore one panel from the next, and two panels from the third. I then just added some Versamagic ink to each panel and ink distressed the edges with Vintage Photo Ranger Distress ink. The flowers were colored with copics, cut out and adhered to the already glued and distressed panel. The two top flowers are popped up with dimensionals.

The little sentiment is from the Flourishes set "From the Garden", and was punched out with the SU! Designer Labels punch. I added some sweet Seam Binding Ribbon, (MemrieMare) and a gorgeous little Sparkler button by Webster's Pages.

Finally, I added some Kaisercraft pearls, a border with an EK Success punch, and a touch of sparkle with a Quickie Glue Pen and some Ultrafine glitter. Oh, and I almost forgot, the bg dp is Basicgrey Capella.

That about sums it all up!!
Hope your week is off to a great start.
I'll have a CCEE card ready to show you tomorrow, so be sure to stop by.
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Verve's Project Parade Tote

Verve's Project Parade has been going on for awhile now, and I have the honor of sharing a project today. To see more details, head on over to the Verve Blog found HERE.

I used Lauren Meader's Trendy Tool Tote Template for my gift box, and decorated it with images from the following Verve Sets: One Person, Relax, and Happy Days.

Stamps: One Person, Relax, and Happy Days (Verve)
Paper: PTI Prismatics, Crate Paper
Ink: Thatched Straw, Persimmon, Key Lime, Tea Leaves, Sea Breeze, Turquoise Gem and Wheat (Versamagic), Pumic Stone (Ranger Distress Ink)
Accessories: Circle and Reverse Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Trendy Tool Tote Template (Lauren Meader), Border Punches (EK Success), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Ribbon, Bath and Body Foot Care Products

God Bless America

It's Thursday!! And therefore, I have a CCEE challenge card to share with you. This time we were given a sketch with a twist. The sketch is below, and the twist is that we have to include a button.

Here's what I made using the sketch above with a twist.

I used a new stamp set by Darcie's called Land of the Free, that I got from Stamper's Dream. Don't you just LOVE this bold and majestic eagle with the flag as a breastplate!!!
I inked it up with Versamagic colors Jumbo Java, Night Sky and Red Brick. All the edges were ink distressed with Jumbo Java also, and I even covered white Candy Dots with it. I was really happy with the wooden look the ink gave them. All the images were stamped directly onto new Basicgrey papers from the Basics Manila Paper Pad, and the stars were diecut with the Star Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

I also added some glitter to the stars, used Prismatics cs, a PTI button, Natural Burlap String, my Zutter Distrezz-it-all, and a sewing machine.

That's about it. The card is pretty straight forward, so I won't go into any more details. I just want to remind you, that we'd love to see what you do with this sketch over at the CCEE Stamper's Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Happy stamping my friends!!
Tosh

Romans 8:18

Hello stampers!! I made this card awhile back for the Verve release, and haven't gotten around to posting it to my blog until today. Julee always has such fantastic sentiments and flowers. I'm in awe of her talent each and every release. But I have to say that this is one of my favorite sentiments. I stamped it with Smokey Gray Versafine onto ivory cs, so it's a little hard to see in the photo. (Click on the photo for a closer look) It's Romans 8:18 - "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." If you're anything at all like me, there are times where your burdens feel too heavy to carry. This promise helps!! A lot!!

I paired it with her beautiful Hibiscus flowers from the Happy Days set, which I embossed with Detail White ep, and watercolored with Tombows.

The rest is pretty self explanatory.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Stamps: Romans 8:18 Plain Jane, Happy Days
Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle, Ivory Simply Smooth, Island Mist Dark (Prismatics)
Ink: Smokey Gray (Versafine), Aegean Blue (Versamagic)
Accessories: Labels 1, Styled Labels Movers and Shapers (Tim Holtz), Tombows, Detail White ep, Lace, Rhinestones

A Bird in the window

I'm so excited to share this card with you today. I fell in love with this Bird in a Circle image (Hero Arts), the first time I laid eyes on it. You can find this image, along with many other stamps, papers, embellishments and stamping tools at Stamper's Dream. A one stop shop in my opinion!!

This card might look pretty involved, but the image really does all the work. I stamped it twice with Memento Tuxedo Black; once directly onto So Sophie dp by My Mind's Eye, and another onto One Sheet Wonder Couture cardstock. The scripted bg is part of the stamped image.


I then colored the image with copics and cut out the window portion so that you could see through to the inside of the card where I added some sponged clouds and a birthday sentiment.

To get those fabulously distressed edges, I used the Zutter Distrezz it all tool, and ink distressed the edges with Bundled Sage Ranger Distress Ink.

The flourish (Sizzix diecute) is covered with Ultrafine Transparent glitter that I applied with a Quickie Glue Pen, the pebble is from Prima, the ribbon is SU!, the rhinestones are Kaisercraft, and the border was made with an EK Success punch.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you've been having a fantastic weekend and that your week ahead is even more wonderful!!

Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

CCEE Baby

Whew...it's been awhile. We've been busy getting things ready for our son to come home from college. He brought a couple of friends back with him, one of which is staying to work for us over the summer. Have you ever gone from feeding three (small meals) to 6 with 3 very big boys? Holy cow!! What an adjustment. But I love it!!

Anyway, since it's Thursday, I have a CCEE Stamper's challenge card to share with you. This week Frances challenged us to make a baby card. I used this weeks Mojo Monday sketch found Here, and used this darling little elephant image from the JustRite set called Let's Celebrate. There's also a sweet little lion, monkey, and birthday wishes sentiment.

It's stamped with Tuxedo Black (Memento) and colored with copics. The edges are all distressed with a "new to me" electric distressing tool by Zutter. What I used to do with my fingernails, and a Tim Holtz tool, is now done in less than a minute!! LOVE it.

I also used some new Cabbage Rose ribbon. Awesome stuff, I tell ya!!!! And the little epoxy pebble is by Prima. I used dp called Paper Girl by The girls' paperie, and Pumice Stone Ranger Distress Ink around all the edges. Last, but not least, I used a new EK Success border for the bottom edge, and Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders) to frame my image.

That sums up todays project. We'd love to see some baby cards by you also. Just head on over to the CCEE Stamper's blog for all the details, and to see what the other gals have come up with.

Happy Stamping my friends!!
Tosh

Your Friendship = icing on the cake

Once again, it's time for a CCEE Stamper's Challenge. This week Frances challenged us to be inspired by a nursery rhyme. I chose Paddycake, Paddycake:

Paddycake, Paddycake, baker's man,

Bake me a cake as fast as you can;

Roll it, pat it, mark it with a B,

Put it in the oven for baby and me.

Well, this card isn't for a baby. I chose to make it for a friend instead. :o)

The beautiful cake image is from the Flourishes set called Let Them Eat Cake. I stamped it with Versamark directly onto the dp Sophie by My Mind's Eye, embossed with Detail Black ep, diecut it with my Spellbinders Rectangle die and sponged around it (while still in the die) with Aged Mahogany (Ranger Distress Ink).

Now, head on over to the CCEE Stamper's Blog to see what the other girls have come up with. Click HERE. We'd love to see what nursery rhyme inspires you too. Just use Mr. Linky at the bottom of the post.

Thanks for stopping by.
Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

Stamps: Let Them Eat Cake
Paper: Sophie (MME), Black (Prism), PTI
Ink: Versamark, Aged Mahogany
Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities and Tags (Spellbinders), Detail Black ep, Cloissone Bronze flower (Prima), Flourishes (SU!), Corner Punch (Marvy), Border Punch (MS), Rhinestones, Satin Ribbon (May Arts)

Know How Much I Love You!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Now typically I would show a card made for a mother. But, I decided to make this card for my daughter because I wouldn't be a mother if it weren't for my two very special kids. Since my son is away at college, I sent him a cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory to help him through exams. Cheesecake is a powerful study tool. *grin* And since my daughter isn't into sweets, I thought I'd make a special card for her.

I used one of Verve's newest sets called One Person. I LOVE the flowers and fabulous sentiments in this set. And ever since I saw Tim Holtz's new dies at CHA, I've been itching to use the Hanging Sign.

I stamped the flower images and sentiment with Versamark, and embossed them with Detail Black ep. I used a Martha Stewart leaf punch for the smaller leaves and drew in the veins with a copic to make them similar to the leaves from the Verve image. And then, I added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the flower centers to bling them up a bit.

The edges were ink distressed with Pumice Stone Ranger Distress Ink, the pearls are Kaisercraft, the scalloped border was made with an EK Success Punch, and the paper is by Melissa Frances.

That about sums it all up!!
I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with treasured memories!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Stamps: One Person
Paper: True (Mellisa Frances), PTI
Ink: Versamark, Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Tombows, Hanging Sign (Tim Holtz), Long Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Detail Black ep, Pearls (Kaisercraft), Frosted Lace Stickles, Natural Burlap String (May Arts), Scalloped Border Punch (EK Success), Leaf Punch (Martha Stewart), Copic, Sewing Machine, Dimensional Tape (Scotch)

JustRite at Stamper's Dream ~ Final Day

Well, it's the final day of JustRite week at Stamper's Dream. I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the wonderful variety of ways you can work with these images!! For today, I get the honor of sharing with you a card I made with my absolute favorite set of all times called By the Sea. It has a wonderfully serene adirondack chair image, a calming lighthouse, a majestic sailboat, and a charming group of seashells.

For today, I chose to use the Sailboat. I stamped it with Versamark onto Kraft cs, embossed it with Detail Black ep, and colored it with pastels. I used Spellbinders Ovals to cut it out and framed it with the Scalloped Ovals. The bg's were created with my Scor-Pal, and the Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Shell Collage. (You can click on the picture for a closer look)

The border was made by punching the circles with a handpunch, and a Martha Stewart border punch.

Finally, I just added some Natural Burlap String to the background with some eyelets.

That's it. Be sure to check out what Amy, Michelle have designed for today.

Thanks for dropping by! Have a fantastic weekend!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream and a CCEE Challenge

It's JustRite week at Stamper's Dream again this week, and boy have the gals been cranking out some fantastic projects. In case you haven't seen them yet, or just want to check them out again, here's the schedule for the week:

Monday: Leslie, Cammie, Michelle
Tuesday: Denise, Amy, Cindy, Laurie, Michelle
Wednesday: Dawn, Cindy, Denise, Michelle
Thursday: Leslie, Laurie, Dawn, Me
Friday: Amy, Michelle, Me

eta: Sorry this is late, I had a problem with the postdating. Actually, I was the problem. I scheduled it for the 7th instead of today. YIKES!

For my first project today, I made a medallion with one of the circles from the Kaleidoscope set. The image and sentiment were stamped with Versamark onto vellum and embossed with Gold dp.

Here's a close up of the pendant:



I cut two Lotus Pendants (Spellbinders) out of vellum also and just layered them. I thought it made a great tag for this simple gift bag that I decorated with crocheted lace and Zva Creative Rhinestones at the top, and the Iron gate (Martha Stewart) border punch at the bottom. The dp is by g.c.d. studios, and the Satin Ribbon is May Arts.

Now, since it's Thursday, it's time for another CCEE Stamper's Challenge. This month Frances (StampOwl) is supplying the challenges for us. And since she's about to become a Grandma for the first time, this month will focus on mother's and babies. How fun is that!?!?!



Today, we were to make a Mother's Day card. My MIL is Dutch and loves Delft. So, when I saw the new Applique images by JustRite, I thought they would be great for making Delft tiles, which in turn would make a great Mother's Day card for her. I stamped the image with Mediterranean Blue Brilliance ink, diecut them with my Square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), and gave them a thin coating of Glossy Accents to give them a tile look. The frame was made with the Layered Arches punch set, and the butterfly was punched out of vellum with a Martha Stewart punch. The border was made with the Quilted Edge punch.

Here's a close up of the tile and butterfly:


I scored the stripes in the bg with my Scor-Pal, and the dots were made with the Swiss Dot Folder by Cuttlebug. Again, all the Rhinestones are Zva Creative.

Now, we'd love to have you join us in our CCEE Stamper's Challenge this week and make a Mother's Day card. Just link it with Mr. Linky at the bottom of today's post found HERE, on the CCEE Stamper's Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

May God Hold You

One of my very favorite things about Verve images is, not only do they all stand beautifully alone, but they're so versatile that you can combine most any set with another. For this card I used images from 3 of the newest sets. The sentiment and side flourishes are from the set Blessings, the center border piece is from the set Relax, and the corner flourishes are from the set One Person. Don't they all work beautifully together?!?!?!

And this was so easy to make. I used only two ink colors for the images: Olive (Brilliance) and Jumbo Java (Versamagic). I ink distressed the edges with Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress), and added an elegant border with the Layered Arches Border Punch by Martha Stewart. The ribbon is Silk (May Arts), and the button is PTI.

That's it. Easy and elegant.
I hope you're enjoying your weekend and that this first week of May is a fabulous one for you.
I'm busy getting ready for my son to come home from college. He's bringing a friend along with him to work for us for the summer. We're really looking forward to it. Two big boys....yikes, I'm going to have to readjust my grocery shopping list and cooking!!! LOL

Stamps: One Person, Blessings, Relax
Paper: Prism
Ink: Olive (Brilliance), Jumbo Java (Versamagic), Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Ribbon (May Arts), Button (PTI), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft)