From the Heart...

Well hello out there, for those of you have stuck with me, thanks a bunch! It means so much to know that ya likes me stuffs ;) While this summer was filled with lots of fun things and fun family time, there was also A LOT of drama behind the scenes of the Lampone household. Our house sold and we were so excited to be able to purchase the future Lampone abode. This all started late June and what we thought was going to be a very easy transaction turned out to be a royal nightmare. But with a lot of prayer and a lot of trust, that what is meant to be, will be, I think we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. No official closing date still, but we are very hopeful to hear something soon!!

So, after alot of summer activities, my oldest Kayla starting Kindergarten, my littlest Sami starting 2 days of preschool, starting to pack my house, my anniversary... oh no, my anniversary, in the midst of chaos, I needed my stamping oasis. The very cute NEW Greeting Card Kids was a must have on my list that was still unused (*GASP*), and I was late for a very important date ;) ...

* I inked up the adorable little girl w/ heart image in Basic Brown and stamped her on a 3" Circle, kreated with the Circle Scissors Plus tool, of Watercolor Paper.

* Ahhh, the wonders of clear mount... I took the 'school' image of the girl and boy and placed it next to my stamped image. With a pencil, I lightly traced the outer edge of the boy, so I could place him next to my girl and her heart. Following me?

* Next I inked up the boy in Basic Brown and removed his school books and lunch sack using a Blender Pen to completely remove all traces of ink from those areas and then I stamped him next to the girl, following my pencil marks as a guide to place him.

* Now I know the hand over his shoulder looks a tad out of place, but hubby didn't even notice ;) I added a few fingers to the other hand and just thought it so super cute that it looks like she is handing off the heart to her guy ;) Love that sheepish look on her face

* Colored in my images with my Aquapainter. Kreated a pool of ink in the lids of my SU pads by simply squeezing the center of the closed pad together and upon opening, the lid will have enough ink to dip your aquapainter in to begin coloring. The colors used were Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Pretty in Pink and a Blush Blossom Marker. And few hints of highlighting with my Signo White Gel Pen

* Added a few small Basic Pearls to bedazzle her dress. These kids are Caauuuute!!!

* Inked up additional images to snip out and use as a mask. With my masks in place, I took my Color Spritzer and went a little spritz crazy with a Soft Suede Marker. Then I distressed the edges with my Dauber and more Soft Suede ink to give it that vintagey feel.

* Following the MOJO155 sketch, I used Jolly Holiday DSP to kreate my background. To add a touch more vintage, a piece of Victoria Crochet Trim to hide the 'seam' between papers.

* Dangling from a piece of Linen Thread, I kreated my Heart punched 'tag' with the sentiment from the Simply Said set. TIP: Isolated the words by applying White Craft ink with a q-tip. Distressed the edges with Soft Suede to give the heart some dimension and finished with a little spritz from my Color Spritzer

Hubby seemed to like it ;)
and From the Heart, I Thank YOU for coming back to check in and get a little dose of me [although today ya got quite a dose, huh?!) I may continue to be sporadic until I am into my new home, but I think as I become more and more knee deep in boxes, I am going to need to retreat to my oasis (at least occasionally to keep me sane! - if I can keep track of all my supplies!! I have a plan though - last packed and first opened hehe- just don't tell hubby) Be back soon! Anxious to play with some challenges and to catch up with all my Pals!! Make sure to check out their amazing talent!!

You can purchase all products online with me or email me with your orders.

Happy Kreating

Not quite what I had in mind!

Here I am ;) Did ya miss me? ;) Summer brings new schedules, routines, to-dos, and lots of time with my kiddos, so I haven't been blogging or stamping as much. I know, {gasp}, but I am enjoying the summer to the fullest, it always ends way too soon for me! All sorts of new goodies from the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog, will be coming my way shortly, so I'm sure I will be more than eager to play a bit and of course share :)

Jeesh, it hasn't been that long, but already I am a bit rusty. Don't ya hate when that happens?? I'll share my 'rust' with you anyway, is that ok? The colors were definitely a bit of a challenge for me, so can I blame my rust on my 'failed' color challenge?! 'Nough complaining... PPA50 challenge today is So Saffron, Choc Chip and Basic Gray.
I chose the very versatile set Elements of Style - such beautiful images and really, I think you can do any occasion with it!
*The Circle Scissors Plus is the perfect must have tool for making circles. I love this tool!!! Cut out circle from Watercolor Paper (approx 3" diam)
*Inked up the floral image in Choc Chip ink and stamped on Watercolor Paper. Using my Aquapainter, I lightly went over some of the choc chip to blend into the flower and stems - left it to dry a bit
*On my standard So Saffron card base, I stamped the flourish image in Choc Chip and highlighted with my White Signo Gel Pen. Distressed the edges of the card with more Choc Chip ink using my dauber
*Sentiment was inked in Basic Gray between flourishes
*Bird image was inked in Basic Gray and stamped off once to get a softer/lighter image. Snipped out my bird with precision using my paper snips. Daubbed the edge of my bird with more choc chip ink
*Returned to my floral image and 'painted' my yellow roses with So Saffron reinker. TIP: kreate depth and division of florals with darker and lighter flowers. Use a dryer brush for a darker pigment. When completely dry, go back in with your coordinating marker to highlight/darken an area.
* Added a little Vanilla Smooch Spritz to the floral image and placed on dimensionals.

Hmmm, what went wrong? Looked so much better in my head. LOL Can't win 'em all!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll stick with me through the summer. I may be sporadic, but I will be here! (Honestly, I can't be gone for too long, than I miss you!!) If you want to make sure you don't miss me, just subscribe to my blog. Enter your email address along the right sidebar under 'subscribe'. Make sure you watch your inbox (and spam folder in case) for an 'activation' email and then you will be updated with an email any time I post. K?! Don't worry, you won't get inundated with spam or junk mail by doing this, it'll just be me visiting your inbox!

As always, ANY questions, I am just a click away and I will respond promptly.

You can purchase all products online with me or email me with your orders.

Happy Kreating

Autumn Days

From the PPA9 'inspiration photo challenge' emerged this Fall 'Thinking of You 'card.
I'll get right to it...
* The short vase was kreated from the honey pot in the 'Just Buzzin By' set. I used my Black SU Marker to isolate just the part of the pot I wanted, and stamped onto Watercolor paper, viola' my first vase.
* The second vase was kreated after popping out Large Oval Punch, snipping off the top to kreate a base and than tracing it onto my Watercolor paper. A bit more labor intensive, but I had nothing else that appeared vasish. Well worth the effort!
* Using my Aquapainter and Always Artichoke ink, I colored in both vases.


* From the Autumn Days set, I inked up the various branches with SU Markers and stamped them multiply times in their respective vases (re-coloring each time). Hint: I masked off each vase with scrap paper to avoid my stems appearing on the outside of the vase. Now that would not work :)
* Added some colorful foliage around each vase and snipped out one Ruby Red leaf for some dimension.
* Matted the focal image with Really Rust and sponged the edges with Soft Suede. I kept the rest of the Always Artichoke standard card base relatively simple. Just a strip of this gorgeous new 1-1/4" Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain ribbon and a Choc Chip corduroy button for an accent. And a little more Soft Suede sponging around the card base. Hint: Sponging adds great depth with little effort!
* 'Thinking of You' from Sincere Salutations was inked with VersaMark. Tip: VersaMark kreates a great tone on tone look.

Hope you are inspired to go kreate! Any questions, I am only a click away :)

Shop ALL product orders online with me.


Supplies:
Stamps: Autumn Days (115452), Just Buzzin By(113228), Sincere Salutations (115068)
Paper: Watercolor (105019), Always Artichoke, Really Rust
Ink: VersaMark (102283) SU Markers: Always Artichoke, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, Creamy Caramel, Choc Chip, Close to Cocoa, Basic Black
Accessories: 1-1/4" Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon (115616), Choc Chip Corduroy Button(114339), Linen Thread (104199)

Harvest MOJO

Yesterday was the final sketch of the week celebrating Mojos 100th sketch. This is MOJOMARY sketch (fun one Mary, thanks) and also doubles for the OCC In Color Challenge. Hmmmm? I'm not sure about my kreation, hoping it may grown on me more, but I'll share anyway :)
*Started with a Soft Suede standard card base and layered with Dusty Durango, with two opposing corners clipped with my Corner Rounder Punch.
*Very Vanilla was decorated with random leaves, from the Autumn Harvest set, in Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango and Rich Razzleberry.
*Then I cut apart into 1-1/4" squares giving each square the same Corner treatment
*Soft Suede Ribbon breaks up the pattern a bit. Are you wondering where that Soft Suede Ribbon is in the catty? This is the reverse side of the Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon - so versatile right?!
*The focal image was stamped with other images from the Autumn Harvest set, in Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede and Choc Chip. Using my Markers in these colors, I was able to color on my stamp to give it the look I wanted. A little huff of breath to remoisten and stamp.
*I used a masking technique, using post it notes, to give my picture depth with images in front of others. CLICK HERE to see a masking tutorial on another card I did
*Finally I went back with my Aquapainter and a minimally wet bristle to color in the images. If you are not using Watercolor Paper(105019), be very careful not to over saturate or pill your paper. TIP: Kreate a little pool of ink in the lid of your SU ink pad, simply by squeezing the pad together in the center, when you open, the lid will have your palette to dab your coloring tool into. I got an unintentional striated look on my pumpkin, but I think it looks kinda cool and a bit more realistic.
*Then I adorned 3 Soft Suede faux brads to the bottom left. Hint: Punched out with a handheld hole punch (non SU, mom was a school teacher :) ), then used some Crystal Effects on them to give them a bit of a glossy look.

Hope you like it more than I do :) Maybe it will grow on me :) Happy Monday


Shop ALL product orders online with me.



Supplies:
Stamps: Autumn Harvest(110372)
Paper: Very Vanilla(101650), Soft Suede(115318), Dusty Durango(115321)
Ink: Soft Suede(115657), Crushed Curry(115659), Dusty Durango(115654), Rich Razzleberry(115658), Always Artichoke Marker(105113), BashFul Blue, In Color Markers(116329)
Accessories: Corner Rounder(109047), Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon(115612), Aquapainter(103954)

A Sweet Girl

My 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 Bermuda Bay card base takes a run through the Big Shot with a Backgrounds Texturz Plate. Used a sanding block to 'scuff' up the resulting embossed image, to give it a 'stronger' appearance. Inked up this adorable girl, from A Kind Word,in Basic Brown. HINT: I omitted the kitty simply by removing the ink from the stamp with my Blender Pen and continually scribbling it off until no sign of ink was left on my Blender or my image. Gave it a slight 'huff' of breath to remoisten and set the stamp on Watercolor Paper.
With a slightly damp Aquapainter, I dipped my bristles into a small pool of ink and colored in my little girl. TIP: A small pool of ink can easily be kreated by simply squeezing your closed SU ink pad together and when opened, the lid will have a pool of ink to work with. I layered Crushed Curry Photo Corners on Melon Mambo and placed my image on top with dimensionals. Slid a Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon under my image and around the card and finished with a small bow. Inked my sentiment from Crazy for Cupcakes in Melon Mambo onto Crushed Curry and popped it out with the Large Oval Punch and then layered on a Melon Mambo Scallop Oval.

I just love these rich fun new In Colors. And tomorrow you'll be able to order them from the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog 2009-2010. You'll find ink, cardstock, ribbon, Designer Paper and more in these fun new colors along with many great new stamp sets and products. If you need a catalog, contact me. A downloadable version will be available here sometime after noon MT, when the catalog officially goes live. Online ordering will not be available until sometime after noon MT as well, as SU will be transitioning and updating. Be patient, there are always a few blips before they can work out all the transitional kinks.

If you haven't done so, now is your LAST CHANCE to order from the following:
* Occasions Mini
* Last Chance Accessories
* Last Chance Stamps
* Decor Elements
*EXTRA hostess rewards. Contact me to host a party in your home or a virtual catalog party


Shop ALL product orders online with me.





Supplies:
Stamps: A Kind Word (113194), Crazy for Cupcakes (111618)
Paper: Bermuda Bay (avail July 1), Melon Mambo (avail July 1), Crushed Curry (avail July 1), Water Color Paper(105019)
Ink: Crushed Curry (avail July 1), Melon Mambo (avail July 1), Bermuda Bay (avail July 1), Blush Blossom Marker(100037), Regal Rose(105211)
Accessories: Photo Corners (109042), Large Oval Punch (107305), Scallop Oval (114889), Big Shot(113439), Texturz Plates(114512), Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon(109070), Aquapainter(103954), Blender Pen (102845)

Egg-stra Special

Isn't this little bunny cute? She is from a new line of stamps that Jennifer Meyer has designed. Every Thursday, she announces a new sketch design challenge, so I played along with the current sketch and her Egg-stra Special stamp set.
Since the sketch called for a circle, I couldn't wait to play with my new Circle Scissor Plus. It is now so quick and easy to make the perfect circles. (I used it for a few scrap pages too that I'll show you soon - I just love how easy it is!) Anyway, I stamped out my images in Basic Black onto Whisper White and used my blender pens and my Aquapainter to color. TIP: You want to be careful when blending colors or using your Aquapainter on cardstock, as too much water or blending with start to curl and/or pill your paper - it's best to use the heavier weight Watercolor paper (105019), makes things much easier (next time I will heed my own advice - LOL). The final touch was a piece of Organza Ribbon and matching bow.
Make sure to hop on over to Jennifer's blog, she has some blog candy for you :)

For now, go kreate,
Kim

Supplies:
Stamps: Egg-stra Special (non-SU)
Paper: Whisper White (100730), Kraft (102125), Baja Breeze (111352)
Ink: Baja Breeze (111833), Pretty in Pink(101301), Certainly Celery (105217), Yo Yo Yellow (102717)
Tools: Mat Pack (105826), Paper Piercer, Circle Scissors Plus (112530), Glass Mat (112531), Aquapainter (103954), Blender Pens (102845)
Accessories: Organza Ribbon (114319), Glue Dots (103683), Dimensionals (104430)

Soft and Subtle

My crocus are starting to appear under their warm mulch blanket, which can only mean spring is in the air, can you feel it :) The layout was inspired by the Wed SCS Sketch Challenge (SC219) and I kept with my feeling of spring by using Soft Subtles; Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, and Apricot Appeal and this sweet little bird from the Spring Song set. I inked the bird in Basic Black on Watercolor Paper and used my Barely Banana and Apricot Appeal markers to bring his body to life (why is it the male birds are always the prettier - hmpf!). I sponged the edges of my layers to make them pop a bit more and used the Scallop Edge Punch to kreate a delicate edge around my Pretty in Pink layer. I ran my Barely Banana card through the Big Shot with the Texturz Backgrounds to kreate a subtle and soft embossed look.

Stamps: Spring Song, Fresh Cuts
Paper: Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, Pretty in Pink DSP (retired hostess pack), Apricot Appeal, Watercolor
Ink: Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, Close To Cocoa, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Large Oval Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Soft Subtle Buttons (retired)

For now, go kreate
Kim

A Kind Word

New goodies, WaHoooooo! My two little girls were just as excited as mommy to see the Big Brown truck and then to unveil the big box of 'mommies toys'. Future stampers in the making :) When I saw this set, A Kind Word, I had to have it since I have two little girls and its just perfect for watercoloring. I had to play with this set first. I used the SCS sketch challenge 216 to start my inspiration. If you look closely, you can see I used my Big Shot with the new Backgrounds Texturz plates. SO FUN! The Eyelet Border Punch provides a pretty delicate border and the textured Poly Twill Certainly Celery Ribbon hides my seam. Then there is the precious little girl image that I inked in Jet Black Stazon and stamped on Watercolor Paper. I squeezed the lids of various inks to kreate a pool of ink in the lids and then used my Aquapainter to pick up color and bring her to 'life'. Isn't she sweet? Hope you like her :)
Any questions, I'm always here to help. If you enjoy stamping and would like to get paid for it :), consider joining my team as a demonstrator (check out my right side bar Join My Team for more info. Now is the perfect time to join!! The Starter Kit is NOW 15% off, $169 (a value of $335) and you can make many product substitutions. PLUS you get a bonus of any stamp set in the current catalog (up to $47.95 value). If you decide being a demo is not for you, there's no obligation, NO penalties for signing up. Contact me with any questions, I'd be happy to share the benefits of joining me and SU. Happy Stamping :)

Supplies:
Stamps: A Kind Word
Paper: Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, Choc Chip, Very Vanilla, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Close to Cocoa, Choc Chip, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Bordering Blue
Accessories: Big Shot, Background Texturz Plates, Scallop Circle Bigz Die, Eyelet Border Punch, Aquapainter, Poly Twill Certainly Celery Ribbon (available as a FREE product during the Sale-a-bration promotion), dimensionals


For now, go kreate
Kim

Demo Class Projects

I went to a demonstrator class this past Friday where we kreated 3 cards and a cute 3-D project. Great fun to be with other demos and stamp and not be the 'teacher' :) These cards are not my design, simply CASED (copy and share)from our teacher Tina.

This first card, is using the baby wipe technique - which I actually had never done before. You kreate your ink pad on a baby wipe with a few drops of different colored reinkers. Ink up your stamp on the newly colored baby wipe and you have a multi colored/ tie-dyed type image. Fun :)
Supplies:
Stamp: Simple Friendship
Paper: Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White
Ink: reinkers: Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Tempting Turq Brads (Bold Brights)



This next card is using your Aquapainter. I can not wait to own this new set, Fifth Avenue Floral. The images were inked and stamped on watercolor paper and using the Aquapainter, lightly 'pulling' ink into to the image for a very soft watercolored look.
Supplies:
Stamp: Fifth Avenue Floral
Paper: Rose Red, Basic Black, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Basic Grey, Black Stazon
Accessories: Rose Red Grosgrain, Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain, Black Grosgrain



This last card is also done with a technique I have never really done before, but will definitely use it in the future. This was done with emboss resist and the NEW Big Shot die Movers and Shapers Curly Label. Simple run your paper through the Big Shot with your curly label movable piece to your desired location and it cuts and scores your card and pops out the adorable curly label. So cool!
We stamped the Sweet Stems flower randomly over Whisper White with Black Craft ink and then embossed with Clear EP. Used an Aquapainter to color in the flowers with Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, and Kiwi Kiss. Then using a VersaMarker, went over the entire flower and embossed with Clear EP again. Finally using a dauber, in circular motions, applied Kiwi Kiss over the entire card. Ink will resist the embossed images (hence, emboss resist technique :) ) so using a paper towel, rubbed over each flower and you get a shadowing effect where the clear embossing was. May have to click on the photo to enlarge and get better view. I hope that makes sense. Easy enough to go a play around with or you can view this tutorial on SCS to get a better idea. When I got home I added the Pacific Point ribbon as well. This was my favorite of the 3 designs we CASED from Tina. Thanks Tina and fellow INKsisters it was fun.
Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet Stems, Fresh Cuts (sentiment)
Paper: Pacific Point, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Black Craft, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Tango Tangerine, VersaMarker
Accessories: Big Shot, Movers and Shapers Curly Label Die, Clear EP, Aquapainter, dauber, heat tool

If you have any questions on the above cards, I'm here :)

Tomorrow I will be sure to show you the cute 3D project - if you love all the birds and owls, you don't want to miss it.

For now, go kreate :)
Kim

A Cardinal Christmas

My hubby teases me that I'm having an affair with my UPS man, but its really just an affair with the new SU goodies he brings :) Who doesn't love new goodies?!! So I just received this beautiful set, A Cardinal Christmas, from the Holiday Mini and I had to play with it right away! I stamped my cardinal on Whisper White in Basic Black and then used Ruby Red and Riding Hood Red with my Blender Pens to color his body. He is perched on a Close to Cocoa branch with Certainly Celery and Mellow Moss leaves. Then I took my Aquapainter (which by the way is on sale this month for $7 for 1 lrg tip brush) and dipped it in a pool of Baja Breeze ink and lightly went over my background to kreate a sky effect. TIP: If not using watercolor paper, you want to use very little water to avoid your paper becoming too saturated and curling. I mentioned 'pool of ink'... take your closed SU pad, squeeze it together and when you open it you will have a little pool of ink in the cover to use with your Aquapainter or Blender Pens. Used the Only Orange Marker to highlight his beak and feet. Placed this on a piece of Riding Hood Red and decorated the bottom with the Scallop Edge Punch and layered it on a Baja Breeze base. The leaves from this set were stamped in Mellow Moss and carefully snipped out. Adhered three 'berries' from Button Bouquet with Mini Glue dots and inked my sentiment with Ruby Red Craft ink and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. I happen to love how it turned out, but I'm thinking its alittle too involved to mass produce :( I'll find my Christmas card yet - at least its fun to keep trying! Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think - love it when you do!

For now, go kreate
Kim

Divine Window

This divine window got dressed up with some 'purdy' curtains, a window box, fancy flowers... phew, this card took forever. And looking at the picture here it loses its effect 'cause you really can't see all the dimension to it :( This set is called Window Dressings and it is a Hostess Lev 3 set coming out in the new catalog - Monday Aug 11th - oh I am just sooooo excited for you all to see the new book - its fabulous! I will be sure to have it posted here on my side bar for you to view, so make sure to check it out. Ok, back to my card... I inked out my window twice in Basic Black onto Watercolor Paper. I used my Aquapainter to add Baja Breeze to my shutters which I then snipped out and placed on dimensionals over my other stamped out window. I used my Creamy Caramel Marker to color the frame of the window. Using my Hobby Blade I carefully cut out the 'window pane' and then added a piece of acetate behind it to kreate my 'pane of glass'. Curtains were kreated using my Oval Punch on designer paper and slightly overlapping the two ovals. This window just wanted more... I kreated a window box and used my Aquapainter to color it in with Close to Cocoa ink. TIP: SU ink pads when closed can be squeezed in the middle and upon opening, you will have alittle pool of ink to use to Watercolor with your Aquapainter. Then I inked out my little flowers from this set using my Markers and then colored them in a bit and snipped out these very tiny flowers. My flowers glisten a bit with some Crystal Effects. I placed the flowers in the window box and popped the box up on dimensionals. Lots of little details that woefully don't show in the picture The base of this card is a new In Color, Baja Breeze and layered on top is Mellow Moss. In the center of the card I again used my Hobby Blade to cut through these two layers, kreating an opening to place my window over. The finishing touches were Mellow Moss Grosgrain Ribbon and my sentiment from a new set called Heard from the Heart. The window itself has so much detail that I wish you could see, but this card still looks so plain. Ah well...

REMINDER: If you'd like to order a new catalog ($9.95) please contact me and I will mail one out to you promptly!!! Make sure you have pen and paper ready for your wish list - I'm certain you won't be disappointed in this catalog! Great new stamp sets, fabulous new Designer Series Paper, wonderful inspirational ideas...... ooooooooh its just so exciting! Email me with your orders or any questions you may have. And check out my sidebar for all the new promotions starting Aug 11th with the release of the new Fall/Winter 2008 Idea Book and Catalog!

For now, go kreate
Kim

Pun Fun is so Fun

Pun Fun is one of my favorite sets and for so many reasons. Whimsical enough for kids, 'sassy' for an adult, adorable line images for watercoloring or coloring, and with 8 stamps in this set there is a stamp that fits most occasions! So the cards are all 3x3 and this adorable little box becomes a home for these cute cards. Fun right!! (Sorry not the best picture - lighting issues) The base, of my cards, is Brilliant Blue and the soon to be retired Designer Series Paper is Jersey Shore. A few other colors you may see on my kreations are Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie and of course Whisper White to stamp my images on. FYI: If you click on the picture, you'll get a much larger image to view. All images were stamped with Basic Black and either watercolored using my Aquapainter or just colored with my Markers. A few different punches also added some 'punch' (hehehe) to the project: Scallop Punch, Scallop Edge Punch (to be released in the new catty Aug 11th), 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Slot Punch, Corner Punch, Ticket Punch. The only card with 'accessories' was my rocket with some Silver Brads in the corners and alittle Crystal Effects for my center circle window. Fun and simple cards! Great little gift option. Hope you like it! Its been a long night, sorry to not be more specific, but if you'd like any more info on this project, feel free to contact me and I will gladly help you out (after I get a little sleep tonight :) )!!

For now, go kreate
Kim

Basic Baby

Had seen a template of this card a while back, (sorry I have no idea where I saw the original), and since it popped in my head to do a baby card, I thought I'd try and remember how. Without the template bookmarked, I was able to figure it out, so don't be intimated - its very easy to do!! With a 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 (folded at top) piece of cardstock I used my 1 3/8" Circle Punch for the 'legs', at the bottom corners, and the 'neck' at the top center of my card. TIP: SU punches are great, the punch has little notches at the half way point of the punch - making it very easy to get an accurate half circle.
Then I measured about 1" down from the top to kreate my arms and about 1/2" in for the 'armpit' portion. Then I used my craft knife and cut a diagonal from the 'armpit' to the 'leg' on each side of the card to kreate your onesie. Between the leg holes I put two score lines and added my Silver Brads (snaps). TIP: For more accurate brad placement, I used my Piercing Mat and tool. If you click to enlarge the image you be able to see more detail. Now you are ready to decorate. Easy right? If you didn't follow my instructions, let me know and I'll try and make it more clear. A little trial and error never hurts - believe it or not all I had was the picture in my head - if I can figure it out, any one can!! :)
To decorate I used a soon to be retired set, Basic Backgrounds, this little set had seen a lot of ink and I'm sad to see it go! Make sure to place your retiring orders before Aug 10th!
So, I inked up my little swirls in White Craft Ink. Then I used my hippo from Pun Fun and stamped him on watercolor paper in Basic Gray. TIP: When watercoloring an image, you want to stamp it in a waterproof ink to avoid the image bleeding. SU has 3 waterproof colors - Basic Brown, Basic Black, Basic Gray. If using another non watercolor ink, be careful not to come too close to your line image. Another suggestion, emboss your image, that way the line image will not bleed either.
Back to watercoloring... I took my Aquapainter and Brocade Blue ink to color in my hippo. TIP: With your ink pad closed, squeeze the lid of your ink pad in the center and when you open it up, you will have a little pool of ink to use to watercolor. I used Pink Passion for the balloon and bow and painted the little toes with a Rose Red Marker. I Ticket Punched the corners and placed it on the Brocade Blue onesie. Maybe should have cut out the hippo? There's always next time. The final touches... Punched a 1 1/4" Circle and then my Scallop Punch around that to kreate a 'frame'. Placed those scallops around the legs and neck and snipped off the excess. Two small Whisper White scraps kreated the band around the arms. Phew that was a long post - sounds like a lot, but really wasn't! All worth it for this cutie! Let me know what ya think and leave me a comment. Love to hear what you think!

For now, go kreate
Kim

I was just reminded of the site where I had seen this template. Click here to view the card. Thank you anonymous. Check it out cause she has a great step by step tutorial.

Manly turned Baby

I am not very good at kreating the 'ol masculine card (as I know many of you are in my same shoes)... So, while I was testing out my Seeing Spots (actually for the post below- you can see more manly there), I asked my hubby if he thought this background was masculine... 'if it were for a baby boy, maybe' - the Bashful Blue base was too 'babyish' for his manliness *wink*. Well ok than, I'll run with that.
I kept my Bashful Blue base and my spots inked in Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss and Bashful Blue. I then took my little hippo from Pun Fun and stamped him on Watercolor Paper with VersaMark. I then sprinkled some Black Embossing Powder and heated it up, to define him. I used my Aquapainter to color him in with Brocade Blue and Garden Green. TIP: With your stamp pad closed, squeeze the pad in the center and when you open it up you will have alittle pool of ink on the inside cover to dab your Aquapainter in.
I mounted him on Mellow Moss and then on Chocolate Chip and finished it off with a simple strand of Mellow Moss Grosgrain behind my layers. Simple card and I loved the way it turned out. And believe it or not, the very next day I was in need of a little boy card. Good thing I sometimes listen to the hubby :) *double wink* Just kidding, he can be great when I need affirmation. I hated to part with it, but it was a fairly simple card to make, so I quick made a double to keep with my stash :) Thanks for lookin'! Hope you like him! Good luck with your manly card :)

For now, go kreate
Kim

Whale Wishes

How I dislike when someone is very sick. I'd much rather kreate a card for happier occasions...But I was hoping this 'punny' whale will brighten her day alittle and let her know she is in my thoughts. She's very dear to our family and I pray she will be comforted during this time.
I haven't used much DS paper with cards yet, but this being the first, I was pleased. I used the Prints Pack Designer Series Paper which is available through Level 1 Hostess Benefits.

I inked out my whale from the Pun Fun set in Basic Gray (waterproof) onto watercolor paper FYI: If you ink out your outlined image in a non-waterproof ink, it will smear/blur into your image as you watercolor. I used my Aquapainter with Brocade Blue and watercolored my whale. She 'spouted' off Simply Said flowers with a Brilliant Blue marker(for the water she sprays and that she is afloat on) and Pixie Pink marker for the flowers. Alittle bling to the flowers with Dazzling Diamonds. Layered her on top of Regal Rose paper and used the ticket punch at the corners. The DS paper was also ticket punched and all were placed on top of Bordering Blue background paper. A little dazzle and a whole lotta love to Get Whale Soon!!!

For now, go kreate
Kim

More to come from my Inkredibles convention...