Clearsnap Made In The USA Blog Hop

Clearsnap is Made in the USA so what better time to celebrate that fact than on the 4th of July!

Hop along with our team as they share patriotic projects to ring in this Independence Day here in the US.

Start at http://blog.clearsnap.com after 9am Pacific on July 4, 2013. Enter for your chance to win one of our EXCLUSIVE Limited Edition 3 Color Red, White, and Blue ColorBox Pigment Inkpads!!

Here's the entire Hop List:

http://blog.clearsnap.com
http://stephaniescraps.blogspot.com
http:/www.debbiecole.com/blog/
http://www.tamisanders.com
http://meihsia.blogspot.com/
http://hydrangeahippo.com/blog
http://sabrinaalery.blogspot.com/

I used the Limited Edition USA inkpad (along with some other great products from Clearsnap) to create a tissue paper fringe party banner. It would be fun to top a cake, as the centerpiece on a table, or super size it to hang from a front porch.

The tissue paper was sprayed with Stephanie Barnards Sprays! Inks in Blueberry and Strawberry along with a couple masks from Crafter's Workshop. I then folded them in half and snipped with a scissors to create the fringe.

The final step is to add as many or a few layers as you like. These die cut images were inked up with the Made In The USA inkpad and several of our Rollagraph stamp wheels. I also added a fun gold element with a Design Adhesive word topped with Gold Designer Foil.

Thanks so much for hopping with us today! Be sure to leave a comment below for chance to win. I'm the last stop on the hop but you can visit us on Facebook for lots more inspiration and fun!

Geometric

Hello? Anybody still here? It's been forever since I've stopped in or done anything social media related. Shame on me! But I won't pretend it hasn't been a relief - blogging, facebooking, instagraming, etc. I barely have time for creating these days and I certainly don't want to spend those few spare moments online, kwim?

But I am here today to share the challenge Liz and I prepared for this week on the Pink by Design blog - Geometric. It's been a big trend for a while now but really the basic shapes never go out of style :) Whether you like circles, triangles, hexagons or squares, link up for a chance at $10 to spend in the PBD store.

I had fun playing with tangrams for this card and used the Lucky half pint stamp set.

And this circle one using the Spectacular set. I went a little inky and embossed the glasses in a masked circle then shaded with the Sweet Sixteen Colorbox Pigment Ink Queue. The glasses die cut was embellished with some Smooch accent ink. I might even be warming up to the color purple :)

 And finally a birthday mini book with the Love With You Is half pint stamp set. I layered lots of scrap paper squares to get a fun mix of prints on the cover piece and then repeated stamped the sentiments from this set on the larger cover paper for a subtle design. Inside are patterned paper sheets, tabbed pages and journaling paper for adding notes. 

You can find the post to link up your take on the Geometric trend here.

Paper Issues is celebrating owner and paper slinger extraordinaire Cassie's birthday all this week! Check us out on Facebook - she is giving away over 25 prizes! Woot!! Also stop by the PI blog for the new theme sponsored by Elle's Studio.

Clearsnap just announced their mid season releases in the last weeks - new colors of Smooch Accent Ink as well as the new pigment ink colors in Cat's Eye form. Lots of good stuff! Check them all out here.

My baby bunny is now 7 months old. He is working so hard on getting mobile but every time he tries to crawl he goes backwards. It's pretty cute but he gets so frustrated! Starting to pull himself up and working on the 2 front teeth as well. Add in the separation anxiety phase and we have a baby who does not want to nap or sleep at night. That leaves one tired mama!

The big kids are getting excited for summer and I am too! See you again in a few weeks maybe :)

An Old Fashioned Hello

Back today with another card to share for the Pink by Design challenge, Sparkle and Shine. Today's card using diy-ed glitter tape. So super easy to make! I have a video below that shows this technique and 2 more also! Hooray for glitter!

I pulled out the Call Me stamp set to play with again (mostly because I love it but partly because all the other news sets I haven't played with yet are buried. Man I need to clean off my desk. But this is a fun set nonetheless :) "An old fashioned hello" is the sentiment. Aren't all stamped and mailed cards old-fashioned really?

Here's the video. And that's all for me today! Enjoy!

Pink by Design New Release Hop!

Hi and welcome to Pink by Design's new release blog hop! If you didn't come here from Paula's blog then you'll want to check out the list below to make sure you hit every stop!

Sarah - www.pinkcricut.com

Rebekah - www.craftyteachermom.blogspot.com

Lisa- www.prettypaperprettyribbons.blogspot.com

Liz - www.217creations.com 

Meriah – www twoscraptasticgals blogspot com

Paula - www.morethanfavors.blogspot.com 

Sabrina - www.sabrinaalery.blogspot.com - YOU ARE HERE

Gloria - www.gloriasgoofycraftspot.blogspot.com

Bryan - www.scrapguy.blogspot.com 

PBD Blog - www.pinkbydesignstamps.com

I am sharing this card created with the Lucky Half Pint set. There are so many great sentiments on this mini and it has many more uses than just Saint Patty's Day (although there is one for it too!) For this card, I chose the sentiment and let it inspire the rest of the card.

I started with a die cut heart and layered nested circles underneath for a bit different take on a rainbow. The airplane paper seemed to go well with the grid paper so I added that and then the arrows last. Maybe it's a bit of a hot mess and too literal but I really kinda like it :)

Here's a couple more from the sneak week on the Pink by Design Blog:

A cute boy card using the Dino-Mite set designed by Lisa Norris.

And a pretty girly card using the large sized sentiment from Say It Boldly.

Can't wait to pick up the rest of the releases!! Here's what else you need to know about the hop and release today:

* New releases are in the shop today - check them all out right here

* U-Stream tonight hosted by Sarah with a round-up of all the projects and new releases. She will be doing an Easter craft and you know she'll have lots of giveaways too so don't miss it!

* Giveaways to the hop! But I won't say where. Check them all!

And now it's on to Gloria's Goofy Craft Spot! Hope to *see* you tonight and if not, have a wonderful weekend!

In The Garden

Hi again! Back with today's and Wednesday's projects for our In The Garden theme over at the Pink by Design blog. Things have been a bit crazy around here with strep throat and snow days so I am a bit behind!

I stamped the Big Hexagon Background for the under layer and added some jumbo die-cut flowers on top along with a sentiment from the November SOTM - Joyful Tags. This card was actually inspired by fellow team member Liz - she is so amazing at mixing up bold patterns that I wanted to try it out too!

The large rosette was easily created with a border punch - these often go neglected in my craft arsenal so I was happy to find another use for them.

1. Cut 12" long by 1.5" wide strip of paper.
2. Punch edge of paper strip with border punch. Start in the middle for best results.
3. Score paper strip every 1/4 inch and accordian fold.
4. Adhere ends of strip together to form a rounded shape.
5. Secure center with heavy duty glue and punched circle. Add bling or embellish as desired.

Today's inspiration is anything other than a card - I put together this gift bag for the twins' grandma who is celebrating her birthday today. Since she is named after a bird, I thought this tag with feathers would be perfect for housing a gift the kids picked out for her.

I used a sentiment from What's Your Number and the heart is from Pocketful - both are the mini Half Pint stamp sets which are so cute and affordable!

You have until tomorrow night at midnight CST to link up your take on the garden theme - remember, you don't have to use PBD but we certainly love to see it! Do it here or take this link to visit the Pink by Design blog for more inspiration.

Enjoy the weekend!

Valentine's Day Hop with Pink by Design

Hello and Happy Valentine's! The Pink by Design team is celebrating today with a little blog hop.

Did you come here from Rebekah's? If not, you'll want to go back to the beginning of the hop because Sarah is giving away a huge bundle of stamps!! You have to comment on each stop to win -see the list below to make sure you've stop by each one.

I made this spring-y feeling valentine with some fun colors and the Joyful Tags stamp set and papers from SEI. I just love the way the sentiment pops off the navy paper when embossed in white! What a pretty script font that this set uses as well.

Visit the PBD blog next and have a wonderful day!

You can also check out the Pink by Design Valentine’s Day Sale! Save 14% by using the coupon code: LOVE14

Sarah - www.pinkcricut.com 

Bryan - www.scrapguy.blogspot.com 

Gloria - www.gloriasgoofycraftspot.blogspot.com 

Liz - www.217creations.blogspot.com 

Meriah - www.twoscraptasticgals.blogspot.com

Paula - www.morethanfavors.blogspot.com 

Rebekah - www.craftyteachermom.blogspot.com 

Sabrina - www.sabrinaalery.blogspot.com 

PBD Blog - www.pinkbydesignstamps.com -- go here next!

My Heart

So glad today is finally Friday and this super busy, snowy week is over with! And so glad the kids are finally old enough to really help with chores - it has been a life saver. Plus they love getting to earn a little money too.

But anyway, Liz and I are posting our final projects for the "Have A Heart?" challenge on the Pink by Design blog this week. It's been a long time since I've made a layout but as soon as these photos came in the mail I'd been aching to put this one down. Such a great memory of my sweeties lying in the grass on a warm fall day. Her waiting for a turn on the rope swing; him experiencing the sights and scents of the outdoors for the very first time.

I pulled out the Instantly stamp set even though I used an honest to goodness real 4x6 photo on this page rather than a fuzzy phone pic. It's still got a few great bits for making journaling cards and of course the arrows!

This challenge requires that you use a heart on your project. Link up by Saturday for a chance to win a stamp set from Pink by Design! PBD stamps are not required (but we do love to see them).

My heart. Love them so so so very much.

I am also linking up to the following challenges:
Two Peas In A Bucket - Seeing Double
Scrapbook Steals.com - Monday Craft Madness #8

Ombre - Here to Stay

Hi! My posting here has been so sporadic lately. I've kind of accepted that the old bloggo is going to be neglected for the time being and that's okay. I'll just pop in to let you know what I'm up to on other people's blogs :)

Like today, I'm up on the Clearsnap blog with a technique video for creating an ombre background. Love this trend and hope it never, ever goes away.

Okay, see you soon!

52 Wishes

Hi and happy Friday! We have one final day of inspiration to share over on the Pink by Design blog for this week's challenge. I created this wishing jar using the Fresh Goodies stamp set. The tin once held jasmine tea but I repurposed it by covering it with patterned paper and twine. The inside will hold tiny scraps of paper with wishes for the coming year - both big and small, one for each week.

To decorate the tag, I stamped the jar onto vellum, cut out and layered over white paper for visibility. And of course, I can barely make anything these days with out adding in some glitter and a bow. That's going to have to change now that we have a new man in the house.

Link up your inspirational/motivational projects here for a chance to win a $10 GC to the Pink by Design shop!

Speaking of the little guy, I have some 3 month photos to share:

Such a happy little fella. He loves to be held and be doted on and I can't help but oblige. Loves his bath and being naked. Loves watching the big kids play. Smiles at anyone and everyone who looks his way.

He also discovered his little hands this month. We were hanging out the moment he noticed them and a big grin came across his face and he's been playing with them ever since. Delight.

I couldn't be more in love. <3

The Key to Happiness

Hello! Today is day 2 of our team's challenge on the Pink by Design blog - use motivational or inspirational quotes in your projects. Whether you're documenting your goals for the new year or simply sending some encouragement via a card - we want you to link up for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the PBD store.

Today we are also sharing techniques for bow tying. Liz has a great one for creating a flat ribbon bow and I am sharing how to make a double bow using the 3 Girl Jam bowmaker. Check out the video below.



I am also linking up to the following challenges:
Play Date Cafe - PDCC163
The Deconstructed Sketch - Sketch #83

Have a great day!

Christmas Mini Album

One last project to wrap up the week and also the current challenge at Pink by Design. Today the team is sharing projects that are anything but a card. I knew there wouldn't be enough time to make a December Daily album this year (and honestly my one from last year isn't even completely finished) but we still need some kind of album to commemorate this Christmas. It will probably just be shots and journaling from Christmas morning and that's okay. This month is flying by way to fast and our tree isn't even up yet!

The outside sleeve is a mix of patterned papers from Echo Park and stamped and/or inked die-cut triangles. They are all glued onto a backing paper. I am so in love with this random combo of colors! They came from a page in 'Olive the Other Reindeer." Children's books are such a great source of color inspiration.

I used What's Your Number to stamp the 25 and on the background - Houndstooth Background and Fresh Goodies.  Some of the pennants are just inked and blended with Colorbox Pigment Ink and then spritzed with spray ink.

The inside pages are all ready for pictures and text. I glued more patterned paper down to an accordion folded album.

Linking up to these challenges:
Moxie Fab World - Keen On Neon
Two Peas In A Bucket - Echo Park Project Challenge

And that's all for me today. You have until tomorrow to link up for a chance to win a $10 GC to the Pink by Design store. Good luck and have a fantastic weekend!

Holiday Cheer + 2 Month Photos

Hi there! There is a new challenge up this week on the Pink by Design blog and we are creating Christmas projects with non-traditional holiday colors. While I must say the classic red, green and white colors will always be a staple in our Christmas decor, it was fun to put something together with a bright and cheerful color palette.

This card is inspired by the ornament wreaths that are becoming so popular - will get around to making one for real some day, but for now this will do. The circles are from the Nature Walk set and the sentiment and frame come from Fresh Goodies - both stamp of the month sets. The color palette comes from the Colorbox Cat's Eye Pigment Queue - Fiesta!

Add your projects to the linky below or visit the original blog post for more inspiration and a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Pink by Design store.


I am also linking up this project to the following challenges:
Moxie Fab World - Keen on Neon
3 Girl Jam - Christmas Inspirations
Simon Says Stamp - Snowflakes
CAS-ual Fridays - Knotty or Nice

And now for some photos of my sweet babe! What a gooey little goober :) Can hardly believe he is 2 months here! It really does fly by.

Have a fantastic week!

You Are My Anchor - Pink by Design Release Blog Hop

Hi and welcome to the Pink by Design release blog hop! Have you been anxiously awaiting some new pink stamps? I certainly have! We are doing a little hop today to share a sneak of the new sets.

I worked with the new Ahoy half pint set, complete with anchors and weighty sentiments. Doilies, chevron and sailors go together, right?

It is so much fun! I just love all the new mini stamps.

Sarah will be doing a UStream tonight at 8pm CST and you know she'll bring the fun and probably some great giveaways too!

As it turns out, I ended up with a duplicate of Fresh Goodies (the September stamp of the month) and will be giving it away to one lucky hopper! Just leave a comment on the post below and please become a follower of this blog if you are not already.

And that's all for me - hop on over to see the lovely card Annette has put together.

Gorgeous Fall - Mix'd Media CHOX

Good morning! Today starts the day of a 3 day hop showing off a brand new product from Clearsnap - Mix'd Media Chox inks. There are 8 colors in this product release: Driftwood, Sparrow, Butternut, Petals, Sage, Bluejay, Pomegranate, and Midnight. And just like the Mix'd Media Inx, the containers have a flexible base (for a comfy grip) and a clear lid with a lip that lets you stack the pads.

These new CHOX are fast drying, have LOADS of vibrant color, are great for stamping, edge distressing, coloring, and can be used in layers for blending colors. To give you an idea of how much pigment is in these inks, you can actually mix the re-inkers with a matte acrylic medium to use instead of or with acrylic paint!

I created a card with lots of ink layers. I love that the CHOX dry so fast you can stamp over and over again without worrying about contaminating your ink pads with another color but they are still blendable and work great with water. 

Had originally went for that grungy/mix'd media look that these inks were inspired by - but alas, it's just not me. Does that ever happen to you? It's definitely a style I appreciate and admire but I just can't make it look right. 

Thank goodness for die cutting. I turned a leafy scene and my stamp-off scrap paper into something that I can work with. The grunginess is contained and I've still got my safe, clean design. :)

Thanks for stopping by - see more projects using this new product (and the chance to win it) on the Clearsnap Blog.