What makes you happy...

Do one thing every day that makes you happy. I just love this new set from JustRite stamps called Kaleidoscope. It uses a 2 3/8" wood block and fits nicely in the Spellbinders Scallop Circle Nesties. Don't forget tomorrow is the last day for you (my peeps) to take advantage of the sale at The Stamp Castle created just for you. Head on over and pick up this lovely set at 10% off with free shipping by entering the code KIM. That is quite a savings. If you were ever thinking about getting started or just wanted to add some fonts to your collection- now is the time.

I used one of my favorite MS punch sets- Deco Fan border and corner punch to make the two squares and then overlapped them. The bottom border is my newest MS punch which I just got today- Modern Garland. How fitting to christen it with what makes me happy. No it isn't the materialistic punch that makes me happy, it is the process of creating that does it for me. Well maybe it is just a little bit the punch. I do seem to covet those beauties and they have their own shelf to show off. I stamped the image with Memento Rich Cocoa and then sponged everything with Antique Linen Distress ink. The small pink floral trim is satin and I also sponged that to help it blend in better. The designer paper is from My Mind's Eye- absolutely yummy! The card stock is Stampin' Up (of course) Cameo Coral and Rose Romance. I am sorry if the true colors aren't showing up in my photographs. I don't seem to have the patience to play with the color scales when I am editing my photos. It infuriates my son the artist to no end. Sorry Elliot!

Well enough for tonight. This is just a quick post so I could get another post in before the sale is over and Grey's Anatomy has already started.

Have fun and enjoy!

By the Sea...

Well maybe not quite by the sea here in Michigan, but certainly by the lake. By the Sea is one of the new sets released this month by JustRite. It uses the 2 1/4" x 3 1/16" block. I thought it was so fitting for where I live since we are considered the "Blue Water" area here on Lake Huron and there are several lighthouses around. Don't forget the special sale over at The Stamp Castle just for my blogging friends. With a $30 purchase you can get free shipping by entering the code KIM and everything is also 10% off. This sale will only run through April 30th so hop on over and you can pick up this beautiful set and a whole lot more.

I am really putting myself out there with this card today. I am just a newbie with the Copic markers and my coloring technique is far from great. Of course when I stamped the image I did use the correct ink, but forgot to use the right paper. The colors started to bleed and when I used my colorless blender to pull some of the blue that bled outside the area I had intended, I made more of a mess- hence the silver star. I would have liked an anchor or something more nautical but the stash wasn't delivering today. Here is a closeup of the image, try not to be too harsh on me.

These are the colors I used to color the image. I have a good collection of Copics and right now I just get too overwhelmed when trying to select the right color. Our local craft store (Mary Maxim) has free, yes I did say free, Copic classes but they fill up fast- as you can imagine. I need to attend a few more so I can get comfortable with my new little gems.

I used Spellbinders Labels Eleven nestabilities for the main image and the font was created with SU Modern Label and Word Window punches. The font is also from SU- Short & Sweet. The designer paper was a scrap piece that looks like gray wood and I ran it through my Cuddlebug with the Argyle embossing folder.

We are expecting thunderstorms later today so I am in my glory. I know- call me crazy but I love a good thungerstorm, the more lightening the better. Let's hope this is a good one.

Have fun and enjoy

JustRite stamp sale!

I have a nice little surprise for all of you as a way to thank you for following me through my blogging journey. Joanne over at "The Stamp Castle" is offering a special sale, to my peeps only, on JustRite stamps. From now through April 30th you can get free priority shipping on your purchase of $30 or more. You also will receive 10% off regardless of how much you spend. Just click here and enter the code KIM. Don't forget the code for the free shipping.

There are some new sets that are really awesome. I didn't have enough time to make a new card tonight to showcase the stamps, so you might remember this one from a few months ago. The sets I used for this card are Romantic Sentiments 1 5/8"and 2" Square Decorative Frames. If you haven't used JustRite stamps before you will be totally in love with them once you try them. Don't forget to check out the alphabets. You can customize your sentiments to any occasion. There isn't much time for this sale, so spread the word and happy shopping.

Have fun and enjoy!

Happy Everything...

Happy everything! I love this sentiment from a Hero Art set of small stamps. It is so versatile that it can be used for several occasions. This is a gift card holder that we made at our monthly stamp club. Two of the other members taught this month so it gave me a chance to relax, chat and enjoy making the project. I want to start by saying that this idea came from Gina K designs and you can find it here on stamp Tv. It was very easy to make and the fun part was embellishing it.

This is the bottom outside flap which I decorated with MS Doily Lace Trim border punch and some embellishments from Jo Ann Fabric dollar bin. Right now the top front is laying flat, behind it. In the first photo you can just see the scallop of the trim.

And Voila, once you open it, this is what you see. I had an old Kohls gift card in my studio that was a bit out of season, but it worked. I love how the gift card stands up straight so it draws your attention to the gift. I know- the card itself is worth a million bucks but it wouldn't get you too far if you took it to buy a new pair of shoes or a dress.

The card stock is SU-Tempting Turquoise and the ds paper is from Paper Studio. I also used SU punches on the "Just for You" sentiment which is also from the SU set Oval All

You know the old adage "Laughter is good for the Soul", well my soul is great. Is that really an old adage or did I just make that one up? My husband won tickets to see Howie Mandel and we went to see him Friday night. He was hysterical and I can't remember when I have laughed that much.

I am still trying to get more organized in my studio. You know how you decide to change one area and before you know it you have to organize a different area to fit things that didn't belong in the first one. OK so I may not be making any sense but I have a huge mess to show for all my effort today. I am going to need a few more hours this week to get it back into shape. I hope you all have a great week.

Have fun and enjoy!

Gettin' out the nesties...

So what have you all been up to this week- me not much. Yesterday I took my grandson to the movies to see "How to Train your Dragon" in 3-D. I think I enjoyed watching him more than the movie itself. He will be six next month so you can imagine how small he looked in the large theater seat with the big 3-D glasses on. He sat there intently, not taking his eyes off the screen as he put one handful of popcorn into his mouth after another. The look on his face was priceless as his hand searched for more popcorn and found the container empty. That tiny little face with the big dark glasses looking at me, was my cue to get more. In one part of the movie there are ashes that float in the air and in 3-D they looked like they were going to land in our lap. His amazement was seen as he looked up at the ceiling to see if that is where they were coming from. True innocence and wonder.

I am working on getting my nestabilities more organized and accessible. I find that if something is stored too far out of reach, I am less apt to use it and hence the reason I have some that I haven't even touched yet. I love how Becca Feeken organized hers so my DH is building me a storage unit for mine. I already have them in CD cases, now I just need to label them in some sort of order. Check out Becca's idea on her blog here.

While I had the nesties out I figured I should incorporate them into today's post so I chose Label Six. I had originally used the two largest to create a frame and the one I ended up using was actually the leftover piece. Ok switch gears a bit and save the frame for another day. It happens all the time. The vision I have before I start isn't what the finished product looks like. But that's OK.

The sentiment from SU was stamped and punched out with a new punch by EK Success- Real Estate Sign and then I used Spellbinders Renaissance Hearts as side pieces. I used three different border punches. The large white Daisy Fan is from MS and the pink fan is EK Success Double Crochet Lace. The smaller green border is Scallop Trim from SU. The designer paper is from Crafty Secrets- Heartwarming Vintage Collection and the card stock is an older color from SU- Pink Pirouette. I hope you like it and have a great week.

Have fun and enjoy!

Happy Easter

Just a quick note to wish you all a Happy Easter. I had a few minutes in between my meal prep so I thought I would share with you an Easter card for the occasion. Last month at our stamp club I taught the group how to make several different flowers to help our embellishments budgets. I wasn't clever enough to originate the ideas but I found several out there on the net. It seems that making flowers is really hot right now.

The bunny for this card was from a package of Studio G bunny cards I found at JoAnns with envelopes for $1. What was so great was that by cutting the bunny card front and back apart, I ended up with two. After I had done that with all eight cards is was like bunnies were multiplying all over the place. One side is pink and the other side is white. I chose to put some polka dots on this one with a Hero Arts Clings- Cling dot background stamp. I love the size of the dots. It will come in quite handy when I do my vintage stamping. I thought about using a floral or swirl design on this little guy but didn't want him to get lost in the designer paper. The dots were stamped in Versa Magic Sahara Sand. The designer paper is from K & Company - McKenna Floral Paisley and it might be a little hard to see but it has glitter here and there. I used SU Certainly Celery for my card stock and sentiment. The sentiment was cut and layered with SU punches and the corners are Cuttlebug.

Now onto the luscious satin rose. I found the tutorial for this flower here. Princess Leia (aka Tia Bennett) did a great job showing how to do this with paper but I liked the end result with the satin ribbon instead. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw her picture. Go on over to the link and take a look, you'll know what I mean. I won't spoil it for you.

Well the rest of my dinner is calling so I better head to the kitchen. If I don't get dinner on the table soon we won't have any Easter candy left and what is a girl to do if all the chocolate eggs are gone! Oh that's right, you buy them at 50% off tomorrow!

Have fun and enjoy!