STV Sketch Challenge

I wanted to share a sketch card I made for the sketch challenge I am hosting over on Stamp TV. This was such a fun card to create and super easy... I used some scraps of Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday patterned paper that I punched with my scallop square SU punch. Then just paper pieced the cup from My Cuppa' Joe. So very quick and easy!

I hope you can play along with us this week... Here is a LINK to the actual challenge. You have until next Wednesday, February 10th, at 8 p.m. CST, to upload your sample. AND one winner will be drawn at random to win a Gina K stamp set valued at $24.95 or less!



Card Deets ~
Stamps: My Cuppa' Joe
Cardstock: White, Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday
Ink: Memento Black

Accessories: Scallop Square Punch, Nesties

Melanie's Blog Hop

Melanie Muenchinger is celebrating two years of blogging and illustrating for Gina K Designs, and today she has invited 25 designers and YOU to join the party!

I still remember the email from Melanie in July asking me to be her Guest Designer for Inspiration Mosaic (and yes, I still have it saved in my email files...) I am so excited to participate with this creative group and MADE time to get crafty with this fabulous set Inspiration Mosaic! With all of the holiday cardmaking, I hadn't used it in several weeks and went overboard...I made THREE cards (can you tell Linda is rubbing off on me??? LOL!)

This one just uses Inspiration Mosaic to show how all alone it is a GREAT set with so many possibilities! I simply stamped the grid on Fancy Pants Designs patterned paper and using my SAMJ stamped the sentiments, easy-peasy!

With this one I combined it with My Cuppa' Joe and some fun patterned paper.

And for this final one, I used some rub-on stiches to create a stitched background on my Mosaic and combined it with Melanie's Wee Tees stamp set.

So how does this involve you and some prizes????
First hop through the following designers' blogs using every set she has created since January 2008, from the first to the 25th! Then go to Melanie's' blog to leave a comment for a chance to win a number of different prizes! So let's get hopping!

Here we go!
Just So Hippy-Charmaine
Just So Hoppy-Donna
What’s in Your Tin 1 & 2-Donna
Hip Hop Accessories-Bee
Jumping for Joy-Barb
Cuddles and Hugs-Jessie
Little Tees-Cat
Just So Sporty-Pam
A Year of Flowers-Theresa
Say it with Flowers-Selma
Have a Cookie-Carolina
Tee Talk-Gabby
Hand in Hand-Ally
The Best Things in Life-Shannon, Sankari
A Charmed Life-Cathy
Wee Tees-Libby, Laura Jean
Arranged with Love-Selma
Sporty Accessories-Tina
Inspiration Mosaic-Jennie
School Sports Spirit-Melissa
A Year of Leaves-Geri
Hip to Be Square-Karen
Festive Frame-Linda
Tech Talk- Lee

Finally, Nina and Jessica from the GinaK Senior Design Team have joined in, too! You can also get in on the hop yourself and increase your chances of winning a prize by creating your own project with any one of Melanie's sets and linking it in the Mr. Linky in her post, see full details here. Hope you can join the fun! Enjoy your first hop of the year!

Blessings,

CSS Recipe Blog Hop

Several members of the Center Stage Spotlight Team have joined together to share a special Christmas Treat Recipe Blog Hop event with everyone tonight! They have whipped up some treats in their kitchens and their stamp rooms over the past few weeks so we could compile our very first Recipe Book for StampTV!


I am so excited about this Center Stage Alumni Design Team Recipe Blog Hop! I made my favorite...Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars. These bars are perfect with coffee, tea, with a glass of milk, or just a wonderful snack all by itself! I just love it when Starbucks comes out with their red cups around the holidays. I am known to get all giddy with my first one of the season and sad when they end...just something so festive and *happy* with the red cups! Don't ya think?? Anyways, I love to get a Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte and a Cranberry Bliss Bar (they balance each other out, right??) and my mom found this recipe for me years ago, so I was in SWEET heaven!!! I took a little party favor box, altered it with some Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses patterned paper, and added some Red Ric Rac to hold a piece Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar to give as a gift. The little mug is from the new set Warm and Wonderful. I paper pieced using the same paper and colored with Copics.

Here are the Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars by themselves...YUMMO! Now I need some coffee!

You can find the recipe for these delectable bars over on Stamp TV as a free download...more info on that below!

Check out these designer's blogs for the sweet projects they've designed around their treats:

Carolina Buchting
Carla Suto
Deb Felts
Donna Baker
Giovana Smith
Jennie Harper
Jessica Fick
Joy Hadden
Karen Knegten
Kay Simmons
Lee Murphy
Linda Payne
Lori McAree
Melissa Cash
Pam Imholz
Selma Stevenson
Sue Morris
Sue VanDeVusse
Sue Walsh
Vicki Dutcher

Then, stop by GinaK's blog for a super sweet give-away she has tonight in honor of the hop!

The Recipe Book will be available as a free download PDF on StampTV tonight as well. Look for it on the Freebie Tab link.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Blessings,

Friendship

I looked at my scrap pile recently and realized I REALLY need to start hacking into it before I even consider cutting another piece!  So.... I am pleased to say all of the dp on this card is completely made from scraps! :o)  I love this pink stripe designer paper from Basic Grey, I have altered notebooks and frames using this dp so have quite a little pile of scraps pieces to work with.  Now I need to figure out a better way to organize my scrap dp...any suggestions?  Right now it is just in a 9x12 bin I sort through...
Have a great day!

Bean Thinking...

I am quite addicted to coffee...have to have my two cups every morning and then sometimes a cup or two at night (decaf of course...) And if I am anywhere near town swinging by Starbucks is just a necessity! I figure I earned it :o) What is your favorite? I love a Vanilla Latte and must admit I have my husband hooked on them too! :o)
This was a fun card to put together...I used the sentiment as a background stamp as well as in the focal image.
I am off to get busy on my day and hope to get a little stamping in later....
Have a great stampin' day!

A Lotta' Coffee

This was a fun little card to put together that uses the technique paper piecing and the stamp set My Cuppa' Joe.  Just a note: you definitely need really sharp scissors to get around the inside handle of the coffee mugs.  My scissors were a little gummy from my Zots adhesive and once I cleaned them they cut much better!  The Creamy Caramel panel I scored using my Scor-Pal and love the way it created a frame. (I am sure I have seen it somewhere so not sure who to give credit to...) The designer paper used on the coffee mugs is from the Basic Grey Sultry line...honestly, you just can't go wrong with Basic Grey!

Off to get busy about the day! :o)

CAS: Caffeine is Best

This is a nice simple CAS card that I made for the challenge this week using the sets The Best of Life and My Cuppa' Joe. For the challenge we were to add dots either with a pen or paper piercing, I opted for paper piercing on the corners. I am still having a problem leaving blank space, but am trying to keep it simple! I love the semtiment...for me caffeine first thing in the morning is a MUST! It is not pretty when I don't have coffee :o)))
Have a great day!

Sweet Cupcakes

Last Thursday Gina K. had another release of several new stamp sets and I am so excited to get them cut out and inked up :o) They arrived yesterday, but I haven't had the time to cut them yet, much less inky so I thought I would share something I made for one of the challenges. Theresa had a challenge to make something "sweet." It could be something with the word "sweet", some kind of edible "sweet", something for a "sweetheart" or something that makes you say, "ahhh, that is so sweet." This is what I came up with which uses the stamp set My Cuppa' Joe.  It combines the word "sweet" and something edible, yummy cupcakes! I picked up this cute scrapbook paper at Hobby Lobby recently and love how it coordinated together and with Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi (two favorite SU colors that retired). Hope you enjoy your day...I have a busy one :o)

Monochromatic Cuppa' Joe

I made this card for a challenge by Donna Baker on the Gina K. Designs forum on SCS. For this challenge, we could pick one color to use in various shades on our card or project plus one neutral (black, white, vanilla, kraft, grey, etc.) Whatever neutral we chose, we could only use it once. Quite challenging to keep that in mind.. My one neutral was the Black EP that I used on Glossy White CS (which afterwards I sponged with Close to Cocoa).

Also, there is another blog challenge to vote on... The challenge was to make a Flap Card with either a summer or Christmas theme. If you have a minute, you can go HERE and vote for your favorite, check it out and vote. There are some very creative cards and pick one that strikes you as a favorite. Thanks a bunch, we really appreciate it! Have a great day!

Limelight Sketch Challenge

I made this real quick today for the Limelight Sketch Challenge this week. I picked up this cute scrapbook paper at AC Moore on Friday and thought it would go great with the My Cuppa' Joe stamp set. I paper pieced the mugs using some scrap designer paper and cardstock that I have stashed away. For the red cup, I added the foam to the mug by using Puffy Paint, makes it look so delicious! Now I am off to make a pot of coffee for this cold rainy day.
Have a great Sunday!

Technique Challenge

When I saw the Technique Challenge for this week: Pop Up Gift Card I thought I would give it a whirl. I knew the new stamp set from Gina K., My Cuppa' Joe would be perfect for this challenge. Who doesn't love a gift card to Starbucks? (Even for non-coffee drinkers, they have great tea and hot chocolate) I used Cosmo Cricket designer paper and got a bonus because it is double sided :o)) The base of the card is Chocolate Chip and I also used Sage Shadow for the layering.



I paper pieced the coffee bag onto the bag using the other side of the designer paper and stamped coffee in the label box. After the image was stamped and colored, I stamped over it using the Linen BG stamp and Creamy Caramel ink.

Here is what the inside of the card looks like....


As you can see, there is plenty of room to add something to the inside of the card if you wish.
That is all for today. Have a great Tuesday!

Cuppa' Joe, Anyone?

I am an avid coffee drinker, if there is such a thing. :o) I love coffee first thing in the morning and then love a cup or two of decaf in the evenings. If I am near a Starbucks, I definitely stop in for my favorite: a Grande Vanilla Latte (sometimes Skinny, sometimes not ;o)) and with the holiday season I also enjoy a Gingerbread Latte with a Molasses Chew cookie....Mmmm, will have to go soon!

When Gina K. released this new set designed by Rupa Shevde, My Cuppa' Joe I was just loving it! I love the design of the images and the various sentiments and font of the sentiments. I ordered it first thing the night it was released and have been kicking myself ever since for not ordering another 2 sets to get the free set. Ggrr! I am so wishing I had ordered the Cookie set by Melanie. Sometimes I try to be so frugal, and then I regret it. :o((

For this card, I used the paper piecing technique and used the retired SU Dashing designer paper. The sketch is actually from the sketch challenge on SCS this week. I am pleased with how this turned out. Quite Christmasy.
Have a great weekend!