Lil Miss Shiny Bean!

Good Morning Stampers!

The heat has returned to our neck of the woods! Surprise Surprise! I actually don't mind the heat - it is the humidity here that makes it miserable. Sounds like a great reason to stay inside and stamp - LOL! While you are stamping be sure to join this week's new Loves Rubberstamps Blog Challenge! It is a fun one! You are to create a card that is inspired by this photograph from The House of Turquoise.

I love the different textures and the colors in this photograph. So many things to spark your creativity :)
Here is my inspired card.

I used the new release Shiny Bean from The Greeting Farm for my image. I am so excited because we just added The Greeting Farm to our store. They have adorable stamps and I have been a huge fan ever since they first started as Pink Poison :)

I colored my image using the Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink Markers. This was my first time trying red hair. I don't think it turned out to bad for my first try! I am a newbie to the whole alcohol ink markers coloring world so I am a work in progress - LOL!  I added some liquid pearl dots to the star and butterfly trails. There is also iridescent ice on her wings, the butterflies, stars and her skirt which you can't see very well in the picture. It just gives it a subtle shimmer.

I hope you enjoy today's card and will join in our challenge!

Have a great day!
Laura

Sweet Blossom

Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was alright...didn't get everything done that I wanted to accomplish but that happens :)

Today we get to share a super cute Olivia Marmara creation! YAY!!

I love the bright, summery colors that Olivia chose. Her coloring is awesome - I love the little rosy cheeks :) The flowers, lace and pearls add an elegant touch. The image that Olivia used is called Sweet Blossom from the Sylvia Zet Wee Stamps Collection from Whimsy Stamps. We have some new stamps coming from Whimsy stamps so watch for those soon :)

Have a great day all!
Laura

Cherry Blossoms

Happy Saturday!

Today we have a gorgeous Asian themed card from our talented design team member Jacqueline Smith!

Jacqueline used the beautiful stamp set from Flourishes called Cherry Blossoms. And all of those gorgeous layers and textures are created with various papers from her "stash" After seeing Jacqueline's cards, week after week, using so many beautiful papers...I think it would be awesome to see this stash - LOL! I am a self-professed designer paper hoarder! I have a lot of beautiful designer papers but it is really hard for me to actually use them (GASP)  on my projects because I like to look at them...then what if I use it and love it and then it retires and I can't get anymore! So most times I have good intentions of using designer paper on my projects then I end up making my own or doing a technique or embossing or something else instead. I am sure that I am not the only "pretty paper hoarder" out there in stamp land ;)

 Let me hear about your paper stash!

Happy Stampin!
Laura

Sunflower Cutie

Happy Friday Everyone!

Are you ready for some Friday cuteness? Today is when we showcase an inspirational design from our newest design team member, Holly Flores!

Holly used the super cute Birgitta from C.C. Designs. She is holding a little sunflower which are one of my favorite flowers. I love the rich, warm colors that Holly used in her background paper. Holly kept to this week's challenge theme of paper piecing! I hope you love this card as much as I did and will try this fun technique!

Have a wonderful day!
Laura

A Little Sweetness

Good evening all!

We FINALLY got some much needed rain last night even if it wasn't much...what we did get however was wind...and lots of it! We lost our power here for awhile right after I got one of our new Kraftin Kimmie Stamps listed. I will be working on getting the rest entered as soon as I can. I am going to refrain from a set time because everytime I do...Murphy's law kicks in and plays a trick on me :)

Being Thursday we are in for a super sweet treat from design team member Ceal Pritchett. She made this adorable card...

Doesn't this little one just make you smile? I love the way that Ceal colored her image and that background paper is so pretty! Ceal used the image called Little Mimosa from Bildmalarna. Be sure to visit Ceal's Blog - Simply Beautiful and see all the details on this sweet card!

Don't forget about this week's challenge - Paper Piecing! One lucky player will win a $25.00 shopping spree!

Happy Stampin!
Laura

Round Two!

Hi Everyone!

This will be a super fast post because I have lots of things to get done still! Today is Wednesday which means we have a super cute creation from the lovely Lisa Rasmussen! One uncanny thing about our Wednesday posting is that it seems like Lisa's card most times fits perfectly with my mood! LOL!

Now after seeing today's card you might be a little scared of my mood...LOL! I promise it was a temporary feeling when I stepped on the scale this morning! I hit a plateau and wasn't very happy about that! But it happens...just have to keep plugging along! I love Lisa's card! She used the image Janelle from Kraftin Kimmie Stamps. I love how Janelle's hair matches her outfit - how fun! That background paper and the screw brad give it that tough, I can kick your butt, feel! This would be the perfect card to give your girlfriends that are having a rough day! Speaking of Kraftin Kimmie Stamps...I am off here to load the new release one's into the store YAY!

Have a great night all!
Laura

Ima Butterfly

Good Morning All!

Hope that your day is going well so far. Mine has been one of those days where if something can go wrong it will. But things can only get better...right? LOL - I hope anyway!

One thing that is definately a better part of this Tuesday is that we have a brand new Loves Rubberstamps Blog Challenge! This week the challenge is Paper Piecing and you are to create a card that features this technique with your stamped image.

Here is my inspirational design for this week's challenge.




I used the adorable Swiss Pixie - Ima Butterfly from C.C. Designs. I colored most of my image using Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink Markers on the Crafter's Companion Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock for alcohol markers. I did the skin parts of my image with prismacolor pencils and gamsol. I paper pieced the dress and boots using a couple of patterns from the Melissa Frances Paper Pack called Kitschy Kitchen. My little "Mwah" sentiment is from the Flourishes stamp set called Apple of My Eye.

I added a hand scrunched ribbon in between the two left layers which was this this week's Technique Challenge at Splitcoaststampers. I had seen this done quite a bit but had never really tried it. Very quick and easy and I love how it looks :)

My black butterfly circle is made using the Spellbinders Nestabilities - Butterflies Circles. I used some of the baby butterfly pop outs on my blue colored designer paper. I added dazzling diamonds to the inside of her wings which you can kind of see in this close up...

My card layout is from this week's Mojo Monday Sketch # 251. I ended up flipping the sides that the panels were on so I could place my ribbon between the two on the left side.

Hope you will play along with us this week! Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges that I am entering this card into:

Mojo Monday - Sketch Challenge 251
Love To Create Challenge - Spots N Dots
Colour Me Creative Challenge - Anything Goes With a Girly Twist

Thanks for stopping by!

Laura

A Sweet Party Pose

Good Afternoon All!

Hope you are staying cool today! It is a scorcher here today...we are supposed to hit 104 with humidity in the 70's which makes it feel hotter. It's like sitting in a steam sauna with all your clothes on when you go outside.

I have to go run some errands, ship out some customer orders and then after returning will be getting some new stuff listed in the store!! I will be adding some new release C.C. Designs, Kraftin Kimmie Stamps, Belles 'N Whistles and adding the company The Greeting Farm. I will also be getting some Pre-Orders listed for the upcoming Spellbinders Releases! They have some GORGEOUS new dies coming!!

Today is Monday which means we get to see a super cute Olivia Marmara creation!! I love Olivia's cards they are always so adorable :)

I LOVE this color combo! Such fun, bright, and cheery colors that are perfect for a party! This adorable image is from the Elisabeth Bell Collection from Sweet Pea Stamps called Party Pose. Olivia did a beautiful job coloring this little cutie using her Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink Markers. I love her little rosy cheeks :)

I hope you all have a wonderful day! It is a perfect one for staying inside and stamping if you ask me :)

Don't forget to join this week's Loves Rubberstamps Challenge - which is to make a card using Pink, Grey & Black! This week's challenge ends tonight at 9pm Central Time!

Happy Stampin!
Laura

Bienvenue à Paris!

Good Afternoon Stampers!

I am just finishing getting all caught up from Thursday and can finally see the light at the end of my "catch up tunnel"...

Today's scheduled inspiration post is from our talented design team member Jacqueline Smith, who rocks at her layering skills! I love Jackie's work because each time I look at these mini works of art I find a new detail I didn't see before. I have always wanted to go to Paris and Jacqueline's card is like a little mini Paris vacation! So as the title says.... "Welcome to Paris!"

The gorgeous stamp that Jacqueline used is the Eiffel Sketch from the Stamp It Australia collection by Crafter's Companion. That beautiful Eiffel Tower die cut is from La-La Land which will be added to our store in the near future!! YAY! Excited for that! Those gorgeous coral borders are from a Spellbinders Die called Lattice Accents. You will need to visit Jacqueline's Blog to read all about the other details on this beautful card!

Have a great weekend!
Laura

Wishes...

Good Morning!

I was playing catch up yesterday due to my unexpected trip Thursday and didn't quite get everything done that I needed to...really bums me out when that happens but what else can you do but charge full steam ahead and try to get caught back up!

One thing that certainly brought a smile to my face was our first inspirational card created by our newest design team member Holly Flores! Holly is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and I am so grateful to have her on our team!!

This adorable card uses one of my favorite Belles 'N Whistles stamp called Wishes. Holly did a gorgeous job coloring her image and choosing her background papers. Absolutely a stunning card! Speaking of wishes.... Holly's Birthday was yesterday so be sure to hop on over to her blog - KopyKat Creations and wish her a belated Happy Birthday!

The Belles 'N Whistles company will sadly be going out of business :(  We were able to place one last order with them and it has arrived. I will be adding some re-stocks and some new images into the store by Tuesday but then once our stock is gone...it will be gone and we will not be able to order anymore. So if you see some images you adore...get them while they are available!

Hope you all have an amazing weekend...mine will be spent getting all caught up on things from Thursday!

Happy Stampin!
Laura

Gnome Place Like Home

Good Morning!

Sorry about the late post, I had to go out of town unexpectedly yesterday morning before I was able to get the post scheduled and didn't get back until about 1am and then had to be up again at 5:30am. Makes for two very long day! So you will be in for a treat because there will be two posts with two adorable cards from our design team members today! It is a day of two's - :)

First I would like to share with you an adorable card created by design team member Ceal Pritchett. Ceal used the super cute stamp set from Lawn Fawn called Gnome Sweet Gnome.

I think that this would be a cute card to use for a get well card for someone that has been in the hospital. I love the cute colors that Ceal chose!
Be sure to check back a little later today for our first Inspirational Post from Design Team Member, Holy Flores!

Happy Stamping!
Laura

Blowing Kisses

Good Morning & Happy Wednesday!

Today I have a super fun card from design team member, Lisa Rasmussen! She used a very cool technique of clear embossing a silhouette stamp on patterned paper and then sponging around it to make the image pop! Look at this beauty...

I love this technique and don't do it often enough. It is a wonderful way to use your silhouette stamps in a different way other then the standard black. I love that subtle french word designer paper in the background - what a perfect choice! This stamp that Lisa used is the super cute Blow a Kiss Jane designed by Jane Davenport for Stamping Bella. I love this line and can't wait until they add some more :)

I hope you will try this technique! If you do leave a comment with a link to your project - I would love to check it out!

Happy Stampin All!
Laura

Happy Hour...In Black & White!

Good Morning Stampers...or I guess I should say Afternoon!

Today is TUESDAY which means we start a brand new Loves Rubberstamps Blog Challenge! This week is a Color Inspiration to use colors from this photo boutique card:

We were to be inspired by the pretty Pink, Grey & Black colors and you could also use the photograph for inspiration too! When I saw these colors I knew I wanted to try and color my image in "black & White" and add just a splash of pink. I love this look and had never tried it before so I thought I would give it a whirl! Here is the card I came up with:

I used one of my SUPER SUPER favorite Uptown Girls - Madison Has a Margarita from Stamping Bella. I colored her with my Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink Markers on the Crafter's Companion Ultrasmooth premium white cardstock. This cardstock is designed for use with alcohol markers and it really makes a huge difference!

Here is a closer look at my Madison...

I colored her using the cool greys and then added just a pop of the light pink in her ruffle and her glass. When you add the pop of pink you want to first lay down your lightest grey shade so it is not overwhelming, it is more subtle. I thought she turned out pretty good for my first attempt at coloring images in black and white!

On Saturday I always have to check the Splitcoaststampers Inspiration Challenge...because I love these... and found a piece that I drew inspiration from for my card as well. This week you were to use inspiration from the SugarChicBaby Etsy Shop. I found this adorable headband to use for inspiration:

You can see the inspiration in my background paper! I wanted a chic but subtle pattern and this seemed to fit! PLUS anyone with small children knows that Momma needs Happy Hour some days...or any children...or for that matter just a husband some days - LOL!

Here are a few other challenges I would like to enter this card in:
Lia Stampz - Challenge 21 Anything Goes
Made Especially For You - Use Three Colors
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
That Craft Place (2nd Entry) - Anything Goes
Creative Craft Challenges 2 - Pink & Black
Jackson's Digital Expressions - Anything Goes + Use a Color Media
Papertake Weekly - All Things Girly

Hope you enjoy today's card and play along with us in this week's Loves Rubberstamps Challenge!

Happy Stampin!
Laura

Fairy Dreams

Good Morning All!

Today is Monday and we have the PERFECT way for you to start your day...by checking out a super sweet creation by design team member Olivia Marmara!

This is such a beautiful card! I love the warm, but rich looking colors that Olivia used.  The gatefold card is a great one to use with this adorable stamp from the Wee Stamps Collection by Sylvia Zet called Silver Fairy. This I have to say is one of my super favorite stamps from that collection :) I love the sprinkling of glitter that Olivia added to her wings and her coloring is gorgeous! I also love those roses! They add the most elegant touch!

I always look forward to seeing Olivia's creations each week because she and I have a lot of the same favorite stamps! It is so fun to see how other people color the same images that you love. Sometimes you get stuck using the same color scheme for certain stamps, or always seem to color it a certain way and when you see how someone else colors it, it can really make you inspired and help break you out of your color rut - LOL!

Don't forget to play along in this week's Loves Rubberstamps Blog Challenge for our Summer Themed Cards! You have until 9pm central time to get your entry in :)

Speaking of our challenges....our newest design team member - Holly Flores will debut with her first creation with tomorrow's new challenge so be sure to check that out! It is S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G!

Happy Stamping!
Laura

New Design Team Member!!

Hi Everyone!

On my Sunday shares post I mentioned to you that my weekend had some ups and downs.
I learned that one of our design team members, whom I truly adore, had to step down due to some personal reasons. While I am super sad to see Meredith leave us, I understand her reasons and wish her all the best.

When I learned that I had a spot to fill I immediately thought about an amazing and super talented lady that I have been a fan of for awhile ever since stumbling upon a GOREGOUS airbrushed card that she created using a Kraftin Kimmie Stamp. I decided to take a chance and ask her if she would like to join our design team and she said YES!!!

So without further ado... I would like to introduce you to our newest Design Team Member...

                                               HOLLY FLORES

Hello, my name is Holly AKA KopyKat, and I am so excited to be joining the Loves Rubber Stamps design team.  Here is a little about myself:  I started collecting scrapbook supplies about eight years ago.  My husband,  Joe,  encouraged me to start buying paper that I saw and liked.  A couple years later, this same wonderful husband signed me up for a scrap booking 101 class and I began to collect more and more paper, adhesives, gadgets and gizmo‘s.  So I have only truly been scrap booking and making cards for about six years.  Once I discovered stamps and the stamping world, it was all about card making and getting more cute stamps.  So now DH is wondering what he started….a monster, lol.  Last month I attended the Copic classes one and advanced.  I love to color and truly feel that I did not get enough of this in Kindergarten, lol.  I have three children, a daughter in law, and a grandson.  All of whom I adore.  I’m also a nurse and work a full time job and a per diem job, so when I’m not working, I’m making a card, blogging about it, or blog hopping. And now have reached my goal of design team member, YEAH!  I look forward to sharing my cards with you and hope that I can share some ideas that will inspire you to make your own wonderful creations.   

I know that Holly will be a wonderful addition to our team and I look forward to seeing all the fun projects that she will create! Please check out Holly's Blog - KopyKat Creations and welcome her to our Design Team!

Have a wonderful evening!

Laura

Paper Smooches Pop-Up Stage Card

Good Evening All!

Hope you had a wonderful day! I had a chance to sneak down to my Stampin Studio and play around so I thought I would share what I did!

I have been wanting to play along in the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge for awhile now and when I saw this week's challenge, which is a designer draft, I knew IMMEDIATELY what I wanted to do! Here is my card:

This is a Pop-Up Stage card which I have been wanting to try for awhile now. My little critters and the fire "pop up" when you open the card up. The Designer Draft Sketch from paper Smooches this week is what I used on the background piece. Here is the Draft Sketch:

When I saw this sketch I immediately thought of the piece on the left as a tree, and the bottom area as grass and what better set to use with trees and grass then my super favorite Paper Smooches set called Happy Camper!

Here is a close up of the stage area:

I colored all of my critters using Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink Markers. My marshmallows have Liquid Applique applied, then heat set so it puffs and then I used my markers to "toast" them.

Here are some close ups of all of my critters!

My bear - don't you love the eyelashes I added? I also tried to texture the fur with my spectrum markers.

My Deer! You can see the Blanket roll and Skeeter Spray that is from a Stampin Up! stamp set called Under The Stars behind my deer.

My Raccoon which is also from the Stampin Up! Stamp set called Under the Stars. The marshmallow stick that he is holding is from the Paper Smooches set Happy Camper.

My Ant which is from the Paper Smooches Alfresco stamp set, and he is carrying a yummy smore that is from the Stampin Up! stamp set - Under the Stars. I added some fun google eyes to my ant too!

The stars in the sky are from my Spellbinders Star Circles Nestibilities. The Grass is made using the C.C. Designs Cutters Die Grass Border Die.

I hope you enjoyed my little scene as much as I had fun making it! This is my very first pop up stage card and they are really fun to do! I used the tutorial for the Pop-Up Stage from Splitcoaststampers.

Here are the challenges that I would like to enter my card into:

Paper Smooches Sparks - July 9th-15th Designer Drafts
Pile It On - PIO #29 - Kick Back & Relax
That Craft Place - Anything Goes
Craft Punked - Summertime
Creative Belli - Stars
Fab 'N Funky Challenges - #129 Summer Holiday
Inky Impressions - The Great Outdoors
Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog - Summer Fun
Stamp N Plus - Anything Goes
Truly Madly Crafty Challenges - Animals

Happy Stampin!
Laura

My Sunday Shares - July 15th

Happy Sunday All!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was one of those up and down weekends. Had some things happen that bummed me out ... but then also had some things happen that have me super excited. So overall...it all evens out in the end :) Always have to look for the silver lining and the doors that open so to speak!

Speaking of silver linings...I will be making a surprise announcement later this evening so be sure to check back for that! :)

Now on to today's shares! This first card is created by the talented Larissa who goes by Milawi on Splitcoaststampers. I was doing my usual search for my obsession...Paper Smooches stamps - LOL - and came across Larissa's A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E card!!

Isn't this the sweetest thing EVER? That huge pile of animals gives me the giggles! Larissa did a fantastic job stamping and masking to create this super cute scene! That Celebrate sign uses toothpicks for the little posts - GENIUS! Larissa used the animals from the Paper Smooches stamp set called Chubby Chums to create the card. You can visit Larissa's Blog - Car-D-elicious to see more details on this cutie!

The second card that I wanted to share with you is absolutely GORGEOUS!! It is created by the mega-talented paper artist Kathy whose beautiful blog is called Joyfully Made Designs.

Isn't this just beautiful? When I was reading about how Kathy created this card I was surprised that it was colored with prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits! The blending and shading she achieved is awesome! I would have guessed that it was done with copics. Makes me want to break out my prismacolors and play with them :) This gorgeous image is called Planting Some Love and this is one of the Belles 'N Whistles stamps that we added to our last order with them since they will be going out of business. Super bummed about that because I LOVE their stamps! Our order shipped yesterday so look for this cutie to be in our store soon!  If you want to read about how Kathy created this summer cutie you can visit her blog post or you can also visit her splicoaststampers gallery - rosekathleenr. Be prepared to spend some time on her sites because she has LOTS of stunning designs!

The last card I want to share with you today was created by the super talented Renee - of Renlymat's World. Check out this super cutie...

I LOVE this card! It is so fun! I love the paper pieced little dinosaurs and the little scene that Renee created. I have never tried a circle card before so I love to look at ones that other people have done. It is on my "things to try" list - LOL! This would be an adorable card for a little boy's birthday. This card uses the Dinosaur Party stamp set from Pink Cat Studio.
Be sure to check out Renee's blog post to read all about this super sweet card or you can also visit her splitcoaststampers gallery - Renlymat for a lot more super cute eye candy!

I hope you all enjoyed today's shares! An extra special thank you to Larissa, Kathy and Renee for allowing me to share their ADORABLE works of art with you! I hope you will check out their sites and be even more inspired by these three very talented ladies!

Don't forget you still have until tomorrow to play along in this week's Loves Rubberstamps Blog Challenge - this week it is a Summer Themed card.

Happy Stamping All!
Laura

A Little Mo-an...

Do you ever have those days were you have SOOOO MUCH stuff to try and do and not enough time to do it? Where you have good intentions on creating a plan and sticking to it to get your stuff done and then you get totally distracted and before you know it...half your day is gone? LOL! Well I am having one of those days today!

Today's card share is designed by design team member Jacqueline Smith and it captures my mood right now...LOL....

Ahhhh....the good old days when your day wasn't going as planned and you could just lay down on the floor and throw a fit, kicking and screaming until you felt better...LOL! I could try it I guess but I don't think it would help...and my neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate it :)

This cute stamp is designed by Mo Manning for Stamping Bella and is called Toby is Two. Jacqueline did a beautiful job coloring her image using prismacolor pencils. I love that gorgeous background paper that Jacqueline used! So pretty! Visit Jacqueline's Blog to find out how she created this adorable card!

I am off to try and get my butt in gear and get some of my stuff done anyway...I hope :)

Happy Stampin!
Laura

Lil Miss Eleanor...

Good Morning Stampers!

YAY! It is Friday! I love Fridays, not only because it means the weekend is almost here but also because Friday is when we share design team member Meredith Winston's creations! Today we have a super cutie that she made using a Kraftin Kimmie Stamp called Eleanor. We have this stamp ordered already so look for it soon in our store :)

Isn't this image the absolute cutest? I love it! Meredith did a beautiful job coloring her image and paper piecing that adorable hat! I am a sucker for gingham prints :) I love the red, white and blue nautical theme too! Like I said... look for Miss Eleanor in our store soon as well as the newest release Kraftin Kimmie stamps (they will debut on their site this Sunday and in our store as soon as they arrive) They are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Laura