Rain Puddles Design

The week of Zva Creative inspired projects is wrapping up today with my post over on Paper Craft Planet . Just in case you think the rhinestone flourishes I'm using on my projects are a must have in your stash, head on over to the Planet blog to find out how to win them. I created a photo frame just like the old fashion portraits used to arrive from the photographer. I've added my own style to the outside just for that special gift someone might receive this Christmas. I stamped the largest frame from the Vintage Frames set in watermark ink and embossed with Vintage Lilac Tinsel Embossing Powder . I went back over the center of the frame with Aged Wine Embossing Enamel and heated from the back side of the piece then fussy cut around the outside. The sentiment from Cherub Wishes was stamped in Onyx Black and bordered with another stamp from Vintage Frames also embossed with Vintage Lilac . The sentiment is popped up with foam dots and those fabulous flourishes of blin...

I'm hosting the Viva La Verve sketch today and it's got some potential! Stop on over for week 4's sketch and play along! Take the Champions challenge and complete all four sketches by the deadline and win some Verve! (Details are over on the forum .) Details: Stamps:  Stronger Love (Verve Stamps), Making a Statement (Verve Stamps) Paper:  Hippie Chick (DCWV), white (Mohawk), Olive (Wausau) Ink:  Night of Navy (SU), Cameo Coral (SU) Accessories:   Loopy Blooms Die Set (A Cut Above, Verve), bamboo fiber yarn, circle die (Lifestyle Crafts), rhinestones, flower punch (SU)

  I'm showing you my inspiration for the Verve Fan gallery today. There's more to it than just being inspired though. The Diva's want YOU to show us what inspires you from the Verve Fan gallery. We dare you! If you decide to take our dare, head on over to today's post , because there are two chances to win prizes! Go on, have some fun! Details: Stamps:  Lean on Me (Verve Stamps), Borderline (Verve Stamps) Paper: Random Paper Pad (Crate Paper), Kraft (Wausau) Ink: Chocolate (CTMH),  Accessories: Flourished Trim Die (A Cut Above, Verve), Mini Classy Label Die (A Cut Above, Verve), Pointed Flowers Die Set (A Cut Above, Verve), Pennant Trim Die (A Cut Above, Verve), twine (Martha Stewart), acrylic paint (various brands), oil pastels (Pentel), colored pencils (Prismacolor), Scallop Square die (Spellbinders), Wite-Out pen (Bic)

It's the big Saturday Handmade Gifts Hop with Stampendous and the designers! I'm second in the hop so you've probably come from Cyndi's blog and please start at the beginning if you just happened on to this post. Throughout the week you've had a chance at some prizes, because it's just not a party otherwise, and it's the same for today! There will be THREE prize winners today for those that comment along the hop. You can find out the winner's on Monday over on the Stampendous Blog It's pretty hard to come up with a different way to give a gift these days, so I'm combining a couple ideas. I have a few people in my life that live on the lean side of life. They don't want or need a whole lot of material things in their life so it can make for a hard decision on what gift I give for them. So I went with small scale table decorations. Something that could brighten up their small space and be practical. A small poinsettia print flower tea l...

  This week the Stampendous Design Team is bringing Homemade gift ideas to your doorstep. The holidays are just around the block and we want you all to have some ideas up your sleeves. Today  Wendy Jordan and I have the stage, so be sure to stop by her blog too! There will be prizes so be sure to comment as well! I combined some of the best ways to create a gift, the most traditional ones. The key to making this quick is to use Stampendous Jumbo sets with the Background Stamps . Let's jump through my idea, shall we?   I made a purse sized calendar with a pencil included. :) The cover is stamped with the Jumbo Dogwood  and quickly colored with three Copic marker colors. Then some dabbling of Zip-Dry glue  in the centers to add some Fun Flock from the Over the Rainbow Flock and Glitter Kit by Stampendous. While that was drying I made a mask by stamping onto a large sticky note and cutting it out. I added the mask and then stamped the Lacey ...

It's such a pleasure and excitement to be a guest designer with THE CAS team on Splitcoast Stampers this week. It's a technique week with the challenge to Color Block. Seriously, I had to Google it! LOL I needed to make sure I was thinking right about the challenge and I was, but I liked the thought of using "blocking" inside of a die cut. So, let's hope I am still inside the technique! :) I took three scraps of cardstock and taped them together then stamped the Sweet Scallop Stamp in Tuxedo Black. I used the coordinating sweet scallop die to cut out the tag and tied a little black bow at the top popping it up with dimensional dots. I stamped the sentiment from the newly released Treasured Words set from Verve in Tuxedo Black as well as the cake stand image from the same set. It was popped with dimensional dots, too. My card base  is embossed with a Sissix Polka Dot embossing folder. So take the technique challenge on your next creation and link it up ...

It's time for the monthly Diva Inspiration Hop! We are lined up to inspire you with some of the stamps you've seen in past releases (and I couldn't help pair up with some new ones too). The hop starts on the Verve blog where I hear if you comment along the way you are entered into a sweet giveaway. I'm here with a fun multi-layer-full of texture card. Inspired by the mix of an older released Dream Big Verve set with a new Brighter Days Anni-Verve-sary set. If you came from Andrea's blog then you are in the right spot! So, I don't even know where to begin describing this card! I started with the flower and chipped paint paper from My Mind's Eye. The flower is stamped in Rose Red with the medium flower from Dream Big and then in Chocolate with the same size flower in Brighter Days and finished with cutting it out with the coordinating Scalloped Flowers Die from Verve. I added some clear embossing powder on that flower and heated from th...

(credits: Photo by Janelle Stollfus Balloon: ) Edited with Corel Paint Shop Pro X3 Happy Labor Day to my US friends, but also a wish for a wonderful weekend wherever you are. We are having a staycation with the family. We were up really early on Saturday morning to catch up to 40 hot air balloons launch at the Spirit of Boise Hot Air Balloon Classic. We usually see a few balloons over our rooftop at this time of year, but we've never made down to see them all launch together. This was the year and it was spectacular! I took tons of photos of balloons and just in case my mother-in-law asked, I snapped a few of the grandkids, too. :) There is nothing like the look of real sun-kissed clouds, but I know a close second. I've stirred up some curiosity over a few clouds I painted on  this card I posted back in July. Now you can have a chance to make them yourself with a tutorial I'm hosting over on Paper Craft Planet Blog today. Come and see!