Spring Trinkets...A Kraftin' Kimmie Preview!

It's time for Kraftin' Kimmie's MARCH 2013 RELEASE!!!!! 

We are kicking off the *New* MARCH Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps previews today and we're excited that this month we have TWO sets of fabulous TRINKETS!! We'll share one set today by itself and one set tomorrow in combo with some new images!! Today we’d like to introduce you to a beautiful new set of ….SPRING TRINKETS!!

These circular sentiment stamps have been created and designed by the totally talented Krafty Girl, Nicole Aspinall!! They are made especially to fit in your 1 3/8ths and 1 ¾ inch punches, for quick and easy cutting!!! This month we are releasing the SPRING Trinkets set which includes EIGHT trinkets in each set with four of each size and they come as both positive and negative images, so you can use your black or brown ink with the positive stamps and use your coloured inks with the negative ones!! You will get the set as a completely unmounted full sheet of deeply etched grey rubber. They're just PERFECT for all your springy creations!!!

I've used the Happy Easter Spring Trinket for a mini note card. The trinket was stamped on Neenah in Memento and coloured with Copics. I matted it with a purple decorative circle cut with an MFT die. The white cardstock was run through my cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder. A little snippet of ribbon and a tiny button were added to finish it off.

BLOG CANDY: Today we have awesome inspiration from the Krafty Girls and Guests so hop around....and be sure to comment at each and every stop because one lucky stamper is going to WIN the new SPRING TRINKETS set!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party on Saturday night!}

We are having another amazing ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!!! It's happening this SATURDAY at our Facebook fan page....and you can get ALL the details HERE!!! All the new stamps we're sharing over the next few days will be released on SATURDAY NIGHT!

Thanks for stopping by, and we hope you join us tomorrow for more sneak peeks!

Blessings,

Melanie

Welcome back to day four of our FEBRUARY Kraftin' Kimmie Peeks!!! Today we are excited to share TWO ADORABLE new sets by artist Cheryl Alger!!! You'll recognize these characters from previous sets.....Lulu, Lexi and Lucas! And they are just as cute as can be!!! These new sets are.......LIL' BUCKAROOS and SOMEBUNNY LOVES YOU!

Would you like to know who won the new World of Wonder stamp set that was previewed yesterday???!! Well, you'll just have to wait until Saturday night at this month's ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!!! Hope you can join us for all the fun and excitement and prizes!!! You can read all the details about how you can join us RIGHT HERE!

Not only do we have all these supah cute new stamps to share today BUT we are also thrilled to share that Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is sponsoring this month's SKETCH challenge over at the Designed to Color blog!!! You have a whole month to join in the fun and you could WIN your choice of THREE single stamps!!! Woohoo!!! Get krackin'!!

I used one of the cute images from Somebunny Loves You! I also used that sentiment which is included in the set. The papers are My Mind's Eye. The flourish was cut with an MFT die and I snipped apart the sentiment and tucked it into the flourish. I also used a background flourish stamp on the teal striped paper. 

Here's a close up of sweet little Lexie:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, RV42  Hair: E31, E33, E37, E50, E59  Clothes: BG70, BG72, BG75, R81, R85, R59, E18  Bunny: C00, C1, C3, C5, blender

All the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests listed below have lots of super sweet designs to show you, so be sure to hop over to each of them! And while you're there, be sure to leave a comment because we are giving away one of EACH of the new sets!!! You could WIN the new LIL' BUCKAROOS or SOMEBUNNY LOVES YOU stamp set!!!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party on Saturday night!}

  Make sure to come back tomorrow for our weekly challenge and more sneak peeks featuring the new stamps by Annie!

 Thanks for stopping by!!

 Blessings,

 Melanie

Spring is in the Air!

I sure hope spring stays in the air...we had snow earlier this week in Southwestern Ontario! I do love winter, but I am ready for warmer weather and sunshine to set it. I love hearing the birds out chirping in the trees, and it's so nice to let some fresh air into the house. It's my turn today to share a card at Sundays with Crissy. We have two options for your challenge theme this month..."Spring" or "Baby" themed projects!

For my card today, I used two of Crissy's newest digital images from Whimsy Stamps..."Meadow Background" and "New Chickie". I merged the images together before printing them out on Neenah cardstock. The paper is from October Afternoon.


We'd love to have you play along with us. You can link your project up on Sarah's post from the beginning of the month, HERE. (just look for the Inlinkz button at the end of her post) All rules for entering challenges at Sundays With Crissy can be found in the sidebar of the challenge blog.

(sorry for the short post today folks...we've got company arriving as I'm typing! lol)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Crissy's "New Chickie" and "Meadow Background" from Whimsy Stamps
Ink: Copics
Paper:Neenah, Bazzill, October Afternoon
Embellishments:Ribbon
Tools: Martha Stewart Punch

Day Two of the February Previews at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

Today, we're bringing you another round of previews at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog featuring the soon-t0-be-released stamps by artist Steven Leary!

I used the adorable "Springtime Bunnies"...aren't they cute?? I decided to make a clean and simple little 4.5" square notecard. The nice thing about small notecards is that you can use up some of those little scraps of paper you have left over from other projects....and they are just perfect for tucking into little unexpected places for a special someone to find. :) I pulled out some scrap ribbon, a button and a bit of embroidery floss to finish it off. I used to do a ton of cross-stitching, so I have quite a selection of embroidery floss colours. No sense in letting them go to waste!!

Springtime Bunnies was stamped on Neenah Smooth Cardstock and coloured with my Copics. I was trying to give them a furry look, but I got a tad heavy-handed with my markers and ended up overblending...something you want to avoid when you're trying to create texture. The sky was created with a little hand-cut cloud template, a makeup sponge and Memento Summer Sky Ink. (I forgot to record my Copic colours this time, so I must apologize for not having a marker list today.)

To see the rest of the sneak peeks by the other Krafty Girls, please stop by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog for the complete list of links. Make sure to join us tomorrow for another round of previews featuring some of the February stamps by another fabulous Krafty artist!! We will also have a final round of sneak peeks during our weekly challenge on Saturday, followed by our official release day blog hop on Sunday!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: Springtime Bunnies

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill,

Ink: Memento, Copics

Embellishments: Ribbon, button and embroidery floss

Young Love

(This is my second post for the day. Scroll down or click here to see my Sweet 'n Sassy card for Friday Sketchers!)

Happy Friday!! I've had a few days off work this week as my boss is away, and I have been enjoying the extra stamping time I've been able to sneak in! I absolutely adore my family....but oh, how I LOVE to have my house to myself for an afternoon! That's a big treat for me! The peace and quiet is just blissful for those few hours, and gives me a chance to decompress and re-engergize, so I'm ready for all the hustle and bustle once everybody gets home!

One of the projects I worked on this week during my "down time"was for our challenge this week over at The Town Scrapette's Blog...we want to see you make an Easter or Spring themed project. Now, the Scrapettes are all giving you a sneak peak of some gorgeous new exclusive Victoria Case images available only at The Town Scrapper! These cuties will be available soon in rubber, so contact Phebe if you would like to purchase them! If you play along in our challenge this week, you may just be the lucky winner of one of the exclusive Victoria Case line for the Town Scrapper!

I inked up "Easter Cuties". I adore this image!! Look closely and you will see that both have gifts for each other hidden behind their backs. Young love...too cute! The image was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with my Copic markers. I used my Nesties Labels 8 to cut them out. (did you know The Town Scrapper has an amazing assortment of Spellbinders, including some of the new sets!!) The sentiment i

One more sleep...tomorrow is the big day!! I'll be doing my first ever Copic colouring demo for Phebe at her fundraiser tomorrow afternoon in Petrolia, Ontario. The amazingly talented Krista is also running a demo to share her "mad skills"! For those of you interested in watercolouring, Phebe will be sharing some of her tips and techniques...her colouring is so pretty! Each demo will feature one of the exclusive Victoria Case stamps that you will only find at Phebe's store...The Town Scrapper. Phebe will have this stamp line available for purchase at the event. Your registration fee will include the demos, refreshments, card kits and the stamps used in each demo. I am very excited, and look forward to meeting everybody!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamp: "Easter Cuties" exclusive Victoria Case stamp for the Town Scrapper

Ink: Copic markers, Memeto Tuxedo Black and Summer Sky

Paper: Bazzill, Neenah, KaiserCraft, SU

Embellishments: Ribbon (Walmart)

Tools: Bow Easy

An Easter Treat...and a little bit of sad news.

Good morning! My post today is mixed with a little sadness. This will be my last post for the Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Stamps Blog. While I have enjoyed my time with this amazing group of ladies, I have some future endeavors in the works and therefore, reached the difficult decision to step down. I have appreciated the friendships made while serving on this team...these ladies are so supportive and encouraging. I still plan to stop by and see what they are up to...and to see what new images Korin is posting in her store! I would just like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to Korin for having me as part of this team, to Sandy who put up with my unending questions (lol) and to the rest of the ladies who have blessed me beyond anything I ever expected.

(Actually, I will have one more Sweet 'n Sassy card for you tomorrow, but it will not be posted on the Digi Blog. Korin is sponsoring a certain challenge blog...so come on back to my blog tomorrow to check out which one it is, and also to find out what she will be giving away as a prize!)

Ok...let me show you what I made for my final project. When I first started with Sweet 'n Sassy back in December, I used a Cocoa image for my first post (you can see that post here). I immediately fell in love with this cute little mouse, and Korin has been regularly coming up with new images featuring him. I felt it appropriate that my final post would also feature Cocoa. I printed this adorable Egg-Cited Cocoa on Neenah cardstock and coloured it with my Copic markers. I decided to cover one of these great wooden baskets I picked up from Michaels, and use it to hold some Easter treats. (I've used one of these baskets previously...you can see that post here.) Now brace yourselves...I used a sticker for the sentiment! GASP!! lol...Come on, fess up! I know there are a bunch of you out there who have gone sticker crazy in past years. When I first started scrapbooking...well actually, I pretty much "collected" scrapbooking stuff, and never really got around to using it...I bought tons of stickers. Where are they now?? In a big accordion file in my basement. So I though perhaps I should actually try to use some now and then. This little "Happy Easter" banner seemed to suit my project just perfectly. This project actually came together very quickly (maybe partially due to the sticker??!! lol), so you could make up a bunch of these for the kiddies, or even as place-setting favours for Easter dinner. Oh, your table would look adorable!

Remember, every Thursday is Digi Day over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Group on SNR. Today, your hostess is Leah. Hop on over there to get the details of the challenge, prizes and to participate in the friendly conversation. Make sure to visit the Sweet 'n Sassy store to pick up some new images too!

Again, thank-you to the entire team at Sweet 'n Sassy for the opportunity to work alongside you all.

God Bless!

Melanie

Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Stamp "Egg-Cited Cocoa"

Ink: Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Prism, DCWV

Embellishments: Dollar store stickers and ribbon

Other: Wooden basket from Michaels

Easter Bunnies come in all shapes and sizes...don't they??

Wow...our weather here changed from 20 degrees and sunny to 3 degrees and cold overnight!! Yesterday was so chilly. Today though, we are supposed to have a bit of sun to cheer things up, so I'm hoping things are a little warmer. Signs of spring are all around though...our tree is even budding!

Today at High Hopes, your hostess is the wonderfully talented Lacey, and she has called her challenge "Hoppy Easter"...this can be a spring theme, Easter theme or have anything that "hops" on it. Remember to use a High Hopes image, link it up on the High Hopes Blog and you just may be the lucky winner this week of a brand new High Hopes stamp!

I decided to use a stamp that wouldn't typically be used for an Easter theme. I pulled out "Watson" and decided to add some cute bunny ears to him. Now, Amy brought it to my attention that High Hopes has a Bunny Ears stamp, which I gladly would have used if it was part of my collection! lol These however, are just hand drawn in (with a Copic multiliner). I figure Watson would have a big advantage over most of us on an Easter Egg hunt with that terrific sniffer!! I'd pick him for my team...as long as he didn't lick the candy first. ewww. lol

The sentiment was just made with some rub-ons I picked up at the dollar store. Actually, the Easter Egg ribbon is also a dollar store find!

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday, and I know the Divas are "eggcited" (lol...sorry, BAD pun!!) to see what you create this week. "Hop" (again with the puns!) on over to the High Hopes blog for some inspiration from the Divas!!

Blessings,

Melanie

(ps...If you are in the area of Petrolia, Ontario next Saturday why not join me at a fundraising event! I'll be there doing a Copic demonstration. If you are interested you can find the details here, at the end of the post.)

Stamps: High Hopes "Watson"
Ink: Memento, Copic markers
Paper: Bristol, SU, DCWV
Tools: Spellbinders Scalloped Squares, MS border punch
Embellishments: Dollar store ribbon and rub-ons, Prima flowers, rhinestones

Easter Blessings

My goodness, March is just flying by! I wanted to remind my local readers of an event coming up on March 27, 2010 being hosted by Phebe of The Town Scrapper!(well, technically I shouldn't limit this to local readers!! lol, if you'd like to travel then we'd love to have you too!!) She is holding a fundraiser, which will run from 12:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon in beautiful Petrolia, Ontario! Phebe is planning a water colouring demo. There will also be two Copic demos, one by Krista and the other by me!! The three of us sat down together at Coffee Lodge the other night planning the details...well, and we may have indulged in some cheesecake too! lol Ladies, I know this will be a fun event! You will make up to three cards with Phebe's brand new Victoria Case images. There will also be snacks and refreshments...mmmm. Now, this event will be capped at 15 and as of the other day, there were only a few spots left. So, if you are interested please call or email Phebe quickly! (Oh! Don't foget to hop on over to The Town Scrapette's Blog for our weekly challenge! This week we're asking you to use Ribbons and Rub Ons! There are some fantastic examples by the DT on the blog for inspiration. If you participate this week, you could find yourself the lucky winner of a brand new Victoria Case stamp designed exclusively for The Town Scrapper!! Details are on the blog here.)

I also thought I'd share an Easter card with you today. Now, some of you may have seen this yesterday over on our Sweet 'n Sassy group at SNR. I made it for our Digi Day challenge (to make an Easter themed project). This Sweet 'n Sassy image is called "Christ Arose". What a beautiful image...so significant for the Easter season. Korin has several images that are just perfect for Easter.




The image was of course coloured with my Copic markers. I kept the layout very simple, as I really wanted the image to be the focus.




I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I will see you back tomorrow with a card for the Kraftin' Kimmie weekly challenge. (I've been working on a card with one of Crissy Armstrong's gorgeous fairies!)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Stamps "Christ Arose" and included sentiment
Ink: Copic markers, Distress Ink (Antique Linen and Tea Dye)
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, DCWV (Once Upon a Time)

Can You Feel It??

Good morning stampers! As part of my role as guest designer over at High Hopes, I was allowed to pick a challenge topic. I thought it would be fun to add some texture to your project this week! Texture can be added in so many ways! You can distress edges, add stitching, use different fibres or fabrics, emboss your papers or even create a faux texture! The possibilities are endless!

For my card this week, I used another image from the Dustin Pike new release. This is "Fast Eddie"! With Valentine's Day over, Easter is now fast approaching!! This image is just adorable, and obviously perfect for Easter! I stamped all images on Neenah paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Copic markers.

How did I add texture to my card? For starters, I created a faux fur texture on Eddie with my Copic markers. I also added some Star Dust Stickles to the Easter Eggs in Eddie's basket. The bunny's fluffy tail was covered with Polar White Flower Soft. I snipped some green cardstock to create a "grass" effect, and then sponged it with a dark olive ink. The white layer was embossed with my Spots and Dots Cuttlebug folder.

The sentiment was created with rub ons and a wooden tag covered with cardstock. The ribbon was originally white. I coloured it with my BV02 Copic marker to match the purple cardstock.

Head on over to the High Hopes Blog to see what the Divas have made this week for inspiration! Then get busy making a project with a High Hopes image and link it up for your chance to win a fantastic High Hopes prize!

Melanie

Stamps: High Hopes "Fast Eddie"

Paper: Prism, SU, Beckett

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Embellishments: Polar White Flower Soft, Star Dust Stickles, wooden tag, rub on letters, ribbon

Tools: Cuttlebug Spots and Dots folder