Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps May 2011 Release Blog Hop!!

(This is one of two posts on my blog today...please scroll up, or click HERE for an exciting announcement from Susana's Custom Art and Card Design!)

Good morning friends. It's release day today at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, and we're having a blog hop to celebrate! Over the last several days, the Krafty Girls and our Krafty Guests have been sharing some fabulous sneak peeks featuring the newest stamps to Kraftin' Kimmie. We introduced you to a brand new artist Cheryl Alger who has designed some exclusive Kraftin' Kimmie stamps, Scripture Quotes, several new stamps from artist Steven Leary and a collection of gorgeous Sporty Girls from Annie Rodrigue. On our blog hop today, you'll see some beautiful projects featuring many of the new May stamps.

The hop begins over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog where you will find a list of all the designers participating today. The rules are pretty simple...as you hop along, make sure to leave a comment at each and every blog as Kimmie will be drawing some random commenters who will win some of the new stamps. :)

You should have arrived here after visiting with the lovely Andrea Murdock. If not, just begin the hop over the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to ensure that you visit each blog along the way.

This lovely young tennis star is "Krista", designed by Krafty Artist Annie Rodrigue. Now some of you Kraftin' Kimmie fans will note that this stamp shares a name with one of our lovely Krafty Girls, Krista Van Tol. Well, word is that Miss Krista is quite the tennis enthusiast and so "Krista" seemed to be the perfect name for this new sporty stamp. (I'm terrible at tennis, so my apologies Krista...I will not be challenging you to a match any time soon! lol) The paper from MME Stella and Rose ("Hazel"...bought this at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design!! You can find her amazing selection of 6x6 paper pads HERE.). The sentiment comes with "Krista" along with a bonus sentiment that says "Life is a ball!".



Krista was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers. I sponged around her with Spun Sugar and Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I have to admit that I'm not thrilled with my colouring of her skirt...pinks and I don't seem to get along very well at all. :( I really do need to devote some quality time to practicing with them. Her outfit really is adorable though...quite chic! I love the clothing Annie creates for her characters...they always add such personality!



Hair: E50, Y21, Y23, YR30, E31, E33, E35, E37, E59 Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Shirt: G20, G82, G85, G99, C5 Skirt: RV000, R81, R83, R89, C3 Raquet: E50, E31, E35, E25, E59

Your next stop on the hop is the very talented Tracy Cornhill!! Don't forget to leave comments along the way to be eligible for the prize drawings!

When you're finished, head on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store because all the new stamps are available for purchase!! If you wish to purchase the stamps as entire collection (at a great discount!!), just click on the Gimmie Kimmie's Kits option!

Happy hopping. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Krista"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Paper: MME Stella and Rose "Hazel", Bazzill, Neenah
Embellishments: Crocheted Trim, ribbon, pearls
Tools: Spellbinders Ovals, Bow Easy

Girls Rock (and another Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Sneak Peek!)!)

Howdy folks! It's a double-your-fun kind of day over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog. Miss Kraftin' Kimmie herself is your lovely hostess for this week's "Girls Rock" challenge and the entire DT is showcasing some fabulous new characters by Annie Rodrigue...some new girls that are just perfect for this challenge! So what are you to make for the "Girls Rock" challenge?? How about a project featuring one of the many fantastic "girl" stamps that Kimmie carries? Or a card for you BFF...something to celebrate what makes her so FABULOUS!!

My card today features the very stylish "Tori". How cute is she with her little dog?? I wish I looked this fabulous when I'm out walking my dog! (I'm more of a jeans and hoodie kind of gal, lol) This gorgeous paper is from My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose (Mabel). I've been itching to get my hands on the MME Stella and Rose packs for quite some time, and found them for an amazing price at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design...you seriously need to check out her incredible selection of 6x6 paper pads!! All paper edges were sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The "Just Go With It" sentiment comes with Tori...it was stamped in Versafine Ink.


"Tori" was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Copic markers. She and her little pup were cut out and matted on layers cut with Spellbinders Circles and Lacey Circles. The middle yellow layers were hand cut after tracing around the outer edge of the same die used to cut the patterned paper.



Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E30, E31, E33, E37, E50, E59 Shirt: YR20, YR07, Y38, E08, E50, E97 Skirt: 100, C9, C7, C5, C3, C1, BG72, R46, Y38 Dog: E41, E43, E49, E50, C5

You can hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see the gorgeous "Girls Rock" projects by the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests. If you play along with our challenge this week you could be the very lucky winner of the stamp Kimmie used on her gorgeous card! To be eligible for the prize, you must use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project.

SNEAK PEEK BLOG CANDY!!!: Make sure to leave comments on every Krafty Girl's blog who has a sneak peek to share with you today, because Kimmie will be drawing TWO winners who will each receive THREE of Annie's new stamps!!

The wait is almost over...the new stamps will be available for purchase tomorrow!! We'll be celebrating the new May release with a fantastic blog hop...we hope you will plan to join us! :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: "Tori"
Ink: Memento, Distress Ink, Versafine
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME
Embellishments: Ribbon
Tools: Spellbinders

Engineer Ethan...another Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peek!

Good afternoon folks! Today, the Krafty Girls are sharing sneak peeks featuring a new set of cute little tykes by Krafty artist Steven Leary. Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps will be releasing all the new May stamps this Sunday!

This cute young lad is "Engineer Ethan". I paired him up with this fantastic plaid paper from October Afternoon...I've been hoarding this piece of paper for quite a while! The green patterned paper is from Crate Paper (the light blue horizontal strip is the reverse side of the same sheet). I distressed the paper edges and applied Distress Inks with a makeup sponge. (Stormy Sky and Walnut Stain.) The "Play" ticket is from Tim Holtz. I crumpled the ticket up and treated it to some Distress Ink as well.

"Engineer Ethan" was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, E21, RV42 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Overalls and hat: B91, B93, B95, B97, C9 Shirt: R27, R29, R46, R59 Tunnel: E50, E30, E31, E25, E29 Train: R27, R29, R46, R59, G14, G17, G20, G20, C3, C5, C9

For a complete list of links to the Krafty Girls who have previews to share with you today, please visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog.

SNEAK PEEK CANDY!!! Kimmie is giving away two sets of Steven's new stamps!! Just make sure to leave comments on all the Krafty Girls' blogs who have previews to share, and Kimmie will announce the winners on the KKS Blog tomorrow. Good luck! :)

I hope to see you back tomorrow for our weekly challenge when the Krafty Girls will be showcasing more new stamps by another one of our talented Krafty Artists!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Engineer Ethan"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Inks (Stormy Sky and Walnut Stain)
Paper: October Afternoon, Crate Paper, Neenah, Bazzill
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Tag

Day Two of Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks...How about some new Krafty Quotes??

Good morning! Yesterday, we kicked off the sneak peeks for the upcoming May release at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps by introducing you to a new artist. Today, we are continuing the previews by showing you the brand new Krafty Quotes #4 set featuring four Scripture Verses. I absolutely love this set. :)

I chose to work with Proverbs 3:5..."Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

I decided to go with a black and white colour scheme for today's card. The white flourished paper is from Karen Foster and the black striped paper is from MME. All papers were heavily distressed with scissor edges and then sponged with Black Soot Distress Ink. The Krafty Quote was stamped in Versafine Ink and cut out with Spellbinders Labels 8. I covered two wooden hearts (from the dollar store) with the Melissa Frances paper, sanded the edges and then sponged them with the Distress Ink as well. The two accordion-fold flowers were made by punching the edge of a strip of the design paper with a Martha Stewart border punch, scoring at evenly spaced intervals and then folding the paper accordion-style. The edges were joined with Scor Tape to form a circle and the flower was adhered to a small cardstock base. (I saw these "Ruffled Flowers" over on Amazing Paper Grace...Becca is such a paper crafting genius! Her blog is a constant source of inspiration, and her work is always stunning.If you click on the above link, you will be taken to her post including a video tutorial for making these flowers.) The flower centres are Prima rhinestones and the flourishes are dollar store finds. I wanted to include the wooden heart, as I felt it would go with the verse. However, now I'm questioning my decision to use two hearts...at first glance, my card looks like it may be a Valentines card. Hmmmm. Yup, probably should have just used one...it's that old "hindsight" thing. :)



Krafty Quotes #4 is a beautiful set, and I know I will be reaching for it often. To see the gorgeous projects that the rest of the Krafty Girls created with this new set that will be available for purchase on Sunday, please visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog for links to their blogs.

We'll be back tomorrow with another round of sneak peeks...hope to see you then!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin Kimmie Stamps "Krafty Quotes Set 4-Scripture verses"
Paper: Bazzill, Melissa Frances, MME
Ink: Versafine, Black Soot Distress Ink
Embellishments: Prima rhinestones, dollar store rhinestone swirls
Tools: Martha Stewart Border Punch, Spellbinders Lables 8, Scor-Pal

Who's ready for some new Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps??!!

This Sunday will be another release day at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps and as always, Kimmie has put together an amazing selection of stamps! Today we are kicking off the sneak peeks with images by a brand new Krafty Artist!

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is thrilled to introduce a new artist to the mix....her name is Cheryl Alger! You may recognize her name from Sassy Cheryl's where she creates digital art. Cheryl is creating a brand NEW line of images, specifically for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps! These stamps will ONLY be available at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps and ONLY as unmounted rubber stamps! Now here's a bit about Cheryl!

I grew up outside of Staunton, Virginia, but now live in the Richmond, Virginia. I absolutely LOVE to draw and always carry a small sketchbook with me in case inspiration strikes me while I'm out and about.

I have been creating digital art now for about 12 years now and have licensed my work to companies such as Kohl's, Hobby Lobby and Shopko, among others, for over eight years. I started creating digital images about two years ago. It's been a lifelong dream to become a working artist, and besides deadlines, I LOVE everything about what I do! It really helps that I have a very supportive husband and son (they also can be my biggest critics! I have to admit, I LOVE my job!

This is "Little Summer Girl". How fun is she with her little ducky floatie?! I paired her up with some fun bright patterned paper from Echo Park. The "Make a Splash" sentiment on my card is from Kimmie's "Mermaid Sentiments". The little water droplets are Jolee's Stickers...I still had the sticker pack out from the card I made for our current "Krafty" challenge. Lol, how's that for lazy crafting...just grab whatever is already out on your table! :)

Copics: Hair: Y21, Y23, E31, E33, E37, E50, E59 Skin: E000, E00, E11, RV42 Bathing suit: R27, R29, R46, E59, C9 Flippers: Duck Floatie: Y00, Y11, Y17, Y21, Y28, E35, R27, R46, YR00, YR02, YR04, YR07, E08

Please make sure to stop by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog today for links to all the Krafty Girls who have sneak peeks to share with you. The sneak peeks will continue right through until the release day this Sunday when we'll have a fun blog hop to celebrate!

CANDY ALERT!!!!: Kimmie has decided to give away a whole set of Cheryl's new stamps today! Make sure to leave comments on all the Krafty Girls blogs because one lucky winner will receive the whole set of Cheryl's new stamps and she'll announce the winner in Thursday's post. (visit the challenge blog for links to their blogs!!)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Little Summer Girl" and "Summer Sentiments"
Ink: Memento, Versafine, Copics
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Echo Park
Embellishments: Jolee's Stickers

Surf's Up!

Hello and happy Saturday to you all! The lovely Miss Tracy Cornhill is our hostess this week at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog and her challenge is to use Kraft Paper on your project!

I decided to pull out the ever adorable Surfing Miles for my card this week. To create the little beach scene, I sponged in the sky and used a wave sticker (Jolee's Stickers bought at Walmart). The "sand" was created by crumpling up pieces of Kraft cardstock and then pulling apart the outer layers. This exposes the core of the cardstock which has a bit of a "fuzzy" texture. I crumpled it up a bit more, tore the edges and brushed them various inks to highlight the texture. The fun surfboard paper is from Fancy Pants.


Miles was stamped in Memento ink and coloured with Copics.

Miles: W1, W3, W5, W7, C1, C3, C5 C7 Shorts: BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, R17, R27, R29, R59, G7 Surfboard: B91, B93, B95, B97, YR00, YR02, YR04, YR07, E08, YG00, YG11, YG23, YG25, G7

The lucky winner of the Kraft Paper challenge this week will get to choose one image stamp as their prize!! Just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project...you can go shopping at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store. For some inspiration, hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see what the Krafty Girls have created this week.

OK...now for some Kraftin' Kimmie News Tidbits!! There are several exciting things you will want to know about, so make sure to read thoroughly. :)

1. Did you see the newest items available at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store??? Kimmie is now carrying keychains, magnets and 5x7 prints of some of Krafty Artist Annie Rodrigue's work!!! Make sure to scoop yours up when you place your next order! (I grabbed myself a "Perfect Poison" keychain, and an "Angry Ballerina" keychain for my daughter Ainsleigh. LOVE them!!) You can find them under the "Annie's Artwork" category at the store.



2. Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is celebrating National Scrapbooking Day and Mother's Day by having a big ol' SALE!!! There are over 100 stamps from all of our lines on sale 25-75% off! Yes, you read that right! This sale will run from Friday May 6th-Tuesday May 10th! And some of these images will be retiring shortly, so get them before they are GONE!! (Cannot be combined with other coupons/discounts!)



3. Please join us in welcoming a brand new full-time Krafty Girl to the team...Carole Burrage!!! We are absolutely thrilled to have her joining us. Not only is she an amazingly talented stamper, but a visit to her blog is bound to leave you in stitches with her witty humour. Welcome aboard Carole!! :)



4. And finally, we'd like to welcome our lovely guest designers for the month of May: Kerry Johnson, Taylor Usry and Inge Groot! Can't wait to see what these ladies have up their Krafty sleeves. :)

I will leave you with one final "head's up"...sneak peeks for the May release will being this Wednesday!! So make sure to stop by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog each day to see who has sneak peeks to share with you...you will love the May stamps!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you enjoy your weekend. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Surfing Miles"

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Inks (Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Walnut Stain)

Paper: Bazzill, Neenah, Fancy Pants
Embellishments: Jolee wave sticker

New Items in the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store (for all the Annie Rodrigue fans!!)

Good morning friends! Just a quick post today to let you know about some exciting new items in the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store! For those of you who just can't get enough of Annie Rodrigue's amazing artwork, Kimmie is now carrying an assortment of 5x7 prints, keychains and magnets featuring several of Annie's original works. (I've already scooped up two keychains...Perfect Poison for myself and Angry Ballerina for my daughter Ainsleigh, and they are fabulous!) Just click on the "Annie's Artwork" tab at the store to check them out. There is even a Special Edition keychain of Rebecca Raspberry created especially for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Oh, and if you've been thinking about ordering the April Gimmie Kimmie Kits, you'd best get your order placed ASAP!! Today is the last day they'll be available...and remember, the stamp collections in the Gimmie Kimmie Kits are always offered at a great discount!

Happy shopping. :)

Blessings,

Melanie