Away in A Manger (September Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks Begin Today!)

Good morning folks!! We're kicking off the September sneak peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps today!! Each day, the Krafty Girls will be previewing stamps by one of our Krafty Artists...you will find links to these daily sneak peeks over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog. There will also be daily BLOG CANDY giveaways, so you'll want to make sure to visit each designer sharing sneak peeks to leave comments for your chance to win!

So, what's the theme of the September stamps?? Christmas!!! December always sneaks up so quickly, so now is a great time to get a jump on making your Christmas cards and Kimmie has a fantastic collection of holiday stamps sure to get your holiday spirit in full swing. :)

Today, we are introducing you to TWO new stamps sets...the gorgeous "O Holy Night Nativity Set" by Krafty artist Cheryl Alger and the  "Nativity Sentiment Set". The O Holy Night Nativity Set includes three main image stamps ("The Wise Men", "Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus", and "The Shepherd Boy"). It also includes a few small coordinating sentiments. This collection will ONLY be sold as a complete set. The images are a perfect size to mask together to create a full scene. They are also fantastic when used individually as the feature image of a card.  The Nativity Sentiment Set includes several beautiful sentiments and Scripture verses in lovely fonts that reflect the "reason for the season".

I inked up Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus for my card today. Cheryl has done a beautiful job with this set ...they are absolutely adorable! The Echo Park papers were all lightly distressed and sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The "O Holy Night" sentiment is included in the "O Holy Night Nativity Set". The larger Scripture verse (Isaiah 9:6) used to prop up the easel portion of the card is part of the "Nativity Sentiment Set" and was popped up on some foam squares. Both were stamped in Versafine Ink on white cardstock that was sponged with Antique Linen and Walnut Stain Distress Inks.

And when opened up to show the verse from the Nativity Sentiments Set...

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus were stamped on Neenah Cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. I did add some additional shading with brown and black Conte Crayons. Spellbinders Labels 8 were used for cutting out the image and the larger sentiment. The background was sponged with Antique Linen and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. The star was given a coat of Stardust Stickles.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20  Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59  Mary's Clothes: B91, B93, B95, B97, C5, C7, V01, V04, V17, V09, E50, E53, E57, Conte Crayons  Joseph's Clothes: G20, G82, G85, G99, R27 R46, R59, C5, C7, E11, E13, E17, E59, Conte Crayons  Baby Jesus' Blanket: B32, B34, B37, B39, C5  Manger: E50, E31, E33, E25, E59, E97, E99  Straw: E50, Y17, Y23, E33, E37  Star: Y11, Y17, Y23, E13


Make sure to pop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog where you will find a list of links for today's sneak peeks. The Krafty Girls have created some gorgeous projects with these two new sets that will be available for purchase this Sunday!

***BLOG CANDY ALERT***

Would you like to win both the O Holy Night Nativity Set and the Nativity Sentiments Set??!! All you need to do is hop around to visit each Krafty Girl sharing a sneak peek today and leave them a comment. Kimmie will draw a winner from the comments and post their name on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog tomorrow morning...good luck!

We hope you can join us tomorrow for another round of previews featuring stamps by yet another Krafty Artist. :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stams "Nativity Set" and "Nativity Sentiments"

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Inks

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill Kraft, Echo Park

"Precious Present" (Sylvia Zet for SCACD!!)

Last week at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design, we celebrated the release of "The Adventures of Loli and Poppy"the very first exclusive collection of stamps by artist Sylvia Zet for SCACD! We have all fallen head over heels for Sylvia's sweet style. These images are stunning and perfect for so many different occasions.

This beautiful little fairy is "Precious Present". I paired her up with some older Prima papers as I loved the watercolour look of the designs. (Susana does not have this paper in stock any more, but she does have the new Prima papers HERE, and they are gorgeous!!) All paper edges were distressed with scissors and sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I used my Spellbinders circles to cut the image out. I also used some elements of Spellbinders Parisian Accents. The rhinestone swirls are from the dollar store, but Susana has some similar pearl ones HERE.

"Precious Present" was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I had tried to colour her dress in a similar style to the papers with pinks and teals, but it was what one might call an "epic failure" lol. It just wasn't turning out the way I had hoped, so I decided to paper piece her dress with a bit of the Prima Paper. Before adhering the paper pieced area, I added shading with my markers to create some depth. (BG70, BG72, BG75, BG78, C5, C7, RV000, RV02 and the blender.) My favourite adhesive to use when paper piecing is the Quickie Glue Pen...you can precisely apply small amounts of glue to the tiniest pieces of paper with it's pen tip applicator. Her wings were given some shimmer with  Stardust Stickles. I had another go at trying to reproduce the look of the Prima paper by creating a background. I started by applying BG10 in blobs and dots (nice technical artsy terms! lol) around the image followed by YG11, B000, BG000, RV000 and copious amounts of colourless blender. Applying the blender in layers of "dabs" with various amounts of pressure helped to create the mottled watercolour look. Just be careful with this method when working close to your coloured image. If applied too heavily, your colours and blender will run into the image you just worked so hard on. So just take care to be light handed near those edges, and don't "push" your ink towards the image. :)

Hair: E50, Y23, Y26, E33, E35, E37  Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20  Paper pieced dress: BG70, BG72, BG75, BG78, C5, C7, RV000, RV02, colourless blender  Present: B32, B34, B37, C5, C7, T2  Ribbon: R20, R22, R59, C5, T2 

If you have not yet signed up as a follower over at the SCACD Store Blog, please make sure to do so!! The talented members of Susana's design team are always sharing inspirational projects featuring stamps and products available at SCACD.

The exclusive Slyvia Zet for SCACD stamp collections are available at both SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie so that they are easily avialable to our crafty friends all over the world. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by today...I appreciate your visit!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: SCACD's exclusive "Precious Present" by Sylvia Zet
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Prima
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Embellishments: rhinestone swirls, machine stitching
Tools: Spellbinders

Hello Old Friend...It's Been A While!

Good morning blogging friends. I would like to begin today's post remembering the events of ten years ago tomorrow...it was one of those days that we will forever remember what we were doing when the news broke of the World Trade Centre attacks. I remember sitting with my daughter on my knee watching the story unfold on the television, at first thinking it was a terrible accident...until the second plane struck the second tower. What a terrible attack that resulted in so much loss...but there were also amazing stories of people coming to the aide of others. My heart continues to go out to those who lost loved ones that tragic day. I cannot imagine the depth of anguish you went through that day...but my prayers are with you for continued healing and peace. Thank you to the men and women who became heroes that day...to all those who helped with the rescue efforts, the clean up, the rebuilding, the healing, the comforting. May we remember those families today in our thoughts and prayers, and may we also remember those who serve to protect our countries each and every day.

This week at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog, our lovely hostess Angie Baker has challenged us to use a "Blast From Your Past"...she wants you to pull out one of your very first Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps to use on your projects this week! I often get so caught up in the excitement of the newest stamps, that some of my older ones will sit uninked for ages...what a great challenge to remind us to show some love to the oldies but goodies!

I am using one of the stamps from Kimmie's very first release...back before I was a Krafty Girl! This stamp completely made me fall in love with Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, and with the style of Krafty Artist Annie Rodrigue. This is also the stamp I used on my "audition card" to win a guest spot on Kimmie's team...which ended up becoming a full time (treasured) spot on this wonderful design team. This stamp remains one of my favourites to this day...the ever quirky and oh so adorable "Charlotte"!! I know this stamp is a favourite among many Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps fans and I suspect she might make an appearance in several submissions to this week's Blast From Your Past Challenge. Charlotte was among my very first Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps along with Francesca and Lilith. :)  I pulled out some pretty Fancy Pants papers and coloured Charlotte accordingly. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the border and added some flat-backed pearls. The sentiment is also from an early Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps release, "Everyday Sentiments".

Charlotte was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I absolutely adore her well-loved dolls and quirky expression...and of course her amazing hair!! She really is so much fun to colour up. The background was sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20  Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59  Dress: BG11, BG23, BG49, C5, R17, R27, R46, R59  Dolls: E50, E57, B91, B93, B95, B97, G20, G21, G24, G28, C5, C7, E17

If you join in our challenge this week, you could be the lucky winner of  the stamp seen on Angie's awesome card this week...just make sure to include at least one Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your submission.  So have fun taking a walk down memory lane, pull out one of your very first Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps and show it some love this week. :) Make sure to pop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see all the "Blast From Your Past" projects by the talented Krafty Girls!!

****KRAFTY NEWS****

Canadian Scrapbooker and Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Giveaway: Click HERE to read all the details for your chance to win some Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Krafty Day 2011: Click HERE to read all the details on this second annual event! Last year was so much fun, and we'd love to have you join us this year...register soon to take advantage of "early bird" prices and secure your spot!

Frugal Fridays: Click HERE to see the weekly specials...you'll have until Sunday evening to scoop up this week's selection of discounted stamps! (all priced at 40-50% off!)

Back To School Special: Can we interest you in a GIFT with purchase??? With every order over $25 (before shipping and taxes), you will receive one FREE Steven Leary stamp!! This special will run from September 9th to September 16th.

September 2011 Release: Can you believe it's right around the corner?? Stay tuned to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog as sneak peeks start next Thursday!! Each day, you'll find a list of links to the Krafty Girls who have sneak peeks to share on the KKS Blog. The previews will continue through until the official release day on Sunday September 18th when we'll have a fun blog hop to celebrate!! (and if you've joined in the fun of the sneak peeks of previous releases, you'll know that Kimmie often has some blog candy up for grabs!!)

Well, that's it for me today! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for stopping by today. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Charlotte" and "Everyday Sentiments"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Fancy Pants
Embellishments: flat backed pearls

Introducing Sylvia Zet for SCACD!!!

Today is the day we've been anticipating at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design...it's the Sylvia Zet for SCACD Stamps Release Day!!!  We have all fallen in love with Sylvia's sweet style, and I know you will too. This release features eight new adorable stamps that are exclusively available starting today at SCACD or at Quixotic Paperie if you reside in the UK. They will, of course be available for individual sale, but if you just have to have them all (and I think you will!!), you can purchase them in discounted sets!!

To celebrate this gorgeous new release, we are having blog hop today!! Not only will you see projects by the SCACD and Quixotic Paperie design team, but we also have several talented guests joining in the fun. The hop begins with the lovely and very talented  Elaine Hughes, so make sure to start there so as not to miss out on any of the blogs along the way. The complete hop list can be found at the SCACD store blog. So go grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea and get comfy as we introduce you to the Adventures of Loli and Shellie, Poppy and the rest of their friends!

(If you've been following along the hop, you should have arrived here after visiting with one of our lovely guests, Iris Wiechmann. If not, just hop on over to Elaine's to start at the beginning.)

My card today features the adorable "Loli and Shellie". I have completely fallen in love with Sylvia's new designs for SCACD Stamps. They are an absolute joy to colour. I paired Loli and Shellie up with some paper from Basic Grey "Olivia". The image was cut with Spellbinders Labels 8 and the little corner embellishments were cut with Spellbinders Parisian Accents. The pearls were made with a Viva Decor Pen (Ice White).

Loli and Shellie were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and coloured with Copic markers. The grass was done in layers of little feather strokes, applied in a "flicking" motion. I always add my darkest greens where the shadows would fall...I also add a little grey just to make the shadows a little more dynamic. I masked the image and sponged around it with Memento Summer Sky.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20  Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59  Dress: BG70, BG72, BG75, BG78, C5, R81, R83, R85, R89  Shellie: E50, E13, E25, E29, E59, YG00, G20, G21, B91, B93, B95, B97  Grass: YG00, G14, G21, YG63, YG67, G99, C5, C7

All the gorgeous new Sylvia Zet stamps for SCACD are now available for purchase!! You will only find them at SCACD or at Quixotic Paperie for our crafty friends in the UK. So when you are finished today's hop, make sure to place your order ASAP as I'm sure these beautiful stamps will be flying off the shelves!

It is now my pleasure to send you off to visit with yet another talented guest joining in today's release day blog hop...Judy Laing!! I know she has something gorgeous to share with you featuring yet another new exclusive Sylvia Zet for SCACD stamp!

Thank you so much for joining us today. Have fun hopping, and don't forget to indulge in a little crafty shopping when you're done!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Exclusive SCACD stamp "Loli and Shellie" by artist Sylvia Zet
Ink: Memento, Copics
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey Olivia
Tools: Spellbinders
Embellishments: Viva Decor Pearl Pen, machine stitching

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps and Canadian Scrapbooker Giveaway!

Have you seen the latest issue of Canadian Scrapbooker?? Kraftin Kimmie Stamps is featured on a full page advertorial! Here's a peek:

To celebrate, Kimmie is giving away TEN SETS OF THE FOUR STAMPS featured in the magazine!!! Each winner will received Merry, Batty Princess, Agnes and Hattie!! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on THIS POST telling Kimmie what your favourite Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp is!!  (you can visit the new updated website HERE to see all the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps) There's also a blinkie in my sidebar that will take you directly to the post. You will have until September 10th at midnight (EST) to enter. Winners will be announced on September 11th!

When you visit the post to enter the contest, you can also check out the instructions on how to make each card featured in the magazine.

Good luck!!

Blessings,

Melanie

How Do You Boo?

Hey Krafty friends! Hope you've had a great week and are all geared up for another fantastic challenge at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog!! This week, our hostess is the lovely and very talented Kerry Johnson. Kerry has come up with a great challenge for us...she wants to see us use "Office Supplies" on our projects this week.

This week I inked up another amazing new Halloween themed Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp, Mr. Punkinhead. The pumpkin design papers are from Graphic 45...just perfect for this stamp don't you think? The kraft polka dotted paper is from My Minds Eye "Haunted". I sponged around all the paper edges with Black Soot Distress Ink and roughed them up a bit with my scissors. The sentiment comes with The Pumpkin King. For my office supplies, I borrowed a date stamp from work (yes, I asked first!! lol), stamped "Oct 31" and attached it to the image panel with an orange paper clip I found in one of my kitchen drawers. To finish it off, I added a little pumpkin button I picked up at the fabric store last year.

Mr. Punkinhead was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers. I also added some extra shading with my Conte Crayons. I love the soft smoky shading these crayons add. I applied them with a paper blending stump.

Pumpkin: Y00, Y17, Y23, YR02, YR16, E13, E17, E18, E33 Suit: V01, V15, V09, G82, G85, R46, R59, C7

So, are you up to joining our challenge this week? I'm sure you've all got some office supplies in your drawers...your elements could be as simple as paper clips or staples. If you make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project, you could be the lucky winner of the stamp seen on Kerry's incredible card this week!

***Krafty Day 2011*** Registration is open!! You'll find all the information on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps website HERE. The date is set for October 16, 2011...we'd love for you to join us for an entire day of Krafty fun!

Oh, and make sure to check out the Frugal Friday Specials this week...you can find them HERE! Each Friday, Kimmie chooses a different selection of stamps to put on sale for the weekend at AMAZING discounts...but the Frugal Friday Specials end on Sunday, so make sure to scoop them before time's up!

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "The Pumpkin King" and matching sentiment
Ink: Memento, Distress Ink, Copics
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME, Graphic 45
Embellishments: paper clip, date stamp, button

Friendship Rose

Hey folks! I've got a card to share with you today featuring one of the Fall Flora Fairies from the SCACD Stamp Co. These fairies can be  used for so many occasions. I think they are just perfect for cards for those sweet little girls in your life...after all, what little girl doesn't love fairies?!

So with that in mind, I set out to make a very "girly" card. I decided to ink up Friendship Rose and paired her up with some soft pastel papers from Prima. I lightly distressed all the paper edges and pulled out my sewing machine to add some stitching. The pretty crocheted trim is a dollar store find. I coated the petal edges of the little Prima rose in with Stardust Stickles. The pearls were made with a Viva Decor Pearl Pen in Ice White. The bow was made with my trusty Bow Easy. A few pearl sprays were tucked in behind the bow. The little tag was cut with Spellbinders and the sentiment is from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Beachy Sentiments".

Friendship Rose was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and coloured with Copics. Her wings, shoes and green polkadots on her dress were coated with Stardust Stickles. Friendship Rose also comes with a pretty rose accessory stamp.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20  Hair: E50, E31, E33, E7, E59  Dress: B000, B91, B93, B95, B97, RV000, R81, R83, R85, R89, G20, G82, G85, G99, C7
The Fall Flora Fairies are avialble exclusively from SCACD and from Quixotic Paperie if you reside in the UK.

Make sure to check at SCACD frequently as Susana is always adding fantastic new product! Here's just a taste of what's been arriving over the last several days:

• New Prickly Pair Stamps and coordinating dies (sold separately)
• New Couture Creations embossing folders
• 4 new Jillibean 6x6 paper pads

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I appreciate that you take the time out of your day to peek in at my blog. :)

Oh, and don't forget to enter for the SCACD Sylvia Zet Blog Candy at THIS POST!!! (it closes tomorrow at 10:00 pm EST so make sure to get your name in the draw!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: SCACD "Friendship Rose" from the Fall Flora Fairies, sentiment from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps
Ink: Memento, Copics
Paper: Bazzill, Neenah, Prima
Embellishments: Stickles, sewing, Viva Decor Pearl Pen, Pearl flower sprays, Prima rose, ribbon, crocheted trim
Tools: Spellbinders