Golden Inkspirations: July 2012

Shannon White

Chrissy Dickinson

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you'll have a chance to join the Sweet 'n Sassy Divas for the new August Release Blog Hop on Thursday....can't believe it's August already!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Card Recipe
Stamps: Sweet Wryn Digi, Wryn's Tree Digi (Tiddly Inks), Summertime Rhubarb (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)
Ink: Computer, Tuxedo Black (Memento), Peeled Paint and Salty Ocean Distress Inks (Ranger)
Paper: Select White, True Black (PTI), Neenah Solar White (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Alora Collection Paper Pad (Bo Bunny)
Accessories: Canvas Impression Plate (PTI), Glossy Accents (Ranger), Pearls (Queen & Company), Baker's Twine

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Meet Kiwi Koala

Hello everyone and a happy Saturday to you! I hope you all had a wonderful week in spite of the heat and the rain! Thursday was busy as Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps began their Christmas in July Hop! You still have one more day to join the fun and enter the hop for a chance to win a free Christmas stamp set of your choice. Just scroll down to my last post to see all the details.

This week's sketch with a spin at The Sweet Stop means there's another chance for a Prize...$15 to spend at the Sweet 'n Sassy Store! The spin this week is to use numbers. My sample features a brand new character at the Sweet 'n Sassy Store...meet Kiwi Koala, a new digital stamp called Kiwi Koala's Watermelon! I think we may see more of Kiwi in the future!

Creative Nugget: I have to tell you that this card did not come together easily...do you ever have times when that happens? My little Sew Mini did not like sewing through all the layers so an extra row of messy stitching was added to hide the imperfection...now you know my little secret! Kiwi was colored with copic markers as usual, but then to give him some nubby texture, several drops of Colorless Blender solution were dripped onto an old washcloth and dabbed on Kiwi. The image was then cut out with a square nestie. The number panel was made by dripping drops of alcohol ink and copic refills onto a piece of glossy card stock. When the paper was filled with color, Ranger Blending Solution was dripped on, causing the colors to move and blend together. Some Pumice Stone Distress Ink was then rubbed onto a number texture plate. That and the glossy paper were run through the Big Shot. The result was a panel with numbers that kind of matched my DP. The rest of the card was layered and pieced together on a Vintage Cream card front. Phew...just thinking about this card makes me tired, but I think it did turn out kind of cute! Hope you have an easier time with your card. Here is this week's sketch:

Sugar Babies

Shannon White

Chrissy Dickinson

I don't have a Christmas version this week because of the Christmas Blog Hop, but I do have a beach card to share with you. On Sunday we are loading up the car and heading to the beach, so for the Ways to Use It Challenge at Splitcoaststampers, I challenged everyone to make a card or project using something from the beach. This was my sample:

This little Saturated Canary Beach Baby was a lot of fun to color. Isn't she adorable?

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope to see your SSS168 cards with a spin in the gallery at The Sweet Stop! Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Card Recipe
Stamps: Kiwi Koala's Watermelon Digital Stamp (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Tiny Tags (PTI)
Ink: Computer Ink, Tuxedo Black (Memento), Peeled Paint and Salty Ocean Distress Inks (Ranger)
Paper: Vintage Cream, Smokey Shadow (PTI), Glossy Card Stock (SU!), Neenah Solar White (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Homemade 6 Bean Soup DP (Jillibean Soup)
Accessories: Square Nestie, Ric-Rac Edgeability Die (Spellbinders), Number Texture Plate (PTI), Sew Mini (Janome), Copic Markers R20, 81, 83, 85, 89; YG17, 21, 25; Y17; T0, 1, 3, 5, 7

Thursday, July 19, 2012

SNSS Christmas in July Blog Hop

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating Christmas in July! What a perfect opportunity to get an early start on those Christmas cards and Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps has some of the most wonderful images for the job! Ready to see what the Design Divas and a few special friends have been up to with their Christmas stamps? Take a look! If you've come from Monika's Blog, you've already seen some fabulous stamp sets in action. If you just happened to stop by, be sure to begin at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to read about how you can join in on this hop and win some prizes!

Creative Nugget: For my sample, I used the clear stamp set, Season of Love. To begin, the silhouette image was stamped on Vintage Cream card stock and cut out with a square nestie. The beams of light coming from the star were masked and sponged with Wild Honey Distress ink. The rhinestones were colored with a copic marker and added to each star. The patterned paper is from Graphic 45 and was layered onto True Black card stock. All of the panels were layered onto a Vintage Cream card front. A Spellbinders fancy label die was added to the bottom panel. Some lace and ribbon were sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink to age them. Black rhinestones complete the card.

Lots of great things are happening at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps during these pre-holiday festivities! ALL Christmas clear stamps are 20% off through Wednesday, July 25. Three new holiday sets are available in the store right now! You can get them before they are released in September and October...AND if you buy them now, you can take advantage of the sale price!

Every order of $25 in Christmas clear stamps will receive Gingerbread Man, a darling new 2" x 2" mini clear set. And as always, all clear stamp orders of $50 or more get this month's free w/ stamp set, Christmas Candle (while supplies last).

Now head on over to see Mary Faus for more Christmas sweetness! Here is a list of the bloggers participating in the hop in case you get lost along the way!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog

Kim Singdahlsen

Bridget Finlay

Jennifer Ingle

Taylor Usry

Cathy McCauley

Mary Faus

Ceal Pritchett

Giovana Smith

Lee Murphy

Jennie Harper

Kim Schofield

Julie Ranae
Jessica Fick

Korin Sutherland

And what's the best part about Christmas in July? We want YOU to play along with us! Use Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to create a Christmas project and link it below to join in our Customer blog hop. You have until Sunday, July 22 at 11:59 PM EST to play along. One randomly selected participant will receive their choice of one Christmas clear stamp set!

Thanks so much for hopping with us today. I can't wait to see your Christmas creations!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Birds of a Feather

Good morning stamping friends! How did you like the July release by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps? If you haven't had a chance to see the new stamp sets yet, head on over to the store and take a look. You will not be disappointed! You can count on seeing many samples using these sets in the upcoming weeks right here on my Sweet Stop blog post. In fact, I've used one of the new sets for my Sweet Stop sample today. I enjoyed working with SSS167 this week and I know you will, too! Lets get started!

Getting Sentimental Challenge: Timeless Tuesday #177

Creative Nugget: The sentiment is from the new "Words of Jesus" clear stamp set. The scripture verse was stamped on a circle nestie and mounted on True Black. The patterned paper panels are from the Country Garden Collection by Bo Bunny and each was also mounted on True Black. The panels were stitched to a Pure Luxury card front. The Bird Builder punch by SU! was used as an accent, keeping the sentiment the main focus of the card. Baker's Twine and pearls finish the card. Nice 'n Easy!

The focus of the Christmas version is another one of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' birds...this one is the Cardinal Digi!

I hope I've inspired you to play along at The Sweet Stop! Here's SSS167 and the links to the other Sugar Babies' Blogs. Check out their fabulous samples for more inspiration!

Sugar Babies

Shannon White

Chrissy Dickinson

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Card Recipe

Stamps: Words of Jesus (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Mega Mixed Messages (PTI)

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx (Tsukineko), Walnut Stain and Broken China Distress Inks (Ranger)

Paper: Pure Luxury (Gina K. Designs), True Black (PTI), Country Garden Collection Paper Pad (Bo Bunny)

Accessories: Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), Bird Buildre Punch (SU!), Sew Mini (Janome), Baker's Twine, Black Pearls (Queen and Company)

Monday, July 9, 2012

SNSS July Release Blog Hop!

Welcome to another fabulous Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps New Release Blog Hop! As you hop along, you will see samples by the very talented Design Team Divas of all of the new stamp sets being released this month...that's seven beautiful stamp sets and one die set...AND they are all available right now in the store! You read correctly...keep a wish list of your favorites as you hop through the participating blogs, then head on over to the store where you will find all of the sets available for purchase as well as the whole release bundle! You will receive a free set when you purchase $50. Pssssst...you'll even find a free set up for grabs at one of the blogs you visit along the way! Be sure you comment on each blog to be eligible to win a prize. One lucky hopper will be randomly selected from a random blog to win the whole July Release!

THERE's MORE!!! Please join us for our first ever Virtual Stamp Day Celebration over at Splitcoaststampers! Beginning at 10:00 EST, the Design Divas will be available throughout the day on the SNSS Release Party Forum to share challenges with you. You'll have until Friday, July 13th at 3:00 PM EST to play along in any of the challenges. Each separate project will get you one chance to win the clear stamp set of your choice from the release. If you can upload your project to your SCS gallery by 10:00 PM EST on the day of the celebration (Monday, July 9th), you'll get an extra chance to win a clear stamp set from the release! AND...if you use a Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps clear stamp or digi stamp, you'll get another chance to win! That's three chances to win a clear stamp set of your choice from the release!

Here's the Virtual Stamp Day Celebration Schedule:

10:00 AM -- CAS Challenge

12:00 PM -- Color Challenge

2:00 PM -- Sketch Challenge

4:00 PM -- Product Challenge

6:00 PM -- Inspiration Challenge

8:00 PM -- Theme Challenge

So grab a refreshing beverage and some munchies and let's get hoppin'!

If you came by way of Kim Singdahlsen's Joyful Creations with Kim blog, you are right on track. If not head on over to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to start at the beginning. Here is a list of today's bloggers in case you get lost along the way.

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog

Bridget Finlay

Taylor Usry

Jennie Harper

Kim Singdahlsen

Cathy McCauley <--- You are here!

Jessica Fick

Giovana Smith

Mary Faus

Kim Schofield

Dina Kowal

Monika Davis

Korin Sutherland

My first sample is from the beautiful new set, "Sheltering Cherry Blossom." It contains one cherry blossom branch and seven sentiments perfect for sending words of comfort to a hurting friend.

Creative Nugget: This first card is actually a CASE of a card done by Loll Thompson from when she was the Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststampers. I loved the CAS design. The sentiment was stamped on the front first. Then the card base was sent through the Big Shot with the Canvas Impression Plate by PTI. The strip of patterned paper from the Serenity Collection paper pad by Bo Bunny was added next. Finally the Sheltering Cherry Blossom was stamped three times and different parts of the branch were cut with a square nestie. The images were colored with copics and sponged, then popped up on the DP strip with Dimensionals...nice and easy!

Here's a second card from the same set.

Creative Nugget: The patterned paper used on this card is also from the Serenity Collections paper pad by Bo Bunny. The patterns and colors are just perfect for the "Sheltering Cherry Blossom" clear stamp set. Some of the layers were matted with True Black card stock. A Fiskars border punch was used under the horizontal panel. The layers were mounted on Select White card stock and then to a True Black card base. Stitching was added across the banner and on the horizontal strip. The cherry blossom branch was stamped repeatedly on a square piece of Neenah Solar White card stock and the two opposite corners were rounded. Copics were used to color the image, and the panel was sponged a little before popping it up on the card. Some extra blossoms were cut out and popped up as well for some dimension. The centers of each blossom were dotted with a White Signo Gel Pen.

My final sample is from "The Sea," a gorgeous set with one image and five wonderful verses.

Creative Nugget: To begin this card, the bottom of a rectangle piece of Pure Luxury card stock was masked. Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, and Fired Brick Distress Inks were sponged on the top to create the sunrise. The top was then masked while Salty Ocean, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire, and Shabby Shutters Distress inks were sponged on the bottom for the ocean. The image was then stamped using Versafine Black Onyx Ink. A White Signo Gel Pen was used to create the foam on the top of some of the waves. This was then cut with a rectangle nestie. Some scraps of patterned paper, a Fiskars border, and True Black card stock were mounted on a piece of Pure Luxury card stock embossed with a CB folder. This was then mounted to a True Black card base. The sentiment and one of the new decorative elements from the new "Decorative Frame Toppers" clear stamp set were stamped on some sponged card stock and cut with a Spellbinders Label Die. Some black pearls finish the card.

Now head on over to see some more fabulous eye candy by Jessica Flick!

How's that wish list coming along? Hope to see you over at SCS later today for some more stamping fun!

Have a fun-filled and blessed day! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Happy Independence Day!

Hello stamping friends! I hope you all had a great Independence Day and were able to celebrate our nation's birthday with friends and family on the 4th. We were able to take the residents of a local nursing home to the town's 4th of July Parade. We kind of made a parade of our own as we wheeled the wheelchairs down the street dressed in red, white, and blue tie-dyed tee shirts. It was good to get these lovely ladies and one gentleman out for an evening of enjoyment!

With the festivities of the 4th over, it's time to celebrate another great sketch at The Sweet Stop! How could I not make a card with red, white, and blue?

Creative Nugget: This Lighthouse Digital Stamp at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store is a lot of fun to color...of course I used my copics for this. The panel was cut with a rectangle nestie and some light sponging with distress inks was done while still in the die. Glossy Accents and a rhinestone was added to the top of the lighthouse and the whole panel was mounted on a piece of Night of Navy card stock. A doily was cut from patterned paper using a Cheery Lynn die. Four panels of matching patterned paper were also mounted onto Night of Navy card stock. All of the layers were adhered to a Bashful Blue card base. A little piece of cheesecloth was tucked between the doily and the popped up lighthouse image. The banner was hand cut and rhinestones were added to the side of the sentiment.

This card will also be submitted to Card Crafter's Circle for their Challenge

# 30 - Summer Holiday.

Here's the Christmas version...the orientation was changed and the rectangle panel was replaced with a Christmas tree! Our Daily Bread Design's "Joy Tree" was used for this sample and this card will also be submitted for the "Anything Goes" challenge on the ODBD Blog.

This was such a fun sketch to work with...I do love my layers! I hope you'll be able to find some stamping time this week and play along with us at The Sweet Stop. Take a moment to enjoy more wonderful samples by the other Sugar Babies and leave a little love behind!

Sugar Babies