The Inking spot of Crain Creations

Paper Garden's Fourth Friday Challenge

Break out those holiday stamps!  This month's Fourth Friday challenge is to make a holiday card... Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or even New Year’s!!  Wanna win this adorable Eat Cake Graphics stamp?

You have until October 30th to play.  Go here for all the deets!  

Stamps: Penguin Party (Penny Black)  Paper: Cottage Christmas (Imaginesce), Suede Brown Dark (Prism), Crabapple Dark (Prism)  Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)  Accessories: Brown w/white polka dot ribbon, Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Christmas Ornament charm, white Liquid Applique Challenges: Mojo161

Paper Garden Holiday Garden Walk

But Doc, that's my coloring finger!  Let me start off by apologizing for my very simple project and Kindergarten coloring.  I took a chunk out of my index finger while doing dishes, while it was nice getting out of dishes, I also can't color, type or do a surprising number of things :(  I took all the wrappings off this evening thinking it should be fine, I was wrong.  I am thinking that if it isn't fine by tomorrow (so I can take all the wrappings off so I could color, etc.) I should get next week off work & house chores, right??  So back to the fun stuff...

I made an ornament gift card holder.  My parents and my Gramma like giftcards for Christmas so I am always looking for fun ways to present them.  These will be fun to hang on the tree until gift giving time.

I started off with one of these clear boxes.  Now remember I had to keep this simple, plus I wanted to make it quick and easy to make multiples.  So I cut 2 7/8" squares of white cardstock and covered all sides (these were my mats).  Then I cut 2 3/4" squares of my brown Prism, and the red patterned paper from Imaginesce Cottage Christmas papers.  This front panel is double matted with white and brown.

I filled the box with red shredded filler stuff (and of course the gift card) and added a ribbon hanger.

Finally, I took the snowman from the Letters To Santa set from Eat Cake Graphics, 'colored' him and added him on a brown panel.  Add some buttons, snowflakes and voila... done!

It will be holiday time before you know it! We thought we'd get you in the spirit with a little Holiday Garden Walk. So go get some hot chocolate, pull up a chair and take a fun little holiday tour.

While you visit, take note of each designer's name and their special holiday decoration in their blog post. Once you finish your garden tour, send an E-mail to custserv@papergardenprojects.com with the list of designers and their garden walk decoration.

Everyone who sends the correct list of designers and words will be entered in a random drawing to win a prize. You need to send an e-mail to the address above; please don't leave your list as a comment. You have until midnight (EST) on Friday, October 22 to send your list.

The prize this month is the complete collection of Woodland Whimsy Digital stamps - all 4 sets.

Here is the garden tour guide list. Hope you have a Holly Jolly time!

• Cathy
• Amber  
• Tangii (garland) 
• Linda
• Andrea
• Alyssa

 

This PGP 4th Friday Challenge is all wrapped up!

This month, we want to see all your wonderful Halloween ideas!

It can be any type of project: card, scrap page, alerted item, treat pack - we want to see them all. The only rule is that you link up a project newly created for this challenge, although feel free to combine it with other current challenges out there in blogland.

Although we would love to see all the art you care to share, everyone will be entered in the prize drawing only once. One winner will be drawn randomly to win the prize. You have until midnight (EST) on Saturday, October 2nd to link up your project. Just click the little froggy face at the bottom of this post to add your project.

Your prize this month is this wonderful Halloween sentiment cling stamp. Can't wait to see what you create!

Stamps: Bippity Boppity Boo (Eat Cake Graphics), Cover a Card Fluff Background stamp (Impression Obsession)  Paper: cardstock (Prism)  Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine), VersaMark  Accessories: Ribbon, button (Buttons Galore), Orange & black Rhinestones (Kaisercraft)

Paper Garden Halloween Garden walk

Welcome to Paper Garden's Halloween Garden Walk!  This month the Paper Gardeners are focusing on Halloween treat & goodie bags.  Cathy has stocked the store chalk full of all kinds of packaging for you to decorate and give away!  If you did not start this hop from the Paper Garden Blog, you will want to head over there to get the deets on how you can win a super cute stamp set!

For my goodie bag, I used a white bakery bag.  I took the sentiment stamps from my Bippity Boppity Boo set and stamped them sporadically on the bag.  I colored one of the witches from the set with my copics, turned her in to a tag, added some ribbon and filled the bag with M&M's and voila!  I'm going to make a handful of these and when the kids get boo'd this year I'll include some of these bags with goodies in them.  These would make great giveaways for Halloween school parties/trick-or-treating ;).  Have fun hoping along, but before you go my treat for you is...

Hershey Bars.... Yummmmmmmm!  Here is the garden tour guide list. Hope you find some "Boo"tiful ideas.....

• Cathy
• Amber 
• Tangii (you are here)
• Tricia
• Linda
• Andrea
• Alyssa

Stamps: Bippity Boppity Boo (Eat Cake Graphics)  Paper: white bakery bag, Black & Orange cs, White (Neenah)  Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Tuxedo Black (Memento), Butterscotch (Vivid), Lavendar (Vivid)  Accessories: Black Rhinestones (KaiserCraft), Labels 14 (Nesties), Ribbon & buttons from Paper Garden Projects 

Paper Garden Birthday challenge...

 

Housekeeping items for today:

1. Paper Garden Projects Design Team Call deadline Monday, March 29th.  Go here for all of the deets.
2. Paper Garden Projects is having a sale 20% off all ink pads, paper kits. 25% off Copic Sketch markers. 40% off all Clearance.

March is Paper Garden's 2nd Birthday, so to celebrate Cathy has some great challenges and prizes throughout the month.  Today's challenge is to use Spring Colors, you can get all the deets on the prize and deadlines on the Paper Garden Blog.  I made this card for my Mommy's birthday (if you read yesterday's post you may remember that it was for my Daddy's birthday...they're 2 days apart.  Can't forget one and not the other, lol).  These small paper flowers come in white, so I took my V12, V15 and V17 Copics and colored them (be sure to use the chisel tip).  I love this look and by using the chisel tip you avoid streak marks... you can look at these close up and NEVER know that they didn't come this color :).   To give the focal image some dimension I cut out and popped up the 'word bubble'.  I used the C0 Copic to go around the word bubble just to give a little more dimension.  Happy Birthday Mommy, now the rest of you head over to Paper Garden and get hoppin' on the challenge and submit your goods for the DT call!

Stamps: Too Late for Cake  Paper: Sugar Rush pp (Basic Gray), Prism cs  Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Copics  Accessories: Paper Flowers, Pearls, Sage Velvet ric rack ribbon

It's Paper Garden Project's 2nd Birthday!!!

Every Friday for the month of March, Paper Garden will have a different challenge.  Yesterday's challenge was to make a Birthday card.. easy peasy!  Post a comment and your link to this post here for a chance to win 2 Mo Manning stamps (I LOVE Mo!!).  Here is my Birthday card...

 

 Be sure to stop by the Paper Garden Blog each Friday for a new challenge and a new chance to win!  If you've not yet heard the news... Paper Garden is looking for a few new Design Team Members, you can get all the deets here!  Thanks for stopping in... hope to see you again soon!  

Stamps: Too Late for Cake (Eat Cake Graphics)  Paper: Sugar Rush (Basic Gray), Pink & Gray prism cardstock  Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Copics  Accessories: Brads, Button & Ribbon from Paper Garden, Deckled Rectangle Nesties

Another Frosted Winter Paper kit card

The upside to being in the boonies... gorgeous scenery, peace & quiet; the downside... horrible internet! lol  Sorry, this was supposed to go up last Friday.

  This is another card from the Frosted Winter paper kit from Paper Garden projects.  I just love these papers, such fresh colors!  The sketch for this card, of course is one of Mercy's rockin' Tuesday sketches!  Can you see her little snowball in her hand?  It's a Dew Drop!  Love it!  And of course a splash of some Shimmerz for the snow under her feet.  The NEW Hearts Bloom Paper Kit is now available at Paper Garden Projects... get yours now before they're gone!

 

I can't wait to get playing with this great kit!  I'll have some peeks for ya this week! 

Stamps: Snow Much Fun (Eat Cake Graphics, available at Paper Garden Projects)  Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Copics Paper & Accessories: All paper and embellies are from the Frosted Winter paper kit (Paper Garden Projects) 

Paper Garden's Frosted Winter paper kit...

 

Have you seen the super yummy Frosted Winter paper kit over at Paper Garden Projects?  I love the colors in this kit!!!  Everything on this card, except for the image is from the paper kit.  The image is from the Snow Much Fun set from Eat Cake Graphics (also at PGP).  I just love these images!!  This card is also for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch (of course!).  You can't see it in the picture but the blue cs is Prism, the texture is just perfect!

Stamps: Snow Much Fun set (Eat Cake Graphics, available at PGP), sentiment from Oliver (Kraftin' Kimmie available at PGP)  Paper: Frosted Winter paper kit (Paper Garden Projects), Neenah White for the image piece (PGP)  Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)  Accessories: brads and ribbon from the Frosted Winter paper kit, Circle nesties, scalloped circle nesties

It's a Winter Wonderland Garden Walk...

Welcome to the Winter Wonderland Garden Walk. You should have come here from Miss Lorelie's blog (love her style!!), but if you popped in here first,  make sure you follow the hop all the way through... there's a super fun prize (so be sure to collect all of the secret snow words!). 

 

Here is my piece of eye candy for ya.  These stalkings make super fun gift card holders!  If you would like to make some of these little stockings (they really are quick and easy), you can get the printable template here.  The  image here is from Eat Cake Graphics, she is part of the Snow Much Fun set.  This stamp company is new to me, and Holy Snickerdoodles, I just love them!!  Your Secret Snow word is "ICY", and now please hop on over and say hi to Tricia (she makes the coolest goodies!!!).  Happy hopping!  Hope to see you back here again soon.  Here is your Garden Tour list:

Cathy,  Melissa (Mel),  Tracy,  Amber,  

Lorelie,  Tangii,  Tricia,  Debbie

Stamps: Snow Much Fun set (Eat Cake Graphics)  Paper: Snowball Fight (Fancy Pants), Nautical Blue Medium (Prism), White Shimmer (SU)  Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)  Accessories: Sheer Dotted Swiss White Ribbon (Paper Garden), Snowflake Brad (Karen Foster), Snowflake Raindots (Cloud 9), Circle Nesties, Twine

  

Finally... some MUCH needed stamp time!

It seems like it has been so long since I've stamped, I knew that I wanted to stamp (that I needed to stamp), but had no clue WHAT to stamp!  Mercy's Tuesday sketch to the rescue!  And thank goodness I had gotten my goodies from Cathy (at Paper Garden) otherwise I'm not sure I could have even picked out some paper, lol!  Well ,when you mix an awesome sketch with a super fun stamp set & papers you get this...

 

This was super fun and oh soooo much needed!!!!  Mercy has the best sketches, and it was so nice to just stamp for the fun of it tonight!  If I don't get to bed soon I'm gonna turn in to a pumpkin, so here's the recipe... nighty night!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!!

Stamps: Snow Much Fun (Paper Garden Projects by Eat Cake Graphics), sentiment from You are my Sunshine (Gina K Designs)  Paper: Frosted pp (Fancy Pants), Green & Blue cs (Prism)  Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Inky BLue (Gina K by Vivid), Copics  Accessories: Blue Diamond Weave ribbon (Paper Garden), silver brads, Blue Pearl Brads (Taylored Expressions by American Crafts), Dazzling Diamonds (SU!)