The Inking Spot of Crain Creations

I love coffee! (another swap card)

I should totally be in bed right now, but it is so quiet and peaceful!!  Ahhhhhhh... Back to business, lol.  This is another swap card.  This one had to be 4 1/4" x 4 1/4".  I  rather like this one too!  Simple but not plain!  Simple is not very easy for me, so I am rather proud of this one!!  I love that textured dsp from SU too, I cannot wait to see what they come up with when the new catty comes out!  Anyway, thanks for stopping by... hope to see you again soon!

Supplies (all supplies are Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Font of You

Paper: To the Nines Specialty dsp, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow and Whisper White cardstocks

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Chocolate Chip 5/8" ribbon, Sage Shadow 1/4" ribbon, scalloped circle punch, circle punches

Bloomin' Beautiful swap card

Wow, it's been a few days since I've posted here. I've been working on some bigger, more time consuming projects and that icky thing called "work" keeps getting in the way too! hehehe Anyway, it was time for another fun swap with some super talented SU Demo "friends" of mine. My cards were a bit more "simple" than I normally do, but I have to say for the most part I really like them! I think I might make some adjustments to one of them. Here is the first of my swap cards (I'm only posting one tonight cause on top of everything else today we had Open House tonight, and now I am BEAT!!!

I think this one is my favorite!!  I was planning on using the Baja Breeze dsp's from this pack but realized I didn't have enough of it to make all 7 that I needed, so I opted for the Kraft pages.  I had to play with a few different reds, but I think this Real Red works perfectly (I almost NEVER use Real Red).  That's all for tonight!  Thanks for stopping by... hope to see you again soon!  I have some "Office Decor" to show you soon, and some goodies for Stampin Out Alzheimers as well as the rest of  my swap cards.  Oh yeah, and I don't normally post family pics...but I have a couple I just NEED to share!

Supplies (all supplies are Stampin Up!):

Stamps: Bloomin Beautiful

Paper: Parisian Breeze Specialty dsp, Real Red, BAsic Black and Whisper White cardstocks

Ink: Basic Black Classic pad, Real Red, Old Olive and Basic Black markers

Accessories: 1/4" black ribbon, black brads 

Let's Stamp Out Alzheimers!!!

The Stampin' Out Alzheimer's event has offically started!  Susanna Boyd and Jen Tapler have joined forces for an awesome fundraising event!

Did you know Alzheimer's is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States?  I had no idea! 5.3 million people suffer from it including Jen Tapler's father and Susanna's grandmother. Which is just 1 of the reasons they've decided to put on this event.  Lisa Kind's (from the PMS DT) father passed away from this disease. It is something that affects so many and at this point, there is no cure.

To become a member, go to http://www.stampinoutalzheimers.ning.com 
The suggested donation is $5. Once you are a member you will have access to all kinds of fun things! There are oodles of challenges (all with prizes attached!), Freebie downloads, and daily prizes given away at random. It is a 7 day event so there is a lot of time to get in on the action!

PMS is hosting a challenge called "Any Winged Thing". It's easy to play, just use "any winged thing" on your card! It can be a fairy, a butterfly, bumblebee, angel, bird, the list really is endless! Please use the tag PMSSOA in the gallery so we can easily see all the cards in one place! 1 Lucky winner will get a gift certificate of $25 to use at the PMS store!

Members of the Stampin Out Alzheimers event will also get a coupon code to the PMS website for 10% off their order. You'll just have to look for the PMS blinkie in the sidebar to get the code. :)

There are more ways to get some PMS goodness too! There are some stamp singles in the daily give aways and Lisa Kind is sponsoring a Copic Coloring Challenge that ALSO has a $25 gift certificate to the PMS store!!

Here is my "Any Winged Thing"...

Jaime Morris (her blog link is on my sidebar), inspired my ribbon "ensemble"!  I just love it!!  I cut out 2 additional butterflies and attached them by the middles only, folded up there wings to give some dimension.  The ribbon isn't even tied, I just tied the twine around it and attached the button. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Lauren in Love by Paper Makeup Stamps  ~  Paper: Bazzil Basics Sunset Rose, SEI Chocolat collection, Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette and Whisper White cardstocks from SU!  ~  Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento, Copics  ~  Accessories: Rectangle nesties, Chocolate Satin ribbon from PTI, Pink button from SU!, Angel Wings shimmerz, dimensionals

Backpack with a little twist...

Did you see the awesome Backpack "box" tutorial on SCS? I thought it was so stinkin' cute, but it wasn't quite the right size. I decided I wanted to put some 3x3 Notecards & envelopes in it so I had to alter the template a bit (easy peasy!!). I have made this set as a gift, but I will also be doing it as a class if you are local, send me an email, I'd love to have you!!

Kit with Embosslits includes the Simple Flower & Sweetest Stem Embosslits from Stampin' Up plus all items for the kit (see next option) 

Kit only includes all cardstock, Designer Paper and embellishments needed (to make the Backpack and 3 cards), the template and envelopes and full color, step-by-step instructions (Priority Shipping is included)

Instructions only option is just the full color ste-by-step instructions emailed to you (no shipping charges for this option)

Kit Options

Kit with Embosslits $45.00 Kit only $18.00 Instructions only $7.00

I had some girls that I met on SCS, over the other night and we made some of these.  Here are theirs...don't you just love how different they all look, but they all started out with the same template!!  All supplies are Stampin Up!

    

Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again soon!

Sketch Challenge #229, Ashlie

I love the challenges on Split Coast but it seems like with all the other things out there I sometimes forget about them. This week I did the Sketch Challenge, loved that sketch.  What a great way to show off some beautiful dsp?!  Did you notice the beautiful watermark? (wink, wink), Katie just rocks!!  Ok, gotta get back to making a 4th grade learning cube, so here's the recipe...

Supplies:

Stamps: Ashlie by Paper Makeup Stamps
Paper: Bittersweet by Basic Gray, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Whisper White and Ruby Red cardstocks

Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento, Copics

Accessories:  Heidi Swap rhinestones, Prima flowers, Angel Wings & Pink Shimmerz

Bloomin Beautiful Stationery Set kit now available

This Bloomin' Beautiful Stationery Box and cards kit is now available for purchase! There are several purchase options avaialable, if one of these options doesn't fit you just email. Most paper pieces will be cut and all necessary scoring will be done for you.  Instructions are full color and step-by-step.  I am also always just a phone call or email away if you need any help!  Thanks so much for looking!  

 Option #1 $50 includes the Stamp Set PLUS all paper, cardstock, embellishments and envelopes to make the box and 6 cards. Price includes Priority shipping.

Option #2 $25 includes all paper, cardstock, embellishments an envelopes to make the box and 6 cards.  Price includes Priority shipping.

Option #3 $7 Instructions only (perfect for Demo's and for those who already "have it all!".  There is no shipping for this as it will be emailed to you!

Kit Options

Option 1 $50.00 Option 2 $25.00 Option 3 $7.00

Flower Pot Card - TLC215

I just love this flower pot card! You can do so many fun things with it. I used the SU Texture plates to add some texture to the pot...love the effect! I left mine blank inside but will stamp a sentiment in there when I decide who I'm gonna send it to.  I used the 5 point flower punch and cut it up to make the leaves.  You can get instructions for this pot here.

Supplies (all supplies are Stampin Up!):

Stamps: none yet

Ink: none yet

Paper: Candy Lane dsp, Close to Cocoa and Whisper White cardstocks

Accessories: Simple Flower Embosslit, Pearls from the Pretties kit, Very Vanilla ribbon, Textures plate, 5 Petal Flower punch.

Welcome aboard...

Welcome to the May 15th & 16th Blog Tour. Stop # 5 , Tour #6. This tour features 20 blogs! Each blog will show case a beautiful project using items from Stampin' Up!'s - Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog. Don’t forget to bookmark your favorite blogs as the links that make up this tour will disappear at midnight on May 16th.

 I will be featuring the Bloomin' Beautiful set.  I think this is one of my all time favorite sets, it is so versatile.  One of my favorite altering projects at the moment is making these Stationery/Card boxes, they are so easy and fun to make and really complete the set nicely.  I cut out the 3 flowers and adhered the stems and leaves to the box top, I used dimensionals under the flower itself to pop it up a bit. The ribbon around the box gives the flowers a "finished" look.

 

 

For this last card, I cut out the planter and adhered it directly onto the white cardstock, then I cut out the flowers seperately and used dimensionals to raise them and give the card a litle more dimension.  I used my Watercolor crayons and Aquapainter to color the pot.  The rest of the images were colored with markers. 

Supplies (all supplies are Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bloomin Beautiful
Paper: Sweet Slumber textured dsp, Ruby Red, So Saffron, Whisper White and Baja Breeze cardstocks
Ink: Basic Black & Ruby Red
Accessories: White Organza ribbon, Baja Breeze Borduroy brads, Eyelet Border punch, Photo Corners punch, Dress Up Ribbon Originals, Markers and Water Color Crayons

ETA:  The blog tour is now over and links have been removed.  The next tour will be in July, stay tuned for more details!

Bloggers Challenge #99, a CASE

Happy Friday!!! What a crazy day today, after working I had to finish my Blog Tour entries, make my BC card and I am having some SCS buddies over to stamp tomorrow night... I still need to make my samples of our projects...Holy Snickerdoodles!! Well, thanks Lisa for an easy and fun challenge this week!! This week's challenge was to CASE one of our own older cards, etc., so I went digging through my SCS gallery to see what I could find (I made this in December 2007!!).    This was my favorite Christmas card, I'm not sure if I even gave it away or not, I just totally loved it. Of course this was back when I was just getting started and my supplies & tools on hand were kinda limited. I still love this card and I really love this "re-work" of it. I already had out my Bloomin' set and it fits perfectly in this layout, so hope you aren't sick of seeing this set on my blog yet (see the next post before this one, lol). Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a wonderful weekend!! Don't forget to click on the Bloger's Challenge button on my sidebar to get the links for my BC Buddies...they are amazing!!!

Supplies (all supplies are Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Bloomin Beautiful
Paper: Candy Lane dsp, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette and Whisper White cardstocks
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Tuxedo Black (by Memento), Copics markers
Accessories: 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches, red brads, twine, Key Tag punch 

My Time Challenge... MTTI01

Have you been to Lauren Meaders blog lately? Beyond being amazing and so very inspirational, she has started her own line of challenges "My Time to Challenge". Here is her challenge and my take on it...   

Thanks Lauren for a great challenge!  Last night I watched a movie called 'Bed of Roses', I'd never heard of it, but it was on and caught my attention... what a good movie.  She loved these particular roses... lavendar with silver tips... when he fell in love with her he decided to send her a delivery every hour of lavendar roses with silver tips.  Thus, my focal image.  I think that this set by SU is one of my all time favorites!  Hope you have a wonderful week, thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps: Bloomin Beautiful by Stampin Up, Sentiment from the You are my Sunshine set by Gina K
Ink: Tuxedo Black  by Memento, Copics
Paper: Gridelines and Plum Pudding cardstock both by PTI, Pale Plum and Whisper White cardstocks by Stampin' Up
Accessories: Plum Pudding Satin ribbon by PTI, Silver Bells Shimmerz, Black brads by Stampin Up!

PMS Release Party Challenges...

Don't forget to link your Challenge entries to the PMS Forum, Christi will be drawing a winner from all the entries for each challenge on Friday, you can go here to load them (make sure you have created an account on the forum).  There were 3 challenges, but I was only able to do 2 :( (the 3rd was a Mother's Day something...).  Challenge #1, check out this sketch (use PMSRP04)...

   

This is one of Dustin's super cute Dino's!  These guys are so stinkin' cute and so versatle!

Supplies:
Stamps: Dino by Dustin Pike for Paper Makeup Stamps
Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento, copics
Paper: Black Orchid dsp by SEI, BAsic Black and Whisper White cardstocks
Accessories: Bo Bunny Rub-Ons, Basic gray brads

Challenge #2 was a color Challenge (use PMSRP05)... Baja Breeze or Bashful Blue, Black and White (gray optional).  Katie has some of the best quotes, I just love them!  This was a super quick card, but I like the end result.

Supplies:
Stamps: Sentiment from the Starstruck set by PMS
Ink: Basic Black by Stampin Up!
Paper: Parisian Breeze dsp, Baja Breeze, Basic Black and Whisper White cardstocks all by SU
Accessories: Black brads by SU, Black 1/4" ribbon by SU, Labels 4(?) Nestabilities

PMS Blog Hop and May Release Party...

If you are just coming straight to my blog, you're missing the PMS Blog Hop! Start at the beginning so you can find out how to enter yourself to win the entire release from PMS (make sure to read to the end of this post).

Here is my final sneak peek... I took the A4 Box template from SCS and altered it to fit these cards (which I made 5 1/4" x 5 1/4") which I made a little larger to show off the awesome paper I found that all went so perfectly with these fairies!. I'm going to add some decorated envelopes to this set.

Supplies:
Stamps: Sentiment by Paper Makeup Stamps
Ink: Basic Grey by Stampin Up
Paper: dsp by Heidi Grace, Very Vanilla and So Saffron cardstocks by SU
Accessories: Labels 4 nesties, misc flowers, buttons and So Saffron ribbon by Stampin Up!

Supplies:
Stamps: "Dude" and Sentiment by Paper Makeup Stamps
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Paper: dsp by Creative Imaginations, Whisper White, Baja Breeze & Basic Gray cardstocks by SU
Accessories: misc ribbon, circle nesties, silver brads and rope by Stampin Up

Supplies:
Stamps: Ashlie and Sentiment by Paper Makeup Stamps
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Paper: dsp by Heidi Grace, Whisper White, So Saffron & Basic Gray cardstocks by SU
Accessories: Oval punches and white ribbon by Stampin Up

Supplies:
Stamps: Arianna and Sentiment by Paper Makeup Stamps
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Paper: dsp by Imaginisce, Whisper White, Old Olive and Pretty in Pink cardstocks by SU
Accessories: misc rhinestones, Sakura Stardust pen, Vanilla ribbon by PTI, pink misc ribbon

The next letter is "S", now hop on over to Meli MItchell's blog for your next hint and to check out her awesome creation.   THanks for stopping by, see  you tonight in the PMS forum for the May Release Party (details are on the PMS Blog)

PMS Sneak Peek #4

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day!  Make sure you stop by the PMS Blog tomorrow morning and then follow the blog hop (yup, there's a special surprise for thos who follow the blog hop).  Then be sure to join us tomorrow night in the PMS Forum for a Rockin' Release party, complete with challenges, prizes, tons of fun chatter, and more!!  And now, on to my Sneak Peek...

Happy Hump Day! I intended on having this up first thing this morning, but I was too brain dead yesterday to get it finished and ready :(. When Katie told us that she was going to have some cottages, I was soooooo excited! Cottages are almost as much fun as frogs, lol.  This is the first PMS Cottage, I hope there will be many more. This was a fun card to make... the house hinges up at the roof to expose the sentiment. I found this super fun paper by Canson, there is a textured pattern on/in the paper. It's kinda like fabric...very cool! I cut the roof out of this paper, I think it adds a fun "dimension" to it.  Hope to see you tomorrow, have a great night!

Supplies:
Stamps: Cottage and Sentiment by Paper Makeup Stamps
Paper: Chocolate Moire by Canson, Fun & Games paper by Dream Street Papers, So Saffron cardstock by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics
Accessories: Misc Chocolate stitched ribbon, Photo Corners punch by Stampin' Up!

Sneak Peek #3 and Release Party stuff

It's almost Release Party time! The release party is this Thursday evening (the 7th) at the shiney, brand new PMS Forum! If you haven't already signed up be sure to do so before the party (you don't want to miss out on any of the fun!!). You can go here to sign up. There will be challenges and lots of prizes, one person will even win the entire release!! Not to mention new releases will be on sale that night! There will be a DT Blog Hop on Thursday (check it out for an extra special something). And now to the pretty stuff...

Some of you know about my "obsession" with frogs (have I mentioned that I {heart} frogs?), so when I saw this image, oh my gosh I went nuts!  I just love her!  I'm thinking of decorating my office in Princesses and frogs... a little too much maybe?  NAH!  Do you love her jeweled tiara (Sakura Stardust & a rhinestone).  This paper was just perfect for this little Princess.  I hope you love her as much as I do, make sure to check out the Paper Makeup Stamps Blog as well as the blogs from the DT members to see some more Sneak Peeks (have you seen the Dustin Pike Dinosaurs PMS is releasing?  TOO CUTE!).  Tomorrow I will have another Sneak Peek and then a Grand Finale on Thursday for the Blog Hop... hope to see you back here soon.

Supplies:
Stamps: Arianna by Paper Makeup Stamps
Ink: Copics, Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Fairest of them All by Imaginisce, Old Olive, Pretty In Pink and Whisper White cardstocks by SU
Accessories: White Tafetta ribbon by SU, Rhinestones (clear and pink), Sakura Stardust pen

Sneak Peek & PMSMC10

This week's challenge was issued by Kim. Kim asked us to make a bookmark. Easy enough, right? WRONG!!!!! Bookmarks need to be relatively flat so as not to ruin the pages of your book, no flowers, etc.... HELLO?!?!?!?!? I don't know how to make anything without lots of layers and ribbon and brads and flowers and... Holy Snickerdoodles!! Well this is what I came up with, I know it's boring and I'm determined to make a better bookmark (you should see the rest of the DT bookmarks... jaw dropping awesomeness!). I used the Top Notes Die from Stampin' Up and folded it in half, on the inside of both flaps I adhered some magetic strips so that when you fold this over your page the magnets grab each other and hold your place... and, yes, this is already holding my place in 'Breaking Dawn', lol.  The Swarovski rhinestones are left over from Victoria's uniform years ago.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fairy Sentiments set from Paper Makeup Stamps
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black
Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White and Old Olive cardstocks from Stampin' Up!
Accessories: Top Notes die from Stampin' Up!, Swarovski rhinestones, Metallic Rub-On paste