Rejoicing Every Moment

Let's go to the HOP!

2012-02-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ok, so if you are following along with the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps February Release Blog Hop, you should have just come from the SNSS blog where you saw my Rhubarb card :).....if you didn't, then pop over there before you go any further, so you don't miss anything. There is a ton of eye candy to be seen today :).

So how about those cards I promised :)......

First up is a card I made last week using Bridget's fabulous Reverse Masking tutorial. I love the look of this technique and her sample card is out of the world so when you are done hopping (it's probably best to wait if you are anything like me.....just so you don't forget what you were doing in the first place-lol) head over to see it!

I used a few different sets for this card....Butterfly Flourish, Rose Collage (the smaller butterflies) and Let Go, Let God (sentiment). I think this sentiment is so perfect paired with butterflies.....don't you? :)

The pretty papers I used are from the Stella Rose Gertie pad by My Mind's Eye. I also used a Martha Stewart border punch and then added some gorgeous Island Indigo Stampin Up ribbon to match the cardstock. The glittery butterflies were colored with Copics and then topped with Stickles.

And for my second card, I used Dina's wonderful new set simply titled You.

This card is also a square but it's a bit smaller, measuring 4.25". The gorgeous background DP is from the Victoria Gardens pad by Echo Park and the heart is cut using one of our Heart Dies from a scrap of DP from the same pad of Stella Rose Gertie papers I used in my first card. I sponged around the die cut heart and the stamped panel. I added ribbon and a pretty flower "bob" I found at Hobby Lobby a while back.

Ok, that's all for me for now, but the DT Divas have a ton of other goodies to share so here is the list to send you along your way....

Kim Singdahlsen
Giovana Smith
Dina Kowal

Wendy Jordan (our February guest)

Taylor Usry

And before you go....don't forget to make plans to join us for our new release party tonight; the fun takes place over in our member company forums on Splitcoaststampers. We'll have great fellowship with crafty friends, challenges will prizes, plus a special prize drawing from the February preorders! The excitement starts at 8:00 PM EST. See you there!

~Korin

A Fun Surprise!

2012-01-26T09:55:00.002-05:00

I only have a quick minute to share today so I am not going to go into a lot of detail here but you can get the full scoop on the SNSS Blog, so you really need to check it out :).....

Our February release is already available to order and here is a sample using one of the sets, Egg-cited Cocoa :).

I used Taylor's fun sketch from SCS this week :)...I hope you'll check it out!

New Digis and a Blog Hop

2012-01-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

The digi challenge team is not only bringing you their fantastic challenge today (to make an easel card) but also a fun blog hop featuring our newest digi release :). I decided to join the fun and play along so here's my easel card....

This image is called Celebrate and it features a fun-loving cat named Tank. You may have met Tank around New Year's because I gave him away on our Facebook page. Well, if you missed the freebie you can purchase him now along with 3 other fun digis in a new digi line called Fluff the Cat & Friends. Tank, Fluff, Squirt & Squeaker are my kitties.....well, 4 of them (I have 8 total) and this fun new line of digis is all about them and their silly antics :). I hope you enjoy these new images as much as I enjoy the kitties who inspired them. :)

In addition to the new Fluff & Friends digis we also just released our popular True Friend and You & Me sets as digi sets for all you digi lovers :).

I hope you'll stop by the rest of the blogs in today's line-up.

Carol Longacre

Ceal Pritchett

Harriet Skelly

Jerusha Borden

Jessica Stockmeyer

Kim O'Connell

Makiko Jones

Margo Smith

Stephanie Serrano

Stephanie Wright

There is a lot of eye candy to be seen :). Oh, and be sure to leave a comment at each stop because we have a mystery blogger who will be giving away the entire digi release to one random commenter. The winner will be announced on Friday, January 27th on the SNSS Digi Challenge Blog.

Thanks for hopping along today!!!

Peas & Carrots

2012-01-18T10:53:00.005-05:00

You may not be a big fan of veggies, but I think you may change your mind when you see this adorable duo :)....

I had so much fun with this card :).....green and orange are not typically colors I would grab but for this image from You & Me....they just work, don't you agree? I made this card using this week's CPS sketch. Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is sponsoring the sketch and we are giving away this stamp set and a set of heart dies to one lucky participant. You can find all the details HERE. I sure hope you'll play along :)!

So, this morning after I did my daily Bible reading (I am attempting to read through the Bible in a one year) and spent some time in prayer I got to thinking about how wonderful it is that we can come to God in prayer and He hears us. We don't have to pray to someone else in the hopes that they will intercede for us, we can talk directly to Him, just like we do a friend because Jesus has already interceded on our behalf!! What a joy!!

Thank you, Jesus, for giving me an all access pass to the throne of grace! The lines are always open and I'll never ever get an operator or a busy signal!!

xoxo

CAS Hearts

2012-01-17T17:02:00.004-05:00

I have a serious crush on dies :)......they are so versatile and lend well to any style card. My friend Mary is hosting today's color challenge over at SCS. She chose 3 lovely shades of pink for us to use today.....and well, this girl LOVES pink, so there was no way I was passing this one up ;).

I grabbed my new Heart Dies (SNSS) and a beautiful sheet of paper from the Victoria Gardens 6x6 pad (Echo Park). Once I cut out the shapes I sponged them with Hollyhock ink (CTMH). I stamped the sentiment from Love Sentiments (SNSS) in the same ink.

I know my blog posts are so sporadic....my blogging time is so limited, but I thank you for stopping by when I do post :).

Don't forget to count your blessings today! :)

Release Day Blog Hop!

2012-01-05T08:00:00.002-05:00

I can't BELIEVE it's already the 5th of January.....wasn't summer just over? Pfffft.....guess not. Oh well....that just means that THIS summer is closer, right ;)?

Well, we are beating the cold weather blues with a super fabby release tonight and I can't wait to share the full reveals with you. Have you enjoyed the hop thus far? It's been amazing, as usual.

For your final stop in the hop I have a few CAS cards to share with you.....

First up is a card I created with Dina Kowal's new set, Together Silhouettes.

I paper pieced the umbrella with some Happy Days paper by Echo Park, used my score board to create some additional visual appeal and added a few pearls. Easy peasy!

This next one features that adorable teddy, Rhubarb, in his newest set, Love From Rhubarb. I just adore this sweet little bear. :)

I saw a really fun layout in the back of the recent Stamp It! Cards magazine so I decided to CASE it :). I added some crackle paint around the kraft CS panel, stitched a "ground" for Rhubarb to stand on with my sewing machine, stamped the additional sentiment and added some ribbon and pearls. The image is colored with my Copics. I did add a bit of sparkle with a red Stickles outline around the heart.

My next share is actually a set of cards.....Valentines to be exact.....made with the new Punny Fruits & Veggies set.

These are super easy to duplicate because they all follow the same layout. Little sets like this are great for using up your DP scraps :).

And how about one more.....You already know Cocoa Mouse, but have you met his girlfriend, Cookie? We have some digis that already feature her, but now she's got her very own clear stamp set, which also happens to be our Free with $50 set for this month, Girly Girl Cookie :)....I didn't have time to whip up a new card with this set yet, so I grabbed an older card I made with the digital image.

Isn't she SWEEEEEET? ;)

Well, that's all for me for now.....but be sure to join us tonight for our Release Party in our Member Company forums over on Splitcoaststampers. The fun starts at 8pm EST. I'll have more samples to share along with full reveals, challenges and lots of fun with friends :). See you then!!

XOXO

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T23:57:00.002-05:00

From me, Tank and all the kitties :)!

To help ring in the New Year, we're giving away this cute digi of my kitty Tank on our Facebook page, but you need to hurry, because he'll only be available as a FREEBIE New Year's Day!

May the Lord richly bless you in 2012 and may you draw closer to Him than ever before!

Hugs!

Warmth & Blessings

2011-12-28T11:13:00.003-05:00

I have a bittersweet announcement today....Roxie, the amazing sketch challenge hostess over at SCS, is stepping down after 6 years of fabulous sketches. She has asked Taylor, Holly and myself to fill her very big shoes and carry on the challenge. We are so sad to see Roxie go, but at the same time are excited, honored and humbled to have been asked to take her place.

Here is the link to this week's sketch challenge. I hope you will join me in playing as a tribute to Roxie.

On a different note, my hubby had surgery on his nose yesterday to help with his breathing. Praise the Lord the surgery went well, however he is suffering from some discomfort. We're hoping his recovery is quick and that the surgery will prove to be a help to him. Your prayers would be much appreciated.

Enjoy your day!!

Card Details....

Stamps: Snowflake Flourish & sentiment from Cozy Friends (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: Snowfall (BoBunny)

Ink: CTMH-Moonstruck & Desert Sand, Versafine-vintage sepia

Accessories: ribbon, snowflake stickers, Stickles, Nestie oval die

It's Winter....I think???

2011-12-22T13:30:00.004-05:00

So today is the first official day of Winter, but here in PA it's 58 degrees. Can you believe that one? We had a freak snowstorm on Halloween and on the first day of Winter we get Spring temps. Oh well, I am not complaining. It certainly could be worse ;).....although I must admit, I wouldn't mind a bit of snow for Christmas :).

Since we don't have snow but it is officially Winter, I thought a snowman card would be appropriate. The challenge over at Splitcoast today is to use a digital image, paper, or element so I used a digital stamp for my card.

I colored the image with Copics. I created a polka dot pattern on the snowman's scarf with my Copic blender by just adding little dots over the red. The blender "ink" pushes the red ink and leaves dots....I love using my blender to create patterns :).

The name of the ornament designer paper escapes me but it was a 12x12 sheet I had picked up at a local scrapbooking store (Joys of Life in Mechanicsburg, PA). The scallops were cut with the Sweet 'n Sassy Scallop Dies. The other DP's are various scraps I had stashed from previous cards.

Well, I don't know about you but I am counting down the days till Christmas. We have a large family brunch on Saturday and my hubby's parents and brother (and his dog) will be staying with us for a few days so I have sooooo much prepping still to be done.....oh and of course, I cannot forget, today is my middle son's 12th birthday :)!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week, despite all of the running here and there.......and be sure to have yourself a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Craziness

2011-12-20T13:19:00.006-05:00

Do you ever feel like the holidays are more stressful than enjoyable? I am almost there myself so I decided it was time to take a moment......to just.......breath........and........focus.......on.......what it's REALLY all about.........Christmas isn't about Santa, elves, sweets, presents, trees, decorating, caroling, ornaments and parties......it's about something SO much bigger than all of that.......the greatest gift was given to all mankind.......the gift was Jesus.....the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He was born to die that we might live.....through Him. What an amazing thought to ponder. So during this extremely busy season, may I invite you to join me in stopping, even if just for a moment, to reflect on this most precious gift, the reason we celebrate.....and while you're at it, why not thank your Heavenly Father for that tremendous gift. :) He is so worthy of our praise and thanksgiving!

Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!
Luke 2:10b-11

Crazy 4 Cocoa Blog Hop

2011-12-15T08:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the second stop in today's Crazy 4 Cocoa Blog Hop :)! If you are just happening by you may want to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to get the scoop on this fun hop.

You may have heard we're going a bit bonkers for Cocoa Mouse this month. Over the past couple of years, that silly little squeaker has made his way into many a stampers' heart so we thought we'd celebrate him all month long. One way we're celebrating is with a Cocoa stamp and digi SALE! Through December 31st, all Cocoa stamps and digis are 10% off!

We're also celebrating with today's fabulous blog hop. The Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps DT has teamed up with some of our Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge gals to bring you nothing but Cocoa today......BUT, the best part is, YOU get to play along, too!! And if you do, we'll enter you into a drawing to win your choice of 1 free Cocoa stamp set or 4 free Cocoa digis :)!! You can find all the specifics on the SNSS Blog.

As we continue spreading the Cocoa love, I have this sweet Christmas card to share with you featuring Santa's Helper Cocoa. Our little friend is always getting into to something, but that's not a bad thing. He's a very helpful little mouse, you know! ;)

For this card, I dug out some scraps and kept it simple. My image was stamped on Neenah Solar White CS and colored with Copics. I then matted it with red CS and added a few layers with DP and CS. The sentiment is stamped directly on the card base. I added some ric-rac and pearls to finish it off. Overall, a pretty quick Christmas card and very easily reproducible. You can even use different DP's for the panel under the image :).

I hope you enjoyed my Cocoa CAS Christmas card (wow, now that's a lot of C's!). Your next stop in this Crazy 4 Cocoa Blog Hop is Bridget Finlay. I guarantee she's got something to share that will knock your socks off!

Just in case you get lost along the way, you can find the full list of blog hop participants HERE.

Enjoy the rest of the hop!!

C-ya next time!

Holiday Greetings Chickadee

2011-11-08T13:56:00.005-05:00

Hello friends! It seems my crafty time is so limited anymore, so when I get the chance to play, I need to grab it! ;) Today I enjoyed playing in the color challenge over at SCS.

My card features the chickadee I illustrated for a new set we just released called God's Purpose. The sentiment I used is from Winter Friends.

I popped up the chickadee's wing to add a bit of dimension....although I think it's time for a new X-acto knife. Mine done a better job of chewing up the paper than slicing it ;). And look, Ma! I used my sewing machine!!.....for the first time in months!

Stamps: God's Purpose Winter Friends (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: Season's Greetings (Echo Park)

Ink: Memento, Copics, Versafine

Accessories: machine stitching, ribbon, Nesties, Lacey Eyelet border die available
at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

Have you had the chance to hop in the SNSS Birthday Blog Hop yet? I squeezed it in yesterday between all my running here and there and WOW! Talk about being inspired!

If you haven't hopped yet, I invite you to head over to the SNSS blog and get started. You won't be sorry!

And to those of you who did hop and left such encouraging comments----THANK YOU! I cannot tell you how much you have blessed all of us with your sweet words.

Before I go, I thought I'd share a sweet pic of one of the kittens. They are 12 weeks old already.....and growing so fast. This if Fluff aka Fluff 'n Stuff aka Fluffer Nutter....she has a thing for snuggling ;).

Thanks for visiting me today! Don't forget to count your blessings!!

Love ya---bye!

SNSS Birthday Blog Hop!

2011-11-07T08:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome! I am so glad you are hopping along with Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps today. If you didn't come here from the SNSS Blog, I invite you to stop there and start the hop from the beginning. You haven't missed much yet, but you'll find all the hop details in the post on the SNSS Blog :).

Before I share what you came here to see, I wanted to take this opportunity to say....I am truly grateful and tremendously honored to have such a large group of participants in this hop and I would like to extend a HUGE public THANK YOU to each of you for joining in the fun today to celebrate with us! I am so blessed to know so many amazing stampers and even more so to call you friends. I love you all so much!!

Ok, now on with the show :)!

Just for fun, I thought I would share a card I made a long time ago with the image that started it all :).....this is that very first image I drew which became our very first stamp set....4 years ago....

This set has long since been retired....and I honestly get embarrassed when I look at it because of how far I've come artistically (praise the Lord!), but it's always nice to reminisce.....wouldn't you agree :)? And let's face it, without this little guy....we wouldn't be here today, so sharing this card with you today reminds me of the great warmth and appreciation I have for those who encouraged me and supported me when this sweet knight and 3 other sets were all I had to offer.

Now, how about something a little more recent ;).....

I honestly had a tough time coming up with something for today.....my stamping time has been so limited as of late, but I really love this sweet penguin from our new Cozy Friends set, so I decided instead of pondering and over-thinking it....I would just make whatever came to me. I did end up cheating a little ;)....I used this week's sketch from The Sweet Stop, but a good sketch is always just what I need when the mojo isn't there.

The designer papers are from Memory Box's new line called Yuletide and Echo Park's new Season's Greetings line. I really didn't go too crazy with this one....just added some fun Maraschino Baker's Twine, a black button and some Stickles to the snowflakes on the DP. I also doodled a black frame around the main DP panel. The sentiment is from our Winter Friends stamp set.

Your next stop in the hop is the super talented Holly aka Toy. I know she has something fabulous to share with you!

Don't forget as you are hopping to leave comments on as many blogs along the way as you can. At the end of the hop we will be drawing 4 random winners from 4 random blogs and those winners will receive a $40 prize pack of stamps, dies, paper and twine!!

Just in case you get lost along the way, here is the blog hop list again:

Korin Sutherland<----you're here

SNSS Blog Hop!

2011-11-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hi there!!! I am the next to last stop in today's November Release Day DT Blog Hop. The Design Divas and some of the gals from the Digi Team are hopping together to celebrate our fabulous clear stamps, digis, and dies being released tonight!! If you've been hopping along with us today, you should have just come from Monika's amazing blog. If you didn't, I invite you to pop over to the SNSS blog to start this hop from the very beginning :). We have a HUGE prize up for grabs and I guarantee you won't want to miss out on your chance to win :).

I have a few samples to share with you today. This first sample was made using our new Lacey Eyelet Borders die set and a gorgeous new stamp set called Snowflake Flourish both designed by the talented Dina Kowal.

We introduced the Lacey Eyelet Borders die set at the York Heirloom Stamp Show a few weeks back and it was such a hit, it SOLD OUT the first day! I am thrilled to have it back in stock for this release :).

The bottom "ruffled" area on my card was created using tissue paper. I originally intended on doing what I found on this blog recently, where you cut out a bunch of layers from tissue paper with your die and create a "crochet" effect, but I had a bit of trouble getting it to work for me, so I decided to try something different and created a layered "ruffled" look instead. I think it turned out pretty cool despite it not being my intention. I hope to share a video of this technique soon over at The Sweet 'n Sassy Connection if you are interested.

The snowflakes from Dina's set were stamped first and second generation using the same ink (first being inked and stamped directly onto the card base, second being inked and stamped off onto scrap paper then stamped again onto the card base to create a lighter shade of the first ink color). The white border strip was cut from the second die in Dina's Lacey Eyelet Border dies set. Instead of weaving the twine through the die cut (which looks really cool, too) I just wrapped it around, added the snowflake ornament (found these at Michaels last year) and added the button with the twine bow. The sentiment is also from one of Dina's sets, Christmas Light, from our September release.

This next card features one of my new sets called Freezin' Season as well as Dina's Lacey Eyelet Borders die set AND my new Clouds & Raindrops die set.

I used the clouds as "snow mounds" by cutting off the bottom of each die cut. I outlined the mounds with Stickles to add more of a snowy feel. I added more Stickles over top the image to resemble falling snow, then added twine, a snowflake button and the tag sentiment which is also included the Freezin' Season stamp set. The designer paper is from Echo Park's Holly Jolly 6x6 pad.

Lastly, I'd like to share this card I made with on of our new digis, Rhubarb's Stocking...

Not too much to say about this one....I embossed a white panel with a Sizzix embossing folder and mounted in to the card base. The ribbon is Martha Stewart seam binding and the rhinestone heart border is something I picked up in the clearance section at Michaels a while back. The sentiment is from the Rhubarb's Christmas stamp set released back in September. The DP is from Echo Park's Holly Jolly 6x6 pad....and of course.....I used more twine :).

Ok, now that you've seen what I created, head over to the SNSS blog and leave a comment for a chance at that awesome prize!

And just in case you got lost somewhere along the way, here is the whole blog hop list again.....

Korin Sutherland<----you are here

SNSS Blog

One more thing.....Don't forget to join us tonight at 8:00PM EST in our member company forums over on Splitcoaststampers - we have a great release party planned! There will be full reveals of all of the stamp sets, digis and dies, plus challenges, more prizes plus a free birthday digi for all attendees :)!!!

See you tonight!!

Blog Hop Tomorrow!!!!

2011-11-02T19:01:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to remind you of the November Release Day Blog Hop the SNSS DT is hosting tomorrow.

We would LOVE to have you join us.....and we think since we're giving away the entire November release (6 stamp sets, 11 digis, & 3 die sets) you might not want to miss it ;).

See you then!!!

Let it....SNOW????

2011-10-30T14:45:00.005-04:00

And it sure did!! I took these pics yesterday....the first pics when the snow started falling and the second less than 3 hours later.

It was crazy! I think we got a total of around 6 inches. Never thought I'd be singing "I'm dreaming of a white Halloween!" ;).

So in honor of our October snowstorm I thought I'd share a snowy card with you today....

We lost power for 6 hours yesterday, but so many others are still without, so I can't complain. Since there wasn't much I could do without electricity I decided to color some images (yay!!). This is one of the images I colored...a new digi being released this week illustrated by my dear friend Sandy Domelle.

She had sent me a couple images she doodled to give me some ideas for new digis but I liked hers so much I decided to use them instead of draw new ones. She didn't think they were worthy, but I sure do...don't you? :) I think she still can't believe I decided to use her images ;), but I just know you are going to love them as much as I do!

One more thing....be sure to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to check out the Sweet Peeks we've shared so far!

Blessings...

Go PINK!

2011-10-28T09:20:00.004-04:00

Good morning, friends!

I am sure you have been seeing tons of stuff concerning breast cancer lately since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. SCS has been challenging us all month long through the Hope You Can Cling To event and although I have wanted to play in all of the challenges, I've only completed a few and since I have shared any of those cards with you yet, I am sharing them all today :).

Stamps: duck from Polka Dot Silhouettes & sentiment from Christmas Tags (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: Little Girl (Echo Park)

Ink: Baby Pink (CTMH), black (Versafine)

Accessories: Lacey Eyelet Border die-being released SOON (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), ribbon (American Crafts)

Stamps: Patriotic Cocoa (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: white CS, Orchid Bouquet CS (CTMH)

Ink: Memento, Copics, Versafine

Accessories: cuttlebug embossing folder

Stamps: Polka Dot Silhouettes, Seeing Spots & Thinking of You-being released SOON (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: white CS

Ink: CTMH

Accessories: ribbon/fiber, Stickles

Be sure to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog today to check out our first Sweet Peek of our November Release :)!!!

Until next time....

SNSS is turning 4!!

2011-10-24T15:08:00.002-04:00

I don't have any new creations to share with you today but I did want to be sure you knew about the exciting happenings at SNSS next month!

You may have heard that Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating our 4th birthday next month....we are SO excited and we have tons of fun in store for you all month long including 2 blog hops, 6 new stamp sets, 2 new die sets, 4 Birthday Specials (a different one each week in November), opportunities for tons of prizes and so much more....

We've come up with a schedule so you don't miss a thing! Mark your calendars and plan to join the fun!

October 28th through November 2nd @ 8am EST - Sweet Peeks begin here and on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog. Get a "sweet peek" at our newest sets being released in November!

November 1st-7th - Birthday Special #1 - 50% off all Digital Stamps!

November 3rd @ 8am EST - DT Blog Hop begins on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog featuring our November release

November 3rd @ 8pm EST - Release/Birthday Party in our SCS Release Party Forum - Full stamp set and die reveals, DT chatter and inspiration, challenges with prize opportunities, PLUS a FREE birthday digi for all who attend!!

November 7th @8am EST - 3-Day Birthday Bash Blog Hop begins on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog - Join us as DT Members past and present, along with some special friends, celebrate 4 years of Sweet 'n Sassy!! We'll be giving away 4 amazing prize packs valued at $40 each! Winners will be chosen at random from blog hop comments.

November 8th-14th - Birthday Special #2 - 25% off ALL Designer Paper!

November 12th @ 8am EST - Birthday Blog Hop winners announced on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog

November 15th-21st - Birthday Special #3 - Buy One Get One Gift Certificate Sale! (For every $25 gift certificate you purchase you'll receive a $5 gift certificate to spend on yourself!)

November 22nd-30th - Birthday Special #4 - 25% off ALL Clear Stamp Sets AND Dies! (excludes bundles)

We may add more so keep checking back for any updates .

Are YOU excited??? We sure are!!!

Chubby Cardinal & Life Update

2011-10-20T09:47:00.008-04:00

I love chubby cardinals.....not sure why, maybe because they look more cuddly when they are fat :).....anyway, when I decided to design a cardinal stamp set, I knew the the bird would need to be chubby. I think this one fits the bill :).

I made this card for yesterday's SCS sketch challenge. I can't even remember the last time I played along with one of their sketches and my how I have missed them!! The sketch challenge has always been my favorite :). Since things have finally calmed down a bit for me I headed right to the sketch challenge for inspiration and this is what I came up with.

I've been saving up all my Christmas paper scraps so I found some really great papers for my card. It did take me a while to figure out how I was going to lay them all out, but I have been a tad out of practice so that's my excuse ;).

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps: Christmas Joy (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: misc. scraps

Ink: Memento, Copics, Versafine

Accessories: ribbon, Nesties, Lacey Eyelet border die available soon at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

On a different note, I thought I would fill you in on some of the reasons I haven't been around blogland much over the past month or so...

A couple weekends ago was the Heirloom Stamp Show in York, PA, one of the two shows we planned to do this year. We had a GREAT time and I can't wait until the next show. They are always a ton of work, but so worth it :). There is nothing like mingling with other stampers. Here are a few pics from the show....

This is Mary Faus, myself and Cathy McCauley. Mary helped at the Heartfelt Creations booth on Saturday and then came back to shop on Sunday. She also volunteered to take some pics for me since my camera batteries died! Can you tell we were having a good time? I can't remember why we were laughing but it was obviously very FUNNY :).

This is part of our display.....look at all those gorgeous creations!! THANK YOU to my amazing DT for sending in projects to help beautify our booth :).

Here I am with Dan and our son Aidan. He came along to help and proved to be a fantastic cashier :).

Just a fun shot of one of our make 'n takes for Sunday.

And another fun shot of part of our booth.

Show prep consumed much of my time in September, but in addition to that I have been having some health issues that have had me visiting different doctors and having various tests and things done. I am not going to go into a lot of details, but I will tell you that they still aren't sure of a diagnosis. I was tested for Lyme Disease, Lupus, and rheumatory issues, but my bloodwork all came back fine. My neurologist says it could be a number of things including MS, but without doing lots of further testing, there is no way to know. I am ok with that and will continue to wait on the Lord for strength and patience. The next step in the process of getting to the bottom of this is to have four MRI's and an EMG....I opted for just two MRI's for now plus the EMG, so once those are completed (hopefully within the next few weeks), I will post another update.

The busyness of life lately has lead Dan and I to the decision to send our boys back to school. Homeschooling was getting to be almost impossible for me. So they recently started attending a Christian school about 35-40 minutes away and I can tell already that things are much less stressful. I am so thankful for that and for the Lord's providence and guidance.

I am hoping once I get into a new routine that I can get back into creating and sharing. Until then, I will post when I can :).

Oh....one more thing.....in case you have been wondering how those little kitties are doing....

They are getting big :).....and they love sleeping....

....pretty much anywhere ;).....

Thank you for visiting!! Buh-bye!

SNSS & The Twinery Blog Hop

2011-10-19T08:00:00.002-04:00

First of all.....oh my goodness, I cannot believe it's been a over a month since I posted on my blog!!! WOW!! I have been really busy but I had no idea I was THAT busy! I will be getting back into a more routine posting schedule soon and have lots to share so I hope you will continue to visit despite the long break.

I am, in the mean time, excited to be coming back with a bang :)...

AND

have teamed up for a fabulous blog hop with 24 amazingly talented stampers :)!

You have likely seen The Twinery's beautiful twine on many SNSS DT cards and projects because we sell it in our store :). If you haven't tried some yet, be sure to stop by our site after the hop and grab some :). You will LOVE it!!

If you've been hopping along already you would have come from Jenny Suchin's blog. If you are just starting here, I invite you to start back at the beginning and hop along with us!

Here's my card using The Twinery's Honeydew Baker's Twine and three new sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps: Comforting Pines (our newest Stamp for a Cause set which benefits the flood victims of my hometown of Pine Grove), Light of Christmas background stamp and a sentiment from Christmas Puppy.

To create this card, I first stamped the background image onto the top part of a piece of kraft cardstock. I then matted it with green cardstock. I added a strip of striped patterned paper from Echo Park's Season's Greetings 6x6 pad, wrapped the twine around a few time and fastened it with a button. I then adhered it to my white card base.

Next I stamped the tree image onto Neenah Classic Crest cardstock, colored it with my Copics, cut it out and attached it to the card front with foam tape.

Finally, I stamped the sentiment and added "Christmas ornaments" to the tree with red Stickles. I love that this tree image can be used for so many things, including Christmas cards :).

Your next stop on the hop is:
Monique Hansen

But before you go....

Here's the wonderful prize The Twinery has up for grabs with today's hop,
the Ultimate Color Sampler Pack valued at $25....

Doesn't that colorful image just make you smile :)??

And here's Sweet 'n Sassy's prize...
the super popular Season of Change Stamp Set & Die Bundle valued at $28....

For a chance to win these fabulous prizes you MUST comment on each blog in the hop.
Winners will be announced on Sunday, October 23rd on The Twinery Blog as well as on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog.

Thanks for hopping along today! I hope we've inspired you to create something beautiful!

Sketch Day!!

2011-09-17T09:21:00.006-04:00

It's Saturday which means a new Sweet Stop sketch....you may not be aware of this but I stepped down from the Sugar Baby team a while back to ease up on some of my responsibilities....I can say, I sure do miss playing along with the sketches.

These past few weeks have been insanely busy with home stuff, business stuff and everything in between so my *stamping for fun time* as been majorly limited. Last night I had some free time so I decided to use it to make a card for today's sketch. It felt great to stamp just because :).

This week is the Sketch with a Spin and you know what that means.....there is a sweet prize up for grabs!! Head over to The Sweet Stop to check it out.

This week's spin is "Starstruck". You can interpret that any way you wish, but the most obvious way is to use stars somewhere on your card. I found these awesome metal stars at Michaels a year or two ago and have kept them in my "Christmas embellies" stash for such times as this.

My wonderful man in brown dropped off a box full of yummy new Echo Park Christmas papers yesterday, so you KNOW I just had to break some out for my card :). The paper I used is from their new Season's Greetings 6x6 pad. I think it's my favorite line of the 3 holiday lines they released this year.

I also used Dina Kowal's gorgeous new Christmas Light stamp set and die. I am telling you, dies for stamped images are the best thing since sliced bread :)!

Today I leave you with another funny kitteh pic....

Meet Tank....a basement cat in the making....hehe....

In case you are "unawarez"....basement cat (typically a black cat) is the arch nemesis of ceiling cat (often a white or light colored cat) in a fun online battle of the kittehs known as lolcat. Lydia knows exactly what I am referring to....and I have to say it's a pretty funny thing....you can find more amusing basement cat pics HERE.

Until next next time....

Christmas Sweet Peeks #8 & #9-Candle & Background

2011-09-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I have been dying to peek these two sets :).....Dina Kowal has done it again this time with a gorgeous image & amazing coordinating background and the best part is.....the candle image has a matching die!!! Squeeeee!! It is sooooo awesome!

Here's my card using all three new products which will be available tonight after our release party.

Look at that image!! No fussy cutting necessary! Just cut out the shape with your die and stamp the image inside it! A perfect cut every time!!

Don't miss our release party tonight in our SCS Member Company Forum. The fun starts at 8pm EST. A few of the DT will be hosting some great challenge and don't forget the FULL REVEALS :)!! See you there!!

Christmas Sweet Peek #7-Cocoa

2011-09-14T12:14:00.006-04:00

Cocoa is back and he's celebrating Christmas with us! Today's Sweet Peek is of our new Cocoa's Christmas stamp set.

I have to admit I had a terrible time with this card.....I still don't care for it much, but oh well...such is life.

I wanted to use the brick embossed panel to give the idea of a fireplace since Cocoa is peeking out of a stocking. Not sure if it works together, but I tried ;).

Also, you won't want to miss our Christmas Release Party tomorrow night at 8pm EST in our Member Company Forum at SCS.

Stop by the SNSS blog to see the other DT peeks :)! They are super sweet!

Christmas Sweet Peek #6-Tags

2011-09-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

Today's set was designed by Dina Kowal and it's super versatile. The set comes with a whole slew of interchangeable sentiments that can be stamped inside the beautiful tag or used alone.

Instead of making a card with this one, I decided to create a gift item. This little package would be so sweet filled with green and red M&Ms or Hershey Kisses :). Don't you agree?

I used the beautiful Blitzen papers by Bo Bunny, added some pretty Christmas embellies and tied the tag on with gold-trimmed ribbon. I love this set!!

And in case you were wondering how my trip to Pine Grove went yesterday....

It was bittersweet. The church I grew up in took an offering Sunday tofill 45 buckets with cleaning supplies, toothbrushes, etc...so a group of us got together to hand out the buckets to flood victims in town. It was a blessing to see and hear of some many people in the community coming together to help the flood victims, but it was hard to see all the damage. Thankfully, we missed the worst of it....Friday & Saturday the sidewalks up and down the streets were piled high with "trash".....people's belongings, furniture, clothing, books, toys, anything and everything you can imagine. The pictures I saw were just heart wrenching. Many homes are being condemned (some will condemned until repaired but some must be completely torn down). You just can't imagine it until you see it. Houses completely gutted out...some even abandoned by the owners because they just didn't know what to do. The town is really pushing through, though. School started back up today and many of the roads are open again (but still needing much repair).

One of the ladies who organized the community service project yesterday took pics of our group and posted the album on FB. I shared it on my wall if you want to see them.

Today it's back to the grind....but it will be a long time before the images from this last week fade.....never away....but into a distant memory. May the Lord bless the little town of Pine Grove and draw the people closer to himself through this tragedy.

Thanks for stopping by today! See you tomorrow with another Sweet Peek....

Christmas Sweet Peek #5-Cardinal

2011-09-12T12:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for another sweet peek and this time we have a non-cutesy image for you :).

This is my 4 bird in a series I have been working on. I love cardinals...they are such beautiful birds. They also happen to be my high school mascot.... we were the Pine Grove Area Cardnials :).

For my card I used the Father Christmas paper by Bo Bunny. I am not a huge Santa person, but most of the paper in this pad is very pretty as you can see :).

On a different note, the boys and I are heading to Pine Grove this morning to see where we can lend a hand (8 hands to be exact). Please continue to pray for the flood victims. It's going to be a LONG road to recovery.

And one more thing....

I feel so burdened to help out my home town in any way that I can, so I have designed this stamp set in honor of Pine Grove. I drew the "pine grove" image in honor of the town's name and I came up with the sentiments as I pondered what I might say to the flood victims....many of whom are my friends and family. All proceeds from the sale of this set will be donated to the Pine Grove Disaster Relief Fund & the Operation Hugs & Kisses Organization to help the many, many flood victims of Pine Grove.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a PREORDER and stamps will begin shipping late September.

Comforting Pines

Until tomorrow....make it a great day!

Christmas Sweet Peek #4-Snowman

2011-09-11T12:00:00.001-04:00

It's Sweet Peek day 4 and all you snowman lovers out there ought to enjoy this one :). The set is called Holly Jolly Christmas.

Isn't this smiley snowman adorable with his pile of presents :)? I am a huge fan of snowmen myself so I really enjoyed coloring this sweet image. The image itself only has the gift, so I stamped the separate candy cane and stocking (also included in the set), colored and fussy cut them and popped them up with foam tape.

Check out the rest of the amazing DT cards by visiting the SNSS blog.

On a more solemn note....I'd like to share something with you in honor of 9/11/01...

This is today's devotional from Daily Focus....it's too good not to share....

There are certain moments in time that people vividly remember in connection with a certain date in history. My mother can recall exactly where and what she was doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked in World War II. I can recall where and what I was doing when John F. Kennedy was shot. My daughter now recalls where and what she was doing the day the World Trade Center twin towers burned and crashed to the ground. For three days, homeschooling stopped, and we, along with millions of others, watched the awful events of those days. Her thoughts are forever recorded below in her poem written shortly after that tragic day:

September 11, 2001
Out of the clear blue sky,
I saw thousands die.
I saw people jump to their death.
I saw America hold its breath.

I saw the sadness of the world.
I saw the flag at half staff furled.
I saw the grief of a president.
I saw America lose its innocence.

I see the towers fall in my mind.
I think I've seen it a hundred times.
I saw America cry and pray.
I will never forget that horrible day.

I saw acts of the most evil kind.
I know we can never turn back time.
I'll remember those who fight to save
Freedom in the land of the brave.

Even in our darkest moments in time, we can know God is with us. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35, 38-39).

Dear God, thank You that even in tragic times when the world is falling down around us, we are conquerors through Him who loved us! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Christmas Sweet Peek #3-Rhubarb

2011-09-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I am loving sweet little Rhubarb the Teddy Bear so I just had to design a new Rhubarb Christmas set. :)

Here's my sweet peek for today....

I decided to go with a less traditional color scheme for this Christmas card. We just got in these adorable papers from Bo Bunny called Sweet Tooth, which will be added to the store with our release next week. It was perfect for this gingerbread image, don't you think?? ;)

Check out the other DT creations by visiting the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog.

See you tomorrow with another fun peek at one of our new Christmas sets :).

Back in Business! Christmas Sweet Peek #2

2011-09-09T16:47:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the late post....my internet has been down since 11am. Thankfully my awesome hubby came home and fixed it. He rocks!!! Seriously....totally rocks :)!!

So without further ado, here is my card for today's adorable Sweet Peek, Christmas Puppy illustrated by Rachel Zimmerman.

I used up various scraps I had on my table from other recent card projects. I added some yummy twine and these fabulous glittery metal stars I got at Michaels last year.

Thanks for taking a peek today!

I leave you with a video I made last night of our adorable kittens....

Aren't they so sweeeeeeeet :)?

Blog Hop Winner

2011-09-09T15:18:00.002-04:00

i am having technical difficulties with my internet so i am posting this from my phone...and for some reason i can't get the caps to work...anyway, the winner of the season of change bundle is wanda cullen!!! congrats wanda!

thanks for hopping along with us :)!

i will get my christmas puppy sweet peek up as soon as i can! sorry to make you wait :(.

Christmas Sweet Peeks #1

2011-09-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

It's time for another round of Sweet Peeks....this time we're celebrating Christmas in September. Our first peek is of our September Stamp of the Month, Beary Christmas. This guy was super popular as a digi last year so we thought it would be fun to bring him to our clear stamp line as our Free w/ $50 Stamp of the Month :).

Paulie Polar Bear is decked out for Christmas, but he's feeling a tad self conscious ;)....do YOU think the wreath makes his butt look big? ;)

For my card I used the fun new Blitzen 6x6 pad by Bo Bunny. Love these fun papers :)! I used a Nestie die for the main image panel and popped Paulie up with foam tape. Then I added some pearl flourishes and glittery snow....overall a pretty easy card.

Be sure to check out the other Beary Christmas creations some of the DT are sharing today. You're going to love them!

And on a slightly (ok, make that VERY) different ans solemn note....

Please pray for my home town of Pine Grove, PA. The rain has been coming down for days and the whole town is flooded. The National Guard is assisting with evacuations, but the damage is horrific....and the rain isn't over yet. Here are some pics taken from some of the residents...

As you can see, this little town is in BIG trouble. Please pray!! Thank you!

Tomorrow I'll be sharing another Sweet Peek....so see ya then!

Fall Fun Blog Hop

2011-09-05T08:00:00.006-04:00

Hello and welcome to the Fall Fun Blog Hop!

A group of online buddies decided the Labor Day holiday would be a GREAT time to get inky together, and so we've put together a fall themed blog hop to inspire you as Autumn approaches. What a fabulous idea, right :)? Please note: The hop officially begins at 8am Central Time. I am a tad early ;).

We have hoppers from all over the globe today, and you won't want to miss a one!! Grab yourself a nice fall beverage and enjoy the Fall eye candy we've planned for you!

Here's my Fall creation...

Stamps: Autumn Bounty

Paper: Kraft CS, BoBunny & Memory Box DP
Ink: Copics, Memento, Versafine
Accessories: ribbon, pearls, machine stitching

I LOVE fall and I LOVE pumpkins :). They are pretty to look at AND they make some seriously amazing desserts :). Nothing says Fall like pumpkin pie, right? ;) For my card I stamped the image in Memento ink and colored it with Copics. The design was actually quite simple. I added a Fall sentiment, machine stitched the panels, added some ribbon and pearls and viola---a lovely Thanksgiving card :).

Before I get to your next stop and the list blog hop participants, I want to be sure to mention that as you hop along today you may discover that some of us have some fabby blog candy up for grabs--like ME!!! Just another great reason to join the fun :).

What can you win by commenting here today? The newly released Season of Change Stamp Set AND Die Bundle :)!!

To enter you MUST leave a comment on this post with your name and email address (so I can let you know if you have won) by midnight EST, Thursday, September 8th. It's that simple :). I will announce the winner of the stamp set and die bundle on Friday, September 9th.

Your next stop on the hop is Taylor Usry .

Just in case you need it, here is the full list of our blog hoppers today.....be sure to stop by each one!

Lydia Fiedler

Libby Hickson

Kim Williams

Michelle Single

Lee Murphy

Sara Henton

Yapha Mason

Lisa Adametz

Jimmi Mayo

Jeanne Streiff

Bev Gerard

Shannon

Dana Keith

Joan Ervin

Maren Benedict

Teresa Kline

Hannah Clark

Dina Kowal

Wanda Cullen

Korin Sutherland--(you are here)

Taylor Usry--(go here next)

Monika Davis

Harriet Skelly

Kim Schofield

Cathy McCauley

Mary Marsh

Julia Aston

Bridget Finlay

Alison Habetler

Leslie Hanna

Sue Farrant

Michelle Hanway

Misti Oblander

Judy Rozema

Jenna Barber

Tammy Hershberger

Eva Dobilas

Kerri Michaud

Cheryl Navarrete

Neva McMullen

Marianne

Samantha

Cindy Wallach

Thanks for hopping along with us today!!

Puppy Backpack

2011-09-03T11:15:00.005-04:00

It's quite obvious that school is back in full swing...I have been seeing tons of adorable back to school creations popping up on blogs and in galleries lately. One of the projects that caught my eye was these adorable little backpacks so I decided to give one a try.

Stamps: Ruff Day & Many Thanks (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: Peachy Keen (Kaiser Craft)

Ink: Copics, Memento, Versafine

Accessories: ribbon, button, hemp, Nesties

I found a template on SCS although I think if I make them again I may change it up a bit. I would have preferred my backpack to be a bit shorter/wider.

I don't really have any back to school stamps and I didn't feel like printing any digis when I was making this so I went with a non-school image but added a sentiment that would be perfect for a teacher.

Oh and before I forget to tell you, I will be participating in a fabulous Fall Fun Blog Hop on Monday in honor of the holiday, so I hope you will plan to hop along. There may even be a prize or two along the way :).

To all my US friends, enjoy your Labor Day weekend!! And to everyone else, I hope your weekend is fabulous, too :).

Because of the Brave

2011-09-02T12:44:00.004-04:00

In honor of Labor Day, I have a patriotic card to share with you today. I made this one for Lydia's VSN challenge this past weekend. She challenged us to use the Texas flag as inspiration to create our card. I have been dying to use this Bo Bunny Liberty paper since we started carrying it in the store recently so Lydia's challenge gave me the perfect opportunity :).

Stamps: star image from Polka Dot Silhouettes & sentiment from Patriotic Cocoa

Paper: Bo Bunny-Liberty, Kraft-CS

Ink: CTMH-Cranberry & Outdoor Denim

Accessories: string of self-adhesive stars, baker's twine, Nestie, border punch

How about I leave you with another adorable kitty pic....

I snapped this one last night before I went to bed :). Aren't they sweeeeeet?

Orange you sweet?

2011-09-01T09:12:00.002-04:00

Happy 1st of September to you!! Can you believe you just read that? I can't believe I just typed it.....sheesh....how is this year two-thirds over already??

We're a week and a half into school and it's going quite well thus far. In fact, I am giggling at Evan right now because he is sitting next to me doing a page in his grammar book and talking in a silly voice saying, "Is there something wrong with my voice?" This kid cracks me up.

Anyway, I have another VSN card to share with you today. This time the challenge was to make a tent fold card with a food theme so this is what I came up with.

I used one of our $.99 digis (Orange You Sweet) and some fun papers from Echo Park's Candy Shoppe Dots & Stripes pad to make a fun monochromatic card.

One of the VSN challenge hostesses left a comment on my card saying her craft room was orange and would I send it to her...she was kidding, of course, but I asked her for her address anyway and it's being mailed today :). I hope she likes it even more in person ;).

I'm off....gotta help Evan with those nouns...see ya soon!

For the love of kitties!

2011-08-30T14:15:00.006-04:00

So my friend Lydia (aka understandblue) and I are having a grand ole time sharing our love of kitties lately, especially on FB. I think most of our friends think we are insane because some days we really do get quite carried away, but it's great fun....and we really ARE crazy, so there ;).

We've been chatting it up about my cat's kittens quite a bit and mostly picking on, if you will, the largest of the four kittens, "Tank". He is a whopper, let me tell you. So, just for giggles, here's one of the more recent pics I posted on her wall...

See??? Great fun :). Who wouldn't love to get a funny kitty pic on their FB wall? Right?

Wanna see how big the kittens are getting? Of course you do! They will be 3 weeks old on Friday. Oh, they grow up so fast! Before you know it, they'll be off to kitty college....*tear*.... ;)

As Lydia would say....Tank's got back!

They are very wobbly but they are trying to walk some now....I am sure I will have LOTS more fun pics to share with you soon ;).

There really isn't much cuter than a kitten....come on, really....admit it :).

Ok, back to business.....as I mentioned in my last post, SCS Virtual Stamp Night was this weekend. Lydia and I participated and got all 17 challenges done! can you believe it!? That's a lot of cards for 2 days! I decided to dedicate this card I made for one of the challenges (Lori Craig's Brand It challenge) to my cat loving friend...so Lydia, this one's for you :).

Stamps: Purrfect Friend (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Paper: It's the Little Things (Fancy Pants)

Ink: Copics, Memento, Versafine

Accessories: seam binding ribbon, button, hemp, border punch

Tomorrow, I just may have another fun VSN card to share so see ya then!

For the Happy Couple

2011-08-27T08:51:00.004-04:00

I'm playing along with the Splitcoast VSN event this weekend and having so much fun!!! I made 5 cards last night and already have a card done this morning :). YAY!!! I made this one for today's Sweet Stop Sketch, the SCS Inspiration challenge and last night's 10pm VSN challenge to use twine. Three challenges in one...pretty crazy, huh?

For my card I used the fun new Happy Days papers from Echo Park and our Love is Like a Tree stamp set.

If you are inside this weekend due to the hurricane storms, why not head over to SCS & The Sweet Stop and join the fun!!

Thanks for stopping by!! Prayers still be lifted for those who are in the path of Hurricane Irene. May God protect you!!

Away in a Manger

2011-08-25T17:35:00.004-04:00

Are you ready for Christmas yet? I'm not....but I do like getting a head start on my cards ;).

Every once in a while we release a new stamp set without making a big fuss about it....just a random "surprise" to keep things fun. That was the case for this new set called Away in a Manger which was just added to the store yesterday. I love the detail of the image in this set. It was illustrated by Rachel Zimmerman. She is a local Mennonite woman and her work has such a wholesome feel to it :). As she might say, a "plain people" style.

In honor of this "secret" release I thought it would be fun to make a card with the set so I went to SCS to see what today's challenge was and decided to play along. The challenge is to use something "recycled" on your card. I had to think about that one a bit but then it came to me.....When I am making display boards for our shows I can only use card fronts, so I often cut the backs off of whole cards I want to display. I always save the card backs for future cards like this one. The brown cardstock I used for layering is from a card back.

I didn't want to take from the beautiful image, so I kept this card very simple. I hope you like it. I think it's message is quite clear :).

Thanks for stopping by today! If you are in the path of Hurricane Irene, you are in my prayers!! May God keep you safe from harm's way!

Naught Changeth Thee

2011-08-24T09:35:00.003-04:00

Have you been to our new Member Company forum at SCS yet? Taylor is hosting a brand new inspiration challenge every Tuesday and they are fabulous for getting the mojo flowing :).

Here is this week's challenge:

Isn't it awesome?? As I mentioned yesterday, I haven't had a whole lot of time for stamping lately, but this inspiration challenge was calling to me so I sat down last night and whipped up this quick CAS card using Dina's new Season of Change set.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you'll play along with our inspiration challenge. Be sure to share in our forum if you do :)!!

Have a blessed day!

Been a tad busy....

2011-08-23T11:28:00.005-04:00

I am sure you think I fell off the planet again, but truthfully I just have had no time for blogging and stamping :(. Between our new release and filling all those orders, piano lessons, doctor appointments and school starting again, I am being pulled it many directions.

I wanted to take a quick minute to share some fun pics of those kittens I was telling you about last week....

About 1 day old...

About 2 days old...

About 4 days old..

About 8 days old...

About 10 days old (taken last night)...

You may notice they all have extra toes on their paws....their daddy is polydactyl which means they are, too. Here's an interesting link if you want to learn more about polydactyl cats. :)

Hopefully soon, I will have a card or two to share with you :)....but until then, I hope you enjoyed looking at our little furballs :).

Hugs and blessings,
Korin

August Sweet Peek #8-Season of Change

2011-08-15T13:38:00.003-04:00

We've got a couple more fun surprises for you today...have you heard them yet???

First, we are thrilled to welcome the lovely and talented Dina Kowal to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps team as a stamp illustrator/designer! Dina and I have become great friends over the past year and I am just over the moon about her joining us in this capacity. I am sure you will LOVE what she has to bring to our line :)!

Here is a peek at her very first set designed exclusively for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps....but please be sure to scroll down, because we have another surprise for you....

And second....we are adding exclusive DIES to our line!! Our first set will include 4 dies which will coordinate with the 4 leaves in this beautiful Season of Change stamp set :).

Our Season of Change Die Set will be available for preorder later tonight after our release party and will sell for $18.50 OR you can grab the stamp set and die bundle for ONLY $30!!
Season of Change dies will begin shipping early September.

Here are a few more snippets of this gorgeous new stamp set....be sure to check out the DT blogs for the full cards. They are fabulous and you won't want to miss them :)!!

by Dina Kowal

by Mary Marsh

by Janette Olen

by Julia Aston

That wraps up our week of Sweet Peeks, but the fun DOES NOT stop there! Join us tonight in our NEW company forum at Splitcoaststampers for a Fabulous Fall Release Party!! We're sharing full reveals, plus we've planned some fun challenges which will give you a chance to win a brand new set from this release :). The party starts at 8pm EST. See you there!!!

August Sweet Peek #7-Peace of God

2011-08-14T13:37:00.003-04:00

Happy Sunday to you!! What a great day for sharing today's Sweet Peek....Peace of God...

This new sets features this lovely bird image, a titmouse for those of you who may not recognize it, as well as encouraging sentiments and scriptures that focus on the peace of God.

I paired the image up with some fabulous papers from the Valise line by Memory Box.

Check out the other amazing creations done by some of the DT....

by Jessica Fick

by Mary Marsh

by Neva McMullen

Tomorrow we'll be sharing our final Sweet Peeks plus a couple more BIG announcements :) to be sure to stop back here and the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog.

And on a completely different note.....I'm a grandma!!!....ok, well, not exactly ;)....my kitty had her kittens this weekend :).....4 of them....I'll be sharing pics in the days to come so keep checking back :).

One more thing....be sure to stop by our NEW forum at Splitcoaststampers tomorrow.....the forum goes live at 8am EST! And don't forget our release party at 8pm EST :). It's going to be a fun-filled day for sure!!

August Sweet Peek #6-Rhubarb's Autumn Joys

2011-08-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

Before I get to today's Sweet Peek.....have you heard the news??

The day has finally arrived.....we've been keeping a secret and it's time to spill the beans :)!!! SQUEEEEE!!!!!

I am sooooo thrilled to announce that Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is joining Splitcoaststampers as a Member Company!! What a wonderful opportunity!! God is so good to us!

Our company forum opens on Monday, August 15th at 8am EST. I hope you'll stop by and see us! But guess what....the fun doesn't stop there... we've moved our Fabulous Fall Release Party from The Sweet 'n Sassy Connection to our NEW forum at Splitcoaststampers.

The fun starts at 8pm EST on August 15th. We'll be sharing full reveals of our 8 new stamp sets, our Free w/ $50 Stamp of the Month, our fantastic August Kit of the Month plus another fun surprise that hasn't been revealed yet :). Of course, we can't forget the fun challenges hosted by our DT which will give you the opportunity to win some fabulous prizes from our new release. You definitely won't want to miss it! See you there!!

How's that for awesome news? :).....now for that Sweet Peek.....

I am LOVING this adorable new set, Rhubarb's Autumn Joys, and I think you will, too. The images are so much fun to colors and the sentiments are perfect. And guess what....our August Kit of the Month features this set!!

Here is just one of the cards you can make with this awesome kit....

The paper is BoBunny's new fall line, Forever Fall, and it is gorgeous!!! We are selling it in the store now. The kits comes with 12 sheets of this fabulous paper plus lots of other goodies :)....be sure to join us at our release party for the full kit reveal.

See you tomorrow!

August Sweet Peek #5-Autumn Bounty

2011-08-12T12:31:00.004-04:00

It's a gorgeous day in PA today.....almost feels like Fall! In fact, I am wearing JEANS! LOL! So what better day to have a Fall Sweet Peek :)?

My card today features our fabulous new Autumn Bounty stamp set. I love all wonderful sentiments that come in this set. And look at that gorgeous paper!! It's called Forever Fall from BoBunny and it's available NOW on our website :)!!

Here are some more fabulous samples from the DT....

by Neva McMullen

by Julia Aston

by Cindy Coutts

I'll be back in a bit with a BIG announcement :)!......

August Sweet Peek #4-Flowers in Bloom

2011-08-11T12:37:00.001-04:00

Today's Sweet Peek may be my favorite of all of them. I just love the image and sentiments in this set, Flowers in Bloom. The lovely papers I used for my card are from the Desert Blooms 6x6 pad by First Edition.

I added some pretty lace and ribbon to really give this card a feminine touch :).

Don't forget to check out the rest of the samples below.....they are gorgeous!

by Bridget Finlay

by Taylor Usry

by Harriet Skelly

by Kim Schofield

See you tomorrow with another fabulous Sweet Peek!

August Sweet Peek #3-Fall Time Cocoa

2011-08-10T12:14:00.003-04:00

He's baaaaack! Did you miss him? I know some of you have ;).

Today's Sweet Peek is our new Fall Time Cocoa stamp set. If you love Cocoa and you love Fall, you will LOVE this set :).

I paired him up with some fun new papers from American Crafts. Don't you just love that sweet sentiment :)?

Be sure to stop by these fabulous blogs for more inspiration!

by Jessica Fick

by Sandy Domelle

by Harriet Skelly

by Lorie Ames

See you tomorrow! I can't wait to share the next peek with you!

August Sweet Peek #2-Many Thanks

2011-08-09T12:05:00.004-04:00

It's day #2 of the Sweet 'n Sassy Sweet Peeks and today I am happy to share with you a brand new sentiment set called Many Thanks. This set is perfect for letting someone know just how much you appreciate them. Being thankful isn't just for the Fall season....we have so many reasons to be thankful the whole year through.

A fun way to use sentiment stamps is to use them to create your own patterned paper as I did with one of the sentiment stamps along the side of my card base above. From there I added my Chapter One Kaiser Kraft DP on top. I also used a fun die cut that came with the paper pad to frame my sentiment.

Here are two more DT sample snippets....check out the blogs below for the full projects.

by Lorie Ames

by Cindy Coutts

See you tomorrow with another Fabulous Fall Sweet Peek :)!

Let the Sweet Peeks begin!

2011-08-08T12:18:00.003-04:00

I am so excited to about this month's release and the fun surprises we have in store for you!

Today we are sharing a gorgeous new set called Autumn Leaves. It features 4 beautiful leaf images and 2 lovely Autumn sentiments. It's a set you will be reaching for again and again!

For my card I am showing you just how quickly you can whip up a card with this set. You know how much I love layers so this card is really a different kind of card for me, but even a one layer card can be beautiful :). I simply stamped the leaf images, and the sentiment on kraft CS and colored the leaves with chalks (can you believe it?? no Copics!!) and viola!

Thanks for stopping by today. I sure hope you'll take a few minutes to check out the SNSS blog for more information about this set and don't miss the other fabulous peeks the DT has for you....how about a couple teasers to whet your appetite...

by Bridget Finlay

by Taylor Usry

by Kim Schofield

Stop back tomorrow for another fabulous peek at a new set!

Old Becomes New

2011-08-07T13:47:00.007-04:00

I'm a day late with this post due to another busy week and I do apologize. The Sweet Stop sketch this week is a super simple one that lends well to almost any image. In fact, I went with a different approach and used a sentiment with a offset image. I hope you'll grab the sketch and join the rest of the Sugar Babies this week. We can't wait to see what you make!

For my card I used the New Creature stamp set (also available as a digi) and Valise papers from Memory Box. I actually colored the butterfly with CHALKS! Can you believe it, no COPICS? I know, it's amazing isn't it ;)? I wanted to stick with a softer look so I think the chalks helped me achieve that.

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to check back everyday this week. The Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Sweet Peeks begin tomorrow and we have some amazing new sets to share with you :). I can't wait!! Our Release Party is scheduled for August, 15th at 8pm EST. There is some big news coming with this release....you won't want to miss it :)!!!

Happy Sunday!!

Best Fishes

2011-07-30T07:20:00.004-04:00

It's time for another fun sketch at The Sweet Stop. It's a bit different from our usual style but I think if you give it a try, you may really like it :). Break out those smaller images and join the fun!

For my sweet fishy card I used a newer set called Happy Ocean Friends (aren't these fish adorable??) and some fabulous papers by Echo Park (Splash)....this set and paper are a match made in heaven :).

Thanks for stopping by to visit me today. Our crazy week is over and I am looking forward to some down time this weekend :).

Oh and guess what........we're expecting!! Kittens, that is ;)!! Here's our momma-to-be resting on my son's "nap"top bag ;).

Have a fabulous weekend, my friends!

Need a little pick-me-up?

2011-07-29T10:38:00.006-04:00

I sure did this week! We have Vacation Bible School (VBS) all this week and what a whirlwind week it's been! Between running kids to skit practice, a doctor appointment, various errands, Aston (my 13 year old) breaking his finger Tuesday night (which entailed two more doctor visits and a trip to the radiology center), PLUS VBS every night, I think I need more than just a LITTLE pick-me-up ;). Thankfully I know that the Lord never gives us more than we can handle with His help, so I am rejoicing in that truth, but I do look forward to a calmer week next week ;).

For my sweet Rhubarb card above, I followed this week's SCS sketch. I paired it up with some yummy papers by Echo Park (Victoria Gardens) & First Edition (Summer Breeze).

Thanks for popping by today. Sorry to have been so quiet, but I am sure you understand. Hopefully next week, I will have a bit more time for blogging and sharing :).

Have a fabulous weekend!

Rhubarb's Pie

2011-07-24T14:30:00.003-04:00

No, not Rhubarb Pie...Rhubarb's Pie :).....Rhubarb does enjoy baking you know. In fact he loves baking for others to let them know how much he cares about them :). Just like in this card featuring our newest digi Rhubarb's Pie.

I am having a blast playing with these new papers I got by Kaiser Craft. Aren't they delicious? Just like Rhubarb's pie ;)?? I also thought I would experiment a bit with the speckled shadowing Copic technique. I am not sure I like it, but I do love the warm chocolate colors I used for Rhubarb :).

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a blessed Lord's Day!

Staying cool....

2011-07-23T11:33:00.002-04:00

I guess one way to stay cool in this blistering heat is to play with winter images :)....

Rhubarb Builds a Snowbear is a great image to help me stay cool :). Don't you think?

I hope you'll join the rest of the Sugar Babies and play along with our sketch this week over at The Sweet Stop. It's a super easy one and lends well to most any image.

Thanks for stopping by today! Stay cool!!

Bzzzzzzz

2011-07-21T10:10:00.003-04:00

Today's post is going to be short and sweet :).....

Have you seen this new Rhubarb digi, Rhubarb Honey Bee? I think it may be my favorite Rhubarb yet :).

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Rhubarb's Snowy Day

2011-07-19T12:44:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Rhubarb was enjoying the fall weather and today he's playing in the snow! Boy, the seasons sure fly by in Rhubarb's world! ;) This sweet image called Rhubarb's Snowy Day was just released today.

SNSS DT Diva, Mary Marsh, is the color challenge hostess over at SCS today so I thought I would give her colors a try....I did have a tough time finding papers, but I think these work.

I realized after I colored the image that I got the shadowing wrong on the hat and scarf...lol....oh well!

Oh and did you see the fabulous new Echo Park Papers we added to the store today?? They are must haves for sure!!

I also added this fun new line which has just been released at CHA....it will be shipping mid-August :)!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Rhubarb is ready for fall!

2011-07-18T11:26:00.003-04:00

Rhubarb is itching for Fall :)....so I have two Fall cards to share with you today :).

I LOVE fall....the sights, the scents, the textures :)....it's such a beautiful time of year :). This is our newest Rhubarb digi now available called Rhubarb's Punkins. Isn't he sweet?

Next up is this fun card featuring another new digi called Rhubarb's Sunflower. I love sunflowers...they make me smile. I hope this card makes you smile, too :).

I am also entering both cards in the Just 4 Fun Challenge over at The Connection. Jessica wants us to use twine this week. I LOVE twine, so that is no problem at all. :)

Thanks for visiting me today!

Rhubarb Santa

2011-07-16T07:41:00.003-04:00

It's Saturday again so that means another fun sketch brought to you by The Sweet Stop.....BUT.....it's not just any Saturday, it's the third Saturday which means it's our Sketch with a Spin :)!! Play along for your chance to win 3 brand new Rhubarb digis (of your choice!).

Here's my sketch card for today featuring a sweet Rhubarb dressed as Santa.

I hope you'll grab the sketch and play along!

Rhubarb's Candycane

2011-07-15T09:04:00.004-04:00

I sure hope you aren't getting tired of this little guy yet....there is more to come....he's been a busy little bear!

For my card today I used our newest Rhubarb digi, Rhubarb's Candycane. I also used Tami's awesome sketch from CPS this week.

I had fun with the twine and buttons on this one :). I hope you like it!

Have a great Friday!

Double the Rhubarb, Double the Fun

2011-07-14T07:41:00.006-04:00

I have two sweet Rhubarb cards to share with you today....one I meant to share yesterday, but I ran out of day ;)....

First up, I'll share the card featuring today's Rhubarb release, Rhubarb Back to School.

The colors are so bold and vibrant, not my typical choices....in fact, I have had this paper left over from Basic Grey's Lime Rickey paper pad for a LONG time, because I am not really a fan....but it was perfect for a fun back to school card. Since I don't really have any "school" themed stamps I had to get creative with the sentiment. When going through my stamps I saw this sentiment (Just Be You) from the One of a Kind stamp set and thought it would be perfect for a back to school card :).

And here is yesterday's card featuring the adorable Rhubarb added to the site yesterday called Rhubarb Trims the Tree.

I had to dig for Christmas papers to make this one ;).....they have been put away for some time, but I found that I still had an Eskimo Kisses pad that I hadn't use much of, so it worked out perfectly, even though the Christmas ball colors don't quite match. I used this week's sketch over at SCS.

Thanks for stopping by today! I think we may be heading "back home" today to see my mom and grandparents. Summer will be over before we know it, so we need to get our visits in :).

Have a blessed day!

You're Sew Amazing!

2011-07-12T09:15:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I share d a Cocoa card so I thought I'd share this one I made recently using our Seeing Spots Kit of the month paired with the Sew Happy Cocoa set.

The polka dot DP, from A Walk in the Park by Echo Park, was just solid spots, so I inked up some of the images from Seeing Spots and made them different shapes :). I love that the polka dots are the exact same size as the stamps! How fun!

The Seeing Spots kit comes with Honeydew twine and yellow buttons, but I wanted to stick with the orange theme so I grabbed some Mandarin and Cappuccino twine and orange buttons.

Thanks for stopping by again today!! Have a blessed day!

Pretty in Pink

2011-07-11T08:05:00.005-04:00

I am having a blast with these new Rhubarb digis :)....he is such a sweetie! For this card I used the Rhubarb the Teddy Bear digi. We are having a contest on our Facebook Page using this image. Play along with us for a chance to win $15 to spend at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps :)!!

I decided to color Rhubarb pink and make a super girlie card time time. Yes, technically he is a boy, BUT I kept him neutral so you can make him a girl, too :). I drew the heart on his tummy and then punched out a smaller heart and added some glitter for more dimension. Don't you think he looks like a Care Bear now? How fun :)! I used to LOVE Care Bears when I was a little girl. I even won one for a writing contest in elementary school. It was a favorite toy of mine for a long time.

The sentiment is from our new Love is Like a Tree stamp set and the papers are just scraps I found in my scrap bin :). Using your left over scraps is a great way to make a fast card, don't you agree?

On a completely different subject, if you have a minute, I would greatly appreciate your prayers.....it has been a tough past few weeks.....with Dan's accident, traveling, a sick son, and then a few more unfortunate events that have popped up....needless to say, I am feeling a bit "heavy-laden". I know the Lord has everything is His hands and I am truly grateful for that fact, but I am also human, I grow weary....please pray that I stay strengthened by God's promises. I know this too shall pass, but it's hard to stay upbeat sometimes, ya know?

Thanks so much for visiting me today! May your day be filled with blessings!

Just for Fun Challenges-Yellow

2011-07-10T18:25:00.003-04:00

Over at The Sweet 'n Sassy Connection we've got some great challenges going on throughout the week. Our Sunday challenge is headed up by Jessica Fick and it's called Just for Fun because....well.....they are just for fun :). Today's challenge is to use YELLOW. So here's my card featuring our Seeing Spots Kit of the Month....

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed Lord's Day!

Meet Rhubarb!

2011-07-09T08:45:00.007-04:00

Happy Saturday!! Today's Sweet Stop sketch is up and you're gonna love it :)! Lots of room for creativity with this one!

Isn't this little guy adorable? Who doesn't love a sweet, cuddly teddy bear? We've all likely had one at one time or another. Well, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is very proud to announce the arrival of Rhubarb the Teddy Bear. He's our newest cutie-patootie character and he's available NOW in 4 adorable images including the one featured in my Sweet Stop card above. I paired him up with Echo Park's Splash papers...a match made in heaven, indeed :).

And just in case you're dying to take a peek, here are the 4 new Rhubarb digis we've just released...

Rhubarb the Teddy Bear

Rhubarb & Birdie

Rhubarb Enjoys the Pool

Rhubarb Santa

Doesn't he just make you smile? :) But it doesn't stop here....I have been drawing up a storm, so you will be seeing lots more of this little guy in the coming weeks :). Check the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps website often, because you never know when I might add a new digi or two ;).

I hope you'll stop by The Sweet Stop, grab this week's sketch and play along! And for some added inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of the Sugar Babies:

Cathy McCauley
Wendy Ramlakhan

Thanks for visiting me today :)!

Fishing you a Happy Birthday!

2011-07-04T12:27:00.006-04:00

This week's Sweet Stop sketch is another easy one. You can go with any size image really and even any shape :).

Here's my card in honor of my good friend Denise whose birthday happens to be today! How fun to celebrate your birthday on the 4th of July!

The colors are a bit bright, but the image (from Happy Ocean Friends) is so cheerful, I thought the rest of the card should be, too.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Independence Day!!! God Bless America!

~Korin

Happy Release Day!

2011-07-01T09:29:00.004-04:00

We are heading out to the western part of PA today to pick up our boys from their grandparents' house :). It's been nearly a week since we've seen them so I am very excited :). I have missed them so!

Before we shove off though, I wanted to share another fun card I made for our July release using the Your Friendship set.

The flowers in this set are so much fun to work with and the sentiments are heartfelt and wonderful :).

Thanks for stopping by today!! And to all of my American friends, Happy Independence Day weekend :)!!! Have fun and stay safe!

Inky hugs,
Korin

July Sweet Peek #6 & A Reason to be THANKFUL

2011-06-30T12:29:00.006-04:00

I'm keeping this part short and sweet because I have much more to share after the peek....

Here is today's Sweet Peek from a new set called Love is Like a Tree....be sure to join us tonight at The Sweet 'n Sassy Connection for our release party and full reveals :).

Now on to much more important things....

If ever I have anything to be thankful for today I am thankful that my husband is still with us....yesterday afternoon the phone rang and on the other line was my husband telling me to come get him, he had just totaled his van (work van). Of course all kinds of things started racing through my head as I drove to the scene of the accident. When I came around the turn and saw his van smashed into a huge tree my heart sank and I immediately thanked God for sparing his life. I have never seen anything so frightening. It is a miracle he wasn't trapped inside much less WALKED away. I believe his guardian angel was working overtime yesterday and he may have even called in for back up ;).

The "what ifs" keep running through my mind but the important thing is that my hubby is ok. No broken bones (can you believe it???) just lots of bruises and a sore shoulder.

I have lots more pics on my Facebook wall if you want to see more, but just these show you how thankful we are that Dan is ok.

Join me in praising God for is continued watch care. He is so good!!!!

See you tonight at the release party!
Korin

July Sweet Peek #5

2011-06-29T12:09:00.003-04:00

Today I'm sweet peeking a new Bethany Bunny set called Reading Bethany. This set just makes me smile :).

I paired it up with some fun papers from Echo Park's Summer Days line. They are bright and cheerful just like this image :).

Check out the other fun cards some of the DT made with this set by visiting the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog.

Tomorrow is our last Sweet Peek and our Release Party at the Sweet 'n Sassy Connection. I hope you will join us!

Hugs,
Korin

July Sweet Peek #4

2011-06-28T20:09:00.003-04:00

Today's Sweet Peek is of a new set called Your Friendship. I must say that the Lord has blessed me with so many amazing friends.....this set is for you, my dear friends. You know who you are!! You are treasured and loved! Thank you for being a blessing to me!

Check out the other beautiful creations featuring this set....you can find links on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog.

Stop by again tomorrow for another fun Sweet Peek!

Until then,
Korin

July Sweet Peek #3

2011-06-27T19:55:00.003-04:00

I am SOOOO sorry I am late with this post. I have been away all day shopping with a friend :). The kids are away at their grandparents this week so I am taking advantage ;).

Today's sweet peek is called Joyful Heart. Isn't is lovely?

Don't miss the other DT samples...stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog. You'll love them!

Until tomorrow,
Korin

July Sweet Peek #2

2011-06-26T12:00:00.001-04:00

I am very excited to be sharing with you today not only a Sweet Peek of a new stamp set but also a new Kit of the Month for July :)!

Introducing Seeing Spots & our 1st of TWO kits for July....

If you love fun papers and easy cards, you are going to love this kit featuring our Seeing Spots stamp set :). Here are just 6 cards of MANY you can make with this fun new kit!

Please stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to see more awesome samples made my the DT featuring this fun new set, Seeing Spots. You are going to love them!

Until tomorrow,
Korin

July Sweet Peek #1

2011-06-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

The week of July Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Sweet Peeks is here!!

First up is this sweet new set illustrated by Rachel Zimmerman called Helping Hand. The sentiments in this set go so well with the image and they all lend very well to some amazing heartfelt thank you cards.

For my sample I went a bit crazy with the sewing machine, but it's the only embellishing I did on the card because I didn't want to take away from the precious image :).

Thanks for dropping by today. Be sure to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to see more fabulous peeks at this new set.

See you tomorrow with another new set.....it'll have you "seeing spots"! :)

Hugs,
Korin

Summertime Sketch Card

2011-06-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Wow! It's been a week since I posted....summer is in full swing, let me tell you!

For this week's Sweet Stop sketch I have another cute Cocoa card. I sure hope you aren't sick of him ;).

I used Echo Park's Summer Days paper....can you tell I love it ;)? The image is from our new Beach Bum Cocoa stamp set. Isn't it sweet :)?

Thanks for stopping by.....I'll be sharing a second card in a little while because today is day #1 of our July Sweet Peeks :)!

See ya soon!
Korin

Round Sketch

2011-06-18T12:06:00.002-04:00

Today's Sweet Stop sketch is our monthly sketch with a spin and the spin is to make a ROUND card :). I LOVE seeing round cards, but I have a tough time making them, so this challenge is really more for me :).

I hope you like what I came up with. I decided to make a delicate wedding card. I used a butterfly from Everyday Miracles.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a beautiful day!!

Korin

Bethany Notecard Box Set

2011-06-16T11:15:00.003-04:00

I love Target's Dollar Spot. It's such a fun place to shop :).....you never know what fun little goodies you will find. I especially love when they have little boxes and trinkets that can be altered with paper-crafty goodness :).

I found these adorable little boxes this past week that are perfect for a set of notecards and since we are revealing our Secret Sisters tonight at our church's Ladies Fellowship, I thought a cute box of notecards would be the perfect reveal gift :). I have had to BUY everything for my secret sister all year or she would have known it was me :)!! The ladies at my church know me so well ;).

The Bethany image on the top of the box is from Sending Hugs Bethany which is also available as a digi. The sentiments on the note cards (there are four in total, but I only have 2 pictured here) are from various other Sweet 'n Sassy stamp sets.

I used Echo Park's Little Girl paper and some Pink Sorbet Baker's Twine which both go very nicely with the cute polka dot box. I also picked up from Target's Dollar Spot the cute gift bag pictured here. It came in a pack of two for only a buck! Love that!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Inky hugs,
Korin

Exciting Sneak Peek!

2011-06-13T10:43:00.004-04:00

I have been keeping the secret for some time, but it's time to let the cat out of the bag :)! I am so thrilled to share with you that I guest designing for Christian Paper Crafts this month! How fun!

Christian Paper Crafts is a lovely community full of people who love the Lord and love paper crafts :).

A word from CPC's founder, Cindy Coutts:

"We strive to obey Jesus Christ by sharing His gospel with those who are lost and those who may have strayed from the faith by strengthening, encouraging, and making bold the body of Christ to share the message of salvation with others through paper crafting. I am so excited about launching this website. After praying about this for months, the Lord laid it upon my heart to use the gift that he has given me (and you!) for His glory to spread the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.That is what this ministry is all about – JESUS. Everything we do here will be used to glorify the Lord. You will have fun here and learn the Word of God. Come on in and join us, be blessed, and keep your Bible handy by your computer. Both the design team and I joyfully serve our Great King!"

Each month the CPC DT and guest designers put together an amazing gallery called Design Team Delights. It's full inspiration that only Super Sisters and King's Daughters members can access. You won't be able to see the projects inside the gallery anywhere else…not on blogs, in galleries, or anywhere! They are exclusive to the Design Team Delights, so join us today and don't miss a thing!

This month's Design Team Delights gallery theme is Sweet Summertime. I am happy to share that I do get to share a sneak peek from the projects I made, so I decided to share this happy card with you.

The stamp set is from our June release called Happy Ocean Friends. Aren't these little critters sweet?? The fun papers are from Echo Park's Summer Days collection. I colored the images with my Copics. I added Stickles to some of the waves and a fun pearl flourish to look kind of like a splash as the little fishy is jumping out of the water. The inside sentiment reads, "a birthday wish for you."

To see the rest of my projects as well as the rest of the CPC DT, head over to CPC and join up. You won't be sorry! It's such a fantastic place to hang out. You will be encouraged and inspired! The Design Team Delights gallery opens up on Wednesday, June 15th!

Thanks for stopping by today! I pray you have a joyful week!

Inky hugs,
Korin

Patriotic Sketch

2011-06-11T00:00:00.002-04:00

Look! I posted this on the right day ;). Today's Sweet Stop sketch is another super easy one. I hope you'll grab it and play along! I am also playing with the Crazy 4 Cocoa Challenge over at The Sweet 'n Sassy Connection. If you love Cocoa Mouse then I invite you to join the fun!

My card features one of the Cocoa images and a sentiment from our new Patriotic Cocoa stamp set and the star image from Polka Dot Silhouettes. The fun diagonal paper is from Dots & Stripes Metropolitan pad by Echo Park.

Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy your weekend!

Korin

Take me out to the ball game...

2011-06-10T09:00:00.004-04:00

This is somewhat late...ok, it's really late ;)....this is for last Saturday's Sweet Stop sketch....hopefully I will get tomorrow's posted TOMORROW ;).

It's a simple and fun layout and you still have time to play along :). The image is the Cocoa Loves Baseball digi and the sentiment if from the Happy Birthdays stamp set. The papers are from the Dots & Stripes Metropolitan paper pad.

Thanks for stopping by today! HAPPY FRIDAY!!

CAS Seashells & Scripture

2011-06-08T09:10:00.003-04:00

I'm back! Sorry for the week off from posting....it wasn't my intention....it just sorta happened, but I'm back today with a super fast and easy CAS card for you.

I made this for today's SCS sketch....instead of using DP for the strips above and below the sentiment, I used stamped images from our newly release Beauty by the Sea stamp set. I originally planned on just masking the shells for a one-layer card, but I have such a hard time kicking the dimension habit that I decided to pop up three of the shells. I also added a bit of sparkle with a glitter pen and a couple of score lines with my score board.

Thanks for looking and for being patient with my often times sporadic posting. Life just doesn't always allow for blog posts ;).

Have a fabulous day!!
Korin

Patriotic Cocoa & Flourish Seashells-Sweet Peek #6 &7

2011-05-31T12:02:00.005-04:00

Today is our last day of Sweet Peeks! I can't believe how fast this week went! Did you enjoy all of the fabulous eye candy with our new sets??? I sure did! But the fun isn't over yet! Our June Release Beach Party is tonight at The Sweet 'n Sassy Connection at 8pm EST. You won't want to miss it! We'll be sharing the full stamp set reveals, plus two of our DT Divas have fun challenges planned for you. We also have a fun surprise in store for you PLUS all party attendees will be able to snatch up a SUPER cute brand new digi for FREE!

Ok, enough about all of that :)....how about some eye candy featuring our new Patriotic Cocoa stamp set??

And did you see our FREE With 50 (when you spend $50 or more in clear stamps during the month of June this set is FREE) stamp set for June??? It's so much fun!! Here's a card I made with it....

Be sure to check out the other DT samples by popping over to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog.

See you tonight at the Release Beach Party at 8pm EST :).

Hugs,
Korin

Ocean Paradise-Sweet Peek #5

2011-05-30T16:52:00.004-04:00

Happy Memorial Day to all of my US friends! And thank you to all of our servicemen and women! We appreciate all that you do for us to keep our nation free! May we never forget those who sacrificed their lives so that we might enjoy all of the freedoms we too often take for granted.

It's day #5 of our Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Sweet Peeks and today our peek with take you to paradise :).....well, paradise on earth, that is :).....

The set is called Ocean Paradise and if you are a beach lover, then this one's for you :)!

I kept this card very simple because the image says it all....can't you just smell the warm, salty air......hear the waves crashing on the shore.....feel the warm sand between your toes and the cool breeze blowing off the ocean? Ahhhh, paradise in deed :).

Oh and don't forget to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog for more fabulous peeks. The DT has lots of great stuff to share with you!

Thanks for stopping by today. Check back tomorrow for our final Sweet Peek....there is a fun surprise in store!!

Warm summer blessings,
Korin

Happy Ocean Friends-Sweet Peek

2011-05-29T12:00:00.001-04:00

I am sure by now you have gotten the idea that our June release is all about SUMMER :). Today's sweet peek is sure to make you smile :)....

This set is called Happy Ocean Friends and it's full of sweet smiling critters and fabulous sentiments. The papers I used for this card are from Echo Park's Splash 6x6 Pad, which is fabulous and couldn't be more perfect for this stamp set :).

To see more adorable samples using this set (and I do mean ADORABLE), please stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog where you will be directed to more DT creations :).

Thanks for stopping by today! Check back again tomorrow for another fabulous Sweet Peek :)!

Have a blessed Lord's Day!
Korin

Beauty by the Sea-Sweet Peek #3

2011-05-28T12:00:00.001-04:00

Today I am sharing a card I made with another of our new June sets called Beauty by the Sea. If you love seashells then you will love this set!

It comes with 6 images, 2 scripture verses and a handful of shorter sentiments. For my sample today, I paired 3 of the images with one of the verses and created a beach scene. I have to say starting out, I wasn't sure how it would look, but I am very pleased with the end result :). I used my Copics to color in the sand and water and added a bit of White Sharpie Poster Paint Pen for "foam".
I hope you enjoyed today's Sweet Peek! Be sure to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to grab a peek at some of the DT's amazing creations with this set!

Stop by again tomorrow for Sweet Peek Day #4!! It's sure to make you SMILE :)!

Blessings,
Korin

Sweet Stop Sketch #110

2011-05-28T07:29:00.004-04:00

Happy Saturday to you!! I have two posts for today so be sure to check back in a bit to see today's Sweet Peek :). I really think you are going to enjoy it :).

Today's Sweet Stop Sketch is a pretty simple one, but you may have to step outside your comfort zone a bit :).

For my sample I used a cute Cocoa image from our So Sweet Cocoa stamp set. The papers are Summer Days by Echo Park Paper. I finished it off with stitching and ribbon :). There isn't much else to say about it :).....pretty simple.

I hope you'll grab the sketch and play along!

See ya soon!
Korin

Beach Bum Cocoa-Sweet Peek

2011-05-27T12:11:00.004-04:00

Day #2 of Sweet Peek Week is here :).....and today we are sharing one for all you Cocoa Mouse fans out there...an adorable new set called Beach Bum Cocoa.

Cocoa loves playing at the beach :). For my card I paper pieced the beach ball with Summer Days paper from Echo Park and colored the rest with Copics. I also added tons of machine stitching with my new Janome Sew Mini (which I LOVE) and finished it off with a big, bright bow and some fun buttons :).

Be sure to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog to see what other adorable creations we have to share with you featuring this precious new set.

Thanks for stopping by. Your comments brighten my day!

Inky hugs,
Korin

Sweet Peek-Rose Blossom

2011-05-26T12:00:00.002-04:00

It's finally here!!! Sweet Peek Week, that is :).....the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Design Divas have been working hard to bring you lots of gorgeous eye candy featuring our brand new June Release. You can taste some of the sweetness today beginning on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog and then by stopping at each of the DT blogs listed in today's post.

Our cards today feature the new set Rose Blossom.

I decided to leave off the sentiment so that I can add what I want when I am ready to use the card. I found some pretty embossed paper in my stash and thought it went beautifully with the image. I love how striking red and black are together and I think for a red rose they are the perfect color combo :). The image was colored with my Copics (I am sure that surprises you-hehe) and I mounted the image using a couple of Nesties. It's a pretty simple card, really, so that the rose gets center stage :).

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to pop back in tomorrow for another Sweet Peek :)!

Until then...happy stamping!!

Inky hugs,
Korin

Happy Father's Day!

2011-05-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's Saturday again so it's time for another Sweet Stop sketch. This week is our prize week and that means a sketch with a spin. The spin is an easy one.....to Make it Masculine and with Father's Day just around the corner, it's the perfect time for it!

Here's my card......

I made it for my DH. He is a big Pittsburgh Penguins fan (their colors are black and yellow) AND he loves wearing baseball hats :).

Thanks for stopping by today! I'm in DC right now with my family. Watch for pics soon :).

Inky hugs,
Korin

Showers of Blessing

2011-05-20T14:36:00.001-04:00

It's been raining here all week so my card is quite appropriate :). I made this for the Free 4 All challenge on Splitcoaststampers today which is to use opposite colors on the color wheel. I chose Violet-Red & Yellow-Green. I used the adorable Rainy Day Bethany stamp with a sentiment from Let it Rain and the papers are from We R Memory Keepers and Echo Park Paper. The layout is this week's Viva La Verve sketch.

So, I finally ordered the amazing Janome Sew Mini sewing machine and just got it a couple of days ago. Let me tell you, I LOVE this little machine. I cannot stop sewing on my cards!!! It's fabulous! Can you tell I have a problem. I think I machine stitched on every single panel on this card! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by today!! We are heading to Washington D.C. tomorrow on a homeschool bus trip. I am looking forward to a fun time with my family :).

Hugs,
Korin

Super Dad

2011-05-18T00:11:00.002-04:00

I am up late stamping tonight so I thought I would share a card I made using the just posted SCS sketch for this week.

I used some fun new papers by Echo Park called Dots & Stripes Metropolitan.....talk about possibilities!! These papers are great!! The image is a digi called Super Dad Symbol and it's only $.99! How awesome is that?! The "You're my hero." sentiment was stamped in each of the polka dots and it's from a new set being released June 1st.

I am sorry I haven't been posting much lately......I just can't seem to find the time. I hope you enjoy my quick masculine card!

Hugs and blessings,
Korin

Quick Post, Quick Card

2011-05-14T09:26:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the brief post today.....time is short.....

For today's Sweet Stop sketch the focus is on the sentiment :).....I hope you'll give it a try!

Stamps: Everyday Miracles & Let Go, Let God (SNSS)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!!
Korin

For the Guys Blog Hop

2011-05-13T09:00:00.001-04:00

Today is the start of the For the Guys Customer Blog Hop brought to you by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps :). I hope you will grab your masculine Sweet 'n Sassy images and join us for this fun weekend hop!

For my card today I used our new Let's Go Fishing digi. Isn't this puppy adorable :)? I am planning to send this to my dad for Father's Day. He loves fishing and he loves his dog, so I think it will be perfect for him :).

The papers are from Marjolaine by Basic Grey.....they are so perfect for this image and the colors I used :). I added a fun fish button I found in my stash. It was a solid grey blue color so I added a bit more detail with my Copics. I love that you can do that.

I sponged the sky and some of the "grass" with a dauber and CTMH inks. The rest of the image is colored with Copics.

I also doodled a frame around the main background panel and the image panel.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you will join the fun and either play or hop along with us this weekend :).

Inky hugs,
Korin

Time for Tea

2011-05-07T07:35:00.006-04:00

Happy Saturday, friends!

How is it we are already a week into May? My goodness! Summer will be here and gone before we know it!

Since it's Saturday again, it's time for another fun sketch brought to you by The Sweet Stop. Here's my sample....

I went a bit crazy with the layers....I added machine stitching and paper pieced the teapot and flower...

and I even decorated the inside of the card.....

It sure was a lot of fun to make :)! I am not a tea drinker but I love this new stamp set (Tea Time). I love that you can stamp the various smaller images into the middle of the teapot or the teacup, but they also lend very well to paper piecing. LOTS of possibilities with this one!

Once I had the card almost finished (minus the sentiment) I was trying to figure out WHERE to put the sentiment, so I thought tying it onto the teapot handle would be cute. I really like how it turned out :).

This sentiment I especially love, is just so inviting and sweet :).....my friend Sandy found it for me when I was working on this set and I am so glad she did :).

The papers are by Echo Park, their Summer Days and Springtime lines.

Oh and before I forget....did you see the new digis we just released for Father's Day??

Let's Go Fishing

Cocoa's Baseball Hat

Mr. Fix-it

Father's Day Sentiments

And they are just in time for our For the Guys Customer Blog Hop, which starts May 13th (next weekend!). I hope you'll mark your calendar, grab your masculine Sweet 'n Sassy images and plan to join us! It's sure to be another great hop!

Thanks for stopping by today. And to all you mothers out there, have a blessed Mother's Day in Jesus tomorrow!!

Love & hugs to all,
Korin

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-06T09:39:00.005-04:00

Have you heard?? Today is the debut challenge for the NEW Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenges :)! We're even giving away a FREE digi so that ANYONE can play along :)!

The challenge this week is ALL ABOUT MOM so here is the card I created for my mother-in-law. In fact, I need to get this in the mail TODAY.....nothing like waiting until the last minute ;).

The image is our Tulips digi which is also available in a stamp set. The DP is from Echo Park's Little Girl line.

I colored two images, then cut out the flowers and one of the leaves from one image and layered them on top of the other image with foam tape. It looks really cool in person ;). I tried to capture it in the top photo, but didn't do a very good job. Sorry about that!

Well, I have to scoot.....we have a field trip today to an local art gallery....should be fun :)!

I hope you'll grab your SNSS digis and play along in the first SNS Digi Challenge!

Hugs,
Korin

Missing You

2011-05-03T12:16:00.003-04:00

I have a quick CAS card to share with you today using our new release Tea Time. This set is so versatile. The cup and tea pot are great for paper piecing if you don't wantto or don't have time to color them :) so that is what I did.

Thanks for stopping by today! I am off to run some errands in this gorgeous sunshine :).

Hugs,
Korin

May Sweet Peek #6

2011-04-30T12:19:00.002-04:00

Well, this is it...the last of our Sweet Peeks. Tomorrow is RELEASE DAY!! WOOHOO!

Today we are sharing the new set Tea Time. You are going to LOVE how versatile and fun this set is :).

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for the FULL REVEAL of our new sets :).

Until then....happy stamping!
~Korin

May Sweet Peek #5

2011-04-29T12:14:00.004-04:00

Today I have another Sweet Peek for you and this one really is "sweet" :).

One of our popular baby digis (Sweet Dreams) is being turned into a stamp set called Tiny Yawns.

Told you it was sweet :).....this image is great for girls or boys, don't you think?

I used some Die Cuts With a View paper that a friend RAK'd me a couple of years ago.

Be sure to stop by the SNS blog today to see a few more adorable cards made with this sweet image and tune in again tomorrow for our final Sweet Peek. It's TEA-rific ;).

Inky hugs,
Korin

May Sweet Peek #4

2011-04-28T12:15:00.002-04:00

I have two more cards to share with you today using our Sweet Peek set for today called Let Go, Let God.

This first card is a pretty simple one. I created a ruffle ribbon frame to frame out the sentiment.

This one I shared a little while back, but a refresher is nice now and then :). I paired the sentiment up with a butterfly from our New Creature set

I love this new set and I think you will, too. The sentiments can go with almost any image and the messages speak volumes!

Thanks for stopping by again today! Be sure to pop on over to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog to see the other samples with this great set!

Hugs,
Korin

April Showers Bring May Flowers Challenge

2011-04-28T07:19:00.004-04:00

This is the first of two posts I have for today....I know....a rarity for sure ;), but I played along with the 7 Kids Challenge and just had to share the card I made with you!!

Remember this image???? I shared it a little while back with a few others I had colored. Well, I finally put it to use. I had the papers picked out and sitting on my desk for over a week! I just couldn't get the card made, that is until now ;).

The challenge over at 7 Kids is April Showers bring May Flowers, so we were to use either showers or flowers on our cards. I went with flowers :).....the gorgeous floral Basic Grey paper I used from the Hello Luscious 6x6 pad and the little flower embellishments. The sweet Magnolia image was one I got from my good friend Sandy for my birthday from 7 Kids.

I had a lot of fun with this card :).....even broke out the sewing machine, which I to from time do time ;).

I hope you enjoyed this card as much as I did making it :). Oh, and for those of you interested, I will be adding it to my Etsy shop shortly! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Come back a little later for today's Sweet Peek #4 from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.

Hugs,
Korin