Sending Hedge Hugs!

Hello there inky friends!  Today I'm sharing a sweet little Hedgie card to help encourage rainbow vibes!  You know, happiness, peace and love?!  I just think we all need a little more of that lately!  And because it is Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday celebration this Monday, I hope my card finds you full of hope for the future!  As the memory of Dr. King's determined fight for fairness and equality through responsible and peaceful protests encourages me to continue to fight for what's right in this world and in our great USA, I hope memories of him encourage you too.  

Like bears, hedge hogs are some of my most favorite animals to create with.  I just love these adorable hedgies from 88 and Clear!  They give me a sense of calm and happiness and make me smile.  I decided to add a doodled pastel rainbow that mimics the playful and whimsical nature of these designs.  This digi stamp set "Hedge Hugs" is available as the fun January 5 for 5 card class January 18!!!  Pretty amazing that you can get this set for 5 bucks! And on top of that you get a fun card class that will inspire you to create even more cute projects with this set.  

Thanks for hopping over to check out my card.  I hope you join RG in creating adorable cards using this sweet set!  I hope it inspires you to create something fun!!!

You're In my heart...

Hello there inky friends!  Today I'm sharing a card I created with the fab products from Miss Ink Stamps.  I wanted to create a fall/Thanksgiving card to send to some of my <3 people because I'm having to make some very hard decisions about Thanksgiving this year...Should I go, should I stay home, this decision is really weighing on me.  I know so many others are having to make these heavy decisions too, and I am not alone, but it still sucks royally!  

As I work through all the ramifications of my decision and how it affects so many (including myself), I think spending time crafting helps calm me and focus my intentions...So, while this decision was running through my mind, I pulled out my Gel Press, my acrylic paints, my stamps and my sewing machine and just got lost in the process.

 

To create my card, I started out by placing stripes of red/orange/yellow acrylic paint on my Gel Press.  I then used a sponge to blend them together in an ombre effect then added the fun Stripes in the Basics Stencil Bundle over the top then sponged again to help lift some of the paint.  I released the stencil and then stamped the leaf spray from the Springtime Banners set onto the paint to lift the ink from the plate.  I let that layer dry and then added some cream acrylic paint over that before adhering white cardstock and peeling it off to release the images from the plate.  

Next, I stamped the leaves as if they were falling onto the panel using black Versafine ink, heat set it and then colored the leaves with dark orange Copic marker.  I then flicked some black acrylic paint onto the panel and let it dry.

I machine stitched the black seam binding and pulled the thread to help gather and pucker the ribbon before attaching it to a piece of torn book paper.  I then used some white thread (colored with dark brown Copic) to add another layer of texture before attaching the paper to the panel.  I stamped the sentiment (from the Everyday Sentiments set) onto white cardstock and added that to my layers.  To finish things off, I colored some pearls with red Copic marker, attached them and then applied some Autumn Dazzle Dust to a wooden heart embellsihment.  

I attached everything to a piece of red/cardstock before mounting onto a white card base.  

Thanks for stopping over to check out my card... 

Prepping my Planner Calendar...February vibes

Hello there inky friends!  This past weekend I decided to use some free time to prep my February Calendar.  I recently received this gorgeous leather TN from RG Avenue that coordinates with my planner notebooks and I just LOVE LOVE LOVE them.  I'm planning on doing a monthly calendar to lead off my weekly/daily planning.  That way, I'll have something pretty to look at as I prepare for the month ahead. 

To create my February calendar spread, I started out by disassembling the stapled notebook so that I could have just one page spread to work with at my craft table.  Since it doesn't fit like a signature anymore, I plan on doing this monthly and laying the current spread smack dab as I open the planner...Perfectly, perfect positioning, I think. 

Anyway, I started by stamping the large floral image in Sour Guava and then moved on to the medium floral in Sweet Pink and then finally the small floral in Sour Mist.  Next, I stamped the leaves (from the Stunning Crowns set) using two different greens:  Tangy Apple and Rich Cactus.  

After stamping the florals and leaves, I stamped some coordinating sprigs in Black Taffy ink to overlay the florals.  I then traced around the big florals in black microfine ink so that they would blend nicely with the arrangement.  I stippled some dots in the center of these flowers too. 

Next, I flicked some Black acrylic paint onto the panel so that I could merge both sides of the spread together.  I stamped the "LOVE" heart from the "Love Wreath" set in black on Sweet Cane Cardstock and then fussy cut that out so that I could attach it to the decorated panel.  I also added a bow of twine. 

To finish off my Calendar spread, I wrote the dates on each box (I didn't realize this FEB is a leap year...Gimme back all my lost time!  HA HA!  I also stamped a sentiment "All you need is Love" from the stamp set "Song Lyrics". 

So there you have it...My February calendar is ready for the pen (and to fill up!  :)  Happy crafting!  

Graciellie Designs and Coffee Loving Cardmakers...The Perfect Blend Blog Hop!

Hello there Coffee Loving and Graciellie friends!  I'm excited to be joining my fellow Coffee Loving design team members and the Graciellie Designs team as we HOP for joy sharing our fun creations with Graciellie Designs newest digi set!  Graciellie Designs is offering TWO awesome hop commenters a gift certificate to their etsy shop so we encourage you to hop along, comment and enjoy!  We hope the projects shared today inspire you and make you smile (and drool).  ;)

Let's get on with the hop!  If you've arrived here from Amy's blog you're on the right track.  If you're a bit lost, you can start back at the beginning HERE

 I created THREE projects using the fabulous digi set!  I love, love, love that I could print the images in a variety of sizes and could use them for not only cardmaking, but some other fun projects!

My first project is a card.  I loved stitching a whimsical "steamy" background with my sewing machine and the cup was a dream to color with my Copics!  

My next project is a Bible Journaling project.  This digi set worked perfectly for this verse.

Yes, Coffee and Jesus in the morning!  FOR REAL!  a

I doodled a few of the elements from the stamp set that I had to cut off when fussy cutting the flowers from the coffee cup.  I decided to just focus on the sentiment and the flowers for this spread...

Being able to print these images in various sizes allowed me to select and color the perfect size of flower for each panel.  It also allowed me to mix and match some of the leaves so that I could really make my page gorgeously floral (and cover some of my personal journaling)

My final project is a fun little (well, kinda little) magic erase book.

I colored a large version of the digi cup with Copic Markers then cut it out.  I traced 7 additional images on white cardstock then cut those out too.  After they were all cut, I laminated each page and punched holes on the side so I could connect them together with binder rings.  Adding a few bits of ribbon finished it off.  

This is such a fun way to have a book that you can keep forever.  The Sharpie marker is easily removed with stamp cleaner and a tissue and the page is wiped clean.

I hope you enjoyed my creations.  I'll be sharing more about these creations in future posts, but I wanted to keep the images and descriptions short since this is a pretty long hop.  If you are interested in reading and seeing more of these creations, stop back again in the near future!  Thank you for stopping by.

And now it's time to hop on over to Lisa's blog.  She has something quite gorgeous to share with you!