Friday, July 31, 2009

August '09 Sheetload of Cards - Ready for Download Today!

It is time for the August issue of SheetLoad of Cards!!!

(click on thumbnail above to go download the FREE issue)

The August '09 issue features a sketch by Liz Weber, stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and Guest Artists from the Sweet 'n Sassy Design Team!

Sheetload of Cards August '09 Sneak Peeks



As July comes to an end - coming soon to a computer near you ... a new issue of Sheetload of Cards. Hop on over to the blog to see some sneak peeks of what's to come in the new August '09 issue. Be sure to come back tomorrow and I will have the new download ready for you to feast your eyes on. Lots of fabulous creations!

August '09 Sheetload of Cards Sneak Peeks

Can you guess who our next sponsor is?


If you haven't had a chance to play, TODAY is your last day to enter in the monthly contests: Show Us Your Sheetload and Shoutout to Sheetload. The chosen ones will win digital images from our July sponsor, Squiggefly.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Quickie Announcement...I am a Paper Maniac!!!


The Paper Maniac has officially announced its new DT members and I was invited to be part of the new Paper Maniaz adventure. Patti, the owner, is based out of Minneapolis where she is busily inputting many products for the online store. The online store is due to open on September 1, 2009. She is also hoping to open a brick and mortar store in the Minneapolis area in the near future. I wish I lived alot closer because I would love to teach some classes at the actual store. But I am not too far either (about 5-6 hours away) - the fam and I can make a roadtrip there if need be. I can't wait to play with all kinds of things that Patti's store has to offer. She just recently sold out of her Unity kit which looked like ubers of fun to play with.


Here is a link to her announcement on the blog. Come on over and check out who else is tagging along for the ride.


While you are there, make sure to register in the Paper Maniac forum and start chattin' away!!! Look forward to seeing you there!


Wednesday, July 29, 2009

PARTY! PARTY! PARTY!

It's Wednesday today and guess what the theme is this week at Angels Landing. P-A-R-T-Y!!!


For my sample I chose to create a spinner card invitation and acetate favor box. I've always wanted to make a spinner card and, boy, it was sure fun to make! You can see below how interactive it is...




You can find the tutorial for the spinner card here (Angie Juda Kennedy aka ChicnScratch Live has a huge library of video tutorials - she ROCKS!). Because of the size of the card, I had to keep it simple on the outside. This was quite hard for me because I always have to add some kind of embellie to a card and I got away with adding a white grossgrain ribbon on the right corner. After watching Angie's video tut, I thought it was going to be hard to line up the punched middle where the sentiment goes, but it was quite easy. Now I have a template to use for any future cards I'll be making. Because I wasn't using an actual stamp for the sentiment, I had to figure out a way to line up the sentiment with the punched opening. I used Powerpoint to set my page and printer setting to to 2.5 x 5.5 inches. Then from Angie's directions, I created two guides exactly where I want the sentiment to be. I've posted a tutorial below for your reference.



For the inside of the card, I was able to simulate the same kind of font used for the sentiment and created an invitation. Isn't that bunny so cute? I am so glad that Judi included musical notes (she includes 3 sets of musical notes so that it is easier to piece them together like I did here without ruining the integrity of the image when resizing.

Wouldn't be cool to receive one of these in the mail??? So fun!


I created a matching acetate favor box filled with Hershey Kisses. I also used the thank you sentiment from Pierced Tags on the side. I was surprised to see how tiny this box came out to be when I finished putting it together - so cute! You can find the tutorial for the acetate box here. I might end up making these for my kids birthday parties.


Digital Images: Angels Landing (Marching Band 1, Pierced Tags)
Patterned Paper: DCWV (Nana’s Kids)
Cardstock: Unkown (Kraft, White)
Accessories: Offray (White Grossgrain Ribbon), Stampin’ Up (Word Window), Scotch Mounting Foam, 2 Pennies, Glitter, Transparency Sheet, Glue Dots, Tacky Tape

Spinner Card Tutorial Using a Digital Sentiment

Here's a quick tutorial on how I did lined up the sentiment for the spinner card - for those visual learners out there:


1) Open up Powerpoint. Click on blank presentation. Click on View > Grid and Guides (this will also aid in the placement of the sentiment)



2) Click on File > Page Setup > Drop down menu "Slides Sized for", select Custom > Enter 5.5 Width and 2.5 Height > Hit Ok



3) Click on Print > Printer Properties > Page Setup > Drop down menu "Page Size, select Custom > Enter 5.5 Width and 2.5 Height > Hit Cancel since you are not printing at this point, your settings should be saved even if you have clicked on Cancel. Since this matches your page setup in the document, it will be much easier to see the placement of the sentiment when you View the slide before printing.



4) Set the size of the sentiment to measure .25 Height x 2.42 Width. I just placed a ruler against the bottom of the punch to see what size the sentiment should be. The great thing about digi images is that you can resize to make sure if fits perfectly in the punched area of the card.

5) Begin by placing a rectangle shape measuring 1.25 x 4 inches over the slide and place so that there is at least 1 inch on each side (this is where you can use the grid lines to help you locate where the 1 inch marks are. You can see the rectangle below (of course you would remove the fill color so you can see where you are working).



6) Now all you have to do is cut your paper down to 2.5 x 5.5 inches. Make sure to print on a piece of scrap paper first so that you don't waste any cardstock in case you have to make adjustments on the placement of the sentiment.

There you have it...hope this made sense to ya'll. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Cora Cooks Pancit

Totally off the subject of papercrafting...

I just so happened to be browsing Elizabeth Dulemba's blog and saw this article on a children's book called, "Cora Cooks Pancit." Me being a Filipino (or Filipina I should say), the word "pancit" in the title totally caught my eye. It is illustrated by Kristi Valiant, written by Dorina K. Laazo Gilmore. She featured an interview with Kristi on her blog, you can read here. It looks like a pretty interesting book to read to my son and daughter.

If you are not familiar with "pancit" (pronounced pahn-sit)...it is a traditional Filipino dish with many versions. The most popular version is made with noodles, veggies and meat (chicken or beef). Yum! Now, I've never made pancit myself since I always had my Mom, one of my Mom's friends, or the Filipino store to run to if I had any pancit cravings (I was spoiled!). But now that I live so far away, the only time I get to eat it is during the holidays when we visit my family. I do know how to cook a lot of my fave Filipino foods and my own family has learned to love eating the food I cook - well, they have no choice. We do eat lots of rice with many of our meals but pancit has been a long time tradition especially made for family gatherings. I really miss all of the Filipino/Oriental stores I could go to for ingredients you can't find in a regular store. I know there is one somewhere near me, but we haven't ventured in that area yet.

Anywho, I was just excited to see this multi-cultural book featured on Elizabeth's blog so I wanted to take some time to talk about it here. It's nice to see when people expand their writing about different cultures. And this is definitely something you don't see very often in bookstores.

Thanks Elizabeth for a wonderful post about the book and Kristi's illustrations!

For those of you who love to eat - here is a recipe I found: How to Make Pancit. Now I've got to try to make it myself one of these days.

Angels Landing Blog Candy: And the Winner Is...

This is the first time I've offered blog candy and used randorm.org to pick a winner so hope I did this right! Instead of putting in the number of comments and to make it easier, I just listed all of the names and let the random generator pick the lucky duck.

Drumroll please!!! And the WINNER is...

Anita Hovey
Timestamp: 2009-07-27 17:12:30 UTC


Anita Hovey said...
Super idea! Happy Birthday :)
July 24, 2009 10:10 PM


Anita: Please email me your choices you can find here: Angels Landing Digi-Stamps


Thanks to all of you who left wonderful comments (always makes my day when you leave me some lovin') and for all of the birthday wishes. I had the most fantastic birthday!!!

July '09 Sheetload of Cards - Beyond the Card Sample




This is my last sample for the July'09 Sheetload of Cards issue...a Beyond the Card project: Digital Stamp Catalog. I was so excited when I heard that my first assignment was to work with digital images from Squigglefly. I've collected so many digital images over the last couple of months, I thought it would be nice to make myself a book that I can refer to when I am looking for just the right image to use on my cards and projects (in the spirit of trying to get organized).

This just started off as an 8x8 black SEI album I bought from the Jo-Ann's online store last year. I think they were only $2-3 piece. It already came with 10 page protectors and glad that I bought additional pages because I did not realize exactly how many digital images I had already collected. For each company and blogs where I have gotten so many wonderful freebies, I created a tab and used Powerpoint to insert each image and arranged them on a 8x8 sheet along with the name of the digi set and name of the digital image itself. So not to waste any precious cardstock, I just used copy paper cut down to 8x8 to print off the images. For the outside, I used the image called "Yum" as the main image colored with prismacolor pencils (I just love this image and he is only costs .99 cents at the Squigglefly store). I added some Aleene's Paper Glaze over the water to make it look like the fish was really swimming in water. In the spirit of recycling, I used a corrugated box piece adorned with a light purple wide grossgrain ribbon, prima flowers with string, and scalloped edge (used my Crop-a-dile to make holes in the middle of each scallop). "Digital Stamp Catalog" is computer generated using the font called Pharmacy. I've downloaded many free fun fonts from a site called Scrapvillage.

I still don't have all of my collections in the book yet...there are just too many! But I now have an organization tool that will help me use my digital images. Plus, it's nice to be able to read the sentiments since, oftentimes, they are too small on the computer screen to read.

That is it for now...watch for my next assignment in October!


... QUICK REMINDER ...
There is still time to enter the Show Us Your Sheetload and Shoutout to Sheetload contests. Prizes include free digital images from Squigglefly. Deadline for contests ends on July 31! So what are you waiting for??? Go and get crafty, ya hear?



Digital Stamps: Squigglefly (Yum!)
Patterned Paper: Me and My Big Ideas
Cardstock: Georgia Pacific (White), Unkown (Purple, Light Peach, Vanilla)
Label: Computer Generated (Pharmacy Font)
Ink: Tim Holtz (Antique Linen), Stampin' Up (Black); Die Cut: Spellbinders (Classic Circles)
Ribbon: Offray (Wide Purple Grossgrain Ribbon)
Flower: Prima
Punch: Stampin' Up (Slit, Tab), Target (Small Corner Rounder), Crop-a-dile
Other: Corrugated Box Piece, String, SEI 8x8 Album, Aleene's Paper Glaze
Coloring: Prismacolor Pencils blended with Baby Oil (Cool Grey 50%, Warm Grey 70%, Blush Pink, Pale Vermillion, Blue Slate)


MAKE IT YOUR OWN: Used a 8x8 scrapbook album to create a digital stamp catalog. Recycled a piece of corrugated box in place of PP1. Used Stampin' slit punch and crop-a-dile to create scalloped border. Tore bottom of corrugated box layer to create some depth.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Did you notice something different about my blog?

If you guessed the title - then DING DING DING, you are right! I don't know what came over me, but I decided to change the title of my blog to a more appropriate name. For now, I think I am keeping the blog addy the same so that it is easier to get to. If I decide to change it later on, I will post about it here.

So do you likey my new title for my blog? I think it just sounds more catchy than just "Stamping Mutt", don't ya think?

Anywho, I kind of like the sound of it.

Friday, July 24, 2009

July '09 Sheetload of Cards - Reminders!


Don't forget that the July issue of SheetLoad of Cards is available for download and there is still time to enter the monthly challenges and win FREE digital stamps from the July sponsor, Squigglefly!!

Head on over today and find out how to enter the July Shout Out to SheetLoad and Show Us Your SheetLoad contests.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Here Comes the Marching Band Post-It Note Holder and Organizer, Tutorial and a Little Some Some...



It's Wednesday DT featured projects at Angels Landing today. The theme this week is cover-ups and I chose to create a matching post-it note holder and organizer along with the Special Dates Folio I created here.

The post-it note holder and organizer was inspired by a tutorial created by Angie Kennedy Juda aka ChicnScratch (you can find her post-it note holder video tutorial here). I basically just took the skeleton part of her post-it note holder and revamped it to my specifications (and I really liked that she added a pen holder as well). Because I wanted to create a matching piece to go along with the Special Dates Folio, I used a manila folder as my base so that I had the little tab sticking out on the side just like the folio I created.
Here is how you can make one of your own...

** Bare with me on my instructions...I had to retake some of the photos since they did not come out real good. I just have to find out a better way to taking pictures of my tutorials so they are easier to see and look more consistent. **


Click on pictures to see a larger version


MATERIALS USED:
- Manila Folder
- Cutter
- 3 Different Kinds of Coordinating Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye Magnolia dp used)
- Sanding Block
- Terrifically Tacky Tape
- Glue Stick
- Wide Grossgrain Ribbon
- Small Corner Rounder
- RSVP pen
- 3x3 post -it note



DIRECTIONS:




STEP 1: Take manila folder and cut off right side so that you end up with the side that has the smaller tab.



Step 2: Cut 2 of the sides down to 8" making sure to keep the smaller tab in tact. Refer to pic on how I cut the 2 sides.

Step 3: Score at 3 3/4 inches in on both sides. Refer to the picture on scoring. This will become your right and left panels. NOTE: When measuring 3 3/4 inches from the tabbed side, make sure to measure in from the edge and not from tabbed area.


Step 4: For the pockets, score at 2 1/2 inches.


Step 5: This is what your piece should look like. Your finished piece should have the measurements listed above when scoring has been completed on all 3 sides.

Step 6: Cut out the middle piece out as shown in pic above.

Step 7: Trace entire front panel on patterned paper and adhere it using a white glue stick.

Step 7B: Repeat same step for tracing patterned paper for the inside of the holder. For the orange flowers patterned paper, I placed my piece over the paper, folded the pockets up so that I could get a complete traced image on the paper since I wanted to go all the way down to the score line. For the pockets, flip the piece so that the pockets are laying top side and trace around pocket template.

QUICK TIP: I've learned to trace templates on the "right" side (decorated side) of the patterned paper so that you are sure to get the correct pattern when you are ready to adhere paper to your template. You can always erase the pencil marks after the paper has been glued down.

Step 8: Once you have completed gluing down the patterned paper, cut off extra pieces sticking out of the holder. I also chose to sand down the edges with a sanding block once the extra paper pieces were cut off for a more finished look. Use a small corner rounder to round off the tips of the pockets (optional).


Step 9: Instead of using a ribbon belly band like I did with the Special Dates folio, I adhered some ribbon on the inside which serves two purposes: (1) Hold the pen in place, and (2) Keeps the holder closed when not in use. Put the wide grossgrain ribbon where you want before adhering in place (mine is placed slightly below the pockets). At this point, you should place the pen in the middle (hook the pencap to the top part of the holder) so you can gauge how tight or loose you want the ribbon holding the pen.

QUICK NOTE: The perfectionist in me was kicking in so I went the extra step to fold the holder so that the ribbon ends were the same length before adhering it permanently to the holder (refer to pic above). I did this because I wanted to make sure I had enough to tie it in a small bow. Approximate length of ribbon is 30 inches long if you want to tie a full bow, but mine came out to only about 25-26 inches long since I only tied a single bow to keep the holder closed.

Step 10: To completely secure the ribbon in place, I added terrifically tacky tape (1/4 inches wide) to the inside edge of the right and left pocket panels. This will keep the ribbon from moving around and getting undone.


Step 11: For pen, cut a piece of patterned paper 3 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches, wind tightly and place in barrel of pen. Insert the very backing of a 3x3 post-it notepad on the right panel (or left whichever is your preference).

Step 12: I created a printable doc for the Shopping List and Notes ready for cutting - just cut on the gray lines - both lists measure 5 x 3 inches (click here to download). Close holder by tying the ribbon into a full bow or single bow like the one pictured.

Step 13: Decorate the front of the holder. I used the musical notes image from Marching Band 1 and the raccoon playing the cymbals image from Marching Band 2. The image is printed at size 2.5 x 2.15 inches and colored with prismacolor pencils blended with baby oil. I used nestabilities to cut a circle and scalloped circle to showcase the image distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Antique Linen. I topped it off with a pink prima flower, crochet fleurette and button strung with embroidery thread.


Hope you enjoyed the tutorial and let me know if you have any questions...

Thanks so much for feasting your eyes on my Angels Landing Wednesday project and tutorial. I couldn't let you go down this far into my post and not reward you for reading my long novel...

In celebration of my birthday today (Yay ME!), I am offering some Angels Landing yummy blog candy. All you have to do is leave me some lovin'. You have until 10pm CST on July 26 (Sunday) to enter. I will post the name of the winner on Monday morning. The winner will get to choose 2 digital stamp sets of their choice including the 2 new releases, Marching Band 1 and Marching Band 2.

Click here to see what you could win: Angels Landing digi-stamping store



Digital Stamps: Angels Landing (Marching Band 1, Marching Band 2)
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Maganolia)
Cardstock: Georgia Pacific (White, Jo-Ann's Value Paper Pack (Teal)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen), Stampin' Up (Creamy Caramel)
Other: Prima Flower, Crochet Fleurette, Button, Embroidery Thread, Scotch Mounting tape, 3x3 Post-It Note, Terrifically Tacky Tape, Wide Grossgrain Ribbon

Coloring: Prismacolor Pencils blended with baby oil

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

July '09 Sheetload of Cards: Simple, Special, Stunning

Each month Sheetload of Cards will be featuring a new segment called " Simple, Special, Stunning". We are now in our second month and hope you enjoyed seeing Alicia's debut samples here in June. Every month, you will expect to see each DT member create samples for each category using the sketch for the month. This new segment helps show papercrafters how can you bring your card and style to the next level using the monthly sketch just by adding a few extra layers, patterned paper, and embellies each time - like upgrading your card at each level.

One of our DT members, Jessica George, brought her "A" game this month to show off some lovely samples using a digital image from our sponsor, Squigglefly, using the sketch from the July '09 issue of Sheetload of Cards.

Come on over to Sheetload of Cards to check out the July '09 Simple, Special, Stunning...and give Jessica some lovin' while you're there!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Sunday Reminders

Happy Sunday!!!

Just a couple of reminders for today...TODAY is the last day for the following:

1) Leave some lovin for our DT members and win yourself some great digi-stamp sets from Angels Landing. Blog candy will be closed by 10pm MST. Click here to go to Angels Landing Blog Hop post...


2) Digiments Doorbuster Sale for July release -- $10 for 24 Digiments -- Click here to go to Digiments blog for some inspiration and to take advantage of this awesome sale.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Digiments July Release and More Sneak Peaks...

TODAY is release day at the Digiments blog...Make sure to hop on over there to check out the fabulous samples from the DT gals!


Saturday and Sunday only...
Doorbuster Sale on entire July release!!!


Click on thumbnail to link to Digiments Blog






This first card is another sample from the Inspirations series - Lord's Prayer. This card is based on the Card Positioning Systems sketch challenge from July 5th: CPS123. While browsing the net for biblical images, I found this wonderful site that houses biblical/Christian coloring pages (you can find it here). I picked this praying angel because it fit the Lord's Prayer perfectly. I printed off the digiment on patterned paper backed with cardstock for some stability and popped up with Scotch mounting tape. Then I colored in the praying angel, cut him/her out, and popped up on a white circle so it wouldn't get lost in the patterned paper I used. I used some glitter glue on the wings and the image is colored with prismacolor pencils blended with baby oil.



Image created by Elizabeth O. Dulemba

Digiments: Kids Bible Songs Series


This second card is another sample I made for the Kids Bible Songs series. I couldn't get this song out of my head. This card is based on the Mojo Monday sketch challenge from July 6th: MOJO94. I missed the contest since I couldn't post this card until now. While browsing through the net yet again, I found this great image from Elizabeth O. Dulemba. She writes childrens' books and is gracious enough to offer images to use for cardmaking and scrapbooking. You can find her blog here and images here. If you sign-up for her newsletter, she will send you an update when she's added a new image to her library of freebies called Coloring Page Tuesdays. Again, the image fits the song verse so perfectly. I had such a hard time finding an appropriate image and was ecstatic when I found this on Elizabeth's blog. I also topped off the card with another ribbon flower. The flowers are so much to make! Again, I used an old music sheet for the background along with other vintage-y elements.

NOTE TO ADD: Before downloading images/coloring pages on the net, make sure to respect the artist's copyrights on their images - there are many that are copyright free. A simple email to the artist with your intentions is appreciated. Since Elizabeth's images have gained popularity among crafters, she has outlined the requirements when posting artwork using her images that you can find here.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Digiments Sneak Peak Day Two - Inspirations

Digiments - Inspirations Series

Day Two of Sneak Peaks...

This is my sample from the Inspirations series. I just love this encouraging quote. I've been into making 3D butterflies lately and it is such a serene and peaceful thing that using it as an embellie fit this quote perfectly. I layered two butterflies on top of each other covered with patterned paper. I used my crop-a-dile to create the holes for the string - thought that added a nice touch to the butterflies. Then I printed off the digiment on vellum (I have been favoring vellum lately). Then I finished off the card with the clear mini decorative accents called skittles or dew drops. Not much to this card, but packs a lot punch with just the digiment, don't ya think???

More to come and release day is TOMORROW! YAY! Come back now, ya hear???


Digital Stamps: Digiments (Inspirations)
Patterned Paper: Jo-Ann's Value Pack
Cardstock: Unkown (Kraft, Vanilla), Vellum
Other: Clear Mini Decorative Accents, String, Crop-A-Dile

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Digiments July Release - Kids Bible Songs


I am so excited to feature a new series of digiments for the month of July called Kids Bible Songs. Ever since Papercraft magazines featured an article called The Silhouette Movement in the June/July 2008 issue, I've always wanted to create a silhouette card. And you can't use a silhouette image without going vintage and vintage is definitely my style. I have been working with a lot of bright colors lately (which out of the norm for me since I love working with earth tone colors) so I chose to notch it down a bit and use some more muted colors for this card with a pop of red. I found this great site, Karen's Whimsy, that houses many great clipart as well as coloring pages and of course, several silhouette images. I chose this Pied Piper of Hamlin silhouette image because it fits the digiment perfectly with kids singing in the background. I used the Arabesque template from Mel Stampz and printed the image on vanilla cardstock, heat set, and inked it up with Tim Holtz distressing ink Antique Linen. Then I printed the Arabesque template and digiment on vellum. The embellie on the side is actually an actual old music sheet I cut down and folded in accordian style and topped it off with staples. To finish off the card, I created a ribbon flower by threading the top edge and pulling it until the ribbon looked like a flower and sewed it together at the ends. I covered up the hole in the middle with a button. This was the first time I've tried using a ribbon flower on one of my cards. It was fun to make and easy too! This card is based on the Sheetload of Cards July sketch.

Make sure to stop by the other DT's blogs to check out their fab creations until the release. I'll be posting more samples so stay tuned!

Click on the thumbnail to link to the Digiments blog


JULY 18 is release day... Michelle will be offering a Door Buster Sale of the new digiments for only $10 for 24 Digiments (each digiment is normally $1 each), Saturday and Sunday only - that's a steal of a deal! Also, the contest using the summer digiments you can download on the blog ends on July 18 (download them here). Two people will be chosen to win the entire July release.

Digital Stamps: Digiments (Kids Bible Songs), Mel Stampz (Arabesque), Karen’s Whimsy (Silhouette)
Patterned Paper: Memory Block (Inspirations)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen)
Cardstock: Unkown (Vanilla, Black), Georgia Pacific (White)
Die Cut: Spellbinders (Classic Circles)
Ribbon: Red Wide Grossgrain Ribbon
Other: Staples, Music Sheet, Vintage Buttons


Resource List for Digital Sites

Digital images/stamps are gaining so much popularity in the crafting world nowadays that I thought I would keep a list of digital sites in one main list. If I have the blog site, I will list that as well. If you do not see something on this list, please let me know so I can add to it. Thanks!

I am adding a link to my sidebar as well for easy access...


STORES:

All That Scraps and Blog
Angels Landing Digi-Stamps and Blog
Artisan Group and Blog
BeccaKay Designs
Character Cafe and Blog
Charmed Cards and Crafts
Country Graphics by Trina Clark and Friends
Crafts 4 Eternity and Blog
Crafty Ann's
Crafty Muse
Cute Daisy May and Blog
D.A.I.S.I.E Company
Digiments - digital sentiments
Digital Delights by Louby Loo and Blog
Digital-Ink Co and Blog
DigiStamp Boutique and Blog
Doodle Beans Digital Stamps
DoodlePalace
Dustin Pike and Blog
DZ Doodles and Blog
Edith Designs Corner Shop
Fred, She Said and Blog
Hambo Stamps Digital Images
Ildi Co. Online Shop
Incy Wincy Designs
InStyle Stamps and Blog
JessicaLynnOriginal and Blog
KLM Designs and Blog
Lily-Boo's Boutique
Lindsay's Stamp Stuff and Blog
Little Paper Shop and Blog
McMahon Five Designs and Blog
Modern Sugar Blvd. and Blog
Mo's Digital Pencil Store and Blog
MyGrafico and Blog
Owl Whimsy
Paper Makeup Stamps and Blog
Paper Popsicles and Blog
Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamps
Pink Petticoat and Blog
Pollycraft
River City Rubber Works
Sandra Dry Digi-Stamps
Sassy Studio Design
Say It with Stamps by Jen
Simply Sassy Design Studio
Sketching Stamper and Blog
Squigglefly and Blog
Spiral Whisper - store temporarily closed until 2010
Stamping Boutique and Blog
Sweet and Sassy Stamps and Blog
The Character Cafe
The Cutting Cafe
The Digi Shack and Blog
The Greeting Farm and Blog
TimNShells Digi Downloads and Blog
Two Scoops Rice Designs and Blog
Victoria Case Digital Stamps and Blog
Whimsie Doodles and Blog
Willow Design Stamps
Wink Wink Ink and Blog


ETSY STORES:

Bean Pod Frog Shop and Blog
Digital Stamp Oasis
Digistampcharacters
DoodlePalace
Hop Art Studio - Asela Hopkins handmade cards, embellies, and digi stamps
INktegrity by Joni
Korinstamps
Simply Doodles
Softpencil and Blog
Sunshine's Stamps and Store Blog (Sunshine's Personal Blog)
TimboHunter
Tinker and Co - digital kits, digital stamps



COLORING PAGES/CLIPART/LINE ART/FREEBIES:

Alfy.com
BirdsCards - free images
Christian Clipart
Coloring-Book - images great for kids cards
Coloring-Page Bible Coloring Pages
Disney-Stationary Coloring Pages
DLTK's Bible Coloring Pages
Dover Publications - sign up for newsletter to get snippets of coloring pages
Elizabeth O. Dulemba Coloring Page Tuesdays and Blog - read copyright info when using images
Free Design Goodies
Hellokids.com Coloring Pages
Karen's Whimsy Silhouettes and Coloring Pages - more choices on the sidebar
Kids-n-Fun Coloring Pages
Lost in Paper Scraps - Dawn's Blog (freebies)
Mel Stampz - Mel McCarthy's blog (freebies)
PC Crafter - colored clipart
Princess Elemmiriel deviantART Gallery - anime lineart
QwikArt Stamps Digital Catalog
Raindrop Echo Designs - free images/wordart
Raggedy Scrappin - Art with Heart - colored clipart
Sarah Kay Coloring Pages
Silhouettes Clipart
Stretch N' Bubbles




DIGI SCRAPPING:

Summertime Designs - free digital kits
ScrapOrchard and Blog - digi kits and WordArt
Elegant WordArt by Bethany


DIGI CHALLENGE BLOGS:

MyGrafico Challenges - Monday
Digital-Ink Co Challenge Blog
Digital Tuesday Challenge - Tuesday
Digital Two for Tuesday - Tuesday (vintage digital stamp freebies)
Dare U2 Digi Stamp - Friday

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Angels Landing July Blog Hop Event - Here Comes the Marching Band!

Welcome to the July Angels Landing Blog Hop. If you missed the beginning of the hop, head over to Judi's blog and follow the links. Today the Design Team is introducing two new digital image sets for July, Marching Band 1 and Marching Band 2.



For today's sample, I chose to create a 3d project called a "Special Date Folio" inspired by Alicia Ekerman (founder of Sheetload of Cards). Alicia posted a tutorial and sample on her blog, you can find it here.

Such a fun group of animals! There were enough pages on the mini folio that I got to play with almost all of the musical animals holding their instruments. Project/card ideas are endless for these two sets. The two new image sets are sized to work together. Each animal has two versions, regular and jointed. You can attach the joints together with brads, beads or tiny buttons tied with strong thread. The parts are marked for either piercing with a needle tool or punching 1/16" holes for jointing. The body gets sandwiched between the front & back arms and the front & back legs. All of the jointed arms and legs are interchangeable, meaning that you can have any animal playing any instrument. How's that for thinking out of the box?

Each image was printed out in approximate height of 2.5 inches. I used Classic Circle Nestabilities to cut them out and pop up with Scotch mounting tape (although popping up the circles made the folio a little thick). Alicia was generous enough to include blank printables for each month found her tutorial post. I tied some wide apple green grossgrain ribbon with a prima flower, crochet fleurette and button embellie around the folio to keep it closed when not in use which slides easily on and off. There are so many other uses for this particular folio: grocery lists, coupons, notes, mini journal, prayer journal, etc. This is the perfect size to keep close at hand in your purse.


Now march on over to ** Denise's blog **

If you get lost along the way, check the master list on Judi's digi-stamps blog. Thanks for coming by...Happy Blog Hopping!


Digital Images: Angels Landing (Marching Band 1, Marching Band 2)
Patterned Paper: My Mind’s Eye (Magnolia)
Cardstock: Jo-Ann’s Value Paper Pad, Georgia Pacific (White)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen), Stampin’ Up Ink (Chocolate Chip)
Die Cut: Nestabilities (Classic Circles)
Ribbon: Wal-mart (Apple Green Wide Grossgrain Ribbon
Other: OfficeMax (File Folder), Prima Flower, Crochet Fleurette, Button, Crochet String
Coloring: Prismacolor Pencils blended with baby oil

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Angels Landing July Blog Hop

Just wanted to post a quick announcement...with a new month comes exciting things! Bright and early tomorrow, Angels Landing will be featuring a Blog Hop event to showcase 2 new digital stamp sets! Judi has done it again! In addition to feasting your eyes on some DT eye candy featuring the new sets, you will have a chance to win some yummy blog candy!

So make sure to come back tomorrow and hop on over to Judi's blog first! You won't want to miss it! I'll see you then...

Monday, July 13, 2009

Celebrate Summer Digiments Style

Summer is in full swing and Michelle has some goodness brewin' for you with another series of Digiments. And with a new release comes another "Celebrate Summer" contest. Go on over to the Digiments blog to download 3 (yes, I said 3) free digiments, make a card and enter as many times as you want. You have until this Saturday (10 PM MST) to turn in your card(s). Two winners will be chosen for the release!

Don't fret if you don't get picked because Michelle will be offering another great sale during the release - $10 for 24 Digiments! Now that is a steal of a deal!

The DT members will start showcasing the new digiments starting on Wednesday so make sure you come back and give us some lovin', ya hear?


Saturday, July 11, 2009

July '09 Show Us Your Sheetload and Sample Card #3


A great way to celebrate a new month is with a new sketch. Make a card or cards using the July sketch and post it on your blog (just like what I have done here) and add a link to your creation to Mr. Linky. At the end of the month, the winner will get a chance to win some fabulous digital images from our sponsor, Squigglefly.


Now for my card...this is the third card featured in the July ezine. I chose to use the digital image "For You". This darling turtle is so cute - he is one of my faves! I printed it off twice and mirrored the image so one was facing the other way. The images were colored with prismacolored pencils blended with baby oil, cut out and popped up for dimension. I cut 3 panels of patterned paper for the background. Does the sentiment look familiar? It is from the Birthday Expressions series from Digiments. I finished it off with a fun polka dot satin ribbon. The card is a 5.5 inch square.

So let those crafty fingers do the work and Show Us Your Sheetload!!!


Digital Stamps: Squigglefly (For You)
Sentiment: Digiments (Birthday Expressions)
Patterned Paper: Unkown
Cardstock: Georgia Pacific (White), Stampin' Up (Chocolate Chip)
Die Cut: Spellbinders (Classic Rectangles)
Ribbon: Offray (Wide Polkadot Satin Ribbon)
Coloring: Prismacolor Pencils blended with Baby Oil (Spring Green, Apple Green, Burnt Ochre, Sepia, Scarlet Lake, Lemon Yellow, Process Red – cheeks)


MAKE IT YOUR OWN: Two mirror images (popped up with dimensionals) were used in place of embellishments.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Angels Landing Friday DT Featured Project: Home Tweet Home Tile Coasters

Could you tell what my sneak peek was for Friday's Angels Landing DT Bonus??? Well, here is what you've been waiting for...


Today I have a special treat for all of you Angels Landing fans. I created a one-of-a-kind gift set - tile coasters. I had been dying to make a set of these with digital images and I was successful with printing the images on tissue and good ol' Mod Podge. The tile coasters will be given to a family who will be moving into their new home. I don't think they are planning on moving until late August since the house isn't quite finished yet, but I wanted to get this done early so I wasn't scrambling last minute - you know how that goes? The family is actually moving into a house that the high school built.

Every year, a group of students build a double wide home on a designated empty lot across from the school (with a teacher guiding them through the whole building process) and put it up for auction to raise money for the school. The family who bought the one built this past schoolyear is someone who my husband works with. To welcome them into their new home, I thought a set of tile coasters would be a thoughtful gift. I've been admiring the outside of the house since they started building it. And this summer, the owners were nice enough to let us take a peek on the inside, and boy, was I impressed at the workmanship that the students did. They did a superb job outside and inside! The school still has to put some finishing touches so it is still sitting in the lot waiting to be completed. This is such a great experience for the students.

Rather than working with Microsoft Word, I prefer using Microsoft Powerpoint when working with digital images because it is so much easier to manipulate the images. It is easier to drag the image anywhere on your page with the image handles and format the image. Once you start working with Powerpoint, you'll see what I mean.

Because there were so many components to making these tile coasters, I decided to put together a 3 part tutorial below that will have links on my sidebar in case someone wants to try it one of these days. If you have ever made one of these before, you know how tricky it can be when you are working with delicate tissue paper and Mod Podge. I was quite surprised to see how well the tissue took on the color - can you see how vibrant the colors came out using prismacolor pencils blended with baby oil??? The tile coasters require alot of patience, but a lot of fun to make. I combined several images from the following sets to create the tile coasters: Aussie Animals, Pierced Backgrounds, and Simply Flowers.

Forgive me for the not so clear pics (and my un-manicured fingernails) since I was trying to take photos while I was working. Download the tutorials here:





NOTE: I don't have the software to convert the MS Word files into a .pdf file, but let me know if you cannot open the files attached and I can try to send it to you another way or if you have any questions.


Digital Images: Angels Landing (Aussie Animals, Pierced Backgrounds, Simply Flowers)
Ink: Palette Burnt Umber
Accessories: Mod Podge, Sponge Brush, Sponge Dauber, 4x4 Bottichino Tiles from Home Depot
Coloring: Prismacolor Pencils blended with baby oil (White, Goldenrod, Sepia, Crimson Red, Apple Green, Vermillion)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Angels Landing DT Friday Bonus Sneak Peek


Boy, I am having so much fun with sneak peaks lately that I thought I would show you a sneak peek of what's to come on Angels Landing Friday DT Bonus.

Can you guess what it is? You'll have to come back on Friday to find out! See you then!

TimNShells:Honey Do List Wooden Organizer

Can you believe in all of the DT hoopla that I forgot to mention that I am now part of TimNShells Digital Downloads. Shell held an informal DT call on SCS a couple of weeks ago and she was kind enough to invite me to be part of her up and coming digital company. She offers many cutesy but also many quite realistic images great for cardmaking and scrapbooking alike.

For my very first TimNShells sample, I used one of her newest images. With summer vacation in full swing, I thought this would be a great way to remind my hubby of things he needs to take care of around the house and the "Honey Do List" was born. I am always looking for things to alter and can you believe that I got this at a garage sale for only .10 cents? It says .25 cents on there, but because the goose on top was broken and it was the end of the day, the lady only charged me .10 cents for this???!!! How awesome is that?



Here is the finished product...a Honey Do List wooden organizer.





This was a pretty quick project except I had a hard time pulling off the broken goose but a little bit of elbow grease, I finally got goosey to go loosey - LOL! I repainted the whole thing with Memory Makers acrylic paint in Daiquiri. I simply printed off the image on white cardstock, colored with prismacolor pencils, and cut out the circles with my Nestabilities and Cuttlebug. I attached the scalloped piece with double stick tape. The sentiment is computer generated using a font called Pretty Baby on kraft cardstock. It's hard to see, but I used some Aleene's paper glaze on the honey jar and honeycomb. The middle piece comes off easily so I replace the raffia that came with the wooden organizer with some string and replaced the paper pad with some paper of my own. I used the crop-a-dile to make the holes in the paper so I could thread the string through.

The bear holding the honey is so fitting for this type of project. As soon as I saw this image, I knew what I wanted to use it for. I was lucky enough to have found this wooden organizer at a garage sale and practically got it for free!

I'll have some more TimNShells samples to share in the next couple of days so make sure to come on back, ya hear?


Digital Images: TimnShells (Bear with Honey)
Cardstock: Georgia Pacific (White), Jo-Ann’s Value Paper Pad (Red)
Ink: Making Memories Scrapbook Colors Kit Paint(Daiquiri)
Die Cut: Spellbinders Nestabilities (Classic Circles)
Accessories: String, Aleenes’ Paper Glaze
Coloring: Prismacolor Pencils blended with baby oil (Copenhagen Blue, Periwinkle, Process Red, Limepeel, Canary Yellow, Goldenrod, White, Light Umber, Sienna Brown, Beige, Crimson Red, Spring Green)