Crafty Friends Challenge

Today is the start of a new challenge that beautiful Beate put together.  I'm very excited to be creating with these fabulous ladies and hope you'll play along with our challenges!  You can visit the Crafty Friends Challenges Blog to see everyone's project and play along! 

The first theme was Vintage.  Vintage isn't my usual style.  If you visit my blog often, you know that I LOVE the fun, cute, whimsical style of stamps.  I like vintage, but I guess I just don't feel as comfortable with it as I do with fun and cute.  :)  For my card I used the Lovely Labels 1 set from GinaK Designs that was created by my Crafty Friends teammate Nina Brackett.  I used papers from the Almanac Collection from Prima along with stamps from the Simply Jane set and Simply Jane Die Collection from Papertrey Ink. 

Please come play along!  We'd love to see what you create!  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Happy New Year!

Melanie Muenchinger is celebrating two years of blogging and illustrating for Gina K Designs, and today she has invited 25 designers and YOU to join the party! First, hop through the following designers' blogs using every set she has created since January 2008, from the first to the 25th! Then, go to Melanie's' blog to leave a comment for a chance to win a number of different prizes! So let's get hopping!

Here we go!
Just So Hippy-Charmaine (you are here!)
Just So Hoppy-Donna
What’s in Your Tin 1 & 2-Donna
Hip Hop Accessories-Bee
Jumping for Joy-Barb
Cuddles and Hugs-Jessie
Little Tees-Cat
Just So Sporty-Pam
A Year of Flowers-Theresa
Say it with Flowers-Selma
Have a Cookie-Carolina
Tee Talk-Gabby
Hand in Hand-Ally
The Best Things in Life-Shannon, Sankari
A Charmed Life-Cathy
Wee Tees-Libby, Laura Jean
Arranged with Love-Selma
Sporty Accessories-Tina
Inspiration Mosaic-Jennie
School Sports Spirit-Melissa
A Year of Leaves-Geri
Hip to Be Square-Karen
Festive Frame-Linda
Tech Talk- Lee

Finally, Nina and Jessica from the GinaK Senior Design Team have joined in, too! You can also get in on the hop yourself and increase your chances of winning a prize by creating your own project with any one of Melanie's sets and linking it in the Mr. Linky in her post, see full details here. Hope you can join the fun! Enjoy your first hop of the year!

Super Fast Treats

I just wanted to share with you my SUPER quick treats that I made for my daughters to take in to school for Halloween this year. Time really got away from me this year, not to mention I have a daughter in kindergarten and one in preschool, so I had to come up with double the treats! Being really short on time, I decided on these two ideas. For Arwen, I put a candy mix in little cello bags and tied them closed with "Frankenstein" or "Mummy" ribbon attached to a tag using the Witch Way to the Treats set from Just Rite Stampers. I got this set at Stamper's Dream. I think I found the ribbon in the Target dollar bin a couple of years ago. Stamping and punching these tags went very fast!

For Savannah, I decided to wrap these mini microwave popcorn bags in some Halloween paper and add a tag. We bought a box of the Act II "Halloween" popcorn at Sam's Club. The bags already had Halloween images on them, but I just couldn't send her in with plain bags, now could I? LOL The set I used is one of my FAVORITE Halloween sets...and it's especially perfect when you're short on time because there's no coloring involved! It's the Spooky Silhouettes set from GinaK Designs. I can't tell you how many times this set has saved me! LOL Plus, it's adorable! Every time I pull it out, it takes me a minute to decide on which image to use because I love them all! :)

Well, I hope I've given you some hope when you feel like there's no way you can create special treats when you're really short on time. I made up 20 of each of these in no time, and the girls got to help, which they LOVE! Thanks for stopping by!

Little Lady

Here's a little card I made a little while ago for a WONDERFUL little lady for her birthday. :) I was lucky enough to win this set, Framed Friends, from GinaK Designs. Of course, the first stamp I had to ink up in the set was the ladybug! The sentiment is from A Muse. I colored the image in with Copic markers and trimmed closely around the framed image. I added some Cuttlebugging across the top with the Just My Type Cuttlebug folder. Hopefully the recipient liked their card! :) Thanks for stopping by today and I hope your week is off to a great start! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Framed Friends (GinaK Designs), A Muse; Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Pure Poppy (PTI), Basic Black (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific); Accessories- Just My Type Cuttlebug folder (Provocraft), scallop border punch, circle punch, horizontal slot punch (SU), Copic markers, organdy ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 5.5"x4.25"

Celebrating With Melanie!

If you haven't stopped by Melanie's blog this past week. . .you're missing out! Her 1 year Blogoversary celebration has been going on all week complete with awesome samples from Melanie and a bunch of her stamping friends, not to mention the prizes! Today Melanie is giving away a box of Copic Ciaos! Does that sound awesome? What's even more awesome is that the winner gets to pick which box! So head on over to this post on Melanie's blog and check it out!

Today's card uses Melanie's Cuddles & Hugs set from GinaK Designs. It's another adorable set and perfect for Valentine's Day! For more eye candy, please visit Barb, Donna, Jessica, and Theresa to see their amazing designs with Melanie's sets! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Cuddles & Hugs (GinaK Designs); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Purely Poppy, Ripe Avocado, Kraft (PTI); Accessories- heart eyelets (Making Memories), Welcome Baby Cuttlebug folder (Provocraft), wide red grosgrain (Darice), Copic markers; Finished card measures 4.25" square

Celebrating With Melanie!

Today I'd like to share with you a little tag set I made using my sweet friend Melanie's sets. I used quite a few of her sets. . .Just So Hippy, Just So Hoppy, Hip-Hop Accessories and What's In Your Tin 1. All of these sets are some of my favorites that Melanie has designed for GinaK Designs. Melanie is celebrating her Blogoversary!


Please go help Melanie Muenchinger celebrate a year of blogging and stamp designing over at her blog Hands, Head and Heart. Melanie and her guest designers will be sharing cards and projects from all her sets released through Gina K Designs this past year and prizes will be up for grabs every day! Sponsors include Gina K Designs, My Favorite Things, Scor-pal, Paper Temptress, and Melanie herself, who is donating, among other goodies, a brand new box of Copic Ciaos! There will also be challenges, contests, and a Who’s Who “Where are they Now?” on several of her past contest winners and guest designers! Come join in the fun and help spread the word!

Today's giveaway is from My Favorite Things! Today you can also see samples with Melanie's sets made by:





Cathy
Donna
Jessica
Joanne
Lee
Michelle
Theresa
Tammy


Stop on by and see what fabulous things all of these designers have created! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Just So Hippy, Just So Hoppy, Hip-Hop Accessories, What's In Your Tin 1 (GinaK Designs); Ink- Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Paper- Hip Hip Hooray (Paper Salon), white (Georgia-Pacific); Accessories- Copic markers, Dew Drops (The Robin's Nest), white grosgrain ribbon (Darice), tag punch, label punch, 1 3/8" circle punch (SU)

Halloween Treats

Here are the quick and simple treats Savannah took with her to school on Friday. I used the Spooky Silhouettes set from GinaK Designs which made it VERY quick because there was no coloring involved! I got this set when it first came out because I just LOVED it. Not only are the images perfect for Halloween, but you don't have to color them which makes mass production a breeze! I cut all the paper for the bag toppers. While Savannah folded all the yellow pieces, I stamped all of the images. We filled the bags together. . .all thirty goody bags were finished in 2 hours! Even I couldn't believe how quickly things went. :) Hope you all had a spooktacular Halloween! Thanks for stopping by! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Spooky Silhouettes (GinaK Designs); Paper- DCWV, white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine), Summer Sunrise (PTI); Accessories- candy bags (Darice)

Be Inspired #29

I loved the light, airy feeling of the inspiration piece this week. . .especially since the weather's getting a little dark and heavy here. I used a couple of sets I received from GinaK on the cruise! I stamped the flowers and foliage in Bashful Blue and Kiwi Kiss. The card didn't take very long at all. I think the layout took the most thought since I couldn't decided what to do. Make sure you check out what Beate, Danielle Lounds, Dawn McVey, Jennifer Buck, Silke Ledlow and Susan Roberts have come up with for today's challenge. I'm sure they will all be absolutely beautiful! Thanks for stopping by today and have a great day! SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Tree Silhouettes, Tropical Flowers (GinaK Designs); Paper- Kraft (PTI), Basic Black (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific); Ink- Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue (SU), Onyx Black (Versafine); Accessories- scallop border punch (SU), white organdy ribbon (Darice); Finished card measures 4.25" square