Bee Stripes

I LOVE THIS BEE.  He’s from our exclusive set, Hugs from a Bug.  In real life, I am very allergic to them…so for me to love a bee is HUGE.  He’s just way too cute for his own good I think.  I stamped him in Palette Noir and then bent the greeting on my block in the little arch shape.  I love that you can do that with clear stamps.  I did that on my flowerpot card too.

I colored him with the yellow, peach and silver Spica pens and layered the white panel on a Vellum Nestie Scallop Rectangle.  I rarely use vellum as a mat but I wanted the cloudy mat so that the stripes didn’t get lost behind a piece of cardstock.  (The stripes are just strips of black on a yellow base.)

I finished it off with some yellow/black gingham (perfect for bee cards!!) and some rhinestones on the corners of the white.

Pretty cute eh?

Thanks for stopping by today!  I can hardly believe the summer is over already!  Remember, today is the last day to use the coupon that was in last month’s newsletter.  If you missed it, be sure to sign up before the next one goes out in September.  You can sign up to the left on the blog or right on the homepage of the store.

You’re A Hoot!

Happy Friday!  Here’s a quick card using the Into the Forest set.  I adore this owl.  He looks a little nerdy to me, like he’s holding up his finger about to educate me about something  Haha!

He’s colored with the new chocolate and sand Spica pens and the greeting is stamped in Palette Burnt Umber.  I double knotted the white twill ribbon and ran that under the circle Nesties tag.  The DP is from the Three Bugs In A Rug Happy Bird Day Caboodle kit.  I’ve gotten so much mileage out of this kit.  The papers are awesome and it comes with a whole sheet of tags that I’ve barely cracked into! 

I hope you have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!  See you again next week!

Koi Shaker Thank You card

Back when I was away in Niagara Falls, my good friend (and former downline when I was with SU!) Susan fishsat the Koi pond for us.  This was the thank you card I gave her.

The Koi are a Beta set and I stamped them with Palette inks, colored them and then cut them out.  I used microbeads for the shaker part.  The greeting is from the SparkleClear set Mini Messages.  This is a great little set and comes with gems too!   I used these gems under the greeting and then added a little bow in the corner from reversible black/silver ribbon.

Thanks Sue for fishsitting and thanks to all of you for stopping by!

1,2,3: DT Challenge

Hello, it is time for another DT Challenge! This one is exciting because we have our two new members that joined us this month (Gretchen and Megan) doing their first Challenges with us. How exciting!

I’ll also have some new stamp news for you next week…what could all that be about? Hmmm…

Today’s challenge was 1,2,3. One sentiment stamp, 2 embellishments and 3 layers. I had a really hard time only being able to use 2 embellies!!

So for my card I used the yellow and black gingham ribbon and one of the awesome felt flowers from Basic Grey’s June Bug Woolies. I loved using this flower because it came with the bling already attached so in my book (and Challenge Coordinator Deb may disagree with me!) that only counts as one embellishment but it packs a lot of punch! Maybe it is cheating…what do you think?

I turned my sentiment from All Occasions into the stem for the flower and stamped it in Viridian Green Palette.

Now, go check out the rest of the DT and see what they’ve come up with! By the way, I’ve recently updated the DT page on the store site with little bios and pics so you can get to know them a little bit better! Go have a look and while you’re there be sure to look at the NEW section of the store. There are so many new goodies and more are getting added practically every day! Lastly, if you’re not signed up for the newsletter, you an do that there right on the homepage.

Carolyn (bklynstamper)

Cathleen (Crooked Card Creations)

Deb (With a Stamp and a Song)

Gretchen (Happiness Is. . .)

Lynn (Stamperosity)

Megan (Megan Lock Designs)

Tracy (Who IsTracy?)

Loretta (Love To Create)

Judy (Joy in a JAR)

Tammy (Stamp Happy)

Lori (Inking Aloud)

Kendra (Kendra's Card Company)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Thinking of You

I am loving my Wisteria Collection pack. The colors are just gorgeous and the patterns are great! Today I pieced together these triangles to make a quilted look (sorta) and then made a quick sentiment tag from oval Nesties. I stamped the greeting (ON SALE!) in Palette Raw Sienna and finished it off with some gems. Outside of the gems and the paper piercing this almost was a Five Minute Friday card…but I’ve said before – I mean it! FIVE MINUTES or less for FMF so this card was a no-go for it! So close!!!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by!! Stop by tomorrow for a DT Challenge!

1000 stamps=8+ hours of work

That’s right.  I spent the better part of all day yesterday sorting and inventorying the 1000 stamps I won from Unity.  All I can say is WOW!

I sat down thinking it would take me an hour or two but WOW!  I eventually had buried myself in, surrounded with piles and piles of stamps, trying to sort them and match them into sets or like pieces for rebagging.  Eventually I went from this (above and below pics):

 

to this:

The folder is there for perspective (it’s my Unity catalog – standard 81/2”x11” folder).  I haven’t counted but based on the number of clear envelopes I went through, I think I bagged about 150 goodie bags of assorted stamps.  Some are mostly complete sets, others are a random assortment, while others are a cute image and greeting to go along with it.

I will be giving away these little baggies with orders or maybe some as blog candy until they are gone!  I want to share the love and the unmounted rubbery goodness!

Thanks for popping in.  Have a great weekend!

Five Minute Friday: Hello, Friend Tree!

Hello! Happy Friday!!

Today' I’m using the tree from Into the Forest and the cloud from Hugs from a Bug. This is a super simple card!

I stamped the tree in Palette Burnt Umber on the kraft paper and again on the backside of this St. Patty’s day paper and then cut it out and popped it up. The clouds are stamped with Palette New Canvas and filled in with White Opal Liquid Pearls.

I made a tag from Ribbon Tags Trio and threaded some brown leafy vine through it.

I hope you've checked the NEW section of the website. There is SO much there to look at including NEW NESTABILITIES!!! YAHOO!!! Also, be sure to check my post from yesterday - I won 1000 stamps from Unity and I'm sharing them with anyone who orders the August Stampin' Store kit before the end of the month. So, go check it out!

That’s it! I hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!!

Every want to know what 1000 stamps looks like?

Well…wonder no more!  I was the winner at CHA of Unity’s 1000 free stamps and they arrived today!  14 HUGE bags of glorious unmounted rubber.  Could a girl be any happier??  I think not.

You have NO idea how excited I was when I found out.  My bud over there, Michelle, sent me a very teasing email last week and when I called her and confirmed I was really the winner (because it would have just been cruel to tease someone like that) I was screaming so loudly that everyone in the office there could hear me.  How funny is that?

I don’t even know what all is in here.  I need to inventory it but rest assured, there will be special customer giveaways!  I mean, I need to share this love, don’t you think?  Maybe I’ll include some stamps when you order the August Store Kit of the Month.  Yeah, that’s a good idea.  Order the Store Kit before the end of August and I’ll throw in some free stamps from my new stash!  Just request FREE STAMPS in the comments when you order!

Thanks Michelle (and Angela) at Unity.  You really made going to CHA worthwhile.  I’m so glad I stopped by and discovered your booth.  I’m truly grateful.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my joy!  I’ll be back tomorrow with Five Minute Friday!

One Of A Kind - SC235

OK, so this was supposed to be a completely symmetrical sketch. All nine of your squares or circles were supposed to be all perfectly lined up. But, go me for thinking out of the imaginary box – it just didn’t work out that way. I had this image of perfectly lined up birds but they’re just a little too big and their tails overlapped and it looked icky. So, here you have my interpretation of SC235.

The card is 5-1/4” squared and the birds are from the Nested Birds. The greeting is from All Occasions Messages and I inked it up in Palette Claret. The eyes are just little gems.

It look a little time to punch out and layer everything but it’s a pretty simple card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Flowerpot Bee

These flowerpot cards are so cute! I saw a tutorial and knew I wanted to make one.

I’ve been rediscovering my love for kraft paper lately, partially due in part to Tracy. (Thanks!)

I used my SU! border punch for the flower pot. I stamped the bee from Hugs from a Bug in Palette Noir and colored him with my Prismacolor pencils.

One thing I LOVE about clear stamp sets (good ones) are that you can bend longer sentiments and that is exactly what I did here. Cute huh?

I stamped the flowers with Paris Lights Palette ink and colored them with the pencils as well. The centers of the flowers are colored with my Lemon Spica pen, although it is hard to see here. The ribbon is my favorite Faux Suede (yellow).

Do you like it? Thanks for stopping by!

Five Minute Friday: Happy Birthday Birdy Tag

Hello! Yes, another project using the Happy Bird Day Caboodle Kit. I think I’m almost done with it…almost. Maybe one or two more samples, OK?

The paper and tag are from the kit and I added some Stardust Stickles to the bird belly. I finished it off with some of the Rose Silk ribbon and that’s it!

I’ll be back next week with some more IHP stamp samples and the DT has been busy showing samples all month long so make sure to stop by and check in. I think some even have blog candy left (maybe!).

Lori
Meredith
Natasha
Shelly
Shannon
Judy
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

Thanks for stopping in today! Be sure to check the NEW section. Unity stamps are here and some of the Quickutz Embossing Folders just came in yesterday! New goodies keep coming so check back often!

Happy Birthday Fence with Flowers

Hello!  No IHP stamps today but the other DT girls still have blog candy and samples to show so make sure you pop over to them and see what they’ve got:

Lori
Meredith
Natasha
Shelly
Shannon
Judy
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

Today’s card uses paper and a tag from the Happy Bird Day Caboodle kit.  I know, I know…I’ve been using it a lot (and I’ve got more to show!) but I really love the variety of projects I can make from a single kit that is only $8.  I also used some of the Shawl lace paper for the top and I think it makes the whole thing look like a fence.  I used a little strip of the Venise White lace ribbon and tied off the tag with some WIDE silk ribbon.  Love the silky ribbon and it is so easy to tie!  I added some Stickles around the tag to make it pop a little.

I fringed some “grass” a the bottom and planted some Funky Seaside flowers.  I love how it turned out and hope you do too!

Blog Candy winner #29!

Congratulations to Sarah from Sarah’s Paper Tray!  She is the lucky winner of the blog candy.  Thank you so much for all of your comments and enthusiasm for the new Chicken Girl Design stamps!

Sarah, please email me with your choice of set and your mailing address by Sunday midnight EST.

The two new sets that she can choose from are are Into the Forest and Hugs from a Bug and are available exclusively at i {heart} papers!

  

The entire DT is giving away sets all month so be sure you’re checking their posts so you have more chances to win!  Or, you can just go buy them. *wink*  They’re only $10 each!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I’ll be back tomorrow with a new crafty post for you!

And, another reminder, don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter either here on the blog to the left or on the homepage of the store.  That way you won’t miss any specials, announcements or new stamps!

Paper Quilt

Hello! I'm giving you a break from the IHP stamps today. Even though I'm super excited about them, I know that not everybody "does" cutesy animal stamps.

So...I have something very different for you today. I wanted to make a vintage looking quilt and the Wisteria papers were calling to me. I LOVE the colors in these papers and I’ve been mostly hoarding them for a while (umm..since CHA in JANUARY.) I punched out 9 squares of paper, lined them up, ran them through my Cuttlebug with the Flowers Impressabilities for a quilted look and then filled in the spaces with some White Opal Liquid Pearls. I added some Venise White lace (love this stuff) and then stamped the greeting in Palette Violette. The gems are from the Sparkle Clear set too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Unity is in the house!

CHA shipments have started to arrive and the Unity order is now available for you, including the exclusive store kit. Woo-hoo!

Also brand new are some of the Our Craft Lounge releases (many sold out in the first day but I've got a reorder in already so be sure to sign up for a restock notice if something is out) and new Impression Obsession winter sets.

Keep an eye on the NEW page to see all the new things!

Blog candy drawing is tomorrow. Thanks for popping in today! Scroll down for my crafty post today. It's a cutey!

Bear with Bouquet

Hello! Yes, I have another card using IHP stamps! Isn’t this bear adorable? He’s from our Into the Forest set and I just love him. I stamped him and the greeting with Palette Burnt Umber and then colored him with my Prismacolor pencils and OMS. I popped his face and bandana up for some extra dimension. I thought he really needed a bouquet too. Doesn’t every bear offer you yellow roses? It’s been a while since I used these roses and I’ve missed them. I tied them off with a very small piece of the red sheer ribbon.

The tree was also stamped in Burnt Umber and then colored with Prismacolor pencils but then I smeared some Patina Stickles over it.

The little polka frame is from my Happy Bird Day Caboodle Kit. LOVE THESE KITS!!!

The little banner was hand cut and finished off with one little brad from the Bittersweet Glazed brads pack.

Isn’t he cute??

Thanks for stopping by! Some of the other DT girls have blog candy to still give away so make sure you’re stopping by their blogs to see what they’ve got! My blog candy drawing is Tuesday!

Lori
Meredith
Natasha
Shelly
Shannon
Judy
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

Release Day!! & Blog Candy!!

HELLO!! BIG DAY HERE at IHP! Today is the day we’re releasing our very first exclusive stamp sets and our first newsletter is going out! (You can sign up on the side here or on the homepage of the store). I hope you’ve been enjoying the sneak peeks from the entire DT this past week. And today is the day you’ve been waiting for. So, without any further waiting – here they are!

They are 4x6 high quality photopolymer stamps and they stamp beautifully. They are manufactured here in the USA by the top manufacturer in the industry and they sell for $10 each.

Introducing Hugs from a Bug:

and introducing Into the Forest:

Aren’t they adorable?? There will be plenty more samples in the next couple of weeks and even some blog candy to go along with those samples so be sure to check in with the entire DT for your chances to win!

Lori
Meredith
Natasha
Shelly
Shannon
Judy
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll be drawing a winner for one of these sets from all of the comments I’ve received this past sneak peek week. I’ll be drawing Tuesday night so if you “forgot” to leave me comments on my posts from earlier this week, you still have a little time. Good luck!

Five Minute Friday: Yellow Birdy, Hello, Friend

Hello! Have been enjoying all the sneak peeks this week? I’ve been having a blast making them for you and seeing what the DT has been coming up with.

I love this little bird from our exclusive new set Into the Forest and I thought it paired so perfectly with this pattern from 12x12 Lime Rickey Collection (on sale now!). I finished used my scalloped border punch and dotted each one with an Inkssentials white gel pen. I layered multiple circle Nesties for the bird and then added some Sunshine Yellow Flower Soft to him for texture. I finished it off with a small piece of faux suede orange ribbon.

Isn’t it cute???

Make sure to stop by on Sunday when the full releases of our first two sets are shown! I'll be taking tomorrow off to prepare!

Thanks for stopping by!!

I’m Nuts About You Z-fold

Hi there AGAIN!  Phew…this daily posting has kept me BUSY!!! 

Today I have a sneak peek from our upcoming Into the Forest stamp set.  I love this little squirrel!

I stamped him and the greeting in Palette Burnt Umber, colored him with my Prismacolor pencils.

I layered this polka dot ribbon across the entire Z fold so that when you open it up, the ribbon is all the way across.  Cute eh? 

The tag is made with my circle Nesties and that is it!  The hardest part about this card was aligning the ribbon so it matched on the top and bottom.

We’re getting SO close to the release and I’m SO excited to show you everything.

Please make sure you check in with the rest of the DT for the projects they’ve been showing all week long and come back here on the 9th for the full release.

Lori
Meredith
Natasha
Shelly
Shannon
Judy
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

Thanks for stopping by!!

I’m A Sucker For You

Hi again!  We’re getting so close to our stamp release date on the 9th!  Are you excited?!  I AM!!!

I’ve got another sneak peek for you today from our upcoming Hugs from a Bug set . 

I stamped the little mosquito and greeting in Palette Noir and colored it with Peach, Sand and Blossom Spica pens.  The tag is made from Oval Nesties.  I used some more of the designer paper from the Happy Bird Day Caboodle Kit (loving this little kit!!) and then paper pierced the corners.

Isn’t it cute?!

Thanks for stopping by!

Picnic Ants

Hi! Are you enjoying my daily posting?

I have another card for you highlighting our new set (being released on the 9th!) Hugs from a Bug.

I stamped three of the ants in Palette Noir and colored them with my Prismacolor pencils. I stamped the image from the set also in Palette Noir. I picked the designer paper from the Happy Bird Day Caboodle Kit because it reminded me of a picnic blanket.

I edged it with my scallop border punch and dotted them with my Inksensstials gel pen and then finished it off with some white twill ribbon.

Please be sure to check the rest of the DT this week for their sneak peeks.

Lori
Meredith
Natasha
Shelly
Shannon
Judy
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

Thanks for stopping by!

Interactive Ladybug card

Hello!  I’m back with another card from our new set Hugs from a Bug.  Isn’t that little guy cute?  I stamped him in Palette Noir and colored him in with my Prismacolor pencils.  I stamped the hello greeting from Chelsea Greetings (on sale!).  The dots on the ladybug are covered in Black Diamond Stickles for a little extra shimmer.

The ladybug is made from the large scalloped and standard Nestie circles. 

The antennae are made from some old SU! Wire Works.  Adorable, right?!!

Make sure to check all the DT and Guest DT blogs for their projects this whole week!

Lori
Meredith
Natasha
Shelly
Shannon
Judy
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

Thanks for stopping by!

Sneak Peek #1 Watermelon

Hello! I’m SO excited to share with you today my first sneak peek card from the set Hugs From A Bug, one of the two sets that is being released this inaugural month. The little ant and the saying are both from this set. I made the watermelon using my oval Nesties and drew the seeds on with a Pitch Black Spica pen. Then I brushed Shimmerz Candle Light over it so it was super yummy looking! I stamped the ant with Palette Noir and colored him with my Prismacolor pencils.

The tag was also made with Nesties and I paid homage to Faith and dotted each scallop with my Inkssentials white gel pen.

I laid everything on a piece of the backside of this designer paper and finished it off with a white twill corner bow.

Be sure to stop by the rest of the DT and guests who will have more peeks for you from now through the 8th. The full release of both sets will be on the 9th.

Lori
Meredith
Natasha
Shelly

Shannon
Judy
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check back often this week. I’ll be posting more regularly than normal because I’m SO excited and have a bunch of cute projects to show you!!

HUGE NEWS!!!

So today is a BIG day here at IHP.  We’re making some changes and welcoming some new faces and I am beyond excited. 

First, please join me in welcoming Gretchen and Megan to the core IHP DT.  They are both amazing stampers and I am so thrilled they accepted my invitation to join the IHP team.

Next we welcome Natasha and Shelly to the new IHP DT for our first exclusive stamp release from Jannie Ho of Chickengirl Design.   YUP…you read that right!  Our first release of our own stamp line!  How exciting is that!?!  Natasha and Shelly have the perfect style for these adorable stamps and I am so excited to have them on board. 

So you want to know what’s going on over here?  Well…A LOT!  We’ll be releasing two of Jannie’s sets this month and we’ve got some other illustrators working on different sets (each illustrator has a completely different style so you’re sure to find something you love!).  There are even sets in production right now!  It’s been tough keeping such big secrets from you, my friends!

These sets are the highest quality photopolymer sets, made in the USA by the top manufacturer in the industry  (they make a lot of your other favorite stamps – I assure you!).

With this news also comes a bit of a restructuring of the current DT.  Merry and Lori will be transitioning to this new stamp team.  Releases will not be every month so on off months all of these folks will be doing business as usual here at IHP. 

And, to help us with this release we’ve got some very special Chickengirl Design guest stampers so please be sure to visit them so you don’t miss anything!

Judy
Shannon
Tammy
Kendra
Loretta

My other bit of big news is the launch of our new newsletter to make sure you’re up to date on what’s going on here with releases, new products, SALES, COUPONS, and other good stuff.  Carolyn will be taking on the role of Editor for this and I am so grateful to know it is in such capable hands.  She’ll still be stamping of course but her primary focus will be on the newsletter. 

If you’ve ordered in the past you will automatically get the first issue.  If you don’t want it, you can easily unsubscribe.  If you’ve never ordered but would like to subscribe just leave a comment with your email or head over to the website and sign up!

We’ll be doing some sneak peeks starting tomorrow and on the 9th will be the full reveal.  Be sure to check in every day so you don’t miss a single thing!

Thank you to all of you who helped make this possible – Carolyn, Jannie, my faithful design team and all of my guest designers who share the same love I have for this craft!