Five Minute Friday: Lots of Merry

Happy Friday! Sorry I’ve been so quiet this week. With adopting the new pup last weekend, the crash of energy after the Birthday Bash and filling orders, I’ve been pretty tuckered.

For today’s card I’ve used Tracy’s newest set, Sleigh Ride, with some MME Colorful Christmas paper. (Shhh…don’t tell anyone but the new MME Valentines lines will be in the store on Monday…it’s a big secret…shhhh.)

I stamped the greeting from Lots of Merry in Palette Chartreuse and used Palette Burnt Umber for the sleigh. I colored it with my Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol. The ribbon is this awesome polka dot green and pink and was the perfect ribbon for this color scheme. I love these non-traditional colors! The focal piece of course is made with my circle Nesties. Speaking of Nesties, don’t forget about the limited edition Poinsettias and Maple Leaves. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. Spellbinders will not be making any more. So get them soon!

That’s it! I hope you have a safe and fun Halloween weekend! See you again soon! Thanks for stopping by!

NSR: Nothing crafty today…

I’ve been a bad blogger.  But, how could I go off and stamp with this puppy face staring me down?

I’ve been busy trying to track down Mr. Barbo’s history and today I got in touch with one of the pilots who helped to coordinate his rescue flight on Pilots n Paws.  They’er a non-profit group of volunteers and pilot volunteers who help transport dogs all over the country and relocate them if they can’t find homes where they are, to places where they hopefully can.  My little guy came from Danville, IL to NJ.

Anyway, in corresponding with this pilot (whose parents were visiting my pup while he was in the shelter!) we found out that Mr. Barbo (previously known as Sloppy Joe) was kind of a little famous pooch.  His rescue story got some press coverage here and here and here.  You should watch that last video.  He’s so adorable.  See that, I already sound like a proud Momma.  *grin*

Anyway…I’ll be back tomorrow with a Five Minute Friday card – I promise.  I’ll pull myself away from this little face for a mere five minutes.  That’s the best part about FMF – it only takes five minutes!!!

See you tomorrow!  Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Bash winners!

THE BIRTHDAY BASH IS NOW OVER!  THANKS FOR PLAYING ALONG!

We have winners!!!  Thank you to all who played along in the Birthday Bash!  Our randomly chosen daily winners are:

Day 1: Vicky Dutcher
Day 2: Tara Prince
Day 3: Rachel (Violin28)
Day 4: Jennifer Scull
Day 5: Kas (kasmello)
Day 6: Grandma GG

And our grand prize, Guest DT winner is Sharon Shaffer! Congratulations! You will be our Guest Design Team member for the month of November!

But wait…there’s more! I’ve decided that since you all did such a great job on these challenges that I’m adding additional prizes! SURPRISE!

Our second grand prize winner is Lynn Hayes! She will also be a Guest Design Team member for the month of November!

And, the following people will receive $10 gift certificates just for playing along:  Cathy Seaside Rose, Mary Friedrichsen and Pinky Roth!

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the celebration! I hope you all had fun! Please email me with your shipping information by Wednesday noon EST so I can ship you your prizes!  Unclaimed prizes will be redrawn.

Snowy Greetings

It’s a Snow Day!  OK, well, maybe not quite yet but don’t these little critters look like they’re having a blast with their snowball fight?  I love the little penguin’s face!

I used my new Snowflake A2 embossing folder to create the background, stamped the animals with Palette Noir ink, colored them with Stickles and then cut them out.  I hand tore some vellum to make the snowyscape and popped them up on the mounds.  The tag is my Nesties Ribbon Tag Trio and the greeting is stamped in Palette Cote D’Azure.

Very simple but totally cute, right??

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you’re hard at work finishing up your Birthday Bash Challenges!  The deadline to upload is midnight EASTERN TONIGHT!!!!

Meet Mr. Barbo!

As you all are wrapping up your challenge cards for the week, John and I went out and adopted a new dog!  Meet Mr. Barbo!  We named him after something we saw when we were in Vermont a couple of weeks ago.  His original name was Sloppy Joe but that needed to be changed!

So, that’s what going on here.  It was time to fill the void that Bandit left and this new guy is just perfect!  He’s sweet as can be and only about 2 years old.  Once we get to know him a little more I’m sure you’ll hear stories about him. 

Until then, remember you have until midnight Sunday to upload your cards for the Birthday Bash!  Have fun!

Birthday Bash – Day Six (IHPBB6)

Our challenge for you today is to Make a special Birthday Card… Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Today's prize pack is: (1) Silly Monsters set, (1) self-adhesive crystal birthday bling and (1) Hero Arts Birthday Sayings set.

Here are the hosts we had this week.  Be sure to check their blogs for inspiration and their takes on the challenge for that day. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
TODAY Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card.   I used SK251 as my starting point.  I stamped the cutey monster from Silly Monsters in Palette Noir and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  I popped up his belly for a little extra dimension.  The greeting is stamped in Palette Jardin Moss, which is a perfect match for my Garden Green paper.

The designer paper is from the new Nook and Pantry collection and finished it off with a couple of pieces of Lime Yellow Ric Rac.

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do! Remember, you can play along with all of this week’s challenges until Sunday night, midnight EST.

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB5. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

Remember, you have until midnight EST tomorrow to upload your projects.  Points will be tallied and winners announced on Monday!

Birthday Bash – Day Five (IHPBB5)

Another very important consideration in party-planning is the menu! The kitchen is usually the favorite gathering place for guests, and food and drink are the main attraction.

Our challenge for you today is to make a card (scrapbook page, 3-D item, etc.) using stamps or papers that feature food and/or drink!

Today's prize pack is: (1) Homemade Treats Borders & Centers 2-3/8", (1) Wooden Stamper 2-3/8" and (1) Lemonade 6x6 Pad.

Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
TODAY Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card. The only stamped part here is the bear from Into the Forest and the cake from Prehistoric Party. They’re stamped in Palette Burnt Umber and colored with Prismacolor pencils.

I used the A2 Polka Dot embossing folder, Oval Nesties and Play With Owl paper and some scraps from Make A Wish. The little bow is reversible celery/pink satin.

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do! Remember, you can play along with all of this week’s challenges until Sunday night.

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB5. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Birthday Bash – Day Four (IHPBB4)

What’s a birthday party without presents? Whether the wrappings are simple or ornate, they bring an air of suspense and delight to onlookers as the honored guest opens each gift.

Our challenge for you today is to use designer papers and ribbons to create a card, box, or bag.

Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Today's prize is: 1 yard of each: 1 1/2" Lace Fuchsia, 1 1/2" Lace Parrot Green, 1 1/2" Lace Turquoise, 1 1/2" Lace White, 1" Bright Green Silk, 1" Lavender Silk, 1" Turquoise Silk, 1" Yellow Silk, 1/2" Venise Lace Daisy Ivory/Purple, 1/2" Venise Lace Daisy Ivory/Berry, 1/2" Venise Lace Daisy Ivory/Olive, 3/8" Black & Yellow Gingham, 3/8" Double Faced Satin Brown, 3/8" Ivory Trimmings/Lines, 3/8" Satin Reversible orange/yellow, 5/8" Polka Dot Brown/Pink/White/Ivory/Hot Pink, 5/8" Polka Dot Brown/Blue/White/Ivory/Turquoise/Aqua, 5/8" Sheer Metallic Silver and 1 Night Light Collection Kit.

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
TODAY Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card. I used the Starry Eyed paper and embossed the white portion with the A2 Polka Dot folder. I paired it with some polka dot ribbon. I decorated the clay vase with wire stemmed roses with some gems.

I used my Oval Nesties to make the focal point and stamped the greeting from Chelsea Sentiments in Palette Reflection Blue.

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do!

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB4. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Birthday Bash – Day Three (IHPBB3)

When you are hosting a party, you want to create an atmosphere of fun and excitement. Ribbons, streamers, table decorations and special party favors all set the stage for celebrating!

Our challenge for you today is to use IHP embellishments to dress up your card (scrapbook page, 3-D item, etc.), table decoration, or party favor. Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Today's prize is an assortment of embellishments including: (4) 1-3/16" Crocheted Flower Ecru/Mauve flowers, (4) 24mm (approx 3/4") Burst Pearl Knitted Flower Purple flowers, (6) 5/8" Ombre Rose with Pearl Pink/Peach flowers, 1 Assorted Foil pack, 1 Dazzlers - Cats and Ghosts, 1 Indian Summer Woolies, 1 Quill Flowers, 1 Scat Cat Black Felt Border, 1 Self Adhesive Crystal Cute Bugs, 1 Super Snowmen Class A'Peel™ Stickers.

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
TODAY Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card. It is another 4-1/4” square card. I used the backside of Starry Eyed paper and cut out the circle with my Nesties.

I used a blingy birthday and some crochet flowers. It’s a weird pairing but I kind of like how it turned out. The “happy” from Happy Greetings is stamped in Palette Boudoir Blush.

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do!

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB3. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Birthday Bash – Day Two (IHPBB2)

When you’re inviting guests to your party, you really want an invitation that will grab their attention! One way to do that is to create a cool, funky fold, so...

Our challenge for you today is to make a card using a non-traditional fold. Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Today's prize pack is one roll of our very own i {stick} papers red line tape and one Tim Holtz Design ruler - both essential when you're making boxes or non-traditional folds! Our red line tape is so strong that it was originally made for car manufacturers to use to hold plastic car parts together.

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
TODAY Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card. It is a modified gate fold card but I used my Large Circle Scalloped Nesties and Megabilities Curved Rectangles to create the shaped cupcake part.

I embossed the frosting part using the A2 Polka Dots folder and the cake part using the Diamonds and Dots embossing folder (Quickutz is backordered right now but I’ll have more back in stock soon!) I accented the embossed folders with Cinnamon Stickles on the bottom and Rock Candy Distress Stickles on the top and the cherry. YUMMY!!!

Here is a side view so you can see how it closes. I stamped the greeting from Chelsea Sentiments in Palette Burnt Umber and Boudoir Blush.

Here it is completely open. The bow is made with the pink/brown reversible satin ribbon. Did I say YUMMY??

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do!

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB2. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Birthday Bash – Day One (IHPBB1)

Welcome to the first of this week’s i {heart} papers Birthday Bash (IHPBB) challenges! We’re looking forward to seeing all of your creations, and we’re very happy to have you celebrating with us!

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

The hosts for the week are:

TODAY Day 1 (10/19): Kate (owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

What’s the first thing you do when you’re planning a Birthday Bash? Before you can choose invitations, decorations, etc., you must decide upon a color scheme, so our first IHPBB challenge has to do with color.

Our challenge for you today is to make a card (scrapbook page, 3-D item, etc.) using the colors of our IHP logo: celery, light blue, rose and black (colors in any brand). Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Here is my card. It is a 4-1/4” square card and I used Nesties Labels One to make the white and the four “squares.” I cut out the little party hats from Make A Wish and popped them up. I stamped the greeting from Chelsea Sentiments in Palette Noir and then make little sparkly dots with my Baby Blue Stickles. That’s it! Clean and simple! Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do!

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB1. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

Today's prize package includes:

1 yard of 1-1/2" Silk Celery, atyou Spica Glitter pens in black, pink and baby blue, 1 yard of ¼” Glimmer Ribbon Black and a 12x12 Urban Prairie Collection pack!

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment on the IHP blog Birthday Bash week so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Sleigh Ride with Sleigh Ride!

Sleigh Ride times two!  Today’s post uses the new set, Sleigh Ride, from The Petal Press (available only at IHP!) and some of last year’s Wassail paper, Sleigh Ride.   Clever huh?  :) 

I liked the antiquey feel of the paper and colored the sleigh and topper to go with it.  The pinecones have some Crackle Accents on them to give it a bit of a worn feeling.  And, I used my new Pine Needles Stickles for the branches.  I love the look of the branches with those particular Stickles on them.

The venise lace was nice and warm and vintagey and seemed to be the perfect finishing touch.  And, of course, my trusty scalloped oval Nesties.  The sleigh and greeting are stamped in Palette Burnt Umber.

Thanks for stopping by today!  See you again soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO i {heart} papers!

Get ready for the i {heart} papers Birthday Bash! That’s right, IHP is turning 1 year old this month, and a whopper of a party is planned! There's also a special gift planned to help others celebrate more birthdays. You’ll read more about that at the end of this post.

First, let’s talk about the party! There will be prizes galore (free stuff – you like free stuff, don’t you?), and a Grand Prize winner will be chosen at the end to be the IHP Guest Designer for the month of November!

There will be 6 birthday party themed challenges, one posted each day starting on Monday, October 19th. Each challenge will be hosted (and posted) by one of the IHP Design Team members. It will also be posted here on the IHP Blog and on the store page for the Birthday Bash.   Some special invited guests will be posting throughout the week, too so you’ll want to check in with them as well as the regular design team members!

Each daily challenge will have its own prize that will be awarded on the 26th.

Here are the hosts for each day:

Day 1: Kate, Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2: Deb Felts/Latisha Yoast
Day 3: Gretchen Belknap/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn Mercurio/Asela Hopkins
Day 4: Cathleen Torina/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn Mustopa/Maria Fiscella
Day 5: Megan Lock/Chris Veneruso and Kendra Wiestock/Debbie Fisher
Day 6: Tracy Schultz/Heidi Van Laar and Amber Kroenig/Kerry Davis

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is post your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. The tag (and the prize) for that day’s challenge will be posted on that day.

You will have the full week (until October 25^th, midnight EST) to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you can’t combine challenges in one project. The daily challenge winners will be selected at random at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will give you points (see the list below), and the one with the most points accumulated for the week will be the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, the more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th here, on the IHP blog and on our PCP page.

So get ready to PARTY!!!! You won’t want to miss the fun!

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*

10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, leave us a comment on the IHP blog during Birthday Bash week so your points can be credited.

A Special Gift

Because i {heart} papers loves birthdays so much, we’re donating 10% of sales, beginning on October 19^th and through the end of October, to Hope Lodge New York City. Hope Lodge, run by the American Cancer Society, “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays,” offers free, temporary housing for cancer patients and their families who are undergoing treatment. The nurturing, comfortable environment at Hope Lodge allows patients to focus on what is most important - fighting cancer. What better way to celebrate a birthday than to help those who are helping more birthdays happen!

I know it is a lot of information but I hope you’ll play along with us, starting on MONDAY!   See you tomorrow!!!

RELEASE DAY and Five Minute Friday: Warm Winter Wishes

Today is the big release day here at IHP! Today is the day you can get two new Chicken Girl Design sets, It’s A Snow Day and Just Skating By, as well as a new set from The Petal Press, Sleigh Ride. So exciting!

I also have a Five Minute Friday card for you today, using It’s A Snow Day. Isn’t it cute? I stamped him in Palette Burnt Umber, colored with my Prismacolor pencils and the greeting is in Palette Prussian Blue.

The tag is made with my circle Nesties and is layered over a piece of vellum that is embossed with the A2 Snowflake Quickutz folder. If you’ve never used them, they are just like Cuttlebug folders, only better, because they are a full A2 size. The background paper is from the MME Colorful Christmas collection and is wrapped with White Metallic String. I adore this paper collection and string. The string is SO sparkly – just perfect for wintery projects!

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check in next week for some more HUGE news! You won't want to miss it!

Sleigh Ride: Ivy Plate

This goes into my file of “difficult things to photograph.”  I altered a clear, glass plate that I’ve had in my stash for about 6 or 7 years.  I stamped the holly filler from the new set from The Petal Press, Sleigh Ride (available for $10 tomorrow!) in Palette Noir on some gorgeous glass paper that I picked up at a local frame shop.  Seriously, you can’t tell from the  image, but the paper has glass woven in it so it is SO sparkly.  I colored with my Prisma pencils and touched all the berries with some Stardust Stickles for some extra sparkle.  Then, once those were dry I used some Royal Coat to modge-podge it to the BACK of plate.  I forgot how messy that is.  Heh.

Anyway, this is a handwash only item and I would only use it for things like serving cookies or other dry items but it is pretty, right?

I love how versatile Sleigh Ride is – that you can use the pieces alone or with the sleigh.  I can’t wait to show you the whole thing tomorrow so be sure to check back then!

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas tree

Here is a peek at the new Chicken Girl Design set, Just Skating By (available on Friday!).  I stamped the tree and presents in Palette Noir, cut out the gifts and popped them up on dimensionals.  Everything is colored with Prisma pencils.  I went over the garland on the tree with some Pink Stickles and topped the star with Yellow Stickles.

The greeting is stamped in Palette Claret, which is a perfect match for the magenta glimmer ribbon and has some little gems to accent the greeting.  Very CAS.  Check back again tomorrow for one last peek before the release on Friday!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sleigh Ride: Altered Candle

Today’s peek is an oldie but goodie.  I think learning to make stamped candles was one of the very first things I learned when I seriously started stamping.  I haven’t done it in years but thought that this set would work well.  This image is from the new set, Sleigh Ride, available exclusively at IHP from The Petal Press.  It will be available, along with two new Chicken Girl sets, on the 16th.  Just like Happy Harvest it is a building/layering set.  There is the sleigh and then various toppers/fillers that you build to make your sleigh.  There are also some beautiful phrases, including this one that I used today.  It reads, “One kind word can warm three winter months. – Japanese proverb”

The image (and greeting) are stamped in Palette Noir on tissue paper, colored with my Prismacolor pencils and then applied to the candle.  After it cools a minute or two, I used some Pine Distress Stickles and Frosted Lace Stickles on the pine and ornaments for some dimension.  That’s it!

Don’t forget to check all week long for peeks from the other girls:

Ashley Cannon Newell
Carly Robertson
Cathleen Torina
Gretchen Belknap
Jenyfur Pohl
Julie Lacey
Tiffany Johnson
Tracy Schultz – designer

Thanks for stopping by today!  See you again tomorrow!

Shaker Snowman Ornament

Hello! For today’s project I used two more large Shake It Pouches to create an ornament. The snowmen, from the new Chicken Girl Design set, It’s A Snow Day! are stamped on a piece of thin acetate in Palette Noir (I LOVE that Palette ink is so versatile that you can stamp on paper, glass, tiles, acetate and fabric all with ONE ink!) and sandwiched in between and the snow is some Sugar Sparkly Fluff.

I colored with my fine tip Sharpies and applied some Icicle Stickles to the backside of the acetate. Here’s an image of the back. I love using the chunkier Icicle Stickles for wintery scenes.

I created the scalloped ring with my Large Scalloped Nesties and Large Circle Nesties out of some Eskimo Kisses paper.

The hanger is made from some metallic gold string and is sandwiched in between the two scallops. Have I convinced you that these Shake It Pouches are awesome and you *need* them? They’re self adhesive, coordinate with Nesties and come in different sizes and shapes. How awesome is that?

Thanks for stopping by today! See you again soon!

All fixed!

The shopping cart issues seem to be resolved! Thanks for you patience!!

Sleigh Ride Sneak Peek #1

Today is my peek for you at the new set, Sleigh Ride, from The Petal Press. It will be available, along with two new Chicken Girl sets, on the 16th.

Today’s card is very CAS. I used my long rectangle Nesties to cut out the focal image as well as create the scallops on the gold embossed paper. The image (and greeting) are stamped in Palette Noir and is colored with my Prismacolor pencils. The sleigh has some Crackle Accents on it to make it look a little antiquey and the candy canes are covered with some Rock Candy Stickles. I love the sugary texture they leave. It makes me want candy!! Yum!

The saying is a lovely one that you probably recognize from the song, Sleigh Ride. It reads “It’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you. – Mitchell Parrish” It’s so sweet.

The finishing touch was using some of the new candy cane grosgrain ribbon to make a little corner accent.

Do you like it? Don’t forget to check all week long for peeks from the other girls:

Ashley Cannon Newell
Carly Robertson
Cathleen Torina
Gretchen Belknap
Jenyfur Pohl
Julie Lacey
Tiffany Johnson
Tracy Schultz – designer

Thanks for stopping by today! See you again tomorrow!

Just Skating By Elephant

Hello!  Today is my first sneak peek of the newest set from Chicken Girl Design, Just Skating By.  I stamped the cutey elephant and greeting in Palette Noir and the ice pond in Palette Seascape.  The designer paper is from the new Eskimo Kisses line.  A.DOR.A.BLE.

I used my Icicle Stickles to make the ice rink sparkle.  The Icicle ones are my favorite for wintery cards.  The glitter is a bit chunkier and really picks up the light.

I layered a piece of vellum over top to mute it a bit and then stamped the greeting on the vellum.  The venise lace and little gems were the finishing touch on this one.

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to check the rest of the DT for their cards this week.  See you tomorrow!

UGGGHHH. More site issues.

Yes, it looks like the "upgrade" didn't quite work and people are receiving errors upon checkout. Please hold off and try again tomorrow or Monday. Send me a message or leave a comment with your email and I can notify you personally!

Sorry...this was supposed to fix things, not break them!

More big news! and Five Minute Friday!

Yup, another big day here today! We’ve got more stamps coming out! The different design teams will be highlighting peeks over the next week of two more sets from our Chicken Girl Stamps line and a new addition to our newest line, The Petal Press (designed by my very own DT Coordinator, Tracy Schultz.)

It’s going to be a busy few weeks, with sneak peeks of all three new sets beginning tomorrow and running through October 15. The full releases will be on October 16 so be sure to check in every day for some samples.

Plus, this month is IHP’s one year birthday and we’re busy planning a HUGE bash to celebrate. It’ll be after the new stamps release so look forward to that once the release buzz wears off. See, I told you it was going to be a bust few weeks!

Here’s a reminder of who’s who on the design teams so you make sure not to miss anything!

Ashley Cannon Newell
Carly Robertson
Cathleen Torina
Gretchen Belknap
Jenyfur Pohl
Julie Lacey
Tiffany Johnson
Tracy Schultz – designer
Kate Baldwin – owner

Judy
Kendra
Loretta
Lori
Merry
Natasha
Shannon
Shelly
Tammy
Kate

I’ll be back tomorrow with a peek! Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you tomorrow for that.

Now, moving on to Five Minute Friday…

Just a quick CAS card for your today. I started with CAS33 but then added a few more bats. I used my Ribbon Tags Trio and stamped the greeting from Happy Halloween in Palette Noir and attached it with two little scraps of black/silver reversible ribbon. I sponged over the greeting with Palette Orangerie to highlight it a bit.

Thanks for stopping by today! See you again soon!

Winter Snowmen!

Here’s a cute little card using the new Hero Arts Create Your Own snowman set. The snowpeople are stamped in Palette Noir and cut out and layered on a little mound of snow. Their hats and scarf have Christmas Red and Yellow Stickles on them. The Winter greeting is stamped in Palette Starry Night. The snowflakes are stamped in Palette Seascape and they have little gems in their centers and around the greeting.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you like this little build your own snowman set! I sure do!

Just a reminder that tomorrow morning the store will be having an upgrade to the site so it may be down for short period of time but hopefully that will fix the recent glitches that have been happening.

Happy Fall tile coaster

I wanted to make some fall coasters and thought the new Happy Harvest set would be perfect! I stamped the pumpkin in Palette Burnt Umber and colored it with fine tipped Sharpies and covered it with Matte Accents. The greeting is stamped in Palette Moulin Rouge.

I was a little disappointed in the coloring because the tile was a little darker than I realized but once it dried I liked it better.

A little housekeeping note, the store will be having an upgrade early Friday morning so it may be down for short period of time but hopefully that will fix the recent glitches that have been happening.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Five Minute Tuesday?!! Holiday Wishes Reindeer

This could be a Five Minute Friday card but since it is only Tuesday it isn’t! This is a 4-1/4” square card. I stamped the reindeer in Palette Burnt Umber and colored them with my Prismacolor pencils. Their little noses are tiny gems. The greeting is stamped in Palette Claret, which on the kraft, matches the burgundy faux suede ribbon quite nicely. That’s it!

Thanks for stopping by today! See you soon!

Holiday Dolls

Yup…it’s almost time for holiday cards!  I know many have already started theirs but I’m just getting around to it.

Today’s sample uses the new Hero Arts set, Holiday Dolls.  Both the doll and greeting are stamped in Palette Noir.  She is cut out and popped up on dimensionals. 

The snowflakes are stamped in Palette Seascape and have little gems in the centers.  The hill that she is sitting on is just a piece of cardstock hand cut to look like a snow mound.  She is colored with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol.  The finishing touch is some Frosted Lace Stickles on her hat and a piece of glimmer red ribbon for some extra sparkle.

Thanks for popping in today!

Boo Box!

I think I’m in love with this box. I don’t know where I got them but I uncovered a handful of these plain small gable boxes in my stash. They' measure about 4”x2-1/2” and are so cute! I covered all the sides with paper from MME The Spider’s Web collection and MME Oh La La (the orange dots are the backside of the main large print paper in this pack). Then I used my oval Nesties to make a tag. I stamped those little cuties from the new Chicken Girl Design set Happy Halloween and colored them with my Prismacolor pencils. Then I spelled out BOO using my crystal alphabet. I love how they’re sitting on the letters. Tee hee!

The final touch was wrapping a piece of two tone orange ribbon around the box. Isn’t it cute?

Did you get some crafting in yesterday for World Card Making Day? I sure hope so!

This weekend, in honor of World Card Making Day, I'm having an open stock 12x12 BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE sale and today is the last day!

For every sheet of open stock papers (not tag sheets, alphabets, collection packs, pads, etc.) you purchase, you will receive another sheet from the same collection, line or manufacturer completely free. Due to the limitations of our shopping cart, we can't guarantee that you will receive the exact same paper but we will try to send you doubles of everything you order, if we have it in stock at the time we pack your order.

The free sheets WILL NOT show up in your cart. They will be added on to your order when it gets packed and shipped.

You must enter coupon code: WCMD09 at the time of your order to qualify for the BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE offer. HURRY - offer expires midnight EST on Sunday October 4, 2009.

Have a great rest of the weekend. Thanks for stopping by! See you again soon!

Merry Christmas! Happy WCMD!

Yeah, it’s that time – time to start thinking about your holiday cards! And what a perfect day to start - today, World Card Making Day!

Today’s card is pretty simple. I stamped the tree from Lots of Merry in Palette Noir and colored it with my Prismacolor pencils and touched them up with some Stickles for sparkle. Then I stamped the background with the little ornament in Palette Viridian Green and the greeting from Holiday Sayings in Palette L’Amour Red. I used my long rectangle Nesties to make the greeting tag and added some clear gems in the corners. I finished it off with a red glimmer bow.

The card measures 5-1/4” square in case you want to reproduce it.

This weekend, in honor of World Card Making Day, I'm having an open stock 12x12 BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE sale.

For every sheet of open stock papers (not tag sheets, alphabets, collection packs, pads, etc.) you purchase, you will receive another sheet from the same collection, line or manufacturer completely free. Due to the limitations of our shopping cart, we can't guarantee that you will receive the exact same paper but we will try to send you doubles of everything you order, if we have it in stock at the time we pack your order.

The free sheets WILL NOT show up in your cart. They will be added on to your order when it gets packed and shipped.

You must enter coupon code: WCMD09 at the time of your order to qualify for the BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE offer.

Enjoy World Card Making Day! Offer expires midnight EST on Sunday October 4, 2009.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

See you again soon!

Five Minute Friday: Batty For You Treat Bag & WCMD sale!

Happy Friday! Be sure to read today's entire post!

Today’s quick project is a little cello treat bag using the new Happy Halloween set. I stamped the bats in Palette Noir and curved the greeting to the shape of my circle Nesties and then stamped it in Palette Noir and Palette Landscape.

I made the topper using my new Nestie Labels 8 and a piece of the spiderweb Eerie paper. I used the second largest die and then just folded it in half. I punched some holes, thread the reversible black/silver ribbon through and attached the circle tag. As a finishing touch I went over the bat wings with my Black Spica for some sparkle.

Easy and cute!

Hey, I have a favor to ask...can you go here and leave a comment telling Cosmo Cricket that IHP is your favorite store? We have a chance to win the entire new Nutmeg line if you do! Thanks!

And finally, this weekend, in honor of World Card Making Day, I'm having an open stock 12x12 BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE sale.

For every sheet of open stock papers (not tag sheets, alphabets, collection packs, pads, etc.) you purchase, you will receive another sheet from the same collection, line or manufacturer completely free. Due to the limitations of our shopping cart, we can't guarantee that you will receive the exact same paper but we will try to send you doubles of everything you order, if we have it in stock at the time we pack your order.

The free sheets WILL NOT show up in your cart. They will be added on to your order when it gets packed and shipped.

You must enter coupon code: WCMD09 at the time of your order to qualify for the BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE offer.

Enjoy World Card Making Day! Offer expires midnight EST on Sunday October 4, 2009.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Trick or Treat Tent card

I don’t know why, but I love orange and green together for Halloween cards.  And, this little birdy (colored with Prismacolor pencils) from the new Happy Halloween set goes so well with the bird DP from Lime Rickey.  And, coincidentally fits that color combination!  How perfect for me!

This is a quick tent card, using my circle Nesties.  I used a piece of two toned orange ribbon and did some piercing along the bottom edge and in each scallop.  I finished it off with a strip of purple accent gems under the greeting (stamped in Palette Noir).

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you’ve been enjoying all the samples!