More Poodle Fun

Every 1st, 3rd and 4th Fridays, Sami introduces some new images. Last time and this one have been devoted to poodles. I think I may have mentioned that we once had a cute, white toy poodle who had a fancy schmancy registered name but whom we called Dandy on a day-to-day basis. We pretty much kept Dandy cut in the same style as the one on my card (minus the ribbons, of course). Poodle hair is quite curly, so the pom-poms were actually a mass of little curls. I have tried to capture that curly look with my coloring. However, before I talk further about my card, let me show you thumb nails of the entire release.

You really MUST take the time to visit the Sami Stamps blog and see what all the DT have done with these images -- some really cute stuff, for real!

I did color my image with Copic markers, then cut it into an oval shape using Spellbinder oval die. The base card is white. The blue card is Bazzell. The blue stripe and the floral DP is from a pad by Memory Makers. The "lace" is punched with a Martha Stewart punch. The flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts and the leaves are from a Martha Stewart punch. The two pearls are from Recollections, and the sentiment is by Amy Tangerine.

A reminder, too, that you still have enough time to join in this month's challenge. Just create a card or project using one of Sami's images (she offers free images in her store and also on her FB page). This month's theme is "Anything Goes."

Valentine Feathers

Sami of Sami Stamps has released another adorable set of images. This week she has combined birds and hearts. Here are the thumb nail images:

For an even better look, stop by the Sami Stamps Blog and have a look at the beautiful samples the DT have prepared using these delightful little birds. You will be totally blown away, I guarantee! There is also a new challenge starting (Anything Goes as long as you use a Sami image), and to make it easier for you to join in, Sami is offering free images in the online store and on Facebook! In fact, a little birdy told me that the image I've used for my DT card is one of the free images. HA!

I have used Valentine Feathers for my card. I have colored it with Copic markers and then cut it out using a Spellbinder tag die. The tag behind the image was self made using the QuicKutz Nesting Doilies die.

The card is pink card, and the heart paper is from We R Memory Keepers. The three roses are hand made, and the leaves are cut using a Spellbinder die. The sentiment is from a Mulberry Wood stamp set.

Welcome Baby Girl

Happy Tuesday morning! I'm so glad you are back to see me today. Thanks for stopping by. We have another revisited sketch for you, and I know you are going to like it loads. We also have a fantabulous sponsor!

Our sketch was chosen this week by our wonderful leader, Melissa This is her pick:

Now, our FAB sponsor is near and dear to my heart because not only do I really like her images, but I'm on her design team (smile). Yes, our sponsor this week is:

My image is called Arm Full of Love. We have a new baby in the family -- my husband's niece just gave birth to a little girl (after three adorable boys), so I went with a baby girl theme for my card. I colored the image with Copic markers after printed it off onto X-Press It brand card. I then cut it into a circle using a Spellbinder circle die. The card itself is white (5 x 7").

I layered green card and then pink dotty paper (DCWV). The printed piece is also from the DCWV pad, and I matted that with the green. My beautiful crochet circle was made by our very own Jessi Fogan, and the ribbon is from a little spool I picked up in the dollar bin at a Target store. My white lace was the last little bit on a spool that I purchased from Michael's. (I'm sad to see that go as I liked that lace.) Rather than putting my pearls in a row (as in the sketch), I place a pearl in each of the first three dips of the crocheted scallop. Lastly, I brought in a little more of the green by adding the corner piece at the top left (Cherry Lynn corner die).

I was not entirely sure about the citrus green combined with the pink, but that is the color that was used in the paper that was in the pad (baby prints), so it did work.

You must stop by and have a look at the beautiful samples the DT have made this week. I know that I gush every single Tuesday, but we really do have some talented ladies on the DT, and I get very excited when I see the contributions each week. 

Poodle Fun From Sami

There is no challenge to go along with this release. This release is a fifth Friday release which we don't have very often. Sami had a request before Christmas to design images for a lady using a poodle. The lady picked the images that she wanted, leaving the rest for Sami to sell in the Sami Stamp Store. Here is a thumb-nail view of all the cute designs in this set:  

Now don't let the names throw you. The DT have used these images or most of them) and have shown just how versatile these images can be. They aren't just for Christmas!

I colored my image using Copic markers. I used C000, C00 and C1 to "color" my white poodle.  I colored her little bows a blue-green and added a tiny rhinestone to the center of the front bow. The papers are from Echo Park (The Fine and Dandy pad by Lori Whitlock.) The blue and pink card are from my scraps. The ribbon is also from my stash and doesn't have a manufacturer listed on the spool. The heart was cut using a Joy Crafts die, and the paper flowers are by Prima. The rhinestone on the flower and the tiny one on the dog are both from Recollections. Going with the Valentine/heart theme, I computer generated my sentiment.

Stop by Sami Stamps Blog and have a look at the lovely cards the DT have made -- don't miss all the different ways the DT used this set!

Floral Brides

Did you know the month of December has become as popular a month for weddings as the month of June? I was a December bride (49 years ago), and the red, green and gold colors are beautiful wedding colors. Anyhoo, back on track here ---

Sami has created some lovely brides for you to add to your stash to use for some beautiful wedding cards (whatever month you may need them). She has called them Floral Brides, and here is the thumb nail for all of them:

To get a better and/or individua photo of each, you can go to the store HERE or visit the blog and see a sample of each that the DT have made.  I have used Single Lily Bride for this card. I colored the image with Copic markers and then applied a thin coat of Stickles Star Dust over the veil and on the bodice of the dress.

The base card is dark purple. I cut a piece of designer paper from DCWV's "Designer Pack" papers. I then used Spellbinder's Decorative Labels Twenty-Eight for the frame behind the image. I traced around the inside of the die to form the shape around the image and hand cut that. (The next size die was too small which is the reason I traced the inside for my image shape.)

I added a paper rosebud atop the lily image in the bride's hand for dimension.  (I actually have (or had) some paper lilies that I was going to use, but could not find them in my flowers. I may have used them up (boo) and need to order more.) I placed a strip of ribbon behind the image, cutting each side in fish tail, and I added a bouquet of purple and white and pink roses by Wild Orchid Crafts to the bottom corner. The sentiment is computer generated and cut with a Nellie Snellin die.

"SEA"sons Greetings

Sami of Sami's Stamps has put together a fun set of images this week. They are quite unique for Christmas in that they are all lovely mermaids -- hey, just right for the tropical Christmas, eh? They are really quite pretty, and the DT discovered that many of them can be multi-functional in that they are not specific to Christmas. Here is a thumb nail look at all the images:

To have a better look (and also to see the beautiful samples the design team have made), you'll want to go over to Sami Stamps' blog HERE.

I used the beautiful Candy Cane Mermaid. Keeping with the sea theme, I've used predominately aqua and blue-green for my colors. After coloring the mermaid, I did brush some Stickles Star Dust along the side and onto the very bottom of her tail.

 My card is a white base. I had not planned to use the white base and had cut the dark aqua shape to be the card base. Alas, the die slid down a bit on one side so that when I ran it through the cutter, one side of the top was not attached to the back. I just ended up cutting the two pieces completely apart and adhering one to the white square base. I then cut the next smaller die using the aqua patterned paper (believe it or not, that came from a Christmas pad called "Old World Winter" by the Paper Studio).

I inked around my image piece using ColorBox "aqua."  My dies are DooHickey by Magnolia and were a special order set available early last spring. I cut three of the sea grasses, lightly brushing the aqua ink here and there on the die cuts to give them a little more depth. I did not, however, ink the little jelly fish. 

The flowers are a combination from my stash. They are by Prima, WOC and Recollections. The sea shells are some I've had for a very long time and they were purchased in a package, not personally collected (sigh). 

I did computer generate my sentiment, and I refrained from making the sea portion of the greeting large (as in my blog title) because I thought that was just a bit over the top for my lovely card (grin). 

Please stop by the blog and have a look at all the lovely cards. There is no new challenge as our challenges run for the entire month, so if you haven't joined in yet, you still have time. We'd love to see what you do with a Sami Stamps image. Also remember that there is a special offer (sale) on all images that runs through 31 December 2014. A perfect time to pick up some of Sami's beautiful images!!

Lovely Fall Friends

New Release: "Lovely Fall Friends" and Challenge #19: "Anything Goes."

 

 Click HERE to enter the shop! New Freebee and $2.00 Deal have been added!

As you can see, it is time for another release at Sami Stamps. I have chosen to use the "Lovely Native Fairy" image for my card. I colored her with Copic markers using fall colors of orange and yellow, and I've continued the fall colors with my paper choices,

The base card is dark, chocolate brown, then there is a layer of a slightly lighter brown, top with a piece of rust which I've embossed using an Anna Griffin embossing folder. The DP at the bottom, the scalloped circle and behind the sentiment are all from a My Mind's Eye 6" x 6" pad called "Darling Deer." The brown ribbon is by Ribbon Boutique by Hobby Lobby, and the orange, velour flowers are by Petaloo.

Please stop by Sami Stamps Blog to have a look at the beautiful cards the DT have made to inspire you and to show off this lovely release. We'd love to have you join this month's challenge -- anything goes with a Sami Stamps image.

Baby Dreams at Sami Stamps

Here in the US, this weekend has an extra day as Monday is a holiday. It is in honor of all the people who work and is called Labor Day. Now, that always puzzled me because most of the retail establishments, restaurants, etc. were open on Monday -- thus, causing people to labor instead of being home and enjoying an extra day with their family and friends. Rather a dicotomy, eh? In addition, not too many decades ago, Labor Day (the first Monday in September) signaled the end of the school holiday and children everywhere returned to the classroom for another year of learning. Now, a large number of school start the new academic year the first part of August, robbing Labor Day of even more of its notoriety. So sad.

However, we do have a happy side to this weekend because today Sami at Sami Stamps has released a new set of images that are just adorable!  Here is a glance at the entire set:

I used Little Girl Dreams for my project. Isn't she just precious? I colored her with Copic markers after printing the image onto X-Press It card. I then fussy cut the little cutie! All of the designer papers is from the 12 x 12," double sided pad of baby prints by K&Company. The card is a white base with green and pink solid card (matting) by Bazzill. The white frame around the baby was cut using CR1241 die by Marianne Design. I popped the baby image and sentiment up using foam adhesive dots. The flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts. The sentiment is a stamp I received in a set as a present, and the packaging is gone.

If you aren't too busy shopping or tending the bar-b-que this weekend, stop by and have a look at the new release. I think you will just love the beautiful samples the DT have put together for all of you to enjoy.

Vacation Special

Sami went on vacation and didn't get a new release done for this week, so she is offering a fantastic vacation special. The DT went through the shop and picked some images that didn't have samples made for them. Sami is offering those images for $2.00 each. That's not all, though. She is offering a 35% discount on all other images in the store. If you've been waiting to get some of Sami's beautiful images, wait no longer. This is one super-duper deal!

I've used "I Love the Rain" as my image this week. I've colored it with Copic markers except the umbrella which I paper pieced. I did use a Copic marker to shade the spine areas of the umbrella after piecing it. My card base is white with green card as matting and DP from My Mind's Eye. The flowers are a combination from Recollections and Wild Orchid Crafts. The dies are Magnolia Doo-hickey (leaves) and Spellbinders (doily).

I am headed out this morning for a weekend of camping. Weather has been absolutely beautiful -- until -- yuppers, this morning we have clouds and predicted rain. Mother Nature isn't playing nice! However, remember that Sami is playing quite nice with great discounts, so visit the blog and see which images the DT have used, then take advantage of the $2.00 specials.

Have a great weekend!