~The Craft's Meow - Preview Day Four~

*** If you're here for the Scrap That! blog hop, scroll down a couple of posts! And don' forget to leave a comment...You just might be one of our lucky winners!

So glad you've made it back for the last day of The Craft's Meow stamp previews!
This was possibly my favourite set of this release...It's called In Tandem, and it is soooo cute, so girly and soooo deliciously fun! (Be sure to check back tomorrow for the full stamp reveals!)

Anywho, I decided to go ahead and let my inner girly-girl out and create a totally pinkalicious card! Not surprised, are you?

I know I might not be showcasing all the possiblities with these stamps by always creating such girly cards, but I'm hoping you can see just how divine and lovely they are none-the-less!

I stamped the lovely images onto pink paper and embossed them in white. You can see my lil shabby bow at the top of the card, complete with a handmade pin and a white shabby rose.

I am so in love with this awesome little chipboard heart...It started out plain and lonely...Begging to be colored, glitterd, and adorned with sparkly jewels...

I couldn't help myself...So I just went ahead with it...
And here it is in all it's glory...painted, distressed, glitterd and jeweled....And I just luv it to bits!

A lil close up of the paper layers, and chipboard frame...

And here's a shot of the GORGEOUS bike! Suuuuper duper cute, right?

So now that we've gone through all the previews, I have to tell you that you might want to stop by the TCM blog and leave a comment! You just might be the lucky winner to take this lil stamp set home before anyone else!

And remember - tomorrow we will be releasing the FULL reveal of the ALL FOUR stamp sets along with a super fun blog hop with tons of amazing ideas from the DT and some spectacular prizes!

Join me back here tomorrow for all the fun!

*Ivana*

~The Craft's Meow - Preview Day Three~

***If you're here for the Scrap That! blog hop, please scroll down to the next post :)

Hi y'all! I'm finally joining in with all the action and The Craft's Meow new stamp previews!
 I did not recieve my stamps until last Friday...Normally that would be totally fine...Except that I've been gone all of this week! And boy of boy what a week it was! But more on that later...

So I have only had a day to play with the next two stamp sets...But I am so glad I did as they are GORGEOUS!

I will be sure to catch up once things calm down a bit and create something yummy for you with the two stamp sets I missed....

More about all of that later, as we are here today to talk about the Telegram stamp set designed by the suuuuper talented and lovely Nina B!

Oh the possibilities with this set! It took me way longer than usual to decide on the style of this card...There was just SO much I wanted to do with these stamps! So I haaahd and hummed until I just decided to go with the flow and see what sort of shannanigans I get myself into...

I can honestly say I was a bit surprised that it turned out so girly...But hey...At least you know that this set is open to all sorts of styles and would look suuuuper cute no matter what your scrapping style!

I especially love the 'layering factor' of these stamps...If you don't know what I mean by that...I don't blame you...It's this silly little rating system that I developed in my never-ending quest to minimize my stamp collection and to avoid buying absolutely every stamp set I see...

So here's how it works...

If a stamp has a high layering factor...I can justify adding it to my ever-growing collection...

High layering factor? Ya. This is how it goes...If a set has several stamps that complete one image and allow you to change the colors and layer the images, it gets a high rating...Alternatively, if the images are static...you guessed it...It probably doesn't make the cut...Unless of course it is super cute and I decide I must have it! lol

Soooo...LONG story short...Not only is this stamp cute and it meets the 'I must have it' criteria lol...But it has an off-the-charts layering factor!!!! Almost every little stamp in this set can be stamped individually to complete the whole 'telegram' image...Or you could always use the super cute sentiments and images completely on their own!

For example, that little seal is a cute little stamp (1 of 3) that can be easily added to the telegram or added to any other projects!

 The 'Thank You' sentiment is just one of the many sentiments that you can stamp in the empty space prodivided in the main telegram stamp...

And the little check-boxes are super cute, too, since they let you customize your greeting or sentiment!

And as if that's not enough, the set even comes with it's own checkmark that you can use to check the boxes :)

Moving on to the rest of the card....Here is a close up of the lovely hinge I cut out of sticky-backed foam using this Tim Holtz die.

I punched the border using one of my all time fave border punches...Here it is. The keyhole is a foam diecut.

Here you'll see another one of my hand-made buttons and some lovely twine goodness!

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until our blog hop on August first to see the full reveal of the stamps, so be sure to come back and join us for the full reveal and some awesome prizes!!!

Oh and I forgot to mention that you could win this stamp set before anyone else has it just by visiting the TCM blog and leaving a comment there! The winner will be announced tomorrow!

Also be sure to check out all the lovely creations from the DT -  here is the complete link list!

See you here tomorrow with the preview of the next stamp set!

*Ivana*

~Scrap That! Reveal~

 It's that time friends! So happy to be back to creating with the lovely kits after the postal strike... Boy what a headache that was! When I heard that we would have to skip July's kit...I was SO dissapointed! But that did mean that I had some extra time to play with the August kit goodies...So I have two layouts and two cards to share with you today for our August Kit Reveal!

Be sure to scroll down for all the info on how you can join in to win some fabulous prizes!

I was a little outside my comfort zone with this month's kit, especially with all the darker colors, but with a splash of white paint...Okay, maybe more than a splash...I got my creative juices flowin!

 ~The Sinking City~

 This is probably my fave of the patterend papers (from the Bo-Bunny Timepiece Collection) in the kit! I wish I had 20 of them! lol I love the soft color (surprise, surprise...) and I love that it was so easy to pull this layout together. Just a focal point, and the patterned paper does the rest! SO simple and fun!

I added in some white paint - See how it magically transforms the dark flowers into lovely, soft blooms? I LOVE white paint! :)  

I also used a clock stamp and an Espresso Paint Dabber to stamp the image around the flower...

I splattered a few colors of Glimmer Mist (Tattered Leather and Suede) - which has quicky become one of my fave techniques...and then added a bit more white paint...Just for good measure :) 

~So Happy~

I looooooved working with this paper...It's a lovely corrugated-cardboard type paper...And soooo fun to paint! Again...I wanted to keep the design pretty simple...Just clustering a few of the lovley flowers, alphas, and ribbons from the kit around the photo of us :)

I don't know about you, but I sometime find that petals such as this one, tend to have variations in color, and sometimes don't work with the particular color scheme that I am working with, so what do I do? You guessed it...White paint! lol I simply covered the center of the large flower with some paint to cover up all the pink tones!

Just a close-up of the lil clocks I cut out of the pretty Bo Bunny paper...And a little peek at the Dusty Attic piece included in the kit! Yum! 

  And just a few of the alphas that I altered slightly...

Check back soon for the tutorial, in which I will share how you can create this look yourself!

 ~Happy Birthday~

I adore the piece of burlap that was included in this month's kit! I mean, how fun is that?! I love playing with different textures in my paper crafting...And burlap happens to be one of my faves! 

I loved the 'matching' ribbon included in the kit...It's sooo lovely!

Again, all the flowers got a generous coating of white paint...And I am much happier with the lighter look :)

~Best Wishes~

Lastly, I created another card using the burlap again, only this time, I ran it through my Big Shot, with the Grommet Tags die and I was astonished how beautifully it worked in cutting through all those weaves! Then I painted the edges and embellished around the tag with the lovely flowers and sprigs included in the kit.

Some close-ups...

lol I wasn't kidding when I said I love white paint....

Now for the fun part! 

There will be a grand prize for one lucky winner of a Scrap That! kit...The second prize will be full of Dusty Attic chipboard...

AND..... if that isn’t enough, BO BUNNY has generously offered a prize as well!  So that’s not one, not two, but THREE chances to win!!  If you upload our Blinkie to your blog and our blog patrollers see it, you will increase your chances of winning!

**Remember, that in order to qualify for the prizes you must:

1) VISIT ALL TEN BLOGS ON THE HOP, LEAVE A COMMENT AND BECOME A FOLLOWER OF EACH BLOG

2) GO TO SCRAP THAT! FACEBOOK PAGE AND BECOME A FRIEND

3) GO TO THE SCRAP THAT! SOCIAL COMMUNITY AND BECOME A MEMBER OF THAT BLOG

You have until Sunday, July 31st, 12 am MST to play along!

 Hope you head on over to Karen's blog now and check out her gorgeous creations!!!! Watch our newsletter on August 22nd to see if you are one of the lucky winners!

Thanks for hopping with us!

*Ivana*

~Head Over Heels~

 As you read this post, I will most likely already be long gone on our little girls-only adventure to meet the wonderful Ingvild Bolme and to take these classes! I didn't forget about you  all though, so here is that post I promised to pre-schedule while I am away :) 

It's just a quick  post today showcasing some newer and older Webster's Pages product that I just love to bits!!! 

You just can't beat the gorgeous colors and designs of Webster's paper...Oh I am just SO excited to start playing with all the new releases (biiiiig grin!)

Until then, here's the layout I just created of me and my hunny...He's the cheese to my macaroni :)

 

I did a lot of stamping on this layout...Something I normally reserve for cards...But I thought I would try something new! And now I'm hooked! All the stamps are from this American Crafts set...Sooo pretty and lovely...I love it almost as much as my doily stamp :)

The papers on the layout are a combination of papers from the Ladies and Gents collection and the newly-released Let's Celebrate collection. I added in some pink paper to pull the pallette together and a few of my beloved embellies....

Here you will see a little banner I created by simply cutting out triangle shapes from this lovely WP paper...And then layered them onto white cardstock with a lovely Storyteller alpha on top...I used liquid pearls as the 'string'...

You can also see some of the stamping/embossing I did...And there is my beloved doily (**grinning from ear to ear**)

And the pretty heart scallop stamp just below the pic.

The 'L' is cut out of this WP paper and the lovely fussy-cut flowers are from here.

More stamped details...

And a close-up of the lovely handmade flower gifted to me by my dear friend. Thank you, Bonnie!!!

And lastly, a close up of the sweet saying that I turned into a tag of sorts..Which inspired my title and the whole design of this page!

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a peek!

I will back to the good 'ol usual 'myself' once I get back from my trip, and I'll be sharing lots of my new creations starting on Friday!  Hope you'll come take a peek!

Lovely week wishes!

*Ivana*

~So Many Cards, So Little Time~ Part III

This is the last card I want to share with you using the bingo cards. If you missed the previous two posts....here's the scoop-di-doo- I took a day 'off' and created these little bingo cards in Photoshop (something I've been meaning to learn to use for a while now) and then was so inspired that it spurred up a creative streak...And these cards are the result...Now that you're all caught up...

Here's the last card :)

Yes. More baby cards. I just love em! It might have something to do with the fact that I love all things soft and pastel-y...Hmmm too bad every card couldn't be a baby card.

I used more of the pretty, vintage-licious Melissa Frances papers. The two chipboard pieces are from a Maya Road set (Cameos) which I painted white and cream and sanded with my nail file...

Oh and you want to know something else hilarious that happened to me (besides looking through my make-up drawer to find my nail file becuase my sanding block 'mysteriously' dissappeared)...?

I somehow managed to blow up my glue gun! Yes, unfortunately you read that right...

It B-L-E-W up!

And that's not the worst part...It shorted out the circuit and half of my house lost power! lol

This could only happen to me...

I mean, aren't glue guns supposed to be plugged in for extended periods of time?? Isn't heat to a glue gun like water to a fish (k, bad analogy - I know)...

But you catch my drift, right? If a glue gun blows up after being plugged in for 15 minutes...What's next?

And most importantly, is this a sign? Should I be weary of the hazzards of paper crafting? lol...I already have nicks and cuts all over my hands...And now this...

Ahhhh...The life of a paper-crafter...

...Let's get back to the card, shall we?

And just when you thought you were in the clear (from ever seeing that doily stamp again, that is)...There it is! In all it's glory... :) I still love it. Thinking about sending My Mind's Eye a 'thank you' note for creating such a beautiful little treasure. Think it would be too much?

Oh and thank you, Janice and Dara Lynn!!!...For supporting my love of the doily stamp! (wink)

Wow. I am really having a hard time concentrating...Thinking about so many other things...But let me quickly get back to the card and tell you what's all piled on there...

Aside from the MF papers, you see some yellow Prima lace, a few buttons and some liquid pearls, and some of my handmade items like the pink button and heart.

There's the button - close up...Along with some lovely paper string...

And....

I think that's all for today, kids!

I'll be away from the good ol blog for a few days - I can't WAIT to share pics and stories when I get back from Ms. Bolme's class...And I can't wait to meet her! I am SO excited and sooooo itchin to get going :) 

Oh and I may or may not schedule a post while I am away...All depends how the day progresses.

Hugs

*Ivana*

p.s. When I get back (Wednesday) I will be creating a *bunch* more of my buttons...So if you've been itching to get some...I am finally going to have time to get some created! And I will be adding lovely little adornments like hearts and 'impressed' buttons to my collection too! :) Just let me know if you're interested and I would be happy to send pics and make something yummy for you!

~So Many Cards, So Little Time~ Part II

I'm back with yet another creation today using the sweet, lil, bingo cards :) and my most favourite paper collection by Melissa Frances....So in love with the pastel shades and subtle designs...Sigh...

However...It's a beautiful day outside (ETA: and by beautiful - I mean cloudy lol), so today will be a short post...And to add to that, there are many things to still accomplish today as I have a very busy week coming up....

Shall I share? Oh alright!...You twisted my rubber arm.... :)

I just happen to be heading out of the city for a few days next week, to meet none-other-than my absolute FAVOURITE scrapper of all time.....

.....

.....

.....

Ingvild Bolme!

So yes...That is one of the *awesome* things that I've been so excited to share with you! Oh and the fact that, come August, I will be starting my new manegerial position at our BRAND NEW LSS! 

So what do we absolutely need to do before the shop opens? Well educate ourselves, of course! So we are taking a fabulous girls-only trip to Edmonton to meet the amazing Ms. Bolme and to take not one, but two of her spectacular classes!

The store has already pre-ordered all of Ingvild's (partnering with Prima) beautiful tools, embellies and inks  and now we will get to use them ourselves!

So I might have missed out on CHA, but I feel like this completely makes up for it...And then some!

So now you know two bits of the exciting news I've been wanting to share with you for so long! It has been soooooo hard to keep it all in! As each day passes, the store opening inches closer and closer, and I have been wanting to tell you all for so long!

And, in case you're wondering, that is the reason I have been so busy lately...With the new store opening soon, lots of exciting design opportunities, classes and such...My blogging has left something to be desired. :(

But I promise...Once things get back to my normal routine...I will be able to share so much more exciting info with you all

Now back to the card....I can hear it screaming out in neglect

I tend to always need a few baby cards so I thought the MF papers were just perfect for the soft baby look...Don't cha think so? And since I was on a roll with the bingo cards+lovely papers...I figured I couldn't go wrong...

I used a combination of MF diecuts+MF vintage stickers+MF papers...And of course a few of my own embellies like that lil star button :)

The bingo card and the baby pennant are my pride and joy....In case you missed the last post...I have been urging myself to learn Photoshop...And these little cuties are some of my first creations...I am literally patting myself on the back as I speak...I mean, type...

Oh and is that a doily stamp I see poking from under the sentiment?...I still love it to bits and will use it on every project until I bore of it! You might not all share my enthusiasm, so if you get sick of seeing it, please let me know :) I can't promise that I'll stop, though...Maybe I should challenge myself to use it in all of my projects for the rest of the month...What do you think? Silly? I know. Don't mind me.

Anywho....the card also features another custom-dyed ribbon (I looooove vintage pink Glimmer Mist)...

And the ever-adorable little banner from one of the MF patterened papers...

Peeking from the bottom of the card is a border I punched with this Martha Stewart punch...And he yellow lace is by Prima...

Well...

 I'm all out writing brainpower, and my work is calling...So I will catch you here tomorrow as I post my next card! :)

Happy weekend wishes!

*Ivana*

~So Many Cards, So Little Time~ Part I

Boy! Have I been busy! I promised you I'd be back with some more projects and the news I've been *annoyingly* talking your ear off about...So here's the scoop...I was going to wait until this weekend to let you all know what it is...It's actually several exciting things happening in my life...But...low and behold...I couldn't wait that long! At least not to show you these projects...So I'll show off my latest creations...And share a teensy, weensy, little hint...Maybe...Just maybe :)

 

Anywho, until recently, I have been using this incredible software (Photoshop) only for photo editing...Say wha??? 

All the while knowing just how awesome and powerful it is...But never really having the time to sit down and learn anything useful...

I had decided I was going to fit in as much 'PS self-help' as I could to learn at least a few neat things in PS every week...And I have to say, I've been keeping to my schedule and it has been amazing :)

I love all the possibilities...And it's such a powerful tool...I just love it!

I am a little over-enthusiastic, aren't I? Sorry about that.

I am just so amazed at all the fun things I can now do :) As I say this, there are PS pros all over the place just rolling their eyes, thinking...'Boy..This poor girl...She doesn't even know the half of it'...And they're right...I still feel like I know nothing...In comparison to all that can be done with this program...But hey - It's a process...

So if you're wondering what these pics are of, it's just a few little Bingo cards and sentiments I created in PS, and printed them on plain white cardstock. Best part? They are completely, deliciously, totally customizeable! Think glimmer mist, glitter, stamps, ribbon, paint, paper, pearls...And layers upon layers of lovely vintage imagess...Ahhhh the possibilities!...

You might be wondering what I've done with these wonderous little things? Well...It just so happens that I was so creatively inspired, that I dug out my gooooorgeous stash of Melissa Frances papers, stickers, diecuts and all other things shabby, and crafted for hours! This was the first time I actually made time to create something that was not design-team related, so it was nice to use all different types of products and yummy goodies...

Here's a card/tag combo...Using the lovely, soft pallettes from the Melissa Frances 5th Avenue collection...It's probably one of my fave paper lines of all time...The soft colors and vintage designs are sooooo beautiful and so versatile!

See the bingo card that I created?...I used it as a tag holder by adhering only the sides to the card...So that the little tag could easily fit inside...If you look closely on the side of the light blue pp...You can see a lovely embossed design...I used American Crafts clear stamps and white embossing powder...Love those adorable lil hearts! :)

Here is a close-up shot of the pretty embellies...I stamped a heart and a little cabbage rose (from the same American Crafts stamp set) and embossed both images in white. I added a little Webster's Pages sparkler onto the heart and one of my handmade buttons.

The doily stamp is from a My Mind's Eye stamp set that I adore to bits! Is it wrong to use it in all of my projects?  (chuckle) The lovely crocheted lace is by Prima and the bow is a custom-dyed ribbon, sprayed with lovely vintage shades of pink Glimmer Mist....

Here's that little tag I was talking about...It's so little and cute and full of all the things I love...MF resin...crisp, white bow...soft shabby shades...

I could play with this color palette all day! Okay, you got me...I sort-of, kind-of did :)

A few more shots...Up close and personal

And lastly, a little shot of the two pieces together...

I hope you'll join me tomorrow...I'll share another creation using some of my lil bingo cards! And I might even share another tantilizing hint... :)

Happy Friday!

*Ivana*

p.s. So you might want to check out this amazing online crafting school...All I can say is that I may or may not be invited to teach...Just saying... :)