~Stamped~

Hello everyone! Between wedding plans, a few little side projects, and getting ready for our big trip..I've had very little time to devote to crafting. 

But I did manage to sneak in a few minutes a couple of nights ago, and I am here to share a really quick post and two cards I've created with TCM stamps. 

First up, a card created with the 'Thanks Bee To Thee' set, a lovely stamp set, which is currently a free offer with any purchase of $50 from TCM!

I love using the buildable honeycombs to create different patterns and colors. I've used the honeycombs on the background of my card.

All the sentiments in this set are so sweet. They all reference to bees in one way or another and work perfectly with the little bee images. 

For the doily on this card, I used this Papertrey Ink die. 

Next up, a card featuring a beautifully designed set by Jenny Suchin, 'Spring is Here'.

I adore the cute little images in this set!

Isn't that umbrella the cutest little thing?! 

I added a few polka dots using my Distress markers, and some fun hearts from the same stamp set.  

The sentiment stamp is from Studio Calico/Hero Arts, and the papers are from the Konnichiwa collection. 

I know it's a short one today...

Many things await, so I best be rushing off. 

Wishing you all a happy weekend!

*Ivana*

~Cherished & Beautiful Spring~

Crafted the night away last night. It has been a while since I've done so. Wanted to create a few more tags with the pretty papers I've been playing with lately. I was uncertain about the colors of the papers at first, but the more I play with this beautiful collection, the more I love it. Do you ever feel that way about anything? 

Here are the three tags I made last night:

Of course, I loved playing with my TCM stamps. For these two tags, I used the lovely butterflies from the Beautiful Spring set.

For the first tag, I used the larger butterfly in the set, and loosely colored in the center portion with Distress Markers. I love the buttons on the tag - they were given to me by mom-in-law. We both seem to have a slight obsession with vintage buttons...I was so thankful that she kindly shared her beloved little treasures with me. I think they are just the right accents here, don't you?

Next up, another tag, featuring the smaller butterfly in the Beautiful Spring stamp set. 

Along with a vintage button, I added a paper button die-cut, which I popped up with some 3-d adhesive to give it a bit of dimension. 

Lastly, for the final tag, I used a sentiment from the Cherished stamp set from TCM.

Kept this tag pretty simple, with a few bits of paper here and there, two pretty buttons, and another die-cut butterfly from PTI.

Thank you for visiting me again today.

Be back soon with more! 

*Ivana* 

~Mother & Father~

**If you are here for the TCM blog hop, please scroll down to the next post**

Pulled out my lovely Mother & Father stamp set today...

It was all going well until I decided that I would hang up my pastels for a little while.

If you know my work, you know that I love pastels and usually shy away from bright, bold colors.

But something about the Konnichiwa collection from Basic Grey called out to me and I couldn't resist.

At first, it was a bit of a struggle, but once I got the hang of it, I couldn't stop creating! So I have a few little things to show today, all in time for Moma's Day :)

I've been meaning to do something with my stash of felt for a little while now. This seemed like the perfect time to dig into all the fuzzy-ness. I was looking for a cute little baggie that could hold some fun mom-day gifts, but couldn't quite justify using a plain paper baggie...So I pulled out my white felt, gave it a few mists (be careful - it takes quite a while to dry - and until it is completely dry, the dye comes off quite easily!) and hand-stitched this little baggie.

I happen to be a very mediocre seamstress...In fact, I've pretty much given up all hope for my sewing capabilities. So if I could pull this off, I am certain you could too! I hope you give it a try...It really is quite fun making little treasures like this and stepping away from paper. For just a little while, at least.

To help myself out a little bit, I only stitched the bottom portion of the baggie and the two 'x' stitches, then I used Scor Tape to bind the seams together :) Easy peasy!

Before I pulled the baggie together, I stitched some buttons on the front of the felt. Much easier option than trying to stitch them on when the baggie is finished. I used a heavier floss so that it could hold up to the thick felt.

For the butterfly, I used this Papertrey Ink die, and this die for the heart. Then I misted the butterfly and stitched it to the heart. I used the Mother & Father stamp set for the sentiment and more Scor Tape to adhere all the bits together. 

Here is a card I've created to go along with the baggie. I tested out the Prima fluid chalk ink here (ladybug, turquoise stone, and rock moss). I found the colors very vibrant and easy to work with. I loved that the colors were a perfect match for the Konnichiwa collection. 

Used a few vintage buttons and a stamped phrase from the TCM Mother & Father stamp.

Once I had the ensemble created, couldn't resist creating another card :) 

 Decided to use another stamp from the same set, and some lovely layers of pretty papers.

I know it's a bit early, but it's never too soon to be ready for one of my fave days of the year! I love mother's day because I get to celebrate someone so special to me. 

I have a few little mom-day projects up my sleeve. Off to create a little more. I will be back with the rest of my creations tomorrow!

xo

*Ivana* 

~The Craft's Meow Birthday Bash Blog Hop & Miss Arts Free Classes!~

Thank you for joining us! And welcome to TCM's FIRST birthday celebration blog hop! 

If you are just joining me, and you would like to hop with us, head back to the TCM blog for the full list of blogs on this hop!

Otherwise, you should be arriving here from Amy Wanford's blog :) 

This month's stamps have been some of my favourite to date. From all the beautiful and soft spring images, to the lovely sentiment sets, like Mother & Father, I've enjoyed using these stamps so much! 

For today's card, I've combined tree of my fave images from three different sets, 'Beautiful Spring', 'Mother & Father', and 'Cherished'.

The flower is pieced from the 'Cherished' set and the leaves from the 'Beautiful Spring' set.

The lovely sentiment is from the 'Mother & Father' set. 

The embossed portions on this card, are from this Tim Holtz design. I've inked up the folders to create a 'letterpress' effect, which I love so much.

To piece the flowers together, I stamped the lovely flower image in two different colours, and cut out several flowers from the green image. I layered the green image over the blue, revealing a few different-colored flowers underneath! Super easy! I encourage you to play with your stamps and see what you can create with a bit of colour and a few snips here and there :)

Now, let's move onto the fun stuff!
Unlike our preview days, in order to increase your chances of winning the six beautiful stamp sets we've featured in this release,
simply leave a comment on each stop along the hop!


Next up on the hop is Amy Kolling - our fabulous guest designer!


Today concludes our Birthday Bash festivities! Happy Birthday TCM!!!!

And happy hopping to you!

*Ivana*

p.s. Also, you will definitely want to check this out! 

The headmistress at Miss Art's would like to invite you to our biggest free class event yet!  Beginning on Friday,  March 23rd, you will have 3 days to check out three of our most popular classes for free, no subscription needed.  

Three of our 201 class have nearly completed their 12 months of availability, and each of these amazing classes deserves a farewell party!  The Secret Garden with Stacy Cohen, B. You! with Heidi Kelley, and All About Me with Bethany Kartchner have all been around for nearly a year, and will soon be removed from our class schedule to make room for some amazing new classes.  That means that this weekend is your chance to check them out one last time, for FREE!  If you've been thinking about joining our student body, consider this your campus tour, led by three amazing teachers. When you visit us on Friday, head to the "Classes" page to view this weekend's free classes.  We'll see you there!

missartspapercrafting.com/classes

~Thanks Bee to Thee~

Welcome to the last day of previews for The Craft's Meow!

Here is the card I've created with today's featured set, 'Thanks Bee to Thee', designed by Nina B Designs!

I loved all the little 'bee' references in this set! So perfect for all the honeycomb designs that Nina has so beautifully crafted. I wanted the beautiful honeycombs to stand out on this card, so it is a very simple one today! 

I added in a few little treasures, like the beautiful die-cut doily, and some chipboard die-cut buttons! The stamp on the buttons is from TCM's Sew Lovely stamp set!

I know it's a short post today, my friends, but I am off to prepare for tomorrows BIG day!

As you might already have read, this month, TCM is celebrating it's first birthday! As a part of the B-Day celebration, today's featured stamp set is FREE with a purchase of $50 or more!!! 

Today's challenge graphic is:

If you would like to play along, TCM will feature a new challenge every day of the release previews! The deadline to enter your project is March 31st at 9 pm PDT! All the details can be found on the TCM blog!  

And that's not all! We are all coming back tomorrow for our Birthday Bash Blog Hop!!! Many beautiful projects await, along with the chance to win all of the newly-released stamp sets! Yes, that means 6 gorgeous sets! 

Don't miss it!!!

*Ivana*

p.s As always, don't forget to leave a comment here for your chance to win an awesome prize today! A guest feature as a guest designer for TCM!!!!! And while there, check out all the details for TCM's challenge of the day!

~Cherished~

Welcome to Day Two of TCM previews and b-day fun! Spring is still the theme and we are moving onto yet another beautiful stamp set designed by Nina Brackett!

I really ventured outside my comfort zone to add more layers to this stamped image. I included some paper piecing and layering with different colors. It was so fun to experiment and I love the way it turned out!

I used a stamp from the Lovely Labels 18 set for the mauve label, and a few tidbits from my stash. 

I hope you check out the rest of the DT girls' beautiful work. You can find the full list here!

And don't forget to wish TCM a happy FIRST B-day!

Today's challenge graphic is:

If you would like to play along, TCM will feature a new challenge every day of the release previews! The deadline to enter your project is March 31st at 9 pm PDT! All the details can be found on the TCM blog! 

I'll be back tomorrow with more fun creations! Hope to see you here!

*Ivana*

p.s. Be sure to leave a comment here, for your chance to win this gorgeous set!

~Beautiful Spring~

What a lovely day! Spring is just around the corner and we've had nothing but lovely weather here. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this wonderful day than to kick off  March previews for The Craft's Meow! I have created two cards today to show two different sets that TCM will be releasing on March 21, during the birthday bash blog hop!

Firstly though, I would love to welcome our new designers, Karen, Jen and Amy, and our fabulous guest designers for March, Amy Kolling and Deborah Nolan! Welcome girls!

So here is my first creation, using a lovely stamp set designed by Nina Brackett, 'Beautiful Spring'.

As a part of TCM's birthday bash, we have a bunch of fun graphics to use as inspiration each day!

Today we've had the pleasure of working with this beautiful sketch, designed by Amy Tsuruta:

I couldn't help but join in the B-day festivities and use this wonderful sketch! Happy B-Day TCM!!!

If you would like to play along, TCM will feature a new challenge every day of the release previews! The deadline to enter your project is March 31st at 9 pm PDT! All the details can be found on the TCM blog! 

Back  to a couple close ups of my card:

The wonderful images in this set were so much fun to play around with. I stepped away from my usual black ink, and played a bit with a few colored inks, which I thoroughly enjoyed :) 

It was great to work with a light and colorful palette, especially with Nina's lovely images! 

I used a lot of toppings from my stash, like the scrunched vintage ribbon, a few buttons and flowers, and spent a lot of time fussy-cutting. 

The sentiment is from this beautiful set, and the lovely polka-dotted frame is from the Lovely Labels 18 stamp set, also from TCM and designed by Nina. 

 ~Mother & Father~

In my second card, I feature the 'Mother & Father' set, designed by Nina B. I've once again used a few of my favourite items, like pretty vintage ribbon, buttons, and Webster's Pages paper.

I really adore these stamps. They are so wonderful! And what a perfect time to stock up on Mother's and Father's day stamps - with both days sneaking up on us!

I created both cards with the same colors, using Versa Magic Chalk ink (which happens to stamp so beautifully with TCM stamps!). The colors I've used here are: Spanish Olive,  Pink Petunia, and Ocean Depth. 

That's all for today! I hope you will join me back here tomorrow for Day Two of previews! 

*Ivana*

p.s. Be sure to leave a comment here, to win both of these lovely stamp sets!

~For Someone Special~

I love buttons. I love small ones, vintage ones, colorful ones, textured or plain, sparkly or matte...It doesn't matter!  As long as I can thread them, layer them, paint them and craft with them :) 

There is only one other person I know of who loves them much, much more than I do. Which I didn't realize was possible. 

Today's project is just for her. A little baggie full of stamped buttons and my handmade buttons! 

Playing with my newly-arrived Papertrey goodies, I couldn't help but create some fun buttons out of their lovely  white coasters. It was so fun working with the coordinating die & stamps. 

I used very little patterned paper on this card, from MME's Follow Your Heart Collection. Most of the bits are stamped papers with this beautiful ink. 

The rest of the goodies on this little baggie (flower and string) are just a few oldies (but goodies!) from my stash! 

Hope you'll come and visit me in a couple of days as we kick off TCM's birthday bash and stamp reveals!!! 

Also, if you've been following my bridal blogging adventure, visit the DRW blog. I've added another post! 

Ciao until Saturday!

*Ivana*

~A Wonderful Announcement~

Today marks a special day for The Craft's Meow as three brand new Design Team Members are joining our crew! Please help me welcome the talented

Amy Wanford

Jackie Rockwell 

Jen Cuthebertson

Please head over to the TCM  blog and learn more about these wonderful ladies! And while there, check out the sneak peeks of what is to come in the upcoming days.

Hope you'll meet me back here on the 17th as we unveil creations with the new stamp designs! 

Happy Day Wishes!

*Ivana*

~TCM Special Release Blog Hop!!!~

Welcome to TCM''s special release blog hop! Today is all about a beautiful, special stamp release by the lovely Nina B! It is a truly wonderful set- just in time for Easter! 

I hope you are joining us for the blog hop we have planned! If you are arriving from Amy's blog, then you are in the right place. Otherwise, you can head back to the TCM blog and start the hop from the beginning!
If you have accidentally stumbled upon my blog and need something to entice your mind to hop with us - hopefully the prospect of winning some stamps is just what you need to hear to join us on this fantastic hoppy adventure! 

Here is a card I've created with one of the lovely sentiments in this beautiful new set by Nina, along with some of my other favorite Easter stamps. 

I have to admit, I started working on this card a bit late, and was only able to incorporate the beautiful Easter sentiment from the 'No Greater Love' stamp set by Nina B. It is really a wonderful  font and just the perfect size for Easter cards like this one. This set also features other lovely images and sentiments, simply perfect for Easter crafting.

Along with the TCM stamps, I've used some of my favorite My Mind's Eye stamps (for the cute little bird) as well as precious little robin's eggs from this Prima stamp set.  

The paper on the card is from Beatriz Jenning's  lovely shop over at Etsy. If you love shabby designs, her store is one you do not want to miss! I love browsing through her lovely products. Sometimes it is enough to inspire me and at other times I simply cannot resist picking up a few new designs to try out.

For the background of the card and for the little house, I used this beautiful collage from Bety's shop. I created the little house by cutting a rectangle out of the two different patterns on the collage. Then I cut off a tiny strip from either side of the house (without cutting the roof) to create the indents. I cut the upper part of the paper to create the roof, and then used this die-cut to create the little heart inside the house.

 I added in some cream and white cardstock and a touch of Tiffany blue with some embossing powder for the robin's eggs.

I used the EK Success Abstract Flower border punch for the bottom of the card and a touch of Distress Ink around the edges of the card.

I hope you enjoy the wonderful hop and all the beautiful artwork along the way.
Now I hope you will continue on the hop, and check out

Iwona's Blog!!!

Before you go, leave a comment here for your chance to win some stamps!!! By leaving a comment on all the blogs you visit, you can increase your chances of winning!

(You have until Sunday, March 4th 9 PST to comment and win!)

Happy hopping!

*Ivana*