Clear Dollar Stamps March Sneak Preview Day 2!!

Did yesterday get you all excited and giddy about the stamp sets being released tomorrow?? I sure hope so!! Super great sets from yesterday and MORE today!! Yep! More. :) If you missed yesterday's sets or want to see all of today's set, head over to Lori's blog after you check out - and comment on :) - the projects here.

Soooooo .... what to show you first?!


How about this?
This is the Hydrangea set. Gorgeous, isn't it?! Here in Georgia, we see a LOT of hydrangea flowers. The beautiful flowers range in color from white to pink to blue to purple. Super cool to see all of the beautiful colors. The flowers are known to change color based on the pH of the soil. So, for my flower, I had several colors on the one bunch. This is more unusual, but not unheard of. It happens many times when the bush is transplanted or grown in a container. Ok ... enough of the botany lesson. I'm sure that you were very interested in all of that. :)

I colored this image with my watercolor crayons. Ooooh, how I love the effect I get from these. :) Gorgeous.



Card Recipe:
Stamps: Hydrangea
Paper: white, blue, sweet cheeks, budding lilac
Ink: black
Accessories: watercolor crayons, aqua painter, tabs and tags dies, cuttlebug, folder, pop dots, ribbon, pearls
Techniques: watercoloring


The fantastic set, Roses to Die for, was created to go with our Blooming Bouquet dies. Works perfectly, doesn't it?! Awesome. I wanted to create a bit of a distressed, old-fashioned look on this one.

Card Recipe:
Stamps - Roses to Die for
Paper -Worn Parchment, Pucker Up, Spring Leaf, Toasted Almond, white
Ink - black, brown, walnut
Copics -
Accessories/Tools - Blooming Bouquet dies, Cricut, SCAL, Card Cuts svg,file, clips, ribbon, pearls, sewing machine, cuttlebug, folder



Oh my gosh!!!! Isn't this set adorable?! I just love that little bug and that fantastic flower. I went with the Clean and Simple look on this card and really like the way it turned out. I used the ScorPal to score an edge line all the way around the square.

Card Recipe:
Stamps - Ladybug Hugs
Paper - Tangelo Smoothie, red, black, white
Ink - black
Copics - Y26, Y28, YR04, YR07, R81, R32, R37, G94, G99, C3, C5, C7
Accessories/Tools - ScorPal



Last one ... and it's the one you can get *free* in March with a qualifying order!! I know that you're waiting not-so patiently for this one. :) It's worth it. Such a versatile set. It has so many great sentiments for the holidays during the year. I chose to focus on Easter since it's just around the corner.

Card Recipe:
Stamps - Yearly Occasions
Paper - amethyst, apricot, dp (sanded), Spring Leaf, Toasted Almond
Ink - black
Copics - n/a
Accessories/Tools - sanding block, Designer Labels dies, Blooming Bouquet dies, Cuttlebug, folder, sewing machine, ribbon, pop dots, pearls



Ok ... so, tomorrow, you'll want to run over to the Clear Dollar Stamps site and grab some of these great sets. Wonderful quality and delightfully relevant sets make Clear Dollar Stamps SO worth every penny you can spend on them. Go get 'em!!!



Have an awesome Monday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!



More fun stuff coming this week - including the Clearly Inspired Challenge on Friday. Don't miss it!!



~*Shell*~

Clear Dollar Stamps March Sneak Previews Day 1!!!

Ready for the previews!!! Super exciting! Clear Dollar Stamps has some fantastic new sets coming out on March 1. Make sure you head to Lori's blog to see all of the sets and to check out the other great creations from the design team (they are
AMAZING!!!). I know you will get tons of inspiration from them.


So, what do I have for you today??? :)


How about this beautiful set ....


Scriptures of Peace has some wonderful scriptures just to help you find peace. This set is wonderful for so many different situations and occasions.
The dove was just calling to be cut out and emphasized with some dimension. I hate cutting things out, but I think I cut him out about 4 times while making this card. It was worth it. :)

Card Recipe:
Stamps - Scriptures of Peace
Paper - white, black
Ink - black
Copics - n/a
Accessories/Tools - Cricut, SCAL, Card Cuts svg,file, pearls, pop dots, cuttlebug, folder




Next up ..... The beautiful set called Cross Messages. I used the wonderful new Cross Dies with this, as well.
Oh my. I just LOVE this set and the beautiful dies to go with it. What wonderful cards and projects we can make with these!!!

Card Recipe:
Stamps - Cross Messages
Paper - faith dp, embossed dp, gray, white
Ink - black
Copics - BG01, R20, R81
Accessories - Cross dies, flowers, nesties, corner rounder, pearls, cuttlebug, folder, sanding block, pop dots



One more?? :) You betcha.

Shadowbox cards are so easy, but so cool to see and receive. This one highlights the Cross Messages Additions set, as well as the Cross Dies and Cross Messages set.

The picture shows the card open with the belly band at the bottom (it goes around the card when closed to keep it closed).

Because I often relate butterflies with my faith as a Christian, I incorporated those beautiful butterfly dies into this project.

Card Recipe:
Stamps - Cross Messages, Cross Messages Additions
Paper - Hot Cocoa, Tickled Pink, My Mind's Eye dp, misc dp
Ink - black, brown
Accessories - Tickled Pink ribbon, Cross Dies, Bold Butterfly dies, ScorPal, Cuttlebug, folder, pearls, pop dots
Technique - shadowbox card


Whatcha think?? Aren't these sets just fantabulous?! I love them so much!!!! Well .... stay tuned. More sets to show off tomorrow. Make sure you head back here to check them out.


Hope you had a great weekend and that you have a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!!




~*Shell*~

Clean and Simple Search

The Clean and Simple team on SCS is looking for new design team members, so I thought I'd give t a shot. The first challenge was a bit ..... challenging ... for me, though. I didn't have a lot of 'shower' stamps.

I love this little guy, though. I think he's SO cute.


The theme was "Showers," and we were to base our cards on that theme. Baby shower seemed to obvious, and I really didn't to go that route, so I chose this little guy. I really would have liked to have an umbrella stamp, but I don't have one (might need to find one .....). So, I made what I had work. This little skunk is SO blasted cute. I just love him.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Cute Critters

Paper: Raging River, black, white

Ink: black, Turquoise, Copics

Accessories: ScorPal, pop dots, Tear Drops,

The next challenge goes up on Thursday night at 8. I'm hoping that one is a little easier for me. I don't think I'll make the team - there are SO many fantastic creators out there - but the challenges are fun, and it stretches my mojo. :)

VSN coming this weekend.

CDS Preview Days are Sunday and Monday.

CIC is next Friday.

CDS Blog Hop (with prizes!!!) is Sunday, March 20th.


Don't miss any of the great things coming up!!!





Have a fantastic Friday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!


~*Shell*~

Help for Katie Blog Hop

You should have come here from Lori's blog. If not, you'll want to head her way to get started on this great blog hop!!

Here's another chance for you ... yep, YOU ... to help our Katie. Diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer, Katie is in the midst of many chemo treatments. You can find out more about her, as well as find out about the great digi packages you can get when you donate to the cause, on the Help for Katie blog. And, if you donate any time between February 20th and April 20th, you could win one of the several fantastic prizes donated by our sponsors!!! Check out Lori's blog for the list of sponsors and prizes!

The card I made for today is a great one to use for the guys. This wagon is just too much fun to color and use. The designer paper used on here is also included in this digi set - how awesome is that?! I just printed it on a regular sheet of computer paper, and I had a perfect sheet of digi dp ready to use. There are several styles of dp included for use with this set. They are all awesome!















Card Recipe:

Stamps: Prairie Wagon
Paper: white, mud pie, toasted almond, digi dp
Ink: printer
Copics : E31, E33, E37, G21, G24, G99, B00
Accessories: corner punch, cuttlebug, folder, buttons, twine, pop dots



Now, from here, you'll want to head right over to Christi's blog!! She's got an awesome card that you don't want to miss! Or, if you just happened by my blog today and weren't following the hop list, you'll want to head over to Lori's blog to get all the great information about this hop and our wonderful Katie. Don't forget to go to the Help for Katie blog to find out how you can help Katie, get some great digi sets, AND get a chance to win some fantabulous prizes!!



Have a super Sunday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow.



~*Shell*~

Shadows

Wow ... what a great project this is. I SO enjoyed making this card.

The challenge was to make a shadowbox card. It was the TLC on Monday at SCS. I was surprised at how easy this type of card is made. Seriously, you need to try one!


I chose to use the You're Egg-staordinary set from Clear Dollar Stamps (new this month!) for my card.


I discovered that I didn't have ANY 8.5x11 double-sided designer paper, so I had to improvise. I cut down a sheet of 12x12 to use. That gave me a great strip to use for the belly band of this card, as well.

Closed, the card is 4.25x4.25 or so. A belly band is used to keep it closed and to give it character while it is closed.















On the belly band, I used a shadow of the You're Egg-straordinary svg die cuts and embossed it with the Cuttlebug. I inked the folder with white craft ink before sending it through there. The Tabs & Tags dies were used to create the tag on top of the egg, and little pearls embellish the tag and corners.



Open, the card sends "sweet Easter wishes" to the recipient. The eggs on the inside were cut using the Cricut and svg files. Then, they were stamped and layered on shadows. The background is brown, to match the brown in the dp, and is embossed with Swiss dots on the Cuttlebug.
















The eggs are colored with Copics, and the front one is mounted with pop dots, as is the sentiment.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: You're Egg-straordinary
Paper: misc. dp, mud pie, black, artichoke, white
Ink: black, white craft, Copics (Y02, Y000, G99, E93, R22, BV00)
Accessories: You're Egg-straordinary SVG file, Tabs & Tags dies, pop dots, Cricut, SCAL, Cuttlebug, folders, pearls
Techniques: Shadow box card




A very special blog hop on Sunday!! Hope you'll be here for that! :)

Have an awesome Thursday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow! I plan to have a very amazing weekend!! :)


~*Shell*~

Hoppy Poppin' Frogs

On February 7, the Technique Lovers' Challenge was to create a Sliding Pop-Up card. What a fun sounding card!!! I had to try it.

Well, I think I had an 'attack of the stupids' because I just couldn't grasp all of the tutorial. I did, finally, get it done, though, and I like the result. I will do it again ... and HOPEFULLY this time, it won't take me nearly as long to complete the technique.



This is the card closed, the way it would be received. All of those great shapes are cut using the svg file for the Hoppy Frogs set.






Here's a close-up of that adorable frog. Doesn't he just make you smile?


This shows the complete card standing on it's own. I wanted that little frog to look as though he was so happy that he just had to throw all of those flowers in the air with excitement. Hope that's how he came across. The mushroom was cut from white paper and colored with Copics.





Another svg frog and flower were used on the sentiment layer. I just couldn't resist!! I wasn't sure if it would still close ok or not, but took the risk. It paid off. No issues closing it. I will remember that when I go to make another one!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Hoppy Frogs - Clear Dollar Stamps

Paper: blue, light blue, dp, green, white

Ink: black, white craft, Copics - W3, W5, G94, G99, G21, G24, E31, E33, E37, Y26, Yr61, Y06, BV00, R81, R46

Accessories: Cricut, SCAL, Hoppy Frogs SVG file, circle punch, tacky tape, pop dots, ScorPal

Techniques: Sliding Pop Up

You should take a chance and try out that tutorial. It's a fun card to make, and it will definitely give you some oohs and ahhs when it's opened. I'd love to see what you come up with!!



Have a thoroughly thrilling Thursday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!



~*Shell*~

A Clean Bunny

The Clean and Simple challenge on SCS for Monday, 2/7, was a color challenge. The challenge was to create with peach parfait, poppy parade, and daffodil delight, but I didn't have the new SU colors. I chose colors that, in my opinion, matched the SU colors as closely as possible. The Clear Dollar Stamps' colors that I used were Melon Spice, Wild Ginger, and Cherry Go Round. We were also allowed to use white.


I chose to use the adorable set Flower Bunny from Clear Dollar Stamps for this challenge. This set is SO cute, and is F.R.E.E. to anyone making a $50 order in February. What a deal!! :) Don't miss your chance to get it for free!

This is a simple card - thus the SIMPLE part of the Clean and SIMPLE challenge - but I think it has amazing personality. What do you think??

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Flower Bunny - Clear Dollar Stamps Stamp of the Month
Paper: Melon Spice, Wild Ginger, Cherry Go Round, white
Ink: black, Copics - R83, Y15
Accessories: Flower Bunny SVG file, SCAL, Cricut, Cuttlebug, folder, pop dots

Up next: I'll share a fabulous technique card with you. It turned out great, and I know you're going to want to make one! Check back in on Thursday to see it!!



Have a totally terrific Tuesday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!


~*Shell*~

Clearly Inspired Challenge #22

Woohoo!! Another challenge for you! It's a sketch challenge - and a super fun one.

Today is the first Friday in February, and that means that Clear Dollar Stamps has the Clearly Inspired Challenge up and ready for you.

Here are the basic details for our challenges, they are sweet and simple and not just ONE of you will win a prize but FIVE of you will win a prize.

• These challenges will occur the 1st Friday of the Month
• You have until the following 1st Friday of the next month to link your project using Mr. Linky (below)
• Challenges will vary each and every time
• Your work is important so there will be 3 Inspirational Cards/Projects chosen to be featured here.
• New requirement is to use CDstamps (either stamp or digital) in your project. If you don't have any we are offering a FREE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD.
• Click ---> HERE<--- to be taken to the store and your FREE Download. Try out the colored version for a super quick and fun way to create your card/project. We will have a different FREEBIE each and every month.
• FIVE random winners will be chosen to win a $10.00 gift certificate good towards any Clear Dollar Stamp(s) or Digital Images.
• If you upload to Splitcoast Stampers or another online gallery please use CIC22 as one of your keywords
• Multiple Entries are welcome.

Extra Help: Click HERE to be taken to a great tutorial to help you with your freebie digital image. Plus don't forget there are many, many very affordable images to download as well along with other free images with purchase.

This Challenge will close on March 3rd and the winners announced on March 4th along with the new challenge post.

So, here's my creation.

I used Nesties to create the cute layered shapes and the Sentimental Flowers' SVG file to make that butterfly and flower have some dimension. The colors really worked well for this card.



See how that flower just 'pops' off of the card? I really love that I could do this without ME having to cut each piece by hand.

I used Copics to color everything. I tried a new thing by making the white flower tinged with pink. I like the effect.


The card recipe -

Stamps - Sentimental Flowers, Bold Butterflies
Paper - dp, pink, brown, caramel, white
Ink - black, white craft, glitter pen
Copics - Y000, Y02, Y06, C1, C3, C5, B00, R81, R83, Y15, 0
Accessories/Tools - Sentimental Flowers SVG file, Cricut, Nesties, SCAL, Tabs & Tags dies, ribbon, crystals, pop dots, sewing machine





Hop on over to Clearly iStamp and get started on your challenge project!! I can't wait to see what you create!!



Have a fantabulous Friday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!!





(And ... Lisa Lara .... are the pictures better???? :))


~*Shell*~

Color Challenged

On Tuesdays, SCS hosts a Color Challenge. The challenge for today - River Rock, Basic Gray, and white. When I began, I thought that it would be a difficult challenge for me ... no other color?! I always want to add a 'splash.' Not this time, though.





















The dessert option for this challenge was to use a background stamp. I chose Print Pattern to use on the River Rock layer in the back, using VersaMark ink. That fabulous ribbon was in my stash of remnants. I think it came in a bag of clearance pieces at Hobby Lobby, but I'm not sure. I LOVE it on this card, though.

Card Recipe

Stamps: Scriptures of Hope (Clear Dollar Stamps), Print Pattern

Paper: river rock, basic gray, white

Ink: black, VersaMark

Accessories: ScorPal, ribbon, white spots, pop dots, Nesties

Super fun card. I'm glad I tried the challenge!


Have a wacky Wednesday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!


~*Shell*~