Preview Day 1: Lovely Shelf & Tech Talk

Good evening!

I'm so excited to be joining in on the GinaK Previews tonight! The stamp sets for this release have been a lot of fun to play with and I've been anxious to see what the other designers have been making with them!

First, let me show a couple of cards that I've made with Nina Brackett's new stamp set called Lovely Shelf. There isn't an image in this stamp set that I haven't used yet, I think! Seriously, I've made a ton of cards with her set already! I'll show more of them during the release party on Thursday night.

The design in Nina's lamp shade matched this flocked patterned paper so well - that it's almost like they were made for each other! I cut around the design in the paper and overlapped it onto the circle focal point for a fun embellishment.

Card Details
Stamps: Lovely Shelf, Elegant Post
Cardstock: GinaK Black; DCWV dp
Ink: Versafine black
Other: Detail clear embossing powder, copics, circle nestabilities, Xacto knife, Ribbon & cording

and the inside - with a sentiment from Nina's Elegant Post set ...


Next, is the Lovely Shelf class card kit that will be available on Thursday night. This is one version of this card - but I have several alternative ideas with some other images Nina has in her gorgeous stamp set...

I love this card kit because they make quick and easy cards with minimal layers and embellishments - perfect for mass producing and won't require any additional postage to send them out.

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Melanie Muenchinger's new Tech Talk stamp set is perfect for all of us computer geeks! See what I mean?

I mean, come ON! How fun is this!? She has included tons of adorable sentiments and emocations (is that what they are called?) on the computer screen! I paper pieced this computer screen to make it a bit 'girly.'

I thought these sentiments would be perfect for an online girlfriend ...

Card Details
Stamps: Tech Talk
Cardstock: Gina K Chocolate & Kraft; Basic Grey Bittersweet
Ink: Black Versafine
Other: Detail Clear embossing powder, Labels 8 nestabilities, SU ribbon; Bittersweet button; EK Success border punch

and the inside - I LOVE this letter image!

Next, is my Tech Talk class card - I chose this sentiment with these two coffee cups, but it can certainly be switched out for any other sentiment in Melanie's stamp set...

For some reason the sentiment is looking a little crooked on my picture - but it's not IRL, I promise! lol! This kit (along with all the other stamp set card kits) come with all the cardstock and ribbons cut to the measurements needed to make 4 of the same card. The cost for the entire kit which includes the printed out written instructions is $9.95.

Look for both these kits to be available on Thursday night at the Release.

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For even more ways to use these fabulous stamp sets, please check tonight's featured Illustrator's blogs:

Nina Brackett {Lovely Shelf}
Melanie Muenchinger {Tech Talk}

Then, visit our Designer's blogs participating in the previews tonight:

GinaK,
Carolyn,
Cathy,
Cindy,
Donna,
Emily,
Erika,
Lee,
Lynn,
Tami,
Theresa

We also have two of our special Center Stage Spotlight Designer's joining us with samples as well:

Cheri Weston
Melissa Shultz

Tomorrow night, we'll all be back with new stamp sets from both Theresa and Rupa!
Jessica

Happy Birthday to Ashley!

The big day has officially arrived - my Ashley is 9 today! She is growing up so fast - but we all say that as parents, don't we? I thought I'd share the card I made for her tonight as well as a few photos of the birthday girl.

She has re-discovered her love for My Little Pony ... so of course I had to buy this adorable stamp set from Stampin Up. It's so cute and I know it will get tons of use from both her and I over the years.

and the inside...

Card Details
Stamps: Stampin Up images; Holiday Greetings (GinaK)
Ink: Memento; Copics
Cardstock: GinaK white & ivory; DCWV girl nursery dp
Other: Circle Punches; Circle Nestabilities - plain & scallop; stickles; sakura glitter pen; Marvy scallop circle; rhinestones; ribbon; EK Success border punch

The rest of my post tonight is all about the birthday girl but, before I go on about that let me invite you back to my blog tonight at 10pm CST where the entire GinaK team will begin sharing Previews for December 3rd's New Release stamp sets.

I hope to see you back then!

Ashley is in love with stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes. She never really got into 'Barbies' or dolls and only occasionally will play with her Polly Pockets. Hanging out with her big brother and dad, she has become quite the tomboy and video gamer. Yet, she can be quite the girly-girl at times too.

You can't put her in a box - which is one of the things I love the most about her!

She LOVE to dress up and is always coming up with her own costumes. She decided to be a pirate one night and made her sword and found some stamps to give herself 'tattoos' - thankfully these ones wash right off!

She also is very theme-oriented. On this particular day, she found her stuffed penguin and searched high and low through her belongings to find the perfect outfit to match her penguin. Trust me, you don't want to get in her way when she has an idea in her mind ... lol!


So, bear with me now as I'm going to share some photos of my little girl's two special birthday parties! The first one was last week with her girlfriends from school...

The girls came after school on Friday afternoon and spent a couple of hours with us eating, doing crafts, watching movies, playing games, and hanging out together. It was a nice time and thankfully everyone got along perfectly! (anyone who has girls knows that doesn't always happen with 7-9 year olds!)

Here's my friend Sharri's little Abbi and my Ashley together at the party. I babysat for Abbi from when Sharri went back to work after Abbi's birth until last fall - so she's more like a sister to Abbi than a friend since they grew up together!

Here's one more photo of the whole clan - aren't they cute?

Then, on Saturday we headed to Build a Bear to have a small birthday party with her cousins and her friend Abbi. The staff were amazing and did such a great job with the games and activities.


Here's Ash fluffing up her puppy - or giving her a 'bath' ...


Here are the girlfriends again...

After the fun with the animals, we headed over to Claire's to get her ears pierced. She has been wanting to do that for a while and I told her she had to wait for her birthday. I wasn't sure if she'd go through with it because she's pretty squeamish - but she did it and her ears are so pretty now! lol!

Thanks for hanging in there with me - she loves to ask me about my blog and I told her that I was going to talk about HER today because it's her birthday. And, typical Ashley is THRILLED with the attention! lol!

BIG hugs to my girl today on turning 9!
Jessica

CSS Challenge Hop: Coloring on Patterned Paper

It's time for another CenterStage Spotlight Challenge Blog hop!

Hostess: Jessica Fick {Design Team Coordinator}
Theme: Stamp and color the image on Patterned Paper
{ any occasion card acceptable, it doesn't have to be Christmas themed}

{ image may be cut out and layered, but must be stamped and colored on patterned paper}
Requirement: any GinaK Designs stamp set & Glitter
Bonus Challenge: decorate the inside of your card to coordinate

Fun, huh? I know I can't wait to see what they've designed for us tonight! All the links can be found after my card samples - so be sure to check them all out!

For my first card, I stamped on this pink paper in Versafine ink, clear embossed and colored the image with Copics. Whenever I stamp on patterned paper, I almost always emboss the image to help it pop against the patterns. I drew the branch in because it felt like the cardinal was just hanging on the card... lol!

The pink paper naturally added some lighter highlights to the center of the bird - as you can see here in this close up...

Card Details
Stamps: First Christmas
Cardstock: GinaK White & Red; DCWV Sweet Stack
Ink: Memento
Other: Copic markers; Fancy Tags; SU ribbon; Stickles; Fine tipped black pen; SU and other snowflake die cuts; GinaK red brad; Scallop Circle Nestability die

and here's the inside...

I almost always use the scrap papers left over from the front of the card, which helps the inside coordinate and also helps use up my scraps.

Next up, is the same basic idea of the first card - but this time I stamped the images onto this blue striped patterned paper...

Even though the stripes are showing through a bit on the bird - I really liked the colors and textures going on on this card. The swirls are part of the pattern of the paper, by the way.

This shot really shows off the glitter from the stickles...

Card Details
Stamps: First Christmas; Winter Foliage
Cardstock: GinaK White & Red; DCWV Sweet Stack dp
Ink: Memento; Versafine ink
Other: Clear Embossing powder; Copic markers; stickles; Fine Tipped black pen; paper piercer; Rectangle nestability dies

and the inside - doesn't the pine bough from Winter Foliage make a great border?

Now comes the fun part! Here are the Designer's links for you to check out to see their interpretation of my challenge:

Brenda Turner
Carla Suto
Carolina Buchting
Cheri Weston
Deb Felts
Geri Utterback
Gina Krupsky
Giovana Smith
Janice Melton
JenMarie Taylor
Jennie Harper
Joy Hadden
Karen Knegten
Kay Simmons
Linda Payne
Melisa Waldorf
Melissa Cash
Melissa Shultz
Nina Bracket
Pam Imholz
Peggy Wainman
Selma Stevenson
Shannon Bracken
Sharri Seffens
Sue Morris
Sue VanDeVusse
Sue Walsh
Tina Gilliland

Have fun hopping! Everyone's cards will be added to the StampTV gallery & Idea Center soon as well. You'll be able to find them by using this tag: cssjf2

Have a great rest of your weekend!
Jessica

StampTV Challenge Changes!

Good evening!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I've been enjoying the quiet day at home with my family and even got a chance to spend the afternoon in my stamp room rearranging and gathering older paper packs that I've had sitting in my room forever to donate to my daughter's classroom. I think I must rearrange my stamp room at least once every couple of months! LOL!

Tonight, I am thrilled to announce some changes that we are implementing to our StampTV challenges. Please welcome the newest addition to the StampTV family - our StampTV Challenge Hostesses!

Monday: Color Challenge hosted by Shannon Bracken
Tuesday: Anything but a Card Challenge hosted by Carolina Buchting
Wednesday: Technique Challenge hosted by GinaK
Thursday: Sketch Challenge hosted by Jennie Harper
Friday: Inspiration Challenge hosted by Selma Stevenson

We've asked four of our CenterStage Spotlight Design Team Alumni to be the hostesses for each challenge listed above. Rather than having multiple hostesses they will be hosting each week's challenges for three months. They will take a huge burden off our Design Team and provide continuity with our challenges - plus, you'll get to know each of them through their weekly challenges!

They've been working hard, preparing for this big job for the past few weeks. I can't wait to see what they have planned for us! They will begin hosting this Monday, November 30th - so we won't have to wait much longer! So, after the long holiday weekend is over, check in to our challenge forum to meet our new hostesses!

As you can see from the categories listed above, we have altered our challenges a bit from the way they have been. We have 2 new challenge categories that we are really excited about!

Tuesday will no longer be "Scrapbook" but will now be "Anything but a Card." This new expanded category can still include scrapbooking but now is opened to a larger variety of options! Think templates, 3D items, tags, etc! We will no longer be doing a 3D monthly challenge since that can be covered here in this challenge.

Friday will no longer be "Potluck Friday" but will be be "Inspiration Photo." The hostess will share a photo each week and issue a challenge that has been inspired by the picture. This challenge was picked personally by Gina and we are really excited to see how this new category will inspire everyone!

If you are new to our challenges, here's the STV challenge FAQ:

1. Make sure you load them in the gallery at StampTV. You can also show us in the challenge thread, but we use the gallery when selecting a winner.

2. Make sure you put the challenge keyword as a tag on your photo or we won't find them when we are drawing names for the winners.

3. All winners will win one stamp set valued at $24.95 or less even if it doesn't state the stamp set value in the challenge.

4. Everyone is welcome to play and you can use stamps from any stamp company you want, but, if you use Gina K. Designs stamp sets, your name will go in the drawing twice! A little extra perk for inspiring us with our own stamps.

5. Using one card for multiple challenges is no longer permitted. Please create a new card (or project) for each challenge that you participate in, as opposed to combining challenges, or using an older project.

6. All challenges will end at 8pm CST on the night before the next challenge is posted. For example, Monday's Color Challenge runs from 9am Monday - 8pm Sunday night.

7. Challenge winners will be announced by the moderators between 9pm -9am CST in the Special Announcement Category.

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Now, onto my card for today! I am the hostess for tomorrow's PotLuck Friday challenge - the last potluck challenge for StampTV since we are changing Friday's category to "Inspiration Photo" next week.

My challenge is to Show Us Your Wrinkles! *wink* on your cardstock, of course!

A few helpful tips for this technique:

* Spritz the cardstock with a Mini Mister filled with water to soften the fibers a bit which will help when you're crumpling it up.

* If you want to stamp on the cardstock - spritz the back of the paper so as not to run the ink.

* Be sure to stamp before you crinkle the paper to get a good stamp image. If you prefer a softer look, you can flatten the wrinkled cardstock and stamp. The wrinkles will prevent the entire image from being stamped.

* Apply the adhesive to the cardstock mat rather than the back of the wrinkled paper. (or use Mono Multi liquid glue)

* Smooth the wrinkles out as desired with the palms of your hands.

* Use your heat tool to dry the cardstock if it's too wet from spritzing.

Card Details
Stamps: Vintage Borders, Elegant Post, Elegant Verses
Cardstock: GinaK Cranberry, Chocolate, Soft Sand, Ivory
Ink: Memento; Copics; Vivid Tuscan Tan
Other: Sateen flowers, Copper nailheads; Fancy Tags nestability die; Copper brads; dauber


Happy Stamping - I can't wait to see everyone's wrinkles!
Jessica

More Vintage Borders & Fun Survey

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have a couple of cards to share tonight that didn't make the cut for the Vintage Border's Blog Hop last week. I haven't had time to do much stamping (at least not anything that I can share yet!) so I thought I'd share these 3 cards tonight along with a fun questionnaire that Cathy Tidwell shared on her blog awhile back.

This first card is BUSY, isn't it? All kinds of layers and textures going on ... lol! I was experimenting with a variety of elements and ending up feeling like they all threw up on this card! heehee...

Now, my next one is much simpler - and it's one that I made while trying to decide on my Vintage Borders' Class Kit...

I LOVE that stamped image in Green ink - doesn't it look like ribbon? I also really like the paper flowers stamped and then sponged with ink.

The colors scream Christmas and I really like all the elements on this card - but it's not my favorite card for some reason. You know what I mean? It's a nice card - but not a great one.

My final card is my favorite in this group - it has many of the same elements but seems a little more elegant and understated...

Wanna know the sentiment is stamped on a separate paper and then layered like that? It's to hide the first time I stamped the image in Red Rhubarb ink... lol! See - layers can be good because they hide the 'boo-boos' and 'oops!' situations on our cards! *wink*

Here's a closer view of the flowers - I really like them!


Okay - so there's 3 cards that aren't my favorites. But, I venture to guess that somebody will love them - so that's why I shared them! lol! It's always so funny to me to hear people say that they dislike a certain card of theirs while others will see the same card and think it's beautiful and one of the best cards they've ever seen!

So, don't be afraid to share your less than favorite creations with everyone - I promise that someone will LOVE them! Cardmaking is a process - a fun one and a messy one - but a process just the same. These cards helped me produce the Class Card that I designed as well as a card I'm going to share on Friday that I made for StampTV's PotLuck challenge.

Now - on to the fun questionnaire that I mentioned at the beginning of my post. You're supposed to answer the questions in as few words as possible. Here goes...

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your hair? thick & curly

3. Your mother? busy

4. Your father? leader

5. Your fave food? steak

6. Your dream last night? sad

7. Your fave drink? diet coke w/ lemon

8. Your dream/goal? to be at peace w/ myself & others

9. What room are you in? office

10. Your hobby? papercrafting

11. Your fear? conflict

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? enjoying my family & life

13. Where you were last night? home

14. Something that you aren’t? perfect

15. Muffins? chocolate chip

16. Wish List Item? new car for hubby

17. Where did you grow up? Wisconsin

18. Last thing you did? customers' orders

19. What are you wearing? dress pants & dress shirt & heels

20. Your TV? no

21. Your Pets? none

22. Friends? enjoyable

23. Your Life? busy

24. Your Mood? somber

25. Missing Someone? yes

26. Vehicle? Honda Odyssey

27. Something your not wearing? coat

28. Your fave store? GinaK; Gap & Target

29. Your fave color? blue

30. Last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? this morning

32. Your best friend? husband

33. One place that I go to over and over? stamp room

34. One person who emails regularly? GinaK

35. Fave place to eat? Texas Roadhouse

36. Facebook? yes

That was fun, huh? You're also supposed to tag 5 other people to answer the questions. But, I don't like tagging people - who would I narrow it down to?

So, instead - I decided to post this discussion over on StampTV and ask everyone who wants to to post their answers. It's so fun getting to know our online buddies better - and this is a fun way to do it, I think! Plus, there's some fun blog candy up for grabs over on the discussion to - check it out!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'll be back tomorrow night with my Potluck challenge for StampTV.
Jessica

Calendar Bits & Pieces Blog Hop!

Good evening!

Tonight several of us are gathering together to feature Tami Mayberry's Calendar Bits and Pieces and her Calendar Grid stamp sets. To help you see why you NEED this stamp set in your collection, you've got to check out Gina's two videos over on StampTV showing a beautiful calendar page she made in a couple of quick and easy steps. Here are the links to the videos:

Calendar Bits & Pieces Part 1

Calendar Bits & Pieces Part 2

Now, onto my first card for tonight's hop:

I decided to use a couple of images to make a cutesy Thanksgiving card. I really like the frames that Tami included in her stamp set. They coordinate with a couple of really popular Nestability dies too - this first one that I used on this card coordinates with Labels 1 and the one I used for my second card coordinates with Labels 8. I stamped the image so that it was only partially shown on the office tag.

Card Details
Stamps: Calendar Bits & Pieces; Holiday Greetings (for sentiment inside)Cardstock: GinaK Craft, Fresh Asparagus, Sweet Corn; October Afternoon dp; SU red ridinghood; Office tagInk: MementoOther: Hemp; buttons, Punch bunch vase & leaf sprig; GinaK Ribbons; Marvy Scallop Circle Punch; EK Success 1 1/8" and 1/2" circle punches

I woke up early this morning and while I was waking up and thinking about the day ahead, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to make a card for tonight's blog hop! I was going to do it last night - but I got distracted and totally forgot about it - YIKES! Good thing I woke up a little after 5 this morning and had an hour to sit at my desk and get to work!

I used a bunch of my favorite embellishments to make this quick and easy card - some buttons, ribbons, paper punches, and this fabulous new October Afternoon paper.

And, here's the second card I made this morning....

Isn't that a fun birthday card? I LOVE our new Kraft cardstock! I thought these stars from Tami's set looked so pretty embossed with white embossing powder as a border. The rest of this card came together quite quickly too...

Card Details
Stamps: Calendar Bits & Pieces
Cardstock: GinaK Kraft and Fresh Asparagus; October Afternoon dp; Office Tag
Ink: Memento, Versamark
Other: White embossing powder; EK Success star punches; paper piercer & template; SU clip; Fiskars corner rounder; Fine tipped black pen

and the inside...

For more inspiration, please visit Calendar Bits and Pieces' illustrator, Tami Mayberry, then to the following Blog Hop Participants from the GinaK Designs team:

Carolyn, Erika, Donna, Lee, Nina, and Theresa

{the GinaK Designs CSS team}
Deb, Sharri, Sue, and Melissa

{Tami's Guest designer}
Jennie Harper

Make sure you stop by Gina's blog to leave your comment for a chance to win this amazing stamp set for free! Remember to check our Idea Center for even more samples, tutorials, and links!

Thanks for checking in with me tonight - have fun hopping!
Jessica

Vintage Borders Blog Hop & Card Kit

Edited to add the Winner of the 3 Card Kits:

Congrats to -

Pat Jandacek said...

Add me to the list of your talent admirers. Lovely cards and to win the kits would be wonderful. TFS

Thanks for the kind words, Pat! Please contact me with your shipping address and I'll get your kits out in the mail to you!

Jessica

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Good evening!

The GinaK team is featuring Nina Brackett's newest stamp set called Vintage Borders on our blogs tonight! My first cards are the newest Card Kit that will be available tomorrow morning through GinaK's store. The kit includes the written tutorial for both versions of this card - this first version and the shabby/distressed version.

This second 'distressed' version is my favorite, but I know not everyone likes 'crinkled' cardstock - so I had to share both samples. When I taught classes, it was always funny to see how many different papercrafting styles there are out there.

The card kit includes all the cardstock cut to the dimensions needed to complete 4 cards. The flowers and half-back pearls are also included. To see all my card kits available, check out this link. The Vintage Borders card kit will be added to the store tomorrow morning.

I thought it would be fun to give away my 3 newest card kits here on my blog - so leave a comment on this blog post by Saturday, November 21 at 9am CST and I'll choose a winner who will receive the Vintage Borders, First Christmas, and Festive Frame card kits! Watch for the winner to be posted on this thread after 9 am Saturday morning!


Next up, is the card I've made for the StampTV sketch challenge that I'll be hostessing tomorrow morning. I love all the layers and patterns mixed together to make this eclectic card...

Here's a closer view to see the details a bit better...

and the inside....

If you'd like to participate in the sketch challenge, be sure to use this sketch and add your card photo to the StampTV gallery. You'll be entered into the drawing to win a free GinaK Designs stamp set of YOUR choice.


How about some more inspiration with the Vintage Borders stamp set?

First, check in with the Illustrator of this versatile stamp set, our Senior Designer Nina Bracket and her friend Lisa Hjulberg joining in the blog hop tonight.

Then, stop by these GinaK Designer's & Center Stage Spotlight blogs for even more samples:

Asela, Carolyn, Cindy, Emily, Erika, Kurtis, Lee, Lynn, Melanie, Tami,
and Theresa

Deb, Melissa, Karen, Sharri, and Sue

Before you finish hopping, be sure to check in on GinaK's blog to enter your comment for a chance to win Nina's Vintage Borders stamp set. If you already have purchased Nina's set, you can substitute any GinaK Designs stamp set valued at $23.95 or less.

Happy Hopping - and remember to leave your comment here to be entered to win three Class Card Kits!
Jessica