ProMarker Giveaway {and a video too!}

****We have a winner: Congrats Carolyn!!!!********************

*****EDIT: Plese be sure if you are placing a link to this contest you leave a second comment so you get your second chance to win! Thanks 🙂  ********

Happy Monday {yep, it is a happy Monday!!!!} I am so excited because I get to give away a set of 12 ProMarkers to one lucky blog reader and you get to pick your set! They are introducing a new line of blending marker sets {that’s right up my ally} and maybe you will win one before you can even BUY them! There are 3 sets to pick from, each containg 12 beautiful juicy ProMarkers! Giveaway details below. Here is a project I made with Promarkers and Tria markers from Letraset:

Markers: ProMarker/Tria (Letraset), Digistamp (Lindasy's stamp Stuff), Button Dies and rubber stamp (SU!), PP (Basic Grey, K&Co), Ribbon (Offray, SewTrue), Other: Sewing machine/thread, doiley, skeleton leaves, white button

Want to learn how to color this? It is easy, check out the videos below to see how easy it is to color the brass needle holder image on my card (it’s in the Sew Pretty digistamp set from Lindsay’s stamp Stuff BTW} as well as how to color and  blend a rubber stamped image and a hand drawn image. Don’t be shy, give it a try!

Here is a close up of the card, if you love the button card be sure to check back later this week because I have a super fun handmade button tutorial for you, and yes, it is frugal 🙂

Give-a-Way rules…rules, no, how about “How to Enter”…yes, that sounds better:

Leave a comment and tell me what ProMarker blending set YOU would want to win if your name is drawn. You can see all of the sets here.

If you want a second chance to win simply post about this give-a-way on your blog or facebook (linking back to this give-a-way post) and leave another comment with the link {I will check;} and again your choice of sets. Big hugs if you do this, if we get a lot of response from this contest Letraset will let me do more give-a-ways, yay!

You have until Midnight March 13 to enter.

On Monday March 14 I will use a random number generator to pick a winner! I will then email the winner for their address so they can receive their prize. I can see your email when you sign in to comment so you do not need to post it in the comment box for the world to see 🙂

That’s it, easy peasy! Have fun, good luck 🙂 And til next time happy crafting!

LSS Weekly Wrap Up!

Howdy! Here are a few projects done this week by Lindsay’s stamp Stuff designers:

First up is Diane and her card featuring the Uptown Houndstooth set:

And check out Karin’s card using the Sweet Stuff stamp set:

Our very own seamstress Rhonda made this lovely card with the Sewing Stuff stamps:

And Jennifer with a patriotic project using the patriotic collection:Check out Margie’s scrapbook page on her blog using the Steampunk Stamp set:

And last but not least is a second card from Diane using the Cute Easter set:

Great inspiration eh? You can find details on making these products on the designer’s blogs and all of the products at Lindsay’s stamp stuff. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Button, button…who’s got the button?

Well, today that would be you (check out the end of this post for a cute vintage button digistamp freebie!) I used said freebie on my project today too as well as stamps from the Sew Pretty set from Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff:

Every designer has her favorites and this set is one of mine, you get 8 sewing themed stamps in png and jpg format but what I really love about this set is how easy it is to layer them to create unique “still lifes” or montages that you can color as I did here. I simply layered the png stamps and erased bits here and there (in paint shop pro but photoshop or gimp will work just as well) until it looked right. Tip: When you create a cool layered layout save it so you can print it again!

I used my new favorite markers to color this and if you have not tried Tria markers by Letraset you are in for a BIG treat (my poor copics might be gathering some dust now LOL!) I really like it because I can use them with my ProMarkers (the ink is the same, the big difference is that Tria has replaceable brush, chisel and fie tip nibs and are refillable) and they blend beautifully even though I have a small collection. BTW you are going to want to keep your eyes glued to this blog because I will have a FABULOUS giveaway in a few days that will totally color your world (hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink 🙂 ) You won’t want to miss that COLORFUL giveaway!

OK now on with the show. I used the Sew pretty set on my card, this set coordinates with the Sewing Stuff single and the Posh and Trendy sets very nicely:

And here is your freebie-now grab it while you can because I’ve got some sketching brewing in my noggin that coordinate well with this and it’s freebie status might be in jeopardy if I end up tossing it in with a fab new set…as in get it while you can, don’t say I didn’t warn you 🙂

To download click on the picture, then right click on the larger picture and choose "save as" from the drop down menu. Enjoy!

Are you ready for this weeks Dollar Deals? Remember these sets are on sale for $1 but only til next Wednesday so don’t wait!

Be sure to check back tomorrow when I will have fabulous eye candy from the Lindsay’s stamp stuff design team! Til then happy crafting!

Tutorial: Unmounting Stamps

I was rummaging around in one of my stamp drawers the other day and found a bucket of foam mounted stamps I got on sale for $2 at Target a year ago. I never used these little gems because a. I had to dump out the whole tub of stamps to find what I wanted and b. they are bits and pieces that are designed to mix and match and I couldn’t line them up properly because of the bulky foam mounts. So I decided I was going to unmount them so I would actually use them. I used them with some watercolor markers to make these cute lunchbox notes. I only used cardstock (and a scrap of thread-can you belive it!?) on these cards!

I colored on the stamps with watercolor markers before stamping. These were really fun and quick to create!

A lot of stampers have been unmounting their stamps (removing the rubber from the foam and wooden blocks) to save space. i like my wood mounted stamps most of the time but sometimes unmounted is better like when you need to see exactly where you are stamping.  Here’s how to unmount a stamp (this will work on any rubber stamps mounted to foam or wood) First use a heat gun to warm up the adhesive on the rubber. 

now peel the rubber die off the foam cushion.

Trim closely around the stamp.

Viola! these stamps are still sticky enough on the back to stick to my clear block. If your rubber is not sticky you can paint a thin layer of Aleen’s Tack it Over and Over glue on the back to you can re-stick them whenever you want or you can mount them on cling cushion. I just use the plain rubber and put a mouse pad under my cardstock when I stamp, it saves more space and money not having to buy and use the cling cushion.

Here you can see them stored in a  CD case.

As I said, I usually like my mounted stamps but sometimes the mounts get in the way. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Vintage Birthday Easel Card

Happy Saturday folks! This week one of my dearest friends had a birthday, here is the card I made for her:

I used papers by Basic Grey and K&Co {envelope} and the cardstock is Bazzil. The stamp is a Crafty Secrets set I have had for over a year and had not inked up yet {“Doh!” she says as she smacks herself on the forehead} big goal for 2011 is to ink up my unloved stamps-hey it’s better than a diet resolution LOL! Here is a close up of the card:

And in case you are wondering I used these markers…huh, I guess I should make sure all of them are right-side-up before I snap a pic, oh well, I’ll do better next time 🙂  Tip: use fewer colors, not more colors when coloring an image to avoid discord. Fewer colors=harmony.

Now it has been 2 weeks since I bothered to do a challenge so I am entering this card into the challenges at the following blogs:

http://adayfordaisies.blogspot.com/, http://cardmakinmamas.blogspot.com/, http://fairyknoll.blogspot.com/p/fun-at-fairy-knoll-challenges.html, http://iftheshoefitsscrapit.blogspot.com/, http://guylousinimitability.blogspot.com/, http://stampingwithdragon.blogspot.com/,  http://tellensplace.blogspot.com/, http://meljensdesignsdt.blogspot.com/, http://paperromancechallenges.blogspot.com/,  http://creativecraftworld.blogspot.com/, http://forfunchallenges.blogspot.com/, http://thepapershelter.blogspot.com/,

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Got Spirit? Well, Let’s Hear IT!

S-P-I-R-I-T!!! {Yes I used 3 exclamation points!} The days are getting warmer and I am thinking about Spring! I walked the dog this morning and actually broke a sweat-usually I am freezing my buns off and gripping my coffee mug for any additional warmth I can find LOL. This has got me thinking about baseball, all 3 of my kids play (heck, they can make up half the team 🙂 ) and so I decided to scrapbook {gasp-yes I scrapbooked} last years photos. I used the SVG artwork bonus from my new Baseball Party SVG & Printable kit:

I used a shape collage software to cram in all of those photos-it really takes the brainwork out of putting photos on a page and let’s face it, not all of the photos we take need to be enlarged but it is still nice to be able to include them 🙂

The baseball party kit includes all of the layered die cuts for decorations, crafting, cardmaking and scrapping but also it has die cuts for cupcake wrappers and toppers, drink flags, party hats, invitations, favor bags and the fun and festive bunting/banners that are so popular these days.

But that is not all, there is also a full size printable kit included that has printable sheets (that you can add text to if you like) of all of the SVG templates plus water bottle wraps and more! These are full color printables and I squeezed as much as I could on each sheet to save you money, time and supplies. Here’s a look:

This kit was so much fun to design that I decided to make a little freebie set to go with it:

I think it would be fun to print out the sheet of name tags on sticker paper so the kids could wear them on their shirts. Especially if you are having a baseball theme party at a park or sports arena, that way you can easily identify kids from your party 🙂

Attention Dollar Deals!

Have you checked out the dollar bin at MyGrafico? Every week I will put a few older sets on sale for $1, they will go on sale Wednesday and be on sale for 1 week only. Check out this weeks Dollar Deals! Get them while you can because they will be back to regular price next week! Be sure to check each week for new Dollar Deals!

Now lets see what the Lindsay’s stamp Stuff DT has made for us this week:

Margie Visnick

Tracey Allen

Leanne Garner

Tamara Bennett

Cindi Hooks

Micki Harper

Karin Martin

Jennifer Bliss

Rhonda Walker

Diane Bove

phew, that was a long post! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Flying by…

Howdy folks! Don’t you just love it when you find a use for a moldy-oldie tool in your stash? I sure do. check out this birthday card I made for my mom, I used a leftover die-cut card, some old stamps and an old Fiskars wood grain texture plate to make the wooden window box:

We sometimes forget about these wonderful plastic texture {embossing} plates and our trusty brass templates for embossing now that the cuttlebug embossing folders are all the rage but these tools still work, and you don’t need a die cut machine to use them. Here is how to use a texture plate, simply tape your cardstock to the plate and rub over the paper with a stylus, bone folder or the Fiskars texture tool (shown in photo, it is $4)

I bought all of these texture plates a few years ago when they came out, you got 6 double-sided plates (12 textures in all) for about $10. Way cheaper them embossing folders! If you have a die cut machine you can use the plates in that too. Check out my Embossing with stencils and Texture Plates in your Die cut Machine tutorial here.

In case you are wondering what the card looks like open…

I used the “in the Garden” set of clear stamps from Oriental Trading Co. (I wanted these stamps since they came out so I finally bought them on sale a couple of months ago!) to stamp the gnome, the butterflies are retired Inque Boutique and the balloon is a SU! S-A-B set from a few years back that I seem to use all the time.  Yes folks, it’s OK to mix and match your stamp sets, I give you permission 🙂 It is also OK to use stamps that are retired, they are not dairy products, they do not go bad 🙂

Thanks for stopping by! Why not sift through your craft stash and see what moldy-oldie product you can give life to again? You’ll feel so good that you put these older tools to use! Till next time Happy Crafting!

40% off everything today only! {Happy Valentine’s Day!}

Let me be the first to wish you a happy Valentine’s Day! I love Valentine’s day, I always have, I mean what’s not to love? Also since it is February 14th that means that this (the shortest month of the year but in the North it feels like the longest!) is half over and I don’t know about you but I am ready for March to roar in and bring with it some spring! This has been the snowiest winter I can remember-and living in Maine that says something! Anyway, back to Valentine’s Day, here are some gifties for my peeps:

I wrapped the presents in this beautiful birdcage paper (dollar spot at target, it will be cheap tomorrow LOL!) and made some quick tags using my Cricut & SCAL software and the SVG files in the A Little Lovin set from Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff….

Did I mention that EVERYTHING in my shop is 40% off today only!?! What are you waiting for? SHOP 🙂

I hope you have a wonderful day with your loved ones, I can’t wait to see all of the lovely Valentines my kids will bring home from school today and I hope they enjoy the gifts from me…

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

How to fix an inkpad

If you are a stamper you have probably come across an ink pad that has come unattached from its base. I have had trouble with some of my colorbox Petal Point pads falling off. I decided to see if I could glue them back on and sure enough I can! This solution will work with any ink pad.

Your will need a bottle of original Gorilla Glue.

Gorilla glue is designed to work with foam and on damp surfaces so I thought it would be perfect to attach a juicy foam ink pad back to its base. Put a few small drops (it will expand as it dries) on the plastic base and press the pad back on top.

Let dry for an hour or two before using. If you can wait longer let it cure for 24 hours to be safe. Since most of the pads in this set had come loose I re-glued them all. I pulled them apart to dry incase the glue expanded over the edges, I did not want to have my bases stuck together. If that happens simply cut away the excess glue with a craft knife.

Now my Ink pad is a good as new!

Well, I am glad the weekend is here, this week had been a crazy rollercoaster and I’m glad it is done! In fact I’m thinking my luck may have changed as I went to the mailbox last night and found this:

I had two cards published in it! Woot!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!