Gina K. Preview Day 3: Live Life Loud & Christ is Risen

Welcome to Day 3 of previews for Gina K. release on Thursday!  Today I am sharing cards made with 2 more sets – the first is by Tami Mayberry called Live Life Loud, a fabulous retro set with a music theme (I used 6 stamps from the set on this card).  When I sat down to create with this set, I saw a collage type card with bold colors so I used the Retiform Technique which is a lot of fun!

The next set up for preview is by Nina Brackett called Christ is Risen, a beautiful Christian-themed set to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection in the elegant style that Nina is known for!  I naturally saw this ornate cross embossed in gold, paired with metallic gold cardstock and Vibrant Violet to make this a royal card.  Here is a link to information about the Resurrection of Christ if you are interested in reading all about it, it was wonderfully written. 
Reminder!  We are one more day closer to the release party!  Remember it is from 7:00-10:00 pm central time at StampTV, where we will have designer challenges, contest questions, more samples, stamp set reveals and fun chat!!
Here are links to everyone who has previews to share with you today and I’m sure you will be dazzled with it all!  Be sure to leave a comment on ALL the designer’s blogs to have your chance at winning the stamp sets, because Gina K. will choose random winners from all the comments and announce the winner in tomorrow’s post! 

• AJ Otto
• Asela Hopkins
• Carolina Buchting
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Colleen Schaan
• Deb Felts
• Donna Baker  *you’re here*
• Emily Giovanni
• Gina K
• Giovana Smith
• Janice Whiting
• Jennie Harper
• Lee Murphy
• Michelle Woerner
• Nina Brackett 
• Tami Mayberry
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher

Live Life Loud card Stamps: Live Life Loud
Cardstock: White, Black Onyx, Green Apple
Inks: Distress Crushed Olive, Fired Brick, Tumbled Glass, Tuxedo Black Memento
Accessories: black brads

Easter Blessings card Stamps: Christ is Risen
Cardstock: Ivory, Vibrant Violet, Good as Gold
Inks: Versamark, Gold Metallic
Accessories: Gold lined organdy ribbon, textile cuttlebug embossing folder, labels 10 die, purple bling

Gina K. Preview Day 1: Spring Basket & Basket Blessings

Welcome to Day 1 previews for Gina K. Designs!  I bet y’all have been chomping at the bit since our release was delayed about a week, huh?  Well I’m sure you will agree that it was worth the wait when you see what is in store!  First up is a stamp set by Melanie called Spring Basket which will appeal to everyone just waiting with bated breath for Spring to arrive since this Winter has been so brutal!  I used the basket image along with some mini size tulips and lilies like the larger counterparts from A Year of Flowers!  I finally grabbed took my Spellbinders Grand Calibur out of the box to use it on this card which I got for Christmas (I know, I am so bad!) I used the largest square scallop, scored in half to make my card that is 3 1/2” x 7” (not including the flower overhang).

Next up is another set by Melanie called Basket Blessings, which I’m sure you will fall head over heels with because it’s full of more things to put IN the Spring Basket!  For my card, I used this week’s sketch challenge by Gina K!   I had a lot of fun coloring this image and making this card.
Here are links to everyone who has previews to share with you today and I’m sure you will be dazzled with it all!  Be sure to leave a comment on ALL the designer’s blogs to have your chance at winning the stamp sets, because Gina K. will choose random winners from all the comments! 

Also – mark your calendars because Thursday, Feb 17th 7:00-10:00 central time at StampTV we will have our release party with designer challenges, contest questions, more samples, stamp set reveals and fun chat!!

• Carolina Buchting
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Deb Felts
• Donna Baker (you’re here!)
• Emily Giovanni
• Gina K
• Giovana Smith
• Janice Whiting
• Jennie Harper
• Lee Murphy
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Nina Brackett
• Theresa Momber
• Tina Gilliland
• Valerie Stangle
• Vicki Dutcher

Tulip card
Stamps: Spring Basket
Cardstock: White, Passionate Pink, Chocolate Brown
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento
Accessories: Copic markers, Chocolate stitched ribbon, pink button, white cotton thread
Hey Chickie card Stamps: Basket Blessings
Cardstock: White, Lemon Drop, Sweet Mango, Chocolate Brown, My Mind’s Eye Fine & Dandy True Blue
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento, Tea Dye distress ink
Accessories: Copic markers

Happy Easter to one of my favorite peeps

Happy Easter y’all!  Real quick post because I need to get back to studying for my Anatomy & Physiology test that’s tomorrow evening (that I MUST get a B on!) It is about the Nervous System, Special Senses and Endocrine System.   A TON of information, did you know we have 12 cranial nerves? I know all the names and what their functions are but I also need to know where to LOCATE them on a diagram (that’s the next step for me). 

Anyway, remember the Egg Hunt card I made last week for my niece Gabby?  Well, it inspired me to make this one for her little brother Joey and I wanted to use the monkey from the Beary Special set but he wasn’t very ‘Eastery’ so I made him some bunny ears and fuzzed him all up with some sparkly fluff!  Isn’t he cute??  I made a quick Easter scene with the rolling grassy hills and a Spring-time tree using Branching Out.  Of course I had to add a ‘peep’ and sentiment from the new set Favorite Peeps and voila! I had an Easter card for my adorable nephew!

Here’s a close up of the bunny ears I drew as well as the ‘fluff’ that stuff is really easy & fun to work with! 

I sent these cards along with a few dollars in them; for those of you who’ve been reading my blog for a while may remember Gabby is saving her money for college (she has been since about a year old) and now Joey is doing the same.  We talked to them on Friday night when they opened up their cards.  Gabby was so excited about the chicks on their egg hunt, she counted the chicks on the card and was so thankful for her card & dollars. Joey, on the other hand is not very vocal yet but he is trying (h'e’s not quite 2 yet) – he mumbled a lot of stuff to us but when we talked about the MONEY, boy he said that word clear as day which was hilarious!  He knows what that’s all about for sure!  lol

Here is a little Easter gift we got in the mail from Gabby, Joey and their mom & dad!  We opened it during our conversation as well.  It’s a homemade Easter basket filled with lots of goodies (Val picked out the basket, Tom picked out the Pez containers: I got Belle from Beauty and the Beast and John got Tigger)  Gabby ‘signed’ and decorated our card and even put some special foam stickers on it and sealed up the card before her mommy could sign it – ha! 

Her mom did sign the special note from Gabby – she likes to dictate to her what to write.  And another favorite part of our conversation?  When I heard Gabby in the background ‘reading’ the card we sent her.  My sister always reads the cards to them and she was recalling what it said afterward which was so cute! 

I hope whatever you do today, you stop for a little while and reflect on what great sacrifice Jesus made for us so that if we believe in Him, we will have the free gift of everlasting life and peace & comfort in this life and hope for what comes next; for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  It helps make the inevitable (death) more comforting to know we have a choice to live eternally in Heaven with a glorified body and not in Hell where there is suffering and torment.  Which one will you choose?  Hope you have a wonderful week!  I’ll be back on Tuesday with Day 1 sneak peeks with Taylored Expressions April Release! 

FS164: Going on an Egg Hunt

I am totally supposed to be studying for my upcoming tests in Medical Terminology (Apr 1) and Anatomy/Physiology (Apr 5) but I woke up early this morning and couldn’t resist playing with this week’s Featured Stamper challenge {FS164} because I found this cute card of Brandi’s to CASE!!  I knew right away I wanted to make a scene with the little peeps on an egg hunt in the meadow using Favorite Peeps by Taylored Expressions!  This card was SO much fun to make and now I have a card to send to my niece Gabby!  I used all supplies from the Easter Key Ingredients (except a few buttons and the sugar sparkly fluff for the clouds , which I hand drew). 

As promised, here are a before & after photo of our dog Shelby since we took her to the beauty parlor yesterday – she was such a good girl and I KNOW she missed us while she was there but so HAPPY to smell, look and feel good for the Spring!  She gets this short haircut a few times during Spring through Fall when she doesn’t need the extra fur!

Here she is in all her glory – it took me SO many times to try to get a good picture as she was walking all over the place when we brought her back.  She is looking up at John in this picture who she adores; that’s one reason I like this one so much.  I bought her that chicken chew treat as a reward and she walked all over the house strutting her stuff and showing off her treat for about 10 minutes!  She really cracks me up – I am counting my blessings she is still with us after her November diagnosis of lung tumor.  I appreciate all the prayers that have been given up for her, they are working and God is allowing us more time with her. 

I hope you have a great week!  This may be my last post until my work/school week is over because I really need to hit the books!  Although I am averaging an A in my Med. Term. class, I’m averaging a C in my A&P class and that is just not acceptable to me!  Please pray I can focus and retain all this info and God helps me when it comes time to take my test so I remember the answers!  Thanks for stopping by today! 

Hoppy Greetings!

Remember The Wheel Thing set from a few year's ago?? Well, I still have it, and I'm glad because look how cute the chick looks in the wagon?? This card was SO fun to make (even coloring & cutting 3 sets of flowers from the set!! Don't you just love the little flower in the chick's hair? Or is it fur? I used the 'spring' from one of the other greetings in the Just so Hoppy set by Melanie and I'm having as much fun with this set as her last one!!


I've been wanting to do an image with this set where it goes 'outside' the shape. Can't remember what that's called but the Kangaroo's ears are outside of my oval (I cut with my Coluzzle). Used my traffic jam cuttlebug embossing folder. Like my new glitter paper? I was totally diggin' the last one I got (and shared with Melanie, you will see some of the same papers on her blog). But last time we went I eyed this one too. It's also from DCWV (Die Cuts With a View) it's called Nana's kids and it has all kid themed papers. So adorable! There are even a few more 'boy' with no glitter but not as many. Like how the Kangaroo is holding the egg?? Too fun!