Blasting Off

Is it already the end of September?? How has an entire month gone by already? At this rate we will be celebrating Christmas in about a week! No I am not trying to rush the season, but man has this month flown by! I guess that is just what happens when you are having fun and being one of the September Guest Designers here was definitely fun!!

So since I will be blasting out of here with this post, I thought it only fitting to break out the adorable rocket from the Little Boy Toys set.

I used the latest Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #75 (have you checked it out...cuz' if you haven't you definitely should!!). My rocket is obviously blasting out into space with a starry sky (maybe space) background. I think that this card can still be for a boy even with the sparkly ribbon and rhinestones....right?!

Well thanks for hanging out with me during the Tuesdays of September and thank you to Kim and Korin for giving me the opportunity to play! I had a "blast" (pun totally intended)!

God Bless,

Andrea (Crafty Engineering)

Feeling Blue

Good Morning friends!  I hope you had a great week.  If I may take just a moment to ask you to say a little prayer for me - I have a job interview on Monday and I really need this, so I'd really appreciate if you'd remember me in your daily talk with the Lord.  This is also my last week as Guest Designer and I really want to thank Kim and Korin for having given me this opportunity to share my love for Sweet n Sassy Stamps with you.

The card I have to share with you today is using the September Morning Glory stamp set.  I don't think I've ever used this much blue on a card before.  But it worked, I think.

I pulled inspiration from the sketch from Friday Sketchers and just really had a lot of fun watching how this card evolved.  My first thoughts were to add some stitching but that idea was abandoned when I pulled out some different paper.  It always amazes me how my cards can take on a life of their own and decide how they're going to look.

I hope that you have enjoyed my cards that I've shared with you this past month.  I really loved every moment of it!

Many hugs & blessings,
Melissa

Planes and Butterflies

So I am back to health, completed my half marathon (walked it) and have come through as promised. Since I didn't have something new for you last week, I made up for that and also made my as planned new card for this week. So first up is my make-up from last week.

I have loved the Little Boy Toys set since I first saw it...how can you not love the little plane and rocket in the set (and then there is a truck too!). I watercolored my plane and added a little silver gel pen accents. I then cut it out and popped it up over top of a sky of shades of blue scallops. The card was then finished with the stamped greeting in the corner, ribbon, and a button with a little silver cording.

The second card I have for you today uses the current Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #74 (with a spin of Deep Red and Mustard colors) and the ever beautiful set, Everyday Miracles. I know I have said it before, but I love the butterflies in this set! Once again a I watercolored the butterfly so that it went from a deep red to orange to mustard yellow. This was then cut out and popped up on a circle that I randomly stamped the same butterfly in the three colors. Then I stamped the greeting and set it off with a scalloped circle and some black rhinestones.

See you back here next Tuesday!

Andrea (Crafty Engineering)

Beautiful Sihouettes

Good Morning!  I hope you all had a fantastic week and that the weekend holds good things for you.  Today's card I have to share with you is part of my collection of cards that I'm doing lately called "One Postage Stamp, Please."  These are cards that contain no bumpies that require extra postage when mailing.  I am doing this collection of cards to send to Operation Write Home.

This card features a stamp set that I love so much!  It's called Serene Sihouettes and its perfect for the technique that I wanted to try.  Using some glossy white card stock, baby wipes and re-inkers I created this sunrise background.  Then stamped over that with Memento Tuxedo Black.  The cool thing about stamping on glossy card stock is that the ink doesn't dry quickly so I used clear embossing powder and my heat gun to set the ink.

I know that there are many challeges around that are sponsoring for Operation Write Home.  Help our soldiers stay in touch with their families, especially now because the Holiday Season is quickly approaching.  If you do join in this effort, please remember to not use glitter on your cards.

Have a great weekend.  Thank you for stopping by!
Many hugs & blessings,
Melissa

Welcome Baby Again

I have to apologize first and foremost! I have been sick and barely able to function for the last three nights (which is when I do my stamping) and I am suppose to be walking a half marathon this weekend which is making me rest more than I normally would so I can be better for it, so I do not have anything new for you today...hopefully though this card may be new to some of you! I am sorry for not having something new, but I promise to have two new cards for you next week to make up for it!

This used the Precious Baby Digi Stamp which was printed on white cardstock and minimally colored with a blender pen and ink pads...a good technique for us non-pro colorers! The sentiment, unfortunately is not from the digi stamp, but the Precious Baby Clear Stamp Set has some awesome greetings that would have totally fit in my circle (wish I had it when I made this card!). So a sweet and fairly simple baby card!

Like I said, next week I will have two cards for you!

Off to bed I go,

Andrea (Crafty Engineering)

Because You're You

Good Morning Friends!  I hope you have had a fabulous week.  Don't you just love it when someone sends you a card that it's greeting is "Because You're You."  I think its a great feeling when a friend loves me so much for just me and no other reasons.

The card I have to share with you today is one that features my favorite mouse of all, Cocoa.  It also features a sentiments from one of the best monthly flower sets, Poppies & Greetings.

Now, you'll have to forgive the photo.  My sister sent me a studio-in-a-box for my birthday and I'm still trying to figure out the best lighting angles in which to place the lights.  I'm a work in progress!  LOL  Anyway, I just really want to inspire you to create something from your heart to someone else's.

I wish you a Happy Saturday.  Be sure to check out the new design of the store and then pop on over to The Sweet Stop for a great sketch, lots of eye candy and inspiration.

Many hugs & blessings,
Melissa

Change is Good

Hi there! This is Andrea Vernagus signing in for my first assignment as one of September's Guest Designers. First let me say, how truly excited and honored I am to be here! I had the pleasure of working with Korin on the Sweet Stop Sketch side so I am excited to get to play with more Sweet n' Sassy images!

I chose to use the Everyday Miracles set...I actually needed a good butterfly set and this one is even better with some amazing sentiments! My butterflies were stamped in Black Stazon and watercolored using ink pads and an aquabrush. The layout for the card is from the current Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #72...if you haven't yet, you should definitely participate! I have a hard time creating without a sketch and Korin's are some of the best!

Thanks for joining me and I will see you back here every Tuesday for the month of September! Can't wait!!

Off I Go,

Andrea (Crafty Engineering)

Princess Kate

Hello everyone! I'm Melissa Craig, one of the September Guest Designers. I am thrilled to have been given this opportunity to join this very talented team this month.

I had started to make another card to share with you, that I'll share later on this month, but my plans changed when I received an email from Korin about a very special digi stamp she designed to help out a sweet little girl named Kate Thornton. You can read all about Kate here and you can help her by purchasing this adorable digi named Princess Kate.

Korin did a wonderful job with this image - it exudes the same sweetness and innocence that photos of Kate exudes as well.

I look forward to spending Saturdays with you this month. Thanks for stopping by!

Many hugs & blessings
Melissa

September Guest Designers

Hey, hey, it's September!! How did that happen? Well the arrival of a new month means the arrival of two new guest designers! This month we're pleased to have Andrea Vernagus and Melissa Craig. Below is more information about both of our guest designers but first we have to say good-bye to our lovely August designers, Monika Davis and Cheryl Gorka. Both of you provided us with amazing artwork this month, thank you so much!

And here's a bit more about our September designers:

My name is Andrea Vernagus and I am wife to my wonderful husband, Kevin, of almost 12 years and mother to two pretty cute kids, Elijah and Adilane. I am a stamper, scrapbooker, crafter in general, housekeeper, chef of the house, chauffeur for my children, Praise Band singer for my church, Sunday School Song Leader, photographer of my family, and landscaper. I have been stamping since around 1997 when I took a class at a local craft store with a friend and started making my own Christmas cards, but I didn't get fully addicted until I became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator in 2002. Since then, I have enjoyed making mostly cards, but also some scrapbook pages and various other projects and teaching classes. This year I decided to leave Stampin' Up! and have enjoyed the freedom to explore different product lines and awesome stamp companies. I was a Sugar Baby for the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge Blog for six months, have been a "Makeup Artist" for the Paper Makeup Stamps Design Team since July, actually managed to get a card published in the March/April 2010 edition of Paper Crafts (and I have one in the Jan/Feb 2011 edition coming up!). Oh and I am technically a Mechanical Engineer by trade (graduated from University of Michigan), although I traded in my HP calculator for diapers when my daughter was born, but it is hard to shake some of those engineering tendencies! Come and check out my kind of engineering on my blog.

My name is Melissa Craig, I am a child of God, first and foremost. Without Him I never would've been able to endure the trials that came my way the beginning of this year. I am a mother of three amazing children that keep me very busy. I have been a papercrafter for over 12 years now and I've loved every minute of it. I have enjoyed crafts for as long as I can remember. When I'm not busy playing with paper, markers and images, you can find me either watching cooking shows or cooking or reading. You can see more of Melissa's work on her blog.

Please join me in welcoming Andrea and Melissa to the team this month!