Winter Love

So did you all survive the Christmas Holiday? I survived mine and I must say that I really enjoyed kicking back and just enjoying friends and family even though the week before Christmas was all a frenzied blur. Today I heard that stores were going to be open at 6am for after Christmas sales! Really?! I looked at my loved ones all around me and just thought I have everything I need right in this room.

I can't believe that December is almost gone and I must give a BIG thanks to Sandy for posting for me in my frenzied state of mind last Saturday. The second card you see is what should have been posted last Saturday. It is called Gone Fishing and it along with the Be Mine Cocoa can be found in the SNS digi store. Which leads to the first card that uses the adorable Be Mine Cocoa. Valentine's Day will be here before we know it so let's get a head start. Both cards are colored with copic markers and I mostly pulled papers from my scrap bin...one of my New Year's resolutions.

I just want to take a minute to thank Korin and Sandy for having me as a Guest DT and congrats to the new upcoming DT. I really appreciate this opportunity and look forward to seeing the upcoming inspiration. It has been an absolute pleasure.

The Greatest Gift is Jesus!

Merry Christmas Eve!! Can you believe the special day for which we've all long been planning and waiting is just about here? I hope you've been able to get everything done you wanted to. I still have a few things to do today before my hubby's family joins us for dinner tonight, but for the most part I'm ready to just relax and enjoy the next couple of days!

We have two fun new digi releases for you today, both of which will be perfect for those Valentine's Day cards you'll no doubt be wanting to make in the near future -- Be Mine Cocoa (which Sandy shared a beautiful sneak peek of on Saturday!!) and Valentine's Sentiments. Both are available to purchase in the online store today. (NOTE: Although the main store is closed for the holidays until January 4th, digis can still be purchased and downloaded during this time.) While you're there, be sure to check out the new seasonal digi bundles that Korin has put together for you. There are three digi bundles available, each containing over a dozen different images/sets for a value price of just $25.

Now, because it's Christmas Eve, instead of sharing a project today made with this week's new releases, I'm instead sharing a card that celebrates the first and greatest Christmas gift ever given -- the birth of Jesus. Over 2000 years ago, God gifted us with His only son, to be a light in a dark world by which each and every person for ages to come might see and know His love for them. Talk about perfect gifts!!! Sometimes, in the craziness of holiday preparations, I think we forget that that was the gift that started it all -- the very reason we celebrate Christmas today. So, I just wanted to share something today, as we prepare to celebrate with our loved ones, to help us all remember. :-)

About the card: the layout is the sketch from this week's sketch challenge at Splitcoast Stampers (turned on it's side) . The image and greeting are from the lovely Greatest Gift digi set illustrated by Chris Dickinson. The designer papers are from the Wassail collection by Basic Grey (my all-time favorite Christmas papers!!) I colored the images with Copic (flesh tones) and Prismacolor markers, and added a couple of highlights with a white gel pen. The poinsettia is a premade flower by Petaloo.

I know I speak for the entire team here at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps in wishing you a very merry Christmas. I pray that your holiday is filled with love and happiness, that you are surrounded by family and friends, and that you enjoy every moment of this special day. God bless you!!!

Gone Fishing...for more than they bargained for!

Hello Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Stampers!! I hope you all are ready for Christmas. Can you believe it's only a few days away! Ladies, if your hubby has left his Christmas shopping until the last minute, let him know about the Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Bundles on sale now!! These are a fabulous bargain. You will get over $30.00 worth of images for only $25.00!! Easy shopping for the men, great images for you to create with...what could be better?! Don't miss out on these bundles.

So, my card today features the image "Gone Fishing". I just LOVE this image by Korin Sutherland!! This bear and penguin are so cute together. This image is so versatile. I love that it can make a great masculine card...which I have to admit, I struggle with. Does anybody else have a hard time with these? You could also use this one for a friendship card, birthday card, winter card...the possibilities are endless! Have a look:

Now, when I saw this image my wheels started turning. I was thinking how funny it would be for this pair to be ice fishing in a teeny tiny hole...but they have no idea what they are about to catch! So, I drew in this killer whale...or orca...whatever you prefer! Just imagine the look on their faces when they try to reel in their catch! (you might need a bigger bucket boys!). I tried to capture the same feel that Korin creates with her adorable characters...her illustrations are so cute! The image was coloured with Copic markers. I also broke out the Polar White Flower soft for the snow on this image. The sky was created with a cloud mask and Memento Summer Sky ink. Finally, I coated the underwater scene with Glossy Accents.

I would just like to take this chance to wish you all a Christmas season full of wonderful moments you will treasure for years to come! God bless you and your family as we celebrate the birth of His son!

Melanie

New Digi Design Team

We are so excited to announce our Digi Design Team! We have some wonderful talent that we are adding and can't wait for them to show you all that they have in store for you.

Starting January 1st, each day you will see some wonderful posts by the different members of our team. We will have two Guest DT each month and also a chance for you all to participate in our Sunday Spotlight!

Our DT Members are:

Deedee Anderson

Nicole Anderson

Sandy Domelle

Micki Harper

Melanie Holtz

Lynne Jardine

I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!!!

Monday is here and you know what that means, right?  AGK, Christmas is just four days away!  Are you practicing your lines for the Christmas play?  Are you baking to your little heart's content?  Are you finished shopping?  NO?  You still aren't done?  You forgot to pick up that hippopotamus you promised, didn't you?  HAHA!

Well, if I have lost you by now, don't feel bad!  I thought I was the only one on earth that hadn't heard the hippopotamus song!  Actually, I STILL haven't heard it, but will post the link to it anyways!  I am sure it can't be a 'bad' one, as Korin wouldn't have designed a stamp for a crude song, of course!  So, if you would like to hear it click HERE!

My fun little card is using Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps new digi "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" that was released last week!  Isn't this fella cute?  I colored him in using my Copics and paired it with some Eskimo Kisses Basic Grey paper and Prima flowers!  Pretty, don't you think?  OH, and I guess I should mention that this is a POCKET card using The Sweet Stop Sketch Blog's Sketch #SSS35 for this week!  I trifolded my card, so that there would be a pocket inside to hold some gift cards or a cash-present!  Click on over there next to play along!  There's even a PRIZE this week!!  An early Christmas gift, if you will!

ENJOY your MONDAY!

Be Mine?

Thursday was Digi Day on the PCP group and if you played along with the challenge you were given next week's digi, this super sweet Be Mine Cocoa. Cocoa has been popping up in all sorts of things the past couple months and I love how he is ready for Valentines.

I have made so many Christmas cards lately that taking a break and working on something new has been a lot of fun. The only thing is that you can't find too many Valentine type papers out yet so I had to dig through my scrap bin to find hearts! My buttons really are the shade of my red bow but for some reason when I took the picture they appear darker. I also used my Nesties and then saw a paper doily and it layered perfectly behind the Nesties.

Be sure to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy store and check out the Christmas Digi Bundle you don't want to miss it.

Also, I have Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Blog Candy if you want to stop by my personal blog....HERE!

Winter Love

Good Morning and Happy Saturday!!!

I'm helping Mary get her post up today and she has this fabulous card made with our SNS Winter Love digi.

Hmmm.... I get to even tell you what I love best about her card. Well, that's not easy because I do love the layout, the colors, the papers, and the super cute ribbon! But I also love the way she colored the image! Just one great card!

I have some great news too! The Sweet 'n Sassy store has a Christmas Digi Bundle that you don't want to miss. You say, "I'm done with Christmas cards!" That's okay, buy them now at this wonderful deal and you have them ready for next year.... or for Christmas in July!

Well, I'm so excited about the deal that even though it is late Friday night, I am going ahead and posting this instead of scheduling it for Saturday morning. So my Happy Saturday is now, Happy Friday night!

Enjoy your weekend!