Thursday, September 30, 2010

Thanks a Latte Sweet N Sassy

This is  my final post as a Sweet n Sassy Design Diva, and I had to take a few moments to say "thank you". I've had the best time playing with all the wonderful digis and clear stamps from SNS. There is just so much talent among this wonderful company and its designers.
I'm going to take some time out to reflect upon my crafting and reorganize my household. But I've got so many great digis and clear stamps from SNS to play with for a long, long time, and I'm looking forward to lots of play time.
For my final posting, I just had to use my most favorite little cutie--Cocoa.
You can find this little sweetie called Cocoa's Latte at the SNS store. For only $3 you get an amazing value since it can be used over and over again and enlarged or made smaller as you need. I added the sentiment by inserting a text box over the clear space in the middle. There is lots of room there for digital text or stamped sentiments.
I look forward to visiting here often to see all the beautiful creations. Happy crafting, everyone!
Cheers!
Lisa

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Bread of Life Gift set




Did I make you hungry? :) I wanted to make a special gift for my friend who is hosting a women's bible study in her home and wanted to use the Bread of Life stamp set along with some tasty treats. For my card I stamped the pretty bread image and colored it and carefully trimmed it out and then added some pretty finishing touches. While I was thinking of the cookies I wanted to make I realized that I need a somewhat large box to have them lie flat in as these cookies can't just be tossed into a bag. Then an idea hit me! My box is a cereal box with a face lift:) I took a 12 oz cereal box and glued the flap portion closed and then cut 3 sides out of the now top, of the box. I cut a window in the top flap and adhered some acetate to the inside flap and then covered the rest of the box with some pretty K&Co. paper. Once the box and cookies were made, I added a lining of wax paper and a dozen cookies fit perfectly! I tied the box closed with a strip of ribbon and had my gift ready to go! The cookies I made are super yummy if you like pumpkin, and as fall is starting to show, so I love me some pumpkin;) Here's the recipe if you want to try them, ( a tip about getting perfectly formed drop cookies, use a cookie scoop. It's like an ice cream scoop, just made for cookies;) and maybe make a few extra to bless someone with.
Chocolate Drizzled Pumpkin Cookies
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp.baking powder
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 15oz canned pumpkin
4oz melted bakers chocolate or chocolate chips with a dab of butter
Pre-heat oven to 375.
Whisk together dry ingredients. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add egg. Beat until smooth.
With mixer on low, alternately add flour and pumpkin to egg mixture. Mix until just combined. Drop cookies by the rounded Tblspn full on a greased cookie sheet. Bake until edges are lightly browned and cookies are firm to the touch, about 15-20 minutes.
Cool cookies on wire rack. Melt chocolate. With a spoon drizzle the chocolate over the tops of the cookies, refrigerate to set. Enjoy!!


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

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,

Monday, September 27, 2010

Autumn is here!


I am so happy for the cooler weather, the delicious foods, and the gorgeous colors that autumn brings. I am very blessed to live in a state where we experience all 4 seasons which I think helps me to appreciate them even more :). God in his infinite wisdom knew exactly how to bring about change at the right time and place. I am in constant awe of his amazing creation!

I just had to share a card today to celebrate this beautiful season :). I used one of our newer digital stamps, Pumpkin Patch, with a sentiment from our clear set Prayerful Thoughts.

Enjoy your day and may it be blessed beyond measure!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Customer Spotlight Sunday

Welcome to another Customer Spotlight post! This week I'm so excited to share this darling baby card, created by Jacqueline Ernst. For her card she used this sweet image from the Precious Baby stamp set, which is available for only $5.50! Isn't that an amazing price for a stamp set...love it!!

And I love Jacqueline's card! It's so perfect for a baby shower or to accompany a gift for a new bundle of joy. The colors are wonderful and the addition of the pearls and satin ribbon is the perfect accent for the image.

Jacqueline - thank you for letting us share your card today! If you'd like to have your card spotlighted, drop us a line with a link back to a card you created with Sweet 'n Sassy stamps!

Enjoy!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

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

Friday, September 24, 2010

Winter???

It must be! Cuz the penguins have their hats and scarves on!!! :-) I had so much fun tonight making this card with the adorable new Sweet n Sassy digi "Festive Penguin". The sentiment is from the "Winter Friends" clear set. Isn't he (or she?) sweet??!!

I colored my penguin with Copics and used lots of punches, a little stitching and my snowflake embossing folder. The dp is from a K&Co Mat Pack.
In other news... today is my last post on the Sweet n Sassy Digi Blog, as I'll be stepping down from the design team at the end of the month. I still plan to have loads of fun with all the wonderful SNSS digis and clear sets, but I'm finding that I just can't keep up with all my responsibilities - my husband, my home, my children, my business, a new puppy, etc, etc, etc... and all my design team work as well.

I have been *so blessed* to be a part of this team, though! Thank you, Korin, for the opportunity, and I hope to see each of you around the blogosphere!

Blessings!

Tricia

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Elegant Blessings

I have not spent much time card making lately so I did not have a brand new project to post on the blog. However, I have quite a few cards that I have not shared here with you. I was having a difficult time trying to decide what to post though and then it came to me after bible study tonight. I was so blessed at the study tonight that I knew I wanted to share a couple cards that I made using the beautiful Elegant Blessings set. I just love the crosses and sentiments found in this set!



I used the smaller of the two crosses on the first card and accented with rhinestones.



The second card features the larger cross image. I colored in the open spaces of the cross with my copic marker and then also accented with rhinestones again.



I hope you liked the cards I shared today. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a great rest of the week!

Winter Friends...

Hi everyone, it's my turn to post a card and I chose the "Winter Friends" Clear Stamp set for my creation! I just love Snowmen and birdhouses, so this stamp fits all my loves! I'm having a fabulous time this week with my sister and niece visiting, and celebrating my 50th on Friday! I hope you have a blessed week!
Hugs, Darsie

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

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!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Customer Spotlight Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone! Today I have a blast from the past to share with you...This sweet image is one of the very first Sweet 'n Sassy digi images that I downloaded, almost a year ago! It's such a cute image!! I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet but this image makes me think of Valentine's Day...

Not only is our image a blast from the past but this card was created by one of our former DT members, Micki Harper. Micki is a wonderful designer I enjoyed working with her on our team. And guess what? She's still creating lovely work with our digi images. :-) Can you guess what the name of this image is...Pucker Up! How fun is that! The digi set comes with the kissing fishes image and two sentiments for just $4.00.

As for this sweet card, I love that Micki put the fish bowl on an angle and her coloring...fabulous! I also really love the color combo (in my book you can never go wrong with orange on a card...) and the polka dot paper, a great look for a fish filled, full of water and love card!

Thanks for letting us share this card Micki!!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

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

Friday, September 17, 2010

Joyful Snowman

Is this not the cutest image ever!? I adore snowman images and this one puts a smile on my face every time I look at it! This sweety snowman (called Smiley Snowman) is available as a digital download for just $3.00! That's another reason for joy!

This is a card that I taught at a class earlier this week, where I demonstrated different card folding techniques. This is a double pocket card and inside are hiding not one but two individual cards. It's like a 3-in-1 card!


I printed out Mr. Smiley Snowman a second time and just highlighted his sweet face on the inside cards by only punching out the top portion of the image. A Merry Christmas sentiment was all that was needed to finish the inside piece. I tied a huge bow (love those big 'ol bows) around the entire card and added a sparkly snowflake sticker for a little bling. This card almost makes me long for snow...almost...

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Smile!

Today's card is just a simple one that uses the SCS sketch for the week. I used some designer paper from Me and My Big Ideas to help me choose my colors and then I colored a cute Jack 'o Lantern from the SNSS clear set "Sweet Pumpkin" for the main image. Isn't that a great sentiment?? I'll use it for a lot more than pumpkins, I'm thinking, and it's just one of a number in the set. Be sure to stop by the store and see the other fun choices for your autumn and winter crafting. Can you believe that Christmas stuff is already coming out in the stores?? Yikes!! I'd better get busy!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed day!

Tricia

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Gobble Gobble

Good Morning all, Randi here with a little Thanksgiving cheer in the form of this cute little turkey!   It is one of the stamps released a few weeks ago just in time for those Thanksgiving festivities coming up all too soon.  Gobble Gobble includes five sentiments and the image shone above.  I had a great time coloring him up with my Copic markers and placing him onto Splitcoaststampers' Sketch Challenge 294.  The sketch this week, shone below, is being hosted by our very own Korin.  Stop by SCS and see all the SNSS creations as several of the design team made a card. What a feast for the eyes!!!! I used traditional fall colors, lots of texture, and added a paper backed clear button to draw focus to the sentiment that is included in the set.  I don't know about you but he may be thankful that we are not eating him any time soon. LOL

We're having wonderful weather in my neck of the woods and my DH is getting in lots of last minute golfing before the weather turns too cold.

Have a great rest of the week,
Randi

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

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,

Monday, September 13, 2010

A Gift for Snowman


With Christmas being only a little over three months away, it's never to early to start making your Christmas Cards. And here's a cute snowman to get you started.

This is a Digi Stamp called "A Gift for Snowman".  Isn't he just the cutest!!!

I used a unique stich of mine for the Hand Stitching around the card to resemble snow flakes. OK, so maybe you have to use your imagination for this one!!!  *Ãœ*

I printed the image on my computer and colored with Copic Markers.
I then sponged around the inside of the Nestie with Desert Sand Ink then coated the snowman with Liquid Glass and applied Diamond Dust for some great sparkle. Then I applied Liquid Glass underneath the snowman and topped with  White Faux Flower Soft.

I discovered this technique a few years ago when I was trying to flatten two styrofoam Balls on the bottom by rubbing them together. The "Dust" that is left from this process I use for SNOW.  You can even color it with reinkers for flowers or what ever you want.

Have a Blessed Day,
Nancy

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Customer Spotlight Sunday

OK...so maybe Fall is in the air and Christmas is just around the corner...That fact is starting to sink in! :-) And while I may not be ready for colder weather, what could be cuter than this cold-weather, I need a cup of "Cocoa" card, created by Mandy. Mandy is a regular Sweet Stop sketch challenge participant and I squealed with delight when I saw this darling card she created a few weeks ago. I adore the bling that's been added to the cup and how about that bottom cap, what a fun embellishment!

Interested in this sweet image? Can you guess the name of it...It's Sweet Cocoa! It's a digital image and available for $3.00. Just perfect for those holiday cards! (And be sure to check out the brand new Sweet 'n Sassy web site...it rocks!)

Thanks for letting us share your card Mandy!!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

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

Friday, September 10, 2010

A Cocoa Kind of Christmas

Good morning!  Here we are enjoying the first part of the Autumn season, and I'm surrounded by beautiful Christmas cards.  It will be here before we know it, so I'm getting a head start on my cards this year.  Today I have a card to share with you that was made with the newly released A Cocoa Kind of Christmas stamp set. 
I went with very traditional colors and papers for this one, and I love the homespun, country feel to these color and paper choices.  This card just feels like Christmas to me, and now I'm one card closer.  Have you started your Christmas cards yet?  If not,  there is a wonderful variety of clear stamp sets available at the Sweet -n Sassy Stamps store, and the store has an amazing new look.  Be sure to stop by and check it out, and find out how you can save 20% off your next stamp order.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Wishing you a blessed day and happy stamping!!
 

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Cocoa's Gift

I am a little late with the post today. With the holiday on Monday, I am still a day behind lol. I love our Cocoa mouse images, they are just so adorable! One of my favorites is Cocoa's gift. It is available as both a clear stamp set and as a digi so it is very convenient. This image is great for Christmas cards, birthday cards, gift for you cards, or even for gift to me which I think you will find very versatile. Today I used it for a Christmas card, hope you like it.



I stamped the image twice- once on Neenah white and the other time on patterned paper. I paper pieced the present and colored the rest of the image with copics. I am always behind on making my holiday cards so hopefully starting early will help. Have you started on your holiday projects yet? The Sweet N Sassy store has so many holiday stamps to choose from that will suit just about anyone's taste and budget. There are silhouettes, cute line images, elegant line images, scriptures- you name it! You can check them out HERE. By the way, we have a new improved look to our website that you will want to see. There is even a 20% coupon for those of you who take a minute to let us know what you think of it.

Thanks for coming by today! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Harvest Blessings

This is a new Sweet 'n Sassy image called Harvest Blessings available in clear set form and it is gorgeous! I decided to try a different coloring technique and have found another coloring medium I love....watercoloring with Distress Inks. I found the best way to have a workable palette was too blot my ink pad onto a non pourous surface, such as a plastic lid or I used my image placing plastic square that I use with my Stampamajig. I then used a fine tipped water brush and had some paper towels near and colored away on my stamped watercolor paper. You do want to be careful not to add too much water as you will get very washed out colors and even watercolor paper can curl with too much moisture. The last little detail I did was once the image was completely dry, I went back over sections and highlighted them with a white gel pen. My little tag is from the office section on WalMart and fit the sentiment perfectly. I added a punched border and some pearls to finish it off. I hope you are having a good day and don't forget to be thankful!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

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,

Monday, September 6, 2010

Princess Kate....


It saddens me deeply to tell you that Little Kate Thornton is now safe in the arms of Jesus. She passed away on 9/5/10 at 6am. Her pain and suffering are now over. Please pray for the Thornton family as they mourn the passing of their precious little girl.

Please consider sending your condolences to Kate's family....
The Thornton Family
c/o Kisses4Kate
PO Box 2266
Jamestown NC 27282

Despite Kate's home-going we will still be collecting funds for her family through the sale of this digital stamp. Please consider purchasing it and using it so others might know of brave little Princess Kate.

Thank you for your prayers and support for the Thornton family!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Customer Spotlight Sunday

Greetings!! Raise your hand if you participated in this week's Blog Hop...What fun! I had a wonderful time creating with the new Christmas stamps!! Part of the Blog Hop included a few challenges; one of them was using non-traditional Christmas colors on a card. When I was poking around, looking at posts, I found this lovely card created by Mary Mahey. Mary managed to create a card for each of the challenges - way to go!!

So I have become a huge fan of pink on Christmas cards...I just love it (that and purple, light blue...fabulous!) And I love Mary's pick of designer paper...see those cute reindeer? And how about that bling-y brad...Darling! Mary used a sweet Cocoa image for her card, this one is called Cheese for Cocoa. What could make a mouse happier than a big 'ol hunk of cheese!

Mary, thanks so much for letting us showcase your card today and for playing along with our Blog Hop challenges!!

Enjoy!

Saturday, September 4, 2010

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

Friday, September 3, 2010

Sew Prayerful

Hello friends! Today's card uses one of my favorite Cocoa digis, Sew Happy Cocoa, which is also available in clear stamp form. I think I like him so much because I love to cross stitch and quilt as well as stamp. And isn't that sentiment from the new clear set Prayerful Thoughts perfect? I colored Cocoa with Copics and added some pretty lace from Grandma. And I even found an old buckle in my stash. How fun! BTW, have you made your cards for the challenges yet? You have an excellent chance to win a free set just by playing along!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Blessings!

Tricia


Thursday, September 2, 2010

Christmas Itty Bitties

Wasn't it a fantastic blog hop yesterday? There was so much great inspiration from the DT members! One of my favorite sets from the new release is the Christmas Itty Bitties set. It contains 6 adorable images and they are perfect for making CAS cards. The images are just over an inch and are so quick and easy to color. I have 2 cards to show you today.

The first card I featured on my blog yesterday and it is the sample for the sketch challenge that is part of the blog hop festivities. I was of the divas hosting a challenge with the prize being the itty bitties set.



It was a pretty simple card to make- I stamped 4 of the images from the set onto squares that were die cut, colored them with copics and accented with stickles.



The second card was made by stamping the gingerbread image 6 times. I colored them and cut out 3 of the gingerbread men and popped them up over the other 3. I used clear rhinestones as accents for the buttons.

I bet you can see that this set is a must have right? It has many possibilities- gift tags, ornaments, cards, you name it! If you have not already purchased it (what are you waiting for lol) you have a chance to win it by playing along with the sketch challenge I am hosting. You have until Saturday Sept 4th to enter and you can get the details on my personal blog post.

So glad you could drop in today- hope your day is filled with many blessings!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

BLOG HOP DAY!

September is here and that means NEW STAMPS at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! And new stamps mean a BLOG HOP full of inspiration, challenges and prizes!

If you are starting here then you came to the right place because this is where the fun begins!

We've released 10 amazing new clear sets today and we are so thrilled to share them with you :)! Before you start hopping along the eye candy trail, let me tell you how this hop will work.....

You will hop to each of the DT blogs (below) to see what these talented ladies have done with our new release, but be sure to read their posts carefully because you might find a surprise along the way......

----- Three of our Design Divas are hosting a challenge on their blogs. For each challenge you participate in, you will be entered to win a FREE stamp set from our new release! If you enter all three challenges, not only will you have the chance to win 3 different sets, BUT you will also be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to the SNSS store!! NOTE: Challenge details will be included in the DT hostess blog post.

----- One of our Design Divas will be sharing a special 1-day-only coupon code to the SNSS store which can be used to save you $$$ on your favorite new releases!

Are you excited to get hopping?!?!?!

Here is a list of the blogs you'll want to visit:


Happy hopping and may the MOJO be with you :)!!