A Friend in Need

Hi everyone :) Just before Christmas my friend and former design team leader (CDStamps) Katie Renz was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. Because she has been sharing her story with us on her blog, I will let you read her day to day challenges as written by Katie herself.

Katie has friends all over the web and a friend of hers, a lady by the name of Jak Heath who is in the UK gathered some of us together to create a large grouping of digital images in order to raise funds to help pay for some of Katie's medical expenses.

I was lucky enough to be able to donate a set of digital images called Recipe For Love and this set will be found in the grouping with countless illustrators that are very well known for their digital images and their stamps :) You will only be able to purchase this set from Jak Heath's blog and all proceeds will go to Katie.

If you have a moment could you please hop on over to Jak's blog and see if you can help by donating - you will come a way with many gorgeous images that are exclusive to this cause. We would love it if you were to help spread the word because everything goes to help my friend and truly amazing woman, Katie.

Thank you for your time and have a great day :)

TSG Sneak Peek - Dream a new dream

Hi all! I just wanted to quickly pop in and let you know that the There She Goes sneak peek hop is going on today for Chris Dark's newest set called Dream a new dream and today's blog hop challenge starts over at her blog :D

Dream A New Dream is a 6x8 stamp set that includes a total of 18 of stamps and will sell for $24.

Would you like a chance to win the Dream A New Dream stamp set? Here’s what you need to do: go to each of the Trendsetter’s Blogs and leave a comment on their Dream A New Dream Blog Hop Challenge post. After you have finished checking out the eye candy and have left some love, return to the TSG Blog to add your name to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this Blog Hop Challenge post. A winner will be chosen randomly using a random number generator to receive their very own Dream A New Dream stamp set. The winner will be announced Saturday (the 28th) during the Release Party Chat.

I apologize for not having anything for you to see today, but I promise that I will make it up to you all tomorrow with something kinda special that I have created. So won't you come back and join me then? I hope to see you then and happy hopping :D

TSG Sneak Peek - The Journey

Welcome to day one of the There She Goes sneak peek blog hops! If you have arrived here from the uber talented Jodi's blog then you are right where you should be...if not, please start at the beginning over at Chris's blog :D

Today, I get to share with you a set called The Journey that was illustrated by Chris Dark. This is an Asian based set with all kinds of goodies in it. I chose to use the very zen candle, polished stones and orchid image. Everything was water coloured with my tombow markers and a water brush. I then added some sponged edges with some Ranger Distress and SU inks. I also added some pencil cray shading with my prismas and gamsol to give it a little extra "oomph" ;) I chose to stay with a more simple layout so that my image was the main feature and to keep with a spa feeling.



Now that you have visited my, you are off to the amazing Lisa's Blog to finish off the rest of the hop and then hit the finish line over at the There She Goes blog for your chance to win! Don't forget to leave a comment for everyone along the way! Happy hopping and thanks for stopping by today :)





Card Recipe:

Stamps: There She Goes - The Journey
Paper: Gina K, Black, Water Colour, Bella Bld DP, Basic Grey DP
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress Antique Linen, Cocoa
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Spellbinders Labels Dies, Button, Ribbon (CDStamps) Tombow Dual Brush Pens, Water Brush, Sponges, Pop Dots, Prismas and Gamsol

TSG Sneak Peek - Dadisms

It's time for another There She Goes sneak peek! This time I have a set that is perfect for the upcoming Father's Day celebrations :) This set is called Dadisms and not only honors the father figures in your lives, but kind of makes fun of them too....in a good way, I promise! LOL This set has a few cheeky sentiments in it that will make you smile for sure ;)



We are hoping that you will join us in hopping today for sneak peeks and a chance to win this very stamp set - Dadisms! All you have to do is start hopping from the beginning from Danielle's blog and follow along leaving a comment for everyone along the way :) If you have already started the hop and arrived here from the very sweet Miss Jodi's blog then you are in the right place!




Now after making this card and standing back to take a photo, I noticed that it looks very similar to yesterday's card! This happened totally by mistake I can assure you! The original papers that I pick out (and cut up) to use were lime green, baja and grey....lets just say that it just wasn't floatin' my boat. So, out came my much loved pack of Granola Basic Grey DP...who knew that I would subliminally pic the same sort of papers as yesterday? It must mean that I think that they are totally fabulous! ;)

Now that you have visited my, you are off to the talented Lisa's Blog to finish off the rest of the hop and then hit the finish line over at the There She Goes blog for your chance to win! Happy hopping and thanks for stopping by today :)

Card Recipe:

Stamps: There She Goes - Dadisms
Paper: Gina K, Black, Kraft, Water Colour, Basic Grey Granola DP
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Caramel, Chocolate, Blue, Navy
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Spellbinders Circle Dies, Sponges, Tombow Dual Brush Pens, Water Brush, Pop Dots, Brads, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Clear Embossing Powder

TSG Sneak Peek - By the Sea

Are you all ready for another TSG blog hop? I thought so! This time we are hopping for sneak peeks and a chance to win this very stamp set - By the Sea! All you have to do is start hopping from the beginning from Chris's blog and follow along leaving a comment for everyone along the way :) If you have already started the hop and arrived here from the lovely and talented Jodi's blog then my dears, you are in the right place!



This card is from the brand new By the Sea set and is the perfect set for all of those seaside scenery cards that you are dying to make :) The set has realistic images and a variety of them to boot ;) I first water coloured the adirondack chair and palm tree with my tombow markers and then cut them out. I then die cute the shape with my nestabilities, used my actual die as a mask and then sponged in the "view". I added some pop dots and placed the images in the center and built up the rest of my card using some eyelets and some nautical-like twine.



Now that you have seen this sweet little note card you are off to the amazing Lisa's Blog to finish off the rest of the hop and then hit the finish line over at the There She Goes blog for your chance to win! Have a blast and thanks for stopping by today :)

Card Recipe:

Stamps: There She Goes - By the Sea
Paper: Gina K, Black, SU DP, Water Colour
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Baja, Cocoa, Chocolate, Caramel, Pacific Point, Navy
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Spellbinders Dies, Sponges, Pop Dots, Tombow Markers, Water Brush, Eyelets, Twine, Clear Embossing Powder.

A TSG Birthday Blog Hop - SURPISE!

Don'tcha just love surprises? Well I do, so here I am today with the rest of the There She Goes girls to shout out a big 'ole HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fearless leader Miss Jessica Knutsen!!! It's Jessica's birthday today, so the the girls all decided to get together to shower both Jessica and yourselves with a blog hop of really fabulous goodies ;)

If you have arrived here from Donna's blog then you are in the right place, if not then please start at the beginning over at Chris's blog ;) We want to be able to send you on a cruise of eye candy before you end the hop to send Jessica some wonderful birthday wishes ;)





This is a little 5x5 journal that I picked up to alter and ended up changing out the O-Wires to match as well. I created the front panel, inner panel and a backing to really personalize it with the Aim for the Clouds set. I cut out all the strips of designer paper and adhered them together to mimic the main image of the rolling hills and skyline because I think that it kind of adds that little sumpin', sumpin' to the whole shebang ;)

The image is water coloured (as always) with my tombow dual brush pens and a water brush and then only the hot air balloon was popped up because I was afraid that too much dimension would get smooshed when using the journal ;)

I hope you enjoyed our little birthday hop and now you can continue on to Mercy's blog to see all the yumminess that she has in store for you :)

Jessica, I hope that you have a fantastic birthday filled with wonderful family, friends, laughter and fond memories to follow :) Happy Birthday Girlie!

Journal Recipe:

Stamps: There She Goes - Aim for the Clouds
Paper: Black, Water Colour, SU DP, My Mind's Eye DP, October Afternoon DP
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Olive, Mustard, Baja
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Spellbinders Lg Circle Dies, Circle Scissors Plus, Journal, Bind it All, O-Wires, Tombow Markers, Water Brush, Brads, Clear Embossing Powder, Pop Dots, Sponges

Last Day for TSG Sneak Peeks!

Hi again ladies! I just wanted to pop back in and to let you all know that today is the last day of the TSG sneak peeks. If you swing on by the TSG Blog and follow along with the hop of sneak peeks today, you can enter yourself to win this fun Domestic Goddess set that is being previewed! All the Blog Hop info and contest details can be found here.

Have fun and make sure to leave lots of love for all the girls along the way ;) This part time DT girl has deadlines to get back to so hopefully I will see you back here in a day or two for some more stampin' goodness :)

Sneaky Peeks

I ladies! I just wanted to pop in and to let you all know that there will be sneak peeks going on for the next 3 days by There She Goes! If you swing on by the TSG Blog and follow along with the hop of sneak peeks today, you can enter yourself to win the Daily Grind set that is being previewed! All the Blog Hop info and contest details can be found here.

I will be previewing a card tomorrow, so come on back and see me then! Have fun along the Hop :)

We are hoppin' with Skipping Stones!

Ok ladies, so now that you have seen my posts using Skipping Stones Designs all throughout the month of December, how about celebrating the official opening of Heather's new store and welcoming 2 new members to their DT with a blog hop, TONS of blog candy and a SALE? I thought you might like that! lol




Here's how it works...if you happened to stumble upon my blog and haven't started at the beginning then start your journey from Angela's Sparkle and Bling blog. Once you arrive there, simply enjoy the creations using the Skipping Stones Designs Stamps and leave a few comments along the way to enter yourself in every one's blog candy then follow the links to the next blog in the line-up.

If you guys are super sleuths then you will notice that there are 4 stamp sets (new stamp sets not yet released) are be hidden along the hop, but we’re not telling you where *insert wicked grin here* so be sure to leave some love as you hop!!! The more comments you leave the better your chances of winning are! The winners will be announced on Friday January 8th over at Skipping Stones Design!



My card for this hop is eerily similar to the one I made for the SSD01 sketch (I know). But it's not my fault I can assure you! My gram loved the card that I made so much, that she asked me to make one similar to it using the same papers for her BFF's birthday! How could I refuse? To my credit, I did change it up a little for you guys ;)

So are you all ready to hear about the SALE that is happening and all about my blog candy? First off, Heather is offering 25% off all stamps today and tomorrow (Jan 5 & 6) as well as free shipping on orders over $30 including international purchases!! Secondly, I would just like to say....feast your eyes upon this.....


I can already hear to ooooohhhhing and aaawwwing! This my dears is 3 sets of 4x6 stamps that I will be giving away to 1 lucky winner!!!! All you have to do is leave me a little lovin' in the comment department and I will post the winner here on January 8th! Easy peasey, lemon squeezy!

So now it's your turn to get ready, set....and HOP to your next stop to revel over Erin's creation at:

Erin Grotegut over at Inky Smiles

Thanks for joining me and don't forget to have some fun along the way!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Skipping Stones Design - Margarita Birthday, SU Baroque Motifs
Paper: Gina K, Chocolate, Watercolour, Basic Grey DP, Autumn Leaves DP?
Ink: Black, Mustard, Caramel, Burgundy, Chocolate
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Pop Dots, Sponges, Pearls, Ribbon, Designer Tag Punch, Crystal Effects, Tombow Markers, Water Brush, Lined Thread, Eyelet

Spreading a little love with a blog hop!

A little while ago I was incredibly saddened by a story that I had heard on the news about a vicious attack on a family leaving a mother dead and her 11 year old daughter struggling for life. I then recently came across a thread in the SCS forums looking for volunteers to spread a little love and hope to the little girl - Jaimie Cates while she is both recovering from her physical wounds in the hospital and grieving for her mother. You see, a small group of wonderful ladies organized a blog hop in order to raise awareness of violence and to hopefully flood Jaimie with cards of prayers and well wishes for her recovery and the challenges that she still faces. Here is the story behind today's post:

On October 4^th, 4 teenagers armed with knives broke into a home in a small town in New Hampshire. Alone and sleeping inside were a mother and her 11 year old daughter. These 4 boys broke into this home with the intent to rob and kill anyone inside. They stabbed the mom, Kimberly Cates, to death and left her daughter, Jaimie, for dead in their driveway. It was a completely random act, their home was chosen only due to its secluded surroundings."

Our hope is that everyone hopping around today will stop for a moment and think about Jaimie and her father and what life must be like for them now. One moment in time has changed their lives forever. We are asking that everyone reading this message please take a moment to make a card and send it off to Jaimie. You can make something very simple or much more involved, but please share some words of hope and love and let her know that people do care and want the best for her. Please send your card to the address below:



To find our more about how you can help and links to the newscasts, please visit the Stamp Something for Jaimie blog. There will be prizes but most of all...appreciation for anyone who can help to brighten a little girl's day...even for just a second :o)

Let the blog hop begin! If you arrived here from Deena's Blog then you are in the right place! If not, please start hopping from the beginning at Katherina's Blog.




This is my card for Jaimie. I wanted a whimsical image with a simple little "thinking of you" sentiment and I chose to used a Penny Black image mostly because they always make me smile and hopefully this card will put a smile on Jaimie's face.

I used this week's CPS card sketch to jump start the direction that this card would take. The goose has been water coloured with tombow markers, cut out and paper toled, and most of the designer papers have been run through my 'bug. I ended up going with some spring colours because they are cheery and they fit right in with my image ;o)




We would love for you all to join the rest of us blog hoppers by making a card to send to Jaimie Cates! Don't forget that your card can be as simple or as detailed as you like because every good thought is appreciated and will show Jaimie that she has alot of support from people that care all around the world :o)

Now get your pogo sticks ready and hop on over to Tanjii's Blog and don't forget to have fun along the way! Thanks for joining me here and we will see you at the finish line ;)


Card Recipe:

Stamps: Penny Black, Clear Dollar Stamps - Moosing You
Paper: Gina K, Olive, Water Colour, My Mind's Eye DP, Basic Grey DP, K&Co Dp
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Pink, Olive, Mustard
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Nestabilities, Sponges, Clear Embossing Powder, Aqua Painter, Tombow Markers, Pop Dots, Ribbon, Eyelets, WW Punch, Designer Punch, Piercing Tool