CSS Inspiration Hop

Hello and welcome to our final blog hop as the CSS Alumni Group. For our final hop we have a bright and snowy photo to use as our inspiration.

I took the colors and the abundant snow as my inspiration and used an older set called Winter Friends to make this Christmas card.

I hope you have time to travel the entire blog hop. Hopefully you came from Lori McAree's blog. If not, please start at the beginning over at StampTV and stop by all the CSS Alumni member's blogs to see how they were inspired by our snowy photo.

And...

Make sure to leave a comment as you go along because we will choose a random comment and that stamper will win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! Look for the announcement on Tuesday, December 24.

If you came from Lori's blog then your next stop is...

Miesje Flach

CSS Spring Has Sprung Hop

It's time again for another CSS Alumni Blog Hop. If you are following the hop from the beginning you should have come from Lori's blog. If not, you will want to start over at StampTV.com and see what all CSS Alumni have created for the challenge.

Our theme for this hop is Spring Has Sprung. Of course when most people think of spring they think of flowers. I think of my favorite flower of all time, a simple white daisy. I cut the petal layers using a Silhouette cut file. The center is a circle stamped with the dotted image from the set Lovely Ladybug. The sentiment is also from that same set. I used the Sketch #432 from SplitCoastStampers for this week. I thought it was perfect to allow the flower take center stage. The photo is a little blurry, the flower looks so stunning in real life. I think I will make a whole bunch of these flowers and put them in a vase to admire.

Now head over to Miesje's blog to see what Springy creation she has to share.

CSS Sketch Challenge

Today I am sharing a sketch card for the CSS Alumni blog hop. You most likely came from Miesje's blog. If not you should head over to StampTV and start from the beginning of the blog hop to see what everyone in the group has made with this sketch.

I used the cute set You Say Goodbye, And I Say Ello. I flipped the sketch to make it work for my card.

Now hop over to Lori's blog to see what she made with the sketch.

Make sure to leave a comment as you go along because we will choose a random comment and that stamper will win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! Look for the announcement on Tuesday, April 16.

CSS Alumni Color Challenge Hop

It's time again for a StampTV Center Stage Alumni blog hop. Several of the members of the CSS Alumni DT are sharing their projects for this hop. You most likely came from Lori's blog. If you did not, then please make sure you hop over to StampTV to start at the beginning. You will want to leave comments along the way for a chance to win some FREE stuff. And with our wallets being pretty empty this time of year, who doesn't want a chance to win some free stamp supplies. Get the details below.

This month we were challenged to make a Christmas Card with non-traditional Christmas colors. That means no Red and no Green. I decided to use Purple, Gray and White.

My inspiration for the colors came from paper in a My Minds Eye 6x6 pad called Christmas Wish. There are some fun papers that have purples, grays and blues. So I what is more non-Christmas traditional than purple. I also used a stamp from a set that was not made for Christmas. The square stamp with the beautiful flourish is from the set called Block Greetings illustrated by Tami Mayberry. The sentiment is from one of the past StampTV Kits called Holiday Greetings.

Make sure to leave a comment as you hop along because on Friday morning (December 21), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs and that person will receive a huge grab bag of fabulous Gina K. Designs Stamps!

Now head over to Miesje's blog to see what she has to share.

Show Me The Stamps Holiday Kickoff

Welcome to the Show Me the Stamps Holiday Kick Off.  Several of the Gina K Designs Illustrators have brought together their design teams and guests for a lineup of fun and exciting things to share using their stamps. We also want to help you celebrate the holidays in style with some Gina K Design stamps!

PRIZE #1 For this hop the Gina K Designs Illustrators will be giving away a $50 gift certificate to the Gina K Designs store!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on each Illustrator’s blog.

Want an extra entry?

Become a blog follower of any of the illustrators and leave a comment letting them know you did. That’s up to 8 chances to win if you become a follower of each illustrator and leave a comment!!

You can find the complete list of Gina K Design Illustrators participating on Theresa Momber’s blog. Be sure to read below to find out how to win a Prize #2!

Here is the Christmas card I made with Theresa's set Joyful Holiday for the Show Me the Stamps Holiday Kickoff. What a fun elegant set to create with. I used the poinsettia and branch with berries stamps to make the background on my tan card base and the tan main panel by stamping around the stamped sentiment from the same set. I added a few gold pearls to the centers of the flowers on the main panel and some red satin ribbon and a green button threaded with linen thread. These cards would be easy enough to create one for each person on your Christmas card list this year.

PRIZE #2 Theresa will personally be sending out a Vogue Vases 2 Clear Stamp Set to someone who comments on our blogs as well. Here is the complete list of Theresa’s designers...

Melissa Shultz {you are here}

Melissa Cash

Brenda Turner

Kay Simmons

When you get done be sure that you hop on over to Theresa Momber’s Blog to get the complete list of Gina K Designs Illustrators participating and entry for a chance to win that $50 gift certificate!

Deadline to enter for the gift certificate drawing is 5pm Central time on Thursday. November 15, 2012—release party day! AND just in time for someone to do some exciting release party shopping when the new stamps become available at 7pm!

StampTV CSS Sketch Challenge Hop

Welcome to another StampTV CSS blog hop. This month we are using a Sketch created by Melissa Cash.

You should have come from her blog here if you are following along the hop from the beginning. If not, I recommend starting at StampTV and hopping though the list of CSS members who are sharing the project they've made with the sketch. You will want to comment on each blog post for a chance to win some free rubber.  Details are listed at the end of this post.

I am soooo ready for winter. I am loving fall of course. The wonderful cool mornings and beautiful colors. And especially Pumpkin Spice Chai and Lattes from Starbucks. Yum! But nothing beats winter and snow for me. So my card is ready for winter with a big warm hug. :)

I used the Warm and Wonderful set illustrated by Rupa Shevde. I love this set with all it's knitted warmness. And I love the sentiment I used on my card. Isn't that a great way to send a big hug to someone far away?
I used one of my favorite color combos Red, Blue and White with a splash of Green. The red card stock is Pure Luxury Red Hot.

Now it is time to hop over to Miesje's blog to see what she has to share.

And remember you need to comment for a chance to win some free rubber. Here are the details:
Leave a comment as you hop along because on Tuesday morning (October 30), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs and that person will receive a huge grab bag of fabulous Gina K. Designs Stamps!

Ginak CSS Color Challenge Blog Hop

Welcome to a color combination challenge blog hop hosted by members of the Gina K.' CSS Alumni team. Today we are featuring hand drawn sets designed by Melanie Muenchinger and Theresa Momber. As you hop along make sure to leave a comment because on Tuesday morning (September 25), we will randomly choose two comments from all the blogs and two lucky individuals will receive a Gina K. Designs Stamps set each (the winners will receive either a set designed by Melanie Muenchinger or Theresa Momber).

You should have come from Melissa's blog. If not you will want to start from the beginning at StampTV to enjoy the whole hop.

I made several projects using Theresa's set Autumn Beauty and the colors for our color challenge Fresh Asparagus, Pumpkin Spice and Sweet Corn. Doesn't that make you hungry?

Here is a fun little box that can be filled with some fall goodies. The sunflower from Autumn Blessings looks perfect with this.

I also made some cards with the sunflower and the pumpkin images. 

Now head over to Miesje's blog to see what she has to share with you.

You should also check out Melanie's and Theresa's blogs. They have some special to share for this blog hop as well.

StampTV CSS Color Challenge

This month the CSS Alumni group is doing a Color Challenge based on this photo

The colors are Pink, Purple and Green.

If are following along the hop, you just came from Kay's blog. If not, you can start the hop here at StampTV and see what everyone from the CSS group did with these fabulous colors.

My card is actually huge, 5 1/4" x 9 1/2". To see it up close you can click the picture above.

I used pattern papers from a Stella Rose pad by MME that I bought yesterday. There are some great patterns with greens and pinks. The purple paper is from K&Company's Sweet Nectar pad.  I also added a bit of blue-green for the "sky" behind my hanging onesies and pennants.  I used  Wee Tees and Perfect Pennants. The grass, banner and small green pennants were cut with my Silhouette Cameo.  I added some purple/white baker's twine, some silver brads and a purple button.  The "clothespins" are small pieces of Kraft card stock.

Now hop on over to Miesje's blog to see gorgeous project she has to inspire you with.  And don't forget to comment on each blog along the way for a chance to win a grab bag full of stamps. Thursday, June 12th the random winner will be announced over at StampTV.  Good Luck and have a great weekend.

Get Well Wishes For Karen

Welcome to a special blog hop we are calling, Karing for Karen!!
A hop for a very special friend of ours, Karen Knegten.

If you have been around the stamping community for any length of time at all, you might have run into Karen. She is always participating in challenges, offering us wonderful inspiration with her awesome talent! About a month ago, Karen had to have surgery for two brain aneurysms. She is still in the hospital and we are having this blog to inspire more of you out there to send in some cards to Karen AND to her family that is caring for her too! So hope you feel inspired with our little hop for you today.

I chose to send Karen some sunshine by adding a large shining sun on my card that let's her know I am praying for full healing for her body.

Below you will find all of the links to all of the girls participating...these are from the CSS Alumni group and the Design Team from Gina K Designs.

Enjoy and be inspired to send a card or two in! Here is the address for sending the cards to:


Karen Knegten
c/o R.S.V.P. Rental Services
350 W. Northwest Highway
Barrington IL 60010


Carolyn King
Tina Gilliland
Giovana Smith
Lee Murphy
Theresa Momber
Deb Felts
Vicki Dutcher
Cathy Tidwell
Melissa Shultz  (you are here) 
Joy Hadden
Linda Payne
Sue VanDeVusse
Jennie Harper
Betty Neville
Geri Utterback
Brenda Turner
Miesje Flach

CSS Color Challenge

This month we have a color challenge to share with you. If you are following along you just came from Linda's blog. If not you should start at the beginning and hop through all of the blogs. And leave comments on each blog for a chance to win some free rubber. Tuesday morning (March 20), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs and that person will receive a huge grab bag of fabulous Gina K. Designs Stamps!


I chose the colors for this month. I was in a Pier One store a few weeks ago and fell in love with some dishes that contain my favorite colors. So here they are for our color challenge this month.

For my card I used iSpy Sketch 6.

Stamp Set: Faithful Florals
Card Stock: Green Apple, Turquoise Sea, & Sweet Corn

Now head over to Miesje's blog to continue on the hop.

CSS February Blog Hop

This month we have an Inspirational Photo.

If you are following the hop from the beginning, you should have come from Meisje's blog. If not you should start from the beginning so you don't miss any of the inspiration this week. And make sure to leave a comment as you hop along because on Tuesday morning (February 14), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs and that person will receive a huge grab bag of fabulous Gina K. Designs Stamps!

I was inspired by the shape and layout of the buildings in the photo. I used strips of paper to simulate that look. I used a sentiment stamp from the Smile set.

Now head over to Linda's blog and see what she has to share.

CSS Alumni Sketch Challenge

We have a fun sketch to share with you for this StampTV CSS Blog Hop. You can make some fun simple cards with this one. You should have come from Miesje's blog. Wasn't that a fabulous card? If you did not find your way here from her blog, then you will want to start at the beginning over at StampTV. And make sure you leave comments on all the blog posts for a chance to win some FREE stamps.

I made two Christmas cards using some older sets. Here is the sketch.

And here are the cards I made with the sketch.

Now head over to Melissa's blog to see what she did with the sketch she designed for us to use.

Make sure to leave a comment as you hop along because on Tuesday morning (November 1), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs who will get a stamp set of their choice valued up to $24.95!

Stamps: Very Merry Christmas & Versatile Verses

CSS Card Drive For Kids

For this CSS Blog Hop we are sending cards to some amazing children and have a chance to win some stamp goodies. So you will want to pull out your supplies and play along.

We are sending uplifting cards to one or more of the following children:

Madison - Age 2
Logan - Age 2 (turning 3 on October 17th)
Tanner - Age 2 (turning 3 on December 25th)
Rebekah - Age 9 

To get you inspired, some of the CSS Alumni are sharing the cards they have made to send to the children. Here is the card I made for Rebekah.

You should have come from Melissa's blog. If not, please make sure you start from the beginning to the entire blog hop.

If you would like to play along and send cards to one or more of these children, please do the following:

Create age specific uplifting cards (NO Get Well or Sorry cards).
Write a message to the child and/or family and sign the card, including where you are from.
On the envelope write the name of the child and don't seal the envelope since the parents may want to read the cards first.
Mail the cards by October 31st to

Giovana Smith
Card Drive for Kids
181 Perry Way
Yakima, WA 98901

Include with the cards a piece of paper with your name, address, email address and blog (if you have one).

Here is a picture of the prize package

Including goodies from the following companies

Heartfelt Creations: 8 stamping sets + 1 Coordinated Die Set. Value: $150.00!
Gina K. Designs: 2 StampTV Kits: Value: $70.00 (Gina will send the prize direct to the winner!)
Unity Stamps: 10 Itty Bitty Stamps. Value: $70.00
SP & Company: 3 Stamp Set. Value: $40.00
Lawn Fawn Stamps: 2 Stamp Set: Value: $30.00
Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps: 1 Stamp Set. Value: $11.00
Spellbinders: 2 die sets!! (Not included in the picture)
Tombow: 6 packs of markers and several packs of adhesives (Not included in the picture)

Now head over to Miesje's blog to see what she has to share. And then start stamping some fun cards to send to these amazing children and make their day brighter.

Ready for Coffee and Winter...

I am always ready for coffee and after the hot muggy weather we've been having, I am soooo ready for winter. So here are a couple of cards with my favorite things.

I just adore Rhubarb with her little cup of java goodness. I used some colors I don't normally use for this one. I like the teal and bright golden yellow together on her mug. I colored her with W1, W3 & W5.
Supplies: Rhubarb's Coffee digi stamp {Sweet N Sassy}, Hello Friend from Summer Harvest {Gina K}, Cosmo Cricket paper, red & yellow card stock, & baker's twine

My favorite thing about winter...Sweaters! I love wear soft cozy sweaters. I actually was making this for one of the Gina K release challenges the other week and then realized after it was done that I did not follow the instructions correctly. You were only supposed to use one stamp set and I used two. Oh well, I still love how it turned out.
Supplies: Holiday Greetings & Warm and Wonderful {Gina K}, K&Company paper, chocolate card stock, snowflake charm, cotton twine, ribbon

If you haven't already, make sure you check out the PMS Digi Makeover Challenge for this week. If you participate you could win some free digital images from Paper Makeup Stamps.

CSS Sketch Blog Hop

Welcome to another Center Stage Spotlight Blog Hop. This time we are inspired by a sketch provided by Melissa Cash. If you just came from Miesje's blog you are on the right track. I know she had something amazing to share. If you were not following along, you can start at the beggining over at StampTV.com

Here is the sketch






I made two cards with this sketch. Here is my first card






Isn't that yellow rose trim gorgeous? I found it at a general goods store in Lancaster, PA. They had a wonderful selection of different laces and trims.
I stamped the sentiment and flowers on the tag using the set, Faithful Flowers.

And here is my next card






I used my Cricut to cut out the fun scalloped circles for the base. The stamped flowers are from Faithful Florals and the sentiment is from Fanciful Tags.

Now head over to Melissa's blog to see what she did with her sketch.

Melissa Shultz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

CSS Sketch Challenge Hop

Welcome to another CSS Alumni Blog Hop. This time our challenge was to use a sketch provided by Melissa Cash. Although she is not participating with a project in the hop tonight, we still have her presence with the great sketch she has provided for us. If you started from StampTV and have been hopping along, you were just wowed by Lori's blog post. If not, please start at the beginning so you don't miss all of the inspiration. There is also a chance for you to win some free rubber. You can get more details about that here.

Okay, so here is the sketch:




And here is my card:




I rotated the sketch 90 degrees clock-wise to make my card. I used some DCWV paper from a mat stack I purchased recently. I love the fun blues, greens and tans in the stack. That was my starting point for the card. I pulled out an older StampTV Kit, called Spring Mix, to stamp the flower, butterfly and sentiment. The lace is from my stash and the beautiful ribbon is from Tera, my secret sister from last winter. It goes perfectly with the papers from this stack. I added a few adhesive backed pearls and stitched around the main panel to add some texture and dimension. And it only took me an hour to make this card from design to finish. I don't think I have ever made a card that fast before. :o)

Well now it is time for you to stop my Miesje's blog to see what she has to inspire you today. And make sure you leave a comment for every blog post along the hop. If you do you will have a chance to win a free stamp set valued up to $24.95.

Melissa Shultz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

CSS Color Challenge

Welcome to another CSS blog hop. This time we were challenged to create a project with the color challenge going on right now over at StampTV. So you can play along and have a chance to win a free stamp set. You can find all the details right here.

If you started from the beginning of this hop you just came from Lori's blog. If not you will want to make sure you hop through every blog by starting at StampTV. You will be completely inspired to get out your stamps and get creative.

Initially when I looked at this color combo I thought it would be great for a masculine card. But when I went into my studio to create, I decided to use one of the stamp sets that were already laying on my desk. Nana's Needlework and Nana's Needlework Sentiments won out. I kept it simple with no coloring. I hardly ever do that.





Now it is time to head over to see what Miesje has to share with you.

And you won't want to miss all the fun stuff going on at StampTV. Gina her team are celebrating two years with StampTV. She has been sharing peeks. Oh boy, I am loving the peeks of the two sets that will be free with purchases during the next release. You better make sure you check it out.

Finally, don't forget to turn your clocks up an hour. That means spring is on the way.

Melissa Shultz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

CSS Animal Treasure Chest

Welcome to our Treasure Chest Challenge. The CSS group was asked to use a stamp set with animals. I have plenty of those. :0) If you are following along the hop like a diligent little bunny in a garden of inspiration, you should have just come from Melissa Cash's blog. If not, you will want to start over at the beginning at StampTV so you don't miss any of the team's posts. You will also want to make sure you visit every blog and leave a comment. There is a chance to win some free rubber.

Here is my project for the hop. I pulled out one of my favorites called Dream Birds.





I also pulled out this fun label and sentiment set called Versatile Verses. It's a fun one to paper piece. I use some Kioshi paper from Basic Grey. I don' often use purple. So this was a fun new color combo for me.

Now head over to Miesje Flach's blog to enjoy some more animal fun.

And make sure you leave a comment on each blog. Some lucky person will be chosen from all the commenters to win a free stamp set. FREE rubber is always fun!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

CSS Alumni January 2011 Sketch Challenge

This time we have a sketch provided by one of the CSS Alumni, Melissa Cash. You just came from her blog. If you did not arrive from her blog, I highly recommend starting from the beginning of this hop over at StampTV, so you can be inspired by all of the CSS Alumni Participants.

The sketch:

My Elegant Coffee Card:

I pulled out Mugs and Kisses for this one. I found some gorgeous K&Company paper the other weekend and had to use it on this card. I stamped the mug and saucer on the chocolate flourish paper and cut it out. I also cut out the beverage part of the mug and put some Tan Leather card stock underneath to simulate a nice cup of coffee with a little sugar and cream mixed in. Yum!

Next hop is to see what Miesje Flach has to inspire you.

And make sure you are leaving comments for all of the hop participants because one lucky person will be chosen at random to win a free Gina K Designs set. Woohoo, FREE stamps!  Tuesday morning (February 1st), we will randomly choose one of the comments from all the blogs who will get a stamp set of their choice valued up to $24.95!

CSS Alumni Color Challenge Hop

Welcome to another CSS Alumni Color Challenge Hop. This time we are using the current Spotlight Color Challenge over at StampTV. Since Gina kind of made a little oops and used the wrong color combo in her video, the card I am sharing contains the other color combo option.

If you are hopping along by starting at StampTV then you should have just been inspired by Melissa Cash. If not, then you will want to start at StampTV and hop through the entire group's blog posts to be completely inspired for a weekend of stamping.

Here are the colors for the color challenge card I made

and here is my card

I've been in the Valentine's Day/Love mood lately. So I pulled two older fun sets, Heartily Yours and Heartily Yours Additions to make this card.

Next on the hopping list is Miesje Flach. I know you will be completely inspired at your next stop. After you finish the hop please make sure to create something for the color challenge and upload it to StampTV. A FREE stamp set is given away to a random participant for each challenge over at StampTV.