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.

CASEing Melanie

Melanie posted a challenge on her blog to go ahead and CASE her.  I decided to CASE the fold she used in a card she posted a while ago using a Kindred Spirits stamp from Gina K Designs.  Here is a link to the post with the card she made.  I used stamps from two of Melanie's sets.  Her newest set, Gifts from the Sea and an older, and my favorite set, Little Tees.  I stamped the seagulls and the word relax on a t-shirt as the focal point. I used pattern paper from Basic Grey Ambrosia as the base for the colors.  I love this type of fold for cards.

Here is the card closed to show you what the front looks like:

And here it is open:

There is a white panel to the left of the inside that a small message can be written to the recipient.  I have a friend that I used to work with that loves the beach.  She spends several months in Key West each winter. And her favorite color is orange.  So I think I will send this to her as a "Thinking of You" card. 

Stamps: Little Tees & Gifts from the Sea {Gina K Designs}

Paper: Lipstick Red, Smoky Slate, White {Pure Luxury GKD}, Tangerine Tango {SU}, Ambrosia {BG}

Accessories: orange gingham ribbon, small white pearls, Textile CB embossing folder, Nestabilities Circle and Labels 3 Dies

StampTV Sketch Challenge

I have a quick post before I head off to sleep.  I made this card using Vicki's sketch challenge over at StampTV.com.  I discovered tonight that Basic Grey now offers some of their papers and other items as digital downloads. How cool is that?  I love Basic Grey.  The floral and purple prints on this card are digital paper download from Basic Grey.  They were only 75 cents each and you print them any size and as many times as you need them.

Stamps: Little Tees {Gina K Designs}

Paper: Pure Luxury Kraft {GKD}, Vintage Violet {SU}, Digital Paper {Basic Grey}

Ink: Wisteria Chalk Ink {ColorBox}, Rich Cocoa {Memento}

Other: large scallop border punch, ribbon, mosaic CB embossing folder, Nestability scalloped rectangle die

Pink and White and Oh So Girly

I made a pink and white card for Tina's color challenge over at StampTV.com.  She is the new color challenge hostess for the next three months and this is her first challenge.  I have to admit this was quite a challenge for me.  I love pink. But is was very hard not adding any other colors. Just Pink and White.  So I went with a monochromatic card.  I pulled out some old Bazzil pink card stock I had in my stash.  And I pulled out an older set. When Gina first released the Little Tees set I instantly fell in love.  I just adore the mini t-shirt in this set.  And it has been a while since I've used yet.  So I dusted it off for this challenge.  So here is my Pink and White card:

Details:

I stamped the mini t-shirt from Little Tees on both PL Passionate Pink and some Bazzil pink card stock.  I cute the entire tee out of the Passionate Pink.  From the lighter pink I trimmed off the sleeves and collar and layerd them together.  I stamped the larger butterfly from Dream Birds onto the bottom corner of the tee and colored the body with a white gel pen.

I made the background with a piece of PL White card stock embossed with an inked embossing folder.  The ink did not completely cover it, but I like the look anyway.  I added a big white flower with a cute little pink button.  I made the bow with the Bow Easy. First time I've used that since it arrived.  It is easy after a few practice bows.  And finally I used the LOVE phrase from Dream Birds and added some funky little white dots with a gel pen.

School, Sports and Spirit

I shared this card last night at the release party. I was going for a cork board/white marker board look. The white piece is stamped with phrases and images from several of Melanie's sets. Like someone wrote some messages and drew some doodles. Then I laminated the front to make it look like a white marker board. The cork board is real cork. It is thin and easy to cut and use on cards. I stamped the stars border from Ribbon Stripes. I made a mini card to hang on the cork board. I stamped the phrase "You Aced It!" from Melanie's new set School, Sports, Spirit. And I stamped part of the football from Sporty Accessories. I placed some random brads to look like tacks. Of course this board belongs to a cheer leader, hence the pom poms and megaphone. And she is such a rock star with her ribbons.



I added some cheer sneakers and a girlie duffel bag on the inside.



The card size is 5.5" x 5.5". Please let me know what you think. I love to hear from my readers.

Princess Diva at School

Well, all the little divas are back at school. Including my 11 year old (soon to be 12) niece. She started 6th grade. Hard to believe. I pulled out one of my Miss Anya stamps and some Gina K Designs stamps illustrated by Melanie Muechinger. I was inspired by a card that Donna Baker posted on her blog yesterday. She used the lockers and some anime girls from another Gina K Designs set that I don't yet have. So I decided the pull out my Miss Anyas for my locker scene card. The lockers are so much fun to use in a scenery card and very appropriate for this time of year. This is a little princess is posing in front of the lockers at school. Isn't she just fabulous with her little tiara?




Card Details:
I used Basic Gray card stock from Stampin' Up for the lockers. I colored the little locks with a silver glitter pen and then added super mini silver brads to the centers of the locks. I also added some clear glitter from a Sakura glitter pen to the vents on the lockers. Each locker is individually stamped. I just cut them all out. Which is easy because there are straight lines. I lined them up and put some tape on the back to hold them together. I layered them onto some Pure Luxury Black Onyx. Then I created a wall behind them with patter paper from the Basic Grey's Boxer paper pad. I glued a strip of black satin ribbon at the seam of the papers. The "wall" is layered onto Green Galore and then the card base is more Pure Luxury Black Onyx.

The tiara, "tiara" phrase and the word "Diva" are from the Little Tees set. And the "what a" phrase is from the Just So Sporty Set. The locker stamp is from Sporty Accessories. All sets are found on this page of Gina K Designs web store.

The little diva girl is a Miss Anya stamp from The Greeting Farm. I stamped her onto Pure Luxury White and colored her with Copic markers. I colored her tiara with a pink Copic marker and then covered the whole thing with glitter from a clear Sakura glitter pen.

I hope you have a splendid day.

STVSC16 - U Rock!

Donna Baker is hosting the sketch challenge over at StampTV.com this week. The sketch is a round card. I made a cute little chocolate and pink cheer card. I love the cheer stamps from Gina K Designs new Sporty Accessories stamp set. The set was designed by Melanie Muechinger. I love her designs. Always so much fun! And this set goes so well with her other Tees sets.

To make the card:

I cut

• two 4 1/4" circles from Chocolate Kiss card stock
  one 4" circle from Pretty in Pink
• one 3 3/4" circle from Pure Luxury White
• one 2 1/2" circle from Brushed Gold

using my Fiskars circle cutter.

I punched two circles with a 1 1/4" circle punch from Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Kiss.

I stamped the cheer leading suit and megaphone with sentiment on Pure Luxury White base weight card stock.

I stamped the stars from the Little Tees set onto the suit as well as the gold circle.

I used the football & pom-pom stamps from Sporty Accessories and the Cheer stamp from Just So Sporty.

The front and back of the card are attached with a single gold brad so it can swing open.

I hope you enjoy my card. Now stop over at StampTV.com and try the sketch challenge yourself. You have a chance to win a free stamp set.

Pretty in Pink

I bought this pretty pink and white fabric the other weekend. The pattern is butterflies and flowers. It's been sitting on my counter top in my stamp studio and I finally decided to use some.

I thought the fabric would make a fun little tee. So I cut a little square out of the fabric and adhered it to some Pure Luxury card stock. I stamped the little tee outline stamp onto the fabric using pink chalk ink. Adding the card stock made it sturdy enough to trim and mount onto my card. I also cut around one of the medium sized butterflies in the fabric. I mounted it to the same card stock and trimmed it. I used some foam tape on the body of the butterfly to mount it to the tee.

I also had my sewing my machine out to do some sewing for church. So I thought I should use it for some cards. :o) I chose a really neat zig-zag stitch that is made up of smaller stitches. I'm not sure if you can see the detail or not.

Stamps: Little Tees
Paper: Rose Red {SU}, Pure Luxury White {Gina K}, Playful Petals - Lucy {Daisy Bucket Designs}
Ink: Rouge Chalk Ink {Colorbox}, Pear Tart {Memento}
Accessories: pink brads, ribbon sewing machine & white thread

Super Star Bookmark

Donna is hosting the 3-D challenge over at StampTV.com. She challenged us to make a bookmark. I decided to make a corner bookmark. Here is my submission for the challenge.

I stamped the sweatshirt from Just So Sporty on Bazzil Bling green card stock using Wild Wasabi ink. I used white chalk ink and white embossing powder for the Super Star phrase from Little Tees. I used some really cool Light Effects DMC floss to stitch around two of the edges and for the dangling beads. I found the stuff in my stash. I must have bought it a long a long time ago and forgot I had it. I bet that never happens to you. ;o) LOL! The pattern paper is Basic Grey Offbeat and Cupcake. I also added a bunch of red and blue dew drops around the top triangle.

I added this cute little alien stamp from WeeTees set on the back of the bookmark. I used some more Light Effects DMC floss around the edge of the scalloped circle.



I guess I need to start reading so I can use it. I don't really read much because I would rather be stamping.


Stamps: Wee Tees, Just So Sporty, Little Tees
Paper: Bazzil Bling green, Basic Grey Offbeat and Cupcake, Pure Luxury White
Ink: Versafine White Chalk Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Wild Wasabi & Barely Banana
Other Stuff: White Embossing Powder, Marvy Scallop Circle Punch, Dew Drops, Beads, DMC Light Effects Green & Blue Floss

While I Was Camping...

I went camping this weekend and whipped up a few cards with my favorite stamps from Gina K Designs.

For this card I used my new flower shaped nestabilities dies. Very fun. The patterned paper with the clouds and the cute little owl look great on the Little Tee from Gina K Designs.


More fun with the cool patterned paper with the owls and clouds. I also love the white paper flowers from Gina K Designs. They are fun to color to match any project.



Isn't this guy just adorable. He is on a wild ride with a groovy background.

Stamping in the woods can be very inspiring. I was also able to share my supplies with my niece and she made some amazing cards for her family and friends. She even made one for me. :o)

Have a super week.

Smilin' Hoodie Challenge

Gina K Designs released lots of fabulous new sets last night. She threw a big party and her DT members hosted some challenges. Melanie challenged us to make a card using at least 3 different Gina K Designs stamp sets. She used 5 in her sample, so I decided to do the same. Actually I used 6 if you include the retired SU set, Great Shapes to make the large polka dotted backround.

I used the following GKD sets: Little Tees, Just So Sporty, Autumn Leaves, Whimiscal Autumn, Hip Hop Accessories.

I also added a special touch to the inside of the card.




I think I will give this card to my best friend. He can always make me laugh and he loves bright colors.

There are 2 more challenges posted in Gina K Designs Forum on SCS that are calling my name.

Elegant Black Tee

I still have not had enough of Melanie's Little Tee set. And just when I thought there could not be a cooler set than this one, Melanie designs another. Last night Gina K Designs released 5 new stamps sets. One of the sets designed by Melanie Muechinger contains a Hoodie Sweatshirt and a cute short sleeve base ball jersey style shirt (at least I think that is what it is, I'm not that sporty). But my niece is involved in Cheer leading and wants to play basketball. So this set is on it's way to my stamp studio. :o) Yeah baby!!!

Back to the Elegant Black Tee. I made this about a week ago, but haven't had a chance to download it from my camera. I am borrowing my friend's brand spankin' new computer to test drive it. He wanted me to try it out. How nice of him. It is very nice. So I finally installed Photoshop and the software for my Kodak EasyShare camera.

I used Bazzil Black card stock for the base and the tee. I stamped the flower sprig from Gina K Designs Comfort & Peace set using VersaMagic Cloud White chalk ink on the black textured card stock. Then I used a Gel Bursts metallic gel pen in pink and colored the buds to add some contrast. I also added little rhinestones to the center of each flower. Adds a little bling to my elegant tee. I pulled out my Kraft card stock that I never use and an old die cut of tags from SU in Kraft. I stamped part of the same flower on the tag in the white chalk ink and added another little rhinestone. I stamped Love from the Little Tees set on top of the flower. I inked the edge of the tag with black ink to add some more contrast. Both Kraft background pieces are stamped with Tres Chic background stamp from SU. I used VersaMark ink on the top Kraft layer and black on the bottom Kraft layer. I added some ribbon and button brads. Then a little Kraft colored flower with a rhinestone brad center. And voila a cute little elegant black tee card.

Card Details:
Stamps: Little Tees, Comfort & Peace {Gina K Designs} & Tres Chic {SU}
Paper: Black textured {Bazzil}, Kraft & Purely Pomegranate {SU}
Ink: Ranger Black, VersaMark, White VersaMagic, & Purely Pomegranate
Accessories: black stitched ribbon, black ric rac, linen thread, Kraft tag, Kraft Prima flower, MM rhinestone brad, mini rhinestones, & MM button brads

The Frog and the Princess

So far I have 2 sets designed by Melanie Muenchinger for Gina K Designs. I used both of them to make this princess tee. I stamped the ringer tee from Little Tees with Chocolate Chip onto GP White card stock. Then I stamped the frog from Hip Hop Accessories with Olive Green Stazon ink. I stamped the frog slightly off the tee. I like that effect better. I colored the frog in with my Mellow Moss marker. I added a second layer of ink to make the color a bit deeper. I stamped Princess, also from Hip Hop Accessories onto the tee with Cameo Coral. I added a tiny rhinestone above the 'I'. I like the tee on a circle base, so I cut several with my Fiskars circle cutter. I distressed the edge of each with Chocolate Chip ink and layered them. I added the tee using foam tape for dimension. I ran Chocolate grosgrain ribbon around the card front hiding part of the ribbon behind the circle. I did this by cutting a slit along the lower side of the shirt. I like that look a lot. I added some ribbon and string (colored with a green Bic MarkIt Marker) to the little clip. I also glued a green rhinestone to the center of the clip handle. It fit perfectly. I used a retired SU background stamp Dots and Daisies for the background. And I added white to the centers of the flowers using a white opaque pen. I also used my sakura glitter pen to highlight the frogs belly, under legs and her eyelashes.



Card Details:
Stamps: Little Tees & Hip Hop Accessories {Gina K Designs} and Dots and Daisies {SU}
Paper: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, & GP White
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Pad, Olive Green Stazon, Green Bic MarkIt Marker & Cameo Coral marker
Accessories: circle cutter, bull clip, large green rhinestone, small clear rhinestone, chocolate grosgrain ribbon, string, white opaque pen, & sakura glitter pen

Holiday Snowman Tee

I love snowmen. They are a symbol of cold weather and childhood. Who can forget Frosty and his adventures? I have a lot of snowmen stamps, but don't seem to use them that often. So I pulled out one of my old favorite background stamps I purchased a few years ago. It has snowmen and other winter stuff all over it. I also pulled out an older SU set, A Merry Season. I wanted to create a winter tee with my favorite stamp set, Little Tees from Gina K Designs. I stamped one of the snowmen from that set on the corner of the tee; capturing just part of his face and body and the present he holds proudly on his twig hand. I colored the background, snowman, and the tee with PrismaColor pencils and used a PrismaColor pencil to blend. I layered them as you can see here. For the sentiment, I cut two different size circles with my Fiskars Circle Cutter. I stamped "Holiday Happiness" from So Many Sayings on the Wild Wasabi layer and added 3 small black brads. I raised the tee by adhering it with foam tape (love that stuff). The card size is 4 1/4" square.

Card Details:

Stamps: Little Tees {Gina K Designs}, A Merry Season & So Many Sayings {SU}, Holiday Background {Uptown Designs}

Paper: Wild Wasabi, Basic Black, & GP White

Ink: Ranger Archival Black

Accessories: black brads, PrismaColor Pencils & Blender Pencil, Wild Wasabi ribbon, Circle Cutter {Fiskars}, & foam tape