Gorgeous Fall - Mix'd Media CHOX

Good morning! Today starts the day of a 3 day hop showing off a brand new product from Clearsnap - Mix'd Media Chox inks. There are 8 colors in this product release: Driftwood, Sparrow, Butternut, Petals, Sage, Bluejay, Pomegranate, and Midnight. And just like the Mix'd Media Inx, the containers have a flexible base (for a comfy grip) and a clear lid with a lip that lets you stack the pads.

These new CHOX are fast drying, have LOADS of vibrant color, are great for stamping, edge distressing, coloring, and can be used in layers for blending colors. To give you an idea of how much pigment is in these inks, you can actually mix the re-inkers with a matte acrylic medium to use instead of or with acrylic paint!

I created a card with lots of ink layers. I love that the CHOX dry so fast you can stamp over and over again without worrying about contaminating your ink pads with another color but they are still blendable and work great with water. 

Had originally went for that grungy/mix'd media look that these inks were inspired by - but alas, it's just not me. Does that ever happen to you? It's definitely a style I appreciate and admire but I just can't make it look right. 

Thank goodness for die cutting. I turned a leafy scene and my stamp-off scrap paper into something that I can work with. The grunginess is contained and I've still got my safe, clean design. :)

Thanks for stopping by - see more projects using this new product (and the chance to win it) on the Clearsnap Blog. 

Tag Advent Calendar

Hey there! How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was delish - we made the turkey this year and celebrated at my husband's grandparents. We ended up slow roasting it over night (at 1:30am no less) and it turned out amazing! Falling off the bone and not the least bit dry. Will certainly be doing that from now on.

In the midst of all of the dinner prep last week, I snuck in some time to put together an advent calendar for the Clearsnap blog + 3 video tutorials on assembling the whole thing. So fun and really got me in the mood for Christmas time! 

Check out the entire post here.

Some other scrappy stuff that's going on...

The new holiday theme is up at Paper Issues, so generously sponsored by Reminisce. Link up, comment to win and take the hop for a little holiday inspiration. The Cyber Monday sale is on through tonight in the Paper Shop - use my code STAMP for 30% off everything in the store!!

Pink by Design is also having a fabulous sale - 60% off retiring sets and 35% off everything else! What a steal! Pick up some new stamp sets while they last!

And finally, every day up til Christmas, A Blog Named Hero is having a special Christmastravaganza with special guests and prize and lots of great ideas. I'll have a project up on the 30th!!

Have a lovely evening <3

Fabric Pumpkins

** This is my second post today. If you are looking for the Handmade Holidays Blog Hop, please scroll down or click here.

Today is the final post for the favorite challenge project on the Pink by Design blog and we are sharing projects that are not cards. I have been seeing these fabric pumpkins all over pinterest and just had to make some too! There are lots of patterns going on here but each one incorporates a little bit of gingham.

This version is a little more squat than others I've seen and is quicker to stitch up too! Rather than sewing together three sides of a panel, cut a circle and stitch up only the edge. It's so quick and easy that you can even do it by hand - which I had to since my sewing machine is on the fritz!

This large one is my favorite and used a jumbo gingham fabric. I added some die cut leaves (felt and glittered paper), a sentiment and tag from Everyday Banners and a couple buttons. 

The middle one is extra girly with a pretty floral fabric. One leaf is stamped with the Gingham Background and again I added an Everyday Banners sentiment and tag plus a glittered button and bow made with my 3 Girl Jam bowmaker. To balance out the feminine quality of these pumpkins and to make them a bit more seasonal, the stalk is cut from an actual tree branch wrapped with hemp twine to give the look of a dried up vine. 

And if were wondering - yes that hemp is leftover from my middle school hemp necklace making days. How it stayed around so long, I have no clue :)

The smallest pumpkin uses a few of the circles from Nature Walk to stamp onto fabric using Crafter's Ink. This time the glitter is on the fabric and the gingham comes in the form of a bow. 

If you have a chance, link up your projects using your favorite pattern on the Pink by Design blog for the chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the Pink Store. It can be a card, layout, tag, altered project - whatever you have in mind. We love to see your PBD stamps but any stamps are okay too!

Have a great weekend!

Handmade Holidays Hop 2012

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Handmade Holidays Blog Hop!!!

Calling all crafters! We’ve gathered designers from some of our favorite manufacturers to show you ways to create something from the heart this holiday season. This 3 day Hop includes over 60 stops with inspiration brimming from every corner. Explore all of the thoughtful and frugal handmade gifts you could create for the holidays, all in one place, during our second annual Handmade Holidays Blog Hop!
To sweeten the Hop, we’re offering a gift for you! For every comment you leave on the blogs in the Hop, you’ll be entered to win a prize pack from one of the participating manufacturer sponsors! Use the Rafflecopter widget on the Clearsnap blog to gain extra entries each day: http://clearsnap.blogspot.com

Visit the list of blogs below and leave a comment on each by Nov 27, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST. Each day we will be sharing a brand new list of blogs with brand new projects for you to explore, be inspired by, and create from!
Clearsnap – http://clearsnap.blogspot.com

Hampton Art - http://blog.hamptonart.com/Graphic45 – http://g45papers.typepad.com/

Fiskateers - www.fiskateers.com/blog

Donna Salazar Designs – http://donnasalazar.typepad.com/

Tombow USA – http://blog.tombowusa.com/

Authentique Paper http://authentiquepaper.blogspot.com/ 

The Twinery - http://www.thetwineryblog.com/

Eileen Hull for Sizzix http://eileenhull.blogspot.com/

Globecraft Memories – http://globecraftmemories.blogspot.com

Kristin Wilson – Graphic 45 -  http://www.kristinwilsonhandmade.com/

Jennie Garcia - Tombow -  earthyscrap.blogspot.com

Gini Williams Cagle - Hampton Art - http://ginicagle.blogspot.com/

Sabrina Alery – Clearsnap – http://Sabrinaalery.blogspot.com ---> you are here!

DeeDee Catron - Globecraft Memories - http://umwowstudio.blogspot.com/

Michelle Grant – Donna Salazar Designs -  http://michellejbg.blogspot.com

Emily Lanham – Authentique Paper -http://www.createserendipity.net

Emma Jeffery – Fiskateers - http://hellobeautifulblog.blogspot.com

Natalie Clause – The Twinery -  http://www.southernbellescharm.com/

Alberto L Juarez – Graphic 45 http://vintageodyssey.blogspot.com/

Vivian Keh - Hampton Art - http://contadinak.wordpress.com/tag/vivian-keh/

Jennifer Priest – Clearsnap – http://hydrangeahippo.blogspot.com
Heather Conklin – Authentique Paper - http://goldiecar.blogspot.com/

I created these stamped coasters using the new Crafter's Ink. They are a super frugal gift as they use no expendable materials (my husband cut a log from our wood pile into slivers) but you could also purchase coasters to stamp as well if you don't have access to power tools. It would be so simple to make many sets in assembly line style.

I really love the rustic texture of the wood combined with the sweetness of the stamps and glitter. Any stamp will work with the Crafter's Ink - the image is permanent and dries within a few moments on porous materials. It also works great on fabric!

Just because you don't spend much to create this gift doesn't mean it isn't thoughtful. All it takes is some pretty packaging to take a simple gift shine.

I tucked a trio of tags inside a wrap that the recipient could reuse as well.They are altered with Design Adhesives, Foils and Mix'd Media Inx. A little Smooch Glitz on the buttons adds just enough sparkle.

And here are the coasters all packaged up and ready to gift.

Clearsnap Supplies: Crafter's Ink - Sweet Pea, Aruba, Limon Mix'd Media Inx Pigment Ink - Leather Mix'd Media Chox Chalk Ink - Sparrow Decades for Graphic 45 Antiquing Dye Ink - Venetian Lace Smooch Glitz - Pink Fizz Design Adhesives - Jolly Greeting, Flurries Designer Foils - Limeburst Other Supplies: Stamps - Hampton Art Cardstock - Bazzill Basics Patterned Paper - Authentique Twine - The Twinery Buttons - Hydrangea Hippo Punches - Fiskars Adhesive - Tombow Other - ribbon, wood coasters

Cheers to creating gifts from the heart this holiday season! Happy Hopping!

Thankful For You Friend

My boys in camo.

I am going to have to start posting our photos and notes here to come back and reference as it seems my mommy brain is letting our memories slip through the cracks! And I never get around to posting photos to Facebook.

Tyler is so proud and loves being able to impart all of his man knowledge onto the boys. Love them <3

Today I have another card to share for the Pink by Design challenge theme. More gingham! But you can link up with any pattern that is your favorite. Add your card to the linky for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the PBD store!

I used the Everyday Banners stamp set (quickly becoming a favorite) along with the Gingham Background to create this thankful card. The vellum is stamped with Colorbox Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan and heat set to dry. The color combo came from a Fiestaware display at Younkers - love those colorful dishes!

Am also linking up to these challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - Thanksgiving/thank you.
My Mind's Eye - Gratitude

 Have a great day!

Peace

Good morning and happy Monday! I have the feeling this is going to be a great week! Things are starting to get back to normal around here, baby has settled into a semi-predictable routine and thanks to my new Moby wrap, I have my hands back. Seriously, how did women with more than one child get anything done before these were invented?! I love wearing my baby and being productive!!

Eli is 7 weeks old now and growing like a weed. He's already 13 pounds, loves to smile and have "coo"-versations whenever he catches someones eye. He loves taking a warm bath. And bless his little gooey heart - he is such a good baby. So content most all the time.

The big kids are so in love with him too. Little Rora is having a hard time though. She loves her baby bro but is struggling with the mommy time she is missing out on. It's getting easier every day but she has been soo mad at me - argumentiative, even more stubborn and acting out. I suppose that's normal but it just breaks my heart to see her sad and somewhat lost.

So we have been doing lots of crafts together after she gets out of preschool. Cause it makes us both happy to make pretty things.

This is a card I created for the NEW and IMPROVED challenge over at the Pink by Design blog. Each week we have a new theme with 3 days of inspiration projects created by the mini teams and this week the theme is Your Favorite Patterns.

I love a lot of patterns - polka dots, chevron, floral, stripes - but decided to go with sweet and classic gingham this time. PBD has a Gingham Background stamp which is actually being retired. :(

It's inspired by a Two Peas sketch and uses the Alphabet stickers challenge from Moxie Fab world, plus it uses one of my favorite Pink by Design stamp sets - My Type.

So do you feel like playing along with your favorite pattern this week? You have until 11/19 to link up for the chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the PBD store! Hooray!! You can use PBD stamps or any that you have.

Add to the linky below or on the PBD blog.





Enjoy your day!

Stamp On It! Blog Hop

Good morning and hello November! We are hopping today and all week with Paper Issues to celebrate the newest theme - stamping - so generously sponsored by Hero Arts!! If you didn't arrive here from Diana's blog, check out the list below to make sure you don't miss a single, inspiring stop on the hop.

Leah F. http://amusing-to-create.blogspot.com/

Lori H. http://www.lorihairston.blogspot.com/

Amy T http://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/over-river-and-through-woods.html

Diana http://designbydiana.blogspot.com/

Sabrina http://sabrinaalery.blogspot.com/

I worked with the Happy Holidays Snowman stamp from the Hero Arts holiday release. Isn't he cute - just love the banner! To give the image a sort of rustic look, I stamped onto patterned paper, colored with Sharpies and then embossed several times with thick embossing powder. Bend the paper to get the cracks and then highlight them with some distressing inks.

Had to add some glitter too - this is some of the new Sparkles! chunky glitter by Stephanie Barnard for Colorbox.

And of course it wouldn't be a hop without a giveaway, right?

Two lucky stampers will win one of these sets. To be eligible for the prize, we ask that you do the following:

1. Like Hero Arts on FB http://www.facebook.com/hero.arts

2. Like Paper Issues on FB http://www.facebook.com/PaperIssues

3. Leave a comment that you did both

4. Link up a project for a Bonus entry

And if all the projects leave you in the mood for a little shopping, check out the Paper Shop and use my code STAMP for an additional 20% off your order! Hooray!