I like you & hugs 'n kisses~

I haven't played in a sketch challenge for a long time; I look at them for inspiration but haven't committed to one for I don't know how long!

Today I needed some creative time, hard as it was to pull out of myself, to distract myself a bit from the bypass surgery recovery and secondary pneumonia (CAP) infection that currently has my dad hospitalized.  

So I perused the Sketch bookmarks I have on my iPad and found this site

Freshly Made Sketches 

and this week's sketch: FMS86

I've had in my mind to use Reverse Confetti's words from I Like You in speech bubbles for a while and it came together in this card this morning.  

I stamped the larger heart from the set in Memento Rose Bud, Cantaloupe and Pear Tart onto shimmer white cardstock, using first and second generation stamping to get different color shades of the heart.  After stamping, I die cut the shapes and then stamped on the words in Versafine Onyx Black.

Instead of a sentiment placed where the sketch shows, I did a trio of smaller hearts from the set stamped in white pigment ink.

It was fun to play in a challenge again, I think I just might do so more often!

V.~

Stamps: I Like You by Reverse Confetti

Ink: Memento Rose Bud, Cantaloupe, Pear Tart, Versafine Onyx Black, White pigment

Paper: Shimmery White, Smokey Slate by GKD

Patterned Paper: Pebbles and Simple Stories

Other: A Birdie Told Me Lawn Cuts by Lawn Fawn, Circle punches, Corner Rounder, Grey Satin Ribbon, Dimensional foam

Light The Way~

Today's card features the lighthouse from Reverse Confetti's Happy Harbor embossed in black and colored in with Copics. 

A bit of Glossy Accents on the windows mimics the glass on a lighthouse. 

The welcoming glow of the lighthouse is suggested by the yellow patterned paper behind the popped up lighthouse.

After fiddling for a bit with sentiments, I decided to leave this blank on the outside.

I can add one later or leave it blank as a general notecard.

Finished card is 3" x 6"

V.~

Supplies:

Stamps: Reverse Confetti Happy Harbor 

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Paper: White, Red, Black

Patterned Paper: Pebbles

Other: Copic Markers (C3, R29,Y17), Clear Embossing Powder, Circle Punch, Mini Staple, Baker's Twine, Corner Rounder, Glossy Accents, Dimensional foam

FSS May Release Week Day 2: The Envelope, Please~

Welcome to day two of Fresh Squeezed Stamps May Release!

Today's set is:

The Envelope, Please

This fun set is packed full of images and sentiments with the always popular "mail" theme!

To see the rest of today's designer projects, see this set in its entirety and enter to win your own copy of The Envelope, Please, head on over to

Fresh Squeezed Stamps

and leave a comment for your chance to win!

V.~

FSS May Release Week #1: Father Knows Best

Welcome to Fresh Squeezed Stamps May Release!

For the next three days, Fresh Squeezed Stamps will be revealing the three new May Sets.

Today is

Father Knows Best

Is your guy a griller, a fisherman, a dapper dude or more?

You'll find this set is the bomb for the guys in your life!

To see the rest of today's designer projects, see this set in its entirety and enter to win your own copy of Father Knows Best, head on over to

Fresh Squeezed Stamps

and leave a comment for your chance to win!

V.~

Wish BIG~

Peek-a-boo gift card holder for my oldest son.

He's been a soccer player/fan ever since he was a little boy and when I saw this gift card for a store that he is eyeing goods at, I knew I had to get it.  Not only get it, but somehow make the image part of the card/gift card holder itself.

This is one of the hanging gift cards, instead of breaking off the upper portion, I kept it intact and used it as a template to create the holder.  I die cut where the goalie would be using a circle die on the front portion of the holder.  When the ribbon is threaded through the front and back part of the holder, with the gift card sandwiched in between, the goalie shows perfectly in the space.

Finished size is 4" x 5-1/2" (beginning size 4" x 11"and is scored at 5-1/2" and folded up and tied at the top).

I wanted a sports themed paper that wasn't too kid-like and found one in Webster's Pages Game On collection.  A couple of tickets from the collection mixed with stamped sentiments from Paper Smooches Birthday Sampler and Sentiment Sampler finish off the front.

He loved it and will love the trail shoes he has been waiting to purchase.

V.~

GKD Inspiration Hop: A Little Something and 3 Darling Divas~

The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop! 

Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a few days after the hops.

 Bold Blooms flowers, sentiment from Green Thumb Diva
Did you know you can use the flat side of many clear stamps as a solid stamp for its image?
While it is opposite, many times it works wonderfully.  I did that here with 3 generations of the same ink (Memento Lilac Posies) for the flowers.

The vase of flowers from A Little Something was embossed in silver before "watercoloring" with GKD inks: Passionate Pink, Grass Green, Turquoise Sea and Sweet Corn.
The butterfly image from the set was stamped in white ink and clear embossed for a subtle tone on tone background.  GKD White organdy is the perfect soft ribbon to complete this card.

Pretty Patterns 2  stamped in GKD Sweet corn and Memento Gray Flannel makes a wonderful backdrop for this Always and Forever Duo silhouette image. Sentiment from Mr. & Mrs. Diva is stamped in GKD Black Onyx onto GKD Moonlit Fog.

Check out all the amazing designs and inspiration from the GKD Design Team:

Gina K
Debbie Corbari - Illustrator of The Darling Divas
AJ Otto
Becky Oehlers
Beth Silaika
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Latisha Yoast
Laurie Schmidlin
Lee Murphy
Melanie Muenchinger
Sean Fetterman
Sharon Harnist
Tami Mayberry
Theresa Momber
Valerie Stangle

And, I missed a couple of the earlier GKD hops, here are a few samples from those sets.

(you can always click on any picture and it will bring it up larger in a new window)

By The Sea

 Stamp It Big 2 and Pretty Patterns 2

 Weather or Not and Momma-To-Be Diva

 Simple Flowers

 Bold Blooms 

A Little Something

V.~

Best Wishes Congratulations~

Here's a little snippet of my post over on the 

Fresh Squeezed Stamps blog

I'd love it if you were to head over there and check it out!

V.~