Card for an Orange-Loving Eighth Grade Graduate

Hi Folks! I'm excited to share this eighth grade graduation card, staring my favorite little gummy bear times 4. It's on the Winnie & Walter blog today if you want to check it out!

 

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly

Naturally Inspired Stamp of Approval Release Day

Hi Folks! Well, today was supposed to be the release day for Catherine Pooler's most recent Stamp of Approval collection, called Naturally Inspired. However, the collection was so popular that it has already sold out to the people who signed up for the waitlist to get the collection ahead of time.

Not to worry, if you didn't get a chance to buy the collection now, the sets, additional ink color, and Wanderlust sparkly embossing powder, will be for sale individually in the Catherine Pooler store in the Fall or Winter.

Shoot! Well, I'd still like to share one final card with you ...

This card was made mostly with one of the tiniest stamps in the collection. I lightly drew a circle with a pencil and then started to stamp the tiny flower stamp in different colors around the circle. I continued around until the wreath felt solid enough. Then I stamped the sentiment from Simply the Best, and the card base with the cross-hatchy stamp.

I made another card while I had all the supplies out, this time centered on the card. I think I still like the tilted panel card better. For both of the cards I cut off the length so they are 4 1/4" square.

Here are the different colors used in these cards, along with some second generation stamping of the flowers. 

Well, sure hope you've liked all the different projects from this past week. Stay tuned later in the year for these products being released individually. Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Kelly

Amazing New Dies + Win $50 at Ellen Hutson!!

Exciting news ... do you remember the innovative Hinged Thanks die that Ellen Hutson released in February? I got so many comments from you on how this would make a great alphabet set, and guess what? They listened! You can now get Hinged Alpha and Numbers Dies!!

You would not believe all the fun I've been having ... these powerful dies kept me in the craft room for days, and I've really only scratched the surface with what these bad boys can do. Please head on over to my post on Ellen Hutson to see all the projects, including several cards, a mini-album and the easiest, personalized Christmas ornament ever! I sure hope you like them!

Because the folks at Ellen Hutson are so wonderful, they are offering you a chance at a $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE to purchase anything in their store! All you need to do is comment on this post before June 13th, and they will announce the winner on their blog.

Thanks for looking, and I'll see you over at the CLASSroom!
-Kelly

Affiliate Links below, which means I receive a small commission, at no cost to you, when you buy something:

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Hinged Numbers by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Hinged Alphabet by Julie Ebersole

W&W Rerun - Scenery: Stripes

Hi Folks! We're starting a new Rerun Challenge at Winnie & Walter ... the 20th challenge if you can believe it! This month Shay has chosen a staple to feature, Scenery: Stripes. Just how every closet should have a little black dress, every craft room should have a good stripe set like this. Super versatile, and always in style.

The card I made for the challenge was inspired by one of my favorite coastal vacation memories ... sunsets over water. The sentiment from Sentimental: Endearments is stamped in orange to represent the sun. The stripes underneath represent the waves on the water and how the crests of the waves reflect the colors in the sky.

So there you have it, my stylized sunset card! Simple, but I like it.

 

Head on over to the Winnie & Walter blog to find out details on how to participate in the rerun challenge, which is open throughout the month. Don't forget there is also a giveaway, AND the featured set is on sale (only $11.25 instead of $15).

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly

Naturally Inspired Stamp of Approval Blog Hop

Welcome to the first day of the Naturally Inspired SOA blog hop! You were most likely completely wowed by the fabulous Maureen Merritt, but if not feel free to start at the beginning with Catherine herself.
       

If you're not familiar, the Stamp of Approval box is a collection of products which are all exclusive to Catherine Pooler designs, so you won't be able to purchase them anywhere else. They also are only available as a whole collection and won't be offered individually for several months. If you need to start playing with these goodies soon, I would recommend that you subscribe to the wait list at Catherine Pooler Stamp of Approval so you're the first to know when it's available. You don't have to pay anything to subscribe, you're just billed if and when you decide to buy the collection. Historically, the collections have sold out rather quickly. 

Since this collection is called "Naturally Inspired," we thought it would be fun to all share what naturally inspires us. For me, it's TEXT text TEXT text TEXT! Preferably vintage text. I have pieces in every room ...

In the Kitchen, porcelain jars recovered from English garbage dumps

In the Craft Room, lots of vintage supplies and potential embellishments, if I could ever use them!

In the Hallway, my favorite, a 100 year old mileage sign from a local gas station.

  
I really could have shared dozens of photos here. This was an easy question for me to answer!

Now let's check out the projects!
  

And the first one, coincidentally, is all about TEXT! There is something about the proportions on this thin-lined block text from Simply the Best that just pleases me to no end. I could look at it all day long. Then you combine it with the scripty "best" and the heart-piercing arrow ... swoon. As is typical when I get a design that I love, I leave it on my Misti and end up stamping several more panels.

All that's needed now is the colored "best", the heart, and a general design. I make a few more versions of this card with a background of medallions, and then decide to stamp the text on the actual card base for some one-layer designs.

For this one I drew an oval (by putting the ink lid on top of the sentiment) in pencil and then randomly stamped florals from the Wild Garden stamp set making sure the tops of the florals did not cross the pencil line.

 It's so fun to try out different designs on these cards, knowing that you have nothing invested in them. If something goes wrong, just ink up the Misti and start over! Love looking at all these different designs with the same sentiment.

Are you ready for a 3D project, that can also serve as a card? As soon as I saw the lattice frame die I thought: lantern/candle holder.

And it turned out just how I imagined! After cutting four sets of these lattice panels and frames, I joined them together with a copy paper hinge inside, and lined the insides with vellum.

Now when the candle is on (battery-operated, NOT real flame) the vellum creates a nice glow along the sides. I used the Best die to extend the sentiment beyond the candle holder, and then hung "wishes" from it.

As always, it easily folds flat for mailing. You may notice the embellishment on this one is different ... I wanted to also make a version that did not pass the top of the candle holder so it would fit better in an envelope.

The last project requires an entire sheet of stamping, which was a pleasure because I'd been dying to see how the Medallion Mix-up set stamped. I certainly got several chances to mix them up, as the set name suggests! And what better to mix with than all the amazing Catherine Pooler Inks?

So why the full sheet?

To make a quick set! Cutting the sheet into fourths gives you four unique panels for four cards. 

It's always surprising to me how well designed these turn out, when they were not at all individually planned. One tip is to stamp through the middle of the sheet on a diagonal. Then you're sure to get enough stamped images on each panel. You never know what you're going to get!

A simple sentiment embossed in gold on black paper doesn't attract too much attention from these beauties.

I did add a few sequins for some sparkle. Just love the detailed patterns in these medallions. This, along with the amazing coverage from Catherine Pooler Inks, makes for one heck of a card!

BLOG HOP PRIZE

One winner will be chosen at random from each day's comments across all the blogs in the hop and announced on June 9th on Catherine Pooler's blog. The winners will win their own Naturally Inspired Stamp of Approval box! No worries if you already bought it, you will be issued a Gift Certificate worth $100 towards a future purchase. Yay for prizes!

Your next stop is the lovely Jen Carter!

Don't forget to stop by Catherine Pooler's blog over the next two days for MORE blog hops! Yes, there is no shortage of talent for this release! The release date is Wednesday, June 7th. 

1. Catherine Pooler 

2. Melissa Miller  

3. Lisa Harrolle

4. Maureen Merritt  

5. Kelly Griglione  <--You are here

6. Jen Carter  

7. Ardyth Percy-Robb

Chibitronics and Lawn Fawn Collaboration

 Hi Folks! I'm excited to share another card featuring the magic of Chibitronics, only this time it's combined with the super-popular Lawn Fawn stamps and dies. This is the first day of a three day collaboration between the Chibitronics and Lawn Fawn teams. This adorable hamster from Wheelie Like You is working as hard as he can to generate enough power to turn on the strands of lights above. The question is, can he do it?



Well of course he can!

Let's take a closer look ...


 The hamster and his wheel are popped up, and underneath them all is the battery that will operate the light bulbs when pressed. The "you turn me on" sentiment is actually meant to go with the light bulbs from the Turn Me On set, but instead I was excited by how perfectly it fits with the hamster wheel turning, and of course the light bulbs turning on. He is truly "turning" the lights on!
 

The light bulbs from Turn Me On are stamped and embossed on vellum. I've cut a circle from the panel underneath the bulbs so the lights can really shine through. Initially the circuitry and lights were showing through the holes, so I went back and put another layer of vellum across the hole to hide all the mechanics. I left the bulbs hanging forward to give them dimension without adding any more bulk. They are strung from the special Lawn Fawn baker's twine that nicely comes with your orders. I was happy to be able to make use of that right away and not hoard it for the next several years!

The baker's twine is also tied to the hamster wheel, to carry all the generated power up to the lights.

Here's a quick video showing the lights going on and off. So fun!

Please make sure to visit Jessica Frost-Ballas, Lesley Oman and several Lawn Fawn team members featured on the Chibitronics and  Lawn Fawn Blog today with additional collaboration projects. There will you will find inspiration, and give-aways! One $30 Lawn Fawn gift card and one Chibitronics starter kit (valued at $30) will be given away randomly to two winners drawn from comments across all three days and all blogs. The more you visit and comment, the better your chances to win!

Don't forget to stop by the Chibitronics blog the next two days for even more inspiration!
- Kelly

Affiliate links below:

Chibitronics White LED Circuit Stickers, 30 pk (675346)

Chibitronics Copper Tape, 16 ft (675353)

Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Wheelie Like You

Lawn Cuts Dies, Wheelie Like You

Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Turn Me On

Lawn Cuts Dies, Turn Me On

It's a Green Day Kind Of Birthday

Hi folks! Today's card is a very specific card, meant for someone who moved into the house behind me about 13 years ago and ended up being the best crafting and concert-going friend you could ever ask for. I'm so blessed.



It was her birthday yesterday, so Michele at CAS-ual Fridays was nice enough to let me postpone my post until after she had received the card. This photo was take at the most recent Green Day concert we saw together in Champaign, IL. Waiting in line several hours got us only a few rows behind center stage, right off the cat walk. It was unbelievably amazing!!!

Here are a few photos ...

 

 I still can't believe we were that close! Total fan girls.

Annnyway, to embellish the photo I stamped "rock" from  Flower Power and then borrowed an "o" and a "n" to make "on."


Here's a peek of the letters getting watercolored. The nice thing about cutting your letters out is that there is no need at all to be neat with your coloring!



To give this concert scene a little more life, I popped up "on" with black foam tape.

Here's the inside, with an appropriate sentiment from Frankly'isms and then a boarder stamped from Full on Floral.

I know this card doesn't have a ton going on stamping-wise, but I think my friend loved all the memories it brought back, and how personal it is. I know we are stampers, but it's good to remember that not every card has to be a stamping masterpiece to be appreciated!

   

This card is over at the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog if you'd like additional information. Feel free to use my code "KELLY2017" which will save you 15% off any purchases at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps.

Thanks for looking!
-Kelly