Christmas in July - Poshta Design Gingerbread Friends Felt Ornaments

Hello Friends! I'm very excited to take part in a special Christmas in July felt ornament release from Poshta Design! There are two kits available, the first one is the Gingerbread Friends kit which includes the dies to make stitching a gingerbread man and woman a breeze.

Here's where I started, using the dies to cut out the felt shapes for the front and back of the gingerbreads. I decided to give them some clothes. So I die cut a second shape from the dark brown felt, and cut them down to shorts and a sleeveless dress. 

Now it's time to bring them to life!

For a more pronounced "icing" look, I used the thicker white cord included in the kit, instead of the floss. 

Her buttons are cute little hearts, easily attached with a single stitch.

Here's a sneak for tomorrow's kit ... this little lady has a sweet tooth, as she's been caught with a peppermint in her hand!

What a cute little guy! The stitching holes for the icing really make it easy to stay on track and get these done. I've used mostly basic stitching, have doubled up for the mouth, and used french knots for the eyes.

For the buttons I stitched an asterisk and added a red seed bead to the center.  

This guy is making off with a candy cane, also included in tomorrow's gingerbread village kit.

There's one more thing I'd like to share for these guys ...

Personalization with the Accessory Alphabet! You can use these dies for initials, or in this case ...

you can make a special gift for a new couple's Christmas! Maybe even stitch the date on one of their legs.

Aside from being a little surprise on the back when they flip it over, I like decorating the backs of ornaments so there's something to look at if they get turned around. My sons have been decorating our tree for years, and they're not always the best at making sure ornaments face forward. This way, even if the ornaments get turned around they're still super cute.

These guys will be released at Poshta Design on Saturday 7/2 at noon EST.

Stay tuned for a look at the second set being released, the cutest gingerbread house with many different possibilities! 

Prizes!
There will be a $50 gift certificate giveaway for both introductory blog posts at Poshta Design. Winners will be chosen from comments on each post, and announced at 9am on Saturday 7/2.

Here's more information on the kit, from Lizzie herself:

Gingerbread Friends
When it comes to Christmas baking, gingerbread tops the list for seasonal delights! This gingerbread pair brings a touch of sweet whimsy to your holiday crafting. With both lady and gent shapes, you’ll be able to create an ornament or garland for everyone on your list. There are even two styles of buttons and a little heart accessory included in the die, so you can customize your projects even further. Our handy shaped base plates make adding the piping details to these characters a breeze. You’ll have a baker’s dozen whipped up before the first flurries fly!
Retails for $50.

Accessory Alphabet  

This alphabet is perfect for the times you want to add personalization, but a bolder monogram just won’t quite fit the bill. These letters can be used to spell out names (4-5 characters fit on many of our past and present ornament shapes), add initials, or customize your projects with special messages. You can even pair the Accessory Alphabet with the Monogram Alphabet and Inline Monogram Alphabet for creations that are tailor-made for your friends and loved ones!

This alphabet includes all the letters of the alphabet with double vowels and “gameshow rules” for extra popular letters to make your creative time a breeze. You receive a total of 37 characters wired together.
Retails for $19.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Kelly

New Anita Jeram Stamps/Dies in Colorado Craft Company Release!

 Hello Friends! I'm super excited to be joining the Colorado Craft Company newest release of Anita Jeram stamps!

Let's Paint the Town Red ... what a great and timely sentiment after the past two years!

A bit of red ink smooshing from a few different ink pads fulfills the red being "painted" around town.

This cutie with the paint brush was cut out and layered on top of a stamp impression of that same image.

This card uses the most adorable mama and child bear image, fussy cut and found in the Stargazers Stamp Set.

This sweet image and sentiments are just begging to have a cool background with blue, purple and gray.

This is my favorite image, possibly of the entire release! I think it's the mama paw on the baby shoulders that gets me!

Prizes!
For each designer's blog we are giving away 1 random 4x6" set from this release! Comment until July 3rd, and then Colorado Craft Company will pick and email the winners.

Here's the list of wonderful designers who also have something to share:

Adam Karle

Amy Tsuruta

Amy Young

Angelica Conrad

Bibi Cameron

Daniel West

Erin Thompson

Jenn Gross

Jenn Shurkus

Jennifer Kotas

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Joe Sysavath

Kassi Hulet

Kelly Griglione

Mansi Bhatia

Marci Snee

Nancy Snead

Nichol Spohr

Traci Jenkins

 

Thanks as always for stopping by!
Kelly

Pinkfresh Studio June 2022 Stamp, Die, Stencil, and Hot Foil Release

 
Hello Friends! Sure hope your summer is off to a great start! Welcome to the June Pinkfresh stamp, die, stencil and hot foil release!

I had so much fun with the Folk Floral Stem Stamp, the Mini Slimline Frames, and let out a huge cheer when I saw more coverplates, including the Ornate Medallions Coverplate!

The Folk Floral Stem Stamp is just the right size, and has the most perfect graceful curve to adorn the front of your A2 card base. You can have the flowers facing up or down, off the margin or in the center, and they all look beautiful.

Check out the new Dotted Scallops Coverplate and how much texture it brings! Such a great foundation. Also, while we're on the close-up, did you notice I used two of the bars from the Mini Slimline Frames? I can honestly see using these all the time!

That beautiful sentiment on the vellum and die is from the Heart Smiles line.

And since there are coloring stencils, you have most of the card finished in just a few minutes (unless it takes you an hour to figure out where to put the sentiment lol!)

Really love how this one turned out! Same flower, same colors (except a light purple for the leaves instead of a tan) but wow with the drama on charcoal! 

Must take a moment to appreciate Mini Slimline Frames, cut in gold!! LOVE! Who says you need to use them on a slimline card? Cut them up for different boxes to showcase your flowers from!

And while you're at it, stick a few sentiments in those boxes as well. I think people generally like reading more vs. less on a card. 

This is one of my recent favorite cards, I think because it looks a little Art Deco with the frame style, and the colors used.

GIVEAWAYS:

We will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel!! We will also be giving away a total of TEN $25  gift cards, so comment along the hop for more chances to win. The winners will be posted on July 5, 2022 on the GIVEAWAY PAGE, so check back and claim any prize within 2 weeks. GOOD LUCK!!

I'd like to send you now to the blog of the super talented Kelly Taylor, who has some delightful projects to share with you!

Here's the complete list if you need it:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thanks for stopping by!
-Kelly

Supplies Used (affiliate links, thanks for your support!)

Mini Slimline Frames

Heart Smiles Die

Heart Smiles Stamp

Folk Floral Stem Stamp

Folk Floral Stem Die

Folk Floral Stencils

Dotted Scallops Coverplate

Ornate Medallions Coverplate

Ornate Circle Die

Masculine Birthday Cards - Four Different Ways to Use the New Spellbinders Balloon Party Animal Die!

 

Hello Folks! Masculine birthday cards (and sympathy cards) are the most difficult cards for me to make, and of course the cards I need most often. Today I'm excited to share four different ways to use the most adorable new Balloon Party Animal Die from the Spellbinders 20th birthday party extravaganza!! And they are guaranteed to work for all the guys in your life, young or old!

Balloon Party Animal Die

Before jumping in with the cards, I'd like to take a moment to recognize what an enormous milestone to reach 20 successful years, in any industry ... so very proud of how Spellbinders has navigated all the crazy market twists and turns over these years and have still come out on top. Congratulations!!

OK, let's take a look at the cards!

 

With masculine cards, it's a tough balance between not over-engineering things, and still keeping the card interesting. This card does just that, simplistic in design, yet the elements are engaging.

Cutting the Balloon Party Animal Die out of transparent vellum gives this guy a real balloon feel.

And the Stitched Fanfare Die background die is a knockout!! You can of course stitch your heart out with this die, but what a stunning statement on its own, with just white cardstock! This card was way too easy to make, so of course I kept going ...

Another idea, channel your contemporary art vibes and recreate a Jeff Koons Balloon Dog. 

 

There are five in existence, and all have a mirror polished finish in blue, magenta, orange, red or yellow. What a great idea for a set!

This one I made super dimensional and bent up the balloon sections to stick out and really play up the reflective qualities of this foil paper. Also attached him with a stick for fun.

This festive card would work for any age, male or female. You could also attach the balloon animal with a spring and have him move around your card.

A third idea is to make multiples of the balloon animal, and highlight one of them in a different color with your sentiment. This card represents the magenta Koons sculpture.

This focal point has a few layers underneath for some dimension.

Festive, yet masculine ... a real challenge for me, but I think this one hits it!

My fourth and final example actually uses the additional dimensional die pieces layered on top of the main balloon animal in a different shade of green.  

And I added wire glasses to him for some extra quirkiness by wrapping wire around an old paint brush.

This card also goes to show the balloon animals aren't just for birthday cards ... it can work for any festive and celebratory occasion (graduations - with a balloon animal in school colors, new promotion, first day of school, etc) 

Thanks so much for checking out my ideas with the Balloon Party Animal Die! As the first three cards show, you can get great results with only using the first layer of the die, so making multiples of these cards would be very efficient.  I really had a ton of fun playing around with this guy and love how versatile he is. 

A big Happy 20th Birthday to Spellbinders!! What an accomplishment!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
- Kelly

Supplies used (affiliate links used, thank so much for your support!)

Balloon Party Animal Die

Stitched Fanfare Die