Feeling Like Fall

Good morning all!

 Sorry it's been a little quite round here on the old blog front. I suppose summer + back to school frenzy will do that to you.

 Anyway, I have a card that I wanted to share with you today that I had originally created for a Paper Crafts call for submission for their feature on Natural Elements which is appearing right now in the September/October issue.

 The cards featured in the magazine are just gorgeous! I don't know about you, but when I start thinking of twine, denim, burlap, and warm wood, my mind goes directly to fall. With that said, here was my take on this challenge:

I stamped the ginko leaves from Papertrey Ink's Harvest Berries set on a panel of balsa wood.  I used pigment ink for the leaves and was very pleased that the stamped images retained their detail. The sentiment was stamped on the Mat Stack 1 shape and I trimmed the bottom to be flush with the bottom of the panel.  I also debossed the mat stack panel with a woodgrain embossing plate before adhereing. A few pearls finished off the card. 

Well that's it for me today.  Thank you so much for stopping by!

Katie

Skipping Stones Sketch 142

Good morning!

Just popping in today to share a card I created for this week's sketch challenge at Skipping Stones Design,

For my card, I used Victoria Summer.  The patterned papers are from My Mind' Eye- The Sweetest Thing tangerine collection. 

Here is a look at this week's sketch by Amy Sheffer:

Does this sketch make you want to run to your crafty space and start creating?  If so, don't forget to link your take on this week's sketch to the Skipping Stones blog.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Katie

Teacher Gift Idea: A Bouquet of Pencils

Good morning!

I hope you are having a lovely weekend!  This is our last official weekend of summer as the girls start back to school on Wednesday. (sigh...) My oldest, Paige, will be starting 3rd grade and my baby, Sophie, is starting Kindergarten.

In honor of back to school, I wanted to share a simple gift idea that the girls will be giving their teachers on the first day of school.

I covered a white mailing tag with patterned paper.  I die cut a label (My Favorite Things) from white cardstock and stamped the sentiment from Paper Smooches in black ink and added TEACHER in sticker letters (October Afternoon).  I die-cut and stamped an apple (Papertrey Ink) and added a white hole reinforcer to the tag.

I tied the pencils together with some black ribbon and attached the tag with some twine.  A red button finished off the gift.

Well, that's all for me today.  Lots to do still.... like shopping for clothes, shoes, and laundering hand-me-down uniforms.  

Have a super weekend!
Katie

Bras 3- Blog Hop!

Hello!

Thank you for hopping with us today at Skipping Stones Design!  Today, we continue to celebrate the release of Bras 3 with a blog hop that features lots of creative ideas with our newest set.  Below is the card I created with our newest set plus this week's retro sketch challenge.

For extra fun, I added rhinestones to both bras because there is nothing more fun than a bedazzles undergarment (wink). 

Here is a peek at this week's sketch- courtesy of Teri Anderson:

Be sure to visit the Skipping Stones blog to link up your take on this week's sketch challenge!  You could win a free stamp set and nothing's more fun than free stamps, except perhaps gem encrusted undergarments. ;o)

Next up is the talented Wendy Price!  Happy hopping friends and thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Fragile! Don't squeeze the package!

Good morning!

At Skipping Stones Design, we are celebrating the newest addition to our line-up of hilarious stamps.  Bras Volume 3 completes the Skipping Stones Bra trilogy, and I wanted to share a card I made using this new set.

This sassy set called for the sassiest papers in my stash, so I busted out the Sugar Chic collection from Heidi Swapp.  I stamped one of the bras on pink paper and fussy cut it out.  

I added one of the many hilarious sentiments from the set to the card. A little bling and black grosgrain ribbon completed the card. 

Tomorrow, the whole Skipping Stones gang will be back with a Blog Hop with lots more giggles and inspiration featuring Bras 3!  I hope to see you then!

Katie

It's Retro Sketch Month at Skipping Stones Design

Good morning all!

We are continuing to mix it up a bit at Skipping Stones Design.  Last month, we brought you inspiration photos and this month, we are doing a little SSD rewind and bringing back some favorite "blast from the past" sketch challenges.

Here is the first challenge for August:

Notice that Card Sketch #1 title?  Yep, this is the very first sketch that Skipping Stones ever offered up. Keeping with the retro vibe, I decided to interpret this sketch using the second oldest Skipping Stones set (and personal fav) Chic Martini. 

I covered a card based made from ivory cardstock with some funky green woodgrain paper from My Mind's Eye- Dwell Collection. Before adhering to the card base, I wraped the patterned paper with some hot pink ribbon that I tied into a bow. 

I stamped the martini glass from Chic Martini 3 times in Pink Passion ink (Stampin' Up) and the olive in New Leaf (PTI).  The sentiment was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I matted the stamped image with more Pink Passion cardstock and adhered the stamped panel to the card.  Some small gems at the top of the cocktail stirrer finish off the card. 

I also couldn't resist showing you this set- it's super fun!

You can purchase this set by visiting the SSD stamp store- this link will show you ALL the Skipping Stones stamps ever released in order of release.  And now is a great time to pick up a few sets that you have been eyeing as we are starting a PMS sale today.  PMS standing for Purchase More Stamps, of course.  What did you think it stood for?  :o)

I hope that you will go retro with us this month and play along with our rewind sketch challenges.  All of the details about the challenge and sale are on the Skipping Stones Blog.

Oh, and before I go, I wanted to mention that Leah was the winner of the Cupcake Cutie giveaway from last week.  Leah, I will be dropping you an email later today, but if you want to email me, my addy is scrappy_diva (at) yahoo (dot) com. 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Katie

Feature Friday- Healing Wings

Hello friends,

Today, I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about making the cards that no one likes to make.  Sympathy cards are never easy to create, but they mean so much to our loved ones who are experiencing a loss.  Recently, one of my friends lost her father, and I set about making a card to let her know that she and her family were in our thoughts and prayers.

When creating sympathy cards, I tend to keep my designs simple and clean, but it's important that your design be a reflection of you and the recipient. I started with a white card base and stamped the woodgrain image from Grunge 1 in the center.  Next I trimmed a panel of white cardstock just smaller than the card base and embossed it with a embossing folder (Lifestyle Crafts) and die cut a deckled rectangle (Spellbinders) from the center so the woodgrain pattern would show through.  I adhered the embossed panel to the card based with foam tape. 

I stamped one of the butterfly images from Healing Wings onto some coral patterned paper from My Mind's Eye. I fussy cut the stamped images and adhered the layers together in the center, folding the wings to create some dimension.  A few small pearls act a subtle accents. 

I stamped the sentiment, along from Healing Wings on a piece of white cardstock and trimmed it into a banner and adhered to the card.  The inside of the card is ready for you to express your thoughts and condolences.  

When making sympathy cards, my best advice is to keep it simple and keep with just a few colors and embellishments.  Your loved one with appreciate that you took the time to create something tangible that communicates just how much you care. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  

Katie