Easter Baskets

Have you seen the new DeNami Design cling stamps? The new release includes some of the cutest stamps for spring, and today the design team is featuring the brand-new Large Spring Basket cling stamp as our Product Spotlight for this week. It was so much fun thinking of ways to use this unique stamp! I couldn't decide whether to go with flowers or eggs, so I made one of each with Easter in mind. :)


My sweet little peeps were made from two different sizes of oval punches! The cracked eggshell portion gets its shape and design from the chevron border stamp in the new Modern Borders Set, and each chickie gets its sweet features from the Animal Faces stamp set. I've used the Small Happy Easter stamp for my sentiment and a bunch of supplies from the DeNami shop:

Petal Pink cardstock
Sky Blue cardstock
Iridescent Emerald Green cardstock
Celery cardstock
Lavender cardstock
Golden Tangerine cardstock
Onyx Black Versafine ink
Vintage Sepia Versafine ink
Habanero Versafine ink
Aloe Vera Versamagic ink
Sea Breeze Versamagic ink
baker's twine from the Pastel Twine 3-pack

I took more of a clean and simple approach to my basket of Easter flowers (although you can see I still couldn't keep from tucking in a couple of Easter eggs!).


All of my flowers (colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended with odorless mineral spirits and a paper blending stump) come from the Whimsical Flowers stamp set, and the egg comes from the Easter stamp set. Other DeNami goodies used on this card include:

Small Happy Easter stamp
Petal Pink cardstock
Lavender cardstock
Onyx Black Versafine ink
Vintage Sepia Versafine ink
Sea Breeze Versamagic ink
EK Success Dotted Scallop Border punch
baker's twine from the Pastel Twine 3-pack

Now I just need to find a little time to create some more cards just like these and I'll be all set for Easter!

Don't forget that that as our Product Spotlight stamp, the Large Spring Basket will be on sale for the next week!
And be sure to swing by the DeNami blog today to check out the rest of the ideas the talented DeNami DT cooked up with this stamp!

Thanks for dropping in!
Emily

DeNami Birthday Blog Hop

Welcome to the DeNami Design Birthday Blog Hop! Today the DeNami Design DT and customers alike are sharing birthday creations made with DeNami stamps.

Hopefully, you've arrived here by way of Wendy Harrill's blog, Confessions of a DeNami Addict. If so, you are on the right track! If not, you'll want to head over to the DeNami blog to start the blog hop at the beginning. (And remember, if you get lost along the way, you can always head over to the DeNami blog to get pointed in the right direction.)

Remember, there are DeNami prizes to be won! Two lucky duckies will be drawn at random from among the comments left along the blog hop to win a $20 DeNami Design gift certificate! You have until Monday, March 12, 2012, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs to be eligible for a prize.

OK, who's ready to {birthday} party? Let's get started!!

Have you seen the huge variety of stamps in DeNami's birthday category? If not, you should definitely check it out. All I can say is "WOW!" And the latest stamp release added some more fabulous birthday stamps in cling form, so those are the ones I wanted to show off with my projects for today's birthday hop. I couldn't decide which direction to take, so I ended up making two different birthday projects to share. My first is a birthday party favor packed with my favorite kind of treat, chocolate!

This project features not only some of the new DeNami cling stamps (Cupcake Chickie and Birthday Celebration 1 set) but also a new cellophane bag that's perfect for treats: the Clear Gusseted Bag, sold in packs of 10 with the steal-of-the-day price of $2.50. I also used the Polka Dot Background stamp, Petal Pink cardstock, and Vintage Sepia Versafine ink from the DeNami store.

Wanna know my secret for getting those yummy little truffles to line up so perfectly? Just stick them down on the stamped cardstock backing sheet with a bit of strong two-sided adhesive (like ScorTape). :D

My second project is a birthday gift tag using the same stamps as those for my party favor:

I'm also showing off a bit of the new baker's twine from The Twinery that's being carried in the DeNami store now! This bit of pink/white twine comes from the Pastel Twine 3-pack, so perfect for spring and Easter projects!

Well, I'm sure you are just chomping at the bit to head off and collect more fabulous DeNami inspiration for birthday projects. Before you leave, be sure to leave a comment to be eligible for the randomly drawn prizes and then you can be on your way to the next stop on the hop: Pam Wendt's blog, Handwerk by Pamela.

Thanks so much for dropping by to check out my happy birthday creations!
Emily

Guest Blogging on Do More With Less

Happy Tuesday! Today I am super excited to be guest blogging on Yvonne Yam's Do More With Less blog. YAY!! :DA HUGE THANKS goes to Yvonne for inviting me!! Yvonne always has the best papercrafting tips, the coolest projects (she ROCKS upcycling!), the most awesome embellishments, and the most fascinating guests. It's such an honor and a gigantic thrill to be featured there today! As part of my guest stint, Yvonne asked if I'd like to share a tutorial with her readers. I've been asked by many of my own readers about how I make the multi-loop twine bows (like this one) that I've been using on my projects for the past several months, so I decided to write a step-by-step photo tutorial on how I make them. You can find all the details in my tutorial over on Do More With Less today--so, if you've been wondering how to make a bow like this, I'd absolutely love it if you dropped by to take a look!

And, wait!! That's not all!! As Do More With Less guest blogger, I'm also sponsoring a challenge to go along with my tutorial. The challenge is to create your own project with a multi-loop bow made from baker's twine, string, embroidery floss, etc., and link it up over on Do More With Less. Here's the new multi-loop-bow project I created for my tutorial and challenge:


It's just a clean and simple little one-layer note card I made to thank a fabulous teenage pianist who shared his musical gifts at our church recently. That harlequin pattern comes from a brand-new DeNami Design cling stamp set, Modern Borders. I also used the Mini Music Notes stamp, All-Occasion Sentiments stamp set, baker's twine from the Spring Twine 3-pack, Deep Lagoon Versafine ink, and Onyx Black Versafine ink--all from the DeNami Design store.

And no challenge would be complete without a little prize, right? One challenge participant will be randomly selected to receive this lil ol' prize package from lil ol' me!


I hope you'll take some time to play along with my Do More With Less Guest Blogger challenge!! Be sure to link up your creation over on Do More With Less. I can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks so much for stopping by to see what's making me happy today!!
Emily

Happy Easter

Today I'm sharing a card I created for the new DeNami Design Challenge that debuts today over on the DeNami Design blog. The challenge is to use at least one DeNami Design stamp and this color combination:

I'm so excited about this challenge because Paulina asked me to pick the colors! I knew I'd be ready to make some Easter cards by the time this challenge went live, so I chose some pretty pastels that would be great to use on cards for spring! In terms of DeNami cardstock colors, these are: magenta, celery, desert orange, leaf green, and petal pink.

Here's the Easter card I made with these colors:

This was so much fun to put together! And I used a ton of DeNami products:

Easter stamp set
Small Happy Easter stamp
Rosebud Trio stamp
Teeny Heart Background stamp
Magenta cardstock
Celery cardstock
Desert Orange cardstock
Petal Pink cardstock
EK Success Dotted Scallop border punch
Onyx Black Versafine ink
Aloe Vera Versamagic ink

I hope you'll take some time to play along with the DeNami Color Challenge this month! You have until Monday, March 26, to enter. I can't wait to see what you create. :)

Thanks for stopping by,
Emily

PS I'm entering this in the Anything Goes Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp.

A Snowy Day and a Thank-You Note

Last winter we received over 80 inches of snow, and when we were hit with our first snowstorm of the 2011/2012 winter season in October, I figured we were really in for it this year. I couldn't have been more wrong. So far we've received a total of 10 inches of snow, and that included our freak snowfall in October. Now don't get me wrong--I'm really not complaining. It's been soooooooo nice not having to remove snow this year or worry about the kids managing snow boots and gear at school. There's been no ice to deal with on the steep path they walk to and from school. No mess, smooth travel, no last-minute cancellations . My life has been easy!

But on this last day of February, just when I thought we might make it through the winter without incident, we have a major snowstorm knocking on our door. Forecasters are saying we could get 8 to 12 inches out of it by the time it ends midday tomorrow. It's been snowing for over an hour and a half now, and it's starting to collect on the grass and trees. And I can't help but start feeling a little bit excited. Now, when I typed my first paragraph, I actually wrote "I haven't missed the snow this year," but I had to go back and take it out because really--deep down--I have missed the snow. There's just something about a good, gotta-hunker-down snowstorm that I really love. And so what if it temporarily suspends my easy winter? So what if in a few days it will become gray and dingy? Right now it's beautiful, and I love watching it pile up, just like in Katy and the Big Snow. :)

OK, switching gears now: I have a card to share. I'm constantly adding to (and then depleting!) my stash of musical thank you notes to send to guest musicians at our church. I took advantage of several challenges I've had on my list for this week to quickly put together this one:


The sentiment and fleur de lis come from {ippity}'s Regal Greetings stamp set, and I've ripped into my vintage hymnal for the panels of music. I've modeled my layout after this week's Chick Challenges {with Ippity} sketch, used a clean and simple style for the {ippity} CAS challenge, featured a music theme for the Get Hippity with Ippity Music Challenge, and used circles for the Paper Sundaes Circles Challenge. And it definitely qualifies for the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp!

Well, I'm off to enjoy watching the snow fall. I hope you are doing something you love to do in your little corner of the world today!

Thanks for stopping by!
Emily

DeNami Sneak Peek: BUTTERFLIES!

Welcome to Day 1 of the DeNami Design Spring Release Sneak Peeks!! Today DT Members Laurie, Lisa, and I are giving you sneak peeks of brand-new DeNami stamps about to be released in the Butterfly category! Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post for details on a great giveaway over on the DeNami blog :D.
First, have you heard the news? Starting with this spring release, DeNami stamps will be switching over to cling-mounted rubber stamps! They will use the same high-quality DeNami rubber but will only be available in the cling-cushion form designed to be used with clear acrylic handles. Not only will the stamps be less expensive, they'll be so much easier to store! And I just LOVE being able to see through my handle as I stamp. So easy to "eye-ball" alignment for quickly stamped designs! (More on that in a minute.) And just look at the new ultra-cute packaging for the cling stamps. Fabulous!

Enough chit-chat, right? Let's look at some cards I made with some of the new DeNami butterfly stamps!

What is it about hot pink and bright orange that just look so good together? I love this hot color combination, and I thought it was perfect to show off three stamps from the new release: the largest butterfly of five in the new Fancy Flutters stamp set (CL-GD001), the gorgeous border stamp in the four-stamp Spring Garden stamp set (CL-GD002), and lovely Happy Birthday Script sentiment stamp (CL-F216).

Additional DeNami products on this card:
Magenta cardstock
Desert Orange cardstock
Habanero Versafine ink
Onyx Black Versafine ink

Now, how about a peek at one of the eight new chickies joining the DeNami family on March 1? Behold, I give you the Chickie and Butterflies stamp (CL-D142)!!

Additional DeNami products on this card:
Teeny Heart Background stamp
Everyday Greetings stamp set
Celery cardstock
Desert Orange cardstock
Onyx Black Versafine ink
Aloe Vera Versamagic ink

You won't believe how quickly this 4" x 4" card came together, all thanks to the new cling-mount stamp design. I simply looked right through my clear acrylic handle to line up the {curved} bottom edge of the chickie stamp with the curve of the cardstock circle already mounted on my card.

After stamping the butterfly chickie at the 12-o'clock, 3-o'clock, 6-o'clock, and 9-o'clock positions {eyeballing it the whole way!}, I went back and filled in between the chickies. The clear handle makes it easy to center the stamp between the already-stamped chickies.

By lining up the bottom edge of the stamp with the curve of the circle for each chickie, they are all {approximately} the same distance away from the circle, all the way around. Perfectly positioned chickies (well, good enough, anyway) in less than five minutes!

And finally I'd like to share a shaped card I made from the new Large Butterfly stamp (CL-P96). I am SO excited about this one!! So many fabulous possibilities for it.

Additional DeNami products on this card:
Polka Dot Background stamp
Celery cardstock
Sky Blue cardstock
Lavender cardstock
Onyx Black Versafine ink
Deep Lagoon Versafine ink
Aloe Vera Versamagic ink

Do you spy some trendy chevrons on my butterfly? That's also a new DeNami stamp! It's a chevron border that's included in the new Modern Borders stamp set (CL-BD005). DT members Michele, Dana, and Paulina will be giving sneak peeks of all the new border stamps tomorrow--be sure to drop by the DeNami blog to catch those!

But I'm getting ahead of myself! Don't forget to check out all of today's BUTTERFLY sneak peeks made by Laurie and Lisa, as well as Paulina's sneak peek video on the DeNami blog.

Let's see . . . one last thing before I go. I did mention that there is a giveaway on the DeNami blog today, right? Here's what's up for grabs:
Aren't these new butterfly stamps beautiful? Be sure to check out the DeNami blog for details on entering. (Pssst . . . but be sure to leave me a comment here before you go--I understand that will give you a chance at a second butterfly prize package! And leaving comments on Laurie's and Lisa's posts will increase your chances!) The deadline to enter is February 29th at 6:00 am PST. The winners will be announced on the DeNami blog later that day.

I think that should do it for now. Thanks so much for bearing with me during this long-winded post! I had a blast sharing some of DeNami's newest stamps with you!!
Emily

Happy Circles

Well, folks, it's been a whirlwind week here at our house. My kids have been home all week on their February school vacation week. (Yes, for some odd reason, public schoolkids here in Massachusetts get a week of vacation in February and another week off in April. Add that to a week plus off between Christmas and New Year's and a first day of school that's after Labor Day, and that puts my kids' last day of school in late June!) In addition to our day trip to Rockport midweek, we took advantage of a 50% off sale at the used book store, stocked up on scrapbook supplies, ordered photo developing on a year-and-a-half's worth of pictures, bought penny-candy at the local corner store, and watched a few movies here at home. The kids made lots of progress on their scrapbooks while I tried to tame the mess in my stamping corner.

Which brings us to another busy day here today! In between trying to get caught up on household chores, I made a card for the February Market Street Stamps Block Party.

I created the lower panel of the card by punching circles from various stampings of the MSS Sweet Lace background. The sentiment is from MSS Happy Pumpkin.

Time to go tuck in a couple of tired kiddos! I'll see you back here tomorrow for some DeNami sneak peeks!

Thanks for dropping by!
Emily