DeNami Design Product Spotlight March Blog Hop

DON"T FORGET!!

My giveaway for a 

Basket Weave Embossing Folder from the DeNami Design store

 ends tonight. 

Be sure to check out the details HERE to enter!!

****

It's the last Wednesday of the month and that means it is time to show off another awesome DeNami Design stamp with a blog hop! This month we are featuring the brand-new and absolutely beautiful Cross and Vines stamp. What a gorgeous addition to the DeNami Design rubber stamp collection!

I ended up making three different cards with this lovely stamp for today's blog hop.  Let's take a look at them in order from least to most elaborate. Here's my first creation:

I stamped the cross in black ink on kraft cardstock and left it uncolored. After a little fussy cutting it was ready to shine against the watercolored background I created with my Faber-Castell Gelatos. So easy!! I only needed one other DeNami stamp for this creation, the beautifully scripted Rejoice. Finally, I added some free-form machine stitching for a border, and it was done.

Here's my second creation:

For this one, I added DeNami's He Is Risen stamp to my design, as well as the Flowers and Vines Embossing Folder. Doesn't it tie in perfectly with the Cross and Vines stamp? To help the embossed pattern stand out a little more, I inked the debossed side of the embossing folder (as opposed to the raised side of the folder) with Fresh Green Versacolor ink, which perfectly accented the Celery Cardstock that I used.

And finally, here is the most elaborate card that I made with today's Product Spotlight stamp:

Lots more layers on this one, right? I used the same embossing folder inking technique, and again I'm quite pleased with the results. I dressed up my design by drawing on some pearls with a green Crystal Lacquer Pearl Pen.

You can purchase this beautiful stamp for 10% off the regular price for the next week. You also have the chance to WIN this fabulous product in today's spotlight blog hop! All you need to do is hop along to each stop in the lineup, leaving comments along the way. Here is the blog hop lineup:

DeNami blog 
Lisa Petrella
Deb Wabbe
Wendy Elliot
Emily Keaton  <==== you are here!
Lisa Elton
Pattie Goldman
Dana Seymour
Tammy Hobbs

One commenter will be selected at random to win this month's prize! Just check out the DeNami blog for all the details.

Thanks for stopping by today--have a super day!
Emily

Good Teaching

Yesterday was my kids's first day of school for the 2013-2014 academic year. The summer went by so fast! And that's not the only thing going fast--my first-born started high school yesterday. Eek!! I can't possibly be old enough to be the parent of a high school student, can I???? {apparently the answer to that is "yes," but it sure doesn't seem possible!}

I expect my children to write thank you notes to their teachers at the end of the year, and I figure it's never too early to start accumulating a stash. So, here's my first teacher thank-you note of the year (it's also being featured over on the DeNami blog today):

I printed that awesome quote by Josef Albers directly on the card base, and then added a sweet teacher-appropriate decoration made with the Small Apple stamp and "thanks" sentiment from the Everyday Greetings stamp set, both from DeNami Design.

I heat embossed the image with clear embossing powder and then watercolor painted it using dye inks.

Thanks so much for dropping by today. I hope you have a fabulous day! :D
Emily

Summer Lovin'

It's time for another stamp release at Flourishes, and this time the release week challenge is called Summer Lovin'--a challenge to create with summer in mind. So how about this for summery?

I used a fun silhouette stamp set from Flourishes called Country Road, which was a birthday gift from a sweet friend. It was so much fun to ink up for the first time! I stamped the pasture scene on watercolor paper and then colored in the grass and sky with some of my new Gelatos, blending them with water and a paintbrush. I LOVE how this scene turned out! The patterned paper is from a new Dear Lizzy Neapolitan 6x6 pad that I just picked up on sale at ACMoore last week. So fun to use so many new items at once!

The last few weeks have been sooooooooooooooooo busy for me. I've spent a lot of time tackling long-overdue projects around the house, getting the house ready for company, and hosting my parents from Ohio for a visit over the weekend. Today was the first time in quite a while that I've been able to do some crafting!

Thanks for taking a peek and stopping by!
Emily

DeNami Thoughtful Thank Yous Blog Hop

Good morning, friends! And welcome to the DeNami Design Thoughtful Thank Yous Blog Hop! Today the DeNami Design Team and customers alike are showcasing projects that show off "thanks" in any way.

Hopefully, you've arrived here by way of Andrea Fisher's blog, Five Pines Designs. 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.)

Don't forget, there are some super-fun DeNami prizes to be won! Two lucky commenters 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, November 12, 2012, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs to be eligible for a prize.

So, I chose to focus on a "give thanks" theme for my thoughtful thank you. Here's what I came up with:

I recently stocked up on some awesome DeNami circle frames, so I combined three terrific stamps to create my focal point: Turkey, Give Thanks Circle, and Medium Dot Circle Frame.

And did you hear the news? The DeNami Design store now sells washi tape!! That's right, you can shop for cutie patootie rolls of washi tape while you shop for your favorite stamps. I couldn't wait to get my hands on these. Aren't they yummy? I used some of the yellow/white dots washi tape on this card.

That wraps it up for me! 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, the blog of Jennifer Harris, Jen & Paper. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Enjoy the blog hop,

Emily

PS I derived inspiration for this card from a few challenges:

• ColourQ challenge: Cherry Cobbler, Kraft, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, and White.
• CAS(E) this Sketch #5:
  
• The Kraft Journal Challenge: Happy Harvest 
• A Blog Named Hero: Punched/diecut elements   

Thinking of You on Thanksgiving

OK, East Coast, are you bracing for Winter Storm Athena? Here we go again! It's likely to get frightful outside here later today, but it's cozy and warm inside for the moment. Once the kids were off to school this morning , I cranked some jazz, lit a spicy candle, and cranked out some more Thanksgiving cards. Here's one of them.

I reached for my DeNami stamps for this one: Small Jack O'Lantern (I masked out his sweet face for this Thanksgiving card--such an easy way to stretch your stamps!) and the "thinking of you" sentiment from the Thoughtful Greetings Petit Four stamp set. I love this little stamp set--such a great and useful collection of petite sentiments. One of my favorites! I had fun watercolor painting that little pumpkin. I stamped it in Vintage Sepia Versafine ink on watercolor paper and then heat embossed it with DeNami clear embossing powder.

I'm playing along with a few challenges with this card:

• CASology: Orange
• A Blog Named Hero: Punched/diecut elements (I think I have 5 on this CAS card!)
• Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Thinking of You/Sympathy

In case you haven't noticed, I'm just mad for DeNami Design products! Are you intrigued? Then you should give the DeNami Addict Challenge a try!! This month's challenge is a fun sketch, and it's open for three more days. You do not need to use DeNami stamps, but if you win (and there's a good chance that you could: right now there are only 5 entries!!) you could win a $15 gift certificate to the DeNami Design online store to start your DeNami addiction collection :).

Of course, if you already have some DeNami stamps, then you should also try the DeNami Design challenge hosted on the DeNami Design blog. This month's challenge is also a sketch and requires at least one DeNami stamp. The pay-off for winning on this challenge? How about a $20 shopping spree in the DeNami Design online store?

And what if you are more of an instant-gratification kinda craftista? Then DeNami has got you covered! This month DeNami has a great online store sale. Check this out!!

I did some stocking up at the DeNami store myself over the weekend and will share some photos of the new haul when my eagerly anticipated package arrives!!!

OK, friends, stay safe, warm, and dry wherever you are. And thanks so much for dropping by!
Emily

It doesn't suck to be Friday

(This is my second post for today.

Be sure to scroll down to check out my 

Bazzill Basics Paper GIVEAWAY in this post.)

Hello, friends, and Happy Friday! I needed to make a few birthday cards and got stuck on what direction to take. What's a gal to do? Dive into some challenges for direction, of course! This is what I ended up with, making two copies of this same design.

I used the {ippity} Itty Bitty Sucks to Get Old and a rick-rack stamp from Unity's Homemade 6-Bean Soup kit. I stamped and heat embossed the lollipop head on watercolor paper so I could paint the image in just the right colors. Then I paper-pieced that portion, as well as the bow.

These are the challenges that helped my card take shape:

• I took my layout from one of the two sketches featured over at Chick Challenges with Ippity this week, taking a CAS tack with it by doing all the layers in white.
  
• I took my color scheme from this week's ColourQ challenge: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, and White.
  
• I took the theme of my creation from this week's CASology challenge cue.
  

And finally, because it's FRIDAY and I'm showing off my {ippity}/Unity stamps, I'm linking up with Friends With Flair over on the Unity blog.

Well, it's been a busy morning, but it's time to take stock and move on. Can't wait to be inspired when I make my rounds on the Friends With Flair lineup. I hope that all of you have a fabulous weekend!!
Emily

Thank-You Treat

Hey, there! I'm comin' atcha today with a fun and sweet little treat. I mean, really--who can resist DeNami chickies and M&Ms???

The focal point of my design is a brand-new stamp from DeNami, the Back-to-School Chickie, and we are featuring it this week as the DeNami Product Spotlight.

It's so perfect for back-to-school creations or for little thank-you gifts (or treats!) for teachers, tutors, librarians, and volunteers. And as this week's product spotlight, this adorable chickie stamp is on sale for the next week.

My little treat box came together so quickly and easily! I heat embossed the image and sentiment on watercolor paper, and then watercolor painted this cute little tableau with dye inks in less than five minutes. I punched it all out with a label punch and drew in a dotted black border with a Sakura Glaze pen. See that fun little clear treat box? That's one of DeNami's clear boutique boxes (the 2¼" x 2¼" x 1" size--perfect as favor, truffle, or treat boxes), and they are such a great deal. One 10-pack costs just $4. Amazing! After filling the box with peanut M&Ms, I tied it up with some red baker's twine from the Classic Twine 3-pack, and adhered my label to the box with some foam tape. Done!

Be sure to visit the DeNami blog today to see how the rest of the design team used this week's Spotlight product. I know you'll come away with a ton of ideas! 

Thanks for checking out my little slice of happy for today!

Emily

Stamps: Back To School Chickie,  Everyday Greetings stamp set by DeNami Design

Paper: Canson watercolor paper

Ink: Onyx Black Versafine, various dye inks for watercolor painting

Accessories: DeNami Boutique Box, baker's twine, clear embossing powder, heat tool, label punch, Sakura Glaze pen

Techniques: heat embossing, watercolor painting

DeNami Sneak Peeks: CHICKIES

Welcome to Day 1 of the DeNami Design Fall/Winter Release Sneak Peeks!! Today DT Member Lisa Petrella and I are giving you sneak peeks of brand-new DeNami stamps about to be released in the always-fun CHICKIES category! Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post for details on a great giveaway :D.

If you are a DeNami chickie lover, you will positively swoon over the chick-tastic new release! There are new chickies for Halloween, new chickies for Christmas, and some fun new chickies for everyday. I had SO much fun with my new chickie stamps getting ready for this fall/winter release! It was hard to decide where to start, but in the end I went with some of the new everyday chickies. Are ready to see them? OK, fasten your seat belts--here we go!!

What could be more fun than a racing chickie?!? For my first card I used the brand-new Race Car Chickie (CL-G154) and Make Way! It's Your Day! (CL-F224) stamps. My hubby is a huge car fanatic, so this will be for his birthday in September. I know he'll love it! I stamped the race car on watercolor paper in black Versafine ink and heat embossed the image with clear embossing powder. Then I watercolor-painted this fun little guy and his wheels with dye inks.

Up next I played with the new Swinging Chickie (CL-D146) on a pair of clean and simple cards. I wanted to make the swing ropes ultra long for this card design, so I extended them with a ruler and an ultra-fine tipped Sharpie. I paper-pieced the chickies on white cardstock so I could color them with Prismacolor pencils.  So, why two nearly identical cards? Well, I couldn't decide which I liked better: underlining my design with some scored lines, or tying on some baker's twine. This card was so quick and easy to make, that I did it both ways!

So are you starting to think that these new chickie stamps are just like potato chips? (You know, because you can't stop after just one--one card, that is!). Well, what I did with the new Business Chickie (CL-C92) would certainly make you think so! This little guy is SO cute! He made me think of some kind of bureaucrat or government agent--of the cutest, fluffiest kind, of course--that might come 'round to "chick" up on you. :D

And there you have it--my chickie sneak peeks for the new release!



Congratulations for making it to the end of this looooooooooooooong post :). I mentioned a giveaway way back at the beginning, and here's what's up for grabs: 

Paulina is giving away TWO of these Chickie-themed prize packages today, one on the DeNami blog and one from today's featured blogs (that would be my blog here and Lisa Petrella's blog). The winners will be randomly selected from the comments left on the three blogs, so be sure to comment in all three places to maximize your chance of winning!


I'm so glad that you dropped in to check out some of the new chickie stamps in the DeNami Design Fall/Winter Release! Be sure to tune into the DeNami blog tomorrow for more sneak peeks and another giveaway.


Have a day filled with bliss!
Emily


Race Car Chickie card:
Stamps: Race Car Chickie, Make Way It's Your Day, Steam Curl, Stitched Rectangle, Holiday stamp set--all from DeNami Design
Paper: Canson watercolor paper, patterned paper from BasicGrey's Wander collection
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Versafine Vintage Sepia, Versafine Crimson Red, various dye inks for watercolor painting
Accessories: sewing machine, foam tape
Techniques: watercolor painting, machine stitching


Swinging Chickie cards:
Stamps: Swinging Chickie, Hang In There--from DeNami Design
Paper: DeNami Iridescent Aquamarine cardstock, white cardstock from PTI
Ink: Noir Black Palette
Accessories: ruler, ultra-fine tip Sharpie, scoring board, Prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, paper blending stumps, baker's twine from DeNami's Summer Twine 3-pk
Techniques: scoring, Gamsol Magic


Business Chickie card #1:
Stamps: Business Chickie, Just Chickin' Up On You--from DeNami Design
Paper: DeNami Lime cardstock, patterned paper from BasicGrey's Green at Heart collection, white cardstock from PTI
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Noir Black Palette
Accessories: sewing machine, scalloped border punch, Prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, paper blending stumps
Techniques: Gamsol Magic, machine stitching

Business Chickie cards #2 and #3:
Stamps: Business Chickie, Just Chickin' Up On You, Retro Borders 1 Set (cling)--from DeNami Design
Paper: white cardstock from PTI
Ink: Versafine Deep Lagoon, Versafine Crimson Red, Noir Black Palette
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, paper blending stumps
Techniques: Gamsol Magic

DeNami Cards for Guys Blog Hop

Welcome to the DeNami Design Cards for Guys Blog Hop! Today the DeNami Design Team and customers alike are showcasing some of those often-hard-to-create masculine cards made with DeNami stamps.

 
Hopefully, you've arrived here by way of Stacy M.'s blog, Sweethearts & Sweet Tarts. 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.)

Don't forget, there are delightful DeNami prizes to be won! Two luckies 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, June 11, 2012, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs to be eligible for a prize. 

Now, I don't know about you, but sometimes when I'm not sure how to approach a card for a guy, I just go with humor! Guys are always up for a laugh, right? And I'm sure most would take something funny over something mushy any day. So for my card for a guy today, I paired this punny You're a Hoot! stamp with the bespectacled owl from the Owls Petit Four stamp set. 

 
I chose some My Mind's Eye patterned paper in guy-ish colors to stitch down for the background of my card. I stamped the owl in Versafine Vintage Sepia ink on watercolor paper and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then I watercolor painted that fun little owl with various dye inks to match the colors of the patterned paper. 

DeNami Design has a fabulous assortment of boy and masculine-themed stamps. Not familiar with them? Be sure to click HERE to see the entire collection!

Well, I'm sure you can't wait to see more guy-card inspiration! 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, the very sweet DeNami addict, Tina Milbourn, at her blog, A Timeless Treasure.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Enjoy the blog hop,

Emily

Stamps: You're a Hoot, Owls stamp set by DeNami Design
Paper: white byPapertrey Ink; Mudpie by Bazzill Basics; Baja Breeze by Stampin’ Up!; bubbles patterned paper from Fine and Dandy Boy collection by My Mind’s Eye; watercolor paper by Canson
Ink: Antique Linen distress ink by Ranger Industries; Baja Breeze, So Saffron, and Pumpkin Pie by Stampin’ Up!; Versafine Vintage Sepia by Tsukineko
Accessories: clear embossing powder by DeNami Design; brown buttons from my stash; brown burlap string by May Arts; wonky rectangles dies by Spellbinders
Techniques: machine stitching, heat embossing, watercolor painting

Happy Mother's Day

Greetings! It's time for another DeNami Design Product Spotlight. Today the design team is focusing on the new cling-style Happy Mother's Day sentiment, which is on sale for the next week.
I stamped the Flower Box Window cling stamp in Vintage Sepia Versamark ink on watercolor paper and heat-embossed the image with clear embossing powder. Then I watercolored the image using dye inks. I created my patch of flowers for the window box by stamping the grass image from the DeNami Easter stamp set in Spanish Moss Versafine ink. The flowers are paper punches dressed up with some tiny rhinestones. I love using the Solid Scallop Dot Rectangle as a sentiment panel; the Happy Mother's Day sentiment fits perfectly!

Be sure to swing by the DeNami blog today to see what the rest of the DT cooked up with this beautifully scripted sentiment stamp!

Thanks for dropping by!
Emily

PS Don't forget that the DeNami One-Layer Card challenge is still going on until April 30!

PPS Sunday, April 15, is the DeNami Ravishing Ribbons blog hop. Be sure to join us for tons of inspiration using ribbons--and a chance to comment to win one of two DeNami shopping sprees!

Watercoloring Tutorial

Today over on the DeNami Design blog I'm sharing a photo tutorial on watercolor painting, my very favorite way to color stamped images. No watercolor paints? No problem! I do all of my watercolor painting with dye inks, either from re-inkers, dye ink pads, or even water-based markers. It's so easy! I've got tips and tricks to help you get started, and I show all the steps for making this card (which I am entering in the Anything Goes Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp).

I hope you'll take a minute to check it out, and please let me know what you think!

Also, two quick DeNami reminders before I go:

• Our Product Spotlight stamp from this week, the Bunny Border, is still on sale at 10% off the regular price (but only through next Tuesday, so don't delay placing your order if you were thinking about adding it to your collection!).
• Be on the lookout for our new DeNami challenge--it will start on Monday!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Emily

Pastel Bunnies for Easter

Happy Wednesday!

I love making and sending Easter cards to my family and friends. How about you? How are your preparations coming along? I can't believe that next week is Holy Week--already!! I'm not exactly ready with my Easter cards yet, but today's DeNami Product Spotlight helped me along a bit. The DeNami Design team is sharing creations made with the ultra-adorable Bunny Border. Here's my card:

Along with the Bunny Border, I used DeNami's Small Happy Easter sentiment and the grass tuft from the Petit Four Easter stamp set. I watercolored the bunnies with dye ink and trimmed around each so I could group them around and on top of the Easter sentiment. I couldn't resist making coloring them in my favorite pastel shades!! Here's a list of all the DeNami products I used on this creation:

Petal Pink cardstock
Sky Blue cardstock
Lavender cardstock
Vintage Sepia Versafine ink
Aloe Vera Versamagic ink
EK Success Dotted Scallop Border punch
baker's twine from the Pastel Twine 3-pack
baker's twine from the Spring Twine 3-pack

Don't forget that that as our Product Spotlight stamp, the Bunny Border will be on sale for the next week!
Now be sure to swing by the DeNami blog today to check out what the rest of the design team created with this stamp!

Thanks so much for stopping by,
Emily

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

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

Hey, Cookie!!

And a Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!! I wanted to share a little DeNami goodness with you today on this sweetest of days and show you the Valentine card I made for my 13YO daughter:

I ADORE DeNami's Large Sugar Heart stamp. To me, it looks just like a decorated sugar cookie (a favorite around this house!), so I added a little computer-generated "Hey, Cookie!" sentiment tag. My daughter will love the play on words :). The patterned paper is from Doodlebug's Sweet Cakes Essentials Kit, which I was lucky enough to win last month. I couldn't resist dressing up the paper a bit with a stamped frame I created with DeNami's Love Script stamp--my favorite way to use this elegant stamp!

I stamped the heart on watercolor paper in Vintage Sepia Versafine ink and heat-embossed it using clear embossing powder, then watercolor painted it using dye inks. Embossing an image helps keep the watercolors from bleeding into areas where you don't want them! I added some Stickles glitter glue to make the cookie's sprinkles look all sugary and yummy. :) I'm going to enter this in the Love is in the Air Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and the Love Challenge at Paper and Such.

Both of my kids were so excited about today being Valentine's Day! Over the past few days, my daughter and I have been discussing how much we like Valentine's Day. Some of her 7th-grade classmates think it's "too mushy" or "dumb." I know that a lot of adults think it is over-rated--too much of a "Hallmark" holiday--and never bother with Valentine's Day. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, so that's fine! But my daughter and I agreed that we love Valentine's Day as a way to let all the special people in our lives {and not just the ones you may be "in love" with} know how much we love and appreciate them. I love to send Valentines to friends and family just to spread a little cheer, let them know how much they mean to me, and to wish them a fun day with their loved ones. I don't expect anything in return. It's just a fun thing to do :).

Hey, before I go, I wanted to let you know about a chance for you to get some DeNami goodness of your very own! DeNami Design is hosting TWO giveaways on the Paper Crafts Facebook page. Look at the lovely spring giveaway package (pansy stamps and matching cardstock colors) that you could win:


Be sure to head over to the PC FB page and leave a comment to enter for a chance to win one of two prize packs!

Well, that does it for today. I'm off to bake a homemade cherry pie for my hubby as a little Valentine treat!! You know, to show him just how much I love and appreciate him :D.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Valentine's Day,
Emily