A Western HOWDY for Independence Day

Happy Birthday, USA!! I hope that my American friends are enjoying a safe and festive Independence Day today, wherever you may be!

I'm popping in very quickly to share a card appearing over on the DeNami Design blog today.

I made this for my horse-loving daughter's half birthday recently. She is a Christmas-season baby, so for years now we've celebrated her half birthday in the summer with cake and presents (rather than on her actual birthday in December) to avoid overload at an already tending-toward-excess time of year. I teamed up the ultra-adorable Cowboy Chickie, Howdy sentiment, and a Ruby Red Boutique Button with some delightful digital elements from the Giddy Up {Boy} collection from Carta Bella (available at JessicaSprague.com).

Thanks for dropping by today!
Emily

Birthday Tag + a WINNER!

Hello and welcome! I have a winner to announce from my washi tape giveaway, but first I have a birthday tag to share! It's being featured over on the DeNami Design blog today, too. :)

I had fun picking the very trendy color combo of mint, coral, and navy for this design! I used all DeNami stamps: Polka Dot Background (heat embossed in white), Small Dot Circle Frame, and the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from the Thoughtful Greetings stamp set. I constructed the star shape by adhering six diamonds (cut using a diamond-shaped paper punch) to a circle diecut. So easy! I love the homey quilt-star look.

OK, now it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for: my washi tape winner! I used random.org to choose:

lucky #16, which is Laura Turcotte!

Laura, I couldn't find a way to contact you via email, so please drop me an email (you'll find my email address by clicking on the "View my Complete Profile" link just under the "About Me" section in the right-hand sidebar of my blog; look for the "Contact Me" section) with your mailing address so I can mail off your washi tape prize to you!! I can't wait to hear from you!! Congratulations, Laura!! :D

Thanks to everyone who played along in my Ways With Washi giveaway! As always, I had so much fun reading your comments. :)

Have a super Thursday, everyone!
Emily

DeNami Design Product Spotlight June Blog Hop

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 summery Tropical Drinks set.

When I was thinking about what approach to take to this project, it occurred to me that the middle drink in the set could be a soda. Then I wondered who or what in DeNami World would drink it? So I pulled out all of my DeNami animal stamps and immediately noticed that the squirrel is facing the right way and is the perfect size. Thus, my lime-and-Diet-Coke-drinking squirrel was born! Have a Coke and a smile! :D

My card also features these great items from the DeNami store:

Squirrel

Heartfelt Greetings Set

Modern Borders Set

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink

Smokey Gray Versafine Ink

Celery Cardstock

Charcoal Cardstock

Lime/White Dots Washi Tape

Brown/White Dots Washi Tape

Bakers Twine

You can purchase this fun Tropical Drinks stamp set 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
Kanani Kawamura
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.

I hope you have a day filled with bliss!!
Emily

Ways With Washi: BANNERS + a Giveaway

Hello and happy first Monday of summer to you, DeNami Friends! It's Emily here today with my June edition of Ways With Washi! Today we are going to take a look at making banners, flags, and pennants from washi tape as a fun accent for cards and other projects. And since America's Independence Day, July 4th, is just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to take a patriotic approach to today's samples.

For my first project, I've made a pennant banner, or pennant bunting as some folks like to call it, from washi tape (Red Stripes and Blue/White Dots washi tapes from DeNami). This is so easy to make! Simply wrap strips of washi tape around a length of baker's twine, allowing it to adhere to itself. Then use scissors to clip the end of each piece into a traditional triangular pennant shape or a swallowtail shape. So festive!

DeNami Supplies: Patriotic Chickie, Celebrate Circle, Red Cardstock, White Cardstock, baker's twine, Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Majestic Blue Versafine ink

On my second card,  I've created long swallowtail banners from a variety of DeNami washi tapes (Blue Stripes, Red Graph,  Blue/White Dots, and Red Stripes). When making long banners like these, I like to adhere strips of washi tape to wax paper before clipping out the V-shaped swallowtails. It makes handling the sticky strips while cutting so much easier. Then simply peel off the wax paper backing and affix the newly cut banners to your project!

DeNami Supplies: God Bless America, Red Cardstock, White Cardstock, baker's twine, Tuxedo Black Memento ink

And finally for my last project for today, I used my trusty DeNami Red Stripes and Blue/White Dots washi tapes to make toothpick flags and pennants that would be perfect as cupcake toppers at an Independence Day barbecue. Or how about for holding together sandwiches or spearing fruit? And how cute would one of these little flags look decorating the garnish of a fruity 4th of July drink?

There are SO many ways to use washi tape to create fun banners, pennants, and flags! I hope that today's samples will give you a jumping-off point for your own projects.

GIVEAWAY

How would you like to win a roll of washi tape to try making some pennants and banners for yourself? I have a brand-new roll of Red Stripes Washi Tape from DeNami Design--the same tape that I used on each of today's projects--that I'd love to give away to a reader of this post. Want to be in the running? Just leave me a comment on this post using the word "CELEBRATE." There's no need to be a follower of my blog to enter, but if you are a follower (or become a new follower!), you can have a second entry in the drawing--just leave me a second comment telling me that you are a follower and how you follow. :)

I'll leave commenting open until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, and will draw one commenter at random. The winner will be announced right here on my blog on Thursday, June 27, and if I'm able to find an email address (SEE BELOW!!!), I'll be sure to contact the winner as well.

I'm so glad you dropped by for a little slice of bliss today!
Emily

PS  Dear, dear readers: have you included a way to contact you by email on your Google Blogger profile page? If you don't have a blog of your own (where I could leave you a comment to alert you to your winnings) and haven't included an email contact on your profile page, I may not be able to contact you if you've won. Especially if you are a "No-Reply Blogger." Check HERE to find out if you are. Even though you enter your email address in order to leave a comment on my blog, Blogger will keep that private (in which case you become a "No-Reply Blogger") unless you've specifically chosen to share. You can read all about correcting this HERE. Of course, you can always just be sure to drop in here on my blog on winner day to find out if you've won ;) .

June Pinspired at DeNami

Greetings, friends! Today I'm bringing you another Pinspired post along with a few of my other DeNami Design teammates. This month we were inspired by this photo:

I picked up on the fruits in this photo and immediately reached for my DeNami Tropical Fruit petit four stamp set. That sweet little stamp set has been getting quite a workout from me lately!

I also used the "you're sweet" sentiment from the Love Sentiments petit four stamp set. I rounded out my project with some Lime Versacolor ink, Tuxedo Black Memento ink, and some pretty DeNami patterned paper from the Watermelon Sampler paper pack.

Want to see what the other designers did with this inspiration photo? Be sure to check out the DeNami blog today!

Thanks so much for visiting today! May you have a day filled with bliss!
Emily

A Craft Dash Hello

Hello there, friends! Today DeNami Design Rubber Stamps is sponsoring this week's 10 Minute Craft Dash Challenge! Sweet Paulina invited the DeNami Design team to play along. Challenge #20 features the colors hot pink, tangerine, and gray. Such an interesting and unique color combo!

Is the idea of completing a {usable} card in under 10 minutes as frightening to you as it is to me??? This is the third time that I've played along with 10 Minute Craft Dash as a DeNami Design team member, and I must say that it hasn't gotten any easier. But it's still fun to try!! Here's what i made this time around:

My hot pink comes in the form of Cherry Pink Impress ink from DeNami. I used it to stamp flower petals from the Solid Flower Accents cling stamp set. My tangerine shows up as the DeNami Golden Tangerine cardstock that I used for my card base and the tangerine flower center, stamped with the circular grid from the Whimsical Garden cling stamp set and colored with a Copic marker. My gray elements include the punched frame I used to mat my focal image, the gray background polka dots on the card base (DeNami Polka Dot Background stamped in Smokey Gray Versafine ink), and the perfectly scripted "Hello" found in the Assorted Greetings petit four stamp set.

My time for this overly ambitious design? I just squeaked in under the wire at 9:58. Whew! I was really sweating it as I tried to quickly peel off the foam-tape backing while completing the final step of mounting the focal panel ;) .

Want to give this challenge a go? I think you ought to – there is an awesome prize at stake! Check it out:

If you don't already have any DeNami Design stamps, then this is a great way to start your collection with no risk ;-). And if you do? Then you have the chance to feed your addiction! The challenge runs from June 19, 2013, through June 29, 2013.


Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have an awesome Wednesday!
Emily

Greatest Dad on Earth – Unity FWF

TGIF! Just a quick post to share a little something I made for today's Friends With Flair hop for Unity Stamp Co. This card is already winging its way to my dad for Father's Day.

I took a clean and simple approach to this card featuring a fun stamp or two from Unity's Retro Road Trip stamp kit and lots of washi tape.

My 10-year-old son has been making lots of cards this week. Be looking for him (Legoboy) to link up to today's FWF list later on. He started a card using loads of Unity stamps before school this morning but didn't finish it in time. He will wrap it up after school and link up then.

I hope you have awesome plans for the upcoming weekend! My husband and son are attending an all-day Cub Scout camp on Saturday, and we have plans for some special Father's Day celebrating on Sunday. There may be some special desserts involved. Just sayin'. ;-)

Thanks for sharing a little slice of bliss with me today!
Emily

My son has been busy . . .

So, our 14YO daughter is away this week on her 8th-grade class trip to Washington, D.C. She left early Monday morning and returns late Friday night. Our 10YO son has been kind of lost without her, so he's been asking to make cards with me. I'm tickled pink! It's keeping him busy (and taking his mind off his sister's absence) and giving us some fun stuff to do together.

We've been checking the daily challenge at SplitcoastStampers each morning and talking about what he'd like to make for it while we eat breakfast. And then if there's time, we'll start pulling out supplies before he heads off to school, and then he finishes up his project after school. He's doing a great job with everything! I have him cut and score his card bases (great math practice, as he needs to figure out where the halfway point is). And he's cut his panels and mats, too, figuring out the right sizes and margins along the way. He's a pro at stamping and punching, too!

I also showed him how to color with my Copic markers, which he loves! I'm not setting him loose on his own, mind you (they are just too expensive for that!), but sitting with him and giving him guidance on where to color light and dark, and showing him how to blend. The tendency of alcohol inks to bleed throws him off a bit, but he's doing a fabulous job.

He has been having soooooooooo much fun stamping with my DeNami stamps this week. I thought you might enjoy seeing what he's made so far:

A thank-you note for his band teacher (their last band practice will be tomorrow, so he'll hand-deliver his card with his hand-written message inside.) He made this for the SCS color challenge to use Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, and Daffodil Delight. The band stamp is an old one from Inkadinkadoo, and the rest are from DeNami Design: Just a Note from All Occasion Sentiments set and Mini Music Notes. We also used some Musical Notes Washi Tape from DeNami.
 

A Father's Day card for his daddy! He made this for this week's SCS sketch challenge.  He used Business Chickie, Computer Chickie, and Happy Father's Day cling stamp from DeNami.

This morning he made a thank-you card for one of his teachers (his regular 4th grade teacher is out on maternity leave right now, so this one is for his long-term substitute that his class is finishing out the year with.) He made this for this week's SCS ways to use it challenge, which is to make a one-layer card. My son LOVES using my Stamp-a-majig! The frame is from an old Stampin' Up set (Sweet Dreams). He also used Back to School Chickie and Brushed Thank You stamps from DeNami.

For my son, part of the fun of making these cards has been uploading them to his account on Splitcoast and seeing if anyone makes any comments. He's having a blast being part of the stamping community there!

Well, that's all for now--thanks so much for stopping by today and sharing a little bit of my proud-mama bliss!
Emily

Strawberry Magnets for a Sweet Friend

I'm popping in with a quick post to share a project that's being featured over on the DeNami blog today.

I made this set of strawberry magnets as a gift for a very dear friend of mine. When I was growing up in Ohio, June was the month of pick-your-own strawberries, so this little gift is perfect for this time of year in my mind!

I used the little strawberry stamp from DeNami's Tropical Fruit stamp set and the Arched Sweet Friend stamp. The patterned paper is a digital print from the Sweet Strawberry collection by Shery K Designs. I adhered a circle of the printed patterned paper to the metal lid of a depleted Yankee Candle. It's perfect for attaching, presenting, and gifting magnets!

Have a fabulous day today, friends!
Emily

Starry Thank You

Hello! The DeNami Design team has another Product Spotlight to share with you today: it's the cling-style Starry Burst stamp. I used it to take a clean and simple approach to a thank you card.

The only other items I needed for this card were the Brushed Thank You stamp, Tuxedo Black Memento ink, some Copic markers for coloring, white cardstock, and a corner rounder.

Looking for some more ideas for this unique starry stamp? Be sure to check out the rest of the team's lovely creations today on the DeNami blog. Like what you see? Then you can score a great deal on the Starry Burst--as our Spotlight Product, it's on sale at 10% off for the next week!!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Emily