My Embossed Elements Winner for June

Hello and Happy Thursday! I'm announcing my Embossed Elements giveaway winner today. The brand-new Cloudy Sky Embossing Folder goes to lucky #23, which is Nikki C.! Congratulations, Nikki! Please email me (you'll find my email address on my "Complete Profile" page--see the right-hand sidebar under my picture) with your snail mail mailing address so I can get this embossing folder sent out to you ;).

My newest embossing folder from the DeNami Design store is the Butterflies in Corner embossing folder. My 15YO daughter ooooo-ed and aaaaaah-ed over this one, so I just had to use it to make her a card. It's a birthday card; well, actually it is her half-birthday card. My sweet thing was born on Christmas Eve. The first few years we celebrated her big day on the actual day, but it was so hard to make it special with Christmas just right around the corner. So starting around her sixth birthday, we asked her if she'd like to celebrate with cake and presents on her half-birthday, so she could spread out the celebrating more. And we've been doing it ever since! So this is the card she'll get from us when we celebrate her half birthday this weekend. My kids' last day of school was Tuesday--June 24!! So celebrating her half birthday is a great way to kick off the summer :) Here's how her half-birthday card turned out:

I used a sweet stamp from the Fancy Flutters set, a sentiment from the Thoughtful Greetings set, a Crystal Lacquer Pearl Pen, and some pink baker's twine.

I think my daughter will love how it turned out!!

Thanks so much for dropping by for a visit today!
Emily

April DeNami Inspired By

Hello and welcome back to the April edition of DeNami Design's Inspired By feature! Each month we feature one talented DeNami customer's work, and then honor that wonderful artist with a host of DeNami DT projects inspired by it! This month we were inspired by Barb M.

Isn't that absolutely beautiful? You can read all about it right here on Barb's blog.

I really loved the colors that Barb used in her lovely creation, so I let those guide my design and decided to take a CAS approach. Here's what I came up with:

I used the Fancy Flutters cling set, Decorative Flourish, and Sending You Love sentiment. I embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder and used an emboss-resist technique with it while sponging on some dye ink. I was going for an ombre look--I hope that's what I achieved!

Be sure to head over to the DeNami Design blog today to see how the rest of the team was inspired by Barb's lovely creation!

Thanks so much for visiting today. May your day be filled with bliss!
Emily

Photo Tutorial: Stamped Notepad

It's my turn to share another photo tutorial over on the DeNami Design blog today. This time around I'm showing how to make your own stamped notepad. I love giving these little goodies as gifts! Be sure to check out the DeNami blog for all the details.

If you need a little non-caloric homemade goodie to stuff an Easter basket for someone special, one of these little hand-stamped notepads would be a great choice! Wouldn't something like this look super cute with DeNami's Solid Egg Border for Easter? And the "Just A Note" sentiment from the All-Occasion Sentiments set would make a great alternate sentiment for a little pad like this, too.

Oh, and before I forget--I mention in my tutorial that to make a little notepad like this you'll need some PVA bookbinding glue. I bought mine HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today for this little peek at my photo tutorial. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Emily 

Ways With Washi: GIFT CARDS + a Giveaway

Greetings, friends! I'm here today with my July edition of Ways With Washi, developed for the DeNami Design blog. Today I'm exploring another practical side of washi tape:  I love using it to tape down gift cards and cash in birthday cards and gift enclosures! Not only does the washi tape add a cute pop of color, it keeps those small gift cards (and not to mention easily misplaced cash!) in place when you enclose them in a card. Plus, most washi tape is easily removed, so it won't damage the cash or card.

I've created a few samples to give you a better idea of what I mean. To get us started, I made a fun birthday card with an interior sentiment on the right-hand panel. That blank interior panel on the left is the perfect place to tape in a $20 bill as a birthday gift with some punchy Pink Chevron washi tape from DeNami. 

Additional products from the DeNami Design store: Celebrate Circle stamp, Chickie with Balloons stamp, Happy Birthday from All Occasion Sentiments stamp set, lime cardstock, Tuxedo Black Memento ink

Now how about an easy way to say thank you? Giving a gift card along with a handmade card is one of my favorite ways to do so. I can easily keep the gift card secure by taping it next to a "thank you" sentiment inside the card with some washi tape, like this fun Blue Stripes washi tape from DeNami. See? Simple! But it has loads of impact.

Additional products from the DeNami Design store: Thank You Script stamp, red cardstock, Tuxedo Black Memento ink

For my last project for today, I wanted to show you how easy it is to make your own gift card holder from a glassine bag with the help of some washi tape.

Additional products from the DeNami Design store: glassine bag, Fancy Flutters set, Elegant Oval Frame stamp, Decorative Flourish stamp, lavender cardstock, Opaque Cotton White StazOn ink, Tuxedo Black Memento ink

You can decorate the exterior of the glassine bag however you'd like. I did a bit of background stamping directly on the glassine bag with white StazOn ink and kept my focal point on the smaller side so you can catch a tantalizing glimpse of what's inside!

Then I simply cut a cardstock tag and taped on a colorful gift card with some equally colorful Purple/White Dots washi tape from DeNami. I even used some washi tape to create a pull tab to help slide out the gift! Simple and quick.

GIVEAWAY

How would you like to win a roll of washi tape? I have a brand-new roll of Purple/White Dots washi tape from DeNami Design--the same tape that I used on my last project for today--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 "GIFT." 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 Tuesday, July 23, 2013, and will draw one commenter at random. The winner will be announced right here on my blog on Wednesday, July 24, and if I'm able to find an email address, 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

Feel Better Soon + my GIU WINNER!

Happy, happy Monday to you! I hope you had a great weekend. We were busy, busy little beavers here at my house, so the weekend just flew. We made a special trip to the Museum of Science in Boston to take in the special Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit on Saturday morning. It was absolutely fascinating!! We really learned sooooooooooo much.

Well, I'm here today to announce the winner from my week of posts as Growing In Unity gal last week! I had a total of 269 entries--WOW!! Thanks to everyone who came by last week. I really appreciate ALL of your comments! It was the best fun reading through every single one of them. I wish I could have given ALL of you a prize!! But, since I can't, I'll leave you with one last bit of Unity inspiration:  a little Feel Better Soon card made with a clear acrylic card base and LOTS of buttons. I think this will be perfect for someone who's feeling under the weather!

The sunshine image is from Unity's Quotes a'la HAPPY, and the sentiment is from the amazingly useful Just Wanted to Say kit. That fun cloud background is a digital paper printed out from the ultra sweet Baby Safari collection by Carina Gardner (available from JessicaSprague.com).

Allrighty then, enough stalling! On with the GIU winner:

I used Random.org to draw the lucky number.

That points to Carla from Utah!!!!

Now, Carla, I couldn't find any way to contact you directly*, so it is up to you to email me to claim your prize!! 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. In your email, please include your choice of two Itty Bitty stamp sets from Unity (you may browse the selection HERE) as well as your shipping address, and I'll get that info sent off to Unity pronto.

Carla, if I don't hear from you by 10 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 12, I'll have to draw another winner so I can get my GIU week all wrapped up with Unity in a timely fashion.

Another huge thanks to everyone who participated in this awesome Unity giveaway! Have a great week! Thanks for stopping by,
Emily

* Carla, normally I'd reply to the email address associated with your comments, but you are a "noreply-comment" commenter on blogger! Click HERE to find out what that is and how to fix it. And you haven't included an email address as a way to contact you on your Blogger Profile page. My next step would be to leave a comment on your blog, but you don't have one!!! So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you come back to check for my winner post, find your name lit up in lights, and drop me an email ASAP!! Unfortunately, so many "noreply" bloggers don't realize they can't be contacted in the event of a win and never check back for winners' posts because they think "of course I can be contacted!" I hope you aren't one of those folks, Carla!!! Waiting eagerly to hear from you!!!!

Thinking of You + a WINNER!

Hello, hello, and a huge hello! I'm here on this bright and sunny and--dare I say spring-like?--Thursday to share a card and the winner of my washi tape and baker's twine giveaway from my April Ways With Washi!

First, I'd like to introduce you to today's card:

Diecuts are by K & Co. (thanks to my sweet friend Jessi!), and the stamps (Decorative Butterflies stamp set and Thinking of You Script cling stamp), brown/white dots washi tape, and baker's twine are all from DeNami Design

It's been a strange and emotional couple of weeks around the Boston area with the Marathon bombings and aftermath, followed by the tense manhunt at the end of the week. Many thanks to my sweet blogging friends who emailed me directly to check up on our status. Your concern touched me deeply! We quite thankfully were safe throughout. And aside from being glued to various media outlets for developments (which sucks up sooooooooooooo much of one's time and energy), we were largely unaffected, except for the day of Friday's manhunt. My husband, who works in one of the communities that was told to "shelter in place," headed out for work completely unaware of the overnight developments. He ended up turning around to come home again (all before sunrise!) once he heard the news on the radio. He wound up working remotely from home that day. Luckily, the kids were already home with me because of their spring break last week. It was good to be all together as events unfolded.

Anyway, now that things are starting to get back to normal, I'm just now hearing the stories of how some of our friends and acquaintances were affected. It's time to mail out cards! Having not nearly enough "thinking of you" cards in my arsenal, that has been my task this week. I made this particular card for a friend whom I've just learned had a harrowing Marathon Monday. I just want to let her know that she and her family are on my heart. More such cards are being added to my stash daily.

OK, now let's move on to finding a winner!

I used Random.org to draw a winner from all the comments left on my giveaway post and came up with lucky number . . .

. . . 42--and that was SHartl!!

Congratulations! I'm off to email you next so I can get your new goodies mailed out to you. :)

A huge thanks to everyone who played along in my giveaway! I always love reading your comments. You warm my heart!!!!

I hope you'll plan to tune in for another Ways With Washi feature in May--I'll be posting on Memorial Day. :) We'll definitely have another giveaway then!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Emily

DeNami Design Product Spotlight Blog Hop

Thanks for stopping by today! The DeNami Design team is featuring a brand-new rubber stamp in our Product Spotlight today, the versatile Grass Border. And we're showing it off BLOG HOP STYLE!

Here's the card I made with this new stamp:

My card also features Easter Blessings, Elegant Oval Frame, Decorative Butterflies stamp set, and Solid Egg Border, plus some great inks from the DeNami store: cherry pink, sea breeze, and spring pansy. I colored the frame and grass border with markers.

You can purchase this grass border 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
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

A CAS Anniversary Card

After weeks (and weeks!) of nonexistent mojo, I've suddenly had the urge to create again. Yay! I was afraid my creativity had left me forever--but no, it was only hibernating, I think ;) . I'm dipping my toe in the creative pool with this clean and simple anniversary card:

I pulled out some pretty DeNami stamps (Decorative Flourish, Fancy Flutters Set, and Happy Anniversary Cling) and petal pink DeNami cardstock and went to work. Because of the dainty hearts on this sweet butterfly, I'm entering it in the current CAS-ual Fridays CFC74 Challenge: to create a clean and simple project with a heart. Check!

I hope your Wednesday is treating you well. After two days without internet and phone service (our Comcast cable was out. Again.), I'm finally catching up on all I've missed. You just don't realize how much you rely on internet access for everyday living until you can't access it!!

Thanks for dropping by!
Emily

DeNami Bright, Bold, & Beautiful Blog Hop

Welcome to the DeNami Design Bright, Bold, & Beautiful Blog Hop! Today the DeNami Design Team and customers alike are showcasing some beautifully bright and bold projects made with DeNami stamps.

Hopefully, you've arrived here by way of Pattie Goldman's blog, Paper Silhouettes. 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, August 13, 2012, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs to be eligible for a prize.

OK, so on to my bright, bold, and beautiful project! When I think "bold and bright," I think NEONs, which are so totally hot and on-trend this summer. So I reached for a pack of neon-hued cardstock and my trusty, summery, bold, bright, and, dare I say, "neon-y" 6 x 6 pad of Lime Rickey  patterned paper from BasicGrey.

I just LOVE paper-piecing this giant DeNami butterfly! It certainly is beautiful, isnt' it? And bold and bright, too, right? The dotted scallops border that I stamped in white comes from the very useful Retro Borders 1 set (cling-style). 

I hope you are enjoying the hop and gather lots of bright and bold ideas along the way! 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 Stacy M., Sweethearts & Sweet Tarts.  

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

Emily

Stamps:  Large Butterfly (cling), Retro Borders 1 set (cling), Everyday Greetings set by DeNami Design
Paper: neon cardstock from The Paper Company, patterned paper from the BasicGrey Lime Rickey collection
Ink: Onyx Black Versafine, Colorbox Frost White
Accessories: Robin's Egg Blue Rhinestones, circle punches, Corner Chomper, foam tape
Techniques:  paper piecing

FWF Collage

Happy Friday! This morning I'm sharing a summery collage card for Unity's Friends With Flair.

The butterfly collage stamp is from the It's All About Love Itty Bitty from Unity. It's a co-branded stamp from Iron Orchid Designs. Can I just say that I love these Iron Orchid stamps from Unity? SO cool! And believe it or not, I made that stamped background with the new Quartrefoil background from Unity! It looks kinda different, huh? Here's why:

I'm currently taking Online Card Classes' Stretch Your Stamps class, and Day 1 was all about getting more from your background stamps. I was blown away by the very easy double-stamping technique, and that's what I did to make my background. I love how it turned out! I also tried out some of the techniques we learned from Day 2, which focused on collage stamps.

I'm also entering this in Unity's June Challenge: Summertime. What's more summery than butterflies and citrus-y colors?

I also couldn't resist showing off a new toy. I took the kids shopping at Wal-Mart this week and got them outfitted with back-to-school supplies (although they won't be needing them for another two months!). While browsing the school/office supply aisle, I stumbled across a Dymo Embossing labelmaker. I'd been thinking about one of these for months now, and was never able to track one down. But it practically leapt off the shelf into our waiting cart and begged to be taken home! So, that was my "mom back-to-school" treat :D. The kids and I have been having a blast playing with it. My son just may be addicted ;). His folders for school are already neatly labeled with his name!

Looks like it will be a hot one here today! The kids have an invitation to our neighbors' pool, which will help pass the time until our weekend company (my folks!) arrive. We're looking forward to a fun weekend! I hope you have some fun cooked up for your weekend, wherever you are. :)

Thanks for dropping by!

Emily

Stamps: It's All About Love, Quartrefoil Background by Unity

Paper: PTI cardstock

Ink: Spanish Moss Versafine; Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, So Saffron by SU; Versamark

Accessories: clear EP, sponges, sewing machine, Dymo label maker, foam tape

Techniques: double-stamped background, emboss resist, machine stitching

DeNami Summer Blog Hop

Welcome to the DeNami Design SUMMER Blog Hop! Today the DeNami Design Team and customers alike are showcasing some fun summer-themed projects made with DeNami stamps.

Hopefully, you've arrived here by way of Dana Seymour's blog, Kismet, Art, & Life. 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, July 9, 2012, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs to be eligible for a prize. 


Let's get on with the show! Nothing says "summer" to me more than bright colors and fun, outdoorsy activities--like catching butterflies! So I put my Chickie and Butterflies cling stamp to good use, and constructed this scene using lots of patterned paper:

Those sweet butterflies are from the Fancy Flutters Set, the little "hi!" is from the Everyday Greetings stamp set, and those dotty flight lines were made from the ultra-versatile Steam Curl stamp.


Well, I'm sure you're eager to see rest of the sweet SUMMER lineup! 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 stop number three on the hop, the blog of Carol Hartery, Carol Hartery's Creations.

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

Emily

PS This is also another entry for Kim Kesti's Crafty Month challenge--to create a card that combines at least one new item and one item from your stash (at least one year old). For this card, my new item is the Steam Curl stamp, and my old item is the BasicGrey Lime Rickey collection patterned paper I used. It has a copyright date of 2008--you know it's been in my stash for more than a year (or two or three!)

Stamps: Chickie and Butterflies, Steam Curl, Fancy Flutters Set, Everyday Greetings stamp set by DeNami Design
Paper: DeNami Celery and Iridescent Aquamarine cardstocks, patterned papers from BasicGrey's Lime Rickey collection, white cardstock from The Paper Company
Ink: Noir Black Palette and Onyx Black Versafine
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, paper blending stumps, sewing machine, foam tape
Techniques: machine stitching, Gamsol magic, paper piecing

Sending My Love

* * * * *

Blog Candy Alert!

Be sure to check out my giveaway for

a multipack of Bazzill Card Shoppe cardstock!

Click HERE for details.

* * * * * 

Happy Friday! And welcome, Friends With Flair hoppers! I'm joining in with FWF (check the Unity blog for a full list of today's participants) a little later than I like to, but I'm here nonetheless! Busy, busy day with work, work, work, but I rewarded myself with a little inky time this afternoon once I got through today's quota ;). Gotta have something to look forward to!

 

Today I've got a clean and simple and summery card to share with you.

I used a digital envelope template to make a little cardstock envelope that I decorated with summery butterflies and flowers from the How YOU Doin' {ippity} kit and A Bit of Burlap, another {ippity} stamp. The sentiment also comes from How You Doin'. I had to add some stitching along the edge of the envelope flap to help set it off from the rest of the {busy} envelope, and then added a machine-stitched border on the card base. I "sealed" the envelope with a square of foam tape for a bit of dimension.

 See those tiny hearts beside the sentiment? Those are bits of Martha Stewart heart-shaped confetti that I picked up on clearance after Valentine's Day. In real life, they are nice and shiny, but they didn't photograph very well. Sorry!

My colors were inspired by the current Get Hippity With Ippity challenge (#22):

My layout was inspired by this cool sketch from Chick Challenges #36:

I'm also playing along with the current Unity challenge (summertime) and the current {ippity} challenge (bright colors).

Well, it's homemade pizza night at our house! My hubby is spinning the dough for his secret-recipe pizza crust right now, so I've got to wrap this up. After supper we're all going to chill with some ice cream in front of the TV and watch Mythbusters with the kids. Fun! After three-straight days of hitting 97F here, we sure are looking forward to cooler temperatures over the weekend.

Have a great weekend, everyone! And thanks for dropping by,

Emily

Stamps: How YOU Doin', A Bit of Burlap from {ippity} by Unity Stamp Co.

Paper: gold CS from The Paper Company, white CS from Taylored Expressions

Ink: SU not quite navy, rose red, melon mambo; Versafine onyx black

Accessories: scoring board, sewing machine, Martha Stewart heart confetti, foam tape

God's Love

This week just absolutely flew by, and here we are: another Friday! Huzzah!! (I was going to say "yee-haw," but that hardly seemed dialectically appropriate, given that my humble abode is located in New England, less than 20 miles from both blue-blooded Boston and Concord, Mass., the setting for the "shot heard 'round the world." After hearing tales of candle dipping, silhouette drawing, hornbook making, and Johnny cake cooking from my third-grader's Colonial Day festivities yesterday, this exclamation seemed far more suitable.)

Anywho, where were we? Ah, yes: FRIDAY! It's time, of course, for another Friends With Flair blog hop with Unity Stamp Co. fans. You can find a list of all of today's participants on the Unity blog.

Today I'm sharing a sympathy card.

 

I really like how this turned out. It's muted but not overtly sympathy-y or  too somber, and I like the modern look. I used two {ippity} sets to create this card: What Matters Most and Just Wanted to Say.

I'm also linking this up to the new {ippity} challenge to use red on a project.

Any plans for your weekend? My 13YO leaves after school for a Girl Scout camping trip all weekend, so hubby, the boy, and I are on our own for the most part. I think I have a To-Do list that's about a mile long and needs tackling, but I'm trying not to think too much about that right now! We're so excited that there's just one more week of school left. I only need to pack lunches four more times!!! I am so over the lunch-packing thing.

Have a fabulous weekend, whatever you plan to do!

Thanks for stopping by,

Emily

Stamps: What Matters Most, Just Wanted to Say from {ippity} by Unity Stamp Co.

Paper: PTI kraft, cream, and chartreuse; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye

Ink: Versafine vintage sepia

Accessories: red gel pen, corner rounder, SU hemp twine, foam tape

A DeNami Happy Mother's Day

Good morning and happy Monday! Here's a little something bright and cheery to wake you up and get you going today:

I'm sharing this Mother's Day card that I made with some fabulous DeNami Design products for the brand-new DeNami monthly challenge. This month we are challenging folks to use this cool sketch by sweet and talented DT member Lisa Petrella:

I know, I can be such a literal Lucy when it comes to sketches! Sometimes I can tweak them and make them my own, but this one? Forget about it! But when you're working with a downright cool-looking sketch, I think it's fun just to see it come to life in color exactly the way it is!!

Curious about the DeNami goodies I used in the making of this project? My butterfly focal point (colored with colored pencils and blended with odorless mineral spirits) comes from the Fancy Flutters cling set. I also used the Teeny Heart Background and the Happy Mother's Day cling sentiment. In the DeNami cardstock department, I used some gorgeous Amethyst (have you seen the fabulous texture on this richly colored cardstock? Amazing!), cheerful Magenta, and peaceful Sky Blue.  And I used my go-to Onyx Black Versafine ink for the sentiment. Even that fun baker's twine can be purchased in the DeNami Design store! The magenta, emerald, and purple twines from the Confetti 3-pk, and the sky blue twine comes from the Pastel 3-pk.

This month's DeNami challenge runs through Monday, May 28. All you need to do is use at least one DeNami stamp and incorporate this sketch! And then be sure to link it up over on the DeNami blog. I can't wait to see what you create :) . Please plan to play along!

Thanks for stopping by!

Emily

Large Butterfly Happy Birthday

Greetings, friends! I know it's been a while since my last post. My kids were out of school on spring break last week, and it was go, go, go! We enjoyed a visit from my parents for a few days, took some day trips, and reveled in being away from our regular school schedule. But I also must admit to a bit of burnout for a couple of weeks.  Don't you just hate it when one of the things you enjoy so much just doesn't appeal? I'm trying to give myself some extra space and a change of pace so I can come back to enjoy some of the things I like most.

Well, today I'm trying to get back in the swing of things by sharing a birthday card that uses the new Large Butterfly stamp from DeNami Design.

This stamp is so versatile! I am beyond pleased that it is this week's Product Spotlight stamp at DeNami. It's your chance to snap it up at 10% off. :)

I leaned toward clean and simple for my card, stamping the butterfly off-center (and off-page!) in Vintage Sepia Versafine ink and paper-piecing portions with prints from the Vanity Fair pad from the Six by Six collection by My Mind's Eye. I punched some more Vanity Fair paper with the fabulous Dotted Scallop border punch (EK Success) available in the DeNami Design store and layered on some DeNami chocolate glitter ribbon. I absolutely adore the new cling-style Happy Birthday Script stamp, finding excuses to use it more and more! I ramped up the sparkle factor with some rhinestones on the butterfly's body and antennae, rounded a corner, and I was done!

I also thought this stamp was the perfect image to capture this week's Tuesday Trigger at the Moxie Fab World.

I hope you'll swing by the DeNami Design blog today to check out what the rest of the DeNami DT has created with this fun new stamp. I know everyone will have awesome ideas for using it!

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

Back to School with Friends with Flair

Today I'm sharing a project I made for Unity's Friends with Flair blog hop. Anyone with a project made with Unity stamps can join in! You can find details, prize information, and a full list of players on the Unity Stamp Company blog. It's great to be back with FWF again after a busy summer!

I made this card for the Unity Back-to-School Challenge and for the current {ippity} 1-2-3 Challenge, which is to use 1 stamped image or sentiment, 2 colors of cardstock, and 3 different patterned papers. This was a little trickier than I thought it would be! But I love the result.

My 1 stamped image is from the {ippity} set Books a'Flutter and was colored with my trusty colored pencils. For some reason, when I think "back to school," I think red, yellow, and green. Why is that?? I really couldn't envision this card any other way, so I just ran with it--straight to my trusty BasicGrey June Bug pad for some scraps of great DP for the 3 different patterned papers requirement. And, obviously, I went with red and golden yellow (it's actually Crushed Curry, a retired SU In Color from a few years ago) for my 2 cardstock colors.

I kept this nice, flat, and mailable--just adding some black zig-zag stitching for contrast and popping up my stack of books on foam tape for depth. Done!!

Thanks so much for stopping by for my little slice of bliss for today!
Emily

Stamps: Books a'Flutter from {ippity} by Unity Stamp Co.
Paper: Crushed Curry textured CS from Stampin' Up!, red CS from The Paper Company, white CS from Mark's Finest Papers
Ink: Versafine onyx, Ranger antique linen distress ink
Accessories: 1" circle punch, 1.25" circle punch, colored pencils, foam tape, sewing machine, sponge dauber
Techniques: machine stitching, sponging