Challenge # 3

New Challenge...It's gonna be as easy as...

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The theme for our second challenge is 1-2-3: 1 image, 2 patterned papers, and 3 embellishments!! Wa-hoo!! I think this one sounds so fun!  Can't wait to see what you girls come up with:)....Now for the details....

You must use either a Saturated Canary Digi or a Simply Sassy rubber stamp. Also, please leave a link to the blog *post* featuring your challenge card:). This challenge is open until Wednesday, November 9 @ 12:00pm EST. The randomly chosen winner will be posted Thursday with the new challenge:)!

So, the winner is random. Because it will be too hard to choose just one:). But-- the Dt girls and I will be choosing a *Top Three* also. Top three girls: you will receive a badge for your blogs only:) that announces your awesomeness:)!! Random winner, you will receive your choice of 2 digi's from the Saturated Canary Etsy shop:)!!

Lori

Jane

Carissa

Pops

And now...to the most exciting part!!

The winner of our first challenge is #42, Gabbi !. Congrats, girlfriend !! Email me to talk about your digis sweetie!

And, *WOW*, you guys made it so hard to choose a Top Three! I know all of you girls put a lot of effort into making these sewn up cards;)...Some girls even did it by hand (kudos ladies-- that takes patience!!:) It's funny, because when we vote, there are a huge variety of cards we choose-- as we each submit three votes individually.  The cards that are repeated in those votes are the ones chosen as Top Three-- but believe me, there are lots more that get 'favorit-ed' ... All three of us love your entries.  Because they are amazing creations...beautiful treasures!  So thank you for sharing!

The Top Three this week are...(no order;)

#33, Katie

#38, Corry

#56, Marlena

I will email you the badges girls!! You get to rock our Top Three badge!! Yay for you!!

Okay...So that completes our second challenge and begins challenge number 3!! As a small thank you for entering your lovely cards, here is a coupon code (good till the end of this challenge) for my shop:). (Might be throwing in some random stamps this week...just a couple I promised to certain ladies...so keep an eye out;)...Have a lovely week!

Coupon Code (to be entered at checkout) :  EASYAS123

good for 15% off any order. (coupon expired:)

3 Orders of Business...

Hi everyone!! Hope your week has started great!:) Did you check out Jane's fun post yesterday?!!  It was pretty cool...Scroll down to see it!:)

I have three little things to talk about...First one you probably already know about:)...New stamps (10!) are in my Etsy shop:).  I hope you like them!! 

Second-- you have one more day to get your challenge cards in!!...We have a great prize of two digis from my shop and a bunch of pretty ribbon!:)...Don't forget to enter.  The theme is sewing, and it can be real or drawn on!:).

And finally, I am going to start a monthly newsletter.  It will be a combination of my artwork (stamps;) and my personal blog topics...If you'd like to be added to the mailing list, please email me at krista7smith@yahoo.com with a subject line: NEWSLETTER.  (I get over a 100 emails a day sometimes, so please title it with Newsletter because I don't want to miss it!:).  I am aiming for one newsletter before Christmas, and then monthly after the holidays.  I think it will be something many of you will enjoy...and might even have a coupon here and there for my Etsy shops:). 

Okay, everything covered:). Hope you are getting excited for our next challenge!! It's a really fun theme and some of the Dt cards have already been emailed to me-- they are *gorgeous*! I can't wait to share them with y'all!!

Have a great Tuesday...Hugs!

Wee Teeny Tutorial...

Okay having never done a tutorial before I had no clue what I could possibly share with you all.....everyone is so very talented and what could I possibly show you??!!!  Anyhooo I thought I would share with you how I do my notebook edge on my papers...I don't own the fancy punch...it is on my ever growing wish list which I am working my way through when the pennies allow! So I am always on the look out for other ways to create things....before I bought my nesties I had loads of shaped templates cut out of acetate...went all round the house looking for different size circle shapes!

I have to say that I did not come up with this idea...I came across it while surfing around blogland and I am kicking myself as I cannot remember the blog I saw it on!  If anyone else knows please get in touch so I can add a link!

You can use a fancy hole punch or I like to use a bog standard paper punch

Use your hole punch to punch holes along the edge of the paper you are going to use

Then with your scissors do two little snips from the paper edge into the hole

And there you have it!

I hope you have found this helpful?!  If anyone has anything they would like to ask me about my cards please get in touch and I can share how I do it here!

Hugs

Janex

Candy Bag.

I posted a fun paper candy bag on my blog yesterday...(You can check it out here*)...But, I had this idea in my head, too.  It's a little quicker to make, probably better for a large class or a big Halloween party.  No sewing involved;). 

You'll only need a clear candy bag (they sell these ones at my local craft store...in the candy-making section:), a stapler, piece of cardstock (cut to fit the width of your bag and folded in half), a few decorations (like an SC digi...lol), and some yummy snacks.  I think it looks ever cuter if the candy matches your cardstock colors!

It's pretty cute, huh?!?  (Sorry for the funky lighting...it's very cloudy here today; I have no inside natural light.)

I know a lot of you girls are from the UK and maybe places that don't celebrate Halloween.  (What if you all just put on masks on October 31st and chose to make it a holiday?:):)  Anyways, this project doesn't have to be for only Halloween treats.  I used to package my plaques, pins, and mirrors this way for Etsy orders.  It just adds that nice little finishing touch that says I care about presentation:).  Also, you could do birthday treat bags this way and make them a little more unique than the store bought ones!:)

Here is a photo of the tree outside our back door.  It's turning really pretty shades of yellow.  While I love summer the most, I gotta say, these beautiful fall colors and yummy candy snacks are making me pretty happy:).  Even if it is a bit chilly in the mornings now:).

Is it changing seasons in your part of the world yet??

Update:)

Hello friends!! Hope your week is going great!:)

I am busy getting a *bunch* of new stamps ready. Some are Christmas and others are for everyday use...But, since there will be some holiday ones in the mix and it will be a bigger release (at least ten!)...I am releasing them after the weekend. It's a special release, since I normally do this on Fridays. (Plus my weekend is a little packed. my little sis is having her baby shower:) Anyways, to hold you over till Monday (and maybe even tease ya a bit;), I have added this new Christmas stamp to my shop at a *discount*.

She will be sold at the sale price for a limited time, so hurry and grab her quick:)! I have said before, I'm not a huge fan of drawing Christmas-themed digis...but I really like her. If you cut carefully (or you are handy with the computer;), you can remove the gift box and use her year round:). **(Please do not alter my actual character figures!!**)

I am trying to get some different Christmas ones finished...hopefully you'll like them! And I'm going to post some fun little projects over the next few days...so be sure to check back often!:)

Hope you have a great day! Hugs!!

Pink and Green.

Are you having a great weekend?? I hope everyone is! Watching football?? Or crafting??...Maybe just snuggled up for a nice nap on the couch?:)...Whatever you are doing, hope it is relaxing and fun:)!

Last night I made this card for my niece. Her birthday is coming up, and I am ahead of the game! (Wow. I'm even shocked at that!:) She lives in PA...And even though we see Phil's family a lot...we still kinda wish our visits were more frequent:)! I colored in Stroppy Beth to look like Niamhy. Wanted it to be a --I'm missing you on your birthday-- sort of card:). We will def get up there for her party...but thought it would be fun to put a card in the mail, too! Those two girls are the bestest of friends:).

While I was coloring her, I realized that I am always grabbing for pink. And beige-y colors. Like-- for every card:). I need to expand my color preferences a little:), but they are my go to's. Oh, and I love pink and green. It's such a pretty combo!!Also one of my favorites!!

What are your favorite color combos??

The markers or pencils you reach for the most??

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Challenge #2

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The theme for our second challenge is stitching!! Wa-hoo!!  I love stitching through paper.  Especially that little paper-popping noise it makes when I use the sewing machine:).  Like cardmaking music to my ears:):)....Now for the details....

You must use either a Saturated Canary Digi or a Simply Sassy rubber stamp. Also, please leave a link to the blog *post* featuring your challenge card:). This challenge is open until Wednesday, October 26 @ 12:00am EST. The randomly chosen winner will be posted Thursday with the new challenge:)!

So, the winner is random. Because it will be too hard to choose just one:). But-- the Dt girls and I will be choosing a *Top Three* also. Top three girls: you will receive a badge for your blogs only:) that announces your awesomeness:)!! Random winner, you will receive your choice of 2 digi's from the Saturated Canary Etsy shop:)!!

**And, for our second challenge, we are doing a sponsor swap with Crafty Ribbons!! The winner will receive a gift of beautiful ribbons as well!:) Perfect for future card making!! Check out the Crafty Ribbons site and challenge blog (where SC digi's are sponsoring a challenge this week:)!**

Take a look at the SC Dt's cards...They are so *beautiful!*

Kellie

Jane

Lori

Pops

Carisa

And now...to the most exciting part!!

The winner of our first challenge is #17, Mary B!. Congrats lovely girl! Email me to talk about your digis sweetie!

And, *WOW*, you guys made it so hard to choose a Top Three! I want to make it a Top 88:). As hard as it was, the six of us decided on these three ladies entries:)...(no order;)

#4, Shelby

#12, Mette

#54, Eulanda

I will email you the badges girls!! You get to rock our first Top Three badge!! Yay for you!!

So...That's about it for now...I'm excited to see what you guys come up with as far as stitching!! It can be real or fake or a combo of both...Use your prettiest threads...yarns...even go for some ribbons:)!! And be sure to tie a little knot on your pinky...so you...

xoxo

Lovely Lou Creations!

Check out these super pretty creations by Lou!! She is so talented...and such a super sweet girl! I was so happy when she said I could post a few of her cards on here:).

And check out this lovely digi that I specially made for Tiets and her card club. (She will be available towards the end of the month!!) Lou used non-traditional Christmas colors, and I love the effect! Each year, we choose a new color combo of lights for our Christmas tree...I'm thinking this might be the color scheme this year in the Smith house:)! It's so pretty and girly!:)

If you want to see more of Lou's lovely cards, pop over to her inspiring blog! 

Thank you, gorgeous, for letting me showcase your beautiful creations! xo

Ideas, Future Stmaps, and Your Votes:).

Hello all!  How was your weekend??  Ours went by pretty fast!...But the kiddies have one more day off for Columbus Day-- so not quite over just yet!!  Horray!

I feel like I am definitely getting to know some of you wonderful stampers.I love to get all your sweet emails and even get an occasional suggestion for a future stamp.  I enjoy the conversations so much...You guys are the *best*!!

Because you are all so awesome...with great ideas and talent of your own...I'd like to keep you in the loop.  And get your feedback via some fun little polls on the right sidebar.  Please go ahead and vote-- on one or all of them!!  I'd love to see what your thinkin'...what you like...and what you are hoping for in future releases.  Some things to look forward to in the next couple months are...

Sets of Characters

Boys

Babies/ Tiny Tots:)

Digi's with Backgounds and Themed Sheets (more than one digi per image)

Fantasy

Ragamuffins with Their Pets...a little sub-series.

I have a ton of ideas floating around in my brain:).  But these are a few.  I think it will be fun to put out some more sheets of digis...like my Camping/ Sleepover girl.  One of them is DEFINITELY gonna be tea-party themed.  I just can't wait to start on it! Also, I'd like to put out a small series of Ragamuffins and their pets.  I really love how Stella and her Jellyfish turned out!  Oh, and a short movie-inspired series.  (See sidebar)...

And, don't worry...A bunch of Christmas digis will be released this month:).  Promise:):).  (BTW...is there a Christmas digi you think is missing from the stamp world??  Christmas ones are my least favorite to draw, actually...Because I feel like they are all already done.  But-- if you've got a stellar idea-- leave it in the comments ladies.  Love to hear your thoughts on that!) 

Okay.  I've rambled on a bit here.  And I don't know how other artists operate-- but I like to keep the communication lines open:).  Sometimes this makes my inbox a little jammed...but I read each one and can't wait to hit the reply button:)!  I  have an on-going list of ideas I always keep handy (will carry it with me everywhere people...it has been to the supermarket!!)...just in case something pops into my head during the day.  So, consider yourself a valued part of that list of ideas:).  Because each of you help me to work from home...and be closer to my babies...and enjoy every moment of my 'job.'  (It really doesn't feel job-ish at all:).  I love you guys!! And want this to be a big, happy family of Saturated Canary stampers:).

xoxo

Butterfly. Book. Card. Heels. Stars. (and a mac.)

A fun way to learn about a person is seeing what they are interested in-- what catches their eye. Here is a quick list of weekly favorites from the team:). Little things that we all stopped to view for an extra second this week...from pretty (canary;) colored heels to great reads to butterflies...it's what we are loving this week:).

Oh-- and mine...well, not going to link you to a picture of a Mac Pro. Just cause, well-- honestly, it seems a bit boring:). But, that is my favorite of the week. It took me WAY TOO LONG to do normal things on the computer today...so I am loving, wanting, needing a Mac:). (Can you hear me MAC fairy??;)

Anyways, here are some *more fun* things---;)

Carisa

Lori

Pops

Kellie

Kept this one for last...Jane linked me to this beautiful rendition of a classic-- Enjoy.

Friend's Cards...Stoppy Beth:)

Where do digi images start?? Well, sometimes it is just a thought that pops into my head. Sometimes, a song. A memory. A photo. Stroppy Beth-- well, she started here:).

Cathy from Ellieskeepers Creations mentioned a blog post for me to check out and that her Beth would make a cute stamp, in a very -- LOL, can you imagine!!-- kind of way. But, looking at that little cutie in her slouching stockings with her personality jumping right off the screen...Well, how could she not be a stamp!!:) I love a big personality. And a little mischief in the eyes:)...I'd have to say, Stroppy Beth is one of my favorite images to ever become a stamp, digi or rubber.

Here is Cathy's card, which she also entered into our first Challenge!! (Still open...check it out here!!!)

So, if you ever get an idea...or a good photo...and feel like sharing, be my guest:)! I can't promise it will become a stamp...And, if it does, it could take a while...But I love getting your emails. Especially the ones with cards attached. It's just a lovely thing to see each day! You guys are such an inspiration to my heart...so I will try my best to give back to you!! (Just be prepared to be patient;).

And, before I go, here is a folder I made for Niamh. We are huge on lunchbox notes in this house. The kids look so forward to them each day. Niamh loves to save hers. (Philly...well, we are lucky if they make it home:). Anyways, I thought a little folder would be cute for her to put them in...

Hope you are having a beautiful Wednesday!! Hugggggssssss!!:)