Equine Rose

Today I played in the SCS Ways to Use It Challenge to use black and I incorporated Kurtis' sketch for the weekly sketch challenge at STV. If you play in the challenge, you will have a random chance of winning a free stamp set of your choice from Gina K Designs. Melanie will be posting the new potluck challenge tomorrow and I made this card to meet that challenge, too. Can you guess what her challenge is going to be?

Here are the details...

I started by stamping the rose from Asela's newest stamp set for Gina K, called Friendship's Garden, with Memento black ink and then I used Copic marker R27 to color the darkest areas. The shading lines Asela drew into the image are great to use as a guide for placing your darkest color.

Next I added R24 to the edge of the portion I already colored, blending the colors together and moving out just a bit.

I added R22 to the edges I colored last and blended that out, leaving just a bit of white showing on the tips of the petals.

Next I used my colorless blender to push some of the color right up nearly to the edges of the petals. Then came back with R27 to the very darkest areas again.

Used YG03 on the entire leaves and stem, then added YG93 to the centers of the leaves.

I stamped the horse head from Out West, again using Memento black ink, then used Copic marker E37 to most of the edges and the center of the ears.

Added E35 to what I had just colored, blending out with small circles.

Added E33 using the same technique.

Finally, I added E31 over the rest of the horse's head, leaving the bridle uncolored.

I used E57 to color the bridle and mane. On the mane, I used a sweeping motion with the brush tip of my marker, lifting up at the end of the stroke.

E57 is my darkest brown and I wanted more depth in the mane, so I used my Memento black marker to add a few shading lines.

I cut out both images and placed them on a lightly sponged (with Regal Rose) piece of Pure Luxury Ivory cardstock. The patterned paper is from the Basic Gray Eva pack. Can you believe all the DP I've been using lately?

I did the piercing on the top layer using my new scor-bug tool. It was so fast! Hee hee, I am loving that thing. I did pull out my SU mat pack to get my brads evenly spaced in the corners.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow. My guest designer, Cathy Tidwell is going to be announcing how you can win my Out West stamp set.

Did you see the new episodes on stampTV yesterday? Gina did an amazing video on how to make those cool tile coasters and how to make a gift box for them, just in time for Mothers' Day!

Thanks for visiting. Have a great day!

Happy Trails

Today I wanted to make a horse card with lighter, less masculine colors that might be suitable to send to a lady that loves horses. I also made this to meet Cindy's color challenge at stampTV this week to use black and white, plus one other color. There are always fun challenges going on at STV, each one with a chance to win a free set of stamps from Gina K. Also, be sure to stop by tomorrow for a new stampTV episode!

Here are the details...

Using images from Out West, I stamped the cow skull first, then stamped it on scrap paper and cut that one out to serve as a mask. Using re-positionable tape, I put the mask on the original stamped image, and then stamped the cactus.

To color the skull, I used Copics, E51, W1, W3 and my colorless blender.

For the cactus, I used YG03, YG91 and YG93. Then I went over the images with my Versa Mark pen and heat embossed with clear.

Next, I used my rectangle Nestabilities to cut out the image, then embossed using my tan mat with my Cuttlebug. Before removing the image from the die, I sponged the background with So Saffron, Apricot Appeal, Saharra Sand and Certainly Celery.

To color the horse head, I used E31, E33, E35, E37 and E57. Then I cut out the image.

I cut an oval using my nestabilities and did the same embossing and sponging as the rectangle piece. Then I cut a scalloped back for each piece from Pure Luxury Black Onyx cardstock. I did some piercing and scoring on a simple white background, backed with black. The cardbase is So Saffron.

Thanks for looking. I hope your day is filled with fun and stamping!

Flowers For Mom

Hi and happy Monday! Today I made a card using Asela's new stamp set, Friendship's Garden and the new free with three set, Notes to Mom.

I also played along with the featured stamper challenge at SCS. The featured stamper was Kathy (aka Wattle) and I chose this card for inspiration. Participants were to change at least two things. I changed the colors, used a rectangle instead of oval, used DP instead of embossed background, moved the sentiment.

Here are the details...

I started with the orchid stamp and added some cuts so I could make it curve, then stamped with Memento ink.

I colored the image with Copics, V01, V04, V06, YG03 and YG93. Then I embossed them with clear embossing powder. I used my Versa Mark pen to go over the image, so the powder would stick.

Sponged some So Saffron ink.

Sponged some Certainly Celery ink.

Next, I sponged some Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose inks, then added the sentiment from Notes to Mom, using black Stazon ink.

Unfortunately, I dropped the lid to the ink right on my image and left one big line of ink above the sentiment and a few smudges under it. I almost tossed it, but I decided to try to save it. I started by scraping the bad line above the sentiment with my craft knife. If you do this, be sure your ink is absolutely dry, or it will smudge even worse. The picture above shows it after I used the craft knife.

Next, I used a sanding block and sanded away most of the ink. You can see the two white circles where I sanded in the photo above.

Then I sponged some So Saffron and Pretty in Pink back in and you can barely tell there was ever an ink stain. The photos I took are actually emphasizing the mistake areas. In person, it is much harder to see where the stains were.

One thing to note... Because I used Stazon ink to stamp the sentiment, I was able to go back in and sponge. If I had used my Memento, or SU dye ink, it would have smeared the sentiment. I frequently choose Stazon for my sentiments when sponging because it is very black and I sometimes like to go back and add some sponging as I work.


I used Nestabilities to cut the main image and the scalloped layer behind it. The striped DP is Basic Gray Eva and the pretty pink paper in the background is from Emily Giovanni's latest digital paper pack, Softly Spring. I also used Kiwi Kiss (Stampin' Up) and Pure Luxury Black Onyx for layers and Pretty in Pink (SU) for the card base.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you have a great day!

Wee Cowboy and Circle Piercing with the Scor-Bug

Hello! Today, I combined Out West with Melanie's Wee Tee's set to create a card for the young cowboy in your life. If you look closely, you can see a pierced circle behind the vest/tee. I did that using my new Scor bug tool! I'll explain how below.

To start, I sponged Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip ink on white leather cardstock from the Paper Temptress. I really love this leather cardstock. It takes ink very well, which really enhances the texture of the paper. You can click on any of the photos for a better view of the texture.

Next, I inked up just a portion of the Wee Tee, as you can see in the photo, and stamped it on my paper.

After I stamped the image, I used my black Memento marker to add some vest lines. I also stamped the cowboy hat from Out West on the leather paper. Then I cut out the vest pieces and hat.

Stamped the image again, this time on Pure Luxury White cardstock and colored it with Copic Markers, B24 and B26.

Then I adhered the vest pieces to the tee and added a little gold start using my Sakura gold gel pen. I sponged the background with a bit of So Saffron and added the circle piercing using my Scor-bug, then stamped the horseshoe a few times.

The site panel is another piece of the sponged leather paper that I added eyelets to and wove twine through.

So, I have to tell you I am in love with my new Scor-bug. I love to pierce and this tool makes it so quick and easy. You just place your cardstock in your Scor-pal and run your bug in the grooves. Makes perfect piercing lines every time, but I have been wanting to do round piercing, so I pulled out my Spellbinders Tan Mat, used for embossing with Nestabilities.

I placed the cardstock on the tan mat and used my old Creative Memories circle and oval cutters as guides and just ran the Scor-bug around the outside. It worked very well except when I tried really small curves.

If you try this, I recommend practicing on scrap paper several times, until you get the hang of it. If you don't have circle templates, the lid off a jar of peanut butter would work. It just needs to be something with a slight raised edge. I tried using my Nestabilites as guides and that was tough because they are so flat, so look for something about 1/4 to 3/4 inch high.

I also practiced making free handed wavy lines and that worked great, too!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a great Saturday!

Cowboy Up!

Good morning and happy Friday! What a fun Gina K release party last night! The past few days have been hectic. I was gone all day Wednesday for a Copic class in San Francisco and then yesterday, my internet went down. I ran all over town frantically searching for a modem, but eventually had to go to the library to use their internet. I should be back up and running on Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime, I'll pop in at the library off and on to check my email.

I used images from my new stamp set, Out West, for this card.

I used Copic markers to color the saddle (E35, E33, E37, and E31), then cut it out.

The background panel was cut with my rectangle Nestabilities die and dry embossed in my Cuttlebug, using the Spellbinders tan mat. Then I sponged the background using So Saffron and Creamy Caramel, and stamped the horseshoe very lightly with Creamy Caramel ink.

I layered with a piece of Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss cardstock, Pure Luxury Ivory and two pieces of Gina's new Rough and Rugged digital paper. I am loving this digi paper. I had a bunch to print out so I took the file up to Office Max on a little jump drive and had them print all the papers for only $.49 each!

Be sure to pop into the Gina K forums at SCS to answer the contest questions and play in the challenges for a chance to win a free stamp set. I posted one of the challenges to Adorn Your Corner(s). Cammie and Beverly (our Spotlight designer) also posted some fun challenges. I hope you'll play along!

I just have to tell you about the fun time I had at the Copic Certification class I took. Marianne Walker is amazing with those markers and such a wonderful teacher! I couldn't believe it when I walked in and saw Cambria Turnbow was there, too! I stuttered and stumbled in awe, but they are both so friendly and funny!

A special hello to Ivett, Alicia, Harriet and all the ladies at my table. I had such a fun time chatting with you ladies! I also met Patricia, the Paper Temptress and snagged some awesome "leather" paper samples from her, that will go perfectly with my new set! Eek, can't wait to play with them!

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have a great weekend!

Not Forgotten - Gina K Preview Day

Today I am sharing a preview of Gina K's newest stamp set, Not Forgotten. It is a wonderfully touching sentiment set, with the perfect thing to say in those difficult weeks and months after someone has lost a loved one. It is the perfect set when you are looking for something so say when someone is facing a holiday without their loved one.

I made my card using the beautiful sentiment from Not Forgotten and added Asela's peace lily from her new set, Friendship's Garden.

I colored the lily with Copic marker, Y21, and the leaves with YG03, G21 and G05.

For the flower pot, I used E31, E33, E35 and E37, and used C3 for the stones in the pot.

To create the background for the lily, I cut a rectangle using my rectangle nestabilites and embossed using my tan mat. While the paper was still in the nestie, I sponged So Saffron ink using my new Jumbo Dauber! I'm in loooooove with my new dauber and must get more. I only ordered three to check them out. You can see my old So Saffron sponge in the photo above. They get so torn up, but I can't stand to throw them out, because they work so much better when they are "broken in." I can't wait to see how long these daubers last, because they work so much better.

I stamped the sentiment on Pure Luxury Ivory cardstock and cut it using my oval nestabilibites, then sponged the edges with So Saffron. Both the image panel and sentiment panel were backed with a scalloped layer, again using my Nestabilities.

I added a satin bow and then assembled the card, using a Pure Luxury Ivory cardbase.


Thanks for looking. For more peeks from the design team, please visit,

Cindy Lawrence
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Gina Krupsky
Jessica Fick
Melanie Muenchinger
In the Spotlight Designer for Gina K Designs
Beverly Cole

I hope to see you at the party tonight in the SCS forums from 5pm to 8pm central. Thanks for stopping by. I hope your day is wonderful!

For Teacher - Gina K Preview Day 3

Hi and welcome to day 3 of the Gina K previews. First I want to say thank you so much to everyone that has commented, messaged and emailed. I am blown away by all your kindness and encouragement. I am going to be in Copic certification class, in San Francisco, all day and driving the rest of the time, so it may take me a few days to reply to everyone. I wonder if my gas mileage will be better since I am going to be floating to S.F. My poor family. I have just been giddy with happiness and they haven't been able to pry me off the ceiling.

And now I want to talk about this fabulous new stamp set from Carolyn King (aka Cammie). It's called Nurse Feelgood and it is the compliment to Dr. Feelgood, released by Cammie last year. The possibilities are endless with this set, especially when combined with Dr. Feelgood.

In addition to Nurse Feelgood, Gina's new Free With Three set, Notes to Mom, is being previewed tonight. You are going to love this set. It is great for Mother's Day, but also for anytime you want to send a special card to a mother in your life. The best part is, it will be free if you purchase three sets. To see samples of both sets, please visit the rest of the design team and be sure to start at Gina's blog for a chance to win a free set!

• Carolyn King
• Cindy Lawrence
• Donna Baker
• Emily Giovanni
• Erika Martin
• Gina K
• Jessica Fick
• Joanne Basile
• Kurtis Amundson
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Beverly Cole (Spotlight Designer)

Cammie designed the set so that can leave off the nurse's cap and create something with a teacher theme, so that is what I did.

Here are the details...

For the skin tones, I used Copic markers, E51, E53 and my colorless blender. For the lips, I used R22.

For the blouse I used V01, V12 and my colorless blender.

For the skirt I used V04, Vo6 and the colorless blender.

For the book/papers/medical chart (depending on how you are using the set) she is holding, I used Y21 and Y23. Then I used a black marker and wrote "notes." I love how you can customize it like that! After coloring, I cut the image out.


For the background, I used a few images from Cammie's Whimsical Autumn set. I stamped the apple and vase, then colored them with Copics. Then I went over both images with my Versa Mark pen and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

Next I sponged So Saffron ink lightly all over, then added post-its to mask the top and sponged the floor using Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip in a diagonal direction.

Next I masked off the bottom and sponged the wall using Creamy Caramel and Going Gray.


To make the desk, I place two post-its parallel to each other and a third at an angle.

Sponged Chocolate Chip and black ink. Then I moved the bottom and side post-its just slightly and added a vertical post-it, to create some perspective, and sponged just a bit more.

For the desk legs, I just used a straight edge and a marker to draw a line.

To assemble the card I popped up the school girl using pop dots. I layered the card with Pure Luxury Black Onyx, Basic Gray Eva designer paper and used a Pale Plum card base. The ribbon is from my STV Floral Frenzy kit.

I also finished the inside of the card (not something I do often), using more of the Basic Gray Eva paper and sentiment stamps from Nurse Feelgood.

Thank you so much for visiting. I hope you have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow for another preview and then later the release party at SCS!