Lil' Inker Designs BIRTHDAY, August Monthly Meetup Challenge, and a SALE!

 

Hi!  It's August 11 and we are ready for another Monthly Meetup Challenge over on the Lil' Inker Designs blog!  Go check out the Lil' Inker Designs store!!!  But this is a SPECIAL monthly meetup because we are also celebrating Lil' Inker Designs BIRTHDAY!!!!  

What better to celebrate a birthday than with BALLOONS!  Specifically new Balloon Greetings and Balloon Greetings dies!!!  Woot!  This new set and dies is now available in the shop and there just may be a little sale happening too!  (See below)

I've done many balloon cards with Lil' Inker Designs before but I wanted to create one where the balloons were floating into the clouds.  To do this, I've used the Border Builders Die Set to create my clouds.  Before adhering my 2 layers of clouds, I've sponged some light blue pigment ink onto my white top folding card.  Next, I've stamped and diecut my balloons, from the new Birthday Balloons Greetings stamp and coordinating Birthday Balloons Greeting dies, using various colors of pigment inks for a soft look.  After adhering all the balloons to my cloud scene, I added some wood veneer stars and 4mm sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh).

Here's what you need to do to play along:

• Make a new project or share something you've been working on featuring LID goodies!
• Post this project to your blog or favorite gallery.
• Link your project to our challenge by using the InLinkz tool at the bottom of the post on the LID blog.
• You have through August 18th at 11:30 PM EST to link your project to be eligible to win a prize. Projects should exclusively feature LID goodies to be eligible to win but do not need to exclusively feature LID goodies to join our Meetup.
• This month's prize is a $50 gift certificate to Lil' Inker Designs!
• Winners will be announced in a new blog post shortly after August 18th. Have fun and we can't wait to see what you're working on!

Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me!

You are my Sunshine...

HI everyone!  I am excited to share that I am guesting for Butterfly Reflections Ink blog this month!  I think until a few months ago, I lived under a rock.  I tell myself now......why did I wait so long to order from Vanessa?  Her customer service is unbelievable and her shipping times are record fast!  I love ordering and getting my goodies in just DAYS!  The other part?  She has current products!!!  

Neat & Tangled released this adorable stamp called My Sunshine recently.  It spoke to my heart for many reasons but one thing is that handwritten sentiment in Danielle's handwriting.  It's fabulous.  Yep.....you can purchase it at Butterfly Reflections Ink!

I started planning out my layout and loved the little "ray" stamp in this set.  I wanted to use this to "frame" a shaker element on this card.  I used a standard small circle die to cut the circle in my cardstock.  Using this as a guide, I stamped my rays around this circle.  The way this sentiment was designed is perfect for placing the sentiment by my shaker element!  My sentiment was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink using my Misti.  I assembled my shaker card using various yellow sequins.  I added the last part of my sentiment (white heat embossed on black) to the lower corner and added a few extra sequins.  

Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me!

Reverse Confetti Summer Fun Blog Hop!

 

Hi everyone!  Welcome to the Reverse Confetti Summer Fun Blog Hop!  This month we are taking the hop and adding SUNSHINE and SUMMER!  

Nothing speaks more to me during summer than a nice cool drink!  Specifically a margarita.  Today my husband and I are hosting a party for a bunch of friends and the margarita machine is already in full swing!  :)  

I thought it would be fun to dig out some fun glasses and add a touch of Reverse Confetti in the form of tags for them!  I've used Pineapples Aplenty and coordinating Confetti Cuts.  Since I'm packing up my craft room to move, I had to go on a hunt for my Shrink Film.  I used matte shrink film and sanded it down per the directions.  I stamped my pineapple image with PIGMENT ink, diecut, and added a tiny hole with a hole punch, and then baked at 275 degrees for about 3 mins.  It was so fun to do some "shrinky dinks" again!

I tied them to my fancy glass with some twine.  

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I also played around with the Pineapples Aplenty for a quick card.  I stamped and diecut my pineapple and set aside.  My blue layer was stamped using So Stripey in white pigment ink.  I layered my image over some diecut circles from Circles 'n Scallops Confetti Cuts and added some black gems.

 What's a blog hop without a prize?  Make sure to check out the Reverse Confetti Blog for all the details but there is a $15 gift certificate up for grabs!!

I hope you’ve enjoyed hopping with us today.  Be sure and hop with us on the 8th of EVERY MONTH for more REVERSE CONFETTI inspiration!  Now it’s time to hop on over to Vera Yate's blog.  If you get lost along the way, you can find the hop order and list of all the participating designers over on the Reverse Confetti Blog.

A few things before you hop along though, just to keep you “in the know”…

August’s SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY is open for you to play along.  Check it out for a chance to win and become our newest ‘Fetti Fave! 

Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me!

Pretty Pink Posh Product Release Hop!

Welcome to the Pretty Pink Posh New Product Release Hop!

I am so honored to work with these products.......Paulina has done it again!  No doubt you've seen some inspiration out there with the new product since its debut last week but the DT is now here for a fabulous Blog Hop showcasing all the new goodies!

New release includes:  3 new die sets, 5 new colors of iridescent sequins, and new sequin mixes!!  

My first card uses the new Twine and Bows Dies along with one of the new Iridescent sequin colors.......Fairytale Fuchsia (I also used the previously released Sunshine Glow sequins).  I loosely watercolored a light blue for the background of my blooms.  I layered my diecut watercolor blooms (from Lil' Inker Designs) to the upper left corner and embellished with the gorgeous iridescent sequins for centers.  I have wanted Paulina to get iridescent sequins for a long time......so I'm just tickled that she's carrying them!  My diecut sentiment comes from Simon Says Stamp called Painted Hello die.  To finish this off, I used the new Twine and Bow Die.  This die is fabulous!  No more tying a bow.......or struggling to tie a bow!  ha!  

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My next card is all Halloween and uses the new Storybook 1 Die.  I created a shaker card using some Sparkling Clear Flat sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.  I love the look of a shaker with the colored panels in the background especially with the stitching!  All the images are black heat embossed and are from a new Essentials by Ellen set called Got Candy?  My shaker panel was adhered to a black panel that had been spritzed with shimmer spray and some drops of Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine.

***Ok.....now to the details of the PRIZES!!!  There are 2 $25 gift certificates up for grabs and winners will be randomly picked from along the blog hop.  Comments must be left by 11:59 PDT on 8/9/2015.  Winners will be announced on the PPP blog.

Pretty Pink Posh blog

Wanda Guess

Gayatri Murali

Jeanne Jachna

Nicole Gavaldon

Lisa Elton

Heather Hoffman

Joni Andaya

Karolyn Loncon

Amy Kolling--->you are here!

Nichol Magouirk

Kay Miller

Carissa Wiley

Audrey Tokach

Yuki Yoshioka

Suzy Plantamura

Yoonsun Hur

Thanks for sharing a party of your day with me!

August Verve Diva Inspiration Hop!

 

It's time for the Verve Divas to bring you our monthly Diva Inspirations Challenge and Blog Hop! There are two ways to win Verve prizes: comment on the design team's blog hop posts (linked below) to see their take on the inspiration, then go get inky and link up your take on the challenge to be eligible in our prize drawings! You have the rest of the month to link up, so feel free to play as often as you like.

Our August challenge is Celebrate!

It's our Anni-VERVE-sary - so we're celebrating! Create a card to celebrate something or someone special, an anniversary, birthday, new baby, any occasion filled with joy! Use the inspiration or go off on your own tangent, just share a celebration with us!  There is a SALE going on too......check out details at the end of my post! 

I loved this challenge......I went with some of the colors, banners, and circular elements!  I started with adding the look of texture behind my focal point with the use of a STENCIL.  This could be anything in your stash.  I've used a diagonal stripe stencil and sponged on a light gray pigment ink.  I made sure to leave areas "unsponged" to achieve this look.

I used one of my FAVORITE Verve stamp sets.......Poppy Birthday.  I went with red, deep orange, and pink poppies and die cut them using the matching Build a Poppy Die Set.  After arranging my poppies, I stamped my sentiment (from Poppy Birthday).  As a last detail, I diecut a Pennant Trim Die in pink and added just a snippet in the corner and embellished with clear sequins (from Pretty Pink Posh).



Click here to link up your challenge entries
Challenge deadline: Monday, August 31.
Prize: $30 gift voucher to the Verve online store!

Need a little inspiration? Check out the blogs linked below to see what the other Divas did with the challenge! It's sure to be a treat, and speaking of treats, we've got a prize for one lucky commenter along the hop! Check out the Verve Blog today for all the prize info and deadlines!

	1. Julee	6. Susan
	2. Amy	7. Maureen
	3. Betty	8. Marisa
	4. Jen	9. Charmaine
	5. Sarah

Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me!

Essentials by Ellen Holiday Release Blog Hop!

Hello, and welcome to the Essentials by Ellen Holiday 2015 Release Hop!  Pinch me now!!!  I am so thrilled to be joining the hop and I’ll be showcasing several of the new stamp sets and dies on my post today!

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I wanted to share my FAVORITE stamp set and matching dies........Mondo Poinsettia!  This is a BEAUTIFUL large set with just gorgeous leaves.  This set was begging for me to watercolor!  

I started by white heat embossing my images on Tim Holtz watercolor paper.  After wetting the images, I dropped Festive Berries Distress Ink and watched it do its magic.  I did this with the leaves as well using Peeled Paint Distress Ink.  My subtle background was watercolored with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and after it was dry, I used my MISTI Tool to stamp my sentiment (from another new set called Mistletoe and Holly) straight using Versafine Onyx Black ink.  Of course, I had to add in my favorite Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins!

***TIP--I used my Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors for a subtle white shimmer over the poinsettia (I used the opaque shimmery white color in the set).  

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The next set I'm sharing is a fun play on elves called ELF'D.  It also has matching dies that make this set just adorable!

I knew I wanted to make a smaller shaker with the candy cane elements in this set.  I made my own "window" using Pretty Pink Posh's Stitched Duo 3 die set......running it through once and again flipping it over to get stitching on all sides so that it would be a square window shape!  I added in tiny Martha Stewart star confetti.  

In our house, we have the tradition of having an "elf" come visit after Thanksgiving.  Whether my kids know it's real or not.....they enjoy doing it every year!!  This elf reminds me of our "Fred" elf so I had to use him and colored him using Copics.  To soften my layers, I used a trimmed piece of vellum behind my shaker.  My sentiment was stamped onto this vellum using black StazOn.

Now the fun part!!!  A giveaway???  I get to give my favorite new stamp set, Mondo Poinsettia, to a lucky someone!  Please leave a comment to enter my giveaway!  
**Please ensure you leave your email along with your coments as you have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen!

There is also a Grand Giveaway in the CLASSroom!  To enter, be sure to leave a comment there, and at every stop along the hop by August 11th, 2015; winners will be announced by the weekend! 

Here is the full list of stops on the blog hop.........have fun!!

The CLASSroom 

Lisa Adametz 

Sandy Allnock 

Laurel Beard 

Heather Campbell 

Darlene DeVries

Julie Ebersole

Sharon Harnist 

Angel Johns 

Stephanie Klauk

Amy Kolling---->You are here!

Emily Leiphart 

Nichol Magouirk 

Jennifer McGuire

Maureen Merritt 

Kay Miller 

Carolyn Peeler 

Julia Stainton 

Laura Sterckx 

Amy Tsuruta

Kimberly Wiener 

Carissa Wiley

Your next stop is: Emily Leiphart.

Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me!

AEI♥U Challenge: Embossing

Hello!  It's time to welcome another fabulous Avery Elle AEI♥U challenge!  This time around the challenge theme is all about EMBOSSING!!  Last month we saw gorgeous cards featuring Sparkle as the theme so let's see cards this month using EMBOSSING.

I thought it would be fun to incorporate an "old" product into my card this month since it fits perfectly with the challenge.  I pulled out my Chevron Embossing Folder for my main panel and cut out a standard circle to frame my Peonies.  My Peonies were white heat embossed onto vellum, colored on the BACKSIDE with my Zig Clean Color Markers, and diecut with the coordinating Peonies Elle-ments.  A sprinkling of Sparkling Clear Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh were added as embellishments.

You should click on through to the AEI♥U Challenge Blog to see what my sweet teammates have created to inspire you all!  You’ll also find the InLinkz tool over there to link up YOUR take on the challenge – we’d love to see your beautiful work in our gallery! 

There are two $25 Avery Elle Gift Certificates up for grabs for the two best entries, so what do you have to lose?! You have until August 27, 2015 to link up your take on the challenge!

Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me!