I do hope you found this video helpful and I welcome your kind comments and constructive criticism (bonus points for niceness!) so that I can continue creating content in a way that's most useful to you. ​  I won't be creating video content for every project I feature, but I will do my best to create them for the more intricately detailed or challenging cards!  

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello!  Thank you for stopping by and visiting my website!  If you are a first time reader, welcome!  I hope you will find creativity and inspiration as you look around.  If you are a regular follower, thank you for your continued support and returning day after day to see what's new!  Today I am sharing four Valentine's Day themed cards using the fun "Beep Bots" and "Beep Notes" stamp sets from RG Avenue.  I am loving the robot trend right now and these robots are extra large which makes them the focal point on each card.  I'm actually on the ball this year and have completed ALL of my Valentine's Day cards.  Now, to get them addressed and mailed out (which seems to be where it all goes south for me!)

Here are the Beep Bots and Beep Notes stamp sets that I used to create these cards: 

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend!  I hope you found a little time to do something crafty.  Today I am sharing another card that I made for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge #115.  This week we have a theme challenge to inspire you.  Our challenges run for two weeks, thereby giving you more time to create, so I have designed a second card to share with you this week that was still inspired by the same image seen below:

Many of my followers know that I am a cat lover, so I think all you dog fans will be pleasantly surprised with today's "adora-bull" card featuring the "Fabulous Frenchies" stamp set by Newton's Nook!  I will admit, they are all very cute little bulldogs!

*A full supply list (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.

The base of this slimline card is made from red cardstock.  This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2."  It will fit inside a regular business sized #10 envelope. I lined the card base with a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of black and white gingham printed paper.  I die cut four heart from red carsdstock.  On each heart I randomly stamped animal paw prints in red ink.  I adhered all four hearts to the center of the card slightly overlapping each one to ensure they would all fit.

I stamped all of the images (dogs and balloons) in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I colored all of the images with Copic markers and added highlights to the images using a white Uniball gel pen.  I adhered the bulldogs to the card using foam adhesive.  I added the balloon to the last bulldog's tail.  I also punched small hearts from pink and red cardstock and adhered them to the card in another balloon shape on the second bulldog's tail.  I then added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to all the bulldogs for added sparkle.  Lastly, I stamped the sentiment "adora-bull" in red ink on white cardstock and notched the right side before adhering to the card with foam adhesive. 

Will this theme inspire YOU to create?  Are you ready to get your paws inky with us and play along for a chance to win?!  We will randomly select one linked entry to receive a $20 store credit to the Newton's Nook Designs online shop! 
We will also highlight our favorites from each challenge the following Monday, so that all entries have a chance to be featured on the Newton's Nook Designs blog.

Please make sure you review the challenge rules page before you link up your project!  
Deadline to enter is Friday, January 31, at midnight CST.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there!

Cats and candy!  Can today get any better?!  Okay, maybe if it were Friday already. . . Today I am sharing these M & M filled pillow box treats that I'll be giving to my friends at our upcoming annual craft retreat to the Cape.  As our own little tradition, everyone attending (there are 8 of us in total) makes something small to give the others in the group.  Sometimes it is a papercrafted item, but it doesn't have to be.  In past years, there have also been small jars of homemade jelly and maple syrup, knitted hats, socks and embroidered tote bags!  I'm lucky to have such talented and generous friends and family. 

*A full supply list (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.

The base of the pillow box is made from 110# kraft cardstock.  You will want to use a nice, thick cardstock as your base to ensure a sturdy box.  First, I die cut a heart on one side of the pillow box and lined the inside with a piece of acetate.  This will ensure nothing falls out of the hole!  While the box is still flat (before assembly) I stamped the paw prints on both sides of the box in kraft ink.  I also stamped the hearts in red ink.  I assembled the two sides of the box using tear tape.  You will want to use a good adhesive here like the tear tape (or red line tape) to ensure the box holds together well. 

I filled the boxes with both plain and peanut M & M's.  To each box I added a sentiment that was stamped in red ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I notched the right edge of the sentiment strip.  I die cut a large heart from red cardstock and a small heart from gold glimmer cardstock.  I also stamped a variety of cats from the Newton's Nook Newton Loves Boxes and Newton's Antics stamp sets in Memento Tuxedo black ink.  I colored the cat images with Copic markers and then adhered all of the pieces together on the outside of each pillow box with foam adhesive for added height and dimension.

I love using the Lawn Fawn Pillow Box die for small treats because of it's easy assembly.  Some of those dies can be very challenging!  Plus, it can be filled with so many different things from candy and gift cards to jewelry and more. 

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello friends and readers, I am happy to debut a new series today called "Crafty Finds."  This series will feature a variety of craft tools, stamps, papers, dies and accessories/embellishments that focus on a particular season or holiday relevant to the current time of year.  Sometimes the most cumbersome and time consuming part of crafting is finding the right item(s) we want to use!  Hopefully this series will help you find that perfect stamp set or die, as well as introduce you to products and companies you might not be familiar with.  For this first edition of my Crafty Finds series, I'll be focusing on Valentine's Day. 

I hope you have enjoyed this new series and, more importantly, that you will find it useful.
I'd love to hear YOUR thoughts, so please comment below.  I'm already looking forward to creating a similar board for St. Patrick's Day!

Hello friends and happy Monday!  I am excited to be sharing my card for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge today.  I frequently hear from friends and fellow stampers that they aren't creative enough to design something on their own, or that they don't know what colors to use.  They feel frustrated before they even begin because they don't know where to begin.  I understand!  Yes, I've been there too!  That's the concept behind a card challenge.  It can help to inspire you and get the creative juices flowing by giving you a place to start.  Challenge #115 by Newton's Nook is a theme challenge.  Let the image below be your inspiration for creating a card (or scrapbook page) and see where this challenge takes you!  

Here is the card I created inspired by the image above.  I went with the theme of hearts:

*A full list of supplies (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  Using a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of designer paper with a red heart pattern, I adhered this patterned paper directly to the card base.  Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut a medium sized rectangle from red cardstock.  I adhere this directly to the center of the card.  I die cut a large heart from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and stamped small hearts in red ink around the heart.  I also stamped the "thank you" sentiment in red ink. 

I stamped the flowers from the Newton's Nook Designs Peony Blooms stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I colored in the flowers with Copic markers and used the coordinating Peony Blooms dies to cut them out.  I adhered the flowers to the bottom portion of the heart with foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for added sparkle. 

In this close-up photo of the peonies, you can see the sparkle from the Wink of Stella:

Will this theme inspire YOU to create?  Are you ready to get your paws inky with us and play along for a chance to win?!  We will randomly select one linked entry to receive a $20 store credit to the Newton's Nook Designs online shop! 
We will also highlight our favorites from each challenge the following Monday, so that all entries have a chance to be featured on the Newton's Nook Designs blog.

Please make sure you review the challenge rules page before you link up your project!  
Deadline to enter is Friday, January 31, at midnight CST.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there!

I love reading news articles or Facebook posts about those who would like cards mailed to them and yesterday this article posted on CNN captured my eye. 
I will be sending this scrapbook making hero a Valentine card, will you please join me?

(CNN)  A 104-year-old US Marine Corps veteran who served in World War II is asking people to send him cards for Valentine's Day.

Maj. Bill White, a California native, has had a lifetime full of unforgettable experiences. He has collected objects and filled scrapbooks to remind him of special memories which he keeps on a bookshelf organized by year. But now, the young-spirited veteran wants to expand his collection of memories, and he's asking the public to help by sending him a card this Valentine's Day.

"I'll save every one of them like I've been saving little things that have come up until right now and they'll be a personal part of my history," White told CNN affiliate KTXL.And that history of his is more than eventful.

White earned a Purple Heart for surviving the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. The bloody battle between the US Marines and Imperial Army of Japan lasted five weeks, killing nearly 7,000 US Marines and more than 20,000 Japanese fighters.

"When I was wounded, I didn't have any choice in the matter. A grenade blow up about 6 inches from me," White told KTXL. "The fact that I even survived is something. There weren't too many of us."

The veteran, who spent 30 years on active duty, was taken off the battlefield as a result of his injuries.
White told KTXL his love for scrapbooking keeps him busy, allowing him to "keep track" of his life's special events. But the real key to his long and positive life, he said, was simple: "Just keep breathing."

If you'd like to send White a Valentine's Day card, you can mail it to:

Operation Valentine
ATTN: Hold for Maj Bill White, USMC (Ret)
The Oaks at Inglewood6725 Inglewood Ave.
Stockton, CA 95207


*For  more information on those seeking card donations, please read this post here or you can donate cards to the Live Like Roo foundation here. 

Today I am excited to share with you a new release from Whimsy Stamps called "Voo Doo Too."  I have always had a particular interest in the Louisiana Vodou culture after visiting New Orleans many years ago.  While Hollywood has given us the perception of this demonic, malevolent culture, it is a history rooted rich in slavery and cultural traditions.  While commonly associated with death and ill will, the voo doo doll can also offer magical healing properties.  Today these creepy-cute guys are offering nothing but love for you!

*A full supply list (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.

The base of this slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2".  The base is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  Using the Slimline Windows die from Whimsy Stamps, I created the frame from gray cardstock.  Behind the gray frame, I lined the background with a miscellaneous piece of lime green lined designer paper.  In between some of the frames I stamped the "Voo Doo Too" sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I stamped the voo doo doll images in Tuxedo Memento Black ink and colored them with Copic markers.  I added some highlights to the colored images using a white Uniball gel pen.  I used my Scan and Cut 2 electronic cutting machine to cut the images out.  I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive.  Lastly, I punched a few small hearts from red cardstock and floated them around the card, also using foam adhesive for added height.

I hope you like these mildly creepy cuties!  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

On Wednesday's we wear pink!  Well today, this lumberjack got the "Mean Girls" message and has donned the appropriate ensemble with his pink ax and all!  He's even going to be chopping down a pink tree!  : )  This fun stamp set called "Love Jack" is from RG Avenue and I think it is an excellent set to be used for Valentine's Day, perhaps for the lumberjack in your life!  Sure, I've made this into pretty pink cards for today, but I also can't wait to add some dark colors and plaid patterns to make Jack a little more burly and masculine.

*The full list of supplies (with shopping links) can be found at the end of this post. 

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Sweet Pink sugar stock.  Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Rectangle dies, I cut the first layer from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I die cut a small heart from Sweet Cane cardstock and adhered it in the upper right forner.  I stamped the sentiment "You're Awesome" in Sweet Pink Ink and fussy cut it into a banner that I adhered over the heart.  I stamped all of the images from the "Lumberjack Love" stamp set in Black Taffy ink and colored them using Copic markers.  I added some highlights to the images using a Uniball white gel pen.  I stamped the tree over a piece of patterned pink paper (only so I wouldn't have to color it!) I used my Scan and Cut 2 to cut all o of the images out and adhered them to the card.  Lastly, I added a coat of Dazzling Pat to the Lumberjack and woodpile for added sparkle. 

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" by 4" piece of Sweet Cane Sugar Stock and adhered it directly to the card base.  Using the Gina Marie Stitched Rectangle dies, I cut a rectangle from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and stamped "Wood you" down the left side in Sweet Cane ink.  I also stamped a few hearts in Sweet Pink ink.  I adhered this rectangle directly to the card base.  I stamped all of the images in the "Lumberjack Love" stamp set in Black Taffy ink and colored them with Copic markers.  I used the Scan & Cut 2 to cut all of my images.  I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added some Dazzling Pat to the saw blade and lumberjack for added sparkle. 

Thank you for visiting and happy creating!

Hello friends and happy Monday!  I am excited to be joining the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge Team with my first challenge of this decade!  I frequently hear from friends and fellow stampers that they aren't creative enough to design something on their own, or that they don't know what colors to use.  They feel frustrated before they even begin because they don't know where to begin.  I understand!  Yes, I've been there too!  That's the concept behind a card challenge.  It can help to inspire you and get the creative juices flowing by giving you a place to start.  Challenge #114 by Newton's Nook is a sketch challenge.  Let the sketch below be your inspiration for creating a card (or scrapbook page) and see where this challenge takes you!  

Here is what I created inspired by this challenge sketch:

*Full supply list at end of post.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of red plaid paper (from a retired Echo Park paper series) and adhered it directly to the card base.  Using the Hello Bluebird Gallery Frame #2 die, I cut the frame from red cardstock.  I lined the back of the frame with a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  On this lining, I stamped the sentiment in red ink and a couple hearts in craft ink.  I then made a small shaker card component out of the small bottom piece of the frame.  I filled the shaker with small 1/2" hearts punched out from red and kraft colored cardstock.  I stamped the cats from the Newton's Sweetheart stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and then die cut the cats using the coordinating Newton's Sweetheart dies.  I colored the cats with Copic markers and added a few small highlights using a Uniball white gel pen.  I added the cats to the card using foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I add a small bow to the left side of the frame made from linen thread. 

Will this sketch inspire YOU to create?  Are you ready to get your paws inky with us and play along for a chance to win?!  We will randomly select one linked entry to receive a $20 store credit to the Newton's Nook Designs online shop! 
We will also highlight our favorites from each challenge the following Monday, so that all entries have a chance to be featured on the Newton's Nook Designs blog.

Please make sure you review the challenge rules page before you link up your project!  
Deadline to enter is Friday, January 17th, at midnight CST.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there!