Studio Calico Giveaway Winner!

Hi guys, the weekend got away from me and I forgot to post my winner for these cute Thumbs Up craft dies!

The winner is byheleng who won with this entry...

Helen, if you see this post, email me at ribbongirls at gmail dot com for your prize!  Thanks to everyone who joined in:)

Mahalo and aloha,

jj

Studio Calico Bluegrass Farm Reveal!

It's the 27th and that means reveal day at Studio Calico!!!   The release is available to subscribers right now, and will be available to everyone at midnight tonight.  Want to see some cards from the main card kit and the Clarabelle add-on?  Let's get to it!   
    
For my first card, I used this lovely cut file designed by Paige Evans!   This kit has the sweetest patterned papers, so I knew I wanted to use this cut file to show them off;)  The cut panel is backed with vellum and the various patterned pieces are inlaid into the die cut holes.  I added just a sprinkling of woodgrain enamel dots for fun:)

Here's a little close up of the cuts...

My second card with the main card kit uses the cute little strawberry stamp!  I can't resist little fruits, lol:)  Don't they look cute in that berry container?  If you want the Silhouette cut file I created, you can pick it up here.  Don't you just love the retro feel of the patterned paper?  Too cute!  

Here's a look at my first Clarabelle add-on card!  I'm in LOVE with the exclusive Avery Elle stamp set in this kit.  Absolutely the best!  And I feel like SC was reading my mind with the colors of the papers in this set.  I love the sorbet colors!  

I did some sunray cuts with papers and did a bit of stitching over them in the same colors.  For the sentiment, I hand cut it and did a technique I call stacked stamping.  You stamp both layers with the same image but pop up the top layer with foam tape.  Here's a closer look at it...

My last card today was so much fun to make!  First I heat embossed the sentiment in clear.  Then I used my watercolors over it.  I painted my colors on in stages and it really gives the watercolor depth and intensity.  I even used my watercolors to tint the ribbon a perfect orange:)  

The last step was to add some banners in patterned paper and vellum.  Here's a color look at the painting...

Thanks for stopping in!  I hope you check out the entire release over at Studio Calico!  And stop in to the gallery to see all the goodies the Creative Team have put together!

Mahalo and aloha,

jj

Avery Elle: Needle Little Love

Happy almost Friday folks!   Just quickly stopping in this morning to share a card that I made with the Avery Elle stamp and die set, Needle Little Love!  Have you noticed that handcrafted is THE thing to do these days?  Handwritten fonts and calligraphy.  Knitting and crocheting.  And lots of stitching and sewing!  Cue the card;)

This fun die makes it so easy to create a stitched embellishment for your cards.  You could go folksy and do some cross-stitching.  Or maybe you want to try a custom monogram.  I went CAS and rainbow (shocker, I know)!  Totally easy to do even without a needle;)  Raise your hand if this card reminds you of a rainbow shirt or sweater you had in the 80's!  Heehee!   

Until next time!  Have a wonderful rest of the week:)  

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj

Studio Calico Bluegrass Farm Sneaks & Giveaway

Just sharing a couple sneak peeks of my Studio Calico Bluegrass Farm projects!  Lots fo fun stuff to play with this month!  Here are a peek from the main card kit...

And another...

And how about one from the card kit add-on (it's named Clarabelle, if you're making your wish list!)...

Last one from Clarabelle...

See you on Thursday the 27th for the full reveal!  Subscribe now so you can get in on the presale at noon tomorrow (only subscribers can order at noon)!  There are a ton of add-ons, dies, and additional stamps this month, so you'll really want to get in at noon!   

Before I finish, I did promise a giveaway!  I have a set of Thumbs Up craft dies to give away!  

 This limited set is totally sold out, so if you missed it last month, this may be your last chance!  For a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post.  If you are a follower/become a follower, you get *2* extra names in the drawing.  Please leave a comment by midnight on the 27th and I'll post a winner on the 28th!  

Mahalo and aloha,

jj

Avery Elle: Simply Labels - Hello Friend

Well hello there!  Got a quick card (yes, that's a card!) today using the Avery Elle set Simply Labels - Hello Friend:)    This set has a label (with matching die, yay!) that has a bunch of mix and match sentiments.  You know I love anything that lets you customize like that!  Now when I saw the label, I thought...beer bottle, lol!  It looked like a fancy bottle label, so here where I went with that idea...

For the bottle, I turned to my trusty Silhouette Cameo.  You can pick up the free beer/soda/wine bottle Silhouette file that I created here!  Then I stamped and die cut the label and added my own custom sentiments and the red star.  As a little extra detail, I used a gold marker to outline the edge of the label.  The finished card is about 3" wide X 8" tall, if you're wondering:)  

Now that I have my custom Silhouette file, I can't wait to try this again!  There's  lots of different choices for sentiments in the set.  I think next time, I'll do a wine bottle with a housewarming sentiment.  

Until next time!  Have a wonderful rest of the week:)  Please stop by Heather's blog and check out her lovely card!

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj

Mama Elephant Stamp Highlight: Everyday Greetings

Hey guys!  I have one last Mama Elephant stamp highlight for you this week:)  You know you can't have a  Mama Elephant release without a cool sentiment set!  Especially one with Kryssi's handwriting:)  For my card, I used one of the awesome sentiments from Everyday Greetings on a background of sunshine (a la Sunny Skies).

For the rolling hills, I used one of my Landscape Die trio dies.  Behind the green hills, I tucked in a sun that I created using acetate, sequins, and glitter!  To make the sun, I die cut a circle from acetate and folded it in half.  I filled it with sequins and my favorite hexagon glitter and machine-stitched it around the edges.  Here's a tip for sewing paper, especially slippery paper like acetate, on the sewing machine.  Put a piece of plain tissue paper under your project.  This allows the feed dogs (you know those nubby things that pull fabric through the machine) to grip your project.  When you're done, you can just pull away the tissue paper.  I promise this will make sewing your cards MUCH easier!

Thanks for stopping in all week!  I hope you found something you can't live without, heehee;)  Don't forget to check out what the rest of the DT has in store for this fabulous set!

Mama Elephant/Kryssi
Emily Leiphart
Geralyn Sy
Laura Bassen
Jenn Biederman
Nichol Magouirk
Elena Roussakis
JJ Bolton (you are here)

Mahalo and Aloha,
jj

Mama Elephant Stamp Highlight: On Point Borders

Mornin' folks!  How about another Mama Elephant stamp highlight?  Today, the DT is highlighting the background/border stamp set, On Point Borders.  This set has 5 different graphic border stamps perfect for adding a subtle texture to your projects.  I took the largest stamp of the bunch and stamped it in white on kraft.  I *love* how it turned out.  Nice detail without being overwhelming.  

Then I took the Stitched Frame die (from Femme Frames) and made a custom panel by cutting the panel once and then cutting it again across one of the corners.  I highly recommend double cutting or mixing and matching dies.  You can get so many looks just from a handful of dies.  

As you can see, I needed to cut off one corner so that I could pop in the little dinosaur from Just Hatched.  The "peekaboo" sentiment was a little long for the speech bubble, so I curved it to make it fit.  Before I finish, let's take a closer look at that adorable baby dino!  

Thanks for stopping in today!  Come back tomorrow for one more stamp highlight and today go check out what the rest of the DT has in store for this fabulous set!

Mama Elephant/Kryssi
Emily Leiphart
Geralyn Sy
Laura Bassen
Jenn Biederman
Nichol Magouirk
Elena Roussakis
JJ Bolton (you are here)

Mahalo and Aloha,
jj

Mama Elephant Stamp Highlight: Make a Wish

Hey everyone!  Are you enjoying all the Mama Elephant highlights this week?  Today we're highlighting the new stamp set, Make a Wish!  This is the same set that I used during the Stampede.  Today, I'm using the largest of the sentiments and, boy, is it gorgeous!  Did you know that this set is hand-lettered by Pauline Ibarra?  (Visit her site and see more of her fabulous work!)  Now back to the card...

I really wanted the focus of the card to be on the sentiment, so this card is pretty CAS.  I stamped the sentiment and paper pieced some of the swirls and loops to bring in a bit of color.  I finished it off with some matching paper flags sewn to the top of the card.  Sweet and simple!  Here's a close up on all those beautiful calligraphic swirls!

Thanks for checking in today!  Come back tomorrow for more stamp highlights and today go check out what the rest of the DT has in store for this fabulous set!

Mama Elephant/Kryssi
Emily Leiphart
Geralyn Sy
Laura Bassen
Jenn Biederman
Nichol Magouirk
Elena Roussakis
JJ Bolton (you are here)

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj

Mama Elephant March Stampede

Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to the Mama Elephant Design Team Stampede!  Have you been checking out the sneaks?  The full release was revealed yesterday and they are already live on the Mama Elephant site}.  Today, I'm sharing a project using the new Make a Wish set!  

I used one of the awesome sentiments from the set as the focal point of the card.Don't you just love the lettering?  The lettering is so beautiful and I love the oversized scale too!  The balloons were made using the Party Kit dies and the panda is from Pandamonium (I added a little sideways grin on him;).  For a different look, I colored the balloons with Copics instead of using colored card stock.  I love how it turned out!  

That's it from me!  Now before you finish stampeding, don't forget the giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ALERT! To celebrate the new release, Mama Elephant is giving away one of each of the new stamps released! Winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the Stampede. Winners will be announced on the blog on the last Stamp Highlights Day. You have up to 3 chances to qualify to win! Just leave a separate comment for each!

» Leave a comment on this blog post «

» Like/share us on Facebook: facebook.com/mamaelephant «

» Follow/tweet us on Twitter: twitter.com/heymamaelephant «

Here's the full list if you've missed anyone (and you know you don't want that;):

Mama Elephant/Kryssi

Donna Mikasa

Laura Bassen
Emily Leiphart
JJ Bolton (you are here)
Geralyn Sy
Elena Roussakis
Nichol Magouirk
Jenn Biederman

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj

Sassy Owl Birthday Greetings

Happy Friday Pi day (yeah, I'm a nerd:)!  Starting off this weekend with a fun Paper Smooches card!

This birthday card uses the owl from Hooties and he just cracks me up:)  His sarcastic expression is perfect for the sentiment! My husband would probably say that I'm the owl because it's totally something I would say;)

{P.S.  I know I need a comma after the "29", so let's all pretend it's there, heehee}

That's it for me today!  Hope you have a wonderful, wonderful weekend! 

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj

Avery Elle: Lucky and We Go Together

Just stopping in with some fun Avery Elle cards today:)  This first card pairs the new Lucky set with the older Circle It set.  This card is a preteen girl, so I went with fun bright colors and enamel dots.  I used the tiny dots from Circle It to make my own custom bokeh/confetti background.  Love the happy colors:)

I also have a card that I didn't get to share last week.  We have a lot of boys in our family so I always feel like I'm looking for a masculine card!  It's such a challenge to create something festive but not boring or, even worse, girly;)  That's why I was so happy to see the little guitar and drum stamps in the new Avery Elle We Go Together set:)  Here's what I made with them!

 

First I stamped a tone-on-tone background with the guitars.  I used Fog ink on Fog card stock.  Then I die cut the letters (using my Avery's Alpha dies) onto a triangle panel and stamped on the drum set.  Part of the drum set continued over the bottom of the letter "Y", so I stamped it on the red backing panel and colored it in with a white pen.  The last step was to paper piece the parts of the drum set and glue them on with foam tape.  I colored the drums just a bit to match the gray background.  Fun stuff!

Thanks for popping in today!  Please stop by Heather's blog and check out her cute card!

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj

Happy Friday with new Paper Smooches

The new release at Paper Smooches just went live this week on the website, so I thought I'd share some cards I made with the new goodies to kick off the weekend!  My first card uses the new dies for the My Guy stamp set!  I paired up the My Guy stamps and dies with a little Zoo Crew to make this fun card...

For this next card, I went girly and blingy with the new Deco Bag die.  This card is the perfect size for a gift card or small favors.  It's also perfect for making a quickie shaker card.

I die cut the deco bag in vellum and used scor-tape to put it together.  I filled my shaker with lots of sequins and lots of glitter.  I found this oversized hexagon shaped glitter at Michael's and it's perfect for shakers!  To seal the top of the bag, I sewed on the die cut sentiment cut in metallic gold card stock.  Love all the sparkle!

My last card uses the new Quotables dies.  I love the scale of these dies!  They fit across an A2 card and I love that they have left-facing and right-facing dies:)  I die cut each speech bubble so that they all hook together like puzzle pieces. 

I pretty much used every die in the set and paired them up with sentiments from a variety of sets (Hooties, Slang Gang, and ).  Kim has designed such fun sentiments and I love mixing and matching them to make a totally custom sentiment:)

That's it for me today!  I hope you go check out all the new Paper Smooches goodies this month!   Hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj

Bottle It Up - Two Ways

Hi guys!  I have a couple new cards today that I made using the new Avery Elle set Bottle it Up.  I was so excited to see this set because I love the look of glass jars and terrariums!  I was even more excited when I found out there were matching dies!  So much potential in this set:)  

My first card was inspired by this terrarium that I pinned a while back.   I love the retro mod look of this terrarium, so I made a paper version:) 

It was so easy to create the bottle with the new dies.  I even used the die to make the wood base from wood grain paper.   To do this, I cut the bottle once and cut it again with the bottom of the die moved up.  To finish it off, I added a large wood dot from My Minds Eye as the stopper.  So cute!

 

My second card uses the stamps from Knotty to create a ship in a bottle!  The ship fits perfectly inside the large bottle stamp.  I was going to make a shaker card (which is so easy to do with the dies), but ended up just leaving it open so you could really appreciate the ship.  I paper pieced some of the boat pieces to give this simple card a little something extra.

For the sentiment, I used a tag made from a Simply Tags: Everyday stamps and matching die.  I love mixing and matching new and old sets!

So now that you've seen this set, what are you going to put in your bottles?  

Thanks for popping in today!  Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj

P.S. Stop by Heather's blog today too!  
jj