Sunflower Studio

SUINK BLOG CANDY WINNER!

Thanks to everyone who visited and entered to win my little blog candy giveaway.  I let the integer generator at www.random.org pick a number and it came up with #12.  So, that means that Janet S. is the winner!!!

Here's what Janet had to say:

"Gosh I would really love to help you out with gift ideas, but I always send my Dad and Father-in-law good old cash(check) for birthdays and holidays. They always appreciate it and can use it to buy what THEY want. I live far from both of them and they really don't need more "stuff" to lay around. Money allows them to buy what they want or go and do something special like play golf or go to a nice restaurant. I make sure that I make them a nice handmade card and that is what they really appreciate anyway - something from the heart. :D"

I love the part about the handmade card especially.  I'll have to get on that part since I'm going out of town tomorrow and I must get something in the mail ASAP!  I'm still floundering for ideas for the dads although I did come up with an idea for the DH. 

Janet, I'll send you an email for your address so I can send you your OCEAN COMMOTION set from STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!  CONGRATS TO YOU!

On a separate note, my mom and dad were in a terrible car accident yesterday.  They were very, very fortunate to have walked away with cuts, scrapes, bruises, bumps, burn from the seat belt and sore muscles but no broken bones and such.  Their car was totaled when they "t-boned" the car that ran a stop sign and cruised out in front of them as they did 55mph on a major road.  They were in the pickup which is an older model and didn't have airbags.  I can't stress enough the importance of those seatbelts.  If they hadn't been wearing them, Lord only knows what could have happened.  They are very lucky and so am I to have them!  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THAT YOU LOVE DO TOO!

SUINKWWC44 - LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS! & BLOG CANDY

Poppin' in to share my card for this week's challenge at STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!  This week we're celebrating the men in our lives with a masculine card...doesn't have to be for Father's Day but, hey, why not!

My card features one of the brand new sets from SUINK, OCEAN COMMOTION, and another set from way back at the beginning of SUINK's stamp releases, LOOK WHAT I CAUGHT.  So here's the little fishing boy....do you think he has any idea what lies beneath in the deep blue sea?

I first created the seascape by stamping the images and then airbrushing in the background colors.  Here's another really neat thing about the Copics...you can use the colorless blender to "lift off" some of the color that you've already added.  So, I went ahead and sprayed the sand color and then the various blues right over top of the fish images.  Then I used the blender to remove some of that color.  I added the color for each fish/critter/plant on top.  Any of the leftover background color was "pushed" to the side by the overlaying color.  Cool beans!

I stamped the fishing boy on a separate sheet of paper, colored him, and then carefully cut out the entire image.  I used foam tape to raise him up a bit over the sea.  He creates a perfect "photo corner", right?!  At this point I'm trying to figure out where a sentiment would fit and the bobber came to me.  I cut out the white circle with a Nestabilities die, stamped the sentiment (DAD from the THINKING OF DAD set and {relax} from the LOOK WHAT I CAUGHT set), added the red stripe and some small outlines with a Copic Multiliner.  I cut out the top of the bobber from a scrap of red cardstock and drew in the shaded top.

To celebrate the new SUINK stamp releases for this month AND the fact that Father's Day is right around the corner, I'm giving away an OCEAN COMMOTION stamp set.  Leave me a comment on this post letting me know what you'll be giving your Dad/Husband/Grandfather for Father's Day....I need some ideas and soon!  I'll accept entries until Sunday, June 14th at midnight eastern time.  I'll let the random number gererator pick a winner and announce the winner on Monday, June 15th. 

BLOG CANDY WINNER...

It was brought to my attention that I forgot to make the announcement for the winner of my blog candy from a few weeks ago.  I did pick the winner that Monday but waited to hear back from her before I made the announcement and then totally forgot to post the winner's name.  Please join me in congratulating Agnes Hach from Belgium (Wow!) on winning the WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE stamp set from Storage Units, Ink & More!  Thanks to everyone that shared their Valentine's treat wish and for visiting the blog and commenting!

Valentine Treat Tags & Blog Candy

I've had these done for a few days but am just now getting them posted.  I made up some little tags to add to candy treat bags for Valentines.  Most of these images are included in the new WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE set from STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!  (I might have "snuck" in a sentiment or two from the new SWEET THINGS set as well.)

I, of course, usually buy little candy treats that I like...just in case I need to sample them while I'm working or something like that.  Sounds logical, right?  If you've read this far, tell me what yummy Valentine's treat you'd like to receive most and you'll be entered to win the WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE set.  (My choice would be a big ole diamond but you can't eat that and I won't be getting that anyway...a girl can dream!)  Please leave your comment at the end of this post - one comment per person - by the end of the day on Sunday, January 11th.  I'll let the random number generator choose a winner and announce the winner on Monday, January 12th.  Good Luck!

TCP TUESDAY #22 - STAMP CHALLENGE & *new* BLOG CANDY!

Katie is this week's Hostess with the Mostess for the TCP Tuesday Challenge.  We're up to number 22 and the challenge this week is to make a card using the Animal Train stamp from The Cat's Pajamas.  This is such a cute little stamp and it's perfect for a sweet card for a new little one.  I paired it up with some really funky paper from Creative Imaginations in their Helen Dardik Cutie Pie Girl series.  I'm a big fan of using non-pastels for baby things.  (In fact, I'm really not a fan of pastels at all...oh well!)

There wasn't really too much to do to create this card.  The patterned paper really lent itself to cutting a top-to-bottom strip and that dictated that it would be a tall skinny card.  There's also so much going on in the paper.  I squeezed the stamped image into the wider polka-dot band for a perfect fit.  I colored the little image with Copics and then cut it out with a Nestability Petite Oval die - backed with a Petite Scalloped oval.  All of the textured papers used are from DCWV and the card base is SU!s Rose Red.  I added some ribbon from KI Memories. (I loved their old ribbon that is actually woven - as opposed to their new ribbon that seems to be all printed on design...yuk!)  And I added some little Dew Drops just to dress it up a bit.

Now, if I just knew someone who was having a baby girl? Hmmm....

Anyway, I thought I'd throw out the details for the TCP weekly challenges.  I haven't included them in a while and you might need a reminder:

1. Each a week one of The Cat’s Pajamas DT members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week it's KATIE.
5. You must use the specific stamp for this challenge to be entered into the Swankiest Stamper contest.
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES22 for this challenge.
8. Alma will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the First of the Month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.

NOW FOR THE CANDY!

How about some CAKE for your CANDY?  It just might be BIRTHDAY time at The Cat's Pajamas.  There's a fun new release this Friday, August 29th!  Just in time for any birthdays that might be coming up amongst your family and friends.  Who wouldn't love some Birthday Penguins or Presents from Sprinkle?!  Me, me, me!!! 

Leave me a comment on this post...tell me what your DREAM birthday gift would be.  Hmm....I might like something HUGE and sparkly from Tiffany's.  Jewelry with sparklies almost always would be on the top of my list.  Of course, something stamping related would be next, for sure! ha ha.  What about you?  I'll take comments through the end of the day on Friday, August 29th, and then randomly pick a winner.  The winner will get one of the brand spankin' new Clearly Swanky Birthday sets that Alma has created for us!  Yea!

Got Candy?

AT A SNAILS PACE & BLOG CANDY!

What a crazy summer it has been....and it's almost over! I can't believe that the little boy only has 19 more days of freedom and then it's back to school.  WOW!  I haven't had nearly the amount of actual stamping time that I would have liked to have had but what was I thinkin'!�  With kids activities, vacation, CHA, and time spent outside, no wonder...

In case you've also been crazy busy this summer and didn't notice...STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! just released six brand new stamp sets on August 1st.  They're all really cute! AND, in case you needed a wee bit of incentive to go and check them out and get some for yourself, all of the SUInk Design Team gals have been giving away BLOG CANDY this week.  This is your chance to get one of the new sets for FREE.

I'm featuring the AT A SNAIL'S PACE set.  I love that the "Kritters" sets from SUInk really have something for everyone. If you want cutesy...you got it...classy...you got it...fun...you got it.  That's true of the LEAPFROG, BUTTERFLY GARDEN, and BEAR WITH ME sets as well. (These are all illustrated by Paulette Rich Long.  You can read more about her HERE.)  They're just really versatile.

ENTER TO WIN

Leave me a comment here - at the end of this post.  AND...tell me which SLOW activity do you enjoy most. I think, for me, it's reading. I'm not really a slow reader but I do enjoy a great book and taking the time to just sit and read makes me really happy. What about you? I'll take entries up through midnight eastern time on Saturday, August 9th and then let the random number generator pick a winner. I'll announce the winner on Sunday.

Make sure that you visit the blogs of the other DT gals. There are sets being given away each day this week. I'll give you the schedule and links here:

Monday...Dawn
Tuesday...Lauren

Tuesday... Bethany
Wednesday...Kimberly
Wednesday...ME
Thursday...Debbie
Thursday...Kathie
Friday...Susan

Supplies: At A Snail's Pace clear stamp set by Storage Units, Ink & More; CS - February Gold, Fuschia Fizz, Nassau Blue from Core'dinations @ SUInk & More!, Papertrey White, patterned paper from The Blossoms & Butterflies Stack by DCWV; Ink - Tuxedo Black Memento ink; Other - Prismacolor Colored Pencils and Gamsol, ribbon (Amer. Crafts?), Prima flowers, Ranger Liquid Pearls, MM eyelets, Nestabilities dies, SU! Word Window punch.