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SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 4

SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 4 published on 18 Comments on SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 4

I am so excited to be here for day 4 of the SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week.

Today’s new products: Coffee Cuties SugarCut Dies, Brew-tiful Sentiments, Whole Latte Words and Cool Beans Stencil

How can anyone resist all the coffee products with the little faces? Oh my word, these are cute! I cut out the little much and some of the layering choices and colored them with Copic Markers to match a fun fall patterned paper. Then I chose a sentiment from the stamp and die group that I just love.

Let’s face it…adulting is hard and coffee helps! I hope you love this adorable group as much as I do.

Would you like to win a $50 Gift Voucher to our store? Leave a comment below for your chance to win. TWO lucky commenters will be randomly selected from the Sweet Peek Week comments to win a $50 Gift Voucher! Winners will be announced on our blog: Monday, September 20th.

Our team has some amazing and creative inspiration for you using the products featured here today. You can visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects.  And while you’re there be sure to leave a sweet comment for them, giving you an extra entry to win!

SugarPea Designs
Amy Kolling
Francesca Vignoli
Jennifer Timko
Kitty Day
Stephanie Beauchemin
Tatiana Trafimovich
Tricia Barber
Vera Yates

Thanks so much for stopping in today. I can’t wait for you to see the products for the rest of the week. See you tomorrow!

Freshly Made Sketches #503

Freshly Made Sketches #503 published on 5 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #503

My second post of the day and a quick interruption of the SugarPea Designs Sweet Peeks. I am so happy to show you the latest from Freshly Made Sketches. The amazing Cécile is our designer this week and she has brought her flair to the sketch.

This weekend I got the chance to participate in a crafty retreat and it allowed me to play with some new to me products. For today’s card, I am using Taylored Expressions items and they are gorgeous to use. It started with the Sketchbook Florals stamp set and dies. This was designed by the talented Lori Craig and it is HER set I used. Lucky me!! I also tried out Karin Markers on this and suffice it to say that I’m a believer. Some will arrive here shortly. I stamped the flower in Versafine Clair ink and then colored with the markers. The way the ink moved with water is really fun.

Once the flower was dry, I cut it out with a coordinating die and got to work on the sketch. The little squares are the insets from the Mini Slim Square Window Cutting Plate and I love how their shape added just a bit of embellishment. For the perfect splatters, I used the Splatter Background stamp. Love the detail without the risk of a messy splatter.

I hope you enjoy this card and our sketch this week. Come over to join us for the fun! See you again tomorrow with more from SugarPea Designs.

SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 3

SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 3 published on 20 Comments on SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 3

I am so excited to be here for day 3 of the SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week.

Today we are sharing the Shut the Front Door SugarCut Die.

Shut the Front Door, indeed! This die is so well designed and has so many options. You can customize all the elements. I used a wood grain paper from my stash to create the basis of my door and then decided to make it a holiday scene. And get this…the door opens!! Let me show you.

Super fun, don’t you think?! I put the door on a mini slimline card and it is perfectly sized for that. If you want to add the other elements from the die set, a standard card will be great.

Would you like to win a $50 Gift Voucher to our store? Leave a comment below for your chance to win. TWO lucky commenters will be randomly selected from the Sweet Peek Week comments to win a $50 Gift Voucher! Winners will be announced on our blog: Monday, September 20th.

Our team has some amazing and creative inspiration for you using the products featured here today. You can visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects.  And while you’re there be sure to leave a sweet comment for them, giving you an extra entry to win!

SugarPea Designs
Amy Kolling
Francesca Vignoli
Jennifer Timko
Kitty Day
Stephanie Beauchemin

Tatiana Trafimovich 
Tricia Barber
Vera Yates 

Thanks so much for stopping in today. I can’t wait for you to see the products for the rest of the week. See you tomorrow!

SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 2

SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 2 published on 21 Comments on SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week – Day 2

I am so excited to be here for day 2 of the SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week.

Today’s new products: Little Village Stamp Set and SugarCut Dies, Home Is With You Stamp Set and SugarCut – Home Script Word Die

The Little Village set might be one of the most fun scene builders I have used. There are separate stamps for the parts of the houses and trees so you can ink different colors. And they line up really easily! It mades for such cute cards with no stress. I chose bright happy colors for my little neighborhood.

After stamping the pieces, I thought it best to keep it clean (big surprise, I know). I added a sentiment from the set and they put the scene on some of the stitched basics to create a frame.

Would you like to win a $50 Gift Voucher to our store? Leave a comment below for your chance to win. TWO lucky commenters will be randomly selected from the Sweet Peek Week comments to win a $50 Gift Voucher! Winners will be announced on our blog: Monday, September 20th.

Our team has some amazing and creative inspiration for you using the products featured here today. You can visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects.  And while you’re there be sure to leave a sweet comment for them, giving you an extra entry to win!

SugarPea Designs
Amy Kolling
Francesca Vignoli
Jennifer Timko
Kitty Day
Stephanie Beauchemin

Tatiana Trafimovich 
Tricia Barber
Vera Yates 

Thanks so much for stopping in today. I can’t wait for you to see the products for the rest of the week. See you tomorrow!

SugarPea Designs Fall Sweet Peek Week – Day 1

SugarPea Designs Fall Sweet Peek Week – Day 1 published on 32 Comments on SugarPea Designs Fall Sweet Peek Week – Day 1

I am so excited to be here for day 1 of the SugarPea Designs Fall Release Sweet Peek Week.

Today we are sharing two new products: Always Welcome Stamp Set and Always Welcome SugarCut Dies

The Always Welcome set is a wonderful new scene building set with fabulous elements. I chose to focus just on the tree for today’s card. I think you can agree that it is great in every color! I was inspired to make a non-traditional Christmas card and I just love the results with this rainbow of trees.

I stamped the trees and cut them out with the coordinating dies. I thought they fit perfectly on a mini slimline card so I lined them up and attached them. The sentiment comes from my long time favorite Everyday Sentiments.

Would you like to win a $50 Gift Voucher to our store? Leave a comment below for your chance to win. TWO lucky commenters will be randomly selected from the Sweet Peek Week comments to win a $50 Gift Voucher! Winners will be announced on our blog: Monday, September 20th.

Our team has some amazing and creative inspiration for you using the products featured here today. You can visit each of our designers’ blogs below for details on their projects.  And while you’re there be sure to leave a sweet comment for them, giving you an extra entry to win!

SugarPea Designs
Amy Kolling
Francesca Vignoli
Jennifer Timko
Kitty Day
Stephanie Beauchemin

Tatiana Trafimovich 
Tricia Barber
Vera Yates 

Thanks so much for stopping in today. I can’t wait for you to see the products for the rest of the week. See you tomorrow!

The blue of the sky that day

The blue of the sky that day published on 11 Comments on The blue of the sky that day

There is a now famous art piece at the the 9/11 Memorial titled “Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning” by Spencer Finch. I have seen it in person and it is moving beyond words. It has 2,983 separate pieces to honor victims. Each is a different color of blue and it represents the idea that each of us has a different memory of that day. And in truth, each of us has a different perception of the color blue.

I have written about 9/11 in varying ways over the years. Each year I think that I have said all I can. But I also don’t feel I can let the day pass without acknowledging it in some way. I have shared stories over the years if you are interested: 9th Anniversary, 10th Anniversary, 11th Anniversary, 12th Anniversary, 13th Anniversary, 14th Anniversary, 15th Anniversary, 18th Anniversary and 19th Anniversary. But this year…this year is bigger. As I look through my previous posts, I find optimism, reflection and last year some sadness over the division that has swept over us. The last year has been one of ups and downs in my United Airlines life (if you will pardon the pun). This time last year, I was heading off to school in a downward movement back to the right seat of the Airbus from a wide body fleet. But in January, I started the process of moving to the Captain seat on the same plane and have been flying as a Captain on the Airbus 319/320 since April. Flying is coming back. There is a long way to go.

This card is very much like the one I shared on Instagram yesterday. But the blue on this is not unlike the art piece. Shades of blue. Different depending on where you look. I used the Wildflowers Stamp Set from Honey Bee Stamps and the new Thinking of You Big Time sentiment set. I added some silver splatters with Hero Arts Glimmer Metallic Ink in Pewter. It is simple but I love that the blue just washes across the panel.

I think maybe we need to consider more the idea of everyone remembering differently. Because then maybe we can give each other the grace to actually process things differently too. We are too quick to judge, too quick to dismiss and, sadly, too quick to assume the worst. I have no idea how to fix it but I do know that it starts with each one of us. Instead of looking at each blue like someone else remembers incorrectly, we look at each blue as a piece of a beautiful larger picture. Each of us brings nuance and something unique to the overall composition. At least for today, join me in enjoying all the colors of blue. We owe it to those lost to remember, each in our own way, but also together so that we have a chance of healing.

In memory of:

United 93:  Jason Dahl, LeRoy Homer Jr., Lorraine Bay, Sandra Bradshaw, Wanda Green, CeeCee Lyles, Deborah Welsh

United 175:  Victor Saracini, Michael Horrocks, Robert Fangman, Amy Jarret, Amy King, Kathryn Laborie, Alfred Marchand, Michael Tarrou, Alicia Titus, Marianne McFarlane, Jesus Sanchez

American 11:  John Ogonowski, Thomas McGuinness, Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean D. Roger, Dianne Snyder, Madeline Sweeney

American 77:  Charles Burlingame III, David Charlebois, Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, Renee May

Autumn Blessings

Autumn Blessings published on 1 Comment on Autumn Blessings

We are approaching the days where the nights are getting cooler here in Virginia and my stamping turns to fall colors. I pulled out my muted yellows and browns for today’s card that is created for the SugarPea Designs blog.

Many times when I make cards, I have an idea of the finished project in my head. This was not that card. I just wanted to play with texture and followed along where the card took me. It all started with the Leaf Canopy Stencil. I used textured embossing paste through the stencil and then left a space open for a sentiment. Once the paste was dry, I blended on Distress Oxide Inks in Fossilized Amber, Peeled Paint and then added a bit of Distress Ink in Vintage Photo. I splattered on some water and then some simmer spray for a bit of detail.

I thought this gorgeous sentiment from the Autumn Blessing Stamp Set was perfect for the open space. I stamped it in brown ink, then heat embossed with clear embossing powder to help it pop a bit more. Still wasn’t looking finished so I cut some leaf sprigs with the SugarCut – Botanical Branches dies out of brown card stock. I added a bit of brown twine to finish it.

I hope you enjoy this taste of fall and are inspired to just sit down and create, letting the process take you along. Have a wonderful day!

Freshly Made Sketches #501

Freshly Made Sketches #501 published on 11 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #501

Whew…we made it! Sketch #500 was such fun and I am just in awe of the support we got from the crafting community! Even after the challenge started, companies joined us to add gifts. Amazing!!

With that, I’m thrilled to announce my winner from my blog! Our random “spin” says that Janelle E is the lucky recipient of the products and I’ll be getting in touch with her later today. Thank you all for your kind words and support!

Last month there was a coloring challenge on Instagram (the Daily Marker 30 Day challenge) where you try to color a bit every day. I missed some days but I posted along the way while I was coloring this image from the Pretty Postage Stamp Set by Honey Bee Stamps with Copic Markers. I finally got to finish it! I had fun taking a spring like image and using fall colors. The new Stacking Art Deco Dies cut the image perfectly and it made me so happy!

I used a sentiment from the set to follow the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and I love this unique idea. A brilliant sketch by designer Kim Singdahlsen. I added a button from my stash along with some linen thread to help the top of the banner feel more finished.

Well, as I just posted my photo of the sketch, I realized that I forgot the crossing layer. Ah well. I am going to pull the distracted mom card on this one. I just moved my oldest to college over the weekend and I’ll admit, I’m a bit sad. He is in a GREAT place and doing exactly the right thing, just missing him. And yes, this card will accompany a batch of cookies. I’m going to take a few days off and actually go fly. But back next week with more! Until then, have a great day!

Freshly Made Sketches #500 – A Decade of Sketch Inspiration

Freshly Made Sketches #500 – A Decade of Sketch Inspiration published on 25 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #500 – A Decade of Sketch Inspiration

Yes, you read that right. Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating 500 sketches. A decade ago, the amazing Lesley started this challenge during a time when “clean” stamping was not a dominant style. She put together an idea of clean, but not always simple, designs based on layouts. BRILLIANT! I played along as a player from the first challenge and soon joined the team. It has been my biggest consistent inspiration in my stamping and it has been a great joy to be on this team for so many years.

As you can imagine, 10 years of a challenge is really worth celebrating. We have sponsors and the winners will simply be randomly chosen from all the players this week. Additionally, I have a personal prize too! As a thank you for the support you have given me over these many years, I will choose a winner from all who comment on this post. See the end of the post for details.

I love that Linda chose 5 layers for the sketch as a nod to the 500 milestone. I wanted to explore a little more on some of the products from the Honey Bee Stamps release we just featured. The Garden Harvest Florals is such fun to color and I thought it would be perfect for this sketch. All of the elements were colored with Copic Markers. I chose a pretty gingham from the Summer Stems paper pack that had a bit of a late summer/early fall feel.

The sentiment is my favorite part of the card. It comes from the Bitty Buzzwords: Fall stamp and die set. Truly, this sums up how I feel about this team. Some have been together for the whole 10 years, some joined us more recently, but all are amazing. In every possible definition of the word, our happy little group is a team. And one that has given me immeasurable joy!

For my personal giveaway, I will send the above products to one lucky winner, randomly chosen from those who comment on this post. Giveaway is limited to those in the US only. It include: Distress Oxide Picked Raspberry Ink and products from Honey Bee Stamps: Team Tie Dye Paper Pack, Precision Tip Glue, Bee Young: Blooms Stamps and Dies. Winner will be contacted via information left when you comment.

Again, thank you for playing along, supporting our fun challenge and for always sharing your time and talents in our gallery. We are so grateful you have included us in your crafty adventures!

Honey Bee Stamps Autumn Splendor Release – Sneak Peek Day 4

Honey Bee Stamps Autumn Splendor Release – Sneak Peek Day 4 published on 2 Comments on Honey Bee Stamps Autumn Splendor Release – Sneak Peek Day 4

Welcome to the Honey Bee Stamps Autumn Splendor Release Sneak Peeks! Today is day four of our peeks at the new release and, as usual, you will be totally wow’d by all the amazing sets. Tonight the release goes live!!

For my last day of sneak peeks, I am sharing the new Patchwork Pumpkin Stamp Set and Honey Cut Dies plus the Sentiment Frames Honey Cut Dies. (These affiliate links will not be live until the release opens for sale tonight, August 23rd after the Release Party on IG and FB at 9p CT.)

I am going to confess that fall is my favorite season. I love all the fall things! And pumpkins rank really high on the list. This Patchwork Pumpkin set comes with so many options to build adorable pumpkins with a never-ending variety of patterns. I thought that copper embossing would be a fun way to show a couple of the patterns. For the inner oval, I stamped, embossed and then cut. But for the outer layer (which is actually only a mid sized layer in the set) I cut the paper first and then lined up the stamp in my Misti for stamping with Versamark and then heat embossing. I only had to line up the image once since the die is symmetric. I just turned it around to stamp the other side!

I stamped some fo the elements in the set, embossed and cut them out too. I love the little vines! The frame is part of the new Sentiment Frames die set. I cut it from white paper and then “smooshed” it into my Versamark pad and added embossing powder, then heated. The sentiment is from the Inside: Thankful Sentiments set introduced on day 2. I cannot wait to use this set more and try all the patterns!

So glad you stopped in today. I hope you will consider shopping with me via my links when they go live later tonight. There is no additional cost to you and it helps me keep my little blog running. Thanks for joining me for all the fun on this release!

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