Sea of Love Valentine Card

How these days in January make me long for the beach.  I guess I shouldn’t complain since the weather here has been sunny and in the 70′s but I just can’t help thinking of long summer days at the beach.  This week at Hand Stamped Sentiments we have a beach theme but I still have Valentine’s day on the brain.  So when I began to think of what to create for this challenge I thought of the sea…love…Eureka!!…The Sea of Love!  So here’s my interpretation of this week’s beach theme challenge.

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I used the Lots of Love Letterpress plate for the background.  I inked it up with Versamark then ran it through the Big Shot and to add sparkle I heat embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.  The sentiment is stamped in Indigo Blue and also heat embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.

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I hope you can see how the Sea of Love  shimmers with the Iridescent Ice.  The fish are made with various Stampin’ Up! heart punches.  I couldn’t resist the wiggle eyes.  The sand is Crumb Cake card stock sponged with Soft Suede ink.  This card would be perfect to give to your hubby or wife.  Either way love is in the air or rather the sea.

http://www.handstampedsentiments.blogspot.com/

I hope you’re inspired to join us this week with your beach themed creation.  Hop on over to HSS for more inspiration from our very talented design team.

Sea of Love Valentine Card

Size:  4.25″ h x 5.50″ w

Stamp sets:  Short and Sweet

Paper: Card base:  Island Indigo, Card stock:  Pool Party, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake

Ink: Island Indigo,  Soft Suede, Versamark

Accessories: Big Shot, Lots of Love Letterpress Plate, Full Heart Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, non-Stampin’ Up! branch punch, non-Stampin’ Up! wiggle eyes

Valentine Easel Shaker Card

This week’s challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments is a technique challenge – Shaker Cards!  I’ve never made this type of card but since I have the Stampin’ Up! Heart Framelits it was easy to make using two different sizes of heart dies to make the red heart frame for the window.  For the easel base I used the large scallop heart framelit.  The cute stamped image is from the Take it to Heart stamp set featured in the new occasions mini.  Can you guess how I created the background?  I used the Lots of Love Letterpress plate.  The letter press embosses and can also ink at the same time.  For a more subtle background you don’t have to ink it up.  The shaker heart is filled with the scrap small hearts after using the Pinking Hearts border punch.  A bit of mica flakes is also mixed with the small hearts to add  some additional sparkle.

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Shaker cards are fun to make but also fun for the recipient.   I hope you’re inspired to join us.  For more inspiration go to HSS and see more shaker cards created by our talented design team.

All Stampin’ Up! supplies below may be ordered from my website or email me to place your order.

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Valentine Easel Shaker Card

Size:  5.00″ h x 5.00″ w

Stamp sets: Take it to Heart, With All My Heart

Paper: Card Stock:  Riding Hood Red, Whisper White

Ink: Riding Hood Red,  Versamark

Accessories: Big Shot, Heart Framelits, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Lots of Love Letterpress, Oval punch, Pinking Hearts Border punch, Window Sheets, Iridescent Embossing Powder, Gold Embossing Powder, Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Mica Flakes

Take it to Heart Forever & Always Valentine Card

This week at Hand Stamped Sentiments the challenge is Pleats and Ruffles.  I’ve used lots of items from the new mini catalog to create this card.

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I love the bird image from the Take it to Heart stamp set.  I used ink pads and blender pens to color the image.  To give the image a bit more sparkle I used the tiniest bit of Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details to the flowers.  I also heat embossed the textured background with touches of gold embossing powder.  Since the challenge calls for pleats or ruffles, I ruffled a piece of Victoria Crochet ribbon on a hat pin.  The top of the pin also features small punched flowers.  This is my first Valentine card of the season.  Let me know what you think and also what your favorite items are from the new mini.

All Stampin’ Up! supplies below may be ordered from my website or email me to place your order.

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Take it to Heart Valentine Card

Size:  5.00″ h x 5.00″ w

Stamp sets: Take it to Heart, Loving Thoughts

Paper: Card Stock:  Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper

Ink: StayzOn Brown, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Versamark

Accessories: Big Shot, Finial Press, Paper Doily Sizzlit, Heart Collection Framelits Dies, Hat Pin, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Gold Embossing Powder, Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, Blender Pen

Elementary Elegance Birthday Card

I have quite a few friends with birthdays this month and one of the cards I made was inspired by PPA’s color challenge of Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla.  Beautiful colors!  For the Birthday stamped image here’s a sneak peak of the Elementary Elegance stamp set in the Sale-a-bration catalog.  Sale-a-bration begins later this month on January 24 through March 31.  During this event you earn free products from the catalog with every $50 purchase.  How cool is that!

The Birthday frame is heat embossed with pewter embossing powder.  The sentiment is stamped in Not Quite Navy and clear embossed.  I used the Elegant Lines embossing folder for the background and butterflies die cut with the Beautiful Wings Embosslits.

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I’ll be posting the other birthday cards I created in the next few days.  So stay tuned.

All Stampin’ Up! supplies below may be ordered from my website or email me to place your order.

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Elementary Elegance Birthday Card

Size:  5.00″ h x 5.00″ w

Stamp sets: Elementary Elegance

Paper: Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze textured

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Versamark

Accessories: Big Shot, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Curly Label punch, Eyelet Border punch, Basic Pearls, 1/4″ Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon, Pewter Embossing Powder, Clear Embossing Powder, Baja Breeze Marker

2011 in Review

I would like to thank all of you for my 2011 blogging success.  I appreciate you stopping by to see my projects and to comment.  I had a total of 76,560 visitors to my blog in 2011!

Crunchy numbers

About 7 million people visit the Eiffel Tower every year.  My blog was viewed about 76,000 times in 2011.  If it were the Eiffel Tower it would take about 4 days for that many people to see it.

In 2011, there were 124 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 225 posts.  There were 462 pictures uploaded.  That’s about 8 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was November 29th with 1, 716 views.  The most popular post that day was Fashion Inspired Bay Leaf Square Wreath card.  My goal for this coming year is to use more punches.  Stampin’ Up! is having a clearance rack blitz and of course I bought more.  With 40% off who can resist!

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Where did all my visitors come from?

Thank you to these top referring sites in 2011.  They were splitcoaststampers.com, paper punch addiction com, demosites.blogspot.com, stampinconnection.com and handstampedsentiments.blogspot.com.

My blog Attractions in 2011

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2011.

1

Pretty Christmas Tag December 2011
0 comments

2

Flirty Valentine Corset Card February 2011
25 comments

3

HSS Inspiration Challenge – Cupcakes December 2011
1 comment

4

Sexy and Sweet Valentine corsets August 2010
11 comments

5

Watermarks page

Again, a big THANKS to all of you for visiting and in celebration of a great blogging year I have some blog candy to giveaway (U.S. entries only).  All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me to enter you.  If you are getting this post via e-mail, please CLICK HERE and then leave a comment.  I will use the random generator to pick a name and announce it on Monday, January 9.

Enter to win this Stampin' Up! stamp set Silhouette Sentiments

If you’d like to stay updated every time I post, please subscribe to my blog by entering you email address in the box, Email Subscription, located on the left sidebar.

A Mojo Monday Round Birthday Card

Sneak Peek Alert!  I created this card using the Mojo Monday sketch 221 and I got to use my new Sale-a-bration Everyday Enchantment DSP!  I’m so excited!  This paper is beautiful.  A pack of this gorgeous DSP is one of the items you’ll be able to get FREE with every $50 you purchase, starting on January 24, 2012.  I also used the  Lucky Limeade ruffle ribbon.  So pretty!

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All Stampin’ Up! supplies below may be ordered from my website or email me to place your order.

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Scallop Round Birthday Card

Approx. Size:  4.25”  h x 4.25” w

Stamp sets: Curly Cute

Paper: Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Poppy Parade; DSP: Everyday Enchantment

Ink: Poppy Parade

Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Circle die, Circle Scissor Plus, Eyelet Border punch, Bojo Punch, Doily Triple Layer Punch, 3/16″ metallic brads, Basic Pearls, Antique Brad, Bird Punch

I’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award

My blog, Stampin’ by Genny, was awarded the VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD by Erin Gonzales, my SU upline and fellow design team member at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  She’s a good friend, always so helpful and super talented.

 There are just a few requirements for the Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Award 15 other blogs with this FUN mention -AND-

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

Fifteen blogs… hmmm.  I thought it would be difficult to come up with fifteen but I go to so many it wasn’t difficult at all.  Here are the 15 I came up with.  Please visit these wonderfully creative blogs and say hi.

1. Crafty Maria’s Stamping World

2. Diane Vander Galien’s blog

3. WeeInklings

4. Stamping with Julie Gearinger

5. Krystal’s Cards and More

6. Addicted to Stamping

7. Going over the Edge

8. Running with Scissors Stamper

 9. A Stamper’s Diary…

10. JJ Creations

11. Seeing Ink Spots

12. She Stamps

13. AnnMarie’s Stamping Adventure

14. Look at my cute Stuff

15. Aunt Bee’s Pickles

And now 7 things about me…

1.  I love to cook!  Not bake but cook! I don’t know if I’m lucky but desserts and sweets don’t tempt me.  Not only do I love to cook for my husband and friends but I love to eat.

2.  I have three fur children.  Chula (my beautiful Chihuahua), Chummy (a very communicative Bengal cat) and Rocco ( a sweet and loving Bengal cat).

left to right - Rocco, Chummy, Chula

3.  I live in the country so every day I see lots of deer and wildlife.  The photos below were taken in my yard.

4.  I’ve been married for 17 years to my best friend.  My husband is the best.

5.  I am so lucky to have wonderful friends.  Many I’ve met through paper crafting and work.  I wish we could spend more time together but life happens.

6.  I’ve always been creative and I truly think that my creativity and love of crafting comes from my grandmother.  She was a professional seamstress and during the depression she was able to earn a living because of it.  Not only did she know how to sew but she crocheted, embroidered and smocking.  She also was very crafty and made our piñatas for our birthday parties for me and my siblings.  Below is a picture of me and my brother in outfits she sewed for us.

7.  I love gardens.  When my husband and I go on vacation we always visit botanical gardens.  At home I have a beautiful garden that my husband planted for me.

I hope you liked getting to know me better and be sure to visit all the wonderful blogs mentioned above.

HSS Inspiration Challenge

This week on HSS we have an Inspiration Challenge.  Cupcakes!  I’ve been wanting to make this cupcake box and this was the perfect time to do it.  I have a couple of gifts to make so these were perfect.  I got the tutorial for the box from Becky Roberts.

The actual cupcake box is made with the retired Table Setting die.  The instructions for making the box can be found on Patty Bennett’s blog.  So much fun to make!

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Hop on over to HSS and be inspired by our talented design team and join us!

All Stampin’ Up! supplies below may be ordered from my website or email me to place your order.

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Cupcake box

Box Size:  3.00”  h x 3.25” w x 3.00″ d

Cupcake:  approx. 2.25″ h x 3.00″ diameter

Stamp sets: Curly Cute

Paper: Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Bashful Blue

Ink: Real Red

Accessories:Big Shot, non- Stampin’ Up! Sizzix Texturz Starter kit Polka Daisies for lid of box, retired Perfect Setting die, retired Early Espresso Grosgrain striped ribbon, Very Vanilla Ribbon, Bashful Blue satin ribbon, Bright Button collection, 8 mm pearl, non- Stampin’ Up! cupcake insert.

Pretty Christmas tag

I love the Perfect Pennant die!  It’s so versatile!  You can make pennants, decorative tags or cards.  I made this tag for PPA’s Tag your it Challenge.  I die cut some shimmer silver paper and embossed it with the Snowburst embossing folder.  I had some retired music DSP from the Love Letter DSP pack and made a fan fold flower.  I cut a 1-1/2 strip of DSP then used the Scallop Trim Border punch on one side.  I scored every 1/4″  and using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool really makes it fast and easy.

To add some sparkle I used Dazzling Details on the fan fold flower.  The silver glimmer snowflake is die cut using the Northern Frost Sizzix strip and decorated with an 8mm pearl.  The pearls are a sneak peek from the upcoming mini occasions catalog.  To hang the pennant or tie to a gift I used Very Vanilla satin ribbon.  Easy to make and so elegant.

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All Stampin’ Up! supplies below may be ordered from my website or email me to place your order.

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Snowflake tag

Size:  4.50”  h x 3.50” w

Stamp sets: Four the Holidays

Paper: Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, retired Love Letter DSP, Silver Glimmer paper, Silver Shimmer paper

Ink: Versamark

Accessories: Big Shot, Snow Burst Embossing Folder, Northern Frost Strip, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Simply Scored, Pewter embossing powder, 8mm pearls, Dazzling Details, non-Stampin’ Up! vanilla organza ribbon

Rocking Christmas Card

This week at Hand Stamped Sentiments we have a fun challenge – Fancy Fold Cards.   With only few more days left till Christmas I decided to make another Christmas card but with a rocking twist.  I had seen this type of card out in internet land and decided to make a rocking Christmas card.  You can view a tutorial for making this card here.  They’re so easy to create!  I cut an Early Espresso 5″ circle and a 4-1/2″ Soft Suede circle with my Circle Scissor Plus then folded them in half and glued them together.

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The Scallop Circle Cherry Cobbler layer is embossed with the Snow Burst embossing folder and heat embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.  I used the Scallop Circle and Scallop Circle #2 dies to cut the Cherry Cobbler Scallop Circle and the Lucky Limeade Scallop Circle.  The Gift image is stamped on watercolor paper with brown StayzOn and colored with ink pads and a blender pen.  I used the Circle Scissor Plus to cut out this layer at 2-3/4″ .  To add some more sparkle I framed it with Champagne Glass glitter.  I added an Old Olive button and stamped ‘Merry Christmas’ in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla.

For the back of the card I stamped the bird and ornament image on water color paper then punched with the ornament punch.  I also used ink pads and a blender pen to color.  I stamped snowflakes and heat embossed them in gold along with the sentiment.

Hop on over to HSS for more inspiration from out very talented Design Team.

All Stampin’ Up! supplies below may be ordered from my website or email me to place your order.

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Rocking Christmas Card

Size:  5.00”  w x 5.00” H

Stamp sets: Forest Festivities, Short and Sweet

Paper: Card Stock:  Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper

Ink: Versamark, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, Brown StayzOn

Accessories: Big Shot, Snow Burst Embossing Folder, Scallop Circle die, Scallop Circles die #2, Ornament punch, Modern Label Punch, Word Punch, Bright Designer Button Old Olive, Twine, Retired silver tinsel, Dazzling Details, Champagne Glass Glitter