Sweet Stamps Challenge 3 - Flowers

We are excited to bring you our third challenge here at Sweet Stamps , this week our challenge is.......

Flowers

We would like for you to join us in this challenge for a chance to win a $20 Shopping Spree at Sweet Stamps.  You can use any stamp for your card but if you use a Sweet Stamps image, you will get two entrees into the giveaway.  To enter the challenge, please add the URL to your actual blog post or online gallery to the InLinkz you will find at the end of this post. Please do not link to your main blog; we want to be able to find your post to leave you comments.  Also, please link back to our blog.  The challenge rules are listed on the left sidebar.

So let's see what our design team has created for you this week.

Bonnie Brown

Dawn Bennett

Dawn Lotharius

Jacqueline Hill

Jackie Randolph

Jeannie DeGruccio

Joni Mastronardi

Kendra Sand

Mary Frances Clark

Sandy Hulsart 

 

Tamara Morton

Remember, you can only enter the challenge one time, those using Sweet Stamps images will get an extra drawing in the challenge. You must link back to us in your blog post. Happy Stamping.

Wildlife Stamps Blog Hop winners

We want to thank everyone who took part in our Wildlife stamps blog hop.  We hope you had a great time and we appreciate all the lovely comments you left for us.

The winner of the complete16 Wildlife stamp set by Jacqueline Hill is........

Karen Linarez who commented.....
This blog hop was great. I loved seeing all the beautiful cards from your design team and am very inspired. I'm so glad I happened to find this blog and the answer to the word scramble is surely what I'd like to get my hands on...some "SWEET STAMPS". Thanks for the chance!


Congratulations, Karen, we are so excited for you.  But in addition to Karen's win, we have some random stamp prizes from comments on some of the team members blogs.....

Bonnie's blog - Lillian Child wins the Penguin stamp

Jackie R's blog -  RexAnn - Craftaholic wins the Arctic Seals

Jeannie's blog - Laureen wins the Butterfly Bookmark

Joni's blog - Vicki wins the Wedding Swans

Kendra's blog - Lynn (Jimlynn) wins the Horse Portrait Oval

Sandy's blog -  Juliana T wins the Swan Family

Congratulation, ladies.  Please contact me with your shipping information so we can get these stamps out to you.  And won't you consider entering our Flowers challenge this week for a chance to win a $20 shopping spree?

Shades of Pink Challenge winner

Using Random.org a winner was chosen from last week's
Shades of Pink Challenge entries.....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

2 

Timestamp: 2011-02-16 03:07:23 UTC

Congratulations,  Georgie

 Please contact me for your winning prize of a $20 shopping spree at Sweet Stamps.  And thank you to everyone who joined in on the challenge.  We hope you will participate in the blog hop for a chance to win all the newly released Wildlife stamps. 

New Wildlife Stamps and a Blog Hop

Sweet Stamps is excited to present new Wildlife rubber stamps by designer Jacqueline Hill.  

Jacqueline is joining us as a new member of our design team.  

Hi There! My name is Jacqueline Hill. I have been married for 22 years and have a wonderful teenage daughter. I have been a friend of Stacey, owner of Sweet Stamps since high school. She inspired me a few years ago to “get stamping”. I really enjoy it, I’m still learning, and Stacey is an excellent teacher! I prefer to work with vellum, doing paper etching and piercing. I occasionally teach classes using this art form. I enjoy paper crafts of all sorts.  My first love however is art. I have been an artist since I could hold a crayon. I also teach homeschool group art classes to 3rd-8th graders. I dabble in photography. I’m a graphic designer, currently for the Livingston Parent Journal. I also have a line of digital scrapbooking clipart dvd’s. So, in other words I enjoy doing art in many different forms. I’m very excited to have my art “out there” to share.  I am looking forward to being part of a Design Team and learning some new things! 

So today we are having a blog hop to showcase these wonderful new stamps.  Visit each team member's blog and collect a letter.  Once you get all the letters, unscramble them to reveal the 2 word phrase.  Then return here to the Challenge blog and leave a comment with the answer.  We will be choosing one winner to receive all of the new stamps.  We will also be awarding random prizes of rubber stamps chosen from the readers who comment on each member's blog so be sure to leave some love.  If you get lost along the way, you can always return here to the Challenge blog for a list of the DT members in hop order.  Blog Hop winners will be announced on Monday, February 21st before our next challenge.  Start your hop with Jacqueline's blog and continue through the team. 

Jacqueline Hill

Joni Mastronardi 

Bonnie Brown

Kendra Sand

Mary Frances Clark 

Dawn Lotharius

 Jackie Randolph

Dawn Bennett 

Jeannie DeGruccio

Tamara Morton

Sandy Hulsart

And don't forget to come back here and leave your answer as a comment. Good luck and happy hopping!

Sweet Stamps Challenge 1 - Shades of Pink

Pink is the favorite color of Stacey, the owner of Sweet Stamps so our challenge this week is.......

Shades of Pink

We would like for you to join us in this challenge for a chance to win a $20 Shopping Spree at Sweet Stamps.  You can use any stamp for your card but if you use a Sweet Stamps image, you will get two entrees into the giveaway.  To enter the challenge, please add the URL to your actual blog post or online gallery to the InLinkz you will find at the end of this post. Please do not link to your main blog; we want to be able to find your post to leave you comments.  The challenge rules are listed on the left sidebar.

So let's see what our design team has created for you this week.

Bonnie Brown

Dawn Bennett

Dawn Lotharius

Jackie Randolph

Jeannie DeGruccio

Joni Mastronardi

Kendra Sand

Mary Frances Clark

 

Sandy Hulsart 

Tamara Morton

Meet the Team

Be sure to check in tomorrow for our first challenge, you could win a shopping spree at Sweet Stamps. Now let's meet the rest of our talented team.

Next up is Dawn Lotharius from Dawn's Craft Place......................

Hi! My name is Dawn (you might recognize me as dawnll or doodle princess) and I have been an avid paper crafter for the last almost three years. I am mom to three amazing children, and have just added a daughter-in-law this past week,all of them now grown, two of them work in high risk positions. I work with crafts to help relieve the stress of knowing that and the stress of day to day life. My honey Don and I, who still consider ourselves newlyweds, have a fur baby we call Pippie. My blog is a mixture of cards, scrapbooks and fun, friendship and paper crafts, where everyone is at the same level no matter how talented or experienced. I am so thrilled to be asked to join Sweet Stamps as their first design team comes together. Thrilled to be able to work with such quality products and share them with all of you.

And then we have Mary Frances Clark from Francie Crafter ..........

Hey there! I'm Mary Frances. I have been living in Michigan for 12 years, before that I'm a native Pennsylvanian. I am married to the most wonderful man in the world, Ken, and have 4 incredible children and 4 amazing grandchildren. My 2 oldest (through marriage) are Angie who is married to Matt and have Andrew and Grace. James is next in line who has a son Caiden, then comes Doug who has a son Lyrik, and finally Jessica who is 16 going on 30.  I am so lucky to have a man who supports me and my hobbies.  I have always loved everything crafty.  I LOVE to sew and scrapbook.  I first discovered stamping about 3 years ago.  I was hooked! But switch between many crafts depending on how the mood strikes me. I started my blog back in April 2009, and have enjoyed connecting with stampers from all over the world.  I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to be a design team member for Sweet Stamps, and to be able to work with such a talented group of ladies!

Next we have Tamara Morton from Posh Cat Crafts .............

Hi I'm Tamara, married to a fabulous hubby that is very understanding and supports me through my crafting addiction. We have a beautiful daughter, Savannah who brings us joy and happiness each and everyday. I started paper crafting in 2005 after receiving a handmade card from my cousin it inspired me so much I thought I would give it a go, since then I've been hooked.  The first major craft item I purchased was the Sizzix Big Shot which is still going strong today with my crafting space going from the dining table to a purpose built cabin at the bottom of the garden and I have to say I think I might need a bit more space. I can be found there most days with glitter, glue, sticky pads and copic's all around (a girl in heaven).  I am proud to be part of the first ever design team for Sweet Stamps and to be working with such amazing and talented ladies.

And the last member of the team, Sandy Hulsart from Creative Moments with Sandy ................

I am excited to be working with Sweet Stamps and the fabulous women of the design team.  I think we will have great things in store for you.  I have been a crafter of some sort all my life but did not start stamping/card making until the summer of 2005 when I met Stacey, the owner of Sweet Stamps.  I teach scenic stamping and Copic classes in Mid-Michigan as well as online classes at My Creative Classroom. 

Meet the Team

Today we will continue the team introductions,

First up is Jeannie DeGruccio from the Polka Cabana  ...............

I am so excited to be part of Sweet Stamps team. I am looking forward to creating some fun things to inspire!  Who am I?  Well, I am Jeannie, I am a mom of 7 kids, ranging from 19 down to 3 years.  Yes they are all mine...same mom, same dad.  22 years of marriage and we are still working together, making it up as we go along.  With as many kids as I have, crafting has become a form of therapy for me.  I have to say, I enjoy all crafts, but paper is my passion.  Cards, scrapping, home decor?  If it can be done with paper, I am up for the challenge.  I love it all.  If I had to describe my style, I would say that I am a whimsical paper artist. I have been a fan of Mary Engelbreit since before she was born.  Well not really but, I have loved her FOREVER.  My hope is to inspire people to find their own style.  Everyone has one, they just have to tap into it.  “I CAN’T” should never be in anyone's vocabulary when it comes to creating.  I hope you enjoy the projects I will create and share.

Next up is Joni Mastronardi of Joni52 Stamps and Scraps.............

Hi I am Joni. By day I teach fifth grade and love it. On a warm sunny day you can find me walking and/or playing golf. After that you can find me in my craft room stamping and scrapping. I have been blessed with an adoring husband who pretends he has no idea how much I spend on this hobby/addiction of mine. I have two wonderful adult daughters who are now my best friends, They also come with fabulous significant others who compliment our family. I am also in love with our King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, Cooper.  He is the “king!” I have saved the best for last, my 16 month old grandson, the light of our lives and cutest boy ever and boy can he dance!  As for stamping I love coloring with copics and paper piecing. I am so excited to be on this design team and can’t wait to work with all the Sweet Stamps products.

Last for today is Kendra Sand from Luv 2 Scrap n' Make Cards.

My name is, Kendra, I live in Northeast, WI with my high school sweetheart of 10years! We have two adorable little kids! (2.5yrs and 1yr) I’m a SAHM in winter and work landscaping in summer. I have a passion for flowers!! As well as crafting! I started scrapping 10 years ago as both my husband and I raced race cars at a local track and I wanted to keep track of our wins and photos.  From that it grew into a HUGE obsession!  I started scrapping everything and then just over a year ago got into making all my own cards!  Any spare time I get I love to be in my room creating either by myself or with my little guy, who just loves to help me (not sure that I am as productive then, but it’s a lot of fun!!)!  I'm so excited to be on the Sweet Stamps DT!

Meet our Team

Over the next few days, we are going to introduce our new team, then on Tuesday, Feb 8th we will have our first challenge.  We hope you will all join in on the fun.

First up is Bonnie Brown of Bon-Bon's Delights ..............

My name is Bonnie Brown. I live in Howell MI.  I have been married for 36 years; have 3 married sons and 12 grandchildren. I began scrapbooking in 1999.  Much to my surprise I really like to scrapbook.  In 2001, I ventured to the dark side and began to rubber stamp.  I discovered I really enjoyed stamping.  Today I spend more time designing cards than scrapbooking.  Guess I found my true crafting love!!  I became Copic Certified Instructor in 2008.  A friend talked me into trying Copics.  I have to admit that this is my absolute favorite coloring medium.  In other spare time my husband and I are avid campers or RVers.  We have 5th wheel that we take off as much as possible.  I love the open road!!  Other time is spent with my grandchildren, 8 of who live in Michigan and 4 in Montana.  This is my first time being apart of a Design Team.  I am looking forward to a rewarding time getting to know the Sweet Stamps Team.  I have been fortunate living in MI to know Sweet Stamps.  I love them and own several already.

Next up is Dawn Bennett from Dip 'n Dots Creations..............

Hi ! My name is Dawn and I live in Southeastern PA.  I am married to my wonderful husband Mark, who is retired from the Navy and who is very supportive of my crafting addiction.  We have 3 wonderful children, ages 18, 16 and 12.  I have been crafting for about 5yrs now and really love it.  I started when my neighbor took me to a scrapbooking weekend and rest is history.  I tried my hand at card making when I couldn’t find a card that I wanted at the Hallmark store, and well let’s just say I’ve been hooked since.  Everything that I have done/learned, I pretty much self taught myself to do.  I make my images/stamps come alive with my Copic markers.  My LSS saw the cards that I had made and what I have done with my Copics and asked me to teach some Copic classes, I was a bit leery at first, but I’m loving every minute of it.  I have only been blogging since October and well let’s say it’s opened up a whole new world to me.  I have made many friends from all over the world and I really enjoy seeing what others create as well.  I also just discovered the world of “challenges”, I have to say it’s given me a bit of a nudge to see what new/different things/techniques I can come up with.  I am excited to have been asked to join The Sweet Stamp’s  Design Team and I’m looking forward to working with this very talented group.  

Next we have Jackie Randolph from Paper Moments  ...................

Hi, I am Jackie, I live in Northern Kentucky with my husband and a 11 year old grandson we are blessed to be raising. I am a mother and friend to my four grown children and a busy grandma with my six wonderful grandsons. About four years ago, I put my scrap booking on the back burner and turned my focus to card making and altered crafts and have not looked back. I have always enjoyed spending time relaxing with crafting in one form or another. Back in my teens it all began with sewing, then moved to crocheting, jewelry making, painting and on to paper crafts. I am inspired by so many artists, and in awe of all the talent out in blog land and enjoy blog hopping learning new techniques and finding inspiration. I am excited beyond words to be joining Sweet Stamps on their first design team and  look forward to creating along side my talented teamies. Thank you to Sweet Stamps for giving me this opportunity to create with these gorgeous stamps, and learn the art of parchment crafting.

Please stop by tomorrow to meet more of the team.

Announcing the Sweet Stamps Design Team

We want to thank everyone who applied for a spot on the new Sweet Stamps Design team.  We had a wonderful turn out and it was not an easy task.  But we are excited to introduce you to our new team....

Bonnie Brown
Dawn Bennett
Dawn Lotharius
Jackie Randolph
Jeannie DeGruccio
Joni Mastronardi
Kendra Sand
Mary Frances Clark
Sandy Hulsart
Tamara Morton

Welcome Ladies!

Sweet Stamps Design Team Call

All the applications are in and now the process of choosing a team from all the incredibly talented applicants.  We will try to contact our choices in the next few days and then announce the new team the middle of next week.  Thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in Sweet Stamps.  We hope you will all continue on this new adventure with us. 

Sweet Stamps Design Team Call EXTENDED

We've extended our Design Team call until Wednesday, Jan. 19th

To Apply:
Email scans or blog links of three of your best projects showing your style to stacey@sweetstamps.com with the subject line SweetStamps DT Call. Applications must be in by January 19th.  The team will be announced and contacted by email or phone by January 23rd.


Benefits and information needed to apply are listed in the previous post (below).

Thank you for your interest in SweetStamps.com.


Happy Stamping,

:) Stacey

Sweet Stamps Design Team Call

Design Team Call
SweetStamps.com is looking for crafters to fill Design Team positions for a four month term starting February 1, 2011. We are seeking parchment crafters, card makers and scrapbookers.

Design Team Benefits:
• Welcome package includes 12 stamps of your choice, 3 Shades™ ink pads or re-inkers and other goodies based on your interests.
• You will receive a 25% discount on purchases from our online store or booth.
• Product allowance of $25.00 per month after your first month of service.
• You will have access to new stamp designs and products first.
• National exposure: have your creations displayed in our booth at well attended trade shows, along with SweetStamps.com’s blog, website and advertisements.

Design Team Requirements:
• You must create a weekly project that will be posted to your personal blog, the DT blog and your
online gallery that includes product links to our online store.
• Participate in all monthly challenges and blog hops.
• Mail six completed projects at the end of your term including a complete supply list.
• Email good quality photos of your projects without a watermark for use on our website, catalog or printed materials.
• Promote SweetStamps.com on your blog with a DT badge and list fellow DT member’s blogs.
• Leave occasional comments on DT members blogs and the company blog.

To Apply:
Email scans or blog links of three of your best projects showing your style to stacey@sweetstamps.com with the subject line SweetStamps.com DT Call. The team will be announced and contacted by email or phone by January 23rd.
Please include:
• Your name, address, phone number and email address
• A brief bio and why you would like to join our team
• Links to your blog and online galleries
• A list of previous and current design teams you have been on (manufacturers, stores, challenge blogs, etc.)

Open House Make and Take

Here is one of the wonderful make and takes we did using dies from Cheery Lynn Designs and stamps and ink from Sweet Stamps at the Open House Friday and Saturday.

We started with the blue panel which was die cut with Cheery Lynn Designs largest die from the Scalloped Rectangle Card-Maker's Nesting Dies.  We embossed this panel with the fabulous new Snowflake Flurries XL embossing plate, running white dye ink over the raised areas.  Isn't  it beautiful?  Using the largest die from the Little Stackers French Flair Nesting dies, turning it on point, we cut the opening in the embossed panel as well as a second French Flair from white card stock.  Vellum was added to the back of the opening and the Sweet Stamps 8033 - Crystal Snowflake was stamped with Shades Aquamarine dye ink and heat embossed with Diamonds and Pearls embossing powder.  It really shimmers!  The background panel was created using Sweet Stamps 8022 - Tiny Snowflake Background stamped with Shades Tidal Wave dye ink.  Using a die from the Little Stackers Oval Nesting dies, we cut an oval in the center of the ornament as well as an oval from white card stock.  On the white card stock oval, we stamped 9103 - Snow Thanks with Tidal Wave dye ink, distressing the edges with the ink as well.  This was added to the card with pop dots for some dimension.   Next we added a hanger to the French Flair ornament, then adhered the white card stock French Flair to the back of it.  The last step was to stamp 8028 - Happy Winter in the opening on the ornament.  What a fabulous card with a wonderful little ornament enclosure.

Supplies used:

• Scalloped Rectangle Card-Maker's Nesting Dies
• Snowflake Flurries XL embossing plate
• Little Stackers French Flair Nesting dies
• Little Stackers Oval Nesting dies 
• Shades Aquamarine dye ink
• Shades Tidal Wave dye ink
• White dye ink
• Diamonds and Pearls embossing powder
• 8033 - Crystal Snowflake 
• 8022 - Tiny Snowflake Background 
• 9103 - Snow Thanks
• 8028 - Happy Winter

Winter Holiday Open House

Our annual Winter Holiday Open House is taking place this weekend - Friday, Dec. 3rd from Noon-6pm & Saturday, Dec. 4th from 10am-5pm

Join us for FREE winter themed make & takes! We'll be showcasing some NEW products from Cheery Lynn Designs (dies & embossing plates), Crafts Too (embossing folders), Joy and Marianne (cutting & embossing dies).

Enjoy 10% off all purchases made at Open House.

Our trade show booth is set up in the heated warehouse (location of our old retail store: 7035 E. Grand River, Fowlerville - across from the Post Office), where we will be serving snacks and refreshments.

Hope to see you there,
:) Stacey

Thanksgiving

I have many things I am thankful for, but one of the most recent blessings in my life has been the opportunity to travel across the country to share the joys of rubber stamping with others who are as addicted as I am to this wonderful hobby.

I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday with loved ones as you count all the many blessings in your life.

— Stacey

More Embossing Plate Fun

Ready for more embossing plate fun? The samples shown here are from Cheery Lynn Designs and are available for purchase at shop.sweetstamps.com
The next several examples require a tabletop die cutting/embossing machine and a thin rubber mat.

Enjoy!

#3 Embossed Cardstock

creates raised "hills" and recessed "valleys" in the paper

#4 Sanded Embossed Cardstock

requires Core'dinations color core cardstock and sanding block

#5 Faux Sanded Embossed Cardstock

medium to dark colored cardstock and White Dye Ink Pad

#6 Inked Embossed Cardstock

 use ink pad direct to paper to color the "hills"

#7 Inked Embossing Plate

ink plate to color the "valleys"

#8 Sponged Embossed Cardstock

colors the "hills" and "valleys"

#9 Easy Color Embossed Cardstock

requires Easy Color transfer film

 #10 Colored Hills & Valleys Embossed Cardstock

creates a 2 tone effect

Embossing Plate Fun (without a machine)

There are so many looks you can get with one embossing plate, here are just a couple to get you started:

No machine required for these two techniques!

#1.  Litho Plate Transfer

Rub Shades™ dye ink directly onto plate, place cardstock onto inked plate and use a brayer to evenly transfer ink from the plate to the cardstock.

For the sample to the right, I used Shades™ dye ink in Tank green on the E127 Foliage Embossing Plate by Dies Direct and used a wide rubber brayer to transfer the ink to white CS.

#2.  Reverse Image Stamp 

MagicStamp™ Foam Block required. Make a reverse image stamp of the pattern on the plate by heating up a block of magic stamp foam and pressing it into the plate while warm. Ink the foam like you would a stamp, and when you stamp it on cardstock you’ll get a reverse impression of the pattern on the plate.

The sample pictured here was created by pressing a MagicStamp™ Foam Block onto the E127 Foliage Embossing Plate, inking with Shades™ dye ink in Paprika and stamping onto white CS.

Check back soon for even more embossing plate fun!

Fancy Flare Shaped Card

Here is a card using the new embossing plates from Dies Direct, this one is called Foliage.  I inked the plate with Shades Dye ink Forest, then embossed Stardreams text weight paper.  The card base and the green panel behind the image are die cut using my French Flair dies from Dies Direct, the card is a full 5.5" square.  I stamped the Entwined Roses image with Memento Tuxedo black ink on Cryogen paper.  Copics used:
Roses - R81, R83, R85
Leaves - G21, Y15
Background - G20
The Stardreams paper was an off white which is why I added the background around the roses with G20.  But then the background was too green, so I simply airbrushed YG01 onto the Stardreams foliage embossed panel and everything matched.  I also airbrushed both the roses (Prima) and the gems to match with R85.  The shimmer from the Stardreams paper as well as the Cryogen I stamped on really makes this card beautiful.

Sweet Stamps Poinsettia

SweetStamps is now carrying cutting dies and embossing plates from Dies Direct.  These dies are heavy metal dies and unlike other companies which are made in China, these are made in the USA.  For this card, I have used my new E129 Poinsettia embossing plate, it will emboss an area that is 5-7/8 x 7-3/4 inches.  So you could make a background for a 6" square card with no seams.  Incredible! 

I began by rubbing Shades™ Duchess Rose ink all over the die.  Because it is metal, you don't have to worry about the ink getting in the recessed areas as the die does not bend like plastic ones.  Then using a piece of Stardreams Opal text weight paper, I embossed it using my Cuttlebug.  There are two great things about using text weight paper for embossing; one, you get a really detailed embossing, two, it keeps the weight of the card down.  And the really fun thing about Stardreams is the shimmer to the paper, it is iridescent.  Next, I stamped Sweet Stamps Poinsettia large and Merry Christmas large with Memento Tuxedo black ink onto Stardreams Opal card stock.  Copics used:
     Petals - R81, R83, R85
     Leaves - G21, G28
     Berries - YR15
I cut out the poinsettia and popped it up above the sentiment.  Finished size is 5.5" square.

Finally, a blog!

Welcome to the official SweetStamps blog (FINALLY)!  I've only been wanting to get this started for a year or two now, but as you may know I've been on a bus with the family traveling from trade show to trade show in a different city each week.

The purpose of this blog will be to share exciting news, samples, specials, products and techniques from SweetStamps.com and many talented ladies who love to stamp and paper craft. I have always believed in educating our customers which is why we're traveling the rubber stamp show circuit to bring our company to a city near you. In 2011, I hope to be able to teach classes at each convention or a nearby store. I'll be counting on you, our valued customers, for some insight to make sure we are giving you what you want in terms of product mix, education and value. Please feel free to email any suggestions or comments to me at info@sweetstamps.com.

When you see a link in a post (like this: www.shop.sweetstamps.com) clicking on it will open a new window and take you to our store site to make ordering easier. You can also link to our store by clicking on the SweetStamps.com logo in the upper left side of this blog.

Last but certainly not least, I'd like to thank Sandy Fredrick and Sandy Hulsart for all their help: at shows, behind the scenes, making samples, packaging, labeling, etc.  I'd be lost without my Sandys, they are truly PRICELESS :)

Happy stamping,
Stacey Richardson
SweetStamps.com