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A Day in the Life
Preview Party- Day 1
I am bringing you Day 1 of our preview party from the Rubber Stamp & Scrapbook Expo in beautiful St. Paul, Minnesota!
(using my best Oprah voice- insert round of applause here. LOL!)
We spent the day setting up our booth and now, with everyone tucked away in bed, I have the whole sitting area of our hotel room to begin the party!
Let's get the party started!
Day 1
I'm going to begin by giving you a preview of Rupa Shevde's new stamp set called "Many Happy Re-turns!" I am just in love with all the funky retro images in this stamp set! And guess what? All the images in this stamp set turn in some way.
I was just giggling myself silly thinking of how cool this card would be for a wedding shower with a blender as a gift. LOL! And check out those cute embellishments!
Those are not brads or eyelets. Those are raindots eyelets and tiny brads that just peel off and stick on without adding much bulk to your card. They come in lots of fun colors too! These will be available for only 2.99 on our site when our new release goes live at 10:00pm central time on May 20th. I added a little crystal lacquer to shine up my retro blender and the card is ready to send.
. . . . . . . . . . .
The second set I am previewing is our brand new "One free with 3" This set is the perfect summer time stamp set. It's called, "You are my sunshine." It's a fabulous set to use for watercoloring and lends itself so well to creative background techniques, like this one.
I've created a very simple background wash by using a technique called "Smackin' Acetate." Look at all that rich texture you can get with this technique!
For this background, you will need a piece of acetate. (Or, you can use a sheet protector, a window sheet or any other smooth piece of plastic.) You will also need some water-based markers, a spray bottle and some watercolor paper. You can use regular paper but the watercolor paper makes it look even better!
To begin, scribble lines across your acetate just like I did in this picture below. Use whatever colors you wish. I love this color combination for a sky that looks like it's close to sunset.
Then, take a spray bottle and spray the scribbled lines with water.
Next, place your watercolor paper on top and press down for a minute.
Once the paper is dry, (and you can dry it with your embossing gun,) stamp your beach image and color it with the same markers.
I popped up the umbella by stamping it again and cutting it out. I adhered it with a pop dot. Then, I added a little stickles to make the water and umbrella shimmer. Whenever I am at the beach, I am always amazed at how the sunlight seems to dance off the water. The added stickles kind of gives me that look.
I used this inside greeting from the same stamp set.
I hope you enjoyed the first day of our three day preview party!
Want to win one of these stamp sets?
I will draw two names from everyone who posts a comment here on this entry and you could be one of the lucky winners! (What happens if you win the free set but you still want to order three others? You will get to pick any set for free instead.)
So take a chance! I wish you all good luck!
Wanna' see more? Check our Barb Schram, Michelle Zindorf, Melanie Muenchiner, Julie Koerber and Linsey Rickett's blogs. They have each prepared more sneak peeks of these two new stamp sets to help inspire you!
Tomorrow, I will be back with Preview Day 2 and the winner of today's contest! You won't want to miss it! See you then.
Hugs,
Gina K.
(using my best Oprah voice- insert round of applause here. LOL!)
We spent the day setting up our booth and now, with everyone tucked away in bed, I have the whole sitting area of our hotel room to begin the party!
Let's get the party started!
Day 1
I'm going to begin by giving you a preview of Rupa Shevde's new stamp set called "Many Happy Re-turns!" I am just in love with all the funky retro images in this stamp set! And guess what? All the images in this stamp set turn in some way.
I was just giggling myself silly thinking of how cool this card would be for a wedding shower with a blender as a gift. LOL! And check out those cute embellishments!
Those are not brads or eyelets. Those are raindots eyelets and tiny brads that just peel off and stick on without adding much bulk to your card. They come in lots of fun colors too! These will be available for only 2.99 on our site when our new release goes live at 10:00pm central time on May 20th. I added a little crystal lacquer to shine up my retro blender and the card is ready to send.
. . . . . . . . . . .
The second set I am previewing is our brand new "One free with 3" This set is the perfect summer time stamp set. It's called, "You are my sunshine." It's a fabulous set to use for watercoloring and lends itself so well to creative background techniques, like this one.
I've created a very simple background wash by using a technique called "Smackin' Acetate." Look at all that rich texture you can get with this technique!
For this background, you will need a piece of acetate. (Or, you can use a sheet protector, a window sheet or any other smooth piece of plastic.) You will also need some water-based markers, a spray bottle and some watercolor paper. You can use regular paper but the watercolor paper makes it look even better!
To begin, scribble lines across your acetate just like I did in this picture below. Use whatever colors you wish. I love this color combination for a sky that looks like it's close to sunset.
Then, take a spray bottle and spray the scribbled lines with water.
Next, place your watercolor paper on top and press down for a minute.
Once the paper is dry, (and you can dry it with your embossing gun,) stamp your beach image and color it with the same markers.
I popped up the umbella by stamping it again and cutting it out. I adhered it with a pop dot. Then, I added a little stickles to make the water and umbrella shimmer. Whenever I am at the beach, I am always amazed at how the sunlight seems to dance off the water. The added stickles kind of gives me that look.
I used this inside greeting from the same stamp set.
I hope you enjoyed the first day of our three day preview party!
Want to win one of these stamp sets?
I will draw two names from everyone who posts a comment here on this entry and you could be one of the lucky winners! (What happens if you win the free set but you still want to order three others? You will get to pick any set for free instead.)
So take a chance! I wish you all good luck!
Wanna' see more? Check our Barb Schram, Michelle Zindorf, Melanie Muenchiner, Julie Koerber and Linsey Rickett's blogs. They have each prepared more sneak peeks of these two new stamp sets to help inspire you!
Tomorrow, I will be back with Preview Day 2 and the winner of today's contest! You won't want to miss it! See you then.
Hugs,
Gina K.
The preview party begins tomorrow!!
That's right!
Tomorrow, I will begin to preview our new release stamp sets and our latest Bling & Dazzle right here on my blog. This month's release is so much fun! I am so excited and our Design Team forum has been buzzing like crazy. The designers are busy creating some of the most fun and fabulous projects for you and they will be sharing those with you for the next three days!
Make sure you come back tomorrow to see the first of five fabulous stamp sets including a brand new "One free with 3," four brand new single stamps and some of the wildest Bling & Dazzle yet!
Today, I am sad to say is our last day with Cathy Indelicato but hasn't she been fabulous? Today, she's back with more creative projects including another fantastic home decor piece. And, you will get to read a little bit more about this talented designer.
Here is Day 3 with Cathy Indelicato
See you tomorrow! EEEK- so excited!
Gina K.
Tomorrow, I will begin to preview our new release stamp sets and our latest Bling & Dazzle right here on my blog. This month's release is so much fun! I am so excited and our Design Team forum has been buzzing like crazy. The designers are busy creating some of the most fun and fabulous projects for you and they will be sharing those with you for the next three days!
Make sure you come back tomorrow to see the first of five fabulous stamp sets including a brand new "One free with 3," four brand new single stamps and some of the wildest Bling & Dazzle yet!
Today, I am sad to say is our last day with Cathy Indelicato but hasn't she been fabulous? Today, she's back with more creative projects including another fantastic home decor piece. And, you will get to read a little bit more about this talented designer.
Here is Day 3 with Cathy Indelicato
See you tomorrow! EEEK- so excited!
Gina K.
A warm welcome to our newest Senior Design Team Member!
I'd like to welcome our newest senior design team member
Joanne Basile was part of our guest design team during our last round and she now accepted a position with us to stay on as a senior designer. You may know her as "swap girl" in our forum. She's hosted about a zillion Gina K. swaps!
Joanne joined our team as a guest designer back in February and she became our forum queen. A question never went unanswered as Joanne was like the Visa commercial, "Everywhere you want to be!"
At the end of April, I approached Joanne about staying on and she thought about for like a minute and said yes!
We feel very fortunate to have Joanne on our team. She has a true passion for the Gina K. Designs line of stamps and showcased our product often on her blog even before she ever thought about submitting for a Gina K. design team spot.
Here is one of Joanne's recent creations using our Comfort & Peace stamp set.
To see more of Joanne's work, visit her blog and look for her around the Gina K. Designs forum at Splitcoaststampers, our Design Team gallery on our website and at our next release party on May 20th! Welcome Joanne!
Have a great day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Joanne Basile was part of our guest design team during our last round and she now accepted a position with us to stay on as a senior designer. You may know her as "swap girl" in our forum. She's hosted about a zillion Gina K. swaps!
Joanne joined our team as a guest designer back in February and she became our forum queen. A question never went unanswered as Joanne was like the Visa commercial, "Everywhere you want to be!"
At the end of April, I approached Joanne about staying on and she thought about for like a minute and said yes!
We feel very fortunate to have Joanne on our team. She has a true passion for the Gina K. Designs line of stamps and showcased our product often on her blog even before she ever thought about submitting for a Gina K. design team spot.
Here is one of Joanne's recent creations using our Comfort & Peace stamp set.
To see more of Joanne's work, visit her blog and look for her around the Gina K. Designs forum at Splitcoaststampers, our Design Team gallery on our website and at our next release party on May 20th! Welcome Joanne!
Have a great day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Day 2 with Cathy Indelicato
Rubber stamps can be used for a variety of projects. Today, Cathy has created a beautiful gift of jewelry for you!
Check out both of her fabulous projects today as we continue to feature Cathy Indelicato!
I'll be back around lunch time with an announcement!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Check out both of her fabulous projects today as we continue to feature Cathy Indelicato!
I'll be back around lunch time with an announcement!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Welcome May's guest designer!
Some quick updates:
1. Our retail store will be closed this Friday, Saturday and Sunday because we're taking the whole thing with us to the St. Paul, MN Rubberstamp and Scrapbook Expo! Hope to see you there!
2. We still have a couple of spots open in Jessica's "Watercolor Basics" Class on Thursday night so call our store to reserve you spot at 608-579-1026.
This month, we are beginning our Guest Designer Spot a day early!
We are so excited to present to you
Click here to see today's fabulous and inspiring project that Cathy has woven up for you!
Enjoy your day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
1. Our retail store will be closed this Friday, Saturday and Sunday because we're taking the whole thing with us to the St. Paul, MN Rubberstamp and Scrapbook Expo! Hope to see you there!
2. We still have a couple of spots open in Jessica's "Watercolor Basics" Class on Thursday night so call our store to reserve you spot at 608-579-1026.
This month, we are beginning our Guest Designer Spot a day early!
We are so excited to present to you
Click here to see today's fabulous and inspiring project that Cathy has woven up for you!
Enjoy your day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
And now- onto Father's Day
I hope you all had a Happy Mother's Day! We went to the Outback with my Mom, Dad, sister, Brother-in law and Nephew. It was really nice. I hope you all got everything you wanted, especially time with your family.
And now, it's onto Father's Day!
First of all, have I told you how much I am loving Prism card stock? WOW! They have every color under the sun and the texture is just plain yummy! Did you hear about their card contest? Check it out here at the Prism Blog. Tami Mayberry, who is Prism's Design Team coordinator, emailed me to tell me about it. (Yeah, she knows I'm hooked on Prism!) It sounds like tons of fun so I wanted to share it with you! Thanks for the head's up Tami!
Of course, this card is made with some fabulous Prism card stock!
I also added a little Basic Grey Figgy Pudding to the mix. (I'm still using that Holiday Paper. It's not just for Christmas, you know! LOL!)
I broke out the Janome Sew Mini sewing machine to add a little stitching. Sewing can really add a nice touch to a masculine card.
For my golf ball, I used the Cuttlebug folder called "Tiny Bubbles." Then, I added a little Metallic Rub-on paste to bring out the dimples in my golf ball. The raised bubbles are actually facing inward for this technique. Stamp your greeting on the white card stock before you emboss it with the Cuttlebug. It's too hard to get a good stamped impression once you've dimpled up your golf ball.
I added some micro brads from Queen & Company. My corners were punched with the Stampin' Up corner punch. (Did you notice that the Fiskars corner edgers are no longer in our store? Fiskars has discontinued them so I am on a search for a larger corner punch again.)
Can you see that little bit of shine on the clubs and the red parts of the bag? Well, first, I colored my bag and clubs with some copic markers. Then, I added some crystal lacquer to make those parts raised and shiny.
I love how the Copic Markers and the colorless blender made the bag look like real soft leather. Gotta' love those Copic markers! Hope you've enjoyed today's project!
Have a wonderful day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
And now, it's onto Father's Day!
First of all, have I told you how much I am loving Prism card stock? WOW! They have every color under the sun and the texture is just plain yummy! Did you hear about their card contest? Check it out here at the Prism Blog. Tami Mayberry, who is Prism's Design Team coordinator, emailed me to tell me about it. (Yeah, she knows I'm hooked on Prism!) It sounds like tons of fun so I wanted to share it with you! Thanks for the head's up Tami!
Of course, this card is made with some fabulous Prism card stock!
I also added a little Basic Grey Figgy Pudding to the mix. (I'm still using that Holiday Paper. It's not just for Christmas, you know! LOL!)
I broke out the Janome Sew Mini sewing machine to add a little stitching. Sewing can really add a nice touch to a masculine card.
For my golf ball, I used the Cuttlebug folder called "Tiny Bubbles." Then, I added a little Metallic Rub-on paste to bring out the dimples in my golf ball. The raised bubbles are actually facing inward for this technique. Stamp your greeting on the white card stock before you emboss it with the Cuttlebug. It's too hard to get a good stamped impression once you've dimpled up your golf ball.
I added some micro brads from Queen & Company. My corners were punched with the Stampin' Up corner punch. (Did you notice that the Fiskars corner edgers are no longer in our store? Fiskars has discontinued them so I am on a search for a larger corner punch again.)
Can you see that little bit of shine on the clubs and the red parts of the bag? Well, first, I colored my bag and clubs with some copic markers. Then, I added some crystal lacquer to make those parts raised and shiny.
I love how the Copic Markers and the colorless blender made the bag look like real soft leather. Gotta' love those Copic markers! Hope you've enjoyed today's project!
Have a wonderful day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Happy Mother's Day!
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone
Happy Mother's Day with love~
Gina K.
Happy Mother's Day with love~
Gina K.
Stamp & Cruise 2008 is getting closer!
Remember this card?
As many of you already know, Nichole from Papertrey Ink, Emily from Stampingbella and I are hosting Stamp & Cruise 2008! We already have around 160 stampers joining us for a 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean. You can still call the cruise company to get your name in, however, we are currently in a wait list situation. That doesn't mean you won't get in because there may be a cancellation or two. So, if you're seriously wanting to come, call Cruise One and get on the list.
How can I sponsor?
Many of our readers are also in the paper crafts industry and we've had many requests for information on how they can sponsor the cruise with door prizes and other fabulous goodie basket items.
How can I sponsor?
Many of our readers are also in the paper crafts industry and we've had many requests for information on how they can sponsor the cruise with door prizes and other fabulous goodie basket items.
At this time we are accepting sponsorship requests for the cruise. If you are in the paper crafts business and would like to learn how you can participate in our cruise sponsorship program, we are currently reviewing requests by email.
You can contact any of us through our company customer service links. You can also contact me directly at ginakdesigns@yahoo.com. Please put "Cruise Sponsorship" in the subject line of your email so it goes to the proper place.
We are excited to review requests because all of the chosen sponsorship products will be used in projects on the cruise! A special thanks to Scor-pal, Coredinations, Stewart Superior and more who have already committed some fabulous prizes!!
Hugs,
Gina K.
You can contact any of us through our company customer service links. You can also contact me directly at ginakdesigns@yahoo.com. Please put "Cruise Sponsorship" in the subject line of your email so it goes to the proper place.
We are excited to review requests because all of the chosen sponsorship products will be used in projects on the cruise! A special thanks to Scor-pal, Coredinations, Stewart Superior and more who have already committed some fabulous prizes!!
Hugs,
Gina K.
My Favorite...Friends!
There is lots of competition in this industry and, yeah, it's true- not everyone plays fair, but...
there are a few people in this industry that really wish others well. Maybe it's a certain confidence in their own products, but they never have anything negative to say about their competitors and they even offer up a hand of friendship and guidance. That would describe a handful of my stamp company owning friends and one of them would surely be Kim van der Sanden from My Favorite Things.
I love this stamp set!! It's called "Can ya' dig it?" I love the greeting too, because a couple of times this year, I've gotten an email that would say something like,
"Go get a cuppa' coffee and call me when you can. Love, Kim"
LOL! I knew that meant a story, the latest "dish" or a new fabulous find and Kim and I would be giggling on the phone! That's what this greeting reminds me of.
Stamping is about sharing. It's about people. I mean really, aren't we making all these beautiful cards to share and brighten someone's day? So I decided that I would feature a few of the stamp company owners that I am honored to call my friends. These are women who inspire me, are there for me and brighten my day of a regular basis.
Some details about my card. (This is a square 5.5" X 5.5" card.) First, I stamped the image with the girl and I colored her with my new colored pencils. (Yup, not prismas! I've got a tutorial coming for these. Hang on.) Then, I added a little crystal lacquer to shine up the flowers and gloves.
I used my square nestabilities and highlighted the embossed edge with some Metallic Rub-on paste.
The yellow background paper is from my Basic Grey Cupcake pack and the other patterned paper is by DCWV. I added some Stampin' Up ribbon and a cute purple clip. I used Stazon black ink but I colored the girl's skin with a Copic marker. I had to be very careful not to touch the ink with the marker so it wouldn't smear. My base cardstock is my Prism.
Thanks for allowing me to step outside of my Gina K. box and bring you one of "My Favorite People!"
My Favorite Things is having a release party on Wednesday night in their member company forum at Splitcoaststampers. I can't wait to see what's new!
Okay, Kim...Now can I have one of those cute little tub watermarks that everyone on your design team has? LOL! Just kidding but they are too cute!
Speaking of new releases...
You're going to love what we have coming up later this month! OOH!!! I am so pumped up for this one!
Back with more soon.
Hugs,
Gina K.
there are a few people in this industry that really wish others well. Maybe it's a certain confidence in their own products, but they never have anything negative to say about their competitors and they even offer up a hand of friendship and guidance. That would describe a handful of my stamp company owning friends and one of them would surely be Kim van der Sanden from My Favorite Things.
I love this stamp set!! It's called "Can ya' dig it?" I love the greeting too, because a couple of times this year, I've gotten an email that would say something like,
"Go get a cuppa' coffee and call me when you can. Love, Kim"
LOL! I knew that meant a story, the latest "dish" or a new fabulous find and Kim and I would be giggling on the phone! That's what this greeting reminds me of.
Stamping is about sharing. It's about people. I mean really, aren't we making all these beautiful cards to share and brighten someone's day? So I decided that I would feature a few of the stamp company owners that I am honored to call my friends. These are women who inspire me, are there for me and brighten my day of a regular basis.
Some details about my card. (This is a square 5.5" X 5.5" card.) First, I stamped the image with the girl and I colored her with my new colored pencils. (Yup, not prismas! I've got a tutorial coming for these. Hang on.
) Then, I added a little crystal lacquer to shine up the flowers and gloves.I used my square nestabilities and highlighted the embossed edge with some Metallic Rub-on paste.
The yellow background paper is from my Basic Grey Cupcake pack and the other patterned paper is by DCWV. I added some Stampin' Up ribbon and a cute purple clip. I used Stazon black ink but I colored the girl's skin with a Copic marker. I had to be very careful not to touch the ink with the marker so it wouldn't smear. My base cardstock is my Prism.
Thanks for allowing me to step outside of my Gina K. box and bring you one of "My Favorite People!"
My Favorite Things is having a release party on Wednesday night in their member company forum at Splitcoaststampers. I can't wait to see what's new!
Okay, Kim...Now can I have one of those cute little tub watermarks that everyone on your design team has? LOL! Just kidding but they are too cute!
Speaking of new releases...
You're going to love what we have coming up later this month! OOH!!! I am so pumped up for this one!
Back with more soon.
Hugs,
Gina K.