A Day in the Life

Preview Day 2

Gina K — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:24:36 GMT

When Rupa sent me the images for her newest stamp set, "Whatever Floats your Boat," I new immediately that these little guys would touch your heart. This entire set is just full of encouragement and you will know exactly what I mean when you see the entire set tomorrow night.

I am in love with giraffe images and Rupa's giraffe looking through that window is just too sweet. I used Crystal Lacquer all over the window. Crystal Lacquer will soon be available through our online store. I will make an announcement and post a tutorial when it arrives. I love the glossy dimension it provides and it's super easy to use. Doesn't it look like a real glass window?

You may also have noticed that the screw brads in the picture are smaller than our prior ones. Our screw brads are now being packaged with both sizes in the bag. There are times when I like to use smaller ones and times I like to use the bigger ones.

The sentiments in this set are both cute and whimsical along with a couple of standard type greetings to make the set more versatile. The greeting I chose for this project is "I would stick my neck out for you any day!" Isn't that just perfect for this image?

I used archaic patterned paper by Basic Grey. It's such a nice paper for when you want a little bit of a masculine feel. For the woodgraining, I used this video tutorial.
. . . . .

Each month, everyone is so excited to see what the free stamp set will be! If you are new to Gina K. Designs we have a gift for you when you order any 3 stamp sets. It's called our "One free with 3." This month's set called "Summer Harvest."

With inchies being all the rage, (inchies are little one inch stamped squares that are used for cards and other projects,) I decided to do three little "inchie and a halfs." LOL! You certainly can use these stamps for inchies and for twinchies too. (2 inch squares.)

I colored these fruits with Copic Markers and used more Crystal Lacquer to make them pop off the paper. It really adds a lot to these cherries and berries.

I used nestabilities to cut and emboss them and Metallic Rubbing Paste to highlight the embossed edge.

I really like the look of the greeting. It's got a casual kind of elegance that will work with all kinds of images.

Two chances to win these stamp sets!

Later today I will announce yesterday's stamp set winner. And today, you will have two chances to win because I am giving away one of each of these fun new stamp sets. All you have to do is leave a comment and I will randomly choose a name and post the winner tomorrow.

And tomorrow night is our release party in our forum at Splitcoaststampers. We'll be playing some games, hosting some challenges, showing you more sneak peeks and doing a whole lot of chatting. Then, at 10 PM central time, the new products will go live in our store. I sure hope you can join us for the fun!

Look for more inspiration from our fabulous design team!
* Asela Hopkins
* Emily Giovanni
* Erika Martin
* Faith Hofrichter
* Kurtis Amundson
* Linsey Rickett
* Melanie Muenchinger

I hope you've enjoyed today's sneak peeks. Tomorrow, get ready for something totally new from Melanie Muenchinger!
Have a great day.
Hugs,
Gina K.

Inspiration winner

Gina K — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:28:54 GMT

I loved reading about all the wonderful people who have inspired you in your life. I randomly chose a name and the winner is:

Julie Fox wrote:
My Mom inspired me. She worked for years to raise 3 children and never complained.
So I work hard at everything that I do and it's all because of her. We lost her on May 2, 2008.
But I still think of all the things she did and would have done if she was still here.
She made me a better person.

Congratulations Julie! Send your address and stamp set choice to info@ginakdesigns.com . We'll get your stamp set right out to you!

You can continue to enter the drawing for Asela's new set, "Flowers for Daisy," in the post below. I will be back after midnight with Preview Day 2.

Hugs,
Gina K.

Preview Day 1- Flowers for Daisy

Gina K — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:32:28 GMT

I always get so excited when we are ready to release new stamp sets! But when we do a release like this one, I am completely over the top. I could hardly contain myself at the CHA!

Yesterday, I asked you to tell me who inspires you. I loved reading your answers especially the ones where people mentioned the inspiration of a special friend. Friends are family we choose.

Not all that long ago, Asela Hopkins called me to discuss something that was very important to her. One of her close friends, Daisy, was and still is fighting a courageous battle with cancer. She wanted to do something. She wanted to somehow make a difference for Daisy. But what could she do? We discussed many possibilities and Asela decided that she wanted to draw a stamp set in honor of her friend who she loves dearly.

Flowers for Daisy

"Flowers for Daisy" is the newest stamp set by Asela Hopkins. It's a gorgeous set of beautiful daisy images and sayings. Each of the sayings were carefully chosen by Asela. Several of them are Daisy's favorite bible verses. These saying will make great cards of encouragement, friendship and love.

$4.00 of every retail set sold will go to the American Cancer Society until the end of August through a donation of part of the proceeds from both Asela Hopkins and Gina K. Designs.

Cancer has touched the lives of so many. Everyone knows someone who has suffered with cancer in some way. It's so hard to see the lives of family and friends get turned upside down with this horrible disease but you can help make a difference by purchasing this beautiful stamp set.
. . . .
Inspiration

Asela and I have asked a few of our friends to help inspire you with their creativity.
Over the next couple of days, along with our own design team, check out these fabulous and talented designer's blogs to see more beautiful projects using "Flowers for Daisy."

* Amy Westerman
* Anne Sanborn
* Debbie Olson
* Keri Lee Sereika
* Lauren Meader
* Sharon Harnist
* Taylor Van Bruggen
. . . .
Color it
I thought you might like to see the creation of this bookmark.
I began with the single daisy stamp from "Flowers for Daisy" along with one of my new favorite inks, Momento. This is the BEST ink for Copic Marker coloring. Marianne from Copic recommended it and I bought some. I absolutely loved it so I bought about 24 of their colors. You don't have to heat set it. I LOVE that!!! The color I used for this project is London Fog. I didn't want to go with black because I wanted it to stay softer.

I colored the petals with a pale yellow maker. I've added the color number to the photo to help you if you are trying to achieve the same look.

(Note: edited to add that all of the marker colors should begin with YR not VR. Please make a note of that if you print the tutorial or save it to use later.)

Keep in mind that I did not begin with white card stock. I used Stampin' Up card stock that is a natural color with a fleck in it. You won't get the true color of the marker like you would on white, but that's okay. I really wanted a softer look.

Then, using an orange, I added some depth to the petal. I haven't blended it yet. I just added a few lines coming from the flower center down each petal.

I added a peach color to the centers of the flowers.

If you look closely at the right side, you will see the unblended flowers. On the left side, you will see the top flower after I blended it. The way I blended the top left flower was by going back to the first pale yellow and going over the entire petal until every petal looked shaded. That smooths out the orange lines and makes them softer.

I did the same thing here with the centers. I went back over the entire thing with the peach color. It gives you lots of nice depth.

Now I couldn't spend the weekend with Tim Holtz and not distress everything I see, right? LOL! (I can't tell you how much I enjoyed his demonstrations all weekend. He is so talented.) I sponged on some Old Paper distress ink to the edges and the surface.

I stamped my greeting on some vellum paper that was cut to fit over the daisy images. I used Stazon ink in black.

I added some Basic Grey Fibers, then I tied through a punched hole. You can leave the book mark this way, or you can tear the edge and sponge along it. In my final shot, you can see I tore the edge and added an old key I found in a draw with more fibers. I love the look of the old keys. We have quite a few Tim Holtz keys coming soon.

This old key is cool because it belongs to a Master Lock and it says "MASTER" printed on it. The greeting reads, "My salvation and my honor depend on God: He is my mighty rock, my refuge." Psalms 62:7

I always think of God as my "Master" so the key has significant meaning to me.

I am really exited for you to see the entire set at the release party!
. . . .
More inspiration

Check out our designer's blogs. Today, these creative ladies have more great preview projects to inspire you.

* Asela Hopkins
* Emily Giovanni
* Joanne Basile
* Julie Koerber
* Michelle Giraud

Later today, I will announce yesterday's "inspiration winner." In the meantime...
Would you like to win Asela's new set?

Leave a comment here and I will randomly choose a winner of "Flowers for Daisy." I will announce it tomorrow during Preview Day 2.

I hope you've enjoyed Preview Day 1. Tomorrow I will be previewing two new stamp sets, Rupa's newest set and our new "One free with 3!" Come back for more!
Hugs,
Gina K.

CHA part 2

Gina K — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:25:44 GMT

I had a fabulous dinner last night with Nichole, Emily and Nicky. We went to this fun little Italian place and the food was great. I have to say that these women are like sisters to me and I was so glad to be able to finally put my arms around them. They inspire me with their energy and creativity. I didn't fall into bed until after midnight and after walking the show all day, I just didn't have the energy to write a post. So I thought I would write one this morning before I leave for home.
. . . . .
Speaking of women who inspire me, I had the opportunity to talk with Heidi Swapp. Heidi was one of the first blogs I ever read.

Years ago, I read this book- Love your Handwriting. It's a fabulous book for those of you who like to hand-write greetings on your cards and hand-journal on your scrapbook pages.

In Heidi's book, I learned that we are not limited to one "font." (In school, my teachers would get frustrated with me because I liked to change my handwriting all the time. I was always told that I needed to find one and stick with it. LOL!) Heidi's book was so encouraging and helped me to realize that writing different ways is a good thing.

That advice flowed over into my drawing and allowed me to draw both a silly crab or pig and pretty flowers and not feel limited by thinking that I should only have one distinct "Gina K. style." Heidi has been a great influence on me and has helped me grow immensely as an artist.

Another woman who I was thrilled to finally meet in person was Ali Edwards.

I bumped into Ali at the hotel and had a chance to thank her personally for her help when we launched the Autism stamp set.

Ali Edwards has been such an inspiration to me in so many ways. Of course, there are no words to describe this woman's talent. Maybe "jaw-dropping" would work. But one of things that drew me to Ali was her drive to make a difference.

When I started my stamp company, my goal was to create stamps that would help make a difference to those in need. I wasn't sure how but I knew that somehow, it would come to pass. When Erika Martin approached me with the idea of drawing stamps to raise money for Autism, I began my search to learn more. That search brought me to Ali's blog where she was raising thousands of dollars for Autism Speaks.

I was so impressed with the way this woman was using her talents to help so I contacted Ali and she was so sweet and kind. She was so interested in what I was doing and then she directed people through one of her blog posts to my site to help build sales. In such a short time we were able to send a huge check to Autism Speaks and it was truly the birth of Stamps for a Cause.

I am so lucky to be able to finally get a chance to thank these women for their inspiration. That was one of the best parts of the CHA for me. (I will post more CHA photos after our new release.)

So guess what tomorrow is?
It's day one of our PREVIEW PARTY!!!! Woo-hoo!!!
Are you ready to be blown away by what our art team has created for you? You have to stop back tomorrow and see sneak peek of a very special stamp set created by Asela Hopkins to launch the celebration!

In the meantime, Who inspires you?

Share a short comment here about who has been your creative inspiration and I will randomly choose a winner who will win a stamp set of there choice. I will announce the winner tomorrow here on my blog. And don't forget- each day during our preview party, you can enter to win the previewed stamp set so stop by daily to enter and see everything that's new!

Have a great Monday!
Hugs,
Gina K.

CHA part 1

Gina K — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:50:46 GMT

I am having a great time here at the CHA in Chicago! I have found quite a few new goodies that we will be introducing to Gina K. Designs over the next few months. There are some fabulous new papers by Basic Grey that we've already ordered along with all the fun embellishments to match. And we've got a bunch more secrets up our sleeves that we'll reveal as the months go on.

I was so excited to finally get to meet so many of the fabulously talented women and men who inspire me on a daily basis. This is only a few of the pictures that I will post over the next few days. I have too many to show you all in one post.

Carolyn King, Melanie Muenchinger, Carole Burrage and me in the exhibitors area at the CHA.

Joanne Basile, Michelle Giraud, Melanie and me.

I had to give Debbie Olson a huge hug. I just love this girl!

Here is Sherry Cheever and Jeanne Streiff. Mel and I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with these two fabulous ladies. I loved the way it only took about two seconds and we were all laughing together like old friends. (This was the first time I got to meet them in person but I feel like we've been friends forever!)

Yup- it's Da-Bella herself, Emily Block, with Nichole Heady and me. I can't wait to be stamping in Jamaica with these two rockstars!

She's one of my favorite things! I love Kim van der Sanden. She's such a cutie pie!

Tim and me. Wait until you see what he gave me! It's gorgeous but I couldn't get a good enough picture in the hotel room so I will post it when I get back. The Ranger booth was to die for and I wanted at least 5 of everything. His new distress stickles...OMGosh... he really is brilliant.

Well, that's all for tonight. Tomorrow night I will post a couple of pictures of two women who have inspired me for years. I loved getting a chance to talk with them. Plus I have many more pictures of my splitcoaststampers friends.

Off to bed! Another full day tomorrow!

Hugs,
Gina K.

I am Copic Certified!

Gina K — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:14:18 GMT

We had a total blast in Milwaukee with Marianne from Copic. I learned some really cool things that I can't wait to show you! You will be amazed by some of the special effects you can create using Copic products!

I made this card from one my the practice pieces from our class. I decided to bring last months release by Asela Hopkins called "Botanical Dreams" with me because there is lots of interesting detail to color.

I brought my Ciao markers with me and used them during the class. (You should see all the fun markers you get when you take the class. I got to try a whole bunch of other styles of Copics including the airbrush. FUN!)

Here is a close up shot of my coloring. The lighting was a little better, (not so orange,) in the close up so you can see more of the shading.

Card details-
Stamps- Botanical Dreams
Ink- Momento Black
Paper- Stampin' Up Whisper White, SU Black, Patterned paper by DCWV Far East collection
Other- Corner punch, brads, Copic Markers

I will be leaving on Friday morning for the CHA! Yipee! I will be there all weekend. Can't wait! I am rooming with Jessica and Melanie. I will try to blog a few CHA sneak peeks for you from Chicago. We will not have a booth at the CHA. Instead, I will be searching for all the latest and greatest new products to add to the Gina K. Designs online and retail stores.

Then, next week our preview party kicks off and I will reveal something EXTRA special about of first stamp set preview. You won't want to miss it! It all begins right here on my blog on Tuesday July 22nd.

I'll be back live from the CHA!
Hugs,
Gina K.

A winner and a great class!

Gina K — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:02:20 GMT

Your cards were sooooooooo fantastic! Oh my Goodness! If you guys have not checked out everyone's challenge cards, go to the gallery- click here and take a look. Everyone did a fabulous job. I am so glad that I randomly drew a winner because I could not have picked just one.

But since I can only show you one, the winning card by Melody Schwartz is a fabulous one to be able to share! Isn't it just beautiful?

I love the colors and the techniques used. I especially love the white dots! Too pretty!! This card was designed by Melody whose user name at Splitcoaststampers is lacyquilter. Her cards are always to die for anyway and she certainly didn't let us down on this challenge!

Check our her blog for more information about this project and lots of other inspiring cards too!

Congratulations Melody. Send me your snail mail address and let me know if you want the pencils or a free stamp set! And make sure you check out her gorgeous SCS gallery here! (That's what took me so long this morning. First I had to look at every card. Then, I had to clean up the drool. Next, I had to write down all the user names and drew a name, and then I got lost in lacy's gallery! LOL!
. . . . . . .
On another note...
Here's a question for you? Do you scrapbook? I do... a little. I'd like to do more. I love to put the pictures together and choose the paper and colors and embellishments but the one thing that always holds me back is the journaling. You too? Well, I was just blog surfing and I clicked on Erika Martin's blog. (She is one of the queens of scrapbooking, you know! ) She is running this super cool online class. It's called Journaling 101 and the great thing about it is that you can work at your own pace when it comes to the assignments. It goes from August 25th- November 10th. You have to check out the info on the class and see some of her beautiful examples. (Some of them made me cry and because I could totally feel the emotion and love in her words. That's what I would like to learn to do when it comes to journaling.)

So check it out- Journaling 101 online class with Erika Martin

. . . . . . .
Fun news!
Our new release is just around the corner but it has been delayed a few days because of the CHA. So plan to come to our release party on July 24th from 7-10 PM in our splitcoaststampers member company forum. You'll get to see great samples from our design team, enter contests and try some fun challenges! There's always lots of prizes too! AND our 3 day preview party will begin on Tuesday July 22nd right here on my blog so make sure you stop back.

Well, off to prepare for my Copic marker class tomorrow. I will be back with lots of fun stuff after that!

Hugs,
Gina K.

A challenge for you!

Gina K — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:07:34 GMT

Is there anybody out there who doesn't love their UPS driver? They are the nicest men and women I have ever met!

We see our UPS guy every single day of the week so when he told us that he was taking a week off because his wife was having their fourth child, Judy, Shelly and I sprang into action. Judy got the gift, Shelly brought in the adorable packaging and I made the card to match.

Shelly brought in this adorable gift bag and I wanted to play up on the color theme.

I was able to match the blue and yellow by searching through my Bazzill card stock. Then I used a little bit of patterned paper from the Basic Grey Cupcake patterned paper 6 x 6 pack.

Then, to give the card some interest, I used the cuttlebug to emboss the blue piece of cardstock and scored the corner with the Scor-pal- then I turned it up. I accented it with some Bling & Dazzle Button Babies. I used a Sakura metallic gel pen to accent the ovals. (The ovals were all punched with Marvy punches.)

I colored the sheep with Koh-i-noor pencils and blended it with Odorless Mineral Spirits and Blending stumps. I stamped my greeting at the end.

So how about you? Are you up for a weekend challenge?

Try this sketch challenge and upload your card in the gallery at splitcoaststampers.com using keyword GinaKSC123.

I will go to Splitcoaststampers on Monday and randomly choose one of the sketch cards as a winner and post it here on my blog with your blog or gallery link. The winner will also win a pack of Koh-i-noor pencils or a stamp set of their choice valued at $19.95! The only rule is that you may only use Gina K. Designs stamps. Come on! Come stamp with me!

Have fun and look for our winning sketch on Monday!

Off to a swim meet in the morning! Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Gina K.

Partial Piecing- A tutorial

Gina K — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:46:09 GMT

With paper piecing being all the rage, I wanted to show you how I was able to piece just part of an image for a whole new look.

Now, you may be thinking, well why don't you just color the bears? But take a closer look.
See how the background is all yellow patterned paper? I wouldn't have been able to make the Mommy bear pink against that yellow. And see all that gorgeous texture in the Mommy bear? Let me show you how I got there.

I love this image by Melanie Muenchinger. It's from the "Cuddles & Hugs" stamp set. I began by stamping the image on to a piece of Basic GreyTwo Scoops 6X6 patterned paper in pink. Then, I stamped it again on a piece of the yellow.

You can see that I carefully trimmed our the Pink bear.
Next, I used a Koh-i-noor brown pencil and added a little brownish fur to the baby bear.

I blended the pencil using some Gina K. Designs Odorless Mineral Spirits and a blending stump.

Then, using mono-adhesive, I pieced the pink bear and her claw to the yellow picture.

If you look around the baby's face, you can see that I used a little bit of pink pencil to fill in the part of the Mommy bear that was missing. I tried to piece it but it didn't look right against the baby bears cheek and this looked so much better so I went with it.

I added some machine stitching and then I hand-sewed on three Basic Grey buttons from the Two scoops collection.

Card details:
Stamps- Cuddles & Hugs
Paper- Patterned paper- Two Scoops 6 x 6 paper pad by Basic Grey, Stampin' Up-Not Quite Navy
Ink- Black Stazon
Other- Koh-i-noor pencils, OMS and blending stumps, Basic Grey Two scoops buttons, Janome Sew-mini sewing machine with navy-teal thread, fiskars corner scissors.
. . . . . .
On a personal note, I'm so excited! Alicia, Jessica and I are going to Milwaukee next Tuesday to get Copic Certified. I promise I will share everything I learn with you guys.

Concerning our Copic marker club. The B, C and D final marker shipment went out today for group two with the storage boxes. If you owe a paypal payment, your box is sitting hostage in our office waiting. LOL! We are still waiting for last month's and this month's box A markers. I've been told that they should arrive by the third week of July. So, for those of you who are waiting for last month's shipment, you will receive your storage box with 12 markers, (this month's markers and last month's markers.) So sorry for the delay. We are still waiting for the huge order to start the next club. When they arrive, I will post something here.

Anyway, I hope you liked today's tutorial. I would love to see some of your paper pieced cards using Gina K. Designs stamps. Feel free to post your Gina K. pieced links here.

Have a great day!
Hugs,
Gina K.

Bleached Leaves - A bleaching tutorial

Gina K — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:18:37 GMT

The bleaching technique may be an oldie but goodie and you may have done it a million times before. But for my friends who are newer to stamping, I decided to provide an abridged tutorial just in case this technique is new to you. It's easy to create vibrant cards using regular household bleach and a little embossing powder.

I wanted to create a simple masculine card so I grabbed Asela Hopkins new stamp set, "Botanical Dreams," and some of the Archaic patterned paper by Basic Grey.

The supplies I used were fine detail black embossing powder, VersaMark ink, an embossing buddy by Stampin' Up, More Mustard Card stock and some regular household bleach.

First, rub the embossing budding all over your card stock to remove static. Then, stamp your image using VersaMark ink. Sprinkle fine detail black embossing powder all over your card and tap away the excess. Heat with your heat tool until the embossing powder turns shiny.

Pour a little bit of bleach into a small cup. Using a paint brush, or empty waterbrush, dip the tip into the bleach and paint the inside of the image being careful not to go outside of the lines.

You can see how quickly the bleach begins to work. If you want to speed up the process even more, after you paint your areas with bleach, use your heat tool to warm it a bit and the bleach will work faster.

Add the piece to your project. Try different colors of cardstock for different looks. It's always a surprise to see what color the cardstock will bleach up to!

Card details-

Stamps- Botanical Dreams
Ink- Black Stazon for the greeting, VersaMark for the leaves
Paper- Stampin' Up More Mustard, Chocolate Chip
Patterned paper- Basic Grey Archaic 6 X 6 paper pad
Other- Fine detail embossing powder in black, bleach, Janome Sew-mini sewing machine (see tutorials up at top left for how to sew on your cards)
Embellishments- Archaic Glazed Brads, (see below)

I wanted to show you an up close view of this brad. Since I was making a masculine card, I wanted a masculine embellishment. I really thought that this brad looked like a cuff-link.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and you'll give bleaching a try!

Hugs,
Gina K.

Paper Piecing made easy!

Gina K — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:18:43 GMT

Good morning!
The winner of this weekend's Euphoria giveaway is:
7/5/2008 7:33 AM Marla wrote:
Pick me, pick me! I've been dying to try paper piercing, and with 5 daughters, that set would be perfect. Can hardly wait to read your tutorial, too!
Congratulations Marla! Send me your snail mail and I will get your Euphoria package right out.

. . . . . . . . .

It's always such a WOW when you click on a blog or gallery and up comes a paper pieced project. I always thought that they looked time-intensive and difficult. But really, paper piecing is quick and easy and gives your projects a whole new dimension.

I used Rupa Shevde's Retro Boutique stamp set again because this dress just paper pieces so beautifully!

To begin, I used Stampin' Up white card stock and two 6 X 6 sheets of patterned paper from the Basic Grey Sugared Paper Pack.

I stamped my image on each piece with Black Stazon Ink.

Then, using cutter bee paper snips, I cut the skirt out of the floral piece and the top out of the green piece. Notice how I didn't make it too hard on myself. I left the scalloped edge off and the back straps off as well.

Next, I cut my white dress out with one of the large oval Nestabilities dies. I also embossed it.

It's better to do this step now than to mess it up after you've attached your patterned pieces. LOL!
Next, I attached the skirt with some mono-adhesive.

I really like the white scalloped edge sticking out. Of course, you can always color it a solid color too.
Then, I attached the green top piece with mono-adhesive.

Once both pieces are attached, you can see you don't need to do anything else. Leaving both the straps and edge of the skirt white only add to the image.

Here is an up close view of the finished card.

I added some metallic rub-on paste to accent the edge of the oval and I used the rest of the patterned paper pieces to make my background. (No wasted patterned paper!) I added some sugared fibers and sugared glazed brads and the project was complete.

Try paper piecing the animals from Melanie's "Cuddles & Hugs," or make a patterned pig from "Down on the Farm." The possibilities are endless and the results are spectacular!

Have a great day!
Hugs,
Gina K.

You want a piece of me? Or a piece of blog candy?

Gina K — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:41:10 GMT

When Rupa Shevde sent me the images for her newest stamps set, Retro Boutique, I thought that the dress just begged to be paper pieced but I had never done it before. I saw how beautifully many of the members of my design team pieced this dress and the purses. So, I took a shot at it.

Like most techniques, paper piecing looks a lot harder than it is. I promise I will post a tutorial on it and when you see how easy it is, you might just want to paper piece every card you make!

This project uses the newest Basic Grey patterned paper pack called "Euphoria" along with Euphoria fibers and Euphoria Glazed brads.

And now, you can purchase all 7 styles of Basic Grey 6 X 6 patterned paper packs and embellishments in our online store! These little paper packs are the perfect size for card makers and they are only $5.95 each. Using just one 6 X 6 sheet, there is enough to do a whole background piece plus just enough left over for the perfect accent piece on another project or for paper piecing smaller images.

Here is an up close view of these scrumptious glazed brads, fibers and my paper pieced dress.

Card details:
Stamps- Retro Boutique by Rupa Shevde for Gina K. Designs
Paper- Basic Grey Euphoria 6 X 6 paper pad, Stampin' Up whisper white, Stampin' Up Celery Cardstock.
Ink- Stazon Black
Other- Euphoria Glazed brads, fibers, corner punch

To celebrate our new Basic Grey addition to our online store, I am giving away a complete Euphoria set.

This giveaway includes:
1 Euphoria 6 x 6 patterned paper pad
1 pack of Euphoria Fibers
1 pack of Euphoria Brads
1 pack of Euphoria Glazed Brads
1 pack of Euphoria Buttons

Just leave a comment here and on Monday, I will announce the random winner of this "Euphoric" giveaway!

And stay tuned for more paper pieced projects along with a tutorial so you can see just how easy this technique really is!

Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs,
Gina K.

With Gratitude

Gina K — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:51:40 GMT

To all those who serve and to the families that support them, we at Gina K. Designs say, "Thank you."

Blessing on this 4th of July!

The Gina K. Designs Team

Just had to share!

Gina K — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:20:44 GMT

As many of you already know, we now carry the Copic atyou Spica glitter pens.

Well, Melanie Muenchinger has created the most fabulous card using these pens and you can really see how beautiful these pens are when you click on the second picture in her blog post for the larger view! I only posted a little peek because it's not my card but to see her whole card with all the details, check it out here! Prepare to say "WOW!"

Also, check out her latest challenge. Looks like tons of fun with opportunities to win free stamps! Let's get stamping!

You have spoken and I am so excited to say that all the Basic Grey paper pads and embellishments are on order and should be here any day!

Have a great evening!
Hugs,
Gina K.

Euphoria!

Gina K — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:44:41 GMT

When I first saw the Basic Grey Euphoria collection, I immediately thought of the Flamingos in Melanie Muenchinger's Cuddles & Hugs. The patterns in this pack remind me of Florida.

I decided to make a very simple card using a little bit of the new Basic Grey Euphoria fiber pack and some of the matching paper.

Again, I accented my embossed edges using the Metallic rub-on paste. That stuff rocks. I love how it just brings out that edge! It's subtle and it matches everything.

For my greeting, I combined two of the greeting stamps together to make my sentence.

Card details:
Stamps- Cuddles & Hugs
Paper- Stampin Up whisper white, Bazzill dark purple, Basic Grey Euphoria 6X6 paper pad
Ink- Brilliance graphite
Other- Nestabilities squares, Euphoria fibers, Metallic Rub-on paste, Copic markers, stickles glitter glue

I know I haven't been a very good blogger these last few days. Tom's parents arrived from Philadelphia on Saturday and they will be staying with us until next Sunday. (That means my house had to be cleaned from top to bottom to make a good daughter-in-law impression! LOL!)

The girls had a great swim meet this weekend but now they are both a bit under the weather. So that's been a little time consuming as well.

Back to stamping, I suppose you've noticed by now that I LOVE patterned paper. Let me ask you a question... would you like us to carry these types of 6 x 6 paper pads in our online store? How about the fibers and buttons to match? I'd like to hear what you think about that. I know a lot of you enjoy one-stop shopping and free shipping. Would you like to buy these types of items at Gina K. Designs?
Let me know what you think.

Hugs,
Gina K.

Summer favorites winner

Gina K — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:36:21 GMT

It was so fun to read all of your favorite things about summer! The winner of the Just Be-claws stamp set, (or any set,) is:

6/23/2008 10:33 AM cathy tidwell wrote:
I just posted on my own blog, with the title "THE best of summer" and its pictures of my grandbaby playing in a sprinkler for the first time! (he will be 2 in Sept.) OMG I think I had more fun watching him than he did playing in it! LOL!

I so know what you mean about around the campfire....lots of memories there too when daughter was still at home! Me and DH still go and are at the age now we dream about retirement! LOL!

My fav things of summer:
1. Spending time with my grandson
2. Cooking out on the grill almost everyday.
3. A Garden!!

Hope you and your family continue to have those awesome times around the campfire! They are THE best!!!

Cathy, Congratulations! Email me with your address and stamp set choice!
Have a wonderful evening!
Hugs,
Gina K.

Tagged

Gina K — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:28:01 GMT

I got tagged by a friend of mine through an email and the tag said that you are supposed to put three things you love about summer and email it to everyone you know.

I usually don't participate in any kind of tags anymore, mostly because I get a lot of them and I don't always have the time to do them. So, I decided that I never wanted anyone to feel like their tag wasn't important to me, so the best thing to do would be to not participate in any of them. But since this was an email tag, I thought I would play here on my blog. It gives me an opportunity to have a fun giveaway and to say thank you for letting us know how much you are loving our newest release. (I don't think we've ever been this busy, and it's all thanks to you.) And, it also gives me an opportunity to show you a few picture of what summer is for the K. family. (LOL! What's the point of even putting my last name. Nobody uses it anymore.)

One of the best parts of summer for us is this.

We have a travel trailer that is currently set up in a seasonal resort about a half an hour from our home. It's great because we can go down for a day or a weekend. They have a beautiful pool, tennis, a huge lake, golf across the street and live bands on the weekends. (Unfortunately, the lake is completely flooded and cannot be used due to the flooding here in the midwest but our trailer was spared any damage and it's still lots of fun because everything else is available at the resort.)

Now, it's not the trailer part that I love. (Don't get me wrong, two bedrooms, a full bathroom and a full kitchen with a microwave isn't a bad way to camp! LOL!) But what I love best about this trailer is what happens here. It's usually just us. Tom, Alicia, Rina and me. We hardly ever eat anything other than hot dogs, but we cook them over an open fire. And we talk. And we really talk. And we laugh. We learn more about each other's lives. We open topics that otherwise would be met with an eye roll. And we find out what are kids are thinking, wondering, what makes them happy, sad, scared and excited. And we talk some more.

When we get home, everyone scatters in four different directions. But I know, that soon, we'll be back around that fire, learning more about each other. It's gold.
. . . . . .

Another great part of summer for us is swimming. The kids are such good swimmers and it's so enjoyable to watch your kids do things you can't. I can swim so I don't sink, but they can SWIM, BABY!

Rina- backstroke

Rina- butterfly

Alicia on the block

The each got all their state cuts last season and this year Alicia aged up so the process starts again. Ugh! LOL! They hate it when that happens.
. . . . .

And the last favorite thing I will choose, is this.

This picture was from last summer at Bible Camp in Minnesota and these are my kids best friends in the world. They have NEVER had a so much as a cross word with any of these kids, even when they all lived together for a whole week last summer.

Nobody looks at each others clothes or shoes or what their labels say. Nobody cares about weight or height or who's a faster swimmer or a better soccer player. Nobody cares if they have a pimple or a bad hair day. They are all different and unique and they love that about each other. They listen to each other without judgement. They share the most important common thing- they love God. They laugh the whole week away and have fun being silly. In fact, they all cried last year when it was time to leave. We won't make it up there this summer due to other plans but we hope to get back there again next summer. We'll miss these kids a lot this year!
. . . . . .
So those are three of my many favorite things about summer.

I'm not going to tag anyone but instead, if you'd like to share three things you love about summer here in the comments, on Wednesday, I will randomly draw a name and you will win my favorite summer stamp set, "Just Be-claws," (Or any other stamp set you'd like instead.)

We are super busy processing your orders and we plan to have all the orders out by Friday that have already been placed. We will do our best to get them out ASAP.

I hope you are all having a great start to your week.
Make it a GREAT day!
Hugs,
Gina K.

Winner of our final preview day

Gina K — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:29:57 GMT

The winner of Melanie Muenchinger's Cuddles & Hugs is:

6/20/2008 2:38 PM Christi wrote:
Too cute!!! I love all of Melanie's sets. I am so going to be at the release party tonight. I'm so excited!!

Congratulations Christi! Send me your snail mail and I'll ship the stamp set right out!

Hugs,
Gina K.

Introducing Friendship Blooms

Gina K — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:39:32 GMT

This is our final reveal for the evening.

The stamp set is called "Friendship Blooms" and it's our "One free with 3" If you purchase three stamp sets, place this item in your cart and it will ship for free! Remember, 3 single Kindred Spirits stamps = one stamp set. (So you could purchase 3 Kindred Kids and two stamp sets and that would qualify as 3 stamp sets and you would receive this free set.)

Hope you've enjoyed all of these full reveals! The store will be refreshed at 10:00 PM central and the new products will all be there. Have a wonderful evening!
Hugs,
Gina K.

Introducing Cuddles & Hugs

Gina K — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:25:43 GMT

This adorable stamp set was created by Melanie Muenchinger. It's called "Cuddles & Hugs."

I'll be back with our final reveal, our "One free with 3!"
Hugs,
Gina K.