Today is the Day!

First, today is release day at Sherrod Studio. In addition to the new sets I've shown you, "Christmas Greetings" and "Fresh Baked," Kim will be releasing two additional sets, "Pond Friends" and "Tropical Holiday."

For today's post, I made a tin full of little cards using trees and sentiments from the Christmas Greetings set. A dozen 3-1/2 by 4-1/4 inch cards fit in the tin. While too small to meet USPS regulations for mailing, these little cards are great gift enclosure cards or tie-ons for a gift bag. A tin filled with these little cards would make a nice, quick gift for a hostess or anyone for whom a small token of appreciation would be appropriate.

As for the rest of the design team, Kim, Ceal ,Dawn, Joseline, Kelly, Leah, Mary, and Sparkle, I'm excited to see what they have to show us, too. And one more time, I'll remind you to leave a comment on Kim's Sherrod Studio blog. What could be more fun that your choice of one of her stamp set?

As I write this post, I am fall-on-my-face tired. Almost all day Friday was spent decorating the reception hall and then it was off to rehearsal followed by the groom's dinner. I am hoping a good night's rest will prepare me for the day ahead. It will all begin with a 9 a.m. hair appointment. As our presence at the church is not required until 3 p.m., I am hoping to spend the morning and early afternoon relaxing. We'll see. I'm sure I'll be telling you all about it. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend!

Sherrod Studio Sneak Peek ... Day 2

Here's another peek at a new set, "Fresh Baked," set to release from Sherrod Studio on Saturday, September 19.

What a fun set! I stamped my gingerbread pair on Chocolate cardstock and "iced" them with White Daisy Pigment ink. Stamping and cutting out their little outfits was darned near as much fun as playing with paper dolls. Oh, and another really simple card - the best kind during the busy holiday season.

Now that you've seen my card, you need to skedaddle out of here and check on the rest of the Design Team: Kim, Ceal ,Dawn, Joseline, Kelly, Leah, Mary, and Sparkle! And don't forget to leave a comment on the Sherrod Studio blog for a chance to win a free set!

Short and sweet again today. The wedding is tomorrow ... but I have yet to sleep from yesterday, and so I'm off to catch a few winks. I hope your week is wonderful so far. Catch ya tomorrow!

Sherrod Studio Sneak Peeks ... Day 1

This month I have the privilege of introducing you to "Christmas Greetings," one of four new stamp sets to be released on September 19 by Sherrod Studio.

Christmas Greetings is a set of cute trees and wonderful holiday sentiments. I always LOVE Kim's choice of fonts, and this set is no exception. I also appreciate the size of these stamps - not too big, not to small - perfect for cardmaking.

Although my card is simple, I love it nonetheless. And, I'm anxious to see what the other Design Team members have come up with. Let's go check them out: Kim, Ceal ,Dawn, Joseline, Kelly, Leah, Mary, and Sparkle!

Oh... I almost forgot ... Leave a comment on Kim's Sherrod Studio blog for a chance to win the stamp set of your choice from her new releases. Sweet! Oops ... that's tomorrow's post ... Later, friends!

Sherrod Studio Sneak Peak Day #3

Yesterday, I promised two cards. How about two tomorrow instead? With my paper cutter and glue gun in another room, finishing my second card last night would have meant taking a chance on waking Marv, which is the equivalent of messing around with a sleeping bear. I wasn't in the mood to be growled at and thought you'd understand.

Now, let's get down to business. This is another card created with stamps from the beautiful Friendship Blossoms set from Sherrod Studios. This set, along with "All Hallow's Eve" and "Harvest Blessing" will be available on Thursday. For my flowers, I stamped the lined image with Chocolate ink. Then, I took the corresponding solid stamp, inked it up with Sunflower and then rolled the edges in Autumn Terracotta. A quick and easy technique with great results. The flower centers and sentiment were stamped with Chocolate. To finish it off I used Autumn Terracotta ink to add some speckles. Very simple, but a fun card nonetheless.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Chocolate cardstock; Chocolate, Sunflower, and Autumn Terracotta ink pads; Sherrod Studio Friendship Blossoms stamp set; Ribbon from Wal-Mart.

Now that you've seen my card, go see what the other design team members have to show you today: Mary V., Sparkle, Leah, Ceal, Joseline, Mary G., Dawn, Kelly, Kim, and Sherrod Studio.

And now, it's off to bed, as the "last night" I referenced earlier is still tonight for me, and I'm exhausted. I didn't get quite as far with my invitation project tonight (or last night) as I had hoped. It's OK. Tomorrow/today is a new day. Speaking of ... Make it a good one!!! Later ...

A Good and Sparkly Witch - Sherrod Studio Sneak Peak #2

Believe it or not, I've searched Google with regard to photographing glitter. To know avail, however. And thus, you will have to take my word that my witch from Sherrod Studio's new "All Hallow's Eve" set is sparkly and about as cute and sweet as a witch can be.

What a treat it was to see how the design team members who previewed her yesterday colored this image. Surprising, too, was the fact that so many of us had the same general idea. Missing from my card is traditional Halloween orange unless, of course, you consider her red hair. I just wish I'd photographed my card when my coloring appeared all nice and even -before adding the Stickles (painted on with a small, flat brush) to her hat and dress. Sigh. I reiterate you will have to take my word for it.

No Copics for me (yet ...), I used water-base markers. I think everything else explains itself.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, Citrus Leaf, Hydrangea, and Breeze cardstock; Black and Juniper ink pads; Hydrangea, Citrus Leaf, Breeze, Autumn Terracotta, Baby Pink, Heavenly Blue, Brown Bag, Goldrush, and Tombow #580 Flesh markers; Sherrod Studio All Hallow's Eve stamp set; Ribbon from my stash; Dove blending pen; Diamond Stickles; #4 shader (flat paintbrush); Cuttlebug w/D'vine Swirl embossing folder and Nestabilities Classic Circles set; 3M foam mounting tape.

Stop back tomorrow for a couple of cards - a fun floral card created with stamps from Friendship Blossoms and a quick Halloween card made with stamps from the All Hallow's Eve set.

In the interim, go check out what design team members Mary V., Sparkle, Leah, Ceal, Joseline, Mary G., Dawn, Kelly, Kim, and Sherrod Studio created today.

I survived Monday and am looking forward to a busy Tuesday. Summer has arrived in Minnesota with temperatures in the 80s and maybe even the 90s before the end of the week. With the air conditioning set on high, I'm still wearing a sweatshirt. LOL. Hope your week is off to a wonderful start. Thanks for stopping by!!

Today is the Day ...

... for you to hop on over to Sherrod Studio website and check out this new line of stamps. You can also see who the lucky winners of the stamps sets were and sign up yet again on Kim's Sherrod Studio blog, as well as the website. And if all these giveaways aren't enough, Kim is offering free shipping July 1-7.

The first couple of cards I'm showing you today were made with stamps that come with the Gracie set. While the flower in this top card fits perfect in her sweet little hand, I chose it as a stand alone to use with a little sentiment that packs a big punch. I colored the flower with markers and added a Bitty Brad as its center. The rest, I believe, is self-explanatory.

This next card features a fun, multi-purpose flower that I'm certain I'll reach for again and again. For this quick card, I random stamped the flower on white cardstock with VersaMark and embossed it using white embossing powder. Then I used round sponges to add some Buttercup and then Blush ink. While I thought about adding a third color, I decided I liked it the way it was and left well enough alone. After stamping the sentiment, I cut it out and embossed it, using a Nestabilities die.

I wasn't certain if what was in my head would work for this third card or not. As much as I love to color, I don't always have time, which is why I opted to try embossing the image. Much to my delight, the finely detailed stamp embossed beautifully, and to add a little dimension, I used a round sponge again to rub some Desert Sand ink around the lines of the image. What do you think? My goal in this post was to show you both the versatility of the stamp sets and the fact that they can be used to create relatively quick cards.

Hey, and it's not just me who has been busy either. Don't forget to check out what the other design team members have to show you today: Sparkle, Mary, Kim, Dawn, Mary G., Ceal, Joseline, Kelly, and last, but not least, Sherrod Studio.

This has been quite an adventure for me. When Kim's email came from out of the blue last month, asking me to be on her design team, I was both very honored and a little apprehensive. First, I asked myself, would I do justice to her stamps? I'm not a "pro." Secondly, I worried about the commitment. I'm not the most organized old broad in the world, and besides that, I stamp for fun and relaxation, for the most part doing what I want to do when I want to do it - the way a hobby is supposed to be.

But, then I thought about the opportunity to help a young woman make her dreams come true, and suddenly, the idea of the design team became very appealing. I'm particularly impressed, too, that Kim's dreams include helping others through her donations to children's charities.

With that, I have to say that my apprehensions were for naught. I had a great time this month, look forward to next month, and most of all, wish Kim and Sherrod Studio the very best.

Finally, a big thank you for your visits. Your comments meant the world to me. And now, until it's design team time again, I'll be returning to my regularly scheduled programing ... as in posting in the evenings and resuming my independent (flaky maybe) way of doing things. LOL. 'Til then, have a great Wednesday, and keep smiling ...

Sherrod Studio Sneak Peek - Day 3

... and the day before the awesome stamps I've been showing you these past few days will be available for purchase at Sherrod Studio!

Meet Gracie. She's a sweetheart and particularly special, because she is part of the first stamp set from Sherrod Studio for which a portion of the proceeds will go to special children's charities.

The first charity Kim has selected is the Christmas Box Lifestart Initiative, a program to assist children who have been in foster care for years and suddenly find them "aging out" of the system. More information about this wonderful program can be found here.

As for my card, I jumped out of my box a bit on this one, coloring the image with waterbase markers. And thus, if it looks like it was colored by a beginner, it was. LOL. Seriously, while I usually find that long sweeping strokes with the brush tip of the marker yields the best results, I colored the bear using a small, circular strokes with hopes the result would look like fur. I think was moderately successful. I created the "shadow" with a Dove blending pen and Twilight ink. I also used the blending pen and Chocolate ink to "ground" my image. About the red, white, and blue color scheme, 'tis the season!

Oh, and one more thing. The teddy bear is a separate image that I stamped and cut out. While it wasn't necessary, I used a craft knife to make a tiny slit around Gracie's fingers to better grip the bears arm. Gracie can also hold a flower or balloon. Additionally, the set includes two more flower images, a balloon bouquet, and a handful of fun sentiments.

That said, you need to see what other members of the design team have in store for you today: Sparkle, Mary, Kim, and the Kim on her Sherrod Studio blog. And don't forget to comment. There will be a drawing for free stamp sets with the winners announced by Kim tomorrow during Sherrod Studio's grand opening.

The clock is ticking, which means it's time for me to get ready for another day at the workplace. Once again, thanks for stopping by. Your comments and support mean the world to me. Have a good day, friends!

Sherrod Studio Sneak Peek Day 2 ... Candy, Too!

Isn't she just the cutest little thing? Can you see that her eyes are blue?

This card was made with the Happy Birthday set, one of several new sets that will be available on July 1 from the all new Sherrod Studio. In addition to the stamps I used for this card, the set includes several sentiments and ... cupcakes!

About my card, I used a Tombow marker (Flesh #580) for the little girl's skin and colored the rest of the image and the stack of gifts with Prismacolor colored pencils and Gamsol odorless mineral spirits. The pile of presents were attached to the card with foam mounting tape to add a little dimension.

Now that you've seen my card you need to check out what the rest of the design team has been up to: Sparkle, Mary, Kim, and the Kim on her Sherrod Studio blog. I'm certain they have something wonderful to share. Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment, too. Free stamp sets will be given away with the winners announced during the Sherrod Studio Grand Opening on Wednesday.

That's it for me this morning. Hi Ho, Hi Ho! It's off to work I go ... Have a wonderful day, friends! And thanks for stopping by!