Constantly Stamping

The Men in My Life

I hope you aren't tired of Leadership Samples because I have lots more to share with you over the next several weeks. This is an 8"x8" scrapbook page of the two most important men in my life (with exception of my dad, whom I love dearly). I paired Everyday Enchantment DSP with Real Red/Basic Black card stock to give the page a little bit more of a masculine feel. I also used the Elementary Elegance stamp set (also from Sale-a-bration) as the focal point of the layout.

The crown in this stamp set is perfect because my guys are the king and prince of this household (or so I let them think). We all know who is really in charge (wink). Don't forget, you can earn free product during Sale-a-bration, going on right now. For more information, visit my on-line store by clicking on the "shop online 24/7" button in the upper right corner of my blog.

I Wish I Was Still This Thin!

Can you believe that is a picture of me from my honeymoon? I sure wish I was still that young & skinny. I don't remember having short hair, so I think it must have been pulled up because of the warm weather there in the Grand Bahamas.

I will let you in on a little secret...one of the requirements for the Leadership display stamping was that we could only use photos of our immediate family. That way they didn't have to mess with photography releases and so-forth. Well, since I am the only female in my household, I had to dig out an old picture of me for this very feminine layout using the Fresh Vintage SAB stamp set (my very favorite SAB set). I have to be honest, it was really strange doing a scrapbook page featuring myself. It is much easier for me to make pages for other people. Truthfully, I am not much of a scrapbooker, although I probably should be. I always enjoy the finished product. I can't remember for certain, but I think this was an 8"x8" page mounted on Chocolate Chip card stock. I used the SAB Everyday Enchantment DSP (which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE). I also used a Beau Chateau Side Note for the page title. I didn't really care for the "bee" image on the tag, so I covered it with a stamped embellishment. OK...that's all for today. See you tomorrow with more goodies to share.

Another Freebie - Song of Solomon 2:12

You may recognize this next verse from my Artisan Award SB pages. When I entered the competition I actually created the layout in MDS, but I have gone back and re-created as a .png file it so that all you need to do is add it to your layouts as a digital stamp. See my earlier post here for more info on how to do that.

 

The Bible Verse Project

I have to tell you a little story about this next project before it will make sense, so beware, this may end up being a longer post than usual!

Last spring I was involved in a ladies Bible study at the home of a good friend. One of the things she recommended was to memorize a verse each week by putting it on a sticky note and putting it somewhere where you would see it often. I got the idea to design a post-it every week for the remainder of the study. I designed the verses with my Creative Suite software and saved them as PNG files so that I could add them as digital stamps to my MDS software. Since I created the files without artwork, I don't need to worry about copyright infringement. I checked with SU and they said that I can give away the files as long as I don't charge for them. You will occassionaly see MDS artwork in some of my samples, but the art was added after the fact and aren't included with the PNG files. Now here is the tricky part. I am not exactly sure how to add the .png files to my post in a way that can easily be downloaded, so I am gonna try to attach it at the end of the post and we will see what happens. If it doesn't work, please feel free to contact me and I will send you an email of the file. I am also open to suggestions for a better way to do this. To use the Bible verses with MDS, I went into my MDS software/components/stamps and created a folder called "Bible Verses" and placed the files there. They should then just show up just like any digital stamps you have in your MDS software. Of course, you can use the files with any software that allows you to import .png files.

Here is the first verse that I designed. I can't believe that I have never gotten around to sharing this scrapbook page of my husband and son. I made this page in MDS several months ago but I forgot to post it. This photo was taken about five years ago just before my husband deployed for Iraq. I think it is my all-time favorite of all photos of my guys. The verse is Nehemiah 8:10. As I look back on that difficult period of our lives I know that it was only through our faith in Christ that were able to make it.

Here is the free download.

 

2011 Artisan Award-Winning Blog Hop - Day 9

Can you believe that we are down to the final two days of our blog hop? I hope you are enjoying our projects as much as we are enjoying sharing them. If you are visiting all the blogs in order, then you should have just left the blog of the incredible Heather Summers. Be sure to visit everyone on the blog hop. There's a list at the end just in case you get lost. Dont' miss our big finale tomorrow. I have saved my VERY favorite project for the last day and here's my favorite scrapbook page!

 
I don't scrapbook much and when I do, I tend to make digital pages in MDS. But for the Artisan Award competiton I thought that I should show the judges that I know how to stamp and scrap the traditional way, too. This page has it all...stamping, heat embossing, dry embossing, die cutting, digital elements, Stampin' Around wheel, embellishments, sponging...you name it, I probably did it on this page. To make it even better, I absolutely love this picture of my great niece. She is incredibly photogenic and she knows how to work the carmera with those big brown eyes!

This page evolved over several weeks. I wouldn't even know where to begin because there is so much to tell. There is one thing that I really want to point out because I know you can't tell it from this picture. See that big red polka-dot bow on her head. I printed her picture twice, cut out the bow and popped it up with some dimensionals so that it looks like it is coming out of the photo. If you click on the picture and enlarge it, it is easier to see what I am talking about. To me, that was the perfect finish to my favorite page! Just one other thing...I wanted to use red polka-dotted ribbon for this page, but at the time SU didn't have any in the catalog...so I made my own. I sprayed a piece of satin ribbon with starch. After it dried, I ironed the ribbon and then used a wheel stamp and white craft ink to make my own custom ribbon. I keep tellin' ya, it's those little details that make all the difference in the world with the finished product!

That's all for today. Don't forget, tomorrow is the final day of our blog hop, so be sure to check back. Now it's time to see what Sandra Farrell has to share with you today. As always, here's a little guide to help you along the way.

1. Connie Collins (that's me)  
2. Sandra Farrell
3. Heidi King  
4. Heather Klump   
5. Cheryl LeFore   
6. Laura Mellinger
7. Jennifer Picard    
8. Heather Stevens       
9. Summer Stone    
10. Heather Summers   

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Pacific Point, Basic Black; Patterns DSP Stack-Brights-Old Olive, Pacific Point Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquois Pumpkin Pie; Stamp Set: Easter Beauty; VersaMark Pad; White Embossing Powder; Heat Tool; Big Shot Machine; Scallop Square Die; Timeless Type Medium Sizzlet Dies; Embossing Folders: Elegant Lines, Square Lattice, Finial Press, & Perfect Polka Dots; Spiral Border Punch; My Digital Studio: Thoughtful Overlays-Lines 5; Font: CK Ali’s Hand; 5/8"; Satin Ribbon-Real Red; Jumbo Stampin’ Around Handle; Pleasing Polka Dots Builder Wheel; Uninked Jumbo Cartridge; Builder Wheel Spindle & Spacers; Whisper White Craft Ink Pad & Refill; Clip Assortment; Dimensionals. Distressing Essentials Kit-Tea Stain Pad; Mini Glue Dots, Sticky Strip, Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue.

2011 Artisan Award-Winning Blog Hop - Day 5

It's day five of our blog hop. With today's project we have basically made it half way through. If you are following the loop, then you should have just arrived from Heather Summers' blog. Yesterday, Heather eluded to the fact that I am very organized. Funny thing is, I don't necessarily see that as one of my strongest personality traites. In reality, she is probably much more organized than me, but that girl is so crazy busy with her family and SU business, that I just couldn't ask her to do one more thing. With her leadership ability, she would have been the natural person to step up and take the lead with our blog hop, but since I have a few more hours to spare, I am a "few years" her senior, and I have some experience with blog hops, I volunteered to keep these ten talented women organized...at least for ten days. I make no promises after that!

Since today is Sunday, I thought I would show you a page that has a deeper spiritual meaning than meets the eye. If you have followed my blog for a while, you probably already know that I am a Christian. I try not to be in your face with it all the time, but I hope that it shows in the things I say and do. I know that I am not perfect (I am far from it), but I know that my sins are forgiven through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I was working on my entries for the Artisan Award, I took the time to pray over each project and ask the Lord to guide me so that He would be glorified. During this time period, I was also attending a ladies Bible study. One of the things they suggested was that we print a Bible verse on a post-it, stick it places where we would see it, and be encouraged and to hopefully memorize the verse. Honestly, memorization isn't exactly the easiest thing for me, but I found this to be very helpful. So, since I design on the computer almost every day, I decided to choose a verse each week and print it on post-it notes not only for myself, but for everyone in the group. I'll show you how to do that later on (after the blog hop), but it is very easy to do. When I was working on this page of my beautiful great niece, I kept feeling compelled to add a Bible verse to the page. Since there wasn't a stamp that said what I wanted to say, I decided to create my own in My Digital Studio. I have to admit that I was a little scared about how it would be received, but I prayed that God would give me the boldness to take the risk and do something that I have never seen done in the Artisan Awards before. I had to totally step out in faith that it was the right thing to do.

 
I know that I haven't really told you much about how I created the page itself, but basically it made it in My Digital Studio, printed it, and added some traditional elements like resin flowers and ribbon to complete the look. Sometimes I like to trim my digital pages down a little and mount them on card stock. I think it gives them a more traditional feel and a little more stability when adding things like ribbon and other embellishments. 

That's all for today. Don't forget, we have five more days of award-winning projects to share, so be sure to check back every day this week. Now it's time to see what Sandra Farrell has to share with you today. As always, here's a little guide to help you along the way.

1. Connie Collins (that's me)  
2. Sandra Farrell
3. Heidi King  
4. Heather Klump   
5. Cheryl LeFore   
6. Laura Mellinger
7. Jennifer Picard    
8. Heather Stevens       
9. Summer Stone    
10. Heather Summers   

Oops, I almost forgot the recipe for this project. Digital Elements: My Digital Studio; Springtime Vintage DSP, Easter Blossoms-Branch SBS; First Edition-Butterfly SBS; Fonts: Zapf Calligraphic BT, Bickman Script Pro Regular, CK Ali’s Hand. Traditional Elements: Not Quite Navy 12”x12” Cardstock; Patterns DSP Stack-Brights-Old Olive; Big Shot Machine; Little Leaves Sizzlits Die; 1/2” Seam Binding Ribbon-Baja Breeze; Heat Gun; Vintage Flower Adornments.

2011 Artisan Award-Winning Blog Hop - Day 3

Welcome to day three of the Artisan Award Blog Hop. I hope you are enjoying our projects as much as we are enjoying sharing them. If you are visiting all the blogs in order, then you should have just left the blog of the oh-so-talented Heather Summers.

So far I have only shared cards, so I thought I would mix it up and share a scrapbook page with you today. This is the first scrapbook page I have ever done of my beautiful great niece, Gabby. Her older sister, Patty, is usually the subject of my pages, but my family was starting to hint that maybe it was time that Gabby got her moment in the limelight. There was a slight problem with that, however. Seems I just didn't have any good pictures of her. That's when my mom stepped in a shared some pictures she had taken. Thanks Mom!

You may not be able to tell from this picture, but the blocks in the photo have a woodgrain pattern on them. I decided to carry that over to the circles on the page by using the woodgrain background stamp  and Versamark ink to heat emboss a design on cardstock.  I also used some Decor Elements vinyl to create a mask at the bottom of the page. By working quickly, I was able to sponge ink on the background and then carefully remove the vinyl without damaging the page.

Recipe: Card Stock: Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzaz, Whisper White; Woodgrain Background Stamp; VersaMark Pad, Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder; Heat Tool; Big Shot Machine; Circles #2 Die; Dimensionals; 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon-Pumpkin Pie; Stamping Sponge, Pacific Point Classic Ink Pad; Heard From the Heart Stamp Set; Happiness Small Decor Elements (used as a mask).

Now it's time to hop on over to visit Sandra Farrell to see what amazing project she has to share with you today. And if you get lost, here's a little guide to help you along the way.

1. Connie Collins (that's me)  
2. Sandra Farrell
3. Heidi King  
4. Heather Klump   
5. Cheryl LeFore   
6. Laura Mellinger
7. Jennifer Picard    
8. Heather Stevens       
9. Summer Stone    
10. Heather Summers   

MDS Paper Daisy Tutorial

Last week I accidentally deleted this post. I don't have time to redo the entire thing, but I wanted to get the video posted again for those of you who have requested it. You can see the original embellishment here. You will need to go to my photo and then click "view winning entry here". Be sure to check out the other fabulous winning entries to the MDS contest.

 

"Almost" Artisan Award Entry #9

We are nearing the end of my project entries, so here is my absolute favorite scrapbook page. It's a digital hybrid created in My Digital Studio and then I added die cuts and stamped flowers. This is my beautiful Chinese friend, Eleanor. I have a facination with all things oriental, so I flipped when she said I could use it for one of my scrapbook pages.

Supplies: My Digital Studio (Real Red & Basic Black CS,  Custom Border CS to match photo, Spring Shades DSP, Once Upon A Time Stamp Set. Just Perfect Alaphabet, Ariel Font), Chocolate Chip Card Stock, Custom Printed CS to Match Photo sprayed with Frost White Shimmer Paint & Alcohol, Basic Black Ink Pad, uni-ball Signo Gel Pen White, Flower Fancy Stamp Set, Birds & Branches Sizzlet & Big Shot Machine. Printed on Epson Stylus Photo 1400 Printer on Staples Photo Supreme double-sided matte paper.

"Almost" Artisan Award Entry #7

This is my second scrapbook page that I submitted for the Artisan Award competition. The only thing on this page that is added after the fact are the silver brads. Everything else was done in My Digital Studio. It is incredible how real the grosgrain ribbon looks, Everyone who saw this page (before I sent it in) literally touched it to see if it was real. The story on this page is absolutely true, too! Can you imagine hiring a wedding photographer for your big day, only to find out later that none of the pictures they took turned out. Rebecca and Dan did have another photo shoot later in the year with the photographer, but you just can't imagine how glad they were to find out that several people had taken candids at their wedding. 

Supplies: My Digital Studio (Brocade Blue Brocade & Villa DSP, Torn Edges Swirl Leaves Stamp Set,
Curly Lable Punch, Frames With A Flourish & Together Forver Stamp Sets, Brocade Blue Grosgrain Ribbon,Times New Roman Font), Silver Brads, Basic Black Card Stock.

Printed on Epson Stylus Photo 1400 Printer on Staples Photo Supreme double-sided matte paper