Welcome to Bike Week - Monday

Hi everyone and welcome to Bike Week here on my blog.   I'll be popping in every day this week, all the way thru Friday, sharing cards with a Bike Week theme.   As someone who has spent a few vacations on the open road with my husband, attending the famous Bike Week in Daytona, FL and bike rallies in the Black Hills of Sturgis, South Dakota, I was super excited when The Ton came out with their Motorcycle line of stamps and dies.  What an awesome idea for some fun, masculine cards!  But for as many men as I know who ride, I also know a few amazing women with bikes of their own.

This week I thought it would be fun to make up a bunch of cards for men and women, using the The Ton's two motorcycle stamps and coordinating die sets:

Motorcycle Layering Set - 6x8

Motorcycle Boss - 4x6

Anyone who has been to a motorcycle rally has seen the rows and rows of bikes lined up along the streets, in parking lots and even along the beach.  Ok, well not so much in the sand but as close as they can get!  Daytona's Bike Week is a sight I'll never forget.  Thousands of bikes among the palm trees.  The serene ocean setting invaded by shiny chrome and revving engines!   So for my first card I brought out The Ton's Palm Tree stamp set to help create a fun and easy background that reminds me of Daytona.   

• I started by doing some simple, straight line masking and ink blending with The Ton inks:  Vanilla Frosted Cupcake and Warm Hazelnut for the sand, Cobalt Breeze for the water and Cali Blue for the sky.

• Then I stamped the smallest palm trees directly onto the card using The Ton's green inks:  Soft Garden, Bright Fern and Deep Emerald for the palms.  Found Topaz and Aspen Cocoa for the tree trunks. 

•   I added a sentiment and seagulls using Noir.  The texture on the sand was achieved by sprinkling on a few water droplets.

 

Keeping the background simple helps to draw all the focus on these awesome motorcycles from 

 The Ton's Motorcycle Layering set.  

• I used The Ton's gray tone inks to stamp the bodies of these motorcycles:   Light Onyx first, then Noir for the second layer, Crystal Pewter for the third and Smokey Quartz for the final layer.  As long as I have my Misti stamp positioner loaded I stamped up about a dozed of these for future cards. 

• I chose bright coordinating colors to stamp the fenders:  Iris Bloom and Violet Fringe for the purple and Bright Emerald and Hot Tourmaline for the teal color.

• For sparkle I used a clear Wink of Stella marker over the bright colors.

 

Do you have either of these stamp sets yet?  Well, I have some awesome news!  The Ton gave me a set of each to give away!   That's right!  

• Two lucky commenters will win one of these stamp sets!  All you have to do is ride along with me this week and leave a comment each day, here on my Bike Week blog postings.  
• The first random winner chosen will get first choice on which stamp set they win.  The remaining stamp set will go to the second random winner chosen.  
• (Sorry, open to US residents only, due to shipping restrictions.)  
• I'll give you through the weekend to get your comments in and will announce the lucky winners on Monday, May 7th.  

Just a quick note:  The Ton shipping dept. is currently on hiatus but will be back in the shop on May 10th and will get your orders out promptly. 

Thank you for riding along today!  Stop on back tomorrow to see two more motorcycle cards using The Ton's other stamp set Motorcycle Boss.   Remember to comment below for your chance to WIN!

Paisley Peacock: New grad and wedding cards and a giveaway!

  (updated 4/17/18)

Hello and welcome to my blog today.   I'm so glad you stopped by.  As some of you know, I've been laying low for a while.  I'm still recouping from my ankle surgery so my postings have been a little sporadic the last couple months.   But one thing I've learned is that  life doesn't slow down a bit, even though I have.  There are still fun things happening.....fun celebrations that I need cards for.   With May and June fast approaching I don't want to be caught without a couple graduation and wedding cards on hand so I'm back in my craft room playing with a few of my Catherine Pooler stamp sets and dies.

I pulled out one of my favorite Catherine Pooler Designs stamp and die sets:

Paisley Peacock

(more info on how you can win it below!)

I love using this proud peacock on graduation cards!

What I love most about this set is that it's so fun to stamp.  I never seem to be able to make up my mind which colors to use so this little guy never gets stamped with less than three colors of inks.  I love to pick three coordinating inks and blend them together on his body.  

Here I used Catherine Pooler Design inks:

Seafoam, Aquatini, All That Jazz, Something Borrowed and Midnight

I also used Catherine Pooler's fabulous new Stained Glass Coverplate die for the background.  I simply cut out the large circle in the center to make room for the large sentiment from the You Did It! stamp set.  I love how the Paisley Peacock nestles into the shape of the circle.

I sprinkled some diecut paisleys and coordinating color sequins over the front of the card like confetti and spread the party to the inside too!  What started out as three little paisleys on the inside exploded to many because I just couldn't stop myself.  There's just nothing like some good old fashioned stamping therapy!

For my second project I needed a country themed wedding card.  June weddings usually bring beautiful outdoor weddings and country themes seem to be the rage here in the midwest.  I love how couples are keeping things simple yet elegant by using handmade country decor and wildflower bouquets.  When I think country, I think of faded denim, so for this card I decided to stamp a soft paisley "denim" background using Catherine Pooler's fabulous Stone Blue ink.  It's the perfect shade of blue!

To create the tag I also used Catherine Pooler's:

 You Did It! stamp set

And Sentiments stamp set

Lovely Flowers stamp set

Lovely Flowers & Banners dies

All that blue and white is beautiful but to top off this country card, it really needed a pop of  Rockin' Red!  I also added some Sauna yellow and Eucalyptus green.   A little leftover flower adds a teeny surprise on the inside!

And.............

I don't normally do this but I just had to come back and add one more new peacock card that I made today.  I thought it turned out so cute stamped in all the bright colors from Catherine Pooler Design's

Party Collection:  Rockin' Red, Orange Twist, Tiara, Lime Rickey, Fiesta Blue and Midnight

The sentiment is from one of Catherine's newer stamp sets:  Zen Feather.  The arrow diecut is from the Lovely Flowers & Banners die set.   I made this card for my little niece so there must be some bling!

Are you liking those paisleys and peacocks?  Well guess what!  I have a whole Paisley Peacock stamp and die set to give away to one lucky winner!  Yep, you heard me!  Here's your chance to own it!  All you have to do is leave me a comment below by 7pm Sunday, April 15th.   I'll choose one random winner from here in the U.S. (Sorry, open to US only, due to shipping restrictions.)

Don't know what to say?  I would love to know: 
 Do you decorate the inside of your cards?
What is your favorite event to make cards for?
Do you make your cards ahead of time or do you make them as each event comes along?


Good luck and happy stamping!

 Just FYI:  I have a few friends who are also having giveaways on their blogs this weekend.  If you get a chance click the links below:
Tracie Pond at Tracie Pond Designs 
Karen Baker at The Bald Dragonfly Designs 
Susan Powell at Creating With Susan
Ilina Crouse at Creativity Within 

The Ton Spring 2018 Release Blog Hop

 Hello, welcome to my blog and The Ton's new Spring 2018 Release Blog Hop!

This week The Ton has released 14 new stamps and coordinating die sets and five brand new stand alone dies.    Today The Ton's design team is being joined by a whole list of amazing guest designers that are excited to show them to you so be sure to hop along from blog to blog.  There are prizes to be had! (more info below).



All new products are live and available now in The Ton shop!!!  So if you see something awesome you can just pop on over any time and place your order.  All release orders will begin to ship on April 9.

Gifts With Purchase:

 Did you know that The Ton also offers a free gift with purchase incentive?  For this release there are two fabulous stamp sets that are being offered free with qualifying orders.*

• Spend $200 or more: Receive the 4×6 Nesting Peonies set.**

• Spend $250 or more: Receive a 6x8 Toned Squares set (and a Nesting Peonies set).** 

 *This promotion does not apply to prior purchases.  **The threshold amount is calculated before taxes and shipping. 

This promotion will continue until April 10, 2018 at 11:59pm EST or until supplies last. Limit one incentive package per customer. No coupon code needed. All incentive products will automatically be added to qualified orders (they will not show up in your cart but will be added to orders as we pack them).  There must be a new Spring 2018 Release stamp in your order to qualify for our GWP promotion.  These GWP products are available for immediate purchase.

 Today I have three cards to share with you and all of them feature those fabulous incentive stamp sets.  For these cards I used the following new stamps from The Ton's Spring 2018 Release:

Toned Squares

Nesting Peonies

Beautiful Bettas

 First up is a card I made using the Beautiful Bettas.  For a soft bubbly backdrop I used the Toned Squares stamp set, stamped with those beautiful inks by The Ton.

Couture Color Ink:  Soft Amethyst, Iris Bloom, Violet Fringe, Cali Blue, Parisian Blue, Asurite, Blue Diamond, Lofty Mint, Arctic Sky and Noir.

I also used the Double Stitched Rectangle Large die set for a frame and added some pretty Dew Drop Mix for clear bubbles.  Looking closely you can see I added a shimmery shine with a clear Wink of Stella glitter marker.

Card number two also features that beautiful large betta.  This card was a little more simple to stamp but I think I like it even better.  Using just the edge of the Toned Squares I added what looks like natural toned rocks on the bottom of a fish tank.

Couture Color Ink: Warm Hazelnut, Aspen Cocoa, Noir, Bright Fern, Soft Amethyst, Iris Bloom, Violet Fringe and Noir.

 Just look at the stunning details on this fish!!!  I added some bubbles using some clear sequins from the Glass Slippers Mix.   The sentiment is from one of The Ton's older stamp sets Coming up Daisies.

While the fish are fun, these little chickadees really won my heart.  This, by far is my favorite stamp set in this release.  These Nesting Peonies are exquisite! I stamped this stamp with The Ton's Copic friendly Caviar ink and then colored these beauties with Copic markers.  I fussy cut around the whole branch but there are dies available.  I highly recommend them because this is quite intricate and takes some time to cut out.  They are at the top of my wish list for sure!

I added some stripes to the bottom in a coordinating color ink using The Ton's Minor Stripes Cling Background. I topped this card off with some pretty Glass Slippers Mix and a thin strip of Silver Glitter Adhesive Paper.

Couture Color Inks:  Caviar, Noir and Cosmopolitan Pink

OK, here are a few more details about how you can win a brand new stamp set of your choice from this release.  Check it out!

 Blog Hop Giveaways:
Three new release stamps will be given away to random commenters from the hop participant blogs. To qualify, you must leave a comment on The Ton Blog Hop post. The comment period will close on Friday, April 6 at 5pm. Winners will be announced thereafter on The Ton’s blog.

Daily Release Giveaways:
For each Release Day (1 and 2), we are giving away a stamp set of choice from the new release! To qualify, you must leave a comment on our Daily Release posts – let us know which of our new stamps are your favorite for each day! Leave a comment on each Design Team member’s blogs to increase your chances of winning. The comment period for all giveaways closes on April 6, 5pm EST. Winners will be announced thereafter on The Ton’s blog.

OK friends, it's time to hop, hop, hop!  Next up on the list is the beautifully talented Laura Sterckx from Making Cards is Fun!

1. The Ton
2. Taheerah Atchia
3. Mayline Jung
4. Kymona Tracey
5. Justine Hovey
6. Brenda Noelke
7. Svitlana Shayevich
8. Lisa Harrolle<----you are here!
9. Laura Sterckx<----hop here NEXT!
10. Amy Tsuruta
11. Olga Matyushevskaya
12. Laurel Beard
13. Anna Kutsenko
14. Kay Miller
15. Vera Yates
16. Dana Gong
17. Renee Day
18. LauraJane
19. Ilina Crouse
20. Tae Eun Yoo
21. Amy Kolling
22. Eunji Jung
23. Janette Kausen

 Have a beautiful day!!

The Ton Spring 2018 Release - Day 2

Hello, and welcome to my blog and day two of The Ton's new Spring 2018 Release!

This week The Ton is releasing 14 new stamps and coordinating die sets and five brand new stand alone dies.  The Ton's design team and I are showing off some sneak peeks yesterday and today.  Then join us for a MEGA BLOG HOP on Wednesday!  We have some amazing guest designers in the lineup for our blog hop and also some great giveaways so be sure to hop along with us tomorrow on April 4th! 

All new products are live and available now in The Ton shop!!!  You can stop on over any time and place your order.  All release orders will begin to ship on April 9.

Before you head over to shop til you drop, I'd like to show you one more card.  I made this card using the beautiful new stamp set:


Wild Dahlias

 Wild Dahlias is a 4x6"  two layered floral stamp set that offers multiple ways of stamping. 

•  You can stamp the outlines and color them in with your favorite markers. 

•  You can stamp the solid images on their own for a quick and easy embellishment.

• You can stamp the outlines and then use the solid images to fill it in.

For my card today I chose to use all of the stamps in this set.  I also did a little masking so that I could bunch my dahlias up together for a one layer design.  This is the first time I ever used these stamps and the results turned out great.  The solid stamps lined up perfectly with the outlines and very easily too.  I stamped them all using a clear block.  I also used the following ink colors from The Ton shop:  Soft Amethyst, Orchid Crush, Grand Fuchsia, Bright Emerald, Hot Tourmaline, Noir.

I diecut the word "hello" right into the stamped card front using The Ton's Bold General Greeting Wordplate dies.  Then I popped them up with dimensional tape.  The beautiful sentiment underneath is from The Ton's Motorcycle Layering stamp set.   It looks hand written doesn't it? 

The Ton's Haute Stripes Cling Background stamp always looks great when used as a border on a card.  I especially love it when it's stamped in Noir black ink.

Now for some more fun!

Surprise!  Yes there are Daily Release giveaways:
For each Release Day (1 and 2), we are giving away a stamp set of choice from the new release! To qualify, you must leave a comment on our Daily Release posts – let us know which of our new stamps are your favorite for each day! Leave a comment on each Design Team member’s blogs to increase your chances of winning. The comment period for all giveaways closes on April 6, 5pm EST. Winners will be announced thereafter on The Ton’s blog.

Here's a lineup of all the designers showcasing new cards today.  Stop by and leave them a comment  for your chance to win!!  Be sure to leave a comment here first!  Good luck!

The Ton
Tae Eun
Laura Jane
Jenny
Olga
Vera
Anna
Mayline
Brenda
Eunji
Lisa

Thanks so much for stopping by, have a great day!

The Ton Spring 2018 Release - Day 1

Hello, and welcome to my blog and day one of The Ton's new Spring 2018 Release!

This week The Ton is releasing 14 new stamps and coordinating die sets and five brand new stand alone dies.  I'll be showing off some sneak peeks today and tomorrow and then join us for a MEGA BLOG HOP on Wednesday!  We have some amazing guest designers in the lineup for our blog hop and also some great giveaways so be sure to hop along with us on April 4th!  All new products will be available for purchase on April 3 and all release orders will begin to ship on April 9.


One of the things that The Ton is known for is their amazing florals designed by Effie Cho.  Today I wanted to give you a quick peek at a couple of the new sets because ummm..... hello, it's spring!!

Starting with the beautiful:

Large Florals: Heritage Rose

 Look at this beauty!  This large layered rose makes a HUGE statement on the front of an A2 size card.  A single rose can hold it's own or you can create a whole stamped background of soft colored roses, like I did here using the following inks from The Ton:  Ballet Slippers, Orchid Crush, Grand Fuchsia, Lofty Mint, Bright Emerald, Hot Tourmaline, Hampton White Pigment.

I just couldn't resist popping one up on this card with a little dimensional tape.

And why leave the inside of your card blank?  Make a bold statement by stamping a rose inside too!

Next,  I'd like to introduce you to the gorgeous new stamp set:

Large Dahlia 3

These Large Dahlias have gorgeous fine lined details that are easy to stamp and easy to color.  I used Kuretake watercolor markers to color these.

For both my cards today I made little sentiment strips using The Ton's new Beautiful Bettas stamp set.

Using a couple of The Ton's other dies;  Geometric Circles Coverplate and the Bold General Greeting Wordplate Dies, I created a white, tone on tone background to adhere these cut out Large Dahlias.

Aren't these Dahlias fun? The color choices are limitless with Dahlias because they naturally come in so many vibrant colors.  Just google "Dahlias" and you'll see endless possibilities in color combinations!

Surprise!  Yes there are Daily Release giveaways:
For each Release Day (1 and 2), we are giving away a stamp set of choice from the new release! To qualify, you must leave a comment on our Daily Release posts – let us know which of our new stamps are your favorite for each day! Leave a comment on each Design Team member’s blogs to increase your chances of winning. The comment period for all giveaways closes on April 6, 5pm EST. Winners will be announced thereafter on The Ton’s blog. 

Here's a lineup of all the designers showcasing new cards today.  Stop by and leave them a comment  for your chance to win!!

The Ton
Tae Eun
Laura Jane
Jenny
Olga
Vera
Anna
Mayline
Brenda
Eunji
Lisa

Thanks so much for stopping by, have a great day!!