--- Blog Hop Tuesday ---

     Just popping in to give you a heads up about a Valentine's Day Card blog hop! It begins tomorrow (Jan 19th) at 8 a.m. EST. The CardMaker magazine and the Ribbon Resource blog teams are hosting the hop. There will, of course, be a giveaway. Can't have a proper blog hop without fun prizes! I'll look forward to your visit tomorrow as you hop through my blog!

Fiskafriends The Power of Community Blog Hop and Giveaway

       Welcome to our blog hop!

     We are celebrating our First Anniversary with a Fiskafriend Blog Hop.  You do not have to be a Fiskafriend to visit and comment on our bloggers' posts. This hop is open to everyone! International visitors included! The theme of the hop is Anything Goes, so be prepared to find a variety of creative projects and ideas. 
     Giveaway prizes?  Of course! Everyone loves a giveaway! We will have an end of the hop giveaway with fabulous prizes. In addition to the end of the hop giveaway, some of our bloggers are offering giveaway prizes of their own on their posts.    For the complete blog hop list and to be entered in the Fiskafriends' sponsored giveaways, leave a comment on any of the listed blogs and follow the sponsor giveaway entry directions at: http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com/ 

     I am having my own giveaway too! Instructions to enter my separate giveaway are at the bottom of this post.

     I  have Easter cards to share with you on my hop stop.

     I've been playing around lately with the idea of what impact color and simple patterns can have in card design. I used a fairly bright pink on my first card. The gingham gives it a sort of country look, even with the fancy, white, die-cut overlay.

     I used the exact same design on my second card changing only the color and using a solid instead of a printed, oval layer. The second card is certainly more elegant than the first.

     I had a heck of a time photographing this second card. Something about the flowers is reading wrong through my camera. I'm sharing it here anyway, so you can at least get a better idea of what I'm talking about. The flowers in 'real life' are a much better match with this light peach background.  

     >>>DESIGNER TIP<<< To get my heat-embossed sentiment to match the curve of my oval panel, I curved the clear stamp as I placed it on an acrylic block. Kind of gives an extra life to a lot of my stamps.

 

      I want to show you the inside of my cards as well. I often don't put as much effort on the inside of the card, but I'm changing that. I like bringing a little something from the front to the inside - color and theme in this instance. I wish I had thought to put a piece of the die-cut vine on the inside to peak out from under the sentiment tag. Too late, the cards are already in the mail headed to their recipients.

   For the complete blog hop list and to be entered in the Fiskafriends' sponsored giveaways, leave a comment on any of the listed blogs and follow the sponsor giveaway entry directions at: http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com/ 

     Now, for my own giveaway. I have an e-book copy of my latest children's book, "Max, the Boy Raindrop" in which I created all the illustrations using only paper/cardstock and scrapbooking tools. I will also include a fun border punch from EK Success to send to one of my followers (US residents only). Join my blog and your name will go in the drawing. Let me know in your comment that you joined. If you are already a member of my blog,  tell me so and your name will go in as well. I will draw a name for my personal giveaway on Wednesday, April 1st.  Check back in to see if you are the winner. You'll have two weeks to contact me with mailing info.

 

Stacia #9314 is up next:   http://www.stampzone.blogspot.com

Start here: http://fiskafriends.blogspot.com/ 

1. Jean Bullock, #8889,  http://ez3dpopups.blogspot.com 
2. Susan Slomski, #6150,  http://sueinct.blogspot.com 
3. Cindy deRosier, #4113, http://www.cindyderosier.com
4. Tifany DeGough, #5942, http://inkblotsbytrd.blogspot.com 
5. Cheryl Waters, #002, http://blog.artsyfindings.com
6. Jean Marmo, #7358, http://pagesintime.blogspot.com/
7. Teresa Godines #6857 http://purplebunnypapercrafts.blogspot.com/
8. Michelle O'Driscoll #7586 http://scrapbookingsos.blogspot.ca/
9. Nancy Carroll  #11488  http://nancecarroll.blogspot.com
10. Maya Oren-Dahan #351  http://mayadahan.blogspot.com
11. Amy Martin Jones #8546 http://thetigershaven.blogspot.com/
12. Karen Poirier-Brode (Ladydoc) #2858 http://www.karenscorneroftheweb.blogspot.com
13. Tanya Napier #5407  http://mamabirdy-happinessishomemade.blogspot.com/
14. Pamela Haskin #8040 www.cottagebelow.com  (You are here.)
15. Stasia Sloma #9314 http://www.stampzone.blogspot.com
16. Tracy Moloney  #6773 http://tracyscraftyadventures.blogspot.com.au/
17. Kim Chenez #5612 http://scrapbooknstampingfun.blogspot.com/

 

       Here's what I used to make my cards:

          cardstock: white, pink, green the Paper Studio

          patterned paper: pink gingham, the Paper Studio

          die-cuts: overlay and oval layer, Spellbinders 5x7 Heirloom Legacy

                            vine, Our Daily Bread Designs Fancy Foliage

          punches: EK Success lattice chain and corner rounder

          stamps: Paper Smooches Easter Blessings

                          Our Daily Bread Designs Earth Verses

          flowers: Prima Marketing

          brads: Recollections

          ink: black pigment, ColorBox

          embossing powder: clear, Ranger

May the Lord be glorified by the work of my hands, 

                             Pamela

                

Be Still My Blooming Heart

*Welcome to the Fiskateers Spring Blog Hop.*

     You should have come here from  Groovy Deb #2644

http://ifitsgroovy.blogspot.com/

     If you are hopping into the middle of our blog hop and you are a Fiskateer, you can start here www.fiskateers.com.

      If you are thinking a “Fiskawhat?”, you should know that Fiskateers (www.fiskateers.com) is an online community of craftiness (paper crafts, sewing, gardening, etc.) all based around our love and appreciation of Fiskars (think orange-handled scissors to start). There is a blog, gallery, and message board led by four lovely Lead Fiskateers who along with the other Fiskateers are fabulous at getting creativity flowing via chats, challenges, on-line crops, and interviews with other crafty celebrities. If you would like to join you can do so here http://www.fiskateers.com/join/. Then, join in the fun at the beginning, www.kellystarsallthingscrafty.blogspot.com for a complete list of blog hop stops.

     We’ll be hopping all weekend , March 24^th and 25^th to welcome spring! The blog hop officially ends on Sunday March 25^th at 11pm CST.

     Like me, some of the Fiskateers are offering sur-prizes…check their directions carefully to participate.

***** Blooming Hearts *****

     I love using my tools in unexpected ways! I created these coral-colored flowers using my Fiskars medium and large That's Amore heart punches. I'll list all my supplies below. I began by making the base of this card out of a medium-lavender cardstock. Then, I added two panels, one of country-blue and the other of light-lavender.

    To make the flower, you will have to double-punch each petal using the heart punches. First, with textured, coral cardstock punch a heart using the medium punch like this:

     Set aside the heart for use on the card later. You will be using the negative space for these petals. Now, punch a large heart centering the small negative space in the middle of the large heart like this:

     To make the larger flower, you will need four of these petals. For the smaller flower you will need two petals. You will also need one medium-size green heart to add to each flower when you're done.

     Begin the flower by gluing one of the petals over only half of another petal like this:

     Add as many or as few petals as you want to make whatever size flower works for your project. When you have the petals together, add the green heart at the bottom.

    Next, I cut a stem and made leaves using my diecut machine. I cut a country-blue vase free-hand but the decoration on the vase is from my diecutter. I attached the vase with double-stick mounting tape to give some depth to the card. Then, I stamped a sentiment from Fiskars' All Year Cheer collection on medium lavender with VersaMark watermark ink. I attached it to the card like a little stake that comes with real, delivered flowers. Lastly, I added some of the medium hearts that were set aside earlier to add some balance to the card. This may sound like a lot of steps but it was fairly quick to put together once I had the design in my head.

    

     I have a fun Fiskars sur-prize for a lucky someone who stops by here this weekend. To have your name entered in the drawing, leave a comment here. I hope you will also join my blog as a follower. Leave your Fiskateer # and your blog address and I'll follow you too. You have until Sunday, the 25th at 11:00 p.m. CST to enter the drawing.

     Thanks for hopping by…next stop is Donna #6036

 http://www.scissorsstampsandscrapbooks.blogspot.com/

My Supply List

Fiskars That's Amore medium heart squeeze punch

Fiskars That's Amore large heart squeeze punch

Fiskars Simple Stick rubber stamps, All Year Cheer collection

Spellbinders dies, Parisian Accents and Daisy Heads

VersaMark watermark ink pad

Cardstock--

     The Paper Studio, medium lavender, country blue

     DCWV, textured coral, textured green

     ColorBok, textured light lavender

Fiskateer Blog Hop Coming This Weekend

----Fun Weekend Coming Up ---

   I'm participating in a blog hop with some of my fellow Fiskateers this weekend - March 24 & 25. I can't wait for you to see the card I made for it. The blog hop begins at 8 a.m. Saturday. You will be able see my contribution here. You might have to sign up on the Fiskateer website to see everyone else's projects. You can check out the Fiskateers by clicking on the blinkie in the left hand column of my blog.