All about friends...

We are safely back from our exhibit booh at the Rubber Stamp Show in West Springfield MA. Jane Bosi and I had a great time, and it was fun to meet so many of you at the show. Thank you for coming up and introducing yourself. It is great to put a face to a name! We met many new people, too.

I will be posting the make and take cards we did at the show later this week, but in the mean time, I thought I would post a card that you haven't seen yet.

My card uses a photo stamp from Stampsmith and is colored using the Distress Photo Tinting Technique from the February 2012 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. The background stamp and the sentiment are all from Impression Obsession. Remember, if you use the code TJ at checkout, you will receive 10% off your IO purchase (and who can resist those stamps!).

It appears that we may be adding more shows to our schedule this year, and attending more next. We would love to meet you at a show -- if you go to a show, leave me a message about which one (s) you attend! I would really like to hear from you.

New Issue, New Techniques

Hello stampers! The February issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter was mailed today and I think it's time to show you some new things!

I have always loved black and white photos that have slight amounts of tinting. I love my photo stamps, so I was inspired to create this Distress Photo Tinting Technique in the February issue. The stamp used here is from Stampsmith -- the leader in photo-style stamps, in my opinion!

Junkies, you can access the Newsletter now...if you need a password, please email me and I will answer you as soon as I can. Enjoy the issue!

If you are not a Junkie, now is a great time to join. You can subscribe to the online version for all of 2012 for only $9.99. You will have access to 90 tutorials at the end of the year. A bargain, right?

In any case, I hope you enjoy the techniques in this issue.

More from Paris...

I have been meaning to share this card FOREVER! I made the front panel of this card as an idea for an ATC swap I was in -- then I decided to go in a different direction. The Eiffel tower is from Innovative Stamp Creations, and the words and other stamps are from the Stampsmith set in the giveaway (sign up for the giveaway on the post HERE). That is layered on a piece of Painted Mesh, which is a technique from the December 2008 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. Those layers are on a piece of Vintage Silver Lustre from The Paper Temptress -- I have to tell you, the paper is so luxurious that I was loathe to use it! Unfortunately, it doesn't show well in the scan, but it really makes the card.

Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

Weekly giveaway: Stampsmith meets the Cuttlebug!

Bonjour Mon Amis! Who wouldn't want to go to Paris in the spring?Ohh la la! I can't take you to Paris, but I CAN offer you a change at winning these magnifique Paris stamps by The Stampsmith. This huge 8-1/2" x 11" sheet of stamps will be given to one lucky winner along with the card below on Monday morning....will it be you?

The card made with this sheet of stamps features the Cuttlebug Stamps Technique from the April 2009 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. I just love this technique! So EASY, and once you make the stamp, you can use it until you "tire" of it : ) The front panel, with the Arc d'Triomphe, was brayered onto white glossy cardstock, then colored lightly with chalks.

Anyone can win these stamps -- you do not need to be a newsletter subscriber. To win, simply leave me a comment on this post. let me know why you would like to go to Paris in the Spring (or why you love your Cuttlebug!). Make sure I can identify you by your post and remember that blogger does NOT send me your email address. I will pick a winner from all entries on Monday April 6th at 9 am EST.

Au Revoir!

Laurie Schierer is the lucky winner of this set of stamps!

Wonderful Wednesday Giveaway -- The Stampsmith

Today's giveaway are two beautiful unmounted photo stamps from The Stampsmith.

The first image, shown in the card and on the left, is Grace Christmas. I find this image to be incredibly lovely! I think it is because the evergreen in the picture makes me conjure up the smell of pine -- it is a very happy and soothing smell for me.

When I was making the card above, I stamped her in black ink on glossy paper, then gently tinted the image with chalk. That panel is mounted on burgundy, then on a piece of pink/burgundy/green that was made using the Two-Toned Crunch Technique from the December 2008 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. That piece was mounted on a piece of stamped evergreen paper, mounted again on Burgundy, and embellished with ribbons and snowflakes.

The second image in today's giveaway, on the right, Is called butterfly kiss. I did make a card with this image, too, but it will be shown in the February 2009 issue of the TJ Newsletter, and I did not want to ruin the surprise!

For the giveaway this week, I would like to do something different. To enter, leave a comment, BUT tell me what Holiday item makes you feel all warm inside : )

You have until Sunday evening, December 21st, 2008, to leave me a comment. I will select a winner using a random number generator on Monday, December 22nd. Make sure to leave me your email address so that I can contact you. You many want to leave it in this format: p huntoon at optonline dot net -- that will help mystify those pesky internet bots.

Now, I am off to smell my Christmas tree~

Congratulations to Sharon Briss! She is the lucky giveaway winner!

Bloggers Challenge: Christmas in July!

Today's Blogger's Challenge is Christmas in July! I wanted to do something elegant today, so I pulled out this gorgeous image from The Stampsmith. I colored this lovely Christmas girl with chalks, and layered her over a piece of green Aged Metal (from the 2-08 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter). I wanted to add a piece of Pine Bough (can't you just smell it?) but the Eucalyptus looked better.

I know that Innovative Stamp Creations still has some Shimmer Sheetz left (they were discontinued by the company), just in case (I know I will be asked!).

On another note, I have an exciting week planned for next week! Check in on Monday for the beginning of 35 days of fun!

I also leave for vacation tomorrow morning, and will not have a reliable Internet access...so be patient with me, okay?

Have a good week -- Hope you can get into the spirit of Christmas a little today!

Pat

Wonderful Wednesday Giveaway -- The Stampsmith

This week we are lucky to have a gorgeous stamp plate from The Stampsmith as our Wednesday giveaway. The retro feel of these stamps are wonderfully zany and just so much fun to use!

The winner of the stamps today will also receive this card. The card was stamped on smooth white cardstock, and the image was colored with colored pencils. The main colorful layering piece used on this card uses the Createx Creations Technique from the April 2008 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. The inside of the card uses one of the phrases included on this stamp sheet: "Friends Forever."

Okay, want to know how this sheet and card could be yours?
ANYONE can enter this give away.One entry per person, per give away, please. To enter the give away for today, simply leave a comment on this blog entry telling me that you would like to enter by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, May 25th. No other entry methods will be included in the give away. If you email me to enter, your entry will NOT be considered a valid entry. When you leave the comment, make sure to put your NAME in the comment -- if you enter your comment as "Anonymous", I cannot give you the prize! Blogger does NOT record your email address for me, so you will need to check back to find out if you have won or include your email address in your comment so that I can notify you. A good way to do this is like so: phuntoon at optonline dot net -- it will help protect your privacy! I will have a random number generator pick one number from the comments to select one winner. Each give-away is separate, so to be eligible for a specific item you must enter that day's contest on the post where it is listed. Enter today -- good luck! I have blog give aways every week -- come play!

Congratulations to Linda Aschenbach, the winner of this giveaway!