Newton's Nook Designs April Release - Garden Whimsy

today is the last day of April RELEASE week for Newton's Nook Designs! awww, but don't be sad! that means that tomorrow all of the stamp sets you have seen this week will be available for purchase!! eek!!

today, the whole DT is showcasing the new, all green (ha!) all spring-y Garden Whimsy stamp set!! don't you just LOVE this set? it's sooooo cute! you can totally use this to scrapbook, create a project life type spread, gift tags and, of course, cards! all of the new sets will be available for purchase on April 17th, right here!

i really had a TON of fun with this set!
on my first card, i used some watercolor with distress inks to create my background!
(shocking, i know! ha!)

isn't it great though?! i LOOOOVE those two shades of green! i used shabby shutters and mowed lawn! i love that it really plays into the sentiment too!!

the sentiments on this set really ARE AWESOME! they are so sweet and lovely! some of my favorite ever!

on my 2nd card, i used Winston and copic colored him with that cute little watering can and flower! how could i resist such an image?!

i popped up the watering can and the flower and pop to add some dimension, and then used some white embossing paste and a stencil to create the sun rays! the sentiment was stamped onto some vellum that i colored yellow with distress inks and stapled! 

then i added some yellow enamel dots and splatters to add to the sunny-ness of all! :)

Would you like to win “Garden Whimsy”?
This set will be given away to ONE lucky winner! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective blog release posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday, April 16th at 9pm CDT to comment  -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, April 17th. 

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook Designs

Taheerah Atchia

Lydia Evans
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Crafty Math-Chick
Jess Moyer
Stephanie Muzzulin
Danielle Pandeline
Kimberly Rendino
Yukari Yoshioka
Nicole Picadura (Guest Designer)

lawnscaping challenge #103 - dimension

i am so ready to start this week! 
i know, that's a crazy sentence for a monday. but come on, there's a new Lawnscaping Challenge! and this is a really FUN one! ha! i LOVE it!

that's right! pull out all of your dimensional stops...we're talking foam tape, paper layers, texture, make us want to touch your project! ha!

like i said, i had FUN with this challenge...i think you'll agree:

he he he!! (see? fun is even in the sentiment!)
i stamped and cut out the swing, bird and posts 5 times. 5 TIMES. it was the first time i had used Let's Play...and boy, did i use it! 
side note - this card would have been a breeze to create, if i had the dies. sigh.

anywho, then i colored a layer and adhereed them all together to make it nice and thick!
i think you can see, i also cut out the base of the card so that that cute little birdie could actually swing! 

yes! i used actual thread to connect the swing to the rest of the set!
the grass was punched with vellum and then i added some shabby shutters distress ink to one and mowed lawn (because "lawn" is SO perfect for this card for a multitude of reasons!) on the other layer of grass. i heat embossed the sentiment!

oh, and that yellow - that's some awesome watercoloring. it was actually slightly painful to cut up. i really liked how it came out.
oh well!

so that's my card! are you ready to play along?
for even more inspiration (if you can stand it!), check out the lawnscaping facebook page! we're dedicated to keeping your creative juices flowing! :)

this week we're sponsored by a brand new sponser for the Lawnscaping Challenge - Ellen Hutson! so get your card making on, and you could win a $25 gift certificate! hello!! :)

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge - Cute Critters

hello - fun news alert!

Newton's Nook is sponsoring the most recent challenge at Cupcake Inspired Challenges! 

so fun! it's all about cute critters! what a perfect match for the sponsor - Newton's Nook Designs, don't you think?
as part of the NND DT, several of us were able to play along as "Guest Sweeties" with the challenge!! how cute is that title?!

yeah, so bring on the cuteness!
here's my card:

i just love how it looks like the whole gang is hurrying to wish you a happy birthday! it's so fun!
i used lots of different Newton stamp sets for this card (Hanging Around, Newton Dreams of Paris and Newton's Summer Vacation)!
all of the images were colored with copics and popped up. the poor little mouse from Newton's Day Dream is pulling the crew in the adorable red wagon from Wagon of Wishes! ha ha!

i stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in red on some vellum! and the background was created with squeezed lemonade ink and water drops!  LOVE that sun-shiney day! :)

i hope you play along with the challenge, for your chance to win some Newton's Nook swag!! hello!
enjoy!

bubbles bubbles bubbles

**this is my 2nd post today! i'm a busy little bee! ha! to see my Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge card, scroll down or click here!**

hello again!

this time, i'm here sharing a layout with some Create a Smile stamps and flair! the whole layout, and instructions on how it came together, can be found on the Create a Smile blog! 

aw, look at those squeaky clean little menn!

i love the background on this - it took lots of distress paint and water! ha!

thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out the Create a Smile blog to read all about it! 

enjoy!

watercolor wishes and mixed media dreams

hey there!
today i just wanted to pop in and share a layout i made for a couple fun challenges!
the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge this month is all about pink!! you can't go wrong with pink, i say!

and over at the Little Tangles challenge, it's all about watercoloring! i couldn't LOVE that more!

so i combined the two challenges and came up with this super pretty (at least I think so!) layout!
i started with a 12x12 page from the Up In the Clouds collection from PinkFresh Studio! LOOOOOOOVE that collection! 

I covered it in clear gesso, and then used Worn Lipstick and Dried Marigold distress inks to add watercoloring! (my favorite way is to smoosh the ink onto a piece of packaging, then spray with water and then smoosh the packaging onto the layout!! FUN!) 
Once that was dry, i stamped the cloud images from Clouds (fitting!) and the triangles from Tiny Triangles, just to add some more contrast and fun to the background!

but guess what? i didn't stop with the background there! i also added some hearts with a stencil and embossing paste! and that was it! i promise! ha! background - complete! 
next up? heat embossing part of the Dreams stamp directly onto the photo! scandalous! 

I used lots of papers to layer the photo and add some dimension! then i used the same papers to mimic the layers for the subtitle on the top right corner! the sentiment is from Origami Map and was heat embossing in white!

i took some wood veneers and also added watercoloring to them!! LOVE that!

i stitched the sentiment on and then added some random stitching on other parts of the layout! a few enamel dots and other embellishments, and the layout is done! whew!

thanks for stopping by!
enjoy!

lawnscaping challenge #100 - birthday celebration!!!!

good morning!
today is a brand new Lawnscaping Challenge! and not just that - it's a special day - it is our 100th challenge if you can believe it! We are all so excited and wanted to celebrate in an extra special way!!!
so each of us on the Design Team invited a special party guest to play along with us today! 

the theme BIRTHDAY/CELEBRATION (of course!)!!

 my special party guest is the amazingly talented Jocelyn Olson!!! (pinch me! you know how guys will say, 'she said YES!' when they are talking about a girlfriend accepting his proposal? yeah, that's about what i shouted when i asked Jocelyn to be my special guest! ha ha!) 
Jocelyn's card is AMAZING!! i LOOOOOOOVE the rainbow and all of those monster critters in party hats! ha! adorable!! i would party with those guys all day! :D

be sure to head on over to the Lawnscaping Blog where you can see ALL of the Design Team projects as well as ALL of our special party guest projects.

i tried to channel my inner Jocelyn for my card! she's is literally so AMAZING and inspires me everyday! i LOVE her style - layers, stitching, color! swoon! so that's what i tried to achieve here! 

i used the super cool Admit One stamp set from Lawn Fawn! I watercolored the background with warm pinks and yellows from my Peerless Watercolors! (LOOOOOVE them!) 
then i stamped the ferris wheel right on top! the little cars on the wheel were fussy cut cut out of patterned paper, and i added a little watercoloring to them as well! 

i also fussy cut out the balloons a BUNCH from patterned papers and vellum! then used lots of layers to ground my card base! the only thing i was missing was stitching! which i LOVE on cards...but i just couldn't make it work here. ha! :D oh well!

so yes...that's the happenings today! a card from me and a BONUS, amazing card from the incredibly talented Jocelyn Olson! are you ready to play along?
for even more inspiration (if you can stand it!), check out the lawnscaping facebook page! we're dedicated to keeping your creative juices flowing! :)

this week we're sponsored by lawn fawn! so get your card making on, and you could win a stamp set of your choice! :)

xoxo layout - breaking the law!

it's saturday, and i have a fun layout to share of my oldest, little mann, when he was still little! :) ha!

i saw this technique done by PurpleMailbox (you can see the AWESOME video here) onto a canvas, and i thought it would translate wonderfully onto a scrapbook page! :)

i have never used embossing paste NOT with a stencil...so this was definitely a new technique for me!
and in that spirit, i'm entering it as a last minute entry into the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge! 

and because i LOOOOOOOOVED that mood board on Butterfly Reflections Ink's blog, i'll go ahead and link it up there too! i mean, come on!! that mood board was INSANE. i loved it so much, i pinned it! ha ha! :D

ok, so onto my layout!

i created those little roses or rosettes by taking a scoop of modelling paste and moving my palette knife in a circular motion until i liked the shape of the flowers! once it was dry (read: the next day!), i added the color with distress inks (worn lipstick and spun sugar) and a gold mist spray by putting the ink pad and mist onto my kraft mat, and using a paint brush apply the color! 

i had to let THAT dry again...ha! so i added lots of layers to the photo (my little mann is 3 and 1/2 there, so cute!) and adding lots of dimension and vellum.
i stitched on the title, added embellishments and black mist drops. 

i LOVE this! i totally broke the rules and used pinks and golds for my boy page! and i don't care! lol! i LOVE pink and gold, and i love my little mann, so there you go! :)

thanks for stopping by!
let me know if you have any questions about how i made the background...i'm dabbling with the idea of making a video...but i'm super nervous. so i'll only do it, if you want to see! no need to, otherwise! :)
enjoy!

hello world!

hi there!
it's sunday afternoon! my little menn are outside playing in the beautiful weather with my husband, and i'm getting some crafty time in! it's win-win! :)

i have a fun card i created for the Little Tangles Challenge going on now!

yep! "hello", now that's a theme i can get into! ha! :)

here's my card:

i used some distress inks (worn lipstick, spiced marmalade, and mustard seed) and smooshed them on my craft mat. then i sprayed it with water and laid my card base on top - love that background! i stamped the world image from the Origami Map stamp set over it! 

then i stamped just North America out onto some patterned paper popped it up over some loose string. i stamped the label sentiment and hearts from the Everyday Labels in versmark ink on some scrap white cardstock, heat embossed it all in clear, and then stitched them onto my card front!

i stached some coordinating patterned papers (which i cut by hand) behind the map and it was done! :)
hope it makes you smile and a big, "happy hello" to everyone who stopped by! :D
enjoy!

Newton's Nook Designs January Release - Newton Dreams of Paris

good morning! it's day 2 for the Newton's Nook's January Release!

today, the whole DT is showcasing the new, super FUN, playful and sweet, Newton Dreams of Paris Stamp set!! i just love Newton in his Parisian outfits and those hot air balloons - SO FUN!! they are perfect for scrapbooking your winter memories, doing a project life type spread, gift tags and, of course, cards (especially Vanetine's Day cards!)!! all of the new sets will be available for purchase on January 16th, right here!

ok, here's first card :

i watercolored the background (by spraying some mist onto recycled packaging, and then smooshing the packaging onto the card base). LOOOOVE that sky blue color! then i heat embossed the sentiment in white and framed out the scene with a frame from my stash!

I colored the clouds from Winged Wishes and added them to the frame and right above the trio of hot air balloons! i LOOOOVE those little guys!! and i love how colorful and happy this card turned out! :)

for my next project, i made a layout!

i LOVE that little newton with the beret!! and all those little mustaches made me think of an artist!

i colored him with copics, and added one of the sentiments to my layers of papers under the picture! the mustache was stamped directly onto the wood veneer polaroid frame, too!

i added watercolor splotches to the background (since my little Mann is watercoloring!), and then stitched on the sentiment with my sewing machine! :)
a few touches of dark teal, finished the page! :)

\\

Would you like to win “Newton Dreams of Paris”?
This set will be given away to TWO lucky winners! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! Two winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs release posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday, January 15th at 9pm CDT to comment  -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, January 16th. 

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook Designs

Taheerah Atchia

Lydia Evans

Larissa Heskett

Samantha Mann

Crafty Math-Chick

Jess Moyer

Stephanie Muzzulin

Danielle Pandeline

Kimberly Rendino

Yukari Yoshioka

Tracy Mae (Guest Designer)

countdown to the Create a Smile January release!

it's almost here! the super cute and FUN january release for Create a Smile stamps!!

today i have a card on the Create a Smile stamps blog showing a peak of  one of the sets!

it's so FUN! this set is PERFECT for creating encouragement cards, to cheer someone up, or to just make someone smile!! i can't WAIT for it to be released!

i colored all of the clouds and the sweet little bird with copics! then i fussy cut them out.
the background was created by using some gesso over a rain drop stencil in a few areas. once dry, i added some blue distress ink by way of watercoloring it on! i cut that into a banner for the card! some of the clouds are popped up for dimension, and then i added a few subtle white enamel dots!

LOVE this card! it will be perfect to send to someone who is having a lot of bad days! and hopefully it will make them smile for a minute or two! :)

be sure to check out the Create a Smile blog for the other AMAZING sneak peeks by Anja! they're INCREDIBLE, as usual, i love how she thinks OUTSIDE the box! :)

enjoy!

lawnscaping challenge #97 - winter theme

alright - out with the old, in with the new, as they say!
and today, we have a NEW Lawnscaping Challenge to share! this time, the challenge is to create a winter themed project based on these images found on Pinterest! 

and i LOOOOOOOOOVED these images! seriously - swoon! i was SO inspired!
i loved the whites, very light blues, super soft browns and that POP of red with the bird!

i really like how this card came out! 
first, i added some watercoloring to a white piece of cardstock, and then die cut the Stitched Snowflake Lawn Cuts! it gave me a variety of warm greys, light blues and whites on each snowflake! then i dip died each snowflake with some versamark and added some Silver Pearl embossing paste! people - this adds a layer of shine, but you CAN STILL SEE the colors, underneath. i LOVE it! :)

i used my sewing machine to stitch on the snowflakes in a burst from the top right of the card. then i colored the bird, log and trees with come copics and popped them up for dimension! the bird and log are from Joy to the Woods (LOVE that set!), and the sentiment and trees are from Yeti, Set, Go! :)

so that's my card! are you ready to play along?
for even more inspiration (if you can stand it!), check out the lawnscaping facebook page! we're dedicated to keeping your creative juices flowing! :)

this week we're sponsored by a brand new sponser for the Lawnscaping Challenge - Ellen Hutson! so get your card making on, and you could win a $25 gift certificate! hello!! :)

it's the final countdown!

ok, if you don't know...this is the song i was referring to in my post title, you can here it here. 

i LOOOOVE 80's rock!!! (along with about 100 other genres! lol! i'm a music person!).

anyway, with that song in mind, i created a Happy New Year card, because it's getting close to the LAST day of 2014! insane!
this card is also up on the Newton's Nook Designs blog, so be sure to check it out! :)

isn't it sweet!! ha ha!
i used a star stencil and some white embossing paste to create the starry background. then i colored the basket images and newton with copics!
that newton is from the Hanging Around stamp set! and i just love that he's peeking in from behind the card base! sneaky little newton!

That basket with the champagne is from Basket of Wishes, and i thought it was just PERFECT to help ring in the new year! :) I popped it up for some dimension, and then added a happy stripped strip of washi under the card front! :)

do you have any new year's plans? how about resolutions? 
i don't usually make resolutions, but i do have a few goals i want to accomplish next year! :) mums the word on those! ;)

enjoy! and don't forget to wish Newton (and Hobbes!!) a happy new year on the Newton's Nook Blog, too! :)