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Our final day with Amy Grabia
It's always sad to when it's our last day with our fabulous guest designers. And saying goodbye to Amy Grabia is no exception! I have two adorable projects to share with you today.
The first project is an adorable card created with our "Make a Wish" stamp set. ($7.00 of the purchase of every "Make a Wish" stamp set goes to the Make a Wish Foundation. )
I love the graceful stitching and mixed ribbons on this card. It adds such a nice touch.
The second project is so creative! Amy came up with a matching way to present a gift.
I love how Amy used the woodgraining technique to create this adorable wishing well gift basket. Wouldn't that be a cute center piece for a baby shower or bridal shower? Amy really has outdone herself with this project.
Wishing you well card
Paper- SU! Designer Series Paper - Spring Fling, Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink
Ink- Basic Black Classic Ink
Other- Pink Gingham ribbon, Prisma Colored Pencils, Gina K. Odorless Mineral Spirits, American Crafts Brown Polka dot ribbon
3-D wishing well
Isn't this just the cutest way to wrap up a gift?! I made the base using some thin chip board, I don't know where it came from it was just here in my craft room. 
I covered it in Close to Cocoa card stock that I used Gina's wood grain technique on. I cut the c/s in to strips to look like wooden planks for the base.
I tied some very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon around it, tucked in a little gift I picked up at Wal~Mart, and put in some blue tissue paper. It was super easy to do, and took maybe 20 minutes total to make, including the 5-6 minutes it took to find the tissue paper in my stash in the basement. lol!
Amy has been so delightful to work with. She is a very professional and is loaded with creativity! I wish Amy the best of luck with all of her future design team pursuits.
If you would like to be a Gina K. Designs guest designer, please submit 3 projects to us for consideration. Mail the projects to: Gina K. Designs, P.O. Box 164, McFarland, WI 53558.
Please enclosed a SASE if you'd like your projects returned.
Below, you can read a little bit more about Amy!
Have a wonderful day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
. . . . . . . .
"I am a Canadian Domestic Goddess (aka stay at home mom) to a VERY active little boy, married to the love of my life, and a hobby SU! Demo
My love of all things arts and crafts comes from my both of my parents who have a love of drawing, and crafting. Many happy memories were made at my mothers side while we were creating something....anything. From the cookies we would decorate at Christmas, to the doll clothes I would "help" her sew, It was always a creative adventure.
I first discovered stamping just after my son was born 4 1/2 years ago. A friend invited me to a Stampin’ Up! workshop in her home. I had never seen any thing like it, and it inspired me to try my hand at it. I tried it, and I loved it! Now four years later I am teaching classes in my home, and at my local library, sharing my love of all things crafty with everyone, and anyone who will listen. It’s an addiction I hope to continue, for a very long time.
I got a call last fall from Gina, and I was so stunned, and star struck, I was speechless. As she continued talking I realized she was asking me to design some projects for her! Oh my word! It still astounds me that she would chose me from the millions that submitted things, little ol' me from rural Canada. I was so excited I couldn't wait! Thanks Gina for believing in me, and giving me this wonderful opportunity. I hope I can do your amazing company, and stamps justice."
Day 2 with Amy Grabia
Welcome to Day 2 with June's guest designer, Amy Grabia! I have three adorable projects to show you today.
Amy sent me so many project photos, it was hard to decide what to show you first. Since it's almost summer, I was thrilled that Amy chose some Gina K. Designs summer stamps. The sandcastle is from our "Just Be-claws" stamp set and Amy made this adorable card just in time for the warm weather. She used a great color combination- just perfect for a day at the beach!
Card details-
Stamps- Just Be Claws
Paper- Stampin' Up! Ballet Blue, Real Red, Apricot Appeal, Whisper White
Ink- Stampin' Up! Ballet Blue, Apricot Appeal, Basic Black
Other- Red Gingham ribbon , corner rounder to made the scalloped edge on the red cardstock, 1/16" punch, prisma colored pencils, Gina K. Odorless Mineral Spirits
I wanted a star stamp to stamp on the apricot, because it kinda looked like sand, and I thought star fish would be cute with the sand castle, but I didn't have one. I was a little surprised, I love stars and I didn't own even one star stamp, I had to improvise and get creative. I took a white eraser and my exacto knife and I made my own stamp, it worked out GREAT! I've got a few erasers now that I no longer use as eraser, but stamps. Try it, it works.
The second project is actually a set of two. Amy created this adorable little bag of coffee! What a great use of Rupa Shevde's "Thinking of You" stamp set!
I love how bright and cheerful this project is and the matching card is just as cute!
I love the stitching around those circles. This is such a creative sketch!
Project details-
Hat to thank you card
Card stock- SU! Regal Rose, River Rock card stock, Vanilla, Designer Series Paper Ginger Blossom
Ink- River Rock, Regal Rose, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Other- Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon
The hat image was colored using a blender pen and the Classic inks. I also used my sewing machine on the edges of the circles and the DP
Coffee Bag
Card stock- Stampin' Up! Vanilla, River Rock, Designer Series Paper Ginger Blossom
Ink- Stampin' Up! Close to cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana
Other- Regal Rose Grosgrain ribbon, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Ranger Liquid Pearls - Pink, brown coffee from local bulk store.
I love making gift sets to give away if I am invited anywhere, or just because, and Rupa's "Thinking Of You" set is just perfect. I used a brown coffee bag I found at a local health food store, and stuffed it full of Hazelnut Vanilla Coffee beans. They smell heavenly, and I don't even like coffee. lol! If you make a gift of any kind it always needs a coordinating card, right?! For the circles I just used my coluzzle to cut different sizes
Tomorrow is our final day with Amy. I have two more projects to share and you will learn a little bit more about this creative designer.Have a great day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Welcome June's Guest Designer
I am so excited to bring you this month's guest designer, Amy Grabia. She comes to you from beautiful Canada and she is just the sweetest thing. She's so talented too! It was so much fun opening her email! It was jam-packed with fabulous projects to share with you.
The first project I am going to share is just the cutest thing! Amy created the most adorable card using the "Way to go!" stamp set.
I love how the little door opens to that funny surprise! I also love the dots going around everything. It adds just the right touch. Her coloring is just perfect too.
Card details-
"I saw this set, and I knew that I HAD to get it. with my hubby and my son out numbering the girl in the house (me) there tends to be a lot of "potty" humor. sigh."
Port-o-potty card:
Paper- SU! Confetti White,Garden Green, Wild Wasabi
Ink-Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip
Other- Pewter Hodge Podge Hardware, Blender pen, Ranger Liquid Pearls in Pewter
Amy sent me many more exciting projects to share along with her bio which I will post on day three so you can learn more about her. And don't forget to check out her blog for more inspiration.
Have a great day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Our final day with Cathy Indelicato
Cathy Indelicato has been such a fun guest designer! I' so sad to see her time with us come to an end.
And today's projects are both so adorable!
To begin, Cathy created a cute little tin. Look at all of that gorgeous detail!
When I opened this picture on my computer, the first thing I thought was how cute this would be to keep shells and other baubles you might find at the shore. Then, I opened the second picture Cathy sent me, and look!
She filled it with shore baubles!! LOL!
Project details from Cathy
Life is…tin:
Stamps: GinaK – Just Keep Swimming
Melanie Muenchinger – What’s In Your Tin – 2
Altoid tin
Paper: Patterned paper - Target, water color
Kraft cardstock
Ink: black craft
Other: Twill tape, dew drops, two-sided tape, clear embossing powder, sewing machine/thread, clear embossing powder, markers/aqua painter, pop dots, shells, netting, sand paper
Every year when we go to the beach, regardless of my girls ages, they always go searching for stones and shells…by the end of the day they have a bag full of shells/stones that becomes too hard to carry back to the car and it ends up making a big mess of sand in our car! So, to help curb that I made a special tin for each of them to put just the really cool/special shells/stones into. We’ll see if it works!!!!
This is such a beauty. It's so elegant. I think this would make a great gift of encouragement and would look great with most home decor.
Project details
Hope Topiary:
Stamps: GinaK – Spring Blooms
Rupa Shevde – Thinking of You
Plaque – recycled!
Paper: brown cardstock, watercolor paper
Patterned paper – DieCutsWithaView (DCWV)
Ink – chocolate chip
Other: Pop dots, Making Memories antiqued brads, SU! Linen thread, Markers for coloring, Copic marker – warm gray no. 1 for outline of topiary
It has been such an honor to work with Cathy as a guest designer. With the many design teams she's already serving on, she still found time to create beautiful projects for our guest designer spot and I have enjoyed every single one of them so much!
We always ask our guest designers to send us a bio. Below, I have included Cathy's so you can get to know her a little better.
Have a great day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
. . . . . .
Hi Everyone!
My name is Cathy Indelicato, otherwise known as stamper-c on Splitcoaststampers! I am very honored to be Gina’s guest designer for May. I think I went into shock when she called and suddenly couldn’t form complete sentences!!! I am currently a work at home/stay at home mom of two girls 11 and 8. My husband and I will be married 16 years on May 16! Wow, time flies! We live in beautiful New England – within an hour of New York City.
I started stamping in 2001 at my local library and was hooked immediately. I’ve always loved crafts but this particular one has taken over an extra room in the house so I guess it’s here to stay! My obsession first started with scrapbooking but that has taken a back seat, at least for a little while!
I have been very fortunate to add several design teams to my resume in the past year or so. I currently design for DRS Designs, All That Scraps – Senior Team, A Chemistry With Paper and JessicaLynnOrignal. I’m also looking forward to seeing my work in print in the upcoming months. I’ve been blogging for almost two years now and it has become an integral part of my day – something I never would have expected. I really enjoy all the inspiration I’ve found through all the great blogs that have surfaced and I hope you’ll come visit me at Crafty Thoughts
.Thanks so much Gina for this wonderful opportunity.
Cathy
Cathy Indelicato- Day 2
Like any good over-achiever, Cathy sent me way more than the requested three projects! And every single project was so creative. You all know how much I love cards, but I am also excited when our guest designers send other types of projects too.
As if yesterday's stitched project wasn't creative enough, today, I thrilled to show you some jewelry that Cathy created.
Cathy used the Spring Blooms stamp set to create this beautiful necklace.
Project details:
Especially for you…Mom:
Stamps: Melanie Muenchinger – What’s In Your Tin – 2, GinaK – Spring Blooms
Paper – two-sided gloss paper (one side gloss/one side black) – no source
Ink: black craft, black Staz-on
Shrink Plastic
Other: clear embossing powder, ribbon – Offray, gold chain (Walmart), red/green markers, jewel, gold leaf pen, colored pencils, Velcro
Note: I stamped the rose on the rough side of the shrink plastic and then stamped "Mom" on the slick side so it wouldn’t be backwards when worn on the chain.
To make the holder: cut cardstock 8.5in. X 3in. Score at 3in. and 7in. Round corners of top (smaller) flap. Cut two diagonal slits in the top of the larger flap. This will hold the chain so the necklace can be displayed. The rest of the chain will lie inside your holder. Add a snip of Velcro or a magnetic catch to keep the holder closed.
This really makes such a pretty gift. I love the little holder she made for it too! I just want to go get out some shrink plastic and play.
Cathy's second project for today is a card created with the same stamp set- Spring Blooms.
I love her delicate machine stitching and her interesting sketch.
Project Details
Thanks Card:
Stamps: GinaK – Spring Blooms
Paper: Linen Cardstock – Paper Bouquet – Target
Patterned paper – Splendor/Rhonna Farrer/Autumn Leaves
Brown/teal cardstock – Paperbilities
Ink – Chocolate chip
Other: Pop dots, satin ribbon – Target, sewing machine/thread
I love the way she punched that little half circle to make room for the word. That's a great idea because so many times you have the right word but not quite enough room. This opens up so many more possibilities!
Tomorrow, I will show you Cathy's final projects and you will get to read a little more about this fabulous artist!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Welcome May's Guest Designer
I am so excited to present May's Guest designer, Cathy Indelicato. Cathy is so talented! When she sent me her projects, the very first project I opened just blew me away! I had never seen this done before and I was so excited to see how well this image worked!
Cathy created this beautiful piece of home decor using a stamp from the stamp set "Simple Pleasures."
Project details from Cathy:
Stitchery:
Stamps: GinaK – Simple Pleasures
Frame – Target
Paper: Provo Craft
Other: Ribbon – Offray, Charm – Oriental Trading Company, Sewing machine/thread, Muslin fabric, DMC floss
Ink – Gray (stamping image on fabric)
Note: My first craft project/hobby was embroidery, which I learned at a young age. As much as I love stamping/scrapbooking/papercrafting, I always fall back on sewing! I always thought this image would be perfect for stitching so I just had to give it a try!
Look at how beautiful this is up close! I love how delicate Cathy's outline stitching is and how she used more than one color thread! This is such a creative use of rubber stamps. It totally changes the way I am looking at my entire collection. These can be such fun little projects for road trips this summer. I just love this!
Stop by tomorrow to see another fabulous project created by Cathy and don't forget to visit her blog for more creative inspiration.
Hugs,
Gina K.
Our final day with Christina Fischer
Christina Fischer has been such a pleasure to work with! She's a bit of an over-achiever! LOL! When I asked her to send me three projects, she flooded my email box with inspiration and every project was better than the last!
Her final project with us is a 3-D creation. She made this adorable picture frame filled with a picture of her beautiful children. (I can't believe she had four! She looks too young to have any out of diapers!)
This is just too cute for words! I love how she added all the fishy details and she used one of my favorite embellishments- hemp cording. Nothing says "the beach" like a little hemp cording and a real seashell.
She added a few glitter dots and then she really jazzed up the fish!
Here coloring alone is gorgeous but then, she added all of that fabulous glitter and those little sea creatures really came to life! I love how they coordinate with the glitter dots. Very creative!
Project details:
Fishy Frame
8x8 unfinished wood frame (purchased at Michaels)
Stamps: Just Keep Swimming (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Basic Black (SU!)
Paper: Hit The Beach - Beachy Keen (Flair Designs)
Other: Copic Markers; Lemon Lime Glitter Dots (Jesse James); Versamark, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sanding Block, Natural Hemp Twine, stamping sponge (SU!); seashell
Christina is so talented and she's super sweet! All of her projects have been top notch! I am honored to have had an opportunity to work with her for our guest designer spot. Check out her blog for much more inspiration.
Below is a little bio that Christina put together for you.
Thanks so much for stopping by and we'll see you back here next month with another fabulous guest designer!
Hugs,
Gina K.
(return to Gina K's blog here)
* * * * * *
Hi, everyone!
I'm Christina Fischer. You may know me better as cmf1216. I am thrilled and honored to be April's Guest Designer! I have been married to my very supportive husband Chris for almost 18 years, and I am blessed to be a SAHM to our four children -- a boy and three girls -- ages 15, 13, 6 and 4. We live in northern Kentucky, about 5 miles south of Cincinnati. I was an elementary school teacher before I had my children, and I hope to return to the classroom someday!
I think I've always been into crafty things, but when I attended my friend Ann's Stampin' Up! workshop in 2001 I was hooked! My SU! demo (now my upline) introduced me to Splitcoaststampers, and things just took off from there! Thanks, Robin! I am constantly blown away by all the incredible talent out there, and I learn something new every day! Last summer I took the plunge into blogging, and I'm loving it! Come and visit me any time at my blog, Flowers and Ink (http://flowersandink.blogspot.com).
I am currently on the Senior Design Team for All That Scraps, and I've recently had my first publications. I feel so fortunate that I get to do something every day that I love, and that I can share my creations with others. I'm so thankful for the many friends I've made along the way. I can't thank Gina enough for asking me to be her Guest Designer -- getting that phone call from her was so exciting! I had so much fun working with her stamps!
Hugs to all of you!
Christina
Day 2 with Christina Fischer
Today, I am pleased to share two more exciting projects created by Christina Fischer.
My Mom just celebrated her 81st birthday! I really enjoy picking presents out for her because she loves perfume, baskets, purses and everything in between. But this year, she told me that all she really wanted was a gift card to the local gas station! Although that may not be the most glamorous gift, it's what she really wanted and with the price of gas, I suppose it helps her get to BINGO so, I got her the card. The trick, then, became how to package it so it was still a fun little gift to open.
Well, Christina figured that one out for me. 
This CD tin is so great!
(These CD tins are available in our online store. You can store stamp sets and nestabilities in them or you can use them as the perfect gift card holder! We have these in our store under "things to alter.")
I love the way Christina wrapped the actual gift card with ribbon and then used our 'punchy words' stamp set to create the inside circle with 'happy birthday 2 you.'
Card details:
Birthday Tin
CD Tin with gift card insert (Gina K. Designs)
Stamps: How Sweet it is, Punchy Words (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Pixie Pink, Summer Sun (SU!)
Stampin' Write Markers: Taken With Teal, Pixie Pink, Summer Sun (SU!)
Paper: Birthday Party (Junkitz)
Other: Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida); Prima flowers; Bling and Dazzle Button Babies - Brights (Gina K. Designs); Scalloped Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Dazz ling Diamonds Glitter, Stampin' Dimensionals, stamping sponge (SU!); White Gel Exel pen (Marvy); stitched grosgrain ribbon (Michaels Stores); Liquid Applique, Crystal Effects
Note: There is Crystal Effects on the cake plate, DD glitter on the candle flame, and Liquid Applique/DD glitter on the cake frosting.
The next project is such a beautiful card.
This card just knocked my socks off! I love every single detail here. Look at the beautiful layout and how interesting the rounded corners make the focal point of this card. I really like the way Christina turned the greeting on it's side. The use of her sewing machine adds an extra bit of warmth to the card. And of course, Christina's coloring is just beautiful.
Card details:
Wish Card
Stamps: Simple Pleasures (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Basic Brown, Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Soft Sky (SU!)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, watercolor paper (SU!)
Paper: Stella Ruby (BasicGrey)
Other: Aquapainter, 3/16" corner rounder, Chocolate Chip 7/8" grosgrain, Earth Elements brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, stamping sponge (SU!); sewing machine, brown thread
Tomorrow is our final day with Christina. She has one more beautiful 3-D project to share with you and you will get a chance to read more about this talented designer.
Hugs,
Gina K.
Welcome April's Guest Designer
I am so excited to have Christina Fischer as this month's guest designer. Christina sent me a whole bunch of fabulous projects to share with you!
Christina has got so much personality, just perfect for the Gina K. Designs guest designer spot! Her first card uses one of my favorite Gina K. Designs sets, "How sweet it is," our stamp set for diabetes.
I love the color combination Christina used for this card! It's so perfect for a baby boy. One of the things that makes a designer great is their ability to use many elements on a card, yet not make it feel too busy. Christina has executed that task perfectly with her use of brads, buttons and ribbon on this project.
Card details:
Baby Card
Stamps: How Sweet it is! (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Barely Banana (SU!)
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Whisper White (SU!)
Paper: Two Scoops (BasicGrey)
Other: Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida); On Board Accents chipboard star, Rich Regals brads, Aquapainter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sanding Block, stamping sponge, paper piercing tool (SU!); Two Scoops button (BasicGrey); narrow white organdy ribbon (Offray); sewing machine, white thread
The second project for today uses our "Baskets of Happiness" stamp set. Look at the beautiful way Christina used her Copic markers to color these flowers. I love the yellow she used. The flowers seem to glow! They're so vibrant and rich.
The beautiful way she pierced each of those scallops along the edge is such an elegant touch.
Card details:
Basket of Happiness Card
Stamps: Baskets of Happiness (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko); Basic Black, Regal Rose (SU!)
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Whisper White (SU!)
Paper: Chick-A-Dee - Annas Bananas (s.e.i.)
Other: Copic Markers; Cotton Candy Stickles (Ranger); Chick-A-Dee buttons (s.e.i.); Regal Rose 7/8" grosgrain, 3/16" corner rounder, paper piercing tool and mat pack, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, stamping sponge (SU!)
Tomorrow, I wil show you another fabulous project by Christina and on Thursday, Christina will tell you a little bit more about herself.
Have a wonderful day!
Hugs,
Gina K.
Our final day with Julie Campbell
What an adorable little wooden Easter Basket. It's just perfect to give to a friend or coworker filled with jellybeans or candy eggs.
I love the way Julie aged the wooden tote. And her tag is just adorable.
Project details:
Easter Basket
I was so excited when I found these adorable wooden boxes while I was browsing Gina K's website! I like to antique furniture, so I thought I would try a similar technique on this project. I began by painting the box with light aqua acrylic craft paint. After it was dry, I added a coat of Ranger Distress Crackle Paint. To add some distressing, I sanded some of the corners and edges of the box down to bare wood. For the final step, I applied Tea Dye Ranger Distress Ink over the entire piece. I love how it stains the cracks and bare wood.
Recipe:
Stamps:
- Baskets of Happiness
- Scalloped Frames & Doodles (Large Circles)
Paper:
- Butter Cream & Frosted Teal Prismatic card stock by Prism
Ink:
- Graphite Black Brilliance Ink
- Tea Dye Distress Ink by Prism
Accessories:
- Wooden Basket by Gina K
- Old Paper Ranger Distress Crackle Paint
- Large oval punch by SU
- Copic Markers
- Marvy Mega Circle Punch/Giga Scalloped Circle Punch
- light aqua acrylic craft paint
- twine
Julie has done a fabulous job as our guest designer of the month. She created beautiful projects, some with spunk, that really showcased more of the fabulous ways you can use Gina K. Designs stamps.
Thanks so much Julie! Much love to you!
Below, you can read more about this incredible lady in her own words.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hugs,
Gina K.
* * * * *
Hi! My name is Julie Campbell. Some of you might know me from my blog, Stamped In His Image. I am a mom of two energetic boys (6 & 2) and also work as an operating room nurse at a pediatric hospital. We live in a small, rural town in Indiana. When you're surrounded by cornfields, it's good to have a hobby! Like a lot of people, paper crafting is my therapy!
I really feel like everyone is born with creativity. I had an art teacher in elementary school that really believed in me and encouraged me to work on my 'art'. Over the years, I've done everything from quilting to painting to pottery... but when I discovered stamping a few years ago, I knew I had found my niche. I love sending cards to people and finding out that it really meant something to them. It's amazing how much you can touch someone's life just by doing what you love.
Visit Julie's blog for more inspiration!