Release Day for the "Peekers" and a Blog Hop!!!

NOTE: If you are here for the Jesus Is THE Reason Blog Hop, please go HERE!

Good Morning and happy weekend eve, my friends!!! It is the OFFICIAL release day for the awesomely sweet "Peekers" Collection by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD Stamp Company:O) I am SOOOOOOO excited I could *~*POP*~*!!!! Today, we will be teaming up with the mondo talented ladies of the Quixotic Paperie DT along with a few special guests:) Fun stuff and loads of inspiration ahead!!! You should have arrived here from Suzanne's awesome blog. If you didn't and arrived here first, then you will want to head on over to the top of the hop at Kim's magnificent blog.

Today, I have the pleasure of sharing "New Beginnings Peeker" :) Isn't this image the definition of darling?!? I don't have any daughters, but I remember Jonathon peeking in on Zachary just like this:):) Oh how they grow SO fast!!! I still cannot believe that my baby boy will be graduating in June! It seems like just yesterday I was pushing HIM around in a stroller. Okay...enough of my rambling...I just love this collection of sweeties cuz they seem to have a way of taking me down memory lane:)

I couldn't decide if I wanted to create a card for a baby boy or a baby girl, so I simply created both. And when I say simply...I mean simply. These cards took no time at all to whip up, which is awesome when you are crunched for time. These sweeties were colored with Prismacolor markers and parts of the image were painted with Creative Inspirations Paint (Fairy Dust). I wanted you to get an idea of the shimmer these paints create on your projects, which is why there are two pics of each card...and with Fairy Dust it is sheer...you can see the marker beneath:o) I just love these paints!!! Thank you Susana for introducing them to me!!

OOOH!! Want to hear another thing I love? You can get the ENTIRE set of Peekers for only $29.99...that's about $6 per stamp!!! Can you believe it? You can't beat that for deeply etched, quality red rubber...along with Susana's superb customer service!!! I simply love a great deal when it comes to crafty goodies...makes it easier for goodies to go from my "wish list" to my "got it" list:) Please tell me you can relate.

Thank you so much for joining us in today's Peekalicious Hop!!! I hope you leave the hop happy and inspired:) Your next stop is lovely Anki!!! I know she will have a gorgeous creation to share with you! Have a super Friday and a beautifully blessed weekend!!!

Before I go, I am entering today's cards into the following fabulous challenges:

• CCEE Stampers - Use Doily, Lace or Both
• ABC Challenge - R is for Ribbon
• Papertake Weekly Challenge -Anything Goes + Optional Something New (used my "New Beginnings Peeker" stamp:)
• Make It Monday - Anything Goes
• Stamping Vacation - You Name the Challenge (My challenge is: New Beginnings:)
• Cupcake Inspiration Challenge - Photo Inspiration

 HAPPY HUGS!!!

ENABLER ALERT:
Susana has recently received a new shipment of crafty goodness in the store (:

• Beautiful NEW 6X6 Crate Paper ~ I am loving Emma Shop and Portrait Collection
• Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Glassine Stash Paper and Idea-Ology Glassine Pocket Envelopes
• Mini Canvases ~ Mini Canvas 2/Pkg and Artists' Quality Stretch Canvas (4"X4")
• NEW Rubber Stamp Tapestry Stamps ~ Antique Garden is gorgeous!!!

Card Ingredients:

Stamp: New Beginnings Peeker, PTI card stock, DCWV silver metallic paper, Prismacolor markers, Creative Inspirations Paint (Tutu Pink), waterbrush, PTI Swiss dots satin ribbon, bridal spray (Hobby Lobby), Petaloo flowers (now 20% off already low price), Kaisercraft rhinestones, Nesties ~ Big Scalloped Circles (lg) and Classic Circle (lg), lace paper doily from stash

Spring Is In the Air!

Hello!!! How are you doing today? I hope your day is going BEAUTIFULLY!!!  I am extremely excited and honored to be one of the newest additions to the Creative Inspirations DT Family:o) I was first introduced to these incredible paints by Susana about a year ago, and it was love at first sight! As a papercrafter/card maker, shimmer and sparkle are an absolute must-have in my creative arsenal...so, these paints find much love on my projects. For me, they are a necessity! If you have never tried them, you truly do not know what you are missing!!!  They are beautiful...easy to use...incredibly versatile (just check out all the fab tutorials HERE)...quite inexpensive...and a little goes a LONG way!

For today's card, I was inspired by this week's Creative Inspirations Challenge- "Spring". I don't know about you, but when I think of springtime, I envision butterflies fluttering about:) I thought about what I would like to create and opted to dust off some crafty goodies that have been sorely neglected...a beautiful Dreamweaver brass stencil (Vertical Butterflies), an embossing stylus and a light box. Do you remember using these before embossing folders hit store shelves?  The stencil used on this project is very narrow...perfect for a bookmark, but not so great for a card...so, I embossed three panels to create my background. I painted the dry embossed butterflies with Tutu Pink CI Paint to add a touch of color and to give it tons of sparkle. Since I am not a skilled photographer, I had a bit of difficulty capturing its true beauty:(

For the butterfly above, I inked up one of my PTI butterfly stamps and painted it with more Tutu Pink CI Paint. I just love all the shimmer it added!! Since the stamped image was too big for the bow, I pulled out my trusty MS butterfly punch and let it do its work...now, it fit on the bow perfectly:) Then, I added the dots and the body with some Viva Decor Pearl Pens in Ice White and Black.

This was a really fun card to make, and it felt really good showing some of my neglected goodies some much needed love.  I hope you found a little creative inspiration today, and look forward to seeing your Springtime creations in this week's Creative Inspirations challenge:o) Thanks for dropping by, and have a beautifully blessed day!!!!

I am entering today's card in the following fabulous challenges:

• Creative Inspirations Paint Challenge ~ Spring

• Creative Cowgirls Challenge ~ Spring or Easter

• Sparkles Forum ~ Springtime

• Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge ~ Butterflies

 HUGS!!!

Carolyn

Card Ingredients:

Hobby Lobby card stock, Verve stamp - "Beautiful You", Papertrey Ink stamp (design on punched butterfly on bow) - "Butterfly Kisses", Dreamweaver stencil - Vertical Butterflies, Creative Inspirations paint - Tutu Pink, Nesties (large standard and scalloped circles), Viva Decor Pearl pens (Ice White, Black), Offray black satin ribbon, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, waterbrush, Memento ink (Tuxedo Black), light box, embossing stylus, adhesive.