Sites of the week

EDITED TO ADD:
THIS AUCTION IS NOW CLOSED! Thank you to all that participated. The winning bid of $35 was made by LAURA COX! Laura, SSD (Heather) will be in touch with you soon!

It’s the last day of the BLOGS FOR BOOBIES auction, but there is still a little time to join us in the fun{draising} for the Komen Foundation. In addition to bidding on the creations made by the Blogs for Boobies designers, Skipping Stones Design is donating $2 per set sold.

Click HERE to see my original post with all the auction details.

The current high bidder on my auction is: LAURA COX with a bid of
$35.
If you would like to place a higher bid, you can do so in the comments section of this post. Remember that the entire amount of your bid is donated to the Komen Foundation.

Again, here is the tag trio and packaging that I have up for auction, using the Pumpkin Seed Sentiments set from Skipping Stones Design…

Happy bidding…until 8pm MST tonight!

When I start a Verve project, I go to the drawer with all my Verve stamps and start pulling out anything that tickles my fancy. I end up with a pile taller than I can carry and then start picking through the sets to see if anything just absolutely jumps out at me. Usually it does fairly quickly, but this time there wasn’t just one single thing that spoke to me immediately. Then, I finally narrowed it down and found the set I wanted to work with some of the new dies {and previously released ones, too!}. So, I went with that/those idea{s} and made this set of tags…

Each of these tags started with the same base created from a piece of kraft cardstock cut with the new Tagged Rectangle die and then layered with a colored piece of cardstock cut from the new Curvy Bookplate die.

I wanted a set of tags that weren’t just birthday or love, etc. This set contains tags that could be used for birthday or just because, a couple baby tags and one intended to be attached to a wedding giftie. In addition to all using the same dies, I also used the same sets on each tag: Bountiful Backgrounds {yes, again…I LOVE this set!!} and Hope Blooms.

Here’s the friendship/{possible} birthday tag, which also use a flower cut from felt with the Floral Circle Die Set…

Baby girl tag with a butterfly cut from kraft cardstock with the Flutterby die and then run through the paper crimper. It’s topped off the a felt flower cut from the From the Heart die set and a button with linen thread.

Baby boy tag with a lil’ boat from the Text Objects set…

So Happy for You tag, also with hearts from the From the Heart die set…

As you can see, I used buttons to tie the designs together. However, to make them all unique {other than the already obvious}, I created different toppers/ribbon treatments for each of them.

As much as I am loving creating tags at the moment, I gotta hit the switch and get into a more card makin’ and over all paper craftin’. With that said, stay tuned

Welcome to my second annual post as part of the Skipping Stones Design BLOGS 4 BOOBIES blog hop!

What is BLOG 4 BOOBIES?
It’s a fundraising auction to raise money to be donated to the Komen Foundation. Last year Skipping Stones Design was able to raise over $1100 and this year the goal is to raise $1500. With your help, I know we can do it!

Why is this important to me?
As a woman, there are obvious reasons, but first and foremost my mom is a breast cancer survivor. It is important for me to see a cure found within my lifetime and to know that no other woman will suffer the pain that my mom, and many other women {and their families}, have gone/are going through.

How can you help?

There are 3 ways to help…
1. Do what is in our blood…GO SHOPPING! For every stamp set that you purchase during August 15th through the 23rd SSD will donate $2 to the Komen Foundation. Look at is doing your part for the cure {or at least explain it to your husband that way!}.

2. You can bid on my project that I made for this hop {or any of the other projects from the participating designers}. See details for bidding below my project pics.

3. Spread the word! The more people that know about this fundraiser, the more likely we are to meet and beat our goal. Use your blog, email or social networking site to let the world know about our efforts.

I’m guessing you might be ready for me to cut out the chit chat and get to this project that I have been talking about, right?

I used the set PUMPKIN SEED SENTIMENTS to make a trio of Happy Birthday to You tags…

Detail of a single tag…

I can’t just send out a bunch of tags without having some cute packaging for them to go in!…

What to do if you want to bid…

Step #1
Find the comment section of the blog that shows the “Blogs 4 boobies” card or project that you want to buy. Bids must be placed on the correct post to be considered valid.
Step #2
Once you are in the “blogs 4 boobies” comment section fill in the dollar and cents amount of what you are willing to pay for the card/project. We recommend a starting bid of $5 or more. 100% your bid will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, but please keep in mind the postage costs and bid with a dollar amount for both project and shipping.
Step #3
Next to your $ bid please type in your email address. During a silent auction bidders sign their name next to their bid. Typing your email address is the electronic equivalent of signing your bid. Also it will help the blogger contact you if you are the highest bidder.
Step #4
Watch and wait.
Once you have entered your bid/comment sit back and wait. If someone out bids you then you may bid again. Bidding will continue until 8:00 p.m. MST on August 23rd.

* Please note that the participating stampers/bloggers will probably re-post their Blogs 4 Boobies card/project on the 23rd of August {I will be participating in this}. When the blogger re-posts their project then the bidding will continue on the NEWEST post and that comment section. I will make a note of the highest bid both at the top and bottom of my re-post.

What do I do once I place a bid?
See Step 4 above, please.
The winner of the auction will be the highest bid in the comment section of the MOST RECENT blogs 4 boobies post at the end of the silent auction. The silent auction will end at 8:00 p.m. MST on August 23rd.

Things to keep in mind…
Bid high! It’s a win-win! You get the project you want and more money is raised for a great cause.
Each blogger/designer will declare who has won the silent auction. Skipping Stones Design will send you an invoice for your donation/bid amount. Prompt payment is appreciate and insures that the designer can get your card/project in the mail to you as soon as possible.

There are several designers participating in this hop over the course of three days! This is DAY TWO of the blog hops. Here’s your list of hoppers for today…

Teri Anderson
Ashley Cannon Newell
Karen Christensen
Jodi Collins
Kimberly Crawford
Jen del Muro <--you are here!
Katie Gehring
Vanessa Menhorn
Kryssi Ng
Taylor Usry
Sankari Wegman

Want to see a list of hoppers from yesterday? It all started HERE at the PaperCrafts Connection blog.

Happy bidding!

Tonight’s the Night {cue Black Eyed Peas}…

real quick non-stampy sidenote: Ellie has taught Nicolas to “raise the roof” when we put this song on in the car. I have 2 kids with hands in air and heads bobbing when they hear those first beats. Makes me smile each and every time!

So, tonight IS the night that all of the Verve sets and dies that the design team has been spotlighting all this week go live! AND…it’s Anni-VERVE-sary, so this release is HUGE!

This set that we are featuring today is pretty close to my heart. One night I was just doodling away in my notebook and I started jotting down some ideas. I had been seeking out a loopy flower die set and there was a certain style of sentiment stamps that I wanting, too. So, I sent these ideas in as much detail as I could and WHAM…Julee transforms my words into a set that is sure not to leave my workspace for a LONG time to come! Let me know what you think of MAKING A STATEMENT…

This {above} tag uses the lined background stamped in blue {cut with the Rounded Rectangle die} and the scalloped rectangle {cut with the MATCHING DIE -Rounded Scallop-} and sentiment stamped in black on kraft cardstock. I cut my Loopy Blooms die cut flowers from red felt and topped them off with flatback and a button adorned with linen thread.

The below tag uses another sentiment from the set, along with the grid lined background and scalloped rectangle {die cut from cork}. I also brought in some of the leafy sprigs from the SUNNY DAYS set and cut them with the matching Leafy Sprigs die…

I did have original intentions of making these into cards and I had plenty of time to do it. BUT…the size is just so cute! Think of mini playing cards! I had to keep them as the tags that they are. I am sure that I will have a lil’ something other that they can be attached to soon enough. OR…I might just keep them for myself. I am a self proclaimed “not a scrapbooker” but this set would be pretty fun to make some cute embellishments and journaling spots to play with! If I only had a about 24 more hours to work with in a day! Haha!

anywhooooo…

Each and every day this week {starting Sunday} the Verve team is spotlighting new sets and dies. Don’t miss a thing! Everyday Julee is kicking off the Spotlight Hops HERE on her personal blog and she has links to each of the Divas showin’ off the goods that day.

It’s time for you to keep on hoppin’ along to the one and only, super talented BETTY’s blog. Before you go, be sure to leave a comment here and on each of the blogs along the way for a chance to win the sets and dies being featured today.

Good luck and happy hopping!

Hip Hip Hooraaaaaay! It’s time to celebrate YOUR NEXT STAMP‘S 2nd birthday!

As the title of this post suggests, you are at a stop along the YNS Birthday Hop. In case you just stumbled upon here and didn’t come from JENNY’S BLOG, be sure to take a moment to go back to the start of the hop at PEGGY’S BLOG. You don’t want to miss a thing, especially because there are some pretty cool prizes along the way, too! We have a fun little puzzle for you to solve along the hop and when you do you will be entered into the draw for one of TWO amazing YNS prizes! Not everyone has a puzzle piece so you need to pay attention, and click on the puzzle pieces, and follow the directions as you find them along the way {3rd party cookies must be enabled to do the puzzle}. When you are done put them all together at the end of the hop for your chance to win! You have until Monday, August 15th at Midnight EST.

I’ve put together a couple of projects for this post. First, I have something sweetly spooky {or is it spookily sweet?} from the Cute Witch Ellie set…

I **really** enjoyed coloring this image with my Copics. As you can see, I am having fun with my grays lately..

There is a super cute bat image in the set Happy Haunting set {where the sentiment is from}, which actually inspired me to use my really big bat punch as an embellishment. I adorned it with spar-ka-lay ribbon {found at Mike’s last week}, a button and baker’s twine…

My second project uses a previously released set that I absolutely ADORE {wink, wink to Karen}, Happy Birthday Mermaid…

I love this tag {yep, I said it. I do!!!}. It has a lot of texture and dimension, which I guess is my way of adding a technique since you KNOW that I am NOT a technique-y person…

Sherrie Siemens recently did a mermaid card and I just love the way that her tail turned out!! It heavily inspired my mermaid’s tail which led me to adding some dots with my Copics and then I topped it all off with Diamond Stickles. Super spark-a-lay…

Ok, I think that this post has gotten long enough with 6 pictures and me blabbing {again} about how I do not do the technique thing {kinda that way with -event- themes, too, by the way}. So, let me send you along your merry way to find some puzzle pieces and be inspired. Your next stop along the YNS Birthday Hop is on my bestie, SUSAN’S BLOG. I’m pretty darn sure there is cuteness abounding over there!