Inspired By Stamping cards

Cards are one of my favorite projects to create. It's my go-to project when I have some new technique or product that I want to "play" with. With the recent release of the June stamps from Inspired by Stamping, there were some sets that I wasn't assigned to showcase. All of the sets I received in the mail was so adorable that even though I didn't have to use them, I couldn't help myself. Here's two cards that I created using the Post Card set. 

Merci Beaucoup card

I loved the flower postage card image. In this card, I stamped four of them and colored the flowers in different colors to create a variety of versions of the same flower. I added the french sentiment to finish off the card. 

Congratulations on your engagement card. 

The hearts in the circle images are from the stamp in the Postage set as well. I tried to grab the colors of the hearts from the multi-colored chevron paper. 

I love the Big Congrats sentiment stamp. It's so versatile. 

To learn more about these stamps, please click here. 

Thank you for stopping by. I want to know, what's your best card making tips?

Till next time,

Grace

PaperCut magazine from GCD Studios

Happy Wednesday. PaperCut magazine was officially released last week and our super awesome design team leader Heidi is on the cover. Check it out here.

I created two projects in this magazine. Here they are along with close up photos...

My Little Man

This layout featured papers from the Special Delivery line. I created paper shirts along with ties to match the theme of my photo. 

I love layering stickers on top of each other. 

These shirts were so fun to make. There are a bunch of tutorials online and on Pinterest for these fun accents. 

Beauty Hurts!

I decided to finally document photos of when I had my eye brow threaded during my vacation to Cali two years ago. Sadly I only get these pampering done when I'm. They charge double in Colorado. I guess there's not a lot of competition here so they can rack up their prices. 

More layering of stickers can be found in this layout. This page was also created with the Special delivery line. 

I love that postage stamp with eye glasses image on it. Super nerdy, kinda how I felt after documenting this photo. I can be a dork sometimes. :)

Make sure you flip through the pages of the latest PaperCut magazine issue. There are TONS of inspirations to be had. I definitely feel honored to be a part of a very talented team. 

Till next time,

Grace

Memorial Day Hike (Helen Hunt Falls)

Hi there friends. Let me just warn you that it seems like this Summer is going to be a crazy busy one for me. It is starting that way anyways. So if it seems that my posts are far in between, bear with me as I try to balance capturing and living in the moment. 

For Memorial day, we decided to go out and do some exploring. It's been a while sine we've gone somewhere new and in this day, we decided to go on a hike at Helen Hunt Falls. 

We've heard from people and with a quick Google search that this place is very family friendly and that the hike is manageable for any age. This made us want to try it even more. Here are some photos from that excursion.

There was a ranger that was kind enough to photograph the whole family with the falls as our backdrop. The weather was perfect for our hike. It was sunny but not too hot. 

We were surrounded by beautiful hills filled with trees and I couldn't resist stopping the family along the way so we can take photos. 

I didn't realize how short the hike was. After about only 25 minutes, we've reached the top of the trail. It was beautiful up there and here's a view of what we looked out into. 

We were a bit disappointed at how easy and fast the trail was. We're used to walking farther and longer. But thankfully there were other trails in the area and we took one of them. We didn't know how far the trail was but we walked for about one more hour until we decided to turn around and head back to the car. 

Here's a view of what we saw during this hike. Very similar to the ones at the top of Helen Hunt Falls but at a different angle. 

Just before we turned around, we got a family shot. This was taken with the camera on top of a big rock and the camera self timer. 

Once we got back to the car, we ate our packed lunch. Maddie seem to always get hurt during our exploring trips and this time was, sadly, no different. She scraped the side of her torso a few times with her walking stick. It was a homemade one and she had the pointy end up. Every time the stick brushed by her side, it scratched her. She did this a few times before we noticed that she was in pain. Poor thing had a few big scratches on her side. Thankfully we had a first aid kit in the car which helped alleviate some of the pain and cleaned her wounds. 

After lunch we around the area a bit. I've never been to the Broadmoor hotel  which was close to where Helen Hunt Falls was so Mitch drove us there. We circled the resort and I was a bit surprised at how small it was in real life compared to the pictures I saw on the hotel's webiste. Don't you love the beauty of how wide angle shot can make things appear larger than they really are?

We also stopped by the clinic were Mitch works. It was cool to see where he works and does his Medical assisting "magic". 

So that was Memorial Day adventures. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have fantastic day and week. 

Till next time,

Grace

Inspired by Stamping Online Catalog...free to view

Hi friends and happy Monday. Today I'm so excited to help share the news about Inspired by Stamping latest project....Joanna, the owner, has put together an online catalog showcasing the June stamp release. In this well put together piece, she has combined the beautiful images of the stamps along with great project samples from everyone in the design team.

This month we are introducing our New & FREE Online Catalog filled with our latest June’s 2013
stamp sets! Each page provides details of our stamp set! Plus, inspiration from our designers! This new
catalog was designed to give you even more inspiration and interaction than ever before with Inspired
by Stamping products.
Cool Features:
- Browse the catalog with ease on your tablet or computer.
- Get the entire release in one spot! Plus, zoom in on your favorite products, projects and cards.
- Watch video tutorials from our YouTube channel right inside the catalog!
- SHOP ONLINE! Order products by clicking on the stamp set which takes you directly to our online
store.
Here’s a few peek at what is inside!

View the design team cards and projects that they used with each stamp set!
Where can you find our Online Catalog?
You can download it here, today.
All future catalogs will be available for download at our Store. Click Here!
Over the next few weeks, we will be putting together catalogs for all our releases from January 2013 to
May 2013!
We’d LOVE to hear what you think! After flipping through our catalog, leave a comment below or at Joanna's blog here.
We hope you enjoy our new inspiration catalog!

Till next time,
Grace

Merci Beaucoup card *Inspired by Stamping June Release*

I'm up for another card share for Inspired By Stamping, featuring one of the stamps in the June Release. Today's feature is the French Background and Big Notes in French. I also added circle images in the background from the Cute Circles set. 

Merci Beaucoup card

I added some contrast to the pattern paper background with embossing the circle stamps with white powder. I used the chicken wire stamp for a border and then I stamped the title on white cardstock and then matted with blue paper. 

I used the vellum as a visual triangle on my card. 

Now here's the list of the hoppers for today:

French Backgrounds + Big Notes in French II

Joanna - http://wp.me/p2QJN7-353

Colleen http://www.colleendietrichdesigns.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-sneak-peeks-french.html

Deb http://aworldofimagination-deb.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-june_8.html

Kendra http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/2013/06/ibs-june-release-day-3.html

Irit -http://iritshalom.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-june-release-day-3.html

Leah http://paperblossoms.blogspot.com/2013/06/french-wishes.html

Gloria http://gloriascraps.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-june-release-day-3.html

Shani http://paperesse.blogspot.com/2013/06/ibss-new-french-background-stamps-and.html

Grace- YOU ARE HERE

Tina     http://woodedviews.blogspot.com/2013/06/merci-beaucoup.html

Calypso  http://calypsocandycraft.blogspot.com/2013/06/ibs-june-release-say-it-in-french.html

Here's a few more info...

• Free Shipping will be available on all orders over $25. This will start on the 10th and be available for only 48 hours. June 10th at 7pm to June 12th at 7pm Brisbane time only.
• All stamp sets will be offered as a bundle for a 15% discount. 
available for purchase at 7pm Brisbane time. 

Contest!!
June 6th – June 10th, we will be giving away blog candy. Each Day one lucky winner will receive the featured stamp set/ or sets for that day.
Winners will be announced daily on the June Winners Page at 7pm the following day.
You must leave a comment to be eligible to win on Joanna's blog
Only One comment per person
Each winner will be randomly selected.

• June 10th will be the full release on my blog and all items will be

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

Hello my name is....layout share

Happy Friday friends. Did you like the post yesterday? There are members of the design team for Inspired by Stamping that are participating in a blog hop today and I hope you check that out. I have another stamp release post tomorrow. :)

Today's share is a layout that I made with the latest Challenge Me Happy blog challenge in mind. I love the prompt, which is, to document the story behind the name. I chose mine. I love the story behind my first name, told to me by my mom but have never thought about documenting it. This challenge was really great for me to go through old photos and scrapbook something meaningful to me and my family. 

Hello My Name Is....layout

I used some Inspired by Stamping banner stamps on this layout plus TONS of flowers. Did you know that IBS carry flowers as well? Oh yeah! And they are all p-r-e-t-t-y. I couldn't resist them so I ordered a bunch. A girl cannot have too many flowers, right?

I found the title and journaling block for my page from a paper from Vintage Stories line of Simple Stories. I added some pearls and rhinestone frame to add some more 'feminine' touch to the paper. 

Since my photos are a variety from different periods of my life, I made sure I added dates on them. I used the Fancy frame die cut shape to cut out my tabs. 

So that's my page for you today. I hope I was able to inspire you with this page and make you want to document important stories about names in your family. 

Have a great weekend.

Till next time,

Grace

Congratulations on your new baby card *Inspired by Stamping June Release*

Hi there friends. It's the time of the month again where Inspired by Stamping is giving you a peek at their June Stamp Release and I'm participating at the blog hop today. Here's my card featuring the Big Congrats stamp...

Congratulations on your new baby! card

I love how this new stamp gives you so many sentiment possibilities. I chose the "new baby" part to add in this card. I also added the Background border chevron image as part of my background. 

Now here's the list of the hoppers for today:

Big Congrats

JJoanna - http://wp.me/p2QJN7-34Z

 Irit -http://iritshalom.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-june-release-day-1.html

 Leah  http://paperblossoms.blogspot.com/2013/06/big-congrats.html

 Grace-  YOU ARE HERE

 Vicki  http://allidoisstamp.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-june-release-day-1.html

 Calypso    http://calypsocandycraft.blogspot.com/2013/06/ibs-june-release-congratulations.html

 Shea  http://glitterandbonbons.blogspot.com/2013/06/ibs-new-release-big-congrats-and-summer.html

 Summer Postcards 

Colleen http://www.colleendietrichdesigns.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-sneak-peeks-of-big.html

 Deb http://aworldofimagination-deb.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-june.html

 Kendra http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/2013/06/ibs-june-release-day-1.html

 Gloria http://gloriascraps.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-june-release-day-1.html

 Vicki http://allidoisstamp.blogspot.com/2013/06/inspired-by-stamping-june-release-day-1.html

 Tina  http://woodedviews.blogspot.com/2013/06/vintage-voyage.html

Here's a few more info...

• Free Shipping will be available on all orders over $25. This will start on the 10th and be available for only 48 hours. June 10th at 7pm to June 12th at 7pm Brisbane time only.
• All stamp sets will be offered as a bundle for a 15% discount. 
available for purchase at 7pm Brisbane time. 

Contest!!
June 6th – June 10th, we will be giving away blog candy. Each Day one lucky winner will receive the featured stamp set/ or sets for that day.
Winners will be announced daily on the June Winners Page at 7pm the following day.
You must leave a comment to be eligible to win on Joanna's blog
Only One comment per person
Each winner will be randomly selected.

• June 10th will be the full release on my blog and all items will be

Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

Grace

Getting re-acquainted with my sewing machine

Once in a while I would get this boost of motivation and inspiration to create something with fabric. It doesn't come very often but when it does, I can't resist but get cozy with my sewing machine. 

A few weeks ago, we had a rainy day and since I didn't have any projects due, I spent the afternoon making pretty things with fabrics. Here are some of the results of my sewing labor...

Infinity scarves are a rage right now. I remember going to the mall and seeing each of my fave stores carrying some kind or type of these scarves. I recall telling myself that I can make one instead of paying the $20 or so dollars for it. And that's exactly what I did in this sewing session...

I'm the kind of crafter that doesn't like to follow rules. I think that's why I haven't been able to embrace sewing as much as I would like to. There's so many measurements and steps to follow. With this scarf, I got a fabric (in my stash) that I thought was long enough to double around my neck. I cut the material into two 5" wide pieces. Sewn the sides of the long pieces together, right sides facing each other, turned it over, folded the ends and sewn the piece to close. 

My daughter saw what I was making and she wanted one too. I made her choose the fabric and here's her version, a slightly smaller one. I love that I got her to model it for me. 

That morning, I was at Hobby Lobby purchasing some fabrics for a baby necktie that I was going to make (that's my first sewing project of the day) and saw this super cool chevron print. I had a 40% coupon in my hand and knew that I would regret it, if I didn't use it for this print. I ended up creating this pillowcase for my front room. 

Now my other handmade pillow has an equally cool partner. *wink*

So let's recap, I made a baby necktie, two infinity scarves and then a chevron pillowcase. But I didn't stop there. At Hobby Lobby, I also found this great damask print in the fabric remnant aisle. There wasn't much of this fabric but I loved the canvas texture so I made a camera strap with it. My camera strap tutorial can be found here. Because of the beauty of this fabric print, I decided to keep it simple and not add any ruffles to the strap. I wanted this item to have an understated elegance. 

So there you have it. An afternoon of re-igniting my love for sewing and making pretty things with fabrics. 

What have you sewn lately?

Have a great weekend.

Till next time,

Grace

Meet Mr. Fishy

Before the school ended for my kids, the school's Science teacher sent out a note home with the 4th graders. The note mentioned a good amount of gold fish that needed homes since the Science room will be closed for the summer. My kids were begging me to sign the slip so we can keep one. We didn't have to pay for the fish but we needed a commitment to keep it alive. 

But after consulting Mitch, we decided to give in. The kids have been wanting a pet for so long but both of us knew that we would have to bear more of the taking care of this animal than the kiddos so we've always said no. We didn't have the time nor the energy to devote to that kind of commitment. But then this fish idea came along and I thought that it was a less stressful way to introduce "pet responsibility" to the children. 

When I was a teenager my dad took on the hobby of fishes so at one point we had about three fish tanks in our home. We, the kids, had to clean these tanks and I was always upset with that job because we ended up killing some of these poor creatures as we transferred them from one container to another. Needless to say, I don't have good memories with taking care of fishes but for my kids, I'm changing my views on it. 

And with that, last Wednesday, after I got done with my volunteer work at the kids' school, I took home what would later be known as Mr. Fishy. 

Meet the latest addition to the Tolman family... 

We had a big vase/bowl that we decided to use as his home. I told everyone that we will not get into debt with this new "toy" so right now all he has is this bowl with the views of the backyard. 

Mr. Fishy seems like the shy type cause every time we come close to his abode, he quickly swims to the bottom of the tank. 

I've noticed that since we don't have an oxygen tank in the bowl, his water gets dirty pretty fast so we've been changing the water every other day. The kids have been great at reminding me to clean the tank and to feed the fish. Like I said, I personally don't have the time nor energy to devote to Mr. Fishy and I'm glad that the kids are taking the initiative to remind me of him. 

So there you have it, the kids' first pet. I made a mistake of telling the kids that if Mr. Fishy survives two weeks that we'll get him a friend. So far, he's looking good and the kids are holding me to my word. Oh boy, what did I get myself into?

What was your best pet memories? 

Till next time,

Grace

Latest projects

We are near the end of the month and that means that I'm a busy bee trying to get my June design team projects finished before the deadline. So while I "play" away in my scrapbook room, how about a share of my latest projects posted online?

I made a card using the Oval shape tool of Epiphany crafts. I challenged myself to create something extraordinary with this tool, so I created some tulip flowers for my card. See the card and tutorial in this blog post at Epiphany Crafts blog. 

This card featured one of the latest Express Edge die from Die-Versions. My favorite part of this card was that I was able to use up a lot of my cardstock scraps. You can see this card plus more examples on how to use this die here. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find some inspirations from this post to help you with your own crafting today. 

Till next time,

Grace