ABC Primer by Graphic 45

All I can say about this release is OH MY!! I knew when I first saw it that it would become a fast favorite, but then it arrived in my house and it is truly amazing! It has such rich colors and the stamps are absolute perfection!



















I shared a tutorial on how to mask stamps to layer images in the CLASSroom. Head on over if you are curious about how I achieved the combination, it is much easier than it looks and is a technique that can be used in many ways!

I am going to be missing a few days here at the blog, taking a little time up in Seattle for vacation and hoping to come back with some fun stories, interesting pictures and projects to share!

B-

Welcome to the Last Day of Blogs for Boobies!

There us still time to join in on the fun(draising)!!!! There are two ways you can help:
 
#1 There is still time to bid on my project:  Here is another look at what I have up for auction.  

The auction will end at 8:00 p.m. Mountain time August 23rd.

The highest bid is currently:$12.50
To win this simply bid more than what ever the current highest bid is in the comment section of THIS post.  YOU MUST INCLUDE your EMAIL ADDRESS with your $ bid. ( This way we can get in contact with the winning bidder.)
Remember 100% of what you bid will go to the Komen foundation!!! If you are the top bidder you will receive a paypal invoice for the amount that you bid. 


To sweeten the reason to bid, I have created another project that will be sent with the original, so whoever is the highest bidder will receive two cards!!

#2  There is still time to shop!!!  Through midnight on the 23rd of August Skipping Stones Design is still donating $2 (to the Komen Foundation) for every stamp set sold.  



I hope YOU can help ME make a difference!!
B-

This Is All I Need

Right now I am living the dream.

No, really. I am not trying to be coy or cute or gushy. It is just a straight up fact that I have literally everything I need in my life right now, and it is emotionally a very overpowering feeling.

No, my life isn't perfect either. That is not at all what I would even begin to imply, as a matter of fact it is the imperfections and challenges that have made me realize how what I have at this very moment is really all that I need. Of course there are a LOT of things that I WANT, I'm human and woman who loves good shoes. But that is beside my point. What I am so enraptured with right now is that we have a roof over heads that is cool when it is too hot outside, and warm when it is too cool. We have what we need to eat and enough money to keep our very well traveled gas guzzling car on the road to get us where we need to be. We have clothing to cover nakedness (and just speaking for myself, that is a great thing! No one needs a big dose of my nekkid!!) I have a belief system that comforts me when I lose someone I care about very much and most of all we have a home filled with all of the people that mean the very most to me. I won't be able to say that for much longer so it seemed appropriate to shout it from the rooftops tonight.

 
It is a feeling that overwhelms me and fills my heart up to the point that I think I might actually burst. As a matter of fact just thinking and typing about how much gratitude and joy I have in my heart, I am ready to cry and have big tears welling up in my tired eyes.

If I could make one wish for everyone in the whole world, tonight it would be that everyone could experience that same feeling of overwhelming love and joy in their lives.

B-

Skipping Stones Blog 4 Boobies Fundraiser!!

IT'S TIME TO STAMP OUT CANCER!!!!

Welcome to the second annual Blog 4 Boobies fundraiser!

This is day 1 of a 3 day blog bounce(hop) where EVERY CARD OR PROJECT is up for auction!

Last year Skipping Stones Design raised and donated $1108.99 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It is our goal to raise $1500 this year and WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! There are 3 ways you can join in on the fun(draising)

1. You can help by Going shopping!

For every stamp set that you purchase during August 15th through the 23rd SSD will donate $2 to the Komen Foundation. Stamping and shopping that you can feel good about ! Click Here to laugh at some of our funniest stamps Click Here to be inspired or Click here to see everything we've got!

Here are two of my favorite sets:

Heartsong:

Bras Volume #1

2. You can help by *Biding!

Another way you can help us raise money for the Komen Foundation is to *bid on a project or card along the blog bounce(hop). YES! EVERY Single card/project along the blogs for boobies bounce is up for auction. We recommend a starting bid of $5 or more. Your *Bid not only includes the card or project but shipping to your home as well. * See how to place a bid for more detailed instructions.

If you are the highest bidder August 23rd 8:00 p.m. mountain time then you WIN the card/project that you bid on.

3. You can help by Telling Your Friends~

Help us spread the word about "blogs 4 boobies" the more people that know, the more money we can raise!!!

If you have a blog feel free to copy and paste part or all of our Blogs 4 Boobies posts.

*"How to place a bid on my card/project"

Step #1

Find the comment section of the blog that shows the "Blogs 4 boobies" card or project that you want to buy. *Please note you may only bid on the card/project shown in the specific "blogs 4 boobies" post. *Any bids not placed on the correct post will be considered invalid.

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. Remember your bid includes shipping as well as the card/or project. 100% of the money your bid will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation

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. Mountain time August 23rd

* Please note that the participating stampers/bloggers will probably re-post their Blogs 4 Boobies card/project on the 23rdof September. When the blogger re-post their project then the bidding will continue on the NEWEST post and that comment section.

"What do I do once I place a bid"

Watch and Wait

The "Winner of the Auction" Will be the highest bid (that includes an email address)in the comment section of the MOST RECENT blogs 4 boobies post at the end of the silent auction. Please note that ALL cards/projects WILL BE REPOSTED on the 23rd of September. The silent auction will end at 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time on August 23rd .

Things to keep in mind:

Near the end of the bidding you may not see bids as they come in. Most blog have a comment feature where the blogger must approve comments before they are published. So bid high. You might have the highest bid that is published, but someone might have outbid you in an unpublished comment/bid.

The blogger/designer will declare who has won the silent auction. Skipping Stones Design will send you an invoice for your donation/bid ammount. Please pay that invoice as soon as possible, so the designer can get your card/project in the mail to you.

REmember 100% of your bid will be donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

You are here at my blog ______________.

You should have come to me from ________________'s blog_________

Next you are going to visit _____________'s blog ______________________.

Here is the list of today's participants: make sure to come back the next two days and check out our other amazing designers,cards, and projects.

Day #1:

PaperCrafts Connections Blog (Renae Curtz)

Deb Felts

Michelle Giraud

Michelle Gross

Wendy Jordan

Sarah Martina Parker

Becky Olsen

Barb Turpin

Taylor Usry

Brenda Weaver

Have fun bouncing from blog to blog. Enjoy all the designs, and make a bid or two! This is a rare opportunity to take home a

card(s)/project from your favorite designer, and fight the war against breast cancer!!!

Together we can make a difference!!!

Scrapbook Workshop!

First, HUGE congrats to the artist who devised the concept and saw it through to completion, May Flaum! The book has been available as an auto-delivery (download) for a few days now and has reached #3 on the craft/hobby list and is the #1 paper craft title!!


Second, so honored and thrilled to have had the opportunity to contribute to this project! The other artists who participated as well are some of my very favorite, and I have no doubt that this book will be inspiring and educating me for years, and that the blogs these artists maintain will become part of my daily routine to nurture and care for my soul. I am including the list here, but they are going into my sidebar as well in a special category so if you wish to indulge yourself, they are available to you as well.

Anna Aspnes

www.annaaspnes.typepad.com

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

www.balzerdesigns.typepad.com

Kimberly Crawford

www.kimberly-crawford.blogspot.com

Lisa Dickinson

www.lisadickinson.typepad.com

May Flaum

www.mayflaum.com

Nora Griffin

www.justmakestuff.com

Debbie Hodge

www.debbiehodge.com

Sasha Holloway

www.sassysasha.typepad.com

Nathalie kalbach

www.scrapbook-trends.com

Megan Klauer

www.meganklauerdesign.blogspot.com

Kendra McCracken

www.kendramccracken.blogspot.com

Becky Olsen

www.lifeasathreeleggeddog.blogspot.com

Katie Pertiet

www.katiepertiet.typepad.com

Kelly Purkey

www.kellypurkey.typepad.com

Debee Ruiz

www.debeecampos.blogspot.com

Doris Sander

www.sanderdk.typepad.com

Keshet Shenkar Starr

www.keshetstarr.com

Melissa Stinson

www.scrappyjedi.com

Irene Tan

www.scrapperlicious.blogspot.com

Sharyn Tormanen

www.sharyntormanen.typepad.com

Lisa Truesdell

www.gluestickgirl.typepad.com

Tammy Tutterow

www.tammytutterow.typepad.com

Iris Babao Uy

www.irisbabaouy.typepad.com

Wendy Vecchi

www.studio490art.blogspot.com

Dina Wakley

www.dinastamps.typepad.com

Deena Ziegler

www.deenaziegler.typepad.com

Sneak peek from one of the projects I created for this, any guesses as to what technique I might have been using?

Happy Crafting!!

B-

Card Ideas For Paper Crafters

If you like using sketches to help your creative process, then the second installment that started out as Go To Sketches 2 which is now Card Ideas for Paper Crafters is going to be right up your alley!!
















I have three projects in this issue, and I hope you trust me when I say this special issue is a must have! The inspiration the sketches give is exceptional, but also the projects that are inside the covers are magic! All kinds of different styles and interpretations really help with seeing more possibilities than what the basic sketch provides.

Here is a peek at just one of the cards, to see the rest you need to open the pages of this fantastic publication yourself. And to make it an even better experience, grab a large size of your favorite beverage, sit in a really soft and comfy chair and schedule out a few hours to just sit and peruse, You are worth it!

B-

Using Graphic 45 Metal Staples to Make Unique Jewelry

So it is not made of paper, but it is a really fun way to use crafting supplies to create a necklace that is eye-catching and sure to have people asking where you found it or how you made it!


















All of the instructions on how it was done are over in the CLASSroom if you are interested!

B-

August 1st is National Girlfriend Day!

Today is a great day to appreciate the special girlfriends you have in your life! I appreciate the contributions and quality that all of my girlfriends have provided to me in my life, and I hope that I have done the same for others. Without these special people, my life would be poorer and have no dimension of thought, no texture of culture or belief and no range of age or experience to draw upon for support or information.

I am eternally grateful for all who have been there for me, and hope to continue being a stalwart friend to all who need one. Don't forget, a friend is a gift you give yourself :o)

B-