Zva Creative June Design Team Blog Hop

Zva Creative and my fellow Design Team members welcome you to our 
June blog hop! 
We are excited about it and look forward to be 
sharing our new work with you!

Today's Blog Hop begins at Zva Creative's blog! Be sure head on over to check it out! You will also find a complete list of all the participating blogs there (in case there is a glitch along the way).

As you know, Zva offers many beautiful color groupings for pearls, flowers and crystals.  If you like what you see along the hop you can find a list of stores and online retailers that sell Zva HERE.

I really had fun creating this card.
I was totally inspired by this week's assignment
over at The Twinery, which was to create
something using red, white & blue.

I bought the 6x6 pad 'Pride' by Authentique
on my last trip to Archivers & knew what I
wanted to start with.  I laid down my
'wallpaper' and went from there.

The focal point bling is the beautiful red
flourish from Zva Creative.  Even though
bling tends to be on the more 'sophisticated'
side, it totally works with this Americana
look, don't you think?

The burlap star is from Little Yellow Bicycle
and the sentiments are from Paper Smooches.

If you would like to play along with our design team, just follow along the blog path.  I am linking to one of the Zva designers and that designer is linking to the next and so on. Be prepared to be inspired along the way!

The Blog Hop starts today, June 24^th and runs through midnight US Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, June 25^th.

***Prizes*** 
Hidden on FIVE of the designer's blogs is a Zva Creative prize package! Winners will be randomly chosen after the hop is over. All you need to do is leave a comment on this Blog Hop post... you do not need to leave a comment on each and every designer's blog post to qualify. However, the more times you comment along the blog hop path, the more chances you will have to win. 

The 5 winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 26^th on Zva Creative's blog. We will do our best to notify each winner, but it's best if you can pop in to Zva's blog on Wednesday to see if you are a winner! 

The blog hop begins here at Zva Creative's blog.

Your next stop is

Jolanda Meurs blog

Enjoy!

Thank you for joining us! 

P.S. Mark your calendar to join us again 

on July 29^th for our next Zva blog hop! 

And don't forget to leave a comment for your chance

to win one of those great prize packages!


Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Pride by Authentique

Stamps: Sentiment Sampler from Paper Smooches

Embellishments: Red Flourish {CR-06CA-107} from Zva Creative

baker's twine Silver Metallic from The Twinery

Burlap Star sticker from Little Yellow Bicycle

Tools: Banner die by Sizzix, Big Shot

 

You Are Never Alone

Happy Sunday !

I'm just popping in today with a card I recently made

to { hopefully } bring a smile to my mom.

I recently shared that she was diagnosed with lung cancer

and while she is going through treatment, I want to

make sure she knows how much I love her

and admire her strength.

 

She does read my blog from time to time, so hopefully

she will not 'peek in' for a few days so I can

make sure this card gets to her : )

 My mom has loved gardening since I was in high school.

She turned most of our backyard into the most

beautiful flower garden over 30 years ago and to this day, still has

the most beautiful blooms from Spring to Fall around

her entire condo.

 

I recently picked up these fabby vellum pages by Heidi Grace

and was so anxious to use them.

I used my Lacey Circle die from Spellbinders to create the frame

and placed it on top of yellow cardstock so the design

would stand out more.

I also created the base using the Swiss Dot EF from Cuttlebug.

The sentiment is from a beautiful set called 'Inspired by Audrey'

designed by Karen Baker for The Craft's Meow.

I simply embellished the flowers & umbrella with pearls & gems.

It's important she knows this sentiment is true and I hope

she enjoys it once she receives it.

 

Don't forget. . .

There's a terrific color challenge going on over at

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

I'll be back on Monday with a very special event

with The Twinery and Imaginisce !

Project Recipe:

 Cardstock: Recollections & Bazzill

Vellum: Sunshowers Quotes by Heidi Grace
Stamps: Inspired by Audrey by The Craft's Meow

Tools:  Lacey Circles die by Spellbinders

Lg Swiss Dot EF by Cuttlebug, Big Shot Embellishments: gems from K&Company

pearls from Recollections

New Beginnings with The Craft's Meow

To visit my post for The Twinery
Please scroll down
or click here

Welcome back to The Open Window

I am really excited to share today's preview from

It's New Release Week and today's set is simply  . . .

' sweet '

It's called 'Easter Blessings'

designed by Karen Baker

Nothing says 'New Beginnings' to me like Dogwood blooms.

I couldn't resist these from Martha Stewart and thought they

were the perfect addition to these sweet little animals from TCM.

Once I inked each stamp, I pressed it on scrap first so I could

create a simple ' shadow ' of each creature.

The inks were from A Muse Studio.

Although it's not as visible in the photos, I embossed

the beautiful cardstock from Bazzill using the

' Stylized Flowers ' EF from Cuttlebug.

The ribbon is also from Martha Stewart.

How would you like a chance to win this set ?

All you have to do is stop by the TCM blog and leave a note

to say you stopped by for a visit.

Each day of the previews will bring another set up for grabs.

You have until 8pm PST, February 19th to comment to be eligible.

Thanks so much for coming by.
I would love to hear from you and I'll keep my fingers crossed
that YOU win this beautiful set.
Just in case, make sure you put it on your ' must have ' list !

Project Recipe:

 Cardstock: Berrylicious by Bazzill
Stamps: Easter Blessings by The Craft's Meow

Ink: Slate, Papaya & Latte from A Muse Studio
Tools: Stylized Flowers EF by Cuttlebug, Big Shot
Embellishments: Dogwood stickers & Vintage ribbon
both from Martha Stewart

Just 'Chicken' In

Hey there !
It's certainly a busy day here at The Open Window
and an inspirational one as well.

The designers of EAD Designs

are getting together with the designers of

Hopefully, you came by way of
Crazy About Cricut's Blog
so you can hop right along with us.

If not, we would love for you to join us a few stops back at the
EAD Designs Blog
because we always offer a fabulous prize to a lucky winner!

I absolutely adore this set of Stickerz from EAD called 'Just Chicken In'
I used one of Martha Stewart deep edge punches to create the fun
border background using paper from Cosmo Cricket.
I then cut two Lacey Circle frames using my Spellbinders dies
and placed the Action Wobble spring between the two.
It was difficult for me to capture the actual 'wobble' with my
little camera, but take my word for it . . .
When you 'flick' the fun little chicken,
it TOTALLY wobbles !
You can sorta see it below where the shadow is . . .

Here is the set I used today

and the best news is . . .

You can place your order HERE

I'm so glad you stopped by today.

Make sure you leave a short note 
before you go so you'll have a 
chance to win 
the terrific prize on the hop.


It's time to get you on your way to
Trisha's Blog 
Little Scraps of Heaven Designs


Project Recipe:  
Cardstock: Pure Luxury by Gina K Designs

Patterned Paper: Tea for Two by Cosmo Cricket

Embellishments: Just Chicken In Stickerz by EAD Designs

black pearls from Recollections

Tools: Celtic Loop border deep edge punch by Martha Stewart

Action Wobble Spring, Big Shot, Lacey Circles die by Spellbinders

Think BIG!

Happy Monday!

With an ice cream cone like this, how can it not be ? !

If you just happened to stop by, welcome to the

If you've come by way of

Judith's blog Jay Gee's Nook

then you are on the right trail.

Otherwise, pop back to the

EAD Designs blog

and get started there because we always have

a fun prize up for grabs!

Ice cream cones are sure trendy right now, aren't they ?

Of course, they are the perfect summer treat and these are called

'Sweet Birthday Treats' from EAD's Stickerz line.

I'm a huge fan of BasicGrey & thought the combination of papers

from their Serendipity & Shine On collections

were a perfect match to create my card's 'wallpaper'.

I made an oval frame from Bazzill Swiss Dot cardstock

and my Spellbinders dies.

Tiny brads, a little lime green seam binding from Ribbon Carousel

and Mandarin & Honeydew baker's twine from The Twinery 

are the perfect embellishments to finish it off.

Here is the set I used this week . . .

and remember . . . 

It is time to send you on your way to our July Guest Designer

Kate's Blog Scrappers Creative Corner

We've really enjoyed having Kate with us & we know you did too !

Thanks for stopping by . . . Have a GREAT day !

Project Recipe:

Cardstock: Gina K Designs, Bazzill & American Crafts

Patterned Paper: Serendipity & Shine On by BasicGrey

Embellishments: Sweet Birthday Treats Stickerz by EAD Designs

baker's twine in Mandarin & Honeydew by The Twinery

mini brads from American Crafts

seam binding from RibbonCarousel.com

Tools: Classic Oval Dies from Spellbinders, Big Shot

God's Blessing - The Craft's Meow & Giveaway

For the 3rd Anniversary 

Celebration Giveaway posts,

please click HERE...

don't forget you still have time

to participate on all posts to 

have a chance to win !

Happy Sunday and a Very Happy Father's Day

to all the dad's out there.

It's a reflective day for me as I lost my dad 12 years ago.

There's not a day that goes by when I don't think of him

and I miss him terribly.

I am happy to have Paul's dad to share Father's Day with

and we look forward to seeing him a little later today.

Today is also a special day because I have a few posts that

I will be sharing with you as part of

In fact . . . there will be a special giveaway at the end of this post,

so make sure you keep reading.

For now, it's time for me to share with you that it's

Day One of the New Release Previews

over at

This is one of my very favorite teams I serve on

because the variety of stamp images that are offered

are simply amazing.

We are happy to welcome our June Guest Designers

Larissa Heskett & Gayatri Murali.

I know you will enjoy the design-work of each

of these talented ladies.

Today, we share a 'peek' at the fabby new set designed by

my dear friend & teammate, Karen Baker

called 'God's Blessing'

I decided to try my hand at my first rolled rose.  Yep.  My first.

Rather than create one from scratch, I was happy to use the die from

My Little Shoebox and I really like the effect.  This one is actually one

small one nestled in a larger one.  The center is a hand-made brad

using the Epiphany brad maker.

The stamped images from the new stamp set are simply beautiful.

I love the scroll because it's a great accent piece for any type

of project.  I stamped it twice here.

I love what simple gems will add to a card, too.

These are leaves from Want2Scrap.

Make sure you pop by

 The Craft's Meow Blog

and check out the fabulous-ness

from all of the designers.

TCM is giving away a new release set

each day, so make sure you leave a comment

on the blog for a chance to win!

Now . . .
as a bonus here at The Open Window . . . 
in celebration of my 3rd Anniversary

To be eligible to win, simply leave
a comment.  That's it !
Easy-Peasy !

I'll see you a bit later with the final post
of the celebration !

Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Happy Go Lucky by My Little Shoebox
Stamps: God's Blessing by The Craft's Meow 

Ink: Slate from A Muse Studio

Embellishments: die cut flower by My Little Shoebox

 gem leaves by Want2Scrap

Tools: brad maker by Epiphany, Big Shot

Swiss Dot EF by Cuttlebug
 

Loving Thoughts ... Open Design Team Call

I am so glad to be back with another BEE-autiful challenge from

Deep, sultry colors with an amazing graphic to match!

I definitely don't feel I did the colors justice with my card,

but I really love the combo.

I brought out the 'vintage' this week using Spellbinders

Decorative Dress Forms die and Want2Scrap's

matching Nestabling.

I layered papers from Webster's Pages, stamped one of

my favorite sentiments from The Craft's Meow

and embellished a little more using Prima flowers

and a gemstone flourish.

This week, we are happy to welcome back

as our sponsor!

We'd love to have you play, so make sure you stop by

and check out the inspiration from our design team.

Speaking of Design Team, we are having our 

first open call in over a year!

We are looking for designers who love to play with

color, enjoy being a part of a 'family-oriented' team

and enjoy inspiring others.

All the details are in The Cafe.

Before I go, don't forget....

Tomorrow I begin celebrating my

3rd Anniversary 
here at The Open Window.

I am thrilled to say that the prize total is up to

$500 

and includes quite a few more companies than you

see here on the original banner!

The celebration will be all about the friendships I've made

along the way, fun stories and photos and of course...

PRIZES ! ! !

It all begins at 8am EDT tomorrow .... and goes through Sunday.

There is no blog hop to complete, just make plans to pop by

each day, let me know you were here and cross your fingers.

Project Recipe:

Patterned Paper: Hollywood Vogue by Webster's Pages
Stamps: Sent with Love by The Craft's Meow

Embellishments: Nestabling Pearls & rhinestone flourish by

Want2Scrap, flower by Prima

Tools:  Decorative Dress Form die by Spellbinders, Big Shot

Apron Lace border punch by Fiskars

Feelin' Groovy!

Welcome back to The Open Window !

It's Day #4 and the final day of New Release Previews for

Tomorrow will be the BIG TEAM blog hop and 

all SIX of the fabulous new stamp sets

previewed this past several days will be available for sale.

Today, we reveal our final two sets designed by 

my very talented friend Karen Baker.

This one is called 'Retro Foundations'

and it's uber-groovy !

I admit it . . . I LOVE disco and couldn't wait to get my design claws

on this disco ball !  I made it sparkle with Stardust Stickles.

The borders included in this set are absolutely fab and how about 

that sentiment ? !  I love using tiny rhinestones to 'hang' things . . .

birdcages, chandeliers and now this great disco ball.

The set comes with a chain as well.

This next stamp set is the May gift with $50 purchase called

'Typically Teen'

I know this set is going to get a LOT of use in my projects.

The abstract designs are perfect for all sorts of backgrounds

and shadow accents.

I love the Decorative Dress Forms dies from Spellbinders

and thought it would be fun to design a dress using

the 'spatters' in this set.  I used a variety of ink from A Muse Studio.

Keeping with a retro-feel, I created rings using 

Spellbinders Standard Circles dies.

Don't forget . . . this set can be yours when you order $50 or more

from The Craft's Meow and it all becomes available on Monday !

Make sure you pop by

 The Craft's Meow Blog

and check out the creative work

from all of the designers.

TCM is giving away a new release set

each day, so make sure you leave a comment

on the blog for a chance to win!

I am so glad you stopped by today.
Tomorrow is the New Release Blog Hop,
so make plans to stop back.

Happy Birthday Project Recipe:

Stamps: Retro Foundations by The Craft's Meow
Ink: Ocean & Slate by A Muse Studio 

Embellishments: mini rhinestones & brads by Recollections
Stickles in Stardust by Ranger

Design a Dress Project Recipe:

Stamps: Typically Teen & Retro Foundations by The Craft's Meow
Ink: Latte, Ocean, Grass, Lichen & Slate by A Muse Studio 

Embellishments: pearls from Recollections
Tools: Standard Circles & Decorative Dress Forms dies
by Spellbinders, Big Shot