Warmth of Christmas

Hey… we're already a few days into September! That means fall is just around the corner AND there’s a fun new release at Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps! In the crafting industry, September is also quite often the month companies are gearing up for Christmas so you have plenty of time to get your holiday cards and projects done. So today I’m sharing 2 cards with the Warmth of Christmas stamp set from this month's release. On my second card, I also used Puppy Love.

The black color of these silhouette images caught my eye on the stamp label and so I decided to make my cards with a striking red & black color combo. The wreath was stamped in green, though, to help it stand out.

The fireplace is such a great image and I thought the dog would make this card even more warm & homey. I grabbed a scrap of patterned paper for the buffalo plaid background but here's a great set to make your own!

Have a great day and go check out all the new stamps in this month’s release!

Diane

A Little Autumn Yet in November

Hello SNSS friends! In case you've missed it, Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps is celebrating their 8th birthday all month long!  Be sure to keep checking Facebook and the blog for samples, give-aways, and promotions! You can also follow us on Instagram: @sweetnsassystamps
Currently SNSS is offering 25% off all dies with the code BDAYDIES25! 

Today we are taking a look at the beautiful Autumn Mum Greetings Stamp Set. I think mums are like a breath of fresh autumn air, for after all of the summer flowers are winding down, up come the mums in a beautiful array of colors. I happen to have purple mums in my yard, so I chose to color mine that way for today's card:

This set has a gorgeous font, with some beautiful sentiments included. I stamped both the flower and sentiment in Archival Black ink, and then used my Koi paints to color the flower.

I love this Stanley Horowitz quote, and thought some designer paper with script would match the idea of someone saying such beautiful words.

There are matching dies, as well, so it makes cutting a breeze. You can find those HERE. I also made a quick watercolor bookmark with this set. I stamped the smaller mum with distress inks, then sprayed the paper and let the colors run. 

Once dry, I added the mum and sentiment again in a dark brown and tied on some fun fibers.

A little about me:
Although we are originally from Arizona, my husband and I currently live in Central Nebraska with our water turtle (we have had him for twenty years!) and our sweet Lab/Jack Russell mix, Fiona (not named after Shrek, but because she is white and Fiona is Gaelic for "white" or "fair".). We have two children, who live way too far away from us - one 750 miles west, and the other 1350 miles east. Sad! We are the proud grandparents of a two-month old granddaughter, and are so thankful for Face Time! 

1. How long have you been a fan of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps? I honestly don't remember when I became a customer, but it was in Korin's first year of business! I have been a member of her Design Team since January of this year.

2. What do you enjoy outside of stamping? 
I love going on junk jaunts, finding interesting things to photograph, and I love traveling. I also spend quite a bit of time at the theatre, either as an actress or director. Currently I am playing the Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol, which opens in a week, and will be directing To Kill A Mockingbird in the Spring. My kids, even grown, are my number one priority.

3. What is your "day" job? 
My husband is a Professor of Philosophy at the university here, and I work part-time in our community theatre Box Office.

4. Who inspires you?  
I find inspiration through nature and color, mostly. I have several stamping friends that inspire me, and I would be amiss if I didn't throw Pinterest in there. However, it is the artwork of the particular stamp sets that really inspire me to create.


5. Share a fun or interesting fact about yourself that most people might not know.  
I sang for the Pope at the Vatican when I was 15 years old. And I don't know how to swim!
 
6. What advice would you give to a new stamper? 
Find what you love, and stick with it. Make things that make you happy, and do more of that. And don't compare your creations to other stampers'. Just love what you do.
 
7. What is your favorite SNSS set?
I love the Puppy Love and Kitty Love stamp sets. Animals are a huge part of my family's lives, and I am a big animal advocate. Here are a few elegant and cute cards made with those two sets: 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my U.S. friends!

Ruff Day??

Hello Sweet 'n Sassy Friends,

Jenny here with a lighthearted card

to give a friend that could use a smile.

I just love all the animal sets that

Sweet 'n Sassy carries... I especially have a

soft spot for doggy stamps... I even like the cat

ones...however, don't tell Korin but kitty 

cats are not my favorite animal to

 have around - totally allergic to boot!

This little guy is colored with distress inks,

and then die cut with the matching die set.

The design was inspired by Retro Sketches.

You can find my complete supply list plus

the Retro Sketch up on my blog.

Hope your day is fabulous!

Hugs,

Jenny

InLinkz.com

The Glue That Holds My Heart

Hello everyone!
Today I want to share a technique with you that is fun and easy - even though it may seem hard at first! I have written directions to follow, and there are several videos out in YouTube land as well. I call it Hot Glue Stencils - nothing fancy, just what it sounds like! All you need is hot glue, ink, and some creativity! Easy to do, easy to fix mistakes, and LOTS of possibilities.

I made hearts for my stencil sample, and made circles for another (not posted), but you could make clouds or water, or scenery, or other shapes, or anything! I used sprays, but you could also watercolor around your stencil, or sponge or paint.

1. Plug in your glue gun and have several short refills or one long glue stick ready. It is better to use more than less!

2. On your silicone mat (or foil or wax paper - which tends to stick) draw shapes or a scene with your glue. Try to have the glue touch and connect in many places, so your stencil has some stability.
You will see in the photo that I made a mess of the lower left heart. I just let it dry and peeled off that part, and started over with that section. Easy to fix!

3. When dry, pick up your stencil carefully. If it tears, go back to #2 and fix! I picked off many of the little glue "threads."

4. Lay your glue stencil on cardstock or watercolor paper.
My sample uses a heavier cardstock for my sprays. I also used watercolor paper to play with on a different card, spraying with water before and after I sprayed with color. 

Spray or sponge or paint your color on top of the stencil.

6. Let dry, and remove the stencil, washing it with clear, cool water for another use. Time to design your card around your stencil! I had no idea what I was going to do until I was done with the stencil. Have fun!

And here is the final project:

My dog is from Puppy Love. It's stamped, embossed with Clear EP, and popped up. The arrow is purchased chipboard, and the doily is adhesive backed and also purchased. The "love" is handwritten and cut out via machine. I pierced the four corners for interest. 

This card is in honor of BooBoo, a sweet furry girl belonging to my friend, Kate, who has been sick this week with Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever, but is getting better! So "The Glue That Holds My Heart" is all about our furry friends and how much we love them. I love my own Fiona! Hope you have a great day!

My Therapist

Hi there, Sweet 'n Sassy Friends. It's Ceal here to share a fun card with you. How many of you can relate to what Sassy Cindy has to say? It's truth for me my therapist definitely wags his tail. I talk to my dog, Willis all the time and he just listens haha. If you're a dog lover like me then the Puppy Love set is definitely one you will want to add to your collection. And we did not leave you kitty lovers out in the cold, there is a set for you too, Kitty Love.

Here are the supplies I used

Paw Prints on my Heart

Hello Friends!

Jenny here with a bright and cheerful card using

the brand new stamp set Puppy Love.  

I just adore all the little dog silhouettes 

and sweet sentiments in this set!  

This little guy was stamped, fussy cut and 

nestled in some grass I created with my fringe scissors.

The heart border is from the Scalloped Hearts and Borders

die set.  I've noticed that lately that has been my go to border.

I stamped my sentiment on a Speech Bubble and added

some Rain Drops for a little bling.

I have just the special little girl to give this to.

She just lost her dog, and I want her to know

that I am grieving with her and that I love her. 

Isn't it great that we card makers can convey

how much we are thinking of someone by taking

the time to create a hand made card?

I love that about this little hobby of mine :)

Jenny

You can find all the supplies for my card up on my blog.

InLinkz.com

March 2015 Release Day Blog Hop!

Hello, sweet friends!  Welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps March 2015 Release Day Blog Hop & Challenge!  The days are getting longer, the weather is changing, and Spring is on the way!  Who doesn't love watching for the first signs of spring after a cold and snowy winter?  Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps will help set the stage for Spring with three new Mini Flower Block stamp sets ...AND for you animal lovers out there…two new stamp sets featuring our favorite canines and felines!  So get prepared to be inspired by the projects created for you by the talented Design Divas! 

Introducing our March 2015 Release

Mini Flower Blocks 1 Clear Stamp Set: $11

Mini Flower Blocks 2 Clear stamp Set: $11

Mini Flower Blocks 3 Clear Stamp Set: $11

• Stamp sets each include 4 images
• Stamp sets measures 4" x 4"
• Each flower block measures approximately 1 7/8" x 1 7/8"
• Designed by Korin Sutherland

 ********************************************************************

Puppy Love Clear Stamp Set: $26

• Stamp set includes 13 images and 12 sentiments
• Stamp set measures 6" x 8"
• Begging Golden image measures approximately 2" x 1 1/2"
• Designed by Korin Sutherland

  ********************************************************************

Kitty Love Clear Stamp Set: $26

• Stamp set includes 12 images and 16 sentiments
• Stamp set measures 6" x 8"
• Fluffy Kitty image measures approximately 1 3/4" x 1 1/2"
• Designed by Korin Sutherland

 ********************************************************************

That's not all…the new items released for the March Sweet Perks Bundles are now available separately at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Windy Winnie Clear Stamp Set: $26

Windy Winnie Die Set: $34.75

• Stamp set includes 5 images and 9 sentiments
• Stamp set measures 6" x 8"
• Winnie with umbrella measures approximately 4 1/4" x 2 1/8"
• Designed by Wynne Gettelfinger
• Coordinating die set includes 5 dies

 ********************************************************************

Finally, we have two die sets now available that coordinates with two of our popular stamp sets…Treasured and New Creature.  

Treasured Die: $11.25

• Includes 1 die
• Designed by Korin Sutherland
• Coordinates with Treasured Clear Stamp Set

 ********************************************************************

New Creature Die Set: $11.25

• Includes 2 dies
• Designed by Korin Sutherland
• Coordinates with New Creature Clear Stamp Set

 ********************************************************************

Release Giveaway!

What would a release be without a giveaway, right?  Well, here are the details of this month's release prize. One random commenter from one of the DT blogs will be selected to win a $10 Gift Code to Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  You have until Thursday, March 19th at midnight EST to leave your comments.  The winner will be posted on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog on Friday, March 20th!

Now onto our release day challenge! 
"Loving Pets"  

(Include a pet on your card or project) 

Here's Cathy's card to inspire you...

  Just a few guidelines to remember as you play:

            

- You don't have to use a Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps image to enter (although we sure love when you do!)
- Please create a NEW card (no back linking)
- We ask that you enter your card in no more than 3 challenges
 - You'll have until Thursday, March 19th at midnight EST to enter
- We'll draw 1 winner from this week's challenge to receive a $10 credit to Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!  
If there are 25 participants, (not including the DT), we'll draw 2 winners!
- Please use code SNSMARCH2015RC when uploading to Splitcoaststampers or other galleries 

To enter simply share a link to your creation below!

Thanks for joining us today!  Be sure to join us again on Friday, March 20th to see if you've won!

 Now it's time to see what the DT has created with these fabulous products! The DT blog links can be found in the Linky Tool below...HAPPY HOPPING & SHOPPING!