New Year's Artwork plus Design Team Call thru Jan 14th!

Hello friends!
The end of 2011 is quickly drawing near, and I hope you will take some time to reflect on this year before looking ahead to 2012.  This year my father passed away and my poodle of 10 years died suddenly only 6 weeks later.  It was a start filled with sorrow and tears.  But this proved to be so important in my life.  They say faith isn't really faith until it's tested, and I am beyond grateful that God, Who is able to keep us from stumbling (Jude 1), held me ever so close to Him and His Word as He used this to build my trust of Him.  He never left me nor forsook me, just like He promised. 

This year the verse "Be still and know that I am God" has been so very near to me...I've even put it on a wall of my studio.  When I saw this beautiful 'reflection' booklet that Kary has created for 2011, I knew I would be making one as well.  The above shows her front cover and here is a full shot, followed by some amazing projects from the rest of our DT gals!  Thank you all so much for your support this year and we are so excited about 2012 with you!!
Kary

Amber

Belinda

 Chere

Deneen

Jenn

and last but not least is this very creative puzzle card...be sure to check out Jamie's blog to see how she did this:

Have a blessed New Year's and I will be back with some really fun items and an announcement for a month long challenge you are gonna love next week!

Our winner of the 12 Days of Inspired Christmas $10 gift certificate is a facebook entry...

Lori Kleinschrodt Holder                 Congratulations Lori!!

Don't forget we are looking for our next DT members....click HERE for more details!

Until then,
Be the blessing,
~Antoinette
www.inspiredstamps.com (we are all caught up and back to shipping the same day as most orders are placed!)

2012 February-July Design Team Call: If you LOVE our stamps, we want YOU!!

Hello Friends!
It is time to add a new face or two to our upcoming DESIGN TEAM!!  Are YOU who we are looking for?
If you have our stamps, use our stamps, and LOVE our stamps....this design team may be just the place to showcase your creativity!

What are the benefits/responsibilites of being on our design team?
*a weekly place to have your artwork seen by lots of viewers!
*free stamps and designs plus other 'goodies' sent to you from us as a THANK YOU!
*create one card or project each week and have it posted to spend all day THURSDAYS on your blog.
*straight cuts, clean stamping, and if you color, beautiful coloring (we have many stamps that don't require coloring, so don't let this stop you if you dont color)
*post all dt members names and links to your blog sidebar (I can show you how)
*add this to your creative resume
*we expect posts to include a link to our online store and to showcase our stamps and the names of each stamp set used, but we are fine with other products from other companies being used (Tim Holz, SU, etc)
*you must be committed to the time for this DT (Feb 1-July 31) as we invest a lot in our DT members and you must be committed to posting timely each week.  You can always create ahead of time and schedule posts if you are on vacation or know you'll not be around the date of the post.  We have not had any problems with this :o)

How do I apply?
Email the following in ONE email to inspiredstamps@gmail.com by January 14th midnight:
*using the Inspired Stamps you have (or new ones you purchase now), create 3 projects (they can be all cards, or a mix of projects) that SHOWCASE our stamps.
*Let us know a little about you and Why you want to be on our design team.

I am not sure how many DT members we will need at this time, but I know we will need 1 or 2 for sure. I encourage you to submit for this, even if you have no design team experience and aren't sure you are 'qualified'.  I am honestly looking more for people who LOVE our stamps and LOVE creating with them and do nice work.  Not so much of a focus on who has a ton of design team experience like some companies prefer.  We are a family run, Christ-loving, company that truly values customers as friends and sharers in this journey...we'd love to invite you to join us!!  We will respond to each email that we get after the 14th of January, but will let you know we got your application as soon as we get it.

Thursday afternoon I'll announce the winner of the last post's gift certificate and have the current Design Team's NEW YEAR focused artwork...some GREAT projects coming your way!

Blessings to you and yours!
~Antoinette
www.inspiredstamps.com  (shipping within 24 hours of your order placement!!)

12th Week of 12 Weeks of Inspired Christmas: Note holding Magnet (great gift year round!)

Merry Christmas!!
I pray that you all have a wonderful time with your family this Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  This is our last week of the 12 weeks of Inspired Christmas Creations and I have had such a wonderful time thinking up ideas to share with you!!  I hope these 12 weeks have given you inspiration to create your own projects!

Today I have another coaster idea (I love coasters, in case you couldn't tell!)  These are round coasters (a few people emailed me that the restaurants they go to only have round coasters, so here's a way to use them).
I taped scrapbook paper scraps I had to the round coasters, added embellishments (the die lacy tag is from Magnolia; inks are Tim Holz; stamps are Inspired Stamps found HERE)

The key to these is the round magnets on the back (make sure they are strong) and hot glue the clips to this so when you go to use them they stay put well (the clips are Ranger products too):
Here are the two I made to share with you on the white board in  my studio (yes, it's a pink brick wall LOL)

 This one I made to clip Scripture verses to:

 And this one is a gift for a friend going through some challenges:

I hope you have enjoyed our 12 weeks.  Leave a comment here by Wednesday midnight (Dec 28) letting me know WHICH project of our 12 weeks of Inspired Christmas Creations was your favorite and I'll choose a couple of comments at random to get a $10 gift certificate to our online store!

Have a very blessed Christmas and THANK YOU for all your support of Inspired Stamps!!
Much love,
~Antoinette
www.inspiredstamps.com (we'll be shipping orders every day but Sundays through the holiday season!  Most orders are shipped the same day as they are placed!)

Merry Christmas from your Inspired Stamps Design Team...

Merry Christmas, friends!  I absolutely LOVE what Deneen did in the photo above with the ASK SEEK KNOCK set and the LABELMAKER ALPHABET sets!!  I will definitely be using this idea in the future, how about you?
It's our last Christmas focused DT project for a little while as Christmas is only a few days away (yay!).  Is anyone else tired? LOL
Ok here is the rest of the fabulous creations from the Design Team:
Deneen's front of her card (her inside is above):

Amber's card (love love love this card!!):

 Belinda's Card (great tree!):

Jenn's card (love the white Christmas!)

 Jamie has a number of great gift ideas to share today:

 Kary 
just dazzles me with this absolutely stunning box!:

Thanks so much for the really outstanding artwork ladies! 

Saturday is Christmas Eve and I will have our 12th week of our 12 Weeks of Inspired Christmas Creations up and it will run through Tuesday of next week to give you all a chance to comment and win the gift certificate!

If you don't make it over again before next week, THANKS for visiting and have a very BLESSED Christmas!!
From all of us at Inspired Stamps,
Antoinette
www.inspiredstamps.com  (Yes, we will be shipping orders every day but Sunday even during the holidays and get most orders out the same day they are placed!!)

We have a winner for the BIG GIVEAWAY!!

Hello friends!
I am so excited to share with you the name of the winner of the BIG GIVEAWAY but before I do, I wanted to let those who had registered by the 15th of Dec in our store know that we are sending out a 1 inch stamp to 50 of you as soon as we can get all the envelopes addressed and stuffed (yep, I am personally doing each one by my own hand...so they should all be mailed within a few days!  I will post a list of the 50 selected first names with last first initial next week once you have a chance to be surprised by the joy of opening your mailbox and finding it there!)

This week Thursday is Design Team Christmas Thursday (beautiful artwork as always) and Friday/Saturday will be the 12th week of our 12 Weeks of Inspired Christmas Creations and I have an idea that you will want to make for yourself or for another person REGARDLESS of the occasion so be sure to tune in then. 

The winner of the BIG GIVEAWAY....
has until Friday noon to email me with her mailing address and get registered in the online store if she's not already registered (to claim her $25 store credit)....
OR I will be choosing a new name from the facebook/blog to win...
So congratulations go to...

Norma Gwen Watson said...

wow, what a generous give a way, would love to win, and how beautiful your tea light card is!!!

December 17, 2011 4:04 PM 

Thank you all for your support of Inspired Stamps!  We love to hear from you and to see your creations with our stamps so much!  Until Thursday,

Be the blessing this Christmas!

~Antoinette

http://www.inspiredstamps.com/  (We ship the same day as most orders are placed!)

Week #11 of our 12 Weeks of Inspired Christmas Creations: Tea Light Card w/tutorial + Big Giveaway!

It's Big Giveaway weekend!  All you have to do to be entered is leave us a comment to this post and/or our facebook post about this that will be going up Friday morning!  THEN come back on Tuesday to see if you won!!  There is a LOT that I couldn't fit into this photo that will be coming your way...can't wait to see who wins!!

Today Inspired Stamps is a guest designer for  Lisa over at Honeybearz Designs and her 12 Days of Christmas!  If you came from Lisa's blog be sure to leave a comment and say hello!!  We love to hear from new friends and, you'll be entered in our Big Giveaway at the same time! 

Today I have this card that will truly shine some joy into someone's day....it's a tea light card!  Remember, it's a paper card so you CAN NOT USE A REAL TEA LIGHT WITH FIRE lol...you have to get one of these battery operated ones (I am sure; my brother is a fire fighter :o):

 Here is the finished card with the tea light sitting OUTSIDE, but when you put it INSIDE, it looks like this:

These cards are great to make for ANY occasion, so let me share how to make them:
You'll need:
1 8"x11" piece of card stock (mine is cranberry from CTMH)
a punch or scissors or a cutting system to cut the windows out of the cardstock
4 pieces of 2x4 vellum
assorted stamps (Inspired Stamps used here are His Little Ones: Christmas Girl and Blessed Little Christmas)
assorted papers/ribbons/flowers to decorate ( I also used a piece of sticky back cork board for the 'merry christmas' stamp)
adhesive (use my Scotch tape runner)
a battery operated tea light
a way to score and cut (I used Martha's Scorboard and Fisker's rotary cutter, as always)

Ok, ready?
Let's get started:
First you need tohave your paper 8" across the top and then score your paper at 2", 4", and 6":

Next you need to turn the paper and cut down the center of your paper from TOP score line to Bottom Score line only...I drew in chalk so you could see it better:

Now you should have this:

Now cut the 4 windows, making sure you leave a little room between each score line so you have a bit of a frame for your windows or you'll have nothing to glue your vellum 'windows' to:

Ok, I photographed the top two windows wrong on this...they need to be facing a different direction...you'll see as we keep moving.  But you will now glue your stamped vellum 'windows' in place THEN fold this in half so the cut slit is facing UP:

See how the images are glued in...this photo is correct.  You will use your adhesive runner to tape both 2x 5.5 ends down (so the only pieces not glued back to back are your windows and that's where your tea light will set) Now decorate as desired:

 

And you are finished!  Ta da!

Ok, so leave us a comment and let us know what you think of the tea light card!  You must come back Tuesday to see if you win.  The winner has until Friday next week to email me or...we'll choose another winner!  

Don't forget our 50% sale is good only thru Sunday!  We are shipping the same day as most orders are placed and YES we ship Saturdays before 2pm! 

Until Tuesday,

Be the Blessing and have a WONDERFUL weekend!

~Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

Christmas Cards: Design Team Thursday + last day to register on the store!

Hello friends!
Today we are back with another Design Team Thursday: Christmas Cards!!  Don't forget to register at the online store...I'm choosing 40+ names at random after tonight to receive a special stamp that has not been released yet....you can't win if you aren't registered (www.inspiredstamps.com just click the register button at the top of the page!)

Today Kary started us off with a close up of her card with His Little Ones: Winter Boy!  Beautiful coloring as always, Kary!  Here is the full card and a beautiful tag she made too:

Amber made this gorgeous card....just love her style, don't you?  I am a huge fan of blue and those 1 inch snowmen!!

Belinda had a beautiful idea...don't you just love the Choir/Angel set in her card?  I love how she incorporated the music stamp from Sing For Joy on the top! 

Look at Chere's fabulous creation using HLO: Christmas Boy....I love that tree!!

The so-talented Deneen used the 1 inch snowmen set as well....who wouldn't love to receive this?

Jamie has been hard at work (she has even more on her blog!) for us this week with these beautiful creations!!

I am so inspired by this fabulous design team!!  Thanks so much ladies for your dedication and talent you share each week with us!! 

Tomorrow is a BIG day here at Inspired Stamps the blog!!!  I am guest designing for a super talented blogger and will have a great tutorial to share with you....plus, the BIG GIVEAWAY is tomorrow during that post and you'll have thru Monday night midnight to comment!  All the giveaways thus far that have gone unclaimed PLUS other goodies are included...you will want to make sure you come back for all the fun!!


Have a blessed weekend!
Be the blessing!
~Antoinette
www.inspiredstamps.com  (still shipping the same day as most orders are placed to get your stamps to you as fast as possible!)

Art Journal page: Collage & Gift Certificate winner...

Hello friends!
Don't forget to make sure you are REGISTERED in our online store by Dec 15th at 11:59pm in order to be entered into the random selected 1" stamp giveaway that we are mailing out on Dec 18th to 40+ of those registered!! 

Also, we have the 50% off  special shown above only good on orders thru Sunday...so be sure to get those in soon if you are wanting delivery by Christmas!!

Today I have chosen the winner from this weekend's 12 Weeks of Inspired Christmas commenter....

Crafty and Green said...

I love using Puzzle pieces to craft with!! I love the tag Idea!! Many Wonderful Blessings, Tina

December 10, 2011 8:58 AM

 

Congratulations, Tina!  Be sure to email me your first and last name (I know you as Crafty and Green and now 'Tina' lol, and make sure you are registered at our online store so I can credit you $10!)

You have until Friday noon (Dec 16th) ET to email me or this prize will go in the BIG PRIZE which will be given away this week during the 12 Weeks of Inspired Christmas post on Friday Dec 16th!!

 

Now....ontoa mixed media page I am working on in my Art Journal Techniques book:  collage:

  I used random magazine pieces to frame this page, but obviously my favorite piece is the focal piece of the eye.  It was blue in the magazine and I colored it a beautiful green with my Copic markers before jazzing it up with a white Signo pen and black Sharpie.  I love stamping on these pages too, which I'll show you next week :o)

Until next time,

Be the blessing,

~Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com  (shipping the same day as most orders are placed!!  Don't forget to use your coupon code, which is also on the online store's front page to remind you :o)

Week #10 of our 12 Weeks of Inspired Christmas Creations: Puzzled Tags + 50% off !!

Hello friends,
We are getting so close to Christmas!!  We are already on our 10th week of our 12 Weeks of Inspired Christmas Creations and you are going to LOVE what I'm gonna show you today, especially if you are short on time (and money!)!!  We have a coupon code in the online store until Dec 18 only 50% off one stamp set from the online store www.inspiredstamps.com

Ok, for this project you will need to raid your children's toy stash (or run to the dollar store quick) and get a few puzzle pieces!  I used the following products....inking a puzzle piece as shown:

The bottom puzzle piece is the same coloring that the one I inked was before I inked it.  I'm always amazed at the transformation!!
Next I stamp my puzzle pieces using Inspired Stamps and Staz-On permanent ink (most puzzle pieces have a glossy surface that won't take dye based inks well).  Just make sure you have the Staz-On cleaner and us it IMMEDIATELY with your stamps or it can ruin them.  I use it all the time and have yet to ruin one, so just be sure to clean them and you'll be fine!!
After you stamp, use a big Sharpie marker to color the edges (it's not required, but makes a DRAMATIC difference in the finished look of the tag):

Yes, this is the same color of the original puzzle piece, I used caramel and gold inks to get this beautiful coloring!  Isn't it amazing!
Next I punched holes in the ends and added ribbon. The back side is white so you can can your To: From: message there with your Sharpie black marker:

I have also used these to make pins for shirts and jackets and also as card fronts!  I hope you have fun getting some use out of old puzzle pieces!

Of course we are having another GIVEAWAY!!  Next week we will have our BIG GIVEAWAY with all the prizes that went unclaimed and some other goodies!!

This week's winner will have a $10 credit in our online store!!  All you have to do to be entered is leave us a comment to this post and/or on our Facebook page about the Puzzle tags!  Let us know if you are gonna make some!!

Have a blessed weekend and I will announce the winner in Monday's post!
Until then,
Be the blessing!
~Antoinette
www.inspiredstamps.com