Thank You Thursday

I thought that instead of doing our usual Throwback Thursday this week, I'd do a little "Thank You" Thursday around here.  You see, this is the last week of the term for the current DT, and they have been amazing.  All you need to do is scroll back through some of the posts over their term and you will be totally blown away by the talent we have been fortunate enough to have as a part of this team.  There have been so many beautiful projects that they have shared that you will have no trouble finding something to inspire you to create.  They have also found so many creative ways to use stamp sets that I constantly find myself wanting some new set so that I can make the same thing!  It has really been wonderful to have them be a part of the gel-a-tins family.

So, THANK YOU, DT girls!  Thank you for being a part of the team and for the time and energy you've put into your art.  I have loved working with you!

And how about a big THANK YOU to our fans!  I love seeing posts and likes on the Facebook and it means a lot to have the support of loyal peeps like you all.  Thanks for stopping by every day and also for being a part of our Facebook page.  We wouldn't be here without you!

Well, I'm off to work on homework.  The fun of being a mom/college student never ends :)  Have a great Thursday!

Tuesday Feature!

It's time for the final Tuesday Feature of the month already!  Whew!  This week I thought we'd focus on something yummy...our Sweet Cakes set!

I've always thought this set was so cute.  I really like to stamp over patterned paper to add a little extra interest to my images and this is one of those sets that works perfectly whether you want to do that or not. 

Big cupcakes, little cupcakes, a cherry on top.  What else do you need?  Let's check out some projects!

These cards from former DT member Anita are so cute that they make me want to make my own set!

Making the same card in different colors is a great way to save some time, by the way.  If you know you have some birthdays coming up, just design one and get a few done together!  The designs in this set are really cute, but still very simple to cut out and that saves a lot of time.

This card has always cracked me up...

Googly eyes on a cupcake?  Perfect.  :)  I just had to share it for that reason.  Thanks to Donna for this one.

Look at the detail on this one by former DT member Linda:

That mini cupcake stamp combined with some Art Glitter makes for an unbelievable border to this card and then you have a big, beautiful cupcake in the middle! 

This post is making me hungry now. 

Jeannie made a card with some really amazing accents and she even did my favorite thing and stamped her cupcakes on patterned paper...

Good enough to eat! 

I hope you've enjoyed the Tuesday Feature this month!  It has been fun for me to look back at these projects and share them with you.  This set can be found in the store here.

Hearts a Flutter

It is Monday and we're going to pretend like it's Valentine's Day in August.  Can we do that?  Sure.  I said so.  :)  I have quite a few Valentine's Day stamp sets and I like to use them so last week I decided to make a little set of mini cards with the Hearts a Flutter stamp set.  I like them a lot, even though they're a little wild compared to what I normally make...

Get it?  Wild?  With the zebra?  I'm a dork.  :D  Anyway, I added some Canvas Corp. zebra print paper to the card bases with my Xyron 510, then inked around the edges with Distress ink in black.  The ribbons were added with my Xyron 150, and then I cut a slit along the spine of the card with my craft knife and tied twine by The Twinery around the front of the card.  The hearts were stamped in Stampin' Up inks, cut out, then attached to the front of the cards with foam adhesive (made in my Xyron).  These came together pretty quick once I decided on the design, and they'll be perfect to sneak into the boys' lunch boxes this year on Valentine's Day. 

Have a great Monday!  Happy Stamping!

Tuesday Feature!

Hey there!  I'm back today with another Tuesday Feature!  This week we're going to make it sparkly and show off the gelly gems!

The gelly gems come in different styles and colors.  These guys can be left in sheets, cut into individual pieces of bling, die-cut, trimmed into strips, you name it!  This stuff is so versatile.  I have had a lot of fun using it on my projects and the DT girls have too.  I thought today that I'd share some of their ideas with you so that you can get an idea of the many ways you can use this super-affordable crafty supply!

First off, let's check out an adorable card by the other Jessica :)

She cut the bling apart and used it as sprinkles on the cupcake on this card.  Isn't that adorable?  This stuff is really easy to trim into individual pieces like this and adds just the right amount of sparkle.

Now Taheerah went all out with the sparkle on this one!

Using the full sheet and just trimming it to fit your card makes a huge impact, but you can easily do this because it's so affordable!

Here's a card by Sharon.  She did a star shape on this card, and some blingy trim. 

Because the individual pieces reflect light like bling but aren't hard, they can be trimmed and die-cut in ways that regular bling can't.  This stuff is perfect for shapes like this.

I could keep going with the amazing DT projects, but I'm going to stop here.  Feel free to keep looking around the blog for more ideas and gelly gem inspiration!  You can also find the products in the store here.

I'll see you again next Tuesday with more inspiration!

Covered in Buttons!

This card is covered in buttons, but it definitely won't break the bank or send you searching for something in just the right size or color.  Plus you don't have to worry about shipping a super thick card through the post office and paying extra fees.  All you need is the Sewing Kit stamp set and inks to match your chosen papers.  I love this card!

I just chose to use one of the stamps because I wanted them to all line up like one the buttons on one of the papers in this Echo Park kit.  They actually looked a lot like this button, but way smaller.  I stamped these right onto my card base with Stampin' Up inks and then layered on a couple of papers and some May Arts ribbon.  That pin is by Maya Road and the sticker and paper accent are from the paper kit.  The sentiment sticker is by American Crafts and I got a few different kinds at Target.  They're pretty handy.

I loved the bright colors in these papers and combining them with my stamps and making a birthday card was a really fun way to use up some of my bitty scraps that I had left over from other projects that I've made with these papers.  Get some cards made this weekend with your gel-a-tins and scraps!

Tuesday Feature!

Welcome back for another Tuesday feature!  I'm excited for this one because this is a stamp that I can remember talking about with the owner before she even finished designing it.  I kept telling her to get it made because I wanted it right away!  :)

It is still not just one of my favorites, but probably my actual all-time favorite of all of my stamps.  I've used it so much that it's stained (not that you can tell that when it stamps, I just have a tendency to not actually clean my stamps after I use them), and I gave up on putting it away.  it has it's own block that I keep it on at all times so that it's just ready to go. 

Of course I'm talking about Love Knots!

 

The first thing I want to show you is a layout made by current DT member Ashley.  I love the way she used the stamp on this one:

The white ink on the black background is so perfect for this layout and so different from what you expect to see in a woodgrain pattern.  But that's the great thing about stamps, you can do whatever you want with them!

Now, how cute is this magnet made by Taheerah?

Coloring in sections of the grain adds some funky color and interest.  Plus, it's a magnet!  Hello?  How fun is that?  You can definitely see from this project that hearts aren't just for Valentine's Day.

Here's a great idea for another fun and different way to use your stamps.  This project is by former Dt member Donna:

No wrapping paper?  No problem.  The Love Knots stamp is so pretty here and really dresses up this little gift.  Imagine how it would look stamped in silver or gold ink.  I would end up keeping the present and saving the gift box for later too.

I'm sure you can start to get an idea why this stamp is one that I have in my stash and at the ready at all times.  I use it on cards and projects constantly.

I'll see you next week with another stamp feature and more project inspiration!

Love Ya!

Happy Friday!  I'm back again today to share a little card with you all.  This one was made with some paper that I picked up at that scrapbook convention this last spring (jeez.  How many times have I said THAT over the last few months?  You'd think I went on a major shopping spree there).  The paper is by My Mind's Eye and it is what inspired the card.  Let me show you what I mean.

That background paper reminded me so much of the Put a Cap on it set that I thought I should use them together.  I layered that paper on first and then put the chevron paper over it so that it wouldn't be the first thing you saw.  Then I added a strip of one of the coordinating papers with more stars on it and some grey to tone down all that color.  I tied a bow in three colors of twine by The Twinery and then I added my stamped and cut-out embellishments.

I love the colors in this set and when you combine it with these stamps it all looks adorable!  I can't wait to give this card away.  Be sure to stop back tomorrow for another great project and have a wonderful weekend!

Throwback Thursday!

Woohoo!  Look out because today I am going to share my jam with ya!  :)

I get teased for it and I don't even care.  This song puts a smile on my face every time I hear it.  It makes me dance in my seat in the car, it makes me shake it while I clean the house and it makes me grab that pretend invisible microphone because you know I have to sing along.  My jam is...

 

I didn't see a good copy of the actual video posted or I would have shared it.  There are some pretty sweet dance moves in that one. 

As far as the throwback portion of this...wow.  I was in junior high when this came out and I loved it right away.  I always have.  How could I not love a song that's so happy and fun to dance to?

So, what's your favorite?  Over the next two weeks some of the other gelly peeps are going to post on Throwback Thursday so you might just get to hear about their favorite songs or learn a little something about them too.  Be sure to check back!

Tuesday Feature!

Today I'd like to feature one of our stamp sets and some of the fabulous projects that our current and past DT members have made with it. 

This week I've decided that we're going to be all about the Admission is Free set.  I have loved this set since I first saw it and I've always thought it was so cute and versatile.  The projects I'm about to share with you will give you a small idea of the many ways that you can use this great little set!

First up I have a project by Kate, one of our current DT members:

 

 

How amazing is that?  I can't tell you how much I've paid for little kraft tickets to use as embellishments, but with this set you can not only make as many as you want, but you wouldn't be limited to one color!

 

Speaking of color, look at this card by current DT member, Dawn:

 

 

Just a few stamps and you have a cheerful card that hardly needs any embellishing at all.  I love the clean and simple look of this one!

 

And here's a blast from the past.  This card is from a previous DT member, Natalie.  It was always one of my favorites:

 

 

The layering with the paper adds so much fun pattern and color, but the focus is all on the stamps.  You can mix and match the sentiments in this set in so many fun ways, it always looks fresh.

 

You can check out the Admission is Free set in our store here.  I'd love to hear what you think of this set and what your favorites are!  I'll be back next Tuesday to share another one of my favorite sets.  See you then!



A Rainbow Birthday!

Hello and Happy Saturday!  I'm back for the third time this week (sick me yet?) to share a little something with you :)

I decided that I wanted to use my stamps to make the background on this card and so I chose a birthday sentiment in a simple font from the Make a Wish set and stamped it over and over, staggering the placement of each line, with my different colors of ink pads.  I wanted that to be the main focus so when it came time to embellish I kept things pretty simple and just added a few items. 

That scalloped piece is by October Afternoon, the flags are Basic Grey and the ribbon is May Arts.  The star is old, and I can't remember where it came from (sorry!).  Looks like Fancy Pants to me though.  The background paper that I stamped over is my Simple Stories. 

I like this one a lot and I can see myself doing this technique over and over again with different stamps and sentiments.  It really didn't take long at all because I just had everything set out and ready to go.  My ink pads were all lined up in order and my stamp cleaning pad was used in between each color so it went fast.  This would be a lot of fun on a small card with a plain white background as well.  Try it out the next time you're in your crafty space!

Have a fun Saturday!  See you next week!

Just for Fun! Throwback Thursday!

Hey gelly fans!

I thought that for the month of August we'd have some fun every week on Thursday and take part in Throwback Thursdays.  This week I thought I'd share a photo of me that isn't exactly super old, but feels like it was taken so long ago.

This October will be our eleventh anniversary.  The thing is, I know it isn't really that long, but we found out that we were pregnant with the twins not too long after we were married.  It was only a month or so before we found out and then, WHAM!  The honeymoon is over! :) 

This month we sent those twins off to middle school, rented them their first band instruments and spent about a zillion dollars on school supplies for them.  Not to mention that we also have a little guy off to first grade, and that the son that I had who was only six when we got married is now a sophomore in high school.  Again, eleven years isn't that long, but time flies!

I guess I should really get all the photos from this engagement session printed and scrap them (I tend to focus on scrapping the kids).  The boys may want to know about us and what our life was like for the brief period of time that we were together before they were born ;D

Feel free to share a throwback photo on your Instagram, Facebook page or blog today and share something with your peeps!  Have a great day!

Yo!

Dork that I am, I based my card for today on the little chipboard piece that I used for the sentiment.  It was kind of too funny to resist :)

The chipboard piece and papers are from the Basic Grey Hipster collection and I paired them up with stamps from the Spin Cycle set.  The stamps added the color and interest I wanted on that layer and I think this is a really fun card that I can use to say hello to a friend one day.

I tried to match my Stampin' Up inks to the papers as  much as possible and I think they look pretty good.  I really like the way the distressed style of the Spin Cycle stamps goes with the papers. 

I hope you've been inspired this week and that you have some time to get creative!  Have a great Wednesday!

Chocolate Bliss for a Friend

Hello again!  It is bright and early on a Monday morning (and you can be sure that I am still asleep right now), and I am back on the blog with a tag to share with you.  This set is one that I have always thought was cute and liked a lot and when I decided to make a little something with it for this week I thought "How about a little tag that could be attached to a candy bar or box of candy and given to a friend or teacher for a fun gift?"  That's where I came up with this...

The paper is from a pad by American Crafts.  All the stamps are from the Chocolate Bliss set and I used three different shades of Distress Ink by Ranger on this; Walnut Stain, Brushed Corduroy, and Tea Dye.  The ribbons are all from May Arts, aren't they pretty?  I love that big ribbon flower.  I just cut the edges of the ribbon off around it.  The pin is from Maya Road and the shiny accent is by Bazzill.  That's it!  A little Xyron to stick it all together and this was done!  I think I'll make a few to have on hand for days when I think someone I know could use a little pick me up.

Here's to a great week!

Celebrate!

Good morning and happy Saturday, gelly fans!  I'm really happy to be back again to share another card with you this week!

For this one I started with the kit that I bought at a local scrapbook convention.  It came with some papers and embellishments and I chose the Sewing Kit and Sweet to the Core sets to go along with it for a fun look.  The kit is all by My Mind's Eye and I loved the colors and the vintage look and I wanted to add to that with my stamps.  This is what I came up with:

 



I wanted that main embellishment up top to be the apple, but I added a little stamped button up there too.  I stamped the image on one of the patterned papers, cut it out, ran it through my Xyron 150 with the stamped image upside down and then stuck it to the back side of a clear button to make that embellishment.  The stitching on the bottom is also from the Sewing kit set.  I wanted a vintage fair look and I think the stamps really helped with that!

Thanks for coming by today!  Have a great weekend!

I {Heart} U

Hello and happy Friday! It is Jessica again with another card for you this week.  I was pulling stamp sets out of my stash left and right to make this little guy and I think that the finished look is just what I was going for.  Simple, but fun and with a little sparkle :)

I know that Valentine's Day is a long time gone, but it's not like you can't tell the people you love how you feel about them any day of the year!  I was really just in the mood to make something pink and with some bling to it and all this stuff came together to make just that. 
I started with my card blank.  It did have the scalloped edge already, but that isn't hard to do yourself with a punch or even some old deco-edge scissors.  I stamped the pink circle in the very center of the card (from the Sweet Hearts set) and then added the letters in black Staz-On.  The perfect thing about clear stamps?  I laid everything out first on the card to make sure that it would all fit on the front and I had it exactly where  I wanted it to go.

I stamped that black heart (from the Hearts a Flutter set) on a separate piece of cardstock and cut it out, then I attached it to the card with some foam adhesive made in my Xyron machine.  I inked the front of the card in pink, the back of the card in black, and then I ran a strip of gelly gems through my Xyron 150 and attached it to the edge of the inside of the card next to the scallop.

I felt like making something a little different and this card was just the thing that I needed.  I hope you've been inspired to mix up some of your sets and get creative with stamps! 

Have a great weekend and be sure to come back tomorrow for another project from our DT!

Use Our Sewing Kit!

Happy Thursday! 

I hope you all are having a great day.  While you're reading this, I'll be laying around recovering from foot surgery :)  Here's to hoping that it's a quick recovery!

I did get to make this simple layout the other night and I was so happy with the way it came out.  The Sewing Kit set has been one of my favorites since I first saw it and I love the look it adds to any project.  I used it for my embellishment on this Easter layout.

I chose a few colors of ink that coordinated with the papers that I used and stamped almost all of the buttons in those three colors.  I popped some of them up with foam adhesive for dimension and trimmed the edges of any that were hanging off the sides of the layout.  I love the way it looks and this is a heck of a lot cheaper than trying to buy buttons!

Have a great weekend!

A Father's Day (or any day) Brostache Card

I can't even tell you how much fun I had making this silly card.  I still love the mustache trend (even though I know it has been around for a while now).  It just makes me smile.  Around here we like to give out mustaches as party favors and my sister-in-law even threw my brother a "brostache" themed birthday party a year or two ago.  We're dorks.  I know.  When I saw the Mustache Mania stamp set I knew that I had to have it.

I used the stamps with a light brown distress ink over the patterned paper to make this look for the card base.  I knew that the card was going to be pretty busy, but I still thought that it could use more mustaches!

The ink, ribbon, twine, pen, buttons and stamps were not in the paper kit by MAMBI, but everything else was, including that hilarious mustache on a stick.  I didn't put a real sentiment on this card, but I think that I can choose whether to give this to my brother for Father's Day or for his birthday and it will work either way now. 

Everything is put together with my awesome Xyron adhesives (mostly the Mega Runner on this one).  And when I finished I had a big smile on my face.  I hope you like it too!  Have a great week!

Hot Dog! It's a Birthday!

Hello again!  It's Jessica again with another fun card to share with you.  I have loved these sets since I first saw them and I had to use them together on this card.  I love the bright colors and I think it will be the perfect thing to give to a friend for a birthday along with a gift card to the movies.  Check it out...

I stamped the background with the Hot Diggity Dog set using yellow ink on yellow striped paper. I didn't want the patterned paper to just be a strip behind the sentiment, so I decided to punch out some pieces and line them up on the card.  The paper adds a little more color into the card as well.  The ribbon was added after running it through my Xyron 150 and then pleating it as I attached it to the card.  This is a really easy technique and adds a little dimension to the card as well.  The buttons and the background paper were also attached with Xyron machines and my chipboard and stamped sentiment are attached with some foam adhesive that I made with my (you guessed it) Xyron machine.  :)  This was a pretty quick card, and I can't wait to get back in my scrap room and play with these sets some more.  Be Sure to check out the gel-a-tins Facebook page as well as the Xyron Facebook page this week.  You won't want to miss a thing!

Joy and Flowers!

Hello and Happy Monday everyone!  I hope that our fans in the U.S are having a good holiday with their families and that those of you that live outside the U.S. are doing well.  At my house we're getting ready to spend some time with friends and family and I am looking forward to it. 

I spent some time this weekend putting a card together to share with you and I hope you like it.  It's a fairly simple card, but I think you get a lot of bang for your buck!

I'm sure that you've noticed that this size is my favorite for cards. :)  I just really like the look and it gives you a great canvas for showing off a pretty patterned paper.  This is all from a Basic Grey pack that I picked up at the Mesa CKC I went to in April.  It took so little paper to get so much impact on this card.

I layered the two patterns you see and then used three more little pieces for the stamped items.  The two different leaves are from one stamp set and the circle and sentiment are from the Chocolate Bliss set.  I just loved that simple look for the sentiment with all the busy papers and the fancy flower. 

Speaking of that fancy flower, if you're like me you buy those things and you're almost afraid to use them on a project, right?  They're just so pretty and they can be an investment depending on what your LSS charges.  A card like this puts the focus on your stamped images and that sparkly flower and really shows it off. 

I do want to talk about the sentiment too.  A simple sentiment like that can be used so many ways.   This could easily be a birthday card or a congratulations card for a new house or baby or new job or graduation.  Think outside the box when you're using your stamps!  You can get so much use out of a set!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Be sure to check out all the other projects here on the blog.  The girls have been hard at work making beautiful projects to share with you and we have some exciting things to share with you this summer.  You won't want to miss any of it!

A Smile for your Friday

Hello and happy Friday, gelly fans!  Jessica here with a little card I put together to share with you.  I really wanted to use a doily on this one so that is where I started.
I loved that grey paper and decided to layer some different elements that I found in my scrap room along with my stamped sentiment.  I think that a card like this is great for a lot of different occasions, anything from a birthday to just saying hello. 

The Put a Cap on It set is so much fun to work with and I love that I got to choose one of my favorite colors to add into this combo.  You have to love orange for a happy card!
I hope you're inspired to get crafty this weekend!  Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out our Facebook page for more projects and contests!