Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sketchy Wednesday - "Let It Snow" Tag

Hello all!

Thank you for your patience concerning my post for today.  As I said in my post last night, this week has been crazy busy so I appreciate your understanding regarding the delayed post!  Now, onto "Sketchy Wednesday"! :)

This week's sketch was:

 

And my interpretation of the sketch:

Thank you to my DT sister Elisa Kamerdiener for editing and brightening my project photo - it looks GREAT!
Supplies Used:
* KinderStampO "Vintage and Traditional Holiday" Stamp Set
* Inkssentials Surfaces Manila Tags - 5" Size (courtesy of Jess :))
* 3 x 5 Squares of Patterned and Solid Paper
(courtesy of Jess - she sent each DT member a set of small paper scraps that we can use on our projects - I love the colors of these papers because they are beautiful and/or fun - but it means I don't have the names or brands, lol)
* Imaginisce "Cottage Christmas - Happy Holiday" Sticker Stackers
* Martha Stewart Holidays "Scandinavian Ornament" Stickers
* Imaginisce "Cottage Christmas - Holiday Garlands" Ribbon
* "Xmas Red" and "Blue" Stickles
 
I was feeling kind of "tag-ish" this week - so I created a second Christmas tag to share with you. My "festiveness" was inspired by Jess' "Vintage and Traditional Holiday" stamp set - if you're looking for a fun yet traditional set of stamps for your holiday cards, you should definitely purchase this set. What is fantastic about it is that Jess has included multiple versions of the same sentiment but in different fonts - perfect depending on the type of card or project you're creating.
 
Thank you for visiting!  Can't wait to share more KinderStampO inspiration with you over the next few weeks!
 
~ Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@
 

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Sketchy Wednesday Posting - Patience Please! :)

Good evening everyone!

I wanted to post a quick note here on my blog concerning my post for my KinderStampO "Sketchy Wednesday" project tomorrow.  I am super excited about sharing my project with you - probably the most fun I've had crafting in a while - but my post will not be up until late afternoon/early evening tomorrow.  Tonight was "Back-to-School Night" which meant a 12+ hour workday for me complete with an early morning and a late night.  I still have prep work for tomorrow's classes to complete (ugh) so my post will not be ready til tomorrow.  Sorry for the delay, but you all know how it can be!  It will be up as soon as I can post it tomorrow!

Thank you for your understanding and patience!
~ Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@

Monday, September 26, 2011

"Color It Mondays" Project: "Merry Christmas" Tag with a twist! :)

Happy Monday everyone!

I am so excited to share my first project as a KinderStampO design team member for "Color It Mondays", a feature which challenges us (and you!) to use a pre-set color design in our projects.  This week's color swatch was:



Fun colors, huh? :)


To me, these colors screamed "Christmas!".  But coming up with a unique idea for a Christmas-themed project was tough!  So I decided to use a little bit of family tradition to come up with a Christmas tag with a twist:



Supplies Used:
* KinderStampO "Vintage and Traditional Holiday" Stamp Set
* Inkssentials Surfaces Manila Tags - 5" Size (courtesy of Jess :))
* Spellbinders Shapeabilities "Fish Dies"
* BigShot
* DCWV "The Colorful Life" and "The Street Lace" 8x8 Cardstock Stack
* "Xmas Red" and "Green" Stickles
* Making Memories "Deck the Halls" Trims

If you are wondering why I used fish on a Christmas tag...I come from an Italian heritage on my mother's side of the family, and one of the Christmas Eve traditions that we continue to celebrate with my extended family is the Feast of the Seven Fishes.  Yum yum yum!  I thought I'd bring in a little bit of that family tradition into my tag today to share with you since it fit perfectly with the color scheme and Jess' fun "Vintage and Traditional Holiday" stamps :)

Come back and visit on Wednesday when I post my interpretation of this week's sketch for "Sketchy Wednesdays"!

Thank you for stopping by!

~ Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Winners Winners Chicken Dinners!

Hello all!

Time to announce my winners from all of my blog hops over the past week...a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who visited my blog and became a follower!  I love reading the comments and hearing your suggestions and ideas!

Without further ado...

DOGGONE FUN BLOG HOP:

29 v said...
Awww your In-Laws will love the frame and that you thought to do this for them:) Well done! We have 4 dogs and I'm going to make frames for them! Great idea:) Thanks

~Vanessa W
baboo7192 at gmail dot com
32 AmyJRockstar said...
Wow! Thanks for all the awesome info on Virginia! Your project is fantastic too! :0) My hubs and I really want to visit Virginia as it's on our list of possible places to live. I've never been there, but have heard it's lovely. :0) Thanks for the chance to win some goodies!

Be sure to stop by my blog to enter my 500 followers giveaway!

XO ~ Amy Jo
amyjrockstar at gmail dot com
http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com
4 Karen said...
Very cute card! Great colors! I'm a new follower! :)

Karen
craftedwithlovebykaren.blogspot.com

All of my winners have been contacted and their prizes are on the way to them!  Congratulations Vanessa, Amy, and Karen! :) :) :)

Check back tomorrow for my first "Color It Monday" post! :)

Take care,
Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Welcome to Sketchy Wednesdays - Second Edition!

If you are looking for Candace's Girly Birthday Blog Hop, please click here.


Greetings everyone!


Welcome to the second edition of "Sketchy Wednesdays" over at the KinderStampO blog!  I am super excited to be able to share my project with you.  I am truly enjoying these sketches - I had never followed a sketch before these past two Wednesdays but I love the freedom of being able to take a concept and make it your own. 


This week's sketch was:




Like last week's "Sketchy Wednesdays" project, this week's project was inspired by KinderStampO's "Greetings from Home" stamp set.  I am absolutely LOVING the sentiments featured in this set - they're inspirational, sweet, and thoughtful all in one place.  Definitely a must-have set for your collection!


My interpretation of the sketch:




Supply List:
Stamp: KinderStampO "Greetings from Home" Stamp Set
Card Base: Crane & Co. "Pearl White Kid Finish" Notecards
Cardstock: The tan, textured-looking piece of cardstock featured on this card was from a set that Jess (KinderStampO) sent me - so that is all I can tell you about it right now! lol :)
Cri-Kits Embossing Metals in "Silver", "Red", and "Blue"
Cartridge(s): "Stand and Salute"
Stamp Pads: TPC Clearly Better Inks in "Black"
Embossing Plates: QuicKutz "Lines and Dots", Sizzix "Dots, Circles & Stars", Sizzix "Diagonals"
Recollections Adhesive Glitter Shapes in "Hearts" and "Patriotic Stars"
Recollections Adhesive Rhinestones in "Clear Stars"
Sizzix BigShot
Sizzix Texture Boutique
Helmar ZapDots

I hope you've enjoyed my project for Sketchy Wednesdays!  Come visit me on Monday - I will be making my DEBUT as part of "Color It Mondays" at KinderStampO!

Thank you for visiting!

Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@

Girly Birthday Blog Hop!


Welcome to Candace's Girly Birthday Blog Hop!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANDACE!!!!!


You should have arrived here from the non-birthday girl Candace from Paper Crafts by Candace. If you did not, and would like to start from the beginning of the hop, please visit the BIRTHDAY GIRL Candace at Scrappin' 2 Little Princesses to start.


I am so unbelievably excited to be part of this hop celebrating the birth of the wonderful Candace from Scrappin' 2 Little Princesses! I was extremely honored when Candace asked me to be part of this fun hop. Thank you Candace and....of course....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!


Before we head onto my project for this hop, I wanted to remind you of a few important items (**cough cough** BLOG CANDY **cough cough):


Our two sponsors, Pink by Design and EAD Designs, have graciously offered up two fantastic prizes to two winners this weekend (one prize to each winner). There is a $15 Gift Certificate from Pink By Design and a $20 gift card to EAD Designs up for grabs. In order to be qualified for the prizes, you must comment on ALL of the blogs in the hop by 11:59 CST (12:59 MST) on the 22nd. That's it - easy peasy! :)

Our theme for this hop was "girly birthday". EAD Designs, one of our fantastic sponsors, offered to send some of their wonderful stickers to the members of this hop. A HUGE THANK YOU to EAD Designs for being so generous!! As I searched their site (and drooled over the stickers on their page) I stumbled across this set of stickers entitled "Land of Make-Believe". Once I saw these adorable stickers, I was immediately inspired not only by the characters, but by a sentiment from the KinderStampO "Friendship" stamp set. Add some fun little stickers from EAD Designs' "Funky Frames" set...and...voila! A very tongue-in-cheek girly-themed card:


Recognize these lovely ladies? ;)

This sentiment makes me laugh everytime I read it...I mean, after all these stories these ladies have...they must have something in common, right? :)
Supply List:
Stickers: EAD Designs' "Land of Make-Believe" and "Funky Frames" Sticker Sets
Stamp: KinderStampO "Friendship" Stamp Set
Cardstock: DCWV "The Natural Stack", ki Memories "Funky Paper Pad II"
ProMarkers: Indigo Blue (PM-43), Limepeel (PM-124), Dark Brown (PM-88),
Spanish Orange (PM-123), Process Red (PM-1)
Stamp Pads: TPC Clearly Better Inks in "Chocolate"
Glitter Glue: "Frosted Lace" Stickles, "Xmas Red" Stickles, studio G "Orange"
Tombow Adhesive Runner

This was an extremely fun card to make, especially with the great stickers from EAD Designs. They fit perfectly with the sentiment on my card. Thank you again for your generosity EAD! And thank you to Miss Candace for the fantastic inspiration as well! :)


In addition to the blog candy being offered by Candace, I would like to offer some of my own!


If you are my lucky winner, you will receive:

Fiskars Clear Stamp Set in "Zinnia Zing"
K&Company Designer Mat Pad in "Berry Sweet"
My Minds' Eye/Magnolia Starburst "Cute" Rub-Ons

To enter, please leave a comment on this post along with a way to contact you if you should win. It is extremely important to leave contact information, as this is the best way for me to reach you! As well, if you become a follower of this page (or are already a follower), please leave me another posting saying that you did so and I will give you a SECOND entry into the drawing. I will post a winner by Friday, September 23rd.

Your next stop is Tanya at Nonna's Craft Corner. Thank you for stopping by, and don't forget to wish Candace a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

~ Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@

The whole line-up, in case you get lost :)
Candace (AKA BIRTHDAY GIRL!! WOOT WOOT!!) from Scrappin' 2 Little Princesses
Glora from Glora Crafts
Sarah from Pink Cricut
Jenny from Crazy About Cricut
Michelle from Scrappin With My Bug
Ashley from Scrappin' Pink Piglet
Elizabeth from 217 Creations
Emily from Create Serendipity
Paula from More than Favors

Friday, September 16, 2011

50 States Blog Hop

If you are looking for the DOGgone Fun Blog Hop, click here.


Welcome to the 50 States Blog Hop!!
Welcome to the 50 States Blog Hop! Most of us would love to travel but are having staycations this year. What better way to travel but through a blog hop. This hop was inspired by our host Shawnee's journey across the United States as she traveled with her family to their new home. The United States is truly beautiful with many wonderful places to visit and see. If you've hopped along from visiting New Hampshire with Rebecca, then you are in the right place!! If you are just joining me from your dashboard or happened along from somewhere else, please be sure to CLICK HERE to start with the first state in the union, Delaware (my other home!), because you won't want to miss out on any of the fun (or any of the blog candy!!)... There is an AMAZING Grand Prize Package for one LUCKY hopper (winner chosen by Rafflecopter)!!  To be entered to win, please do the following:
So what's the Grand Prize??? Cricut Cartridge - Destinations, beautiful handmade flowers from Shannon at Creative Chaos Flowers, and a $20 Gift Certificate to Scraptastical Kreations. Now on to my state and my project....

Welcome to Virginia! 
<>
 
Image Courtesy of http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/Virginia/flag_virginia.gif


I am proud to call Virginia my home since I first started attending college here in the fall of 2002.  My husband spent much of his childhood in Northern Virginia as well, and much of his immediate family lives in the area, so we both consider this state an important part of our lives.  I will admit that Virginia is a rather large state and that I have yet to see all of it, but I absolutely love where I live and our proximity to Washington D.C.  A few interesting facts about Virginia (according to 50States.com):
  1. Virginia is known as "the birthplace of a nation".
  2. Eight United States Presidents were born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.
  3. Seven Presidents are buried in Virginia: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Tyler, Taft and Kennedy.
  4. The State flower is not really a flower, but the blossom of the dogwood tree, which is also the state tree.
  5. The first peanuts grown in the United States were grown in Virginia.
  6. 10th of the 13 original colonies, Virginia was admitted to the union June 25, 1788.
  7. The states of Kentucky & West Virginia were formed from sections of the state of Virginia
  8. About 1/2 of all the people in the United States live within a 500 mile radius of the Capital of Virginia.
  9. Virginia has been dubbed the "Internet Capital of the world".
  10. The world's only oyster museum is on Chincoteague Island.
I chose to create a project that reflected the significance that the state of Virginia has had in our lives.  I also wanted to create something that could be displayed in our house but was fun and different.  So, without further ado...

Supplies Used:
* Solid Wood Plaque
* Behr Ultra Paint (I purchased the color from the "Oops!" section of my local Home Depot, and it was labeled "Custom Color" so I don't have an exact name, lol)
* Value Pack Cardstock in "Dark Blue"
* Making Memories "1 1/4 Chunky Watercolor - Periwinkle Dark" Alphabet Stickers
* Recollections Adhesive Flowers in "White"
* Recollections Adhesive Glitter Shapes in "Hearts" and "Patriotic Stars"
* Double-Sided Tape
* Mod Podge

I cut the outline of Virginia by hand, using an image I found online as a template.  The Mod Podge was a bit interesting with the stickers...they did not want to stay put when I went over them with the glue! :)
BLOG CANDY ALERT! :) :) :)

If you are my lucky winner, you will receive:

 Recollections' "Travel" Clear Stamps
and
Bohemian Transfer Titles - Months "Summer"

To enter, please leave a comment on this post along with a way to contact you if you should win. As well, if you become a follower of this page (or are already a follower), please leave me another posting saying that you did so and I will give you a SECOND entry into the drawing.  I will post a winner by Tuesday (I am in another hop Friday and Saturday, so I will post the winner from both hops on that day). 
Now you can hop to the NEXT STATE IN THE UNION - New York with Shannon!!  Remember to leave a comment on each state to be eligible for the GRAND PRIZE!! 
Thank you for visiting, I hope to see you again soon! :)
~ Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@
50 States Hop
.............

DOGgone Fun Blog Hop!


Welcome to the DOGgone FUN Blog Hop!

You should have arrived here from Krista's Paper Cafe!  If not, you might want to start from the beginning of the hop at our wonderful host Haidee's blog Created2bunique - she has some FANTASTIC blog candy to give away (can I get a "woof woof" for an iPod Shuffle?  WOOF WOOF!).  I am extremely honored and excited to be part of Haidee's first hop, and especially a hop that celebrates her ADORABLE rescue Charisma! 

I am super excited to be celebrating these adorable and fun four-legged friends in our life!  To be honest, I do not currently own a dog (just two cats that behave like dogs, lol) :)  However, I did grow up with a half Husky, half German Shepherd named Pepper who I loved dearly and even now I enjoy playing with our friends' and neighbors' dogs :)  So I do still consider myself a dog lover at heart! 

Onto my project...

I chose to create my project for my husband's parents, who recently had to put their dog, Velvet, to sleep.  I don't have a picture of Velvet myself, but this will give you a general idea of what she looked like in her prime:

Photo Courtesty of Dog Breed Info Center - Chinese Crested

My mother-in-law has been eager to create a project to share their memories of Velvet but has been busy and has not had a chance to begin her crafting.  The frame that I created and am sharing with you to do was a simple way to remember this very special dog in their life with others. 

Supplies Used:
* Michaels' Unfinished Frame
* White Craft Paint
* Making Memories "1 1/4 Chunky Watercolor - Brick Dark" Alphabet Stickers
* Puffies "Dog's Life" Stickers
* EK Success/Sticko "Animal Tracks" Stickers
* EK Success/Sticko "Puppies" Stickers
* Pawprint Ribbon (from the "Special Value" bin at Michaels)
* Hot Glue Gun
* Super Glue

I left the open space on the bottom of the frame so that we can add the years that Velvet was alive.  I plan on presenting the frame to my in-laws soon so that they can add the perfect picture to remember her by :) 
BLOG CANDY ALERT! :) :) :)

If you are my lucky winner, you will receive:


Fiskars' "Animal Crackers" Clear Stamps
and
Bohemian Transfer Titles - Girl "Best Friends"

To enter, please leave a comment on this post along with a way to contact you if you should win.As well, if you become a follower of this page (or are already a follower), please leave me another posting saying that you did so and I will give you a SECOND entry into the drawing. I will post a winner by Tuesday (I am in another hop Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so I will post the winner from both hops on that day).
Now you can hop to Lisa at Scrapping With Lisa

And remember...

DOGS LEAVE PAW PRINTS ON YOUR HEART
SO RESCUE ONE!
Thank you for visiting, I hope to see you again soon! :)
~ Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Sketchy Wednesdays at the KinderStampO Blog! :)

Good morning all!

Welcome to my first OFFICIAL post as a DT member for KinderStampO!  I am so excited to be able to share my interpretation of today's sketch (designed by the always inspirational Jess) with you all.  I was feeling inspired to make something patriotic, since this past Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11th.  Thankfully, Jess had sent me her "Greetings from Home" stamp set as part of my "welcome" package, so I had the perfect inspiration for a very all-American card.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: DCWV Textured Cardstock in "White", Value Pack Cardstock in "Red" and "Blue"
Cartridge(s): "Stand and Salute"
ProMarkers
Stamp Pads: TPC Clearly Better Inks in "Black"
Stickles in "True Blue"
Red and Blue Twine
Zapdots 1/2" Square Adhesive
Zots 3-D Dots
Tombow Adhesive Runner

I had so much fun using the sketch as the basis of my card but putting my own little "spin" on it.  I can't wait to see what the next sketch will be - you may even see some inspiration from me for the the "Color It" Mondays challenge too! :)

Check back soon for more inspiration!

Thank you for visiting! :)

Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Meet the KinderStampO Design Team Blog Hop!

www.KinderStampO.com

Good evening my wonderful followers!

So, as you can guess from the title of this post, I have a bit of an announcement to share with you...

I MADE THE KINDERSTAMPO DESIGN TEAM! :) :) :) :)

I am so unbelievably excited to be part of Jess' first design team that will showcase her amazing stamps! Thank you Jessica for including me in this amazing group of very talented ladies! I can't wait to share your fabulous designs with other crafters!

The tagline for KinderStampO is: Live. Craft. Inspire. Jess asked each of the designers to introduce themselves using these three characteristics. So, without further ado, time to learn a little bit more about me :)

Live.
My name is Ashley DeSesso, but I am better known in the crafting world as the "Scrappin' Pink Piglet". I have been happily married to my best friend and biggest supporter, my husband George, for over two years and we have two adorable "furkids", our cats Lincoln and Jack. We're hoping to add to our growing family sometime in the next year (this time with a human child). I am entering my fifth year teaching Spanish to elementary-age children, a job I absolutely love, and I am pursuing National Board certification this year.

Craft.
I am so excited to be a part of the inaugural KinderStampO design team! This is my first design team and I feel so honored to be included in a group of such talented crafters, especially Jess! I have been crafting since August of 2010, mainly focusing on creating cards although I have explored some interactive cards, mini-albums, and altered items throughout my experiences. I would love to be able to do a little bit more scrapbooking and documenting all of our life experiences in the future. I have a bit of an addiction to stamps, and can't imagine being on a better team to fuel that love a bit more! :)

Inspire.
As for what inspires me...I love the challenge of looking at a piece of cardstock and wondering, “What can I do with this today?”, or taking a theme and shaping it into a card or project that I can share with my friends and family and that I can be proud to say I created. I love being able to share my ideas and explorations with a wide variety of people at all different levels, whether they are brand-new to the world of papercrafting, still developing their style, or veterans of the craft. I love being inspired by those same crafters, new and old alike, and pushing the boundaries of my comfort level by exploring more complex designs and formats.

 

I also wanted to share a few of the projects I have done using Jess' stamps. All of these projects were created using the "Friendship" stamp set, which has become one of my favorite go-to sets. There are so many ways you can use these sayings.




(Sorry that you have to tilt your head for this one...for some reason it won't let me turn the picture so it looks right.  I'll try to get it fixed!)

There is Blog Candy too :)

Stop by the KinderStampO Facebook page and leave a comment letting them know I sent you.
Leave a comment here and/or on any of the design team member pages as well!


One lucky winner will recieve a fun gift package from KinderStampo!
The next person you will be visiting is my wonderful design team friend Céline RégnierThank you for stopping by, and keep visiting our blogs to see more of the KinderStampO creativity at work!
~ Ashley "Scrappin' Pink Piglet"
>:@