It's QKR Monday . . .

I don't know about your corner of the world, but here in northeast Ohio, we had a beautiful Fall weekend (certainly to be one of our last), which inspired me to make this card. I used the QKR Stampede Leaf (#3901) and Hope Forever (#22801) stamps to create this card. The background of my card was stamped with the Leaf stamp and a Kaleidacolor stamp pad. For the focal image, I again used the Leaf stamp with foil and QKR Stampede's new line of Sticky Powder (some of you may recognize this product as Sticky Embossing Powder, or Heat-n-Stick powder). Being that Fall is quickly leaving us, I decided that the Cherish Yesterday sentiment, from the Hope Forever stamp (which is actually a collection of four sentiments), was perfect for this card.

Here is a close-up of the foiled image; as you can see, the result is absolutely stunning!

If you go to the QKR Stampede website and click on the Supplies tab, you will find directions on how to use the Sticky Powder, as well as illustrations of various craft mediums that were used with the Sticky Powder.  If you follow my blog, you may recall that I did a photo tutorial using foil, which can be found here.  I don't know about you, but I'm hanging onto these last few Fall days we have and enjoying the last of the colors of Fall ...  Grab your hats, mittens, and scarves because this Friday, November 19, we will be having the QKR Stampede Christmas/Winter blog hop. We had a Christmas in July blog hop to get your creative juices flowing, but just in case you're looking for some ideas for Christmas cards or gifts, you'll want to be sure to put this Hop on your list of things to see! We have a very talented group of ladies on the design team, and the projects will be amazing and inspiring!! I'll be providing a sneak peek later in the week, so stay tuned . . .

It's QKR Monday . . .

. . . and for today's post, since we are well into the Fall season--the turning leaves giving us such a splendid show of color--I couldn't help but think how nice it is to have note cards on hand that go with each season. My project today is just that -- a simple note card that uses the Leaf (#3901) and Thank You (#16620) stamps by QKR Stampede. The note card is gold embossed around the edge, and I simply stamped the Leaf image around the perimeter after inking with my Kaleidacolor ink pad. Thank You was stamped using Rich Cocoa ink by Memento.

I love the fact that the openness of the Leaf image doesn't overpower the Thank You sentiment. I hope you are enjoying the wonderful Fall weather and a terrific display of colors in your neck of the woods. I will have more examples of this Leaf image at the Blog Hop this Friday. The theme of the Blog Hop is Fall/Thanksgiving, so get ready for some terrific projects to celebrate the season and the holiday! Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by and paying a visit today.

It's QKR Monday . . .

As promised, I am back at it with more QKR Stampede images! With the temperatures and weather as it is today, it really feels like a crisp, cool Fall day. My project is a card that uses the Leaf (#3901) stamp from QKR Stampede. I created a marbled/polished stone background using Ranger Alcohol Inks (Butterscotch, Meadow, and Red Pepper) and overstamped the Leaf image in Memento Rich Cocoa ink. Wrapped the piece with some gold cord, added a few silk leaves from my local craft store, and mounted onto my card stock base. The sentiment, "There is a harmony in Autumn and a lustre in its sky," by Percy Bysshe Shelley, is one of my favorites and was computer-generated and printed onto the card stock base.

Thanks for stopping by and paying a visit today! Have a great day!!

It's QKR Monday . . .

I have an Autumn project to share with you today . . . and appropriately, the name of the stamp is Autumn Breeze (#8803) by QKR Stampede.

This is another of the ragdoll images offered by QKR Stampede, and she is just darling! For my layout, I used the Mojo Monday Sketch 155; but, rather than a tag, I used a flower as an embellishment. Now that we're into the month of September, that means another QKR Stampede Blog Hop. This month's Blog Hop will be this Friday, September 10, and will feature Autumn/Halloween projects! Here is a sneak peek at one of my Blog Hop projects:

Be sure to visit the QKR Stampede Blog this week for other sneak peeks and further announcements with respect to the Blog Hop. Make sure you check out the Fall-themed images at QKR Stampede! You won't be disappointed, and you just might see one of your favorite images featured in the Blog Hop.

It's QKR Monday . . .

. . . and the kids are back in school, the temperatures are starting to cool down a bit, humidity seems to be less-- all signs of Fall! I love the warm days and cool evenings of Fall!! Today's card is Fall-themed . . . I used the Pumpkin Stack (#12910) stamp from QKR Stampede for this card.

Aren't these pumpkins adorable? The image reminds me of the song learned in elementary school about the "five little pumpkins sitting by the gate, the first one said . . ."  As is my usual practice, the image was stamped using Ancient Page Coal Black waterproof dye ink and colored with my Prismacolor watercolor pencils and blender pen. The pumpkin brads and decorative paper were found at my local craft store. DESIGN TEAM CALL REMINDER:  Tomorrow, August 31, is the last day to submit your application to be on the next QKR Stampede Design Team. For complete information and details, go HERE. As always, thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit today! Have a GREAT day!!

It's QKR Monday . . .

Hello QKR friends and fans! I hope you enjoyed the recent School Days blog hop and congratulations to MARIA MATTER who was the winner of the blog hop prize. School Days are just ahead for many, including the young men and women who are heading off for their first year of college. The return to school always signals to me the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall. So today, I am sharing the Scarecrow (#18801) image by QKR Stampede on a card. This little guy is darling and looks like he's having a blast playing in the Fall leaves!

Fall happens to be my favorite season--I love the cooler temperatures--warm days, cool nights, and all the sights sounds and smells of Fall--the colors of the changing leaves, the sound of leaves as you walk and they crunch under your shoes, the smell of the leaves, the smell of home fires burning to take the chill out of the air, apple picking, fresh pressed apple cider, baking apple pies, baking pumpkin pies or pumpkin muffins, hay rides, and hot chocolate (to name a few!). All my favorites of Fall! Thank you for stopping by today and visiting. I hope you have a WONDERFUL day today!! ---Carol

It's QKR Monday . . .

Once again, it's QKR Monday! I hope you came by over the weekend to participate in the QKR Stampede Frosty in July Blog Hop. All of the projects created by the design team members were Christmas or winter themed and were absolutely spectacular!!! If you missed the Hop, there's still time to get in on it and be eligible for a prize--a $25 gift certificate (and free shipping)--to be used at the QKR Stampede store. If you're interested in participating in the Hop (and who wouldn't love a chance at some free stamps?), go here for the details. Be sure to read to the end of this post for two special QKR Stampede announcements!

In keeping with the Christmas Blog Hop theme, today's project uses the QKR Stampede The Reason (#8712) stamp with the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 79 (SSSC79). As you can see with this project, this stamp image works very well on its own as a focal image, and is perfect, of course, for the sentiment on the inside of your hand-stamped Christmas cards.

QKR STAMPEDE SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:  Every Monday in August, QKR Stampede will have a random drawing from its list of Facebook friends/fans/"likers". The person whose name is drawn will win a free QKR Stampede stamp of their choice! If you're not already a friend/fan/"liker" of QKR Stampede on Facebook, go here today so that you have a chance to win a free stamp of your choosing. Good luck!!

Do you already own QKR Stampede stamps and have a wish list of other stamp images you would like to own? Interested in an easy way to earn some free stamps? QKR Stampede will be participating in its first convention, in Boise, Idaho, the weekend of September 24 and 25, and is in need of card fronts for its display boards. Using only your QKR Stampede stamps**, create a card front (or card fronts), and mail them to the attention of Maribeth Douglas at QKR Stampede, 19522 High Park Road, Cedaredge, CO 81413. In return, you will receive one (1) free stamp image per card front mailed. Now, isn't that an easy way to get some free rubber??? (**In the absence of a particular sentiment you may want to use on your card, you can either computer-generate or handwrite the sentiment; you CANNOT, however, use stamp images from other companies on these cards as they would not be QKR Stampede images and would expose the company to copyright issues. You can use any papers, inks, and embellishments of your choosing.) Thanks for stopping by and visiting today; your visits and comments are greatly appreciated! Have a terrific day!!!!

QKR Monday . . . Christmas Blog Hop

It's QKR Monday! Today's project uses the Special Delivery (#14010) stamp by QKR Stampede. This image has been on my wish list for quite some time, and I finally got it!! What cute baby shower cards, birth congratulatory cards, birth announcements, or scrap book pages can be made using this stamp!

I used a background paper that I have had for a while and which, unfortunately, has no manufacturer's identification. The image was stamped with my Ancient Page Coal Black dye ink and colored with my Prismacolor water color pencils and a blender pen. The baby feet brads are by Accent Depot and the "It's A Boy" charm is by Darice. To see another card project using this stamp, go to the QKR Stampede blog to this post.

Christmas Blog Hop:  Just a quick reminder to be sure to mark your calendars for the Frosty in July Christmas-themed Blog Hop this Friday, July 23. Here is a sneak peek that I featured a couple weeks ago, before the Hop was rescheduled:

 as well as a new sneak peek of another project for the Hop:

Be sure to join us for the Frosty in July Blog Hop this Friday, July 23, and be sure to tell all your stamping friends to do the same! The Design Team Members have some terrific projects prepared to share with you. Stop back throughout the week for other projects and Blog Hop  sneak peeks! Thanks for stopping by and visiting today! Have a great day!!

It's QKR Monday . . .

Today's card uses the Clean & Simple Stamping Fall-To Layout 98 (FTL98) which, as you can see, is another terrific clean and simple design. The squares in the design can be either stamped or patterned paper that is cut to size. I chose patterned paper and then layered my sentiment Happy Birthday (#22803) stamp from QKR Stampede.

Even though the name of the stamp is Happy Birthday, there are four sentiments: Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, Happy Mother's Day, and Happy Father's Day--a terrific bargain!! Thanks for stopping by for a visit today! Have a GREAT day!!!

QKR Monday - Happy Independence Day!

Independence Day -- a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. But did you know that the legal separation of the American colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain actually occurred on July 2, 1776? The Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence, later titled the Declaration of Independence, and debated and revised the document, with final approval on July 4, 1776. In fact, John Adams had written in a letter to his wife, Abigail: "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. . . . It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, . . . bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

In honor of Independence Day, I am posting a card that uses the Waving Flag (#16112) stamp by QKR Stampede. I have previously used this stamp for Memorial Day projects, Flag Day, and here it is, again, for Independence Day. I absolutely LOVE this flag image . . . I love its simplicity and the movement depicted in the image!

For this card, I first had the ribbon in mind, so I wanted to create a card with a vintage/Americana/folk art look to it. I decided to make my paper look like old, aged parchment paper. Here's how I did it: card stock is Stampin' Up!'s Very Vanilla. I then rubbed over the card stock lightly using my Memento Desert Sand ink pad. Then I sponged Vivid! Straw, Brown, and Taupe inks (in that order). Then I rubbed the Memento Desert Sand ink all over the piece of card stock again. Lastly, I inked the edges of the card stock using Memento Rich Cocoa. The date was printed on my computer, cut out with a Nestabilities Oval cutting die, "aged" in the same manner, layered onto a scallop oval that was cut out with a Nestabilities Scallop Oval cutting die, and adhered using foam squares.

And now for the announcement I promised. As you know, QKR has been having a blog hop each month, and this month is no different. Our July blog hop will be all about Christmas! Yes, Christmas!!! I know Christmas is five months away, but now is the perfect time to start thinking about and planning your holiday paper crafting projects . . . like the design of this year's Christmas cards! The Hop will take place this Thursday, July 8, and as always, will be started at the QKR Stampede blog. More details will follow as the week progresses. Be sure to mark your calendar for the July 8 Blog Hop. Here is a sneak peek of one of my projects:

Happy Independence Day to you and yours. As you celebrate this holiday, enjoy the local parades and fireworks displays and do be careful. Thanks for stopping by and paying a visit. Have a GREAT day!!

QKR Monday Meets The Sweet Stop (SSS62)

This week's QKR project is posted a bit later in the week than usual. My project today is based on a sketch from The Sweet Stop -- my first time to play along with one of their sketches. I had this paper, Cruisin', by Creative Imaginations and thought it would lend well to this sketch.

Here is the sketch:

I used the Old Car (#20205) from QKR Stampede and made a standard A2 card, rather than a square card. The sketch showed a flower as the embellishment, but I didn't think that would go quite well with the car image, so I opted for a matching button. I think with the inserted white button it resembles a whitewall tire. Next Monday will feature another QKR project, as well as an announcement, so stay tuned! Thanks for stopping by today and visiting! Have a great day!!

Road Trip

I've said this before . . . I love getting the sketch challenges for cards. The sketches not only have the hard work taken care of (someone has done all the thinking for the creative part of the card layout), but they often take me out of my comfort zone or give me an "a-ha" moment with regard to something new to try or something "old" to revisit. Since today is QKR Monday, I thought it would be fun to use the latest Card Patterns Sketch 69 with one of my QKR Stampede images.

Here is the sketch:

My card today uses the Old Car (#20205) stamp by QKR Stampede. This stamp is such a fun image and perfect for summer-themed cards or vacation/travel scrapbook page layouts!! The papers that I used for the background are by Creative Imaginations and a Travel paper pad by Making Memories. As you can see, rather than floral accents, I chose eyelets, a metal gear (which looks like a steering wheel) and a key. Today is also my day to post on the QKR Stampede Blog. Here is a sneak peek at the project I am featuring there:

This project uses the Rocket Dog stamp image. Be sure to pop over there and check it out!! Thank you for stopping by today and visiting. Have a great day!!

QKR Monday - Flag Day

Today is Flag Day; it is also my brother's birthday; and it is QKR Monday. If you were here for the Blog Hop this past weekend, you will recall the Waving Flag (#16112) stamp that I used to create a shaker card. Today, in honor of Flag Day, I have created another card featuring the Waving Flag stamp by QKR Stampede. As I mentioned in the Blog Hop, I put this stamp on my wish list the moment I saw it and couldn't wait to use it to make some cards.

This card is based on the Card Patterns Sketch 68:

For my card, the Waving Flag stamp image was colored with markers and stamped onto white card stock then cut out with an oval Nestabilities die, which was layered over a scallop oval that was also cut with a Nestabilities die. A piece of white taffeta ribbon was tied into a knot and a button adhered using a glue dot. The decorative papers are downloads from Gina K Designs. Be sure to stop by the QKR Stampede Blog to see another card made using the Waving Flag stamp and to learn a little about the history of Flag Day. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and visit. Have a terrific day!!

It's QKR Monday!

My project today is a recipe card that features the Relaxing Gnome (#17908) stamp from QKR Stampede. I featured this stamp on a card at the QKR Blog two weeks ago. If you missed that post, you can see it here. I have participated in cookbook swaps where each participant creates a 6" x 6" recipe card. Each recipe card had to be hand-stamped--the only part of the recipe card that could be mass produced (either by printing or photocopying) was the actual recipe.

I thought the Relaxing Gnome (#17908) would be the perfect accent for a recipe card featuring a mushroom dish. I love just about any kind of mushroom -- fresh, in salads, baked on a pizza, sauteed and served with chicken or a steak, grilled, stuffed -- you name it! This mushroom strudel is great as an appetizer or as the main course served with a salad. I use a blend of mushrooms when making it -- portabellas, regular snow cap mushrooms, crimini, shitake, and a wild mushroom mix.

I am also posting today at the QKR Stampede Blog. Here is a little peek at the project there that uses the Girlfriends (#8808) stamp.

Be sure to go check out this project in its entirety by going here. It is done in patriotic colors, in honor of Memorial Day. Please take a moment, today, to remember the brave men and women who served in our armed forces and gave the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country and our freedoms. Please take a moment, also, to think of the men and women who are currently serving in our armed forces. Thank you for stopping by today and having a look! Have a wonderful Memorial Day!!

QKR Monday Meets Mojo Monday

The Mojo Monday sketch (MOJO140) came across my computer and I decided to play with that today, along with some of my QKR Stampede stamps since it is QKR Monday. This card uses the Train (#19207) and To My Dad (#11805) stamps and would make a great Father's Day, Birthday, or simple Thinking of You card for anyone's Dad.

Here is the sketch:

This card was fairly easy to put together . . . just had to figure out a few measurements and--voila--it's done!

One other piece of QKR Stampede news . . . the winner of the prize for the "It's A Boy Thing" Blog Hop is Kristie Maynard. Congratulations Kristie!!!! Be sure to go here for details on how to claim your prize. Thanks for stopping by today and having a look! Have a GREAT day!!

QKR Monday - Couch Potato

I posted last week that I was working on my QKR Monday project. Well, after many trials, tribulations and frustrations, I finally came up with a card that I "liked" enough to post. My biggest challenge with this card was the look I wanted to achieve and the scale of the card versus the scale of the stamp.

This card was created using the Couch Potato and  Early Retirement stamps by QKR Stampede. This was my first attempt at creating the look of a "room" using the Faux Painted Paneling technique in the October/November 2009 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. The Couch Potato image was stamped three times -- once on patterned paper (the couch), a second time on kraft card stock (the potato, which was subsequently colored with Prisma watercolor pencils to enhance the color) and a third time on white card stock for the pillow, tennis shoes, and glove. Here is a close-up of the Couch Potato:

Today is also my day to post on the QKR Stampede Blog. Be sure to go there, as well, to see another project using the Relaxing Gnome stamp. Here is a little peek:

Thanks for stopping by and having a look! Have a WONDERFUL day!!

QKR Monday and Blog Hop

Today's QKR Stampede project share will be a little bit later in the day . . . it's currently undergoing reconstruction (what seemed like a good idea, just didn't transfer onto paper very well). But I wanted to be sure to get the word out . . . be sure to mark your calendars for Friday, May 14, for the next QKR Stampede Blog Hop. QKR Stampede is going to have a monthly blog hop--isn't that exciting??? Last month's Blog Hop went really well and there was a fantastic prize offered. I am really looking forward to this month's Hop because the theme for the Hop is MASCULINE. Is that cheering and applause I hear? I know many people say they struggle with masculine-themed cards. So, just think, you will get inspiration for at least 12 different projects--and just in time for Father's Day. As the week progresses, I will give you sneak peeks into what I will be posting for the Hop, as well as a few reminders about the Hop. Now for me to get back to today's project . . . I think I need to walk away for a little while and approach with a cleared head! Stay tuned . . . 

It's QKR Monday!

It's time for another project using stamp images from QKR Stampede. I didn't post over the weekend, spending the time, instead, to work on some project ideas. Unfortunately, my MOJO--if I ever had any--seemed to have taken the weekend off. I muddled through, though, and created this card using the Old Car and Early Retirement stamps.

For this card, having the Old Car and Early Retirement stamps in mind, I found this travel/beach-themed scrapbook paper and built from there. If I were retired, I would want to drive to the beach every day!! The car and the sentiment were both stamped and embossed with a metallic copper embossing powder.

As always, thanks for stopping by today! Have a GREAT day!!

QKR Monday on Wednesday

As I mentioned in Sunday's post, my Monday posts are going to be dedicated to QKR Stampede, the rubber stamps that are "somewhat cute, somewhat quirky". I am a member of the first QKR Stampede Design Team and my days to post on the QKR Blog fall on the first and third Monday of each month. So, every Monday, I will be posting on my blog a project that was created using stamps by QKR Stampede, as well as any breaking news about the company, such as events and specials. Unfortunately, Monday and Tuesday brought computer/internet/Blogger issues (losing posts, losing comments, etc.); so, even though it is Wednesday, this is the project I had intended to post on Monday. Without further adieu, here it is:

This card was created using the Large Ship stamp by QKR Stampede. While the company is known for its "cute" and "quirky" images, there are also some very nice, serious (for lack of a better word at the moment) images, as shown here.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a GREAT day!!