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 - 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!!

Summer, Picnics, and Patriotism

Welcome to the next stop on the QKR Stampede June Blog Hop. As you know, the theme is Summer, Picnics and Patriotism. You should have arrived here from JENN'S blog--wasn't Jenn's card fantastic?!?! If you didn't get here from JENN'S blog, go there right now and see her wonderful project, then come back here! Go ahead, I'll wait! Now that you're in the right place, I have a few projects to share with you. But before I do that, here is a little reminder of the Blog Hop prize that you will be eligible to win: a $25 shopping spree at the QKR Stampede website and no shipping charges! All you have to do is visit each Design Team Member's blog, leave a comment and when you have visited and commented at the last blog on the Hop, go back to the beginning of the Hop and leave a comment there, as well. Want to increase your chances of winning the shopping spree? There are three ways you can increase your chances of winning the prize: (1) become a Follower of the QKR Stampede Blog; (2) become a Fan on Facebook; and (3) spread the word about the QKR blog hop by posting about it on your personal blog. You have until Wednesday, June 16, at Midnight, EST to complete the Hop and increase your chances of winning. A winner will be announced Thursday, June 17. Good luck!!

Now, for my projects for this month's Hop. My first project was featured a couple days ago as a sneak peek and features the Happy Tummy (#1901) and Bon Appetit (#11507) stamps from QKR Stampede.

When I first saw this stamp image, I just loved this little guy's expression of being "full" after eating that apple! I kept this card clean and simple and thought it would be great fun to use for an invitation to a family picnic or outdoor barbecue. Wouldn't it be fun as an invitation to an apple-picking venture in the Fall? I colored the image using my Prisma watercolor pencils and a blender pen. The skin of the apple was inked in red, stamped, then cut out and pieced onto the stamped image. My next project:

This card was also a sneak peek and uses the Picnic (#14207) stamp from QKR Stampede. I thought this little koala bear was just darling with his little knapsack--imagine all the goodies he has brought to share at the picnic! Again, I colored this image using my Prisma watercolor pencils and a blender pen. In order to get the right color for his fur, I first colored the image with the Non-Photo Blue pencil, then colored over the image with the Cool Grey pencil. The paper behind the stamped image is a double-sided paper from Reminisce and is entitled Camping Cook Out. And now for my final project:

This is a shaker card that uses the Waving Flag (#16112) stamp as the focal image. Here is a close-up view of the Waving Flag image:

The first time I perused through the QKR Stampede website, I immediately put this stamp on my wish list and couldn't wait to get it! The stamp was colored with markers and stamped onto white card stock. The star confetti was found at my local craft store. This would be a fun card to send to someone whose birthday is on Flag Day or Independence Day. It would also be a great card to send to a veteran to thank that person for his/her dedication and service to our country.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these projects as much as I did making them! Your next stop on the Blog Hop is:

BARB GMITRO-BEST

But before you go, please be sure to leave a comment here. Not only do I read and appreciate all comments, but by leaving a comment at each Design Team Member's blog and at the QKR STAMPEDE Blog, you have a chance to win a $25 shopping spree at QKR Stampede, which includes FREE shipping. Have you left your comment? Thank you!!!

Now, hop over to Barb's place and enjoy your visit with Barb; I know she has some adorable projects in store for you!! And remember, if one of the links fails to work along the Hop, go to the beginning at QKR STAMPEDE and follow the links listed there. And don't forget, once you have visited and commented at each Design Team Members' blog, go to QKR STAMPEDE and leave a comment that you completed the hop.