Sunflower Studio

NEW RELEASES AT STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS - BLOG HOP TODAY!

STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS will be featuring some brand spanking new stamps on their blog hop today, July 8th.  Click on the graphic below for more details!

 

 

SUINK - YOU SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!

Today is the big day!  STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! is celebrating their first year in business.  First years are always exciting and beginning the second year brings even more excitement.  Denise and Bob not only have some fun new stamps being released this month, they have PLENTY of goodies for you to WIN as well.  It's a celebration, after all!!!  Two amazing contests will be running the entire month of July.  Details on how you can enter to win BIG, BIG, BIG PRIZES are available on the SUINK BLOG.  Make sure that you head there to get all of the info!

YUP...we're also participating in a BLOG HOP to show off the first stamps from three new stamp collections from STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!  They're called S-U-Inkies (how cute, right?!).  These are all single stamps - or a main image with a sentiment - at a super affordable price.  I'm positive that you'll want to collect them all.  Each month one more image from each collection will be released.  and the first three are as follows:

Thanks A Bot from the Doodle Bots Collection
Summer Fun from the Fairy Tales Collection

and Love Birds from the Friendly Forest Collection

So, if you've just happened upon my blog and this post, you'll want to make sure that you go back to the beginning of the hop and leave a comment on each of the design team member's SUINK birthday post.  Then leave a comment on the STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! BLOG letting us know which NEW collection of S-U-Inkies you liked best.  That way you'll be entered to win all three new stamps, a package of Coredinations cardstock, one SUINK inkpad, one matching reinker, one package of paper flowers, and one jar of ribbon.  Oh Boy!  The blog hop order and the links to each blog are below to make it easy on ya...

1. Kristen
2. Me
   
3. Loretta   
4. Mary Jo 
   
5. Laura
   
6. Cathleen
7. Danielle
8. Tammy
9. SUINK

Without further blah, blah, blah....here are some sample cards to get your creative juices flowing!

Thanks A Bot from the Doodle Bots Collection

Summer Fun from the Fairy Tales Collection





Love Birds from the Friendly Forest Collection

Now click on over to LORETTA LOCK'S blog - LoveToCreate - and be sure to leave your comment.  Remember that you've gotta leave a comment on each of the DT blogs to be entered in the random prize drawing!

Note:  All patterned papers for these cards are from various collections by MY LITTLE SHOEBOX - available from STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!  (The paper on the rocket card is the exception - it is from the Little Man collection by Cosmo Cricket.)  Except for the brown buttons on the Summer Fun Fairy card, all buttons are also from SUINK.  All colored cardstock is by COREDINATIONS - again, available at SUINK. The sentiment on the "take me to your leader" card is computer generated.

SUINK - JOIN US FOR THE NEW RELEASE BLOG HOP

Wednesday, July 1st the design team for STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! will be hoppin'!  Please check back here in the morning for the line up and new release samples!

 

SUINK - BIG BIRTHDAY BASH GIVEAWAY

 

HAPPY BIRD-DAY!

This week's challenge with STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! is to create a card with a unique shape.   For whatever reason, this tree idea came to mind right away.  And...while it's not really a "shaped" card per se, I'm goin' with it anyway.

I hand cut the tree and branch shape from the front portion of the folded card.  Then, I stamped a tree bark patterned stamp by All Night Media using FRENCH ROAST ink by SUINK to create the tree.  I used an oval punch to create the hole for the little pink owl to hoot through.

Speaking of the owls...I think these are just adorable.  They're included in another brand new set from SUINK called YOU'RE A HOOT.  They're just hanging out in the forest enjoying a "happy bird-day".  On a side note, we hung some new bird feeders in the back yard on Sunday and wouldn't you know that between the Blue Jay and the darn squirrels ALL of the seed is already gone.  I think they've been having a "happy BIRD-day" too!!  My patterned paper is by Bella Blvd. and it's called Family Tree.  I used some more new SUINK buttons and some SU! twine and Papertrey ribbon to finish it off.

You can get more details on this week's SUINK Whatchadoin' Wednesday challenge on the SUINK blog.  You'll want to be checking in over there frequently in the following weeks.  They're celebrating their one year anniversary and there's some big, awesome giveaways and such that'll be coming your way!

A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME

Ahoy there, Matey!  I couldn't possibly resist some cute little pirates.  This card works for last week's challenge at STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!  The challenge was to use Black and Blue so these scallywags are all suited up and ready to pillage and plunder...or something like that!

The pirate set is called SHIVER ME TIMBERS and it's brand new this month at SUINK.  I also used some of this nifty WHITEWASH CARDSTOCK by COREDINATIONS, also from SUINK, and some of their fancy new buttons too.  Have you tried the Whitewash cardstock yet?  One side is smooth and a solid color.  The other side is textured and looks like it's been "painted over" with white.  It's perfect for tearing and sanding like I did here for my sea and waves.  Very cool...I like it!  I tore and inked some SU! Kraft cardstock for the sandy beach as well.  My scene took up a lot of space too...this card is about 4 inches wide and almost 10 inches tall!  That would require one big ole envelope to mail!

TCP TUESDAY #64 - INSPIRATION CHALLENGE

Hey there...we're back to Tuesday again and it's challenge time with THE CAT'S PAJAMAS design team.  Come on!  You know you wanna play along and, hey, you can win $25 in Cat's Cash if you're chosen as the Swanky Stamper for the month.  Just do it!

Toni is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess this time and she's challenged us with this photo of some cool refreshing beverages....YUM!  So, what about this will inspire you?  The colors, the drinks, the shapes....does it inspire you to go and find a margarita?  Well that's a whole 'nother thing, isn't it?!

Sprinkle (from the It's a Mod, Mod World set - W-7512CL) is having a little shindig with the rest of the cats.  You know, sun's goin' down...just the right time for a little drinkie-poo.  They're all thinking that same thing!  The drink photo actually encouraged me to dig deep into my paper stash for this patterned paper by Out There Scrapbooking called Fruit Garnish Black and that inspired my color scheme.  Along with Sprinkle, I used the little Think Drink (B-7474) stamp and the Cheers (C-7445) sentiment to complete the card.  I needed a bunch of same color buttons and all of these are by Creative Imaginations.

So, go grab your TCP stamps - or your stamps of choice - and let's see what you create.  Please use keyword TCPTUES64 if you're posting to Splitcoast or PCP.  Don't forget to add a comment post HERE on Toni's blog with the link to your card so you can be included in the Monday Slideshow on Alma's blog too.

2 SKETCHES 4 YOU - STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS

STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS is sponsoring a sketch this week on the 2 SKETCHES 4 YOU blog.  Be sure to click over there and participate!

My card features a little owl - ummm, pink! - well, because I can! - from the DOODLEFACTORY ANIMALS sheet.  His name is Ezner.  He had to match the paper, didn't he?  And to tell you the truth, I didn't notice that he was a "he" until just now....oh dear!  I puffed him up just a bit with some pink FLOWERSOFT.  It's my first try with it...from my "had to have it all" pile in the craft room.  It's fun!

I got in my shipment of new In-Color papers from Stampin' Up! this week so I decided to use those - I squeezed in four of the six new colors - Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, and Soft Suede.  The colors actually coordinated perfectly with some really nice patterned papers by Crate Paper in their Lillian Collection.  The polka dotted ribbon is also new from SU!  The button on the sentiment is from Papertrey and the other three accent buttons are from Storage Units, Ink & More!

Hope you decide to play along!

STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS will also be featuring some brand spaking new stamps with a blog hop on July 8th.  Click on the graphic below for more details!

VIRGINIA BEACH VACATION

Last week the little boy and I took a trip down to Virginia Beach to visit my sister.  I hadn't been down there in years and years and a lot has changed.  There's so much to see and do...I'd definitely recommend it!

We visited the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and saw an IMAX movie.  You gotta love those movies and this one was in  3D so it was like those whales were coming right outta the screen on top of you.  WOW!  I'm all about the IMAX movies - I mean, we grew up seeing "To Fly" at the Air & Space Museum in DC whenever we wanted to but 3D is a whole 'nother thing.  I took some goofy pictures of us that I'll share here.

We also took a little drive up to the Norfolk Naval Base and were lucky enough to see some aircraft carriers up close.  I don't know why but I'm completely enthralled with them.  They're just humongous, floating contraptions and they carry planes...again, WOW!  This one is the brand new, not-even-finished-yet USS George H. W. Bush.  I remember seeing the dedication ceremony a while back on TV so it was cool to see it up close.  My sister also lives close to the Naval base called Oceana.  So jets are constantly cruising over her condo.  I thought it was awesome but I'm sure the noise can get old if you hear it all the time.  Although, they were selling stickers at 7-11 that said, "I Love Jet Noise"...how funny is that!?

BUNCO!

We started started a BUNCO group in our neighborhood this year and we've been having a ton of fun.  And while the game IS fun it's really the "hanging out with the ladies" part that really makes it all worth while.  This month is was my turn to host and I went a little crazy with the pink and black color scheme.  (I am actually playing with some other gals here but I cropped them out since I didn't know if they'd want their photos broadcast to the entire world.)  If you get a chance to play in your area, you really should.  We have a blast!  AND....there are prizes too! 

In our group, everyone contributes a small amount of money that goes to hostess of the following month so that she can buy prizes.  (Some groups just play for money and that's cool too.)  I decided to make up some more of my reusable grocery bags.  I've gotten a little neurotic about making them.  Anyone else jump into a craft with both feet and buy enough stuff to make a ton of whatever it is and then, most likely, don't ever really use all of the supplies?  Come on!  I know that YOU know what I'm talkin' about out there!