Guest Designer :: Heather Hoffman- Part 2!

Good morning! Heather here one more time from Houses Built of Cards.

In case you missed it last time – here is a little bit about me: I am happy wife of a supportive husband, and mother to two wonderful daughters age 8 and 9. I lived my entire life up until about 5 months ago in Northwestern Washington State, and now live in a very small town in Wyoming. While we are still adjusting -especially to the cold – it has been nothing short of an adventure for us all, with the normal ups and downs of missing our family and friends back home. If you aren’t familiar with my blog name, then let me explain a little! When I started card making, I quickly found that I was making WAY more cards than I could possibly use. Thanks in part to my daughters and something they both cared deeply for, I decided to direct all the proceeds from the sales of my cards to the building of houses for widows and their children in Burundi, Africa, through a ministry called Sister Connection. Building one house is amazing just $600!!! So far I have completed 2 houses, and am working steadily at a third.

 

 

I’m super excited to be Guest Designing at for Market Street Stamps this month. For my post today, I had fun combining the sentiments and images from two different sets! Here is the first one:

 

The two sets I used are Hit the Mark:

And Great Big Greetings:

 

 

That first sentiment just jumped out at me and I pictured an arrow stuck right in the center of the heart!

 

I used some Glitz Designs papers from a 6x6 paper pad, and added some stitching around the outside edges.

 

I stamped the tree, colored just the leaves with my Copic markers, then stamped and paper pieced the heart in the center. Finally, I stamped the arrow on top of it all and added my sentiment.

 

The second card was kind of the same thing - that sentiment made me think of missing the mark - which is probably what I would do were I to actually attempt to take up archery!

 

I stamped the target, and added a button and some twine in the center. Next, I stamped the arrows, and paper pieced the top part. I selectively stamped my sentiment so that it would fit where I wanted it, and inked it up with different colors.

 

Used black and white cardstock, and the woodgrain and red papers are from an older My Mind's Eye 6x6 paper pad. Finished off with some washi tape under the sentiment - and the only thing I wish I would have changed would be to have the chevrons pointing the other way! I have already mailed this card off, otherwise I would have fixed it and re-photographed! But even though something was bugging me, I didn't figure it out until afterwards! Oh well!

 

Thanks again Market Street Stamps for this super fun opportunity! I so enjoyed it! And thanks to everyone who stopped by! Thanks for all your kind words!

Guest Designer :: Heather Hoffman

Good morning! 

Heather here from Houses Built of Cards. 
I am happy wife of a supportive husband, and mother to two wonderful daughters age 8 and 9. I lived my entire life up until about 5 months ago in Northwestern Washington State, and now live in a very small town in Wyoming. While we are still adjusting -especially to the cold – it has been nothing short of an adventure for us all, with the normal ups and downs of missing our family and friends back home. If you aren't familiar with my blog name, then let me explain a little! When I started card making, I quickly found that I was making WAY more cards than I could possibly use. Thanks in part to my daughters and something they both cared deeply for, I decided to direct all the proceeds from the sales of my cards to the building of houses for widows and their children in Burundi, Africa, through a ministry called Sister Connection. Building one house is amazing just $600!!! So far I have completed 2 houses, and am working steadily at a third.

I’m super excited to be Guest Designing at for Market Street Stamps this month. So...for today I pulled out some DCWV Chalkboard papers, some Basic Grey PB&J papers, and some Market Street Minis. I ended up with 3 different cards - and slightly different effects on each one! For this first one, I used a light blue chalkboard paper, and “Wild” – a Market Street Mini. I used some Memento Pigment ink in two different colors to stamp the feathers, and to stamp the sentiment with a slight shadow. The most important thing I learned in doing this is to give it plenty of time to dry! I also heat set it a bit with my embossing gun. Otherwise, the ink smears pretty easily on the chalkboard paper. I finished off by matting it with white paper, adding a few wraps of jute twine tied in a bow on the side, then attached to the background paper with foam adhesive.

For the second card, I went with a more traditional chalkboard effect, only this time used some red chalkboard paper. On this one I used one of my favorite Market Street sentiments - also one of the Market minis called “Blessings in Disguise.” It is hard to tell in the picture, but I stamped with two different shades of Memento pigment ink, wheat and sage. I also used a paper towel held over my finger, dipped in white pigment ink, and smudged around for "chalk dust." Finished off by borrowing one of my kids white colored pencils to add some lines around the sides to frame it. I tucked a doily behind, wrapped and tied some jute twine behind, then mounted it with foam adhesive.

The last card is actually the one that inspired all of this. My husband was wearing a shirt he had gotten at Old Navy recently that was this lovely deep turquoise with a lightbulb on it. Poor guy has gotten used to me I guess, because he wasn't too surprised when I looked at it for a while, then disappeared into my crafty corner to make something inspired by it! Took me until the next day to make it work like I wanted. For this one I used another Market Street Mini called “Bright Side,” and a Christmas set called “Shine On.” I've said it before - but I LOVE how these sets work together!!! This time I used some deep turquoise chalkboard paper, and stamped and heat embossed the light bulb and sentiment to start with. I then slightly offset and re-stamped the image with white pigment ink for a shadow effect. Then I added the light beams using Memento pigment ink in Thatched Straw, so it has a slightly golden effect. I smudged that a little with my finger so it didn't look quite so "perfect," then added some lines around the edges with my white colored pencil. Finished off this one with a couple more doilies tucked behind, then wrapped some jute twine and tied a bow before attaching, again with foam adhesive to my background. Added three little self-adhesive gems to fill in the little spot that looked like it needed something else.

Thanks SOOOO much Market Street Stamps for giving me the opportunity to be Guest Designer today! I had SOOO much fun playing with my stamps! Looking forward to one more chance to share my projects later this month.

And thank you everyone else for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Guest Designer :: Virginia Lu

Hello!

We're here today with another post from our Guest Designer

Virginia Lu!

This girl has ROCKED her Market Street Stamps this month- we're so happy happy to have her as our guest!

I love the sentiment from Great Big Greetings! It is the go-to set for making Hello cards! For my first card today, I mixed the sentiment and embossed them in three different colors (orange, turquoise and pink) over black card stock. The border stamps are perfect to make the design look grounded. I then finished it off with Tim Holtz Distress Stain (Picket Fence). That way you get a chalk board look instantly! If you don’t have the Distress Stain, you can use any white chalk ink (such as Color Box) pad to achieve the chalk board look.

Sentiments play a huge role in card designs! Why not let the sentiment take center stage? Here I committed a little “stamping crime”. The sentiment “I REALLY MISS YOU” was cut up and then stamped with assorted colors. Not only do the colors attract your attention, they really really really convey the sentiment beautifully. And no worry, you can still stamp the sentiment like it is—REALLY! 

Nothing speaks louder than Neon colors! Here is fun one! Virginia will have more details about this card in her blog:  (Yes, Virginia...)

Thank you SO much for being our guest this month, Virginia! You're AMAZING!

And THANK YOU to those of you who participated in our Block Party this month!

You all did an awesome job as usual, and we're excited to announce that 

HEATHER will be our next Guest Designer!

Your rhinestone-accented lightbulb was fantastic!! Please email Jorge (jorge at marketstreetstamps dot com) and he will hook ya up!

Also, our random prize package winner is....

LISA L.!

Please email jorge at marketstreetstamps dot com with you full name and address, and we will get your goodies out to you!

Thanks again have a wonderful day everyone!

Guest Designer :: Virginia Lu

 

We are VERY happy to introduce of Guest Designer for December

Virginia Lu!

 

 

I am Virginia Lu from Ontario, Canada. I could not be more thrilled to be here as the December Guest Designer! I have been an avid card maker since 2008. I am a simple stamper and I like to add a “wow” factor to my cards as it gives the receivers a lasting impression and a sense of delight and charm. My latest favorite products to use are distress inks and alcohol inks. Trying out new techniques and various products help me stretch my creativity. I love the designs and quality of Market Street Stamps . The stamp designs range from fun and whimsical to vintage shabby. They definitely suit any stamper’s style and needs! Thank you, Market Street Stamps, for this opportunity to work with your wonderful stamps!

 

I love Baby Basics from Market Street Stamps. It is a perfect set for making Baby Announcements and Baby Shower-themed cards. The idea is to keep the design clean and simple and you can mass produce them easily. Here are some ideas that I came up with and I hope that you are inspired to try them out.

Washi tape are all the rage! Why not utilize them for instant patterning and colors!? These Target washi tape came in handy for making a baby boy/girl Congratulations cards! You can customize the look by using the smallest stamps to your liking. These two cards took less than 10 minutes to make!

 

The sentiment “heaven sent” is perfect for mulberry paper/handmade paper with the adorable teddy bear image. The minimal copic-coloring of the bears keep the look clean and crisp.

 

Adding textures is a great way to add a special handmade touch to this darling bear image. You can apply this idea to create gift bags, pocket cards...etc. I used felt and twines for the thank-you cards.

 

 

Lastly, if you want to get super creative, you can stamp a design with the clotheslines, pins and rubber ducky from this set. It can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be.

 

 

I hope you enjoy these fun cards that I made! Big thanks to Market Street Stamps for having me as the December guest designer! It is pure FUN!

 

*****

 

Make sure you stop by Virginia's blog

Yes, Virginia...

for even more about these beautiful cards!

She's amazing!

Guest Designer :: Jen Wills

Happy Friday!

 

We are very excited to have Jen back today as our November Guest Designer! Check out what she has created for us!

 

 

 

Hi there! I'm excited to be back with my second showing as Guest Designer here at Market Street Stamps! I wanted to make some Christmas cards but when I looked through my MSS collection it turned out I only had one Christmas set, Prancer, which I last used here. I decided that this was a good opportunity to "stretch my stamps". I'd use the sentiment from Prancer but I'd try and use non-Chrismas images to make the rest my cards.

For my first card I used the outline triangles from Nuts About Nature. I stamped them onto patterned paper, fussy cut them and made a little forest. The border along the bottom is from Great Big Greetings and the star is from Blast Off (now retired).

For my second card I went for a simple, graphic design using the chevron from Riding By in red and greens. A one layer card perfect for mailing! Isn't it fabulous how versatile these stamps are?

 

*****

Thank you so much for being our guest this month, Jen!

 

Make sure you stop by Jen's blog

JENerally Speaking

for LOTS of great inspiration!

Guest Designer :: Jen Wills

 

Happy November!

 

We're here today with a very special post from our new Guest Designer,

Jen Wills!

 

 

Hi there! My name is Jen Wills and I am so excited to be the November Guest Designer for Market Street Stamps! I live in Bermuda with my hubby, Luis, and our dog, Atticus. I've been blogging at JENerally Speaking since December 2010 and love being a part of this crafty community.

 

I discovered Market Street Stamps about a year ago and have built up quite a collection of their stamps. For my cards today I was inspired by the card that won me the GD position to begin with, specifically by the triangles and the rainbow colours.
 

 

On this first card I used the triangles from Nuts About Nature. This time I used the open triangle, stamped it on patterned paper, fussy cut and created a flower! I used Bit of Burlap to give the card base some texture (this really is a must have stamp!) and a sentiment from Great Big Greetings which is one of my favourite recent releases.
 

On this second card I created a rainbow of sentiments (from Great Big Greetings) and paired them with the adorable phone from Teacher Notes. I also used the Candy Stripe background to add a little pizzazz!

 

Hope you've enjoyed my cards today and I'll be back on November 30th with some more!

Guest Designer :: Kate Cordero

Hi Everyone, it's Kate from Scrappers Creative Corner 

Today is my last Guest Designer post for Market Street Stamps, it's been fun and I so love their stamps especially the Background ones.  So go check out the store, HERE

For my First Card, I used Background Grace Stamp and for the Sentiment Pawprints on our Hearts Stamp Set.  I embossed the Background Stamp with White Zing embossing powder PTI Paper called Hibiscus Burst.

For my 2nd Card, for the Background I used the Doily Set.  I stamped them with different SU! Ink and just added some blings in the middle.  Sentiment is from the Daily Grind Stamp Set.

For my last project, I decided to do a LO. I used the Argyle Background Stamp set and for the words I used the Simple Joys Stamp Set 

Such a big difference from the 1st month of school (So Happy and Excited Face) to end of the School Year (I am so over this Face) LOL!

Have an Awesome Weekend Everyone.

Home Sweet Home Gift Set :: Guest Designer :: Diane Noble

Hello & Happy Friday! Today we are sharing our last guest post for June - from the talented, sweet Diane Noble. She has created a GORGEOUS, gorgeous, gorgeous gift set using Home Sweet Home, Neighborhood, and Simple Salutations! Be sure to visit her blog to check out her tutorial that will be FREE until July 6th! You also might want to check out Diane's first guest post this month, here!

**********************

Gift sets containing homemade cards make great gifts. They are special because you took the time to make it, and personalize the contents. Even more gift sets are practical.  This gift box contains four cards, four envelopes, four printed inside sentiments (optional) and four blank inside greeting panels.  The outer book-style box measures 5-3/4” x 6” and contains two inside storage pockets.  A full tutorial for making the box and cards is posted on my blog.

Here’s an inside view of the open gift box. The right pocket contains the cards and envelopes and the left pocket contains the blank inside panels and printed inside greetings. Giving the recipient the option of a pre-printed sentiment or a blank panel is appreciated. 

 

Here are the pictures of the four cards included in the set:

Here are the four cards:

A HUGE thank-you to Diane for sharing her creative talents with us this month, be sure to catch more on her blog, Diane's Designs for MORE inspiration! Enjoy your weekend!