MCT January Stamp Release Blog Hop!

Hey there, Hoppers! By now, you've probably been overloaded with inspiration and ideas for My Creative Time's 13th Edition release, right? Well, if you don't mind... I'd like to show you one more!

I was talking to the Hubs about how my 'assignment' for this Blog Hop was to use Grand Slam. I told him that I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the "baseball stamp set" (seeing as how I don't follow the sport). You know what he told me?

"Whatever you do, it'll be a homerun."


Sweet, huh? That got me thinking...

If there's ONE thing I've done that was a 'homerun', it was choosing him! I know: sappy, sappy. What can I say? We're newlyweds!

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The colors of this card were inspired by our very own Detroit Tigers. Hey, I might not follow the sport, but I know a thing or two! *giggle*

I stamped the baseball from Grand Slam in red and punched it out using my 3/4" Circle Punch. Using my Copics, I shaded the ball and then popped it up twice. I used two sentiments from Teeny Tag Greetings to create my custom sentiment, "You're my" (used 'You're Invited' and 'To my Hero') and stamped it on the layered tag dies from that set.

To add more dimension to the large white focal square, I shaded the edges with light blue ink and my Tim Holtz Distressing Tool and 'faux stitched' around the edges using my paper piercer.


***HUGE GIVEWAY ALERT***

For our giveway today, we are  giving ONE LUCKY winner a $100 Gift Certificate to Custom Crops!  All you have to do is leave a comment here along with the rest of the design team's blogs AND also leave a way for me to contact you! Each designer will be picking a winner, then Emma will use random.org to pick the lucky winner out of those 19 names! So remember: you  have 19 chances to win! All you have to do is leave a comment on ALL blogs in this hop for more chances to win! The deadline is Sunday night at midnight! EASY PEASY!!! GOOD LUCK!

Just a little re-cap: ALL stamps are available right now for purchase HERE. There are 3 different bundles being offered on SALE until Friday Jan 27th @ midnight!  All orders will start shipping out on Monday! The stamp set, Be Mine will be offered for ONE CENT for the first 100 Shoppers! As soon as the 100th shopper hits, then it will be offered for $3.99. Very important: If you're one of the first 100 shoppers, you MUST add the Be Mine stamp set to your cart for $0.01 to receive it.

I'm the last stop on the hop. I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica

MCT Sneak Peek #4

Who doesn't love a little treat now and again? I'm still learning about the whole "little" and "now and again" part... but I sure do love treats!

Today's Sneak Peek features the new Bubblegum Treat Box. This die is PERFECT for whipping up sweet favors for a shower, goodies for your kids' classes or just a little something to show someone you love them. I like to surprise the Hubs with little treats and cards for each day of Valentine's week, so this little box will be one of his goodies.

After cutting out the treat box, I stamped the diagonal lines (from MCT's Build a Banner Kit) using Versamark all over. Then, using my craft knife, I cut out the rectangle on the front (using the dashed lines as guides) to make my window. I adhered a piece of transparency behind the window so the goodies don't fall out.

I closed one of the sides with the red satin ribbon (SU!), filled the box with Hershey Kisses and tissue paper and then closed the other side with the ribbon. The "XOXO" (MCT's 100% Sweetness) is stamped in red on the new layer die from Teeny Tags (available tomorrow). I glued a pink Swarovski crystal to cover the hole on the tag (where you would normally thread ribbon or add a brad/eyelet) and made the faux-stitching with my pink marker.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!


Sneak Peek Giveaway Time!

With all of our Sneak Peek weeks, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

***All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! You do NOT have to comment on every blog, BUT if you do, you will have more chances to win!

***SPREAD THE WORD TO THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK about this release & whatever connections you may have! Let us know on "My Creative Time's" Facebook page  that you did so! OR you can just tag My Creative Time in your post!

Emma will randomly pick & announce all winners on Friday, January 21st during this AWESOME release happening @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

Log onto to your Facebook now & let start spreading word!

I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica

MCT Sneak Peek #2

For today's Sneak Peek, we are showcasing the new My Creative Time stamp set, More Gift Card Sentiments. But don't let the name fool you! You can use these sentiments on all sorts of projects!

I used one of the sentiments in this set for this cute (and simple) Easter card. This precious pink bunny is a Martha Stewart felt sticker (found at my local Debby's Dollar - LOVE that store!). To 'floof' up his tail, I added a white pom pom. I gave the white square he sits on a bit more dimension by inking up the edges with my green marker.

Isn't that typewriter background AWESOME?!?! That's another little sneak I threw in for ya (Script Type Backgrounds). I embossed my sentiment in white on green card stock on notched the edge to make a little banner. I pop-dotted the middle of the banner up to give it that 'wavy' feel.

The green Swarovski rhinestones are also a Debby's Dollar find and give this card the added sparkle in needed.

Sneak Peek Giveaway Time!

With all of our Sneak Peek weeks, Emma likes to do some FUN giveaways!

***All you have to do is leave comments on our blogs! You do NOT have to comment on every blog, BUT if you do, you will have more chances to win!

***SPREAD THE WORD TO THE WORLD ON FACEBOOK about this release & whatever connections you may have! Let us know on "My Creative Time's" Facebook page  that you did so! OR you can just tag My Creative Time in your post!

Emma will randomly pick & announce all winners on Friday, January 21st during this AWESOME release happening @ 12:01am PST in her video! GOOD LUCK!

Log onto to your Facebook now & let start spreading word!

I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica

MCT: Favorite Stamp of the Month

I can't believe how QUICKLY Valentine's Day is approaching! I remember it being such a BIG day in high school. National Honor Society always capitalized on it and sold carnations with cards that you could have delivered to your recipients' classes. I still have the 12 cards that came with the dozen carnations my (now) husband sent me when I was in 11th grade. They're all stapled together and on the back of the last one, are the lyrics to the first song we danced to at our wedding.

Click for larger view

 Today we were asked to create a project using this month's "Favorite Stamp": You Had Me At Chocolate. This set is perfect for Valentine's Day or just to say "I love you" to someone special. With February 14th being so close, I decided to make my husband's Valentine's Day card.

The sentiment is from You Had Me At Chocolate. I used 100% Sweetness to cut the stitched heart and then stamped the cupid on top. Using the polka dots from Build a Banner Kit I randomly stamped all over the kraft base of the card. I just LOVE the pink frame which was cut using the Elegant Edges Cricut Cartridge. Can you believe the the brown sparkle flourish, glittery frame and BEAUTIFUL brown velvet ruffle ribbon came from a local dollar store?!?!?! If you're in the Metro Detroit area, be SURE to stop by Debby's Dollar at 27/Van Dyke - it's the best!

If you have the You Had Me At Chocolate Stamp Set, mosey on over to Emma's blog to join in on the Linky Party! If not, you might want to take a trip over to the Shop to purchase it - it's on SALE!

I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica

MCT Throwback Thursday Challenge - Sports Theme

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Welcome back to VK Create! It's been quite some time since my last post. The holidays are a busy time of year and I got swept up in it all!

For today's Throwback Thursday Challenge at My Creative Time, we were asked to create a Sports themed project. I'm no athlete! In fact, I'm not really all that active (unless you count the times I walk up and down the stairs to get a snack). But guess what? That's all about to change!

Left and right I've been seeing people getting back into shape and living healthier lives and you know what? I'm jealous! That's right. I said it. JEALOUS! I want to be healthier. I want to look and feel better. And now - I'm going to do just that!

Let me be very clear. I'm not going on a diet (can't stay on 'em). And this is NOT a New Year's Resolution (can't keep 'em). This is an "I'm-going-to-live-healthier-and-make-better-choices-for-my-body-because-it's-what's-good-for-ME" change of lifestyle!

So for my project today, I created a Get In Shape Board. On it, I'll have a current picture of me (This one is from my wedding 6 months ago. Not super current, but nothing's changed about my body), and a list of Pros/Cons to getting in shape and my fears. I've noticed that in my life, a big reason I don't do things that I want to or SHOULD do is because I'm afraid. I figure that by writing down what I'm afraid of and seeing the pros/cons, I can realize that the benefits I'll be receiving by doing this are TOTALLY WORTH facing my fears.

I used MCT's Sports Sentiments for the motivational saying and added little dumbbell weights from the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge. I kept the design of the board very simple so that I would focus on the photo. I plan to switch out the photo every month.

***Tip***
Instead of adding a new Pro/Con/Fear sheet every month (or having to take the board out of the frame if I choose to add a new pro/con/fear), I put the BLANK sheet inside the frame (attached to the board) and am using a dry erase marker to write on the glass!

Be sure to check out Emma's Throwback Thursday post so you can join in on the fun!

I hope you've been inspired!

-Veronica

MCT 12 Days of Christmas: On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

My, oh my! We've made it to day twelve on our "12 Days of Christmas" blog hop with My Creative Time. If you've come here from Trell's blog, you're headed in the right direction. If not, swing by Emma's blog so you don't miss ANY of the awesome projects featured today! Oh, and while you're there, check out her awesome new blog design (created by yours truly).

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You've probably seen a lot of "Subway Art" around lately. It's very trendy right now and is SO FUN! There are lots of tutorials on the web on how to create your own Subway Art if you feel inclined to do so. But as I see it, there's no need to re-invent the wheel.

I went 'a-Googling' to look for a fun, vibrant Subway Art print for Christmas and found quite a few really nice ones. But one definitely stood out for me! (free download for this print here) It was almost perfect! I re-colored the sage-y green letters to a more lime(ish) green and re-sized it to 8x10. The red frame was a Salvation Army find ($2). It was originally a dreadful brassy gold color, but I knew just how to change that! Enter: spray paint!

After spraying my frame with a couple coats of red spray paint, I adhered my freshly printed art onto my aqua striped background paper, slid it in the frame and called it done.

That was until I looked at it a bit longer.

click image for larger view

It was cute. I liked it. But it was missing something. What was that something? A big ol' floofy bow and accent piece! I stamped the sentiment and snowman (MCT All Around Christmas), colored it with my Copics and punched it out with my 1-3/8" circle punch. I popped that up onto my red card stock (cut with the Stitched Circle Die) and popped that up again onto my scallop circle (Scallop Circle Die). After threading my new 'medallion' with linen thread, I tied it into my big bow. The bow is hot-glued onto the frame. Easy peasy focal point for my foyer table!

***12 Days of Christmas Give Away Alert***

To qualify for ALL the AMAZING giveaways for the next 12 days, you must comment on every blog in this hop! You will have until Tuesday, December 13th @ midnight to have all of your comments in! VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE LEAVE A WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE WINNERS! There are some AMAZING giveaways for this special 12 day event and some SURPRISES to help celebrate My Creative Time's One Year Anniversary! Yep, Emma released her FIRST set of stamps one year ago! So make sure you are tuned in because this is ONE hop you do NOT want to miss!

Thank you so much for stopping by for our "12 Days of Christmas". I know I can speak for the entire MCT Design Team when I say that we are SO happy you joined us for this hop and can't wait to share more fabulous projects with you! There's ONE MORE stop on this fabulous hop - Miss Kelley!

I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica

MCT 12 Days of Christmas: On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

Hello and welcome again to another installment of My Creative Time's "12 Days of Christmas"! If you've come here from Trell's blog, you're on the right track! If not, check back at Emma's blog to start from the very beginning.

We've got a bit of snow here in Michigan. Not too much - just a dusting over our yard - nothing sticking in the roads (yet). I'm not much of an outdoor gal. I like to stay inside where it's comfortable and warm. Even as a little girl, I wasn't too fond of playing in the snow. It's cold! But there was ONE thing that got me to go outside to play: my big brother, Dan.

I'm blessed to be the youngest of four kids. My oldest brother, Donal, is 14 years older than me. My sister, Stacey, is 11 years older. And Dan is just 3 and a half years older than me. When I was 6 or 7, I had a beautiful pink wooden playhouse in our backyard. During the summer, it was a fun spot to play with my friends when the family was barbecuing. But in the winter... it turned into a safe house where I would wait - alone in the 'woods' - for my big brother, Dan, to come and rescue me. We'd play for hours in that little pink house - coming in only for bathroom breaks and hot chocolate refills.

When we weren't playing "Rescue", Dan and I would have snowball fights. Since we only had one proper 'fort' (my pink playhouse), we had to decide who was the lucky snowball fighter to use it as his or her battle station. Naturally, age before beauty prevailed in this discussion and I was stuck hiding behind a mound of snow for safety. As Dan started whipping snowballs at me, I was feverishly packing snow to make little bullets of my own (And they sure were little! Tiny hands = tiny snowballs). Once I'd start throwing my little hand fulls of snow, Dan called a 'time out' in the action. He told me that he wanted to be sure that I didn't accidentally throw snowballs that had ice in them, so I should throw the snowballs at the fort itself, and not directly at him. If the snowballs proved to be safe, I could then throw them at him. It took quite a while for my little brain to figure out that if I threw these so-called "Snowballs of Doom" at the fort first, I'd NEVER be able to throw them at him - they weren't snowballs anymore! Of course, Dan continued slinging snowballs at me without any concern for MY safety regarding the 'iceballs'. What are big brothers for, right?

click photo to enlarge

In honor of my snowball fights with my big brother, I've created these (totally safe, non-icy) Snowball Pops! They were so easy to make and are YUM-MY! To add a bit of pizzazz, I wrapped them up in clear treat baggies and tied them shut with silver twist ties. Hanging on the twist ties are my cute little tags that I cut out with one of the dies from MCT's Build a Banner Kit and stamped with Mixed Holiday Sentiments. I punched a hole in the point of the tag with the small hole punch of my Crop-a-Dile and slid it on the twist tie before I tied them closed. These delicious treats would be perfect for sending over to neighbors to spread some Christmas cheer or could be put out at your Christmas celebration as a dessert for your guests!

I discovered a great winter decorating tip this year, and just HAVE to share! It's difficult to see in the picture (click the picture for a larger view), but the Snowball Pops are sitting in a bed of 'snow' in the dish. You might be able to get a better view of the 'snow' in the ornament-filled vase in the background of the photo. How did I bring the outdoors in (where it's nice and warm)? Epsom salt! It makes for a GREAT accent to your winter decor and really looks like snow! The best part? It's cheap! I purchased a quart of Epsom salt at my local dollar store!

***12 Days of Christmas Give Away Alert***

To qualify for ALL the AMAZING giveaways for the next 12 days, you must comment on every blog in this hop! You will have until Tuesday, December 13th @ midnight to have all of your comments in! VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE LEAVE A WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE WINNERS! There are some AMAZING giveaways for this special 12 day event and some SURPRISES to help celebrate My Creative Time's One Year Anniversary! Yep, Emma released her FIRST set of stamps one year ago! So make sure you are tuned in because this is ONE hop you do NOT want to miss!

Thanks so much for joining us on our hop today - I'm your last stop! Drop by again tomorrow for our LAST day of the "12 Days of Christmas" hop. I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica