Stamp It! Cards Meets Stamping Royalty Blog Hop

Stamping is amazing, right?

It’s creative, fun and the possibilities are endless. I love to stamp.

Today I’m excited to link up with Paper Crafts Magazine and 13 other 2011 Stamping Royalty designers for a super fun blog hop. We’re sharing some stamping inspiration, celebrating the release of the lastest Stamp It Cards issue, giving away some fun goodies and doing a little educating too. This is a long one. Stay with me…

First of all, Stamp it Card Volume 8. I’m super excited to tell you about this issue as it’s packed full of great inspiration and I was thrilled to be published a few times in it as well. Stamp It Cards is one of my favorite issues each year and I look forward to getting my hands on it each and every time. I’m pretty sure I have every issue and they are perfect for saving and going back to time and time again. Stamp It Cards Volume 8 was released just a few days ago and you can find it on-line here.

Next, how about a fun card? One of the great things about winning Stamping Royalty is the fabulous box of stamps and goodies you receive. Each of today’s Stamping Royalty is sharing a different card using a different set from our box of goodies. I chose to use the darling Half Pint Heroes stamp set from Waltzing Mouse Stamps. This set has so many possibilities and is so sweet.

I’ve stamped the little rocket ship image onto kraft cardstock and colored it in with colored pencils. I didn’t even use fancy pencils but just grabbed some out of my boys’ school pencil stash.

Supplies: Kraft, red and white cardstock by Bazzill, Half Pint Heroes stamp set by Waltzing Mouse Stamps, Picket Fence 6×6 Tiny Tablet by Lily Bee Design, colored pencils, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Tiny Attacher by Advantus, sewing machine, circle cutter, Mini Pennant Canvas Banner Pieces by Maya Road, corrugated heart by Jillibean Soup

Being Stamping Royalty for the second time was no less a thrill than the first. Stamping has a place in my heart that I keep coming back to it time and time again. I love getting inky. Want to know a secret? When I started paper crafting, it was scrapbook layouts. I had NO intentions of ever getting into card making. I just didn’t get it. Well…I ended up getting hooked on stamping and it sucked me in. Cards are my favorite thing to create.

Now onto the educating part. School’s out so what’s with that? As you visit each blog on the hop, you’ll notice we each are using a patriotic color scheme…red, white and blue. There’s a reason for this apart from it being close to Independence Day. All of the cards you see today on the hop will be going to Operation Write Home. Operation Write Home or OWH, is set up to help American Armed Forces keep in touch with home. I’m so thankful for these heroes and their part in making the world a better place. Their sacrifice and that of their families is immeasurable. By donating cards to OWH, you can provide these heroes with handcrafted cards to keep in touch with their families. These cards go to deployed military personnel who don’t have access to purchasing cards themselves. I can’t think of a better use for the excess cards I create. I hope you’ll join me by giving back and sharing your cards with them as well. If you’re looking to get involved, please check out this link for more information.

Now today is Canada Day and I’m a proud Canadian celebrating today. I’m so thankful for my freedom and what a wonderful country I live in. If you’re Canadian like me you may be interested in a similar card sharing program for Canadian soldiers so I thought I’d share that link as well. Cards for Canadian Soldiers is linked here.

Still with me? How about some royally fabulous stamping inspiration from the 2011 Stamping Royalty? Don’t miss it!

• Amber Daigre
• Lynn Darda
• Angela Fehr
• Mariana Grigsby
• Shelly Kurth
• Sarah Jay
• Cristina Kowalczyk
• Karolyn Loncon
• Stephanie Nagel
• Laura Pryor
• Mary Dawn Quirindongo
• Kelly Silva
• Julia Stainton (me)
• Laurie Willison

Whew! Almost done and this is the part you don’t want to miss! Prizes anyone?

Leave a comment on this blog post for a chance to win a copy of the Stamp It Cards Volume 8 special issue from Paper Crafts Magazine. Please comment before midnight (MDT) on Sunday, July 3. I’ll be announcing the winner on Monday July 4th on my blog here. Good luck and stay tuned! Be sure to visit the above blogs as they’ll each be giving away a copy of this magazine as well.

Lastly, the super grand fabulousness stamping prize. It’s on the Paper Crafts Connection Blog today and you have a chance to win. Go comment now. Go. Go. Go!

Good luck and have a fabulous weekend!