Encouragement for the guys, too!

Who doesn't love to get a note of encouragement? We all know that our friends and family love us, but doesn't it feel extra special when someone takes the time to point it out in a tangible way? Most of us card makers are pretty good about sending the occasional "thinking of you" card (aka "RAK") to the special women in our lives, but what about the men?

When I was first married, I read a magazine article about little ways to show your spouse how much you love them. One of the suggestions in the article was writing them the occasional note of love or encouragement. So one day when I was packing my husband's lunch for work, I scribbled a little note for him on his napkin. Later that day, he called from work to tell me how touched he was to find that sweet surprise. Over the years I've made it a point to occasionally leave him a new note, and I tell you, every time he is surprised and warmed by the attention! When my son was old enough to read, I expanded the practice to include him, and he has kept most of the notes I've sent him over the years. Of course these days my notes take the form of handmade cards instead of napkins -- LOL -- but the effect is still the same.

My card today is one that I made for one of the special guys in my life. It uses the Howling Coyote digi along with one of the wonderful greetings from the Amazing Grace sentiment set. Though the image is meant to be a night scene, I decided it could just as easily be a daytime scene, so I sponged in a blue sky along with a few clouds, and colored the moon image to be a sun instead.

I encourage you today to think about the men in your life, and consider sending them a note of love and encouragement. I promise you they'll appreciate it! :-)

Hugs,
Deedee

Birthday Bash Blog Hop!!!

Happy Monday, and thanks for stopping by! Today I have the privilege of sharing with you that it is Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps owner (and my dear friend) Korin Sutherland's birthday (Happy Birthday, Korin!!), and the Design Team members and this month's Guest Designers are helping her celebrate with a Birthday Bash Blog Hop! We have all kinds of birthday creations to share with you today, using some of the many different digis that Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps currently offers.

Here's how you, too, can participate in the fun and help Korin celebrate her special day:

* First, leave a comment here on today's post to be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! Later this week, Korin will select and announce one random winner from those who leave comments here today. Please be sure to check back to see if you have won!

* Next, visit each of the following Digi Divas' & Guest Designers' blogs to see all the fun birthday creations, and leave a comment on each blog. Each of us will be giving away the digi we used on our blog hop project to one lucky winner, but you have to leave a comment to be entered to win! You can hop in any order you wish....

Micki
Sandy
Deedee
Nicole
Lisa
Korin
Leah
Ceal
Darsie
Janette
Kim
Lorie
Nancy
Tricia
Julie

* And FINALLY...no party would be complete without a party favor for each of our guests. So before you move on to the next stop of our Birthday Bash Blog Hop, don't forget to snag your party favor -- this free "Party Hat Cocoa" digi, illustrated by the birthday girl herself, and available for free for today only. (To save Cocoa to your computer, click on him to enlarge then just right-click on the image, and select "Save Image As..." from the pop-up menu that appears on-screen, then select the folder to which you wish to save the image.)

Edited 4/6/10: The party is over but even if you missed our party favor "Party Hat Cocoa" you can get him on our site for $3.00. Thanks for a great blog hop!!

OK, that's it -- thanks for helping us make Korin's day special, and enjoy the party!!! Now get hopping :)!!

Hugs,
Deedee

A Couple of Oldies But Goodies!

Happy Monday! We hope you had a terrific weekend! Our sweet Nicole is taking a much-needed break today, so Sandy and I have a couple of cards to share with you. We thought it would be fun to showcase a couple of our "oldies but goodies" today -- digis that maybe you didn't know we carry, but are some of our all-time favorites.

This sweet little ladybug is a SNSS digi called, A Flower For You! I think it's adorable and makes the best kids' birthday cards, thinking of you, and friend-type cards! Korin has created a digi set of sentiments just for the ladybug called Ladybug Sentiments.

This elegant wedding cake and coordinating greeting are part of the Wedding Day digi set. The set also includes a lovely bell image, as well as several other wonderful sentiments. It is perfect for wedding and anniversary cards.

Did you know that there are currently 90 different digis/digi sets available at the SNSS store? We show you many samples throughout the week with the newly released digis, but we have many more in our store that we don't want you to forget about. Be sure to stop in and browse the DIGI area of the store. Maybe you'll find something you need! :-)

Blessings and Hugs,

Sandy & Deedee

A New Year & Two New Digis!

Happy New Year's Eve! It's so hard to believe that tomorrow is not only the the start of a new year, but of a totally new DECADE!! I hope you have fun and safe evening planned for tonight to celebrate!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps has a lot of fun in store for you all in the new year, starting with two new digis this week. One is the adorable "Baby New Year" that Korin shared with you on Tuesday. The other is "Love Birds", illustrated by Leah Cornelius, which I used on my card for today. Aren't these birds just the sweetest pair? The saying on my card is from the Valentine Sentiments set that was released last week. All of these new digis are available in the online store today.

To make my card, I used the sketch from this week's "Mojo Monday" challenge. I have to say that I love sketch challenges -- they make crafting so easy!! I colored the image with Prismacolor markers, and decorated the card with some cheery papers from the Green Stack by DCWV, a few punched leaves and Dew Drops, and this fun, red rosette I found in my embellishment stash. (For some reason the rosette looks a bit blob-ish in the photo, but it looks pretty in person -- honest -- LOL!)

Starting tomorrow, our new Digi DT members will be postinghere, as well as our January Guest Designers. I hope you will stop back frequently to see all the fun things they have to share with you. Happy New Year!!!

The Greatest Gift is Jesus!

Merry Christmas Eve!! Can you believe the special day for which we've all long been planning and waiting is just about here? I hope you've been able to get everything done you wanted to. I still have a few things to do today before my hubby's family joins us for dinner tonight, but for the most part I'm ready to just relax and enjoy the next couple of days!

We have two fun new digi releases for you today, both of which will be perfect for those Valentine's Day cards you'll no doubt be wanting to make in the near future -- Be Mine Cocoa (which Sandy shared a beautiful sneak peek of on Saturday!!) and Valentine's Sentiments. Both are available to purchase in the online store today. (NOTE: Although the main store is closed for the holidays until January 4th, digis can still be purchased and downloaded during this time.) While you're there, be sure to check out the new seasonal digi bundles that Korin has put together for you. There are three digi bundles available, each containing over a dozen different images/sets for a value price of just $25.

Now, because it's Christmas Eve, instead of sharing a project today made with this week's new releases, I'm instead sharing a card that celebrates the first and greatest Christmas gift ever given -- the birth of Jesus. Over 2000 years ago, God gifted us with His only son, to be a light in a dark world by which each and every person for ages to come might see and know His love for them. Talk about perfect gifts!!! Sometimes, in the craziness of holiday preparations, I think we forget that that was the gift that started it all -- the very reason we celebrate Christmas today. So, I just wanted to share something today, as we prepare to celebrate with our loved ones, to help us all remember. :-)

About the card: the layout is the sketch from this week's sketch challenge at Splitcoast Stampers (turned on it's side) . The image and greeting are from the lovely Greatest Gift digi set illustrated by Chris Dickinson. The designer papers are from the Wassail collection by Basic Grey (my all-time favorite Christmas papers!!) I colored the images with Copic (flesh tones) and Prismacolor markers, and added a couple of highlights with a white gel pen. The poinsettia is a premade flower by Petaloo.

I know I speak for the entire team here at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps in wishing you a very merry Christmas. I pray that your holiday is filled with love and happiness, that you are surrounded by family and friends, and that you enjoy every moment of this special day. God bless you!!!

It's Digi Day -- who wants to play???

If you're at all like me, you've been packing in the holiday preparations lately (not to mention too many of the baked goods -- LOL!) and could probably use a little break. So how about taking one with the Digi Divas today? We'll be over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps group on Papercraft Planet all day today, hosting a digi challenge. These challenges are always SO MUCH FUN, with all of us ladies chatting and sharing our creations. Plus Korin will be offering a free digi to anyone who plays along with the challenge before Monday morning, and another "Early Bird" digi to those who post their challenge creations before 10pm EST tonight. Trust me -- this is a play date worth keeping!! On your way over, please be sure to stop by the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps store, where our newest digis -- including "Gone Fishing" by Korin Sutherland (featured on today's card!!) -- are available to purchase. We hope to see you today for some play time over at Papercraft Planet!! :-)

New Releases!

It's Thursday, and you know what that means? New digis!!! I don't know about you, but I get so excited about the new images each week!!

This week we have two fun, new images for you, both illustrated by Leah Cornelius. The first is this sweet little penguin called "You Warm My Heart." He certainly is a heart-warmer, isn't he?


The second new digi is this cozy "Sleepy Kitty." Everytime I look at this image, it makes me want to find a warm place to curl up and nap. Oh the luxury of being a cat, especially during these cold, wintery days -- LOL!


We know this is a super busy time of year, but we hope you'll treat yourself to a little break today with a stop at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to snag these fun new images. :-)

New Digis & Digi Day Challenge #2 on SNR!

Hooray, hooray -- it's Digi Day!! :-) This week we have two fantastic new seasonal cuties at the store to share with you. My card today uses one of them -- "Winter Love." Aren't these owls adorable?!? I fell in love with them right away!! This sweet feathered couple is also very versatile -- they would make terrific Christmas cards, as well as winter, friendship, or Valentine's Day cards. I colored them up with Prismacolor markers, adding small accents with a white gel pen, and paired the image with one of the sweet greetings from the Mittens Sentiments digi set that was released last week. You can see and purchase both of this week's new digis HERE at our online store.

New digis aren't all that we have to share with you today, though! Today we are also hosting our second Digi Day event on our group forum HERE at SNR Card Universe. The party starts this morning at 10am Eastern time. We'll be posting a fun challenge and sharing samples made with our digis as well as sneak peeks of future digis! We'll be offering a free digi to anyone who plays along with today's challenge and posts their project to the challenge thread by Monday morning. You can also win a second "early bird" digi for playing along and sharing your card with the group before 10pm Eastern time (7pm Pacific time) TONIGHT! AND...if our SNR group membership reaches 200 today, Korin will post a third free digi. WOW! This is sure to be a fun event, and we hope you'll join us!

Happy Thanksgiving & New Digis!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are enjoying a beautiful day with your family and loved ones, and counting the many blessings in your life. One of the many things for which I am thankful this year is that we have this special day on which to give thanks and praise to our heavenly father -- isn't He fantastic?!?

In addition to being Thanksgiving, today is also Digi Day at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. We have four fun new sets designed by Korin Sutherland for you, and all are available to purchase in the online store today. I've put together a couple of projects for you today to show off these sweet new digis.

Our first two new digis this week are Feel Better Paulie and Get Well Wishes. Although I hate it when a loved one is sick, I love being able to send them some get well cheer, so I'm really excited about these sets. I used them to make a combination get well card/gift. On the outside is a get well wish, and on the inside...

...there is room to write a special note, along with a fresh packet of tissues to help with a speedy recovery. Because I really wanted a design to add to the note space, I used the border from Paulie's sweet little bed. I isolated the border by cropping it from the main image, and then printing out just that element. (For more information on how to crop and use just part of an image in this way, see the Cropping Digis tutorial here.)

This second card features the adorable new Cocoa's Mittens and Mitten Sentiments digis. One of the things that I love about these sets is how adaptable they are. Although I made my card Christmas-y, these digis could also be used for winter, Valentine's, and friendship cards, or even to decorate a winter, Christmas, or Valentines Day scrapbook page.


I hope you will take some time to stop by the store to check out these fun new additions, and I thank you very much for visiting here today. I know I speak for the whole Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps team when I tell you that we are all thankful for you, our loyal readers and customers. You are a blessing to all of us! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Sweet Holidays (Sneak Peek!)

We are sailing full-steam-ahead, it seems, into the holiday season. With Thanksgiving only 8 days away now, I'm seriously starting to think about Christmas and getting very, very excited!! Our family has quite a few Christmas traditions that liven up the season, including making gingerbread houses. Sometimes we make one big one together, and sometimes we each make a tiny one to form a little town. I like the little ones the best, I think, because the personality of each one's maker really shines through. The houses don't always come out pretty -- LOL -- but they do always come out tasty! :-)

Speaking of gingerbread houses, I have a yummy sneak peek card to share with you today!


On the front of the card, I used the upcoming "Gingerbread House" digi along with one of the sweet greetings from the coordinating Gingerbread Sentiments set. I colored the image with Prismacolor markers, and added Stickles glitter to make the icicles shine. The fun paper in the background is a piece that a friend sent me. I have no idea who makes it, but I thought it was a perfect pairing for this image, with the snowflakes along the top and the sweet little trees along the bottom.

On the inside of the card, I used the "Gingerbread Couple" digi set. These images, too, were colored with Prismacolor markers.

All of these sweet digis will be available in the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps online store starting tomorrow. There will also be a new FREEBIE digi available for the duration of the day, so please don't forget to stop by!

Hugs,
Deedee

A Self-conscious Sneak Peek!

Most of us worry, at some point or another, about our figures and the fit of our clothing. Our little bear friend here is no exception. "Self-conscious Paulie" is feeling a bit concerned about his choice of holiday fashion! Of course, we think he's absolutely adorable in his Christmas wreath, and we hope he'll bring a warm winter smile to your face. "Self-conscious Paulie" is just one of the fun, new digis that will be available in the store starting tomorrow -- Digi Day! In addition to new digis, as always, there will also be a new freebie available for you to download at the store. Our weekly freebies are a great way to give digital stamping a try if you haven't already.

To make this card, I used this wonderful sketch by Teresa Kline of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Design Team. Teresa created the sketch for the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Birthday Celebration on Paper Craft Planet this week. Yes, it's true -- Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating it's second birthday this month!!! As part of the celebration, we are hosting five fun challenges this week on our group site at Paper Craft Planet. We hope you'll stop by and share in the fun!

Thankful for You!

Can you believe it's November already? Every time I look at the calendar, I'm startled anew! Just a few weeks ago I was longing for autumn, and now here we are -- smack dab in the middle of it!

Autumn is such a rich season, don't you think? Everywhere we look is evidence of God's bounty at its most vivid. It is little wonder that the Pilgrims chose this time of year to celebrate the first Thanksgiving. How can we not be grateful at this time of year for all the many blessings He grants us when they are so startlingly apparent everywhere we look?

My card today celebrates both the richness of this season as well as some of the greatest blessings in my own life -- friends and family. I feel so blessed every day to have the friends and family that I do, and I love that this season of thanksgiving gives me an excuse to reach out to them and tell them how grateful I am. To make this card, I used the Thankful for You digi set. This set includes both of the Pilgrim people shown here as well as four special sentiments -- everything you need to make "thankful for you" cards for your own loved ones!

I thank you for stopping by today, and hope that you will stop in again tomorrow. Tomorrow -- Thursday -- is Digi Day at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, and we'll have some very fun things to share with you that you won't want to miss! Happy digi stamping!!

Hugs,
Deedee