A Couple of Announcements... And a Card ;)

First the card, since that's what you're all here for, right? ;)

If I've said it once, I've said it a zillion times. And I'll say it again. I adore the Pure Innocence stamps from MFT. It's funny, because when I first saw them, I thought they were weird looking and didn't really like them (for some reason that I totally don't understand now). I remember everyone being really excited about them and me just sort of being like "meh?". I can admit I was wrong. :) As soon as I started stamping with them, I totally fell in love. And now I have a ton of these stamps and can't wait to collect even more of them. :)

One of my favorites is this little school girl image. I think she's just darling and totally fun to create with.

I made this card ages ago (back before we even moved to Maryland 10 months ago)!



One of the things I love the most about the PI line is how fun they are to paper piece! Here's a close-up of the paper-piecing and coloring.



Adorable, right? :)

Now on to a couple of things I thought you might want to know about (if you don't already):

1. There are a couple of stamp releases from some of my favorite companies going on this week.

MFT releases their new stuff tonight at 10pm. They're having a release party kicking off at 8pm EST tonight on SCS that I'm going to try to attend (since I haven't been to one in a very very long time). Stop by and say hello. :)

And have you seen Kim Hughes' adorable new line, Paper Smooches? Amazingly cute. I have been waiting for Kim's stamp design comeback ever since she stopped designing for Cornish Heritage Farms. Her release is today, also. And you should check out the Paper Smooches blog. It's super fun and has adorable cards like this one that I am so completely ga-ga over (but then again, I'm quite the veggie lover!).

2. Another stamp company I adore, Starving Artistamps, is having a major 20% off sale going on now (it's ending today, so get your order in fast!). You can find the details here. Use the discount to pick up their newest release (Antidepresstamps Royalty), this other adorable Bears, Birds and Bees set by Nina, or my personal favorite DoodleFactory set of all time, Creatures II. Or any other set(s) that tickle(s) your fancy. ;)

3. I just discovered a huge grouping of sketches that Paper Crafts Magazine published on their site yesterday, and (luckily) I saved them immediately. I went back to link to them directly today, but the sketches appear to be gone off the site. I'm pasting them in below, so you can grab them, if you'd like. I hope this is kosher with Paper Crafts (if not, I'll of course remove them). I think so many of the sketches are totally amazing and would be great for inspiration when you're feeling blocked and need a little push in the right direction.

You can click on these photos to see the larger image and to save them on your desktop.

      

4. I also found this on the Paper Crafts Magazine site. This might not be new to you, but it is to me! So many great downloads, print-outs and easy craft ideas to be found there. I think a lot of this stuff takes the guess-work out of paper crafting, so that even non-paper-crafters can make something amazing. Check it out! This small pub on embroidery stitches is definitely something I'm going to print out and keep on hand!

5. And lastly, a note that my blogroll is completely out of date. I plan to update it today, so you should definitely check it out later on if you get the chance (if not, I'll remind you tomorrow). :P I have so so so many great links and sites to share with you. Some days I spend half my day reading blogs! :)

Off to a doctor's appointment. Enjoy your day. :)