First Serendipity Stamps Design Team Challenge

It's all about gardens! The Serendipity Stamps kind! Our design team has been hard at work to show you some garden inspiration, so be sure to visit each of the team members' blogs(on the sidebar ---->) and leave them some compliments-- they've done some beautiful work!

I love cupcakes!

It's time once again for an Impression Obsession challenge. This time it's stamps only, no patterned paper. I tend to just use IO stamps by themselves anyway, so this was right up my alley!


I {heart} cupcakes...seriously, I do.......I have cupcake dishes, cupcake hand towels, cupcake placemats, napkins, storage containers, stickers, scrapbook paper, cake pan in the shape of a gigantic cupcake, even a cupcake shaped pillow! Obsessive? I prefer enthusiastic {wink} Anyway, it was love at first sight when I saw this new cupcake clear set! Couldn't wait to get my hands on it!! It's called Create-a-Cupcake and it was designed by Tami Potter for IO.

This card is pretty straightforward in design....the background is stamped on Stampin'Up Pixie Pink cardstock with Pixie Dust VersaMagic ink. These chalks inks are awesome for stamping with clear stamps!! LOVE them!! The dimensional cupcake was stamped in SU Close to Cocoa ink and layered with double sided foam tape, then topped with a hot pink heart shaped jewel for the cherry on top :) The brown scalloped circle was punched out using a Marvy Mega punch(that's the pink one) and then I lined up the the saying stamp with the curve of the punched circle. That's the beauty of clear stamps--- they're flexible and can fit almost any shape.

Be sure to visit the ladies on the design team and see what they've created using stamps only! The links are over there ------------------> Enjoy!!

Design Team Announcement!

Serendipity Stamps is proud to announce the new design team! We had so many talented ladies apply and wish we could've chosen everyone. It was a difficult choice, but here they are!! Be sure to visit their blogs and congratulate them!

Amy Cokley

Anya Schrier

Jennifer Woodward

Kathie Bailey

Lynda Benden

Shannan Teubner

Sue Eldred

Yvonne Hagane


Congratulations ladies!

Summertime challenge

I love Summer! No schedules, lots of sunshine and beautiful colors. I also love this classic Impression Obsession butterfly set called Butterfly Counts. I've used it over and over and this time decided to use my all time favorite color -- lilac. The saying reminds me to take time to just relax and enjoy the moment.

The IO design team has lots of great summer creations sure to inspire you to relax! Be sure to visit their blogs and celebrate summer!

Laura Fulcher
Julie Koerber
Dina Kowal
Daniela Dobson
Tina Werner
Jeanne Streiff
Shirley Ross -- our awesome blog hostess

Surprise!

Happy Birthday Mitra!

Mitra Friant, the owner of Impression Obsession, is celebrating her birthday today and the design team got together to surprise her by showering her with birthday wishes! Be sure to stop by each blog and join in the celebration .

Hope you have a fabulous birthday, Mitra!!

Julie
Laura
Daniela
Dina
Tina
Deborah
Jeanne -- our guest designer
Shirley -- our awesome blog hostess

Stamp credits:

single balloon, birthday cake -- Impression Obsession MC206
Happy Birthday to You -- IO A5490
ribbon -- May Arts
Copic markers
Paper -- The Paper Cut

Design Team Call -- Serendipity Stamps

Design Team Call – Deadline May 22^nd, 2009 Serendipity Stamps is seeking applicants to expand our Design Team. Check our Gallery for an idea of the quality we're seeking.

All email for the Design Team Call MUST be sent to SerendipityDT@yahoo.com.

Skill Set

A successful applicant must possess the following qualities:

• Exceptional design, technique, and attention to detail.
• Flexibility in design level – be able to create a variety of designs that will inspire new, intermediate, and seasoned stampers. A simple design can be great as long as it’s not amateur.
• Good photography, scanner and computer skills. You must be able to photograph and/or scan your art and send me upload-ready files, in a variety of resolutions. Ideally you must be adept at using Adobe Photoshop, or similar graphic editing software.
• You must be able to send/receive emails, upload images, adjust photo file sizes, and use Yahoo Groups.
• A commitment to being published and to promoting Serendipity Stamps via blogs, forums, magazines etc. SS has a definite “look and feel”. If our images do not appeal to you, please do not apply.
• Techniques – Your medium is flexible, but over 50% of our images lend themselves to coloring and that talent is important. It’s great to use all the latest products and I definitely encourage that, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the old stand-bys that will appeal to new stampers who just bought a couple stamps and only have a set of old colored pencils or watercolors to work with.

Team Requirements

Each team member must fulfill the following requirements:

• Participate as a Serendipity Stamps Design Team member for an initial period of 6 months . June 09 through November 09.
• Each month, complete at least 2 projects using only Serendipity Stamps.
  • For each project, provide a materials list and simple step-by-step instructions
  • Email these projects to serendipityDT@yahoo.com
  • Upload these projects to the Serendipity Stamps blog, the SCS gallery and/or your personal blog
  • Mail the original or a duplicate of the projects to Serendipity Stamps each quarter. Exceptions may be granted for large or elaborate projects. (I have enough of these items sitting around the shop!)
• Prepare 1 one-page project sheet per quarter. This would include photos, materials list, and well-written instructions. All saved as a one-page .pdf file.
• Create projects in response to SS Challenges. These will be part of your 2 project/month commitment, not an additional requirement.
• Serendipity Stamps reserves the right to use images of projects, actual projects, and associated instructions on our website, our blog, in advertisements, as submissions to print magazines, online magazines, and on printed idea sheets that we send to customers. You will be given full recognition as the designer and creator of each project.

Team Rewards and Benefits

• As a member of Serendipity’s Design Team, you will receive a Welcome Kit. This will include $75 in Serendipity Stamps. This will include a selection of stamps specific to our first SS Challenge as well as stamps of your choice (individual, unmounted cling stamps)
• Each quarter you will receive a $50 spending allowance plus a set of stamps for that quarters’ challenges.
• When SS releases new images, you will receive a full set of these images.
• You will be featured on our website/blog as a Design Team member.
• A link to your blog from www.serendipitystamps.com.

Applications

Please note that your ability to comply with these instructions will be judged as part of your application. Follow instructions or you will not be selected.

To apply, email images of 5 projects that illustrate your particular talents and skills. Image files must be 300 dpi and no more than 600x800 px each.

• Include projects that would inspire stampers of a variety of skill levels.
• Projects can be cards, scrapbook layouts, jewelry, altered objects, or home décor items.
• While I love to see Serendipity Stamps in action, your submitted projects do not have to be made with SS stamps.
• Include step-by-step instructions and materials lists with submitted work.

In addition please submit a bio of yourself including:

• a photograph of yourself
• a paragraph about yourself that describes why you are applying for the SS DT and a little about yourself.
• the techniques or mediums you like best and how do you see using these with our images?
• how long you’ve known about SS and any experience you have with our line.
• information about participation in other past or current design teams.
• affiliations with specific stamp and/or scrapbook stores/businesses.
• a link to your blog.
• contact phone number and the best time to call, and your time zone
• a mailing address for you – it can be a PO Box or a street address.

Email applications to serendipityDT@yahoo.com with “Serendipity Stamps 2009 Design Team Application” as the subject. Your application should be simply an email with attachments – pdf, jpg, or doc files.

Application Deadline: May 22^nd, 2009

Design Team Announcement: May 29th, 2009

Term of Agreement: Initial appointment is for a 6-month period.

The fine print: Serendipity Stamps reserves the right to make any changes to both the selection process, requirements, rewards or management of the Design Team at our own discretion. Be assured that we will operate with all respect and appreciation of your time and efforts.

Challenge time!

This Impression Obsession challenge is all about friendship, so I thought I'd use a color combo that I normally wouldn't to celebrate my friends. Must admit that I sort of like the way it turned out!

Using rose red, butter yellow and celery green on a chocolate brown background, I stamped everything in the same chocolate brown, paper pieced the center red flower, added some sparkle with a stardust pen and then finished it off with clear jewels. Simple and easy!

Be sure to check out the IO team blogs for more fun friendship cards:

Daniela
Julie
Dina
Tina
Michelle
Laura
Shirley

I'd also like to thank Michelle Giraud for joining us for the past 3 months as our guest designer. She has added tremendous creativity and inspiration with her cards and I'm so glad she was part of our team!

Sending a big welcome to Shirley Ross, who is our new IO blog host. She's already posting lots of fun cards and awesome tutorials and we're glad to have her with us!