Heartful Chloe

We're introducing a brand new addition today! Meet Heartful Chloe - she beautiful? She will be available in digi format, just like the rest of Chloe Collection. Our designers made some gorgeous samples to show her off. Take a look!

Heartful Chloe will be available in the store soon, so put her on your wishlist!

And the Winner Is.....

Thanks to everyone who hopped along with us for our 12 Days in the Life Holiday Showcase! We hope that you enjoyed the featured projects - we certainly enjoyed making them!

If you didn't have a chance to check out all of the projects, you can see each of them by following the links below:
Day 12 - Love Couple
Day 11 - Dance Girl
Day 10 - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day
Day 9 - O Christmas Tree
Day 8 - Wish List
Day 7 - Love Couple
Day 6 - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day
Day 5 - Santa's Knee
Day 4 - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day
Day 3 - Love Couple
Day 2 - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day
Day 1 - O Christmas Tree

The winner of a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps is Nicole Mullen! You have 48 hours to contact us and claim your prize. Be sure to put "12 Days Blog Hop Winner" in the subject line. Congratulations!

Method Monday: Waterfall Card

Happy Monday everyone! It's Axa here, and today I'm going to show you how to make a waterfall card. This is a great interactive technique that you can apply not only to cards but also mini albums and scrapbook pages. Let's get started!

The first thing you need to do is figure out how many images you want on your waterfall card. I chose to do three: Jana, Molly, and Asia. The number of pictures you use will equal the number of times you score your strip. I cut an 8inx2.5in strip and scored it three times. The first score was at 2.5 in (because I wanted my images to measure 2.5inx2.5in) and the next two scores were 1/4 of an inch apart. As long as you score the thinner lines the same width it really doesn't matter how thick they are.The next step is to cut your colored images to the same size as your first scored square. Mine was 2.5x2.5 in so I cut the images that size too. After you cut your images, glue your first image on your square and add glue in between the two score lines that are left. Now line up each image to the scored line and press down. This is what you should have by now. Now you could add a sentiment or patterned paper to the long part of your strip or just leave it like that. I added paper and thank you rub-ons. Decorate your card as you like. Next cut a strip of cardstock the same width as your card and add glue on the ends of the strip, making sure to leave enough room for your image strip to move. Place the mini strip on the lower part of your card. I placed mine on the lower middle of the card. Now lift up your images on your image strip and add glue to the top corner. Glue it down to the top part of the small strip you just added.

There you have it, now all you have to do is pull down and pull up for your waterfall card to work. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and thanks for stopping by!

Be sure to leave us a link to your project - we'd love to see it!

Have You Sent in Your Application Yet?

InStyle Stamps is looking for new designers! If you love papercrafting, working with digital images and high quality rubber stamps, and enjoy sharing your creativity with others, then we are looking for you! We have openings on two of our teams right now. Check this post for deets on the other call we have!

This is an open design team call for anyone to join the team described below. You must have an actively maintained blog and be willing to share your InStyle Stamps creations at least once a month. This call will be open until December 27, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  New members will be notified via email no later than December 31, 2010!

Before submitting your application to join our team, please read through the requirements listed below. If you are not prepared to meet all of these obligations for the full term, please do not apply.

InStyle Stamps CHICKIES Design Team Requirements:

• Design Team duties will last for a period of six months (January 1, 2011 - June 30, 2011) and will include at least one InStyle Stamps related project per month on your blog.
• You will be required to create one (1) card/project per month with InStyle Stamps images. Projects must include a step-by-step tutorial/instructions and a supply list. You agree to let InStyle Stamps share this project on the company blog. At least three (3) projects you create during your term must be non-card projects.
  
• As a team member, you will be expected to maintain up to date online galleries (such as Splitcoast Stampers, Papercraft Planet, SNR's Card Universe) that reflect your current work for InStyle Stamps. This helps keep our images visible and increases our exposure.
• You must be able to take quality photographs of your work.

InStyle Stamps CHICKIES Designer Benefits:

• One (1) free digital images to work with each month (to complete required project)
• An additional one  (1) free image for your own personal use per month
• You may receive the opportunity to work with sneak peek and new release images
• Opportunity to work with images not sold online (images that are available only in retail stores)
• 15% discount on in-stock rubber stamps (good for one-time use each month)
• 5% discount on digital images (good for one-time use each month)
• You will receive a badge to display on your blog noting that you are a designer for InStyle Stamps
• You will receive a custom made watermark for your InStyle Stamps projects
• All images you receive during your term with InStyle Stamps are yours to keep forever

What Are We Looking for in a Designer?

• You must be able to properly color eyes on an anime image. We have a tutorial here. Not all of our images are anime, but quite a lot of them are.
• All images must be well colored (i.e. not outside of the image lines)
• Designers must demonstrate a good use of colors (ability to match, contrast, and complement), papers, and embellishments. We want cards and projects that are well balanced and focus on our images.

To be considered for a position on our Design Team, please do the following:

• Send an email to us at instylestampsdt(at)yahoo(dot)com with the following information: your name, a link to your blog, and three (3) examples of your best work (this should represent your style and ability). Also, tell us a little bit about why you'd be a good representative of our company, and how many other design teams you are on (we do not require that you work exclusively for InStyle Stamps, but we do want to make sure you have enough time to dedicate to your projects). For this team, please put CHICKIES 2011 DT CALL in the subject line. You are welcome to apply for both teams.
  

**Remember - this call is open to anyone. You have until December 27th at 11:59 PM PST to apply. We look forward to seeing your work!

There's Still Time to Apply!

InStyle Stamps is looking for new designers! If you love papercrafting, working with digital images and high quality rubber stamps, and enjoy sharing your creativity with others, then we are looking for you! We have openings on two of our teams right now. Check this post for deets on the other call we have!

This is an open design team call for anyone to join the team described below. You must have an actively maintained blog and be willing to share your InStyle Stamps creations at least once a month. This call will be open until December 27, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  New members will be notified via email no later than December 31, 2010!

Before submitting your application to join our team, please read through the requirements listed below. If you are not prepared to meet all of these obligations for the full term, please do not apply.

InStyle Stamps CHICKIES Design Team Requirements:

• Design Team duties will last for a period of six months (January 1, 2011 - June 30, 2011) and will include at least one InStyle Stamps related project per month on your blog.
• You will be required to create one (1) card/project per month with InStyle Stamps images. Projects must include a step-by-step tutorial/instructions and a supply list. You agree to let InStyle Stamps share this project on the company blog. At least three (3) projects you create during your term must be non-card projects.
  
• As a team member, you will be expected to maintain up to date online galleries (such as Splitcoast Stampers, Papercraft Planet, SNR's Card Universe) that reflect your current work for InStyle Stamps. This helps keep our images visible and increases our exposure.
• You must be able to take quality photographs of your work.

InStyle Stamps CHICKIES Designer Benefits:

• One (1) free digital images to work with each month (to complete required project)
• An additional one  (1) free image for your own personal use per month
• You may receive the opportunity to work with sneak peek and new release images
• Opportunity to work with images not sold online (images that are available only in retail stores)
• 15% discount on in-stock rubber stamps (good for one-time use each month)
• 5% discount on digital images (good for one-time use each month)
• You will receive a badge to display on your blog noting that you are a designer for InStyle Stamps
• You will receive a custom made watermark for your InStyle Stamps projects
• All images you receive during your term with InStyle Stamps are yours to keep forever

What Are We Looking for in a Designer?

• You must be able to properly color eyes on an anime image. We have a tutorial here. Not all of our images are anime, but quite a lot of them are.
• All images must be well colored (i.e. not outside of the image lines)
• Designers must demonstrate a good use of colors (ability to match, contrast, and complement), papers, and embellishments. We want cards and projects that are well balanced and focus on our images.

To be considered for a position on our Design Team, please do the following:

• Send an email to us at instylestampsdt(at)yahoo(dot)com with the following information: your name, a link to your blog, and three (3) examples of your best work (this should represent your style and ability). Also, tell us a little bit about why you'd be a good representative of our company, and how many other design teams you are on (we do not require that you work exclusively for InStyle Stamps, but we do want to make sure you have enough time to dedicate to your projects). For this team, please put CHICKIES 2011 DT CALL in the subject line. You are welcome to apply for both teams.
  

**Remember - this call is open to anyone. You have until December 27th at 11:59 PM PST to apply. We look forward to seeing your work!

12 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase Recap

Merry Christmas!!

We hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday! But if you are ready for a little break from the festivities, join us for a recap of our holiday showcase! Here are all of the posts featuring amazing projects made by our designers:

Day 12 - Love Couple
Day 11 - Dance Girl
Day 10 - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day
Day 9 - O Christmas Tree
Day 8 - Wish List
Day 7 - Love Couple
Day 6 - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day
Day 5 - Santa's Knee
Day 4 - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day
Day 3 - Love Couple
Day 2 - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day
Day 1 - O Christmas Tree

Now, for some holiday fun. As part of our Holiday Showcase, we have had a post everyday for twelve days, each one showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. Today's post is a recap post, and you can comment here to let us know if you've completed the hop. You will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

Merry Christmas from InStyle Stamps!

1 Day in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

This is it - Christmas Eve! We've come to the last day of our 12 Days in the Life Holiday Showcase, and we have seen some amazing projects. Wrapping things up is the beautiful O Christmas Tree digi image - it just seems perfect for today, don't you think? And that gold bow on top is such a magnificent topper!

Kristine Reynolds

From our family here at InStyle Stamps to yours, wherever you are in teh world, have a verry Merry Christmas! Enjoy your loved ones,  eat good food, and we hope Santa brings you exactly what you asked for!

Just in case you've been so busy you haven't had a chance to see our holiday showcase each day, you can catch up on all of the posts right here!Now, for some holiday fun. As we've mentioned before, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

2 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

2 days left! Today is the day I traditionally make my last minute grocery store run, to make sure I have every single thing I could possibly need. And while I'm out, something unexpected inevitably falls into my shopping bag, lol - isn't that always the way? More tends to appear when I take my darling daughter with me. Kids have a unique talent for sneaking things into the cart!

Do you love to make homemade holiday gifts? Repurposing containers is such a great way to package up treats, hide gift cards, and share candy. This project uses an empty tea tin and beautifully shows off the Mom & Daughter Shopping Day digi image. I love the blues!

Taylor Usry

Have you been so busy you haven't had a chance to see our holiday showcase each day? Don't worry, you can catch up on all of the posts right here. Now, for some holiday fun. As we've mentioned before, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

3 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

3 days...really? Just 3 days? Yikes! I can't believe Christmas is finally almost here :) Have you been enjoying our holiday showcase? All of the InStyle Stamps designers worked extra hard, like good little elves, to bring you fun and creative projects this holiday season. Just in case you've been so busy you haven't had a chance to see our holiday showcase each day, you can catch up on all of the posts right here!

The presents are wrapped all under the tree,  the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and uh-oh - I've forgotten to finish my husband's gift! Today, as part of our holiday showcase,  I'll show you the front cover of the book I'm making him. It's an altered chipboard album, and it will be filled with his favorite recipes (which happen to be in several different cookbooks). Now, he will be able to have all the goodness in one spot, so it will be so much easier for him to cook me dinner! Love Couple was the perfect choice for the cover of this album - we cook together very often, and I just adore the sweet embrace this rubber stamp captures.

Taylor Usry

Now, for some holiday fun. As we've mentioned before, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

Freebie Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by “Freebie Tuesday,” here at InStyle Stamps. Last week we kicked off our new program with the cutest rocking horse. This week we have another great image. It’s our Have Yourself a Beary Merry Christmas Bear.

This image is 72 dpi, 5.15 x 5.38 inches and is perfect for creating fun mixed media and paper crafts.



Adorable right? You see he is rocking that Santa hat! This is perfect for a baby’s first Christmas scrapbook.

Now here's the best part...

Just click on the image, copy it, and paste it into your image software program.

That's right. You can use this image, free of charge!

There is just one catch... you cannot sell anything you create with this image, or any of our "Freebie Tuesday" images. They're for non-commercial, personal use only. If you happen to share an image of your completed work online, attribution to our company is mandatory. Oh, and if you'd like to use these images to enhance your blogs and/or website, you can...just make sure you follow our "Freebie Angel Policy" here.

FREEBIE ANGEL POLICY

Our images posted under Freebie Tuesday can be used to create any type of project you like for personal use. You may not use this artwork to sell. Crafts created for sale using this artwork in anyway, shape or form is strictly prohibited. These images can not be used in Trademarks, banners or buttons. You are welcome to use them to enhance a blog post or for personal art projects and or paper crafts.

If you would like to obtain a limited commercial license for these images, there is a licensing fee of $50.00. If you obtain the license fee, you will be allowed to use the images for sale and in button and banners, but they may not be altered in any way and there is a restriction on the amount of items that you can sell. Please email us for further details. InStyle Stamps reserves the right to change or alter this freebie giveaway program at any time.

4 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

4 days left! We're so glad you've joined us for another day of our 12 Days in the Life Holiday Showcase. If you've been so busy with holiday preparations you haven't had a chance to see our holiday showcase each day, you can catch up on all of the posts right here!

Are all of your gifts ready? If you have some last minute gift cards to package, Kimme has a great plan for you in today's holiday showcase. She used Mom and Daughter Shopping Day to make an adorable gift card holder for a special someone. Isn't that just a fabulous idea?

Now, for some holiday fun. As we've mentioned before, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

5 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

HoHoHo...Santa is coming! We're only 5 days away! Don't you love taking your kids to see him every year (ok, maybe not the lines and the crowds!)? They just get so excited! That's what this adorable image is all about! Santa's Knee is available as a digi image so it is perfect for those holiday scrap pages with Santa pics, and cards that get mailed out with Santa pictures in them. What a fun way to preserve this sweet memory. Check out what Virginia and Cyndi made to share today:

Virginia Villasenor

Cyndi Bundy

Just in case you've been so busy you haven't had a chance to see our holiday showcase each day, you can catch up on all of the posts right here! Now, for some holiday fun. As we've mentioned before, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

6 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

Six more days...six more days!!! The week of Christmas is so very exciting. The preparations are in full swing at my house - we are hosting two dinners this week and attending a third next door. Last minutes presents have to be wrapped, stocking stuffers need to be purchased, and I'm sure I've forgotten to mail a couple of cards out.  How's the situation at your house?  Just in case you've been so busy you haven't had a chance to see our holiday showcase each day, you can catch up on all of the posts right here!

We're taking another look at one of the most popular images in the A Day in the Life Collection again today - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day. It's available as a digi image, which means you can purchase it right now to color something special for a sweet girl in your life! Robin did a beautiful job coloring this, didn't she?

Robin McKinley

Now, for some holiday fun. As we've mentioned before, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

7 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

It's official - we are one week from the big day! To celebrate, we're showing you more of our favorite projects today! We hope you are enjoying our holiday showcase - if you've missed any posts check here to see them.

We're sharing Love Couple again today - we just can't get enough of this gorgeous image, especially for holiday projects. This is a great image can be used for so many special occasions - Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, anniversaries, and any other day that is meaningful to a couple.  Love Couple is available in the store as a cling rubber stamp, and quantities are limited - so order soon!!

Axa Lima

Kerry Luis

Now, for some holiday fun. As we've mentioned before, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

8 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

EIGHT days....today is the last day we can say Christmas is still more than a week away! We are having so much fun sharing some of our favorite holiday projects using images from our A Day in the Life Collection (some are digi, some are rubber). Today we are featuring a really special memory - making your holiday wishlists. Who doesn't love that tradition? If you've missed any of our fabulous posts so far, you can see them all here.

Wish List is a digi image from our store (so you can get yours today!) that perfectly captures how much thought and effort goes into those special lists for Santa. The snow is falling outside, there are cookies and hot chocolate on the table, and the kids are sitting on comfy pillows. It's just perfect, isn't it? The project below is an actual wishlist, made following this tutorial we shared earlier this month (but this project is a different size). It's hard to tell in the picture, but the colored image is covered with a piece of acetate, to mimic an actual picture in a frame.

Taylor Usry

Now, for some holiday fun. As we've mentioned before, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

9 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

How did we get to just NINE days to go until Christmas?? We are really enjoying our showcase of holiday projects using images from our A Day in the Life Collection (some are digi, some are rubber). We hope you are enjoying it too - keep coming back every day until Christmas to see new projects!

Today we are taking a look at O Christmas Tree. This is a perfect holiday image - everyone has this memory of decorating the tree with their family! O Christmas Tree is available as a digi image, so hurry and get yours today - there's enough time for you to make some holiday gifts and cards with it!

Just look at this pretty color scheme Kimme is featuring today:

Kimme Leach

Don't forget - we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

Give a Little Love

There's love in the air today on the InStyle Stamps blog! We're talking about Valentine's Day with this InSpiration challenge - it seems far away but it's never too soon to get started! The fabulous Martha Stewart lent us an idea this month - were going to make our won packaging (or wrapping paper) and a matching card! Take a look at our inspiration:

image credit: Martha Stewart

And now you can see what our designers made for someone special:

Virginia Villasenor

Axa Lima

Kimme Leach

We'd love to have you play along with us this month! You have until Tuesday, January 18th at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Leave your link below (directly to your entry, please) and remember to comment after you play! You could win TWO digi images from our store if you play along and use an InStyle Stamps image. If you don't use one of our images, you could win ONE digi image from us.

Here are the rules:

• Make a new card using our InSpiration photo (you are welcome to combine with other challenges, but these challenge MUST be the focus of your card)
• Link below, directly to your post
• Mention our challenge on your post (with a link back here), or use our photo (again, with a link back here)

10 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

With only TEN days to go, we've got you covered for last minute holiday inspiration. We are showcasing some of our favorite holiday projects using images from our A Day in the Life Collection (some are digi, some are rubber). So get comfy and keep us bookmarked - from today until Christmas you'll see some gorgeous inspiration from our designers right here on this blog!

Today's image is a favorite amongst our designers - Mom & Daughter Shopping Day. This is a great image not only for holiday fun, but party fun too. Every mother loves to go shopping with her little girl - as do aunts, grandmothers, godmothers - all of us adore this event! Mom & Daughter Shopping Day is available as a digi image - get yours today!

Take a look at this stunning wishlist Angelique made:

Angelique Nederpel

 Now, for some holiday fun. As I mentioned recently, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

Last Call for Thankful InSpiration!

**See our holiday showcase post here!**

There's still time to play along with our InSpiration Challenge from last month -the deadline is tonight at 11:59 PM PST. We shared a really fun InSpiration Challenge the last time around! In honor of the focus on gratitude that always comes with the holidays, we decided to make sure we said it, shared it, spread it. For this challenge, use the photo below to inspire you to make a "thank you" gift for someone unexpected - the mailman, the nurse at the doctor's office, the people who work at the food bank. Any someone who needs some appreciation, but doesn't always get it.

And take a look at what some of our designers made to share:

Kerry Luis

Axa Lima

We'd love to have you play along with us this month! You have until Tuesday, December 14th at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Leave your link below (directly to your entry, please) and remember to comment after you play! You could win TWO digi images from our store if you play along and use an InStyle Stamps image. If you don't use one of our images, you could win ONE digi image from us.

Here are the rules:

• Make a new card using our InSpiration photo (you are welcome to combine with other challenges, but these challenge MUST be the focus of your card)
• Link below, directly to your post
• Mention our challenge on your post (with a link back here), or use our photo (again, with a link back here)

Have fun!! We can't wait to see what you come up with! Please be sure to let us know if there are any problems with the InLinkz system when you add your entry.

Freebie Tuesday

**See our holiday showcase post here!**

 In the spirit of Christmas, we at InStyle Stamps have decided to start a new campaign. And we're calling it "Freebie Tuesday!"

This is an exciting time for us--and for you. We are re-introducing a line of clip art that hasn't been showcased here at ISS.

Our clip art was first introduced in 2001 and designed to be used on the 'net, alone. But thanks to the "inchie" and "twinchie" craze, we're able to bring these guys back! There are over 275 images that will be available over the next coming weeks.

Our first freebie to kick things off is 72 dpi, 3.4 x 3.4 inches and is perfect for creating fun mixed media and paper crafts.

This fun bunny is rocking on this adorable wood rocking horse.



Can't you just see this little guy adorning baby shower gift tags? Or surrounded by baby blue and soft pink squares to create a lovely handcrafted baby shower invitation?

Now here's the best part...

Just click on the image, copy it, and paste it into your image software program.

That's right. You can use this image, free of charge!

There is just one catch... you cannot sell anything you create with this image, or any of our "Freebie Tuesday" images. They're for non-commercial, personal use only. If you happen to share an image of your completed work online, attribution to our company is mandatory. Oh, and if you'd like to use these images to enhance your blogs and/or website, you can...just make sure you follow our "Freebie Angel Policy" here.

FREEBIE ANGEL POLICY

Our images posted under Freebie Tuesday can be used to create any type of project you like for personal use. You may not use this artwork to sell. Crafts created for sale using this artwork in anyway, shape or form is strictly prohibited. These images can not be used in Trademarks, banners or buttons. You are welcome to use them to enhance a blog post or for personal art projects and or paper crafts.

If you would like to obtain a limited commercial license for these images, there is a licensing fee of $50.00. If you obtain the license fee, you will be allowed to use the images for sale and in button and banners, but they may not be altered in any way and there is a restriction on the amount of items that you can sell. Please email us for further details. InStyle Stamps reserves the right to change or alter this freebie giveaway program at any time.

11 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

Can you believe it - ELEVEN days to go until Christmas gets here! Are you ready? House decorated? Presents wrapped? Cards in the mail? Well, kick back and relax with us as we showcase some of our favorite holiday projects using images from our A Day in the Life Collection (some are digi, some are rubber).

Today we are showing off an ornament I made for my daughter using Dance Girl. This is one of my absolute favorite images - such a sweet little girl! To make this ornament, I used the image twice - once on the acetate piece and again on my white cardstock. I colored the one on cardstock using Copics and then turned it into a shaker. If you don't know how to do that, here is a tutorial. Then I placed my shaker on a larger frame, punched a hole in the top, and tied the ribbon on. The reason I used the image twice is so that even with the snow and beads covering her, you can still see the outline. The effect is so neat! Dance Girl is a cling rubber stamp and is available in limited quantities - so order her now!

Taylor Usry

Taylor Usry

Now, for some holiday fun. As I mentioned yesterday, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

12 Days in the Life - A Holiday Showcase

With TWELVE days to go, we thought it would be fun to showcase some of our favorite holiday projects using images from our A Day in the Life Collection (some are digi, some are rubber). So get comfy and keep us bookmarked - from today until Christmas you'll see some gorgeous inspiration from our designers right here on this blog!

We are starting things off today with Love Couple. This is a great image for lots of special occasions - Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, anniversaries, and any other day that is meaningful to a couple. Or you could use it as a tag for homemade goodies.  Love Couple is available in the store as a cling rubber stamp, and quantities are limited - so order soon!!

Take a look at what our designers are sharing today:

Cathy Wallington

Kristine Reynolds

Now, for some holiday fun. As I mentioned earlier, we will have a post everyday between now and Christmas showcasing projects from the A Day in the Life Collection. It's our extra long holiday hop! We will draw a random commenter from all the people that comment every day, on every 12 Days in the Life post, from now through December 24th. The 25th (Christmas Day) will be a recap post, and you will have until December 27th at 3:00 PM EST to comment on all of the posts. We'll draw a random winner and post it on the 28th. One lucky commenter will win a $25 goodie bag from InStyle Stamps! Remember - you have to comment on ALL of the posts to be eligible!

Snowflake Chloe

It's snowing all over the place today, so I thought I'd share some super cute projects using Snowflake Chloe, to get in the winter mood. You can purchase Snowflake Chloe in digi format over in the store. And while you are there, don't forget to check out the rest of the Chloe Collection! Check out this cuteness:

Angelique Nederpel

Jan Hunnicutt (former designer)

Barbara Sproat (former designer)

More samples using Snowflake Chloe can be seen here, in her debut post! Be sure to come join us on our Facebook page this weekend - if we get to 500 fans by Sunday night we'll give away some free digi images. Who doesn't want a chance to win a free image? Send your friends over, too!

Check This Out - We're Looking For You!

InStyle Stamps is looking for new designers! If you love papercrafting, working with digital images and high quality rubber stamps, and enjoy sharing your creativity with others, then we are looking for you! We have openings on two of our teams right now. Check this post for deets on the other call we have!

This is an open design team call for anyone to join the team described below. You must have an actively maintained blog and be willing to share your InStyle Stamps creations at least once a month. This call will be open until December 27, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  New members will be notified via email no later than December 31, 2010!

Before submitting your application to join our team, please read through the requirements listed below. If you are not prepared to meet all of these obligations for the full term, please do not apply.

InStyle Stamps CHICKIES Design Team Requirements:

• Design Team duties will last for a period of six months (January 1, 2011 - June 30, 2011) and will include at least one InStyle Stamps related project per month on your blog.
• You will be required to create one (1) card/project per month with InStyle Stamps images. Projects must include a step-by-step tutorial/instructions and a supply list. You agree to let InStyle Stamps share this project on the company blog. At least three (3) projects you create during your term must be non-card projects.
  
• As a team member, you will be expected to maintain up to date online galleries (such as Splitcoast Stampers, Papercraft Planet, SNR's Card Universe) that reflect your current work for InStyle Stamps. This helps keep our images visible and increases our exposure.
• You must be able to take quality photographs of your work.

InStyle Stamps CHICKIES Designer Benefits:

• One (1) free digital images to work with each month (to complete required project)
• An additional one  (1) free image for your own personal use per month
• You may receive the opportunity to work with sneak peek and new release images
• Opportunity to work with images not sold online (images that are available only in retail stores)
• 15% discount on in-stock rubber stamps (good for one-time use each month)
• 5% discount on digital images (good for one-time use each month)
• You will receive a badge to display on your blog noting that you are a designer for InStyle Stamps
• You will receive a custom made watermark for your InStyle Stamps projects
• All images you receive during your term with InStyle Stamps are yours to keep forever

What Are We Looking for in a Designer?

• You must be able to properly color eyes on an anime image. We have a tutorial here. Not all of our images are anime, but quite a lot of them are.
• All images must be well colored (i.e. not outside of the image lines)
• Designers must demonstrate a good use of colors (ability to match, contrast, and complement), papers, and embellishments. We want cards and projects that are well balanced and focus on our images.

To be considered for a position on our Design Team, please do the following:

• Send an email to us at instylestampsdt(at)yahoo(dot)com with the following information: your name, a link to your blog, and three (3) examples of your best work (this should represent your style and ability). Also, tell us a little bit about why you'd be a good representative of our company, and how many other design teams you are on (we do not require that you work exclusively for InStyle Stamps, but we do want to make sure you have enough time to dedicate to your projects). For this team, please put CHICKIES 2011 DT CALL in the subject line. You are welcome to apply for both teams.
  

**Remember - this call is open to anyone. You have until December 27th at 11:59 PM PST to apply. We look forward to seeing your work!

Psssstttt....Want To Be A Designer For InStyle Stamps?

InStyle Stamps is looking for new designers! If you love papercrafting, working with digital images and high quality rubber stamps, and enjoy sharing your creativity with others, then we are looking for you! We have openings on two of our teams right now. Check this post for deets on the other call we have!

This is an open design team call for anyone to join the team described below. You must have an actively maintained blog and be willing to share your InStyle Stamps creations at least once a month. This call will be open until December 27, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  New members will be notified via email no later than December 31, 2010!

Before submitting your application to join our team, please read through the requirements listed below. If you are not prepared to meet all of these obligations for the full term, please do not apply.

InStyle Stamps CHICKLETS Design Team Requirements:

• Design Team duties will last for a period of three months (January 1, 2011 - March 31, 2011) and will include at least one InStyle Stamps related project per month on your blog.
• You will be required to create one (1) projects per month with InStyle Stamps images that qualifies and is entered in a challenge (on a challenge blog or an online forum like Splitcoast Stampers, Paper Craft Planet, or SNR Card Universe).
• As a team member, you will be expected to maintain up to date online galleries (such as Splitcoast Stampers, Papercraft Planet, SNR's Card Universe) that reflect your current work for InStyle Stamps. This helps keep our images visible and increases our exposure.
• You must be able to take quality photographs of your work.

InStyle Stamps CHICKLETS Designer Benefits:

• One (1) free digital images to work with each month (to complete required project)
• An additional one  (1) free image for your own personal use per month
• You may receive the opportunity to work with sneak peek and new release images
• Opportunity to work with images not sold online (images that are available only in retail stores)
• 5% discount on digital images (good for one-time use each month)
  
• You will receive a badge to display on your blog noting that you are a designer for InStyle Stamps
• You will receive a custom made watermark for your InStyle Stamps projects
• All images you receive during your term with InStyle Stamps are yours to keep forever

What Are We Looking for in a Designer?

• You must be able to properly color eyes on an anime image. We have a tutorial here. Not all of our images are anime, but quite a lot of them are.
• All images must be well colored (i.e. not outside of the image lines)
• Designers must demonstrate a good use of colors (ability to match, contrast, and complement), papers, and embellishments. We want cards and projects that are well balanced and focus on our images.

To be considered for a position on our Design Team, please do the following:

• Send an email to us at instylestampsdt(at)yahoo(dot)com with the following information: your name, a link to your blog, and three (3) examples of your best work (this should represent your style and ability). Also, tell us a little bit about why you'd be a good representative of our company, and how many other design teams you are on (we do not require that you work exclusively for InStyle Stamps, but we do want to make sure you have enough time to dedicate to your projects). For this call, please put CHICKLETS 2011 in the subject line. You are welcome to apply for more than one team.
  

**Remember - this call is open to anyone. You have until December 27th at 11:59 PM PST to apply. We look forward to seeing your work!

Cool Colors for Winter

How's the weather where you are - is it chilly? All over the place temps are way cooler than normal (and for me, I love it - I think cold weather is fantastic!). This month I thought InStyle Stamps would embrace the cold weather and go with a nice cool color palette to challenge you with. Shades of purple, silver, and white plus a little bit if sparkle....so elegant! Take a look at our color inspiration photo:

Image Credit: A Creative Mint

And now oooh and aaah over the fabulousness our designers created for you today:

Kristine Reynolds (image used: Sandy)

Angelique Nederpel (image used:Sarah, a cling rubber stamp)

Cathy Wallington (image used: Jana)

We'd love to have you play along with our color challenge this month! You have until Tuesday, January 11th at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Leave your link below (directly to your entry, please) and remember to comment after you play! You could win TWO digi images from our store if you play along and use an InStyle Stamps image. If you don't use one of our images, you could win ONE digi image from us.

Here are the rules:

• Make a new card using our color combo (you are welcome to combine with other challenges, but these colors MUST be the focus of your card)
• Link below, directly to your post
• Mention our challenge, or use the picture of our colors, on your post (with a link back here)

Have fun!! Remember to comment after you play. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

A big thanks to everyone who played along last month with our Christmas Pudding color challenge - what a great batch of entries! And the winner is none other than Deonna B!  Be sure to email us within 48 hours to claim your prize, and put Nov 2010 Color Challenge Winner in the subject line.

Last Call for Christmas Pudding!

Did you check out our awesome color challenge for November? We shared a gorgeous English Christmas dish, Christmas Pudding. The color scheme is so pretty, don't you think? The olive greens, the rich reds, the creams and browns - scrumptious! Mmmmm......

Take a look at what our amazing designers came up with to share with you:

Robin McKinley (image used: Suzette)

Kristine Reynolds (image used: Christmas Tree Chick)

Patti Stigsell (image used: Sandy)

Taylor Usry (image used: Suzette)

We'd love to have you play along with our color challenge this month! You have until tomorrow - Wednesday, December 8th at 11:59 PM PST to enter. Leave your link below (directly to your entry, please) and remember to comment after you play! You could win TWO digi images from our store if you play along and use an InStyle Stamps image. If you don't use one of our images, you could win ONE digi image from us.

Here are the rules:

• Make a new card using our color combo (you are welcome to combine with other challenges, but these colors MUST be the focus of your card)
• Link below, directly to your post
• Mention our challenge, or use the picture of our colors, on your post (with a link back here)

Have fun!! Remember to comment after you play. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Method Monday: Envelope Holder

Happy Monday everyone! Today I have a fun and easy tutorial for you that will definitely help you with some quick holiday gifts. Or, if you are way ahead of the game and are all finished with your gifts, you can use this to get a head start on Valentine's Day gifts! I first ran across this on the Martha Stewart website a long time ago, and filed it away for future use. I've taken their basic idea and adapted it - it really does have so many uses! Let's get started.

We are going to make an Envelope Holder. It's super easy, I promise! Here are the materials you need:

• envelopes of any size (I used five for this project)
• ribbon
• crop-a-dile or other hole punching tool
• cardstock and patterned paper to embellish as desired
• Nestabilities or other dies (optional)
• colored image and sentiment
• goodies for inside your folders

Start by folding the flaps on all but one of your envelopes backwards. Place the unfolded envelope on the bottom, and stack the others on top, using their own adhesive to stick them to each other (you'll have to moisten the flaps). I used inexpensive envelopes for my project, so I added a small bit of adhesive to the flaps for extra stick. You've now made your basic folder! That was simple, right?

 For contrast, I decided to line all of my envelope folders. You don't have to do this part. To make the liners, just cut a piece of cardstock or patterned paper to fit inside the envelope and adhere it in there. I used black cardstock, and ran it through my Cuttlebug (using the Swiss Dots folder) for texture too. Once your envelope folders are lined, use your Crop-a-dile or other hole punching tool to punch a hole through the center of the envelopes, at the bottom. This is how you will close it when it is all finished.

You can then fill the inside pockets with whatever you choose - little love notes, small mementos, receipts, coupons - the possibilities for this little packet are completely endless! I chose to fill three of my pockets with packets of hot chocolate - it's a gift for my daughter who adores hot chocolate. It isn't in this picture, but the very front pocket has a card that slips in and the last pocket has a coupon good for extra marshmallows.

Now here is the interesting part - you can decorate the front or the back. I used a large image, so the actual front of the envelopes gave me a larger space to work with. But you can absolutely tie your ribbon on the back of the envelopes, where the flap is, and put your image back there. See how flexible this project is? I colored Cocoa Love using Copics (R27, R29, C1, C3, C5, C7, E00, E000, E33, E35, Y21, YG63) and cut her out. I popped her up on pop dots on top of some long rectangle nesties. My sentiment is computer generated.

Here is the view form the backside of my completed project. I love making these, and am going to make more for teacher gifts, stocking stuffers, and all sorts of other things! I hope you liked this too - if you give it a try be sure to leave us a link so we can see it!