Sharing the Love

I really appreciate all of you who come to visit me and I would like to give you a chance at a little gift...my very first BLOG CANDY! :) I have been blogging for about 6 months now and am loving it! Thank you for all the sweet comments...I read them all and I am enjoying getting to know all of you and visit your blogs too! So, here are a few pictures of what is up for grabs...although I will likely include a few extras!
Kind of a Spring theme...all pp is 6x6 (DCWV Spring Stack, Making Memories funky vintage, & some Basic Grey Boxer collection). An assortment of Prima flowers, chipboard flowers, a flower shaped album and flower brads. Some ribbon, a cloud punch, and a few other misc. items.

Now, what do you need to do??? Simply leave me a comment on this post by February 8th and I will randomly draw a winner on the 9th.

Also, I have been given two more blogger awards which I need to pass on. First up...
is this lovely little award that was given to me by Jacquie. Thanks girl! :) The rules for this award are to post this award, link back to the person who gave it to you, nominate 7 more deserving ladies and leave them a comment to let them know. So here are 7 lovely blogs that I enjoy visiting:
1. Christi
2. Jen
3. AJ
4. Elizabeth
5. Laura
6. Brandi
7. Anabelle

Next, is another Kreative Blogger award that I received from Elizabeth. :) For this one I need to list 5 things I like and 5 more blogs I like to visit. So here they are:
5 things I like (besides the obvious family, friends, & stamping)
1. dancing
2. reading
3. taking pictures of my boys
4. working with children
5. spending time outside

5 more blogs I like to visit:
1. Natalie
2. Renee'
3. Ramsey
4. Tanis
5. Shemaine

Page Plans Contest

I recently found another wonderful sketch blog called Page Plans. Each week they provide both a card and a layout sketch to inspire you. Currently they have a contest going on and one very lucky and talented crafter is going to win a Slice! Next week they are going to have a poll so everyone can vote for their favorite cards so make sure to stop by and show some love for your favorite entry.
Here are the two Page Plans sketches I chose to work with. Both of these sketches were created by Lesli...the first is Lesli's Card Sketch 1 and the second is Lesli's Card Sketch 6/29/08.











And here are the two cards I created...

For this card I used Basic Grey's Archaic paper, Unity's sentiment from School Rock Star set, one Basic Grey button, and a few MM brads. The dinosaur panel is popped up on foam squares.

For this card I used Cosmo Cricket's Honey Pie collection, some Prima flowers, one Creative Cafe pink button, a K&Company Sweet Pea button brad, and some white DMC floss.

Thanks for visiting today! If you are like me and love to have a great starting point for your projects, make sure to check out the Page Plans blog for some fabulous card and layout sketches. And don't forget to stop by their blog next week to vote for your favorite card!

Lots to Share

I must admit that I am quite proud of myself for all of the crafting I have been doing lately! Today I have 9 cards to share that I created for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenges one year celebration. You still have until tomorrow to get in on the fun and even if you do just one of the challenges you will be entered to win a $10 gift certificate to the Taylored Expressions store. First, a few of my favorites...
You can find the sketch I used for this card HERE. I really love my little cupcake tree and I can't get enough of all the fabulous Valentine papers that are out right now (even though normally I am not much of a pink kind of girl...the Basic Grey Bittersweet and Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie collection are just too cute!)
You can find the sketch for this card HERE. Now these colors are definitely more me...another great collection by Basic Grey - Offbeat. I made this card a larger 5x7 size so that I would have enough of the beautiful floral paper showing and so I could include the large Prima flower.
You can find the sketch for this card HERE. Isn't this the sweetest little card for someone having a baby girl?! I love the soft pink color and May Arts ribbon paired with the white and cute rub-ons. The butterfly circle is popped up on foam squares as is the whole white square panel. This card is just 3 1/2 x 3 1/2.

Now for the rest of the bunch...
The sketch for this card can be found HERE.
The sketch for this card can be found HERE.
The sketch for this card can be found HERE.
You can find the sketch for this card HERE. And for all of you out there, like me, who do not have any nestabilities or other large die cuts for circles and such...I hand cut those baby! :)
The sketch for this card can be found HERE. This card is actually one of my favorites too but I featured it in another post this week. So if you want to check out the extra details for this card...go here. Also, clicking on any of the cards will bring them up in a full screen window.
Now for my last (but certainly not least) card. I saved this sketch, which you can find HERE, for last since I rarely make circle cards due to the lack of Nesties/large die cuts that I talked about earlier. So, first I traced a circle using a bowl onto the white pp and cut it out with scalloped scissors. Then I set that circle on top of my SU sage shadow and carefully cut around it making sure that the scallops lined up nicely. For my middle circle I just traced a jar lid and cut it out with scalloped scissors. I did use my SU scallop punch for the sentiment. I find that if you want to hand cut circles or ovals, decorative scissors are the way to go...they hide imperfections in your shape much better than straight edge scissors. Well now that this is officially my longest post ever...I will just finish by saying thank you for visiting today, I enjoy sharing with you all and appreciate your comments. Have a fantastic day!

Blog Candy Alert!

I just wanted to let you all know about two blog candy opportunities...one is from Tonya, a fellow Unity follower, who is giving away two Unity stamps. All you have to do is stop on by her blog and leave her a little love for some of her fabulous projects! Tonya also had some links to other blog candy in her sidebar and this one caught my eye. Kim is offering up 2 Basic Grey paper pads along with lots of ribbon and embellishments so go pay her a little visit and take a peek at all her adorable creations while you're there!

As promised, I will be offering up some of my own blog candy soon! And I will be back tomorrow with 9 cards to share! Yep, that's right, I finished all 9 sketches for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenges one year celebration!

Exciting CHA News from Making Memories

Hello all...just popping in again to let you know that the Making Memories team is broadcasting LIVE from CHA and having giveaways throughout the day...even a chance to win a SLICE!!! What?! Yeah, you read correctly...so go check out their blog today for exciting CHA happenings and a chance to win some crafting goodies!

MONDAY UPDATE: The fun continues today over at the Making Memories blog!

Adorable Animals

This weekend I am working on 9 sketches for Taylored Expressions Year of Cupcake Challenges Celebration! I just recently discovered her blog and store...she has some adorable little cupcake images along with other 'yummy' items! I really want to get my hands on some of the fabulous felt buttons she carries. Taylor is offering up a chance to win a $10 G.C. to her store for each sketch you complete and if you complete all 9 you have a chance to win an amazing prize! You have until Thursday so I suggest you go check it out and get crackin'!

Now, onto my card...I used the TECC52AW sketch which you can find HERE. And I was inspired by the Etsy store that Ashley is featuring this week, Zozo Cards. This store has absolutely adorable animal cards, magnets, etc. In fact, as I was browsing their site for inspiration, I realized that I really 'NEED' some cute animal stamps! :) Fortunately, I found some great paper in my Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie paper pad to use. Here is what I came up with...
Along with Zozo Cards' cute images, I was really inspired by all the soft colors and whimsical feel to the cards. Here are a few of my favorites:


Also, THIS Cute Safari Set really caught my eye because it reminded me of a card I created awhile back at a Stampin' Up party using SU's Wild About You set. So, I thought I would share it today too...

Thanks for visiting today! Hope you are inspired to do some crafting of your own...maybe for a challenge or two! :)


Supplies used for Hey Chick! card: Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie paper pad; Unity Hey Chick Stamp; Paper Salon's Oh Sew Fun Tailored Tin (flower stamps); Prima flowers; MM brads; SU pumpkin pie ink; Colorbox ink (two shades of yellow) Extra details: The orange flower and circle chick are popped up on foam squares. I repeatedly stamped the smaller flower stamp in two different shades of yellow (on the center white panel) to create a nice background for the orange flower.

One Little Word ...LOVE

Okay, as promised, I am ready to share my project that I have been working on for my LSS, Lasting Memories. They have a challenge going on this month that is based off of Ali Edwards' "One Little Word" idea. Basically you pick one word for the year that you want to focus on but I would highly recommend reading Ali Edwards' blog entry about it because it is quite inspiring. So, I took some time to think about my word for 2009 and the word LOVE spoke to me the most. Then for my LSS I needed to create a project around my word that will be a constant reminder for me throughout the year and this is what I came up with...

I am really happy with how this project turned out. As I thought about my goals for this year and the word love, I realized that just that one simple word really sums up what I want to focus on this year. First, and foremost, I am wanting to focus more on my relationship with God whom I love and who loves me. Second, is my goal of practicing more random acts of kindness to others as well as just going through my day with a loving spirit so that I may have a positive impact on everyone I interact with. Finally, though just as important, is to love myself. I am a pretty postive person but I do need to make more time for myself. I am sure many of you can relate (especially you Moms out there!)...I focus a lot on my family, whom I love dearly, but I need to show myself that same kind of love and take care of myself a little more too! So, my goal is to have more 'me' time...crafting, exercising, going out with friends, and just putting my needs first sometimes. I know that as I focus on these goals and loving with all my heart, I will see many wonderfully positive things happening in my life!

My LSS is going to choose two winners who will receive a $25 Gift Card and will also get to be a Guest Designer for the store for a month! Pretty great prize don't you think?!

Project Details: Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Bittersweet & Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie; Creative Cafe Flowers & Buttons; May Arts ribbon; American Crafts thickers; Doodlebug Designs Paper Frills; Heart die cut and chipboard hearts from my LSS

If any of you decide to take on this 'One Little Word' challenge I would love to see your projects! :)

A Little Love for the Earth!

Hello all! Hope you are having a wonderful Friday! I am hanging out at home with my two boys for most of the day except for a quick trip to my LSS to drop off a project I have been working on, which I will probably post pictures of tomorrow. But for today I have an unconventional Valentine's Day card to share. Yesterday was Unity's Hip Hop and one of the challenges was to use some unique trim or lace. I knew I wanted to use some cute heart trim that I had purchased this week along with my new Basic Grey Bittersweet papers but I don't have any of Unity's Valentine stamps yet so I was initially unsure what Unity stamps to use. However, as I was looking through all of my Unity sets I found a heart on one of the sentiments and here is what I came up with:
Now, I am not sure who I will give this to...maybe a friend with an eco-friendly gift included??? But I do really like how it turned out...hard to go wrong with Unity, Basic Grey, and some pretty ribbon, right?! Unity is offering 10% off all orders through February 1st so be sure to go take a peek and if you have never been to hip hop before be sure to stop by the forum and check out what Unity is all about!

A New Challenge

This morning I was checking out a new blog called The Daily Dare which posts several different challenges going on each day. Now, as many of you know I love a good challenge...they always inspire me to get crafting! So, one of the new challenge blogs I discovered is called Sketch and Stash. The idea is to use the sketch for the week and some of your newest stash (i.e. crafting goodies) on your card. For me, the word stash makes me think more of all of the paper, stamps, etc. that have been sitting around unused for awhile. So, for my card I used a few brand new items and some things that were really needing some love.

SU's purely pomegranate is such a pretty color but I just haven't used it much...I tend to lean toward more earthy tones. I am glad I chose it for this card because I like the richness and elegance of the color especially when paired with white. For my brand new stash items, I opened up my VersaMagic cloud white ink pad for the first time and inked up my sentiment stamp from Unity's Simply Said set. I just received this set in the mail this past week and today was my first time using it...I love it already! :) I also added a few dots with my new white gel pen. And, I thought the inside needed a little something so I stamped part of my flower image in the bottom corner. Thanks for visiting today!

Another Birthday Card

Well, I am on a birthday card kick lately...although I don't think I have enough birthday stamps. Hmmm...I think I better do something about that! :) So, this weekend I needed to make a card for my Dad's birthday, which worked out well since Stamp Something's challenge this week is to make a birthday themed card or project. I took out my Basic Grey Boxer paper pad (excellent for masculine cards) and used Jen's Sketch for my starting point. Here is what I came up with:

I was going to cover the chipboard d's but kind of liked the look of it plain...more masculine I thought. My Dad loved it, of course! He has always been one to encourage and support me in anything I do...one of the many things I love so much about him! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend! I am working on a project for my LSS that I will hopefully be able to share with you later this week.

Six Wishes

It's Friday and I have another Unity card to share! Yesterday in the Unity forum one of the Hip Hop challenges was to create a birthday card. My son is turning 6 soon so I decided to create a card for his birthday. I used My Mind's Eye paper and stamps from Unity's Amazing Me set.
The cupcake, candle and #6 are all popped up on foam squares. I just got this Amazing Me set but I can already tell I am going to get a lot of use out of it. If you look at the post below this one you will see another Unity card I created the other day using the wishes sentiment. And, if you have not checked out all of the new releases and stamps that are coming soon over at the Unity website...you should go take a peek because there are a ton of them and they are CAA-UTE!

For my son's birthday we are having a Lego birthday party here at our house with about 8 kiddos and I am looking for a few more activities to keep them entertained. So, if you have any creative ideas, I would love to hear them! :)

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by today!

Soft and Simple

Last night I created a card that is a bit different than my usual style but I am happy with how it turned out and it was super simple and quick to make...gotta love that, right?! So, first I want to share a little about my inspiration for this card. This week for Ashley's Etsy Inspired challenge she is featuring the Equivoque shop which has some beautiful pictures that have a very soft quality to them. This is the photograph, titled Singular, that inspired me.

I am also following Christi's new venture this year...Exercise your Creativity and the focus this week is white. Now, as many of you know, I rarely have much blank, white space on my cards because there are just so many fabulous patterned papers that I can cover it up with! But, for this card I took a much more simple approach, used soft colors, a single flower, and left a fair amount of white space. And, I love it! What do you think?
This card is a small 3x3 size and both of the stamps I used are from Unity. When I was young I always made wishes on dandelions so I thought it would be the perfect sentiment for this card. Thanks for visiting today...may all your wishes for this year come true!

All Star Card, Cause, and Candy!

So, if you have not yet heard about Jen del Muro's blog candy you definitely must go check it out. Many fabulous companies like Verve, Scor-Pal, Unity, Eclectic Paperie and many more have donated to her giveaway...your job is to make at least one card...here is one of the cards that I sent.
For this card I used Jen's SFYTT sketch and some great star paper from My Mind's Eye. The Rockstar sentiment is from Verve's starlight, starbright set and the Birthday wishes sentiment is just one I found in Michaels $1 bin awhile back. I cut out two stars, added some buttons and popped up the orange circle to give the card some dimension. I am really happy with how this card turned out...I think it would be a good one for a boy. I might just have to make up another one that I can keep! :) So, along with this card I decided to go through my stash and find some more cards that I could send over to the International Student Services Department at Dallas Baptist University. I found another 15 to include...I just love knowing that someone will enjoy using my cards instead of them just sitting around in a box waiting for me to use them! I am sure many of you reading this have some cards you could round up and send out to DBU, so pop on over to Jen's blog for all the details!