Top 3 Tuesday

Well, I have had a busy few weeks and haven't had time to contact shop owners regarding featuring their shop, so today I am going to share 3 of my favorite projects that I have created recently!

First up are two Christmas projects that I created for my scrapbook store, Lasting Memories, using the BoBunny Tis the Season collection.

I just love the traditional red and green colors on this card, the fun polka dots, and the pleated ribbon. I have to give credit to Tiffany for teaching/inspiring me to do the pleated ribbon technique, she has a great tutorial HERE on her blog.

I just love Christmas time! And this layout captures a special day that my boys and I spent with my mom enjoying the sights, smells, and sounds of Christmas at Molbacks (a home and garden store). Just so you know that dog in the picture with my little one is a stuffed animal...I would not let my little one year old get that close to a dog we don't know! :)

And my third favorite item to share with you today is one of my card making kits for kids that I sell in my Etsy shop. I love inspiring children's creativity and the paper on this particular tin is one of my favorites.

Enjoy your day...may it be filled with many creative moments!

Featured!

Two wonderful bloggers have featured my Etsy shop today, one includes a little interview and a coupon code! :)

Check them out here:
http://onarollcozies.blogspot.com/
http://worthburning.blogspot.com/

Be sure to visit their colorful and fun shops too!
On a Roll Cozies
Dip Your Toes

Have a great day!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #55

It's Saturday...time for another Etsy Inspired Challenge and you do not want to miss out on the beautiful prize this week! Just look at this gorgeous bracelet that The Salty Cat Co. will be giving to this week's winner. Even if you don't wear jewelry, this would certainly be a great gift! I know I would be ecstatic to receive such a pretty bracelet! :)

In addition to this, another player will win the Folk Inspired stamp set from Unity Stamp Company, our sponsor this week! If you have not tried Unity stamps yet, they are excellent quality and they have a ton of wonderful images to choose from.

In order to play along for a chance to win one of these fabulous prizes you need to:
- Visit The Salty Cat Co.
- Find an item that inspires you
- Use that inspiration to create a project of your own (a card, painting, piece of jewelry, scrapbook page, etc.)
- Link your project up to the Etsy Inspired Challenge #55 post on the Etsy Inspired Challenge Blog by Friday at noon PST

Here are the earrings from The Salty Cat Co. that inspired me:


Aren't these beautiful?! These earrings inspired me to create some wedding cards. One is posted on the Etsy Inspired Challenge Blog and here is the other one I created:


Be sure to visit The Salty Cat Co. and the rest of the Design Team for more inspiration!

• Ashley
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Kristen
• Lee
• Sarah (September Guest Designer)
• Shannon
• Tiffany

2 Projects 4 You

Today I had a little time to craft while my youngest was napping so I took Laura's sketch #35 from 2 Sketches 4 You and played around with more of my BoBunny collections to create this Halloween card and holiday tag.
Now, at first I didn't include the googly eyes on the boo but I felt something was missing and thought the eyes would add to the fun of this card. What do you think? Do you prefer the card with no eyes or eyes in the word boo?

And here is my tag based off of Laura's sketch:


I am really loving the BoBunny Halloween and Christmas collections that my scrapbook store gave me to work with. All of the papers are great and I love the sticker sheet that includes a set of letters.

So far I have created 4 12x12 layouts, 10 cards, a gift bag and this tag and I still have plenty left to play with! Yeah!





Here is a close up of the tag...I love that little to: sticker.








The trees I cut out individually from one of the patterned papers.

Hope you all had a great day! I am off to try to get a few wedding cards completed now that my boys are in bed! :)

Treats

Who doesn't love a good treat?! I love all sorts of candies and cookies...I really should work out more to compensate for my cravings! :) With Halloween around the corner, I decided to use up some more of my BoBunny Boo Crew collection and create a little treat bag and matching card.


I thought the bag would be fun to fill up with goodies and give as a little Halloween gift to a child, co-worker, teacher, or friend. And a child could even reuse the treat bag to do a little trick-or-treating!
I just listed this set in my Etsy shop yesterday...you can find it HERE.

And if you are looking for good treats to fill it with, here are a few goodies from Etsy that are worth checking out:
Have It Sweet Confections - Autumn Spiced Vanilla Caramels
Mia Mallows - Assorted Gourmet Marshmallows
Bliss Candies - Cinnamon and Sugar Pinwheel Snickerdoodles
Holiday Candy Lane - Candy Corn Cookies

And these soaps from sunbasilgarden would be fun to include in the gift bag too!
Spooky Suds Halloween Soap Collection
Caramel Candy Apple Soap (You have got to see this soap...it looks good enough to eat!)

Okay...I'm off to find a treat for myself now! I got hungry looking at all those goodies! :) Have a great day!

Top 3 Tuesday - Eco-Friendly

Our environment is precious, so I love discovering new products and ways that I can be more 'green'. And one thing we all can do to help our environment is to purchase great eco-friendly items! :) So today I have 3 eco-friendly shops to share with you all that I think will knock your socks off!

First up is Nature Favors, a fabulous shop that I wish I had known about when I got married. Just look at these Bird Seed Heart Favors:

I think these are a great idea for a wedding favor...natural, eco-friendly and something people would actually use and enjoy.

For my wedding we did give out small plants (which were also our centerpieces) as favors for our guests.

Since my wedding is over though, I have my eye on these great items from Nature Favors...the Gingerbread Man Earthbloom Christmas ornament and the Bird Seed Star Ornaments.


They are both reasonably priced and would be a great little gift for co-workers, teachers, or an extra addition to any Christmas gift. I LOVE that they can be used as ornaments and then once it is time for the Christmas tree to come down you can hang the star outside for the birds and plant the gingerbread to grow some wildflowers. Nature Favors has some fantastic eco-friendly items, right?!

Now let me show you what Stepping Stones has to offer! I was drawn to Stepping Stones' shop after I saw this gorgeous beach stone jewelry.

I just love when artists/crafters take something as simple as a rock and take it's natural beauty to a whole new level. This particular piece is sold but Tracy can do custom orders if you love this piece like I do! :)

However, Stepping Stones has a ton of great pieces already in stock too...like these:

Tracy and her family find these stones off the Rhode Island coast and in keeping with the eco-friendly theme they also make sure to package their items with recycled materials.

And the third eco-friendly shop I want to share with you today is Eco-lectic Events which offers items that are eco-friendly, upcycled, recycled, reclaimed, or repurposed and fully customizable. I love the Moss Pomanders and Plantable Pillow Boxes with natural soaps.



But my absolute favorite item from Eco-lectic Events is the Modern Tapioca Wood Blooms.

Aren't these stunning?! A beautiful centerpiece for any event or home! :)

Eco-lectic Events offers volume discounts on most items and free shipping on all paper place cards/tags so be sure to check out the shop to see what else they have to offer.

Leave these environmentally friendly shops a little love! And please share any other eco-friendly shops that you enjoy in the comments section too!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new project! Enjoy your day!

Carving Pumpkins

As we begin to get a taste of Fall weather around here, I am getting in the mood for wearing sweaters, drinking hot cocoa, and heading to the pumpkin patch! So, I thought I would share one of my Halloween layouts using the BoBunny Boo Crew collection.


Pretty simple layout but what I love about scrapbooking is that what is most important is just capturing the memories. So for those of you out there who are interested in scrapbooking but feel a little overwhelmed by all the products out there and how to get started, just begin with a few nice pictures that capture a special memory. Add a little patterned paper along with a title or some journaling and call it good! :) It doesn't have to be perfect to be remembered or for people to know that it was created with lots of love!

Hope your week is off to a good start! I get to work in my 1st grader's classroom today which is always fun. I'll be back tomorrow to share three great new Etsy shops...think eco-friendly! :)

Sunday morning...grab a Mocha and enjoy!

I hope your day is off to a wonderful start! Yesterday it was wet and rainy here so I created this mocha themed treasury to warm myself up! :) If you have some time to give it some clicks and comments over on Etsy, click on this link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=82825
Thanks!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #54

Welcome to another Etsy Inspired Challenge! This week our featured shop is I heart flowers, offering unique jewelry and photographs. This shop is filled with pretty items and the jewelry has a vintage feel to it.

I have been a crafting fool this week...I am talking 4 layouts, 8 cards plus a few other mini projects so I have two to share with you today that were inspired by this week's shop.

First I was inspired by these earrings which feature a map of London.

I recently picked up an old atlas at the thrift store with big plans to create all sorts of great mini albums, cards, and projects and these earrings gave me the perfect inspiration to use a page from the atlas.

Here is my project...a decorated window tin:


I thought this would be fun to fill with some travel items for kids, like a pack of cards, pen & paper, and a little candy or to create a little travel mini album that could fit inside along with a few souvenirs from the trip. However, if any of you have some Mod Podge tips, I would love to hear them...it always ends up a little tacky for me. Or if you know of a better clear sealer product that goes on smooth let me know!

Next, I was inspired by this beautiful photograph.



The bright red and green just screamed Christmas to me so I created a fun card using the BoBunny Tis the Season Collection.


Now it's your turn to be Etsy Inspired! Head on over to I heart flowers and find an item that inspires you. Create a project based off that inspiration...you are not limited to cards or paper crafts...you can make a piece of jewelry, create a collage of photos, paint a picture, etc. Then link up your project to the Etsy Inspired blog HERE for your chance to win this week's prize...a pair of earrings!

Also, be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team's creations:

• Ashley
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Kristen
• Lee
• Sarah (September Guest Designer)
• Shannon
• Tiffany
• (Tonya is currently taking some time off)

Have a great weekend! We have another fun filled soccer weekend here. I will be back next week with several new projects to share!

Top 3 Tuesday - Back to School

The focus in our house these past two weeks has been school, school, school. So, I thought it would be a great theme for this week's Top 3 Tuesday post too!

I began hunting on Etsy for some great back to school items and I was not disappointed!

First up is this adorable (or maybe I should say awesome or cool) t-shirt by Oh Bananas.


I discovered Shari's shop soon after I opened my shop and thought all her designs were so cute! Plus I love that she has lots of great boy shirts! :) Make sure to check out Oh Bananas shop to see more of Shari's fun shirts...she has some pretty cute Halloween tees in stock right now, not to mention one of my absolute favorites...the giraffe!





Next, I went looking for some great reusable sandwich and snack bags. Since my oldest is in school all day now, I have quickly noticed that packing lunches requires one too many plastic bags. I like to try to be as green as possible so I was super excited when I found these great bags from Our Simple Life.


What I love about these reusable bags is that there is NO velcro! I am not a fan of velcro...it always sticks to other clothes in the wash and gathers all sorts of unwanted pieces of things in it. Our Simple Life's bags have a unique flip top design and they also offer these great sets which include one napkin, one sandwich bag, and one snack bag. I will be ordering two of these sets and can't wait to try them out!

My third fabulous find this week is this beautiful felted pencil cup from Cozy Cottage Creations.

Isn't this absolutely stunning?! And Lynne has several designs to choose from...check them out HERE. Now, I certainly wouldn't be getting one of these for my son to use at school but I did think they would be a great school gift for a girl going off to college, especially for an art/architecture major. Or it could just be a nice treat for a Mommy like me to use in her craft room! :)

I hope you've enjoyed my choices this week. Leave these shops a little love in the comments section below! :)

And don't forget about my Back to School sale! Check it out HERE.

A little Halloween fun! And a Back to School SALE!

Hello all! I let my oldest son ride the bus to school for the first time today...I almost cried when he got on and the bus started to pull away. :( I am so used to driving him each morning/afternoon, getting to chat with him about his day, and just enjoy the time with him. But he is a big 1st grader now and I promised he could try the bus this year. I have to let go a little, right?! I will still drive him/pick him up at least 50% of the time.

I am finding more time to create with him at school all day. So, I decided to have a Back to School SALE in order to clear out a few items so I can begin preparing my shop for the upcoming holidays. Check out my sale section HERE. Prices have already been reduced 10-30%. And for all you stampers who visit my blog, my sale does include a brand new Tinkering Ink set!

Okay, onto some projects! I promised to share more of my creations using the fun BoBunny Boo Crew collection. So here are two cards I whipped up last night:

I am really having a great time designing projects for my LSS with this collection. I will be back later this week to share my two scrapbook pages and maybe even another card or two! I also have the new BoBunny Tis the Season Christmas collection to play with so be on the lookout for some Christmas cards and layouts soon too!

And if you are in the mood for some Fall inspiration take a look at my treasury HERE. It is filled with some beautiful autumn items and great shops!

I will be back tomorrow with my Top 3 Etsy shops for the week!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #53

Happy Saturday everyone! Wow, where did the week go?! My oldest son has had a great first week in first grade...although I miss him terribly! :( But my little one is getting lots of special 1:1 time with Mommy! :)

Enough about me! On to the challenge! This week we have a great shop for all you animal lovers...Pinky's Pet Gear. I was really inspired by all the colorful collars in her shop, especially this one:

And it gave me the perfect excuse to play around with the new BoBunny Boo Crew collection! Here is the fun Halloween card I created:


Cute, right?! I will have a few more cards and scrapbook pages to share with you using this collection soon! I am working on some design team projects for my local scrapbook store, Lasting Memories.

This week you could win a collar and leash set from Pinky's Pet Gear. All you have to do is go to the shop and find something that inspires you, create a new project, and link it up to our new Etsy Inspired Challenge Blog (www.etsyinspired.blogspot.com).

We also have a fabulous sponsor this week, The Digi Shack! And they have just released 3 new images, perfect for Halloween! Just look at this adorable witch:

Now, I don't know that I did this image justice with my coloring so you can click HERE to check out the image at The Digi Shack.

This was actually my first time working with a digital stamp. I have two tips for all of you who are new to the digital stamp world...make sure you have some good quality, non-textured white cardstock on hand and also some good coloring tools (my son's set of crayola colored pencils just didn't cut it)! :)

The one thing that is so great about digital images is that you can size them to fit your needs. So, you could make the image 2" for a card but maybe 6" to decorate a gift bag or scrapbook page. Plus they take up absolutely no room in your craft space! :) And if you have always wanted to try some digital stamps then be sure to play along in the challenge this week because The Digi Shack will be giving one winner a $15 gift certificate to the store!

Make sure to visit the rest of the Design Team to see their wonderful creations!

• Ashley
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Kristen
• Lee
• Sarah (September Guest Designer)
• Shannon
• Tiffany
• Tonya

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! We will be attending a few soccer games and celebrating my brother's birthday!