Blog Candy!

 Hello everyone!  Today I have some blog candy up for grabs!  It is a brand new set of beautiful thank you stamps from Papertrey Ink. 

This little set is not available for purchase as it was a nice thank you gift they included in some recent orders.  I was lucky enough to get one in my December order, and one again in my January order.  Seeing how it's almost Valentine's day, I thought I'd share the love---and the stamps!

Here is a card made with the larger image from the set.  It fits perfectly on a die-cut of Mat Stack 5.  I simply adhered it with dimensional adhesive on top of a background I stamped using "Rosie Posie".

Cardstock: PTI Kraft, Stampers Select White

Stamps: PTI Rosie Posie, A Big Thank You

Ink: SU! Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Perfect Plum, Pink Pirouette

Here is the set up for grabs:

It's a little difficult to see the actual images since the stamps are clear, but the larger image is the one featured on my card above, and also seen on the back of the package.  The smaller image can be seen as the sentiment in black on my card HERE.
 
All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this post.  I'll use the random number generator to pick a winner next Monday, February 20th.  I'd also love for you to follow me, though it's not a requirement to win.  I'm always looking for new blogs to follow as well!

Couch to 5k

So, I'm a little late to the bandwagon because apparently this has been around a while.  But it's new to me and new to a few people who I've talked to this week who haven't heard of it.  What is it?  It's Couch to 5k!

For a while now I've known that I need to get myself in gear, get moving, and get healthy.  Now that I'm done having babies and my littlest isn't so much of a baby anymore I had to tell myself now is the time to do something.

A friend of mine who recently completed her first 5k recommended this to me and I am so grateful.  Just by looking at the outline of the program I could tell this is something I can do.  30 minutes, three times per week.  Perfect for a busy momma!

Today was day one. Overall I was pretty impressed that I kept moving and didn't stop.  I didn't plan it, but the end of my workout put me right back on my doorstep as the music was ending.  I will have to remember next time though to plan a route off the main road by our neighborhood.  I saw about 67 people I know drive by me as I was panting and wheezing.  Back roads would probably be much better for the ego!

I felt like Phobe from Friends everytime someone I knew drove by:

A good pair of shoes was in order since I haven't bought any since the academy.  Those have way too many miles on them.  I was pretty excited to find these with the added bonus of my favorite color: teal.

I also snapped a photo of the breaking-in of my new shoes for my Project Life: 

I bought these at Kohl's

Nike Reax Rocket.  Doesn't the word 'rocket' thrown in there just sound fast?  :)

  Some good beats and a catchy tune definitely get me pumped up and redy to go.  If you Google "Couch to 5k podcast" there are several sites which offer free downloads which go along with the Couch to 5k program.  After looking around at a few I found a great set of podcasts you can download free here.    These are some great upbeat songs to keep you moving.  The voice-over telling you when you are halfway done, and how many run sessions you have left is quite helpful.  It was for me, at least!  The biggest help is that the voice-over also tells you when to run and when to walk, so you won't need a timer or stopwatch.  Just put your earphones in, turn on your mp3 player, and get going!

Something I forgot but totally needed was one of those arm bands to strap your ipod down to your arm so you don't have to hold it while you're trying to run.  I'll have to pick one up this week.  An ace bandage works in a pinch, but looks kind of funny.  Don't ask me how I know!

Is anyone else doing this program, or have you done it?  I'd love to hear your input and any tips you have to offer so be sure to leave a coment to help this girl out.  Thanks! 

OLW76

Teal is my favorite color.  Gray and teal work so beautifully together so it was no question as to what color I wanted to use for Susan's One Layer Wednesday challenge this week.

First up though is some color inspiration I have in my file using these colors together.  This watercolor painting is simply gorgeous!

                                                                     PHOTO SOURCE


Here is my project for the challenge:
(I'm horrible at photographing my cards at night under artificial light.  Sorry!)

 Just a tiny touch of teal:

I stamped the medallion and the sentiment in ColorBox pigment ink in 'Wild Hare' and heat-embossed both with clear embossing powder.  It gave a nice polished look and gave a bit of dimension to an otherwise flat one layer card.

I had to resist the urge to stamp the sentiment in black, but after seeing Susan's cards with grey sentiments I was totally inspired to try it.  Not bad, eh?

Stamps: PTI Mehndi Medallion, Botanical Silhouettes

Ink: ColorBox 'Wild Hare'

Cardstock: PTI white



Super Simple Sunday

I have just a quick, super simple project to share today.  It is a one-layer card with a little added dimension by use of rhinestones in the middle of each medallion shape.

Something I've really been loving about clear stamps is how easy it is to line them up an see exactly where you want them to go.  Add in a grid-lined acrylic block, and it's so easy even I can do it!

Stamps: PTI Mehndi Medallions, bonus free Thank You set
Ink: SU! Perfect Plum, Tempting Turquoise, Momento black
Other: SU! clear rhinestones

FMS19 and CTD176

Freshly Made Sketches  has a great new sketch to try this week.  The scalloped border immediately made me want to use my newest border die, so I was all ready to get started.


Then I saw the Color Throwdown Challenge for this week and just love these colors together! The bed in the inspiration photo is really beautiful, too! 


And here is my project combining the two challenges.  It isn't exactly what I planned in my head, but it's not too horrible :)

Stamps: PTI Botanical Sihouettes, Mehndi Medallion

Ink: SU! Rose Red, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip

Cardstock: SU! Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Rose Red DP, PTI white

Dies: PTI Mat Stack 5, Mat Stack 1, hearts border, filigree border

Color Inspiration 3

I just love the soft colors in this fine art print I found on Etsy. The combination is perfect for a Valentine's Day project!

Photo Source

CTD175

The Color Throwdown Blog has one of my favorite color combinations up as the challenge this week in Challenge CTD175.  I've always loved these colors together and even used to have an ivory couch with kraft colored specks in the fabric and big red poppies with olive leaves.  Oh, how I loved that couch!  The hubby didn't love it so much, and an ivory couch wasn't so ideal when the kiddos came along.

Anyhow, on to the projects!

Here is the Color Throwdown inspiration photo and color palette:



And here is my take on it:

Stamps: Stampin'  Up! Watercolor Trio

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake, Red Riding Hood, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Kiwi Kiss

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Dies: Papertrey Ink Mat Stack 5, Sizzix leaf die

Punch: Stampin' Up! Scalloped Circle 

I made the flower by punching six scalloped circles from Riding Hood Red cardstock, scrunching them up by hand over and over until they softened up and were pliable, then attaching them all together with a brad in the center.  Once attached, fluff them up by hand.  It's such an easy and economical way to add a dimensional emellishment to your project!

And an extra super-simple one just for fun (though this one doesn't have kraft, but a darker brown):

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Botanical Silhouettes

Ink: Stampin' Up! Kiwi Kiss, Red Riding Hood, Chocolate Chip

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Stampers Select White

Other: Clear embossing powder

Thanks for stopping by today.  I'm off to go get ready for company coming over to watch the game with us, and watch the Forty Niner's win.  GO NINERS!!!

**Post edited**

In a rush to get to watching the game, I forgot to add my supply list for my projects.  I've added them below each project photo.

Is anyone else crying with me after the Niners lost?  So. Not. Cool.  They played a good game though, and another season will come around.

After reminiscing about my old couch mentioned before as part of this color challenge, I looked back and found an old photo of my beloved couch.  Excuse the paint line near the floor, it was before the floorboards were put up. 

More Color Inspiration

I came across this photo of these pillow cases while searching for....um, well...I don't remember what now!  Funny how the internet sucks you in like that, eh?

I absolutely love the combination of colors and especially like the pattern in the two middle ones on the left.  Unfortunately, the photo didn't have any info attached on where to find them so I had to play web detective and try to track it down.  The best guess I could find is this Etsy shop: 'Kalla'.  She has a great selection of fabrics to sew your own pillow cases with!

This one is my favorite color and pattern combo:

Photo source

Here are some beautiful colors together:

I really meant to post this yesterday (Monday) and to actually create a project from these colors last night, but the house was quiet and after a long weekend away I opted for a hot bath and early bedtime instead!

Color Inspiration

A lot of times when browsing the internet, I come across photos that catch my eye *mostly* for the colors that jump out at me and say, "that would make a great color combo for a project!"

I can then pull the colors from the photo to use later for inspiration, and now with Pinterest I can save the photo there as well.

Just for fun I thought I'd start sharing some of my favorite color combo inspirations  here on my blog and maybe you'll be inspired, too! I pulled the main colors from the photo and made a little pallette at the bottom just to break it down. I hope to share these on Mondays from now on, so check back.  :)

Here is one which recently caught my eye.  I don't even remember what I was searching for when I came across this (I promise it wasn't a hat for my kitty.  I swear!) but the colors, not to mention the subject itself, really caught my eye.  I love the fabric in the background.

I can't help but notice this guy doesn't look too happy about his new fashion accessory!



If you are so inclined to buy a little hat for your kitty, you can find it here:
photo credit: http://www.etsy.com/shop/shan329

I'd love to see any projects you've made with these colors, so feel free to link to your blog in the comments!

Project Life 2012 Title Page

So.....once again, I'm attempting to do Project Life this year. 

I figured the best way to start is with page one.  A title page.  It gave me a space to write down a few ideas of my hopes for the book and give me a reason to stick to it. 

*layout based on PageMaps December 2011 sketch.
Supplies: PTI kraft cardstock, Crate Paper 'Restoration', Martha Stewart punches, AC Thickers, Recollections glitter alphas.
Photography and adorable kiddos by Me!(and Mr. Paperaddict)  :)Some little hand-made butterfly embellishments:

I was so happy there was a four of hearts in this paper!  There are four of us in our little family, so it was perfect.

One thing I learned from my dismal failure  unfinished project from last year is to not place so much stress on making it perfect.  If I don't take a photo every single day, so what?  I fell behind on my photo taking, because let's face it: being and grown-up and/or momma is just downright tiring some days.  With the million things to do each day it may not always be the first thing on my mind to pick up the camera.  So this year I give myself permission to not stress about tyring to be perfect.  At anything.

I especially mention this because I've chatted with a few friends recently about their attempts at this project last year and how they gave up after falling behind.  I've also seen several people mention it on-line as well that they just completely threw the towel in after falling behind.  I say just pick up where you left off and keep going.  You can do it!  Again, so what?  So what if it's not a photo every day?  You are still recording your memories, big and small, and creating a priceless record of your life.  Imagine how much fun it will be to look at in 10, 20, 30 + years and remember all the everyday little things that make you and your family who you are! 

I'd like to share a quote I've recently come across that translates well, not just for this project, but for pretty much anything:

 "I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work."
~ Thomas Edison.

Moving into 2012, I definitely plan to keep this idea in mind.  I suppose you only fail when you stop trying.


Happy 2012!

Happy New Year, everyone! I've always loved the idea of New Years.  A fresh start, in a way.  A brand new calendar to fill up. New goals to work toward.  A good time to start new projects.  We'll see how far I get with Project Life this year ;)

I've been busy doing more cooking and baking than anything crafty lately, so I'd like to share a recipe I recently discovered.  This breakfast is definitely  the perfect meal after a night of celebrating :)  It's good any time, even for dinner! French toast.  Mmmmmm..... One of my favorite breakfast foods ever.
My hubby made a delicious french toast casserole last year for Christmas breakfast, so I wanted to try making one this year.   I came across this recipe on Pioneer Woman last week for cinnamon baked french toast.
It's so easy to make and I really like that you can prepare it the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning.
Here is what my finished casserole looked like before it was devoured!

Best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy, and wonderful 2012!

December Daily

...or December Occasionally?   :)

I tried December Daily a couple of years ago, but just like my last attempt at Project Life, the need to follow through every single day is a little overwhelming for me. Life is busy as it is.  Add in the extra time crunch of the holidays, not to mention the fact that I always seem to take on too many projects no matter the time of year, it just didn't work out for me.  I would always go to bed telling myself I would catch up the next day, but one day became two, three, four, etc.

This year I decided to go with a basic binder so I could add pages as I go.  I also didn't number

the pages so there wouldn't be a need to add every single day.  For now I think my plan is just to cover the main highlights of the holidays like getting our tree, a trip to the snow, decorations, food, etc.

Here is a look at the cover: 

and a peek at the inside:

This is a Maya Road 5x7 chipboard binder that I painted with Making Memories paint (color: "Meadow").  The papers and elements are from Crate Paper's "Snow Day" collection.

Washi Tape

Washi tape.  Paper tape.  Decorative tape.  Photo tape.  Whatever you call it, the stuff is pretty fun to use!  So far I only have one roll of the real thing and even though it was only $1.99 for the roll, I've been hoarding it for use on only the super-extra-special stuff that needs taping.  It goes perfect with my Smash Book though and is a fun way to tape in the loose bits and pieces.
You may have noticed I finally have a snazzy new little blog header up there.  It's something I've been meaning to change for quite a while and finally got the chance to get it done today.  The tape I used was an awesome free download from Libby Bonjour:

Visit Libby's blog and download the Lake Collection washi tape here.

So, seeing how easy it was just to play with this digital tape with no worries of using it all up, of course I was on a quest to find some more.  Here are some other pretty ones to check out:

Digital washi tape by Rhonna Designs



Pixel Paperie on Etsy



Ursula's amazing collection (be sure to visit her blog for more photos)

Funny Halloween Craft Time!

This video clip from the Ellen Degeneres show has been going around lately and it's pretty funny!  If you haven't seen her show before, every now and then she does this bit called "Ellen in my ear" where the person playing along has an earpiece in and Ellen tells that person what they have to say.
This one is of a lady *trying* to instruct a craft class at Michael's, but it's a bit difficult with Ellen telling her what to say to her class!
VIDEO HERE.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

...and I've been absent from blogging for a while.  Fall.  Autumn.  End of Summer.  Whatever you call it, it's my favorite time of year.  Beautiful color changes in the trees, fall decorations, pumpkins, back to school, football games, tractor rides, and pumpkins.  These are a few of my favorite things! :)
I've simply been enjoying all of these things, and more, and haven't been focusing too much on my crafting recently.  Now that I'm getting settled back into the season, I'm planning on getting started again soon.

I really wanted to share something I read this evening, and I encourage everyone to read the letter I'm going to link to and encourage others to read it as well.  As fellow crafters we all know that as a group, we are some of the most generous, kind-hearted people out there.  Always willing to help a friend in need, send a special note to a sick child, share projects for fundraisers, and spread joy to soldiers overseas.  These are just a few examples.  I love that.  But unfortunately there are some out there who don't always do the right thing.  I don't love that.  The theft of images created by some fabulous artists has put said artists in a very difficult place.

Mo Manning, the wonderful artist and creator of the fabulous images found at Mo's Digital Pencil, shared a letter she authored in response to someone she discovered was basically stealing her images.  You can see the letter HERE. Mo definitely shed light to the very personal impact stealing has had on her and I am so disappointed that a fellow crafter would cause this sort of pain to one of the very people we look to for inspiration.

If nothing else, check out Mo's images and support her either by dropping a note or purchasing one of her imges. Take a look at the detail she puts into her images.  They are practically a steal at the mere price of $3.00- $5.00 per image, so why the need to actually STEAL her images?

Whimsy and Mojo meet again...

The gals over at Mojo Monday had another great sketch this week and, of course, I had to play along!  If you haven't checked out their site yet, I encourage you to go take a visit.  They keep all the sketches and corresponding projects on-line so you're sure to find plenty of inspiration over there.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my interpretation:

I kept the main elements of the sketch the same, but I did make a small change of taking the bottom rectangle layer on the right of the sketch and rotating it and moving it to the bottom.  Instead of a photo corner I thought it would be fun to make a triangle out of adhesive pearls.

This "Coffee Girl" image is available in the Whimsy and Stars Studio's Etsy site for only $3.00!  Really, you can't beat that for a super cute image that you can resize to fit many different projects and use over and over again!

The paper here is Echo Park's "Life is Good" line.  Such pretty and happy colors in this collection!  I also used my favorite background stamp from Papertrey Ink named "Text Style".

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy 50th!!!

One of my favorite people is celebrating a birthday this week.  Yep. The big 5-0. 

I wanted to make a little something different than just a card to attach to her birthday gift, so I had the idea to make this little banner.

The base started out with some die cut tags.  I really like this particular die because it has two parts.  The main base of the tag and a little circle to fold over the top across the hole.  After I glued the tags onto the twine, I covered up the holes with some buttons so you couldn't see the hole.

 A die cut leaf and butterflies added onto each end:

Papertrey Ink's 'By the Numbers' dies are so perfect for birthday decorations as you can customize your 

project for any age.  I adhered the numbers with dimensional foam on top of these fun fan-folded dimensional flowers. 

 

I thought it was kind of fun that you can take it off the gift and hang it up as a little party decoration!

Thanks for stopping by today and if you have a birthday this week, then happy birthday to you, too!


Paper: My Mind's Eye: "Stella and Rose", PTI kraft
Leaf Die: Sizzix
Small butterfly: MS Crafts punch
All other dies and buttons: PTI

Floaty Boy and Summertime!

So we're gearing up to go on our first camping trip of the Summer and I have got nothing but the river and sunshine on my mind.  Ok, maybe a little S'mores, too! 

 This little "Floaty Boy" image was just perfect to work with while keeping me in my happy Summer state of mind.

We are so lucky to be spending the camping trip with some of our most amazing friends, so I think this card will be appropriate to send after the trip to thank them for all the great memories we are sure to make.

These little fan flowers are really easy to make and could really be used in a lot of ways depending on the colors you use.  I put this one together hoping it would look somewhat like a sun.  After adhering the ends of my fan-folded strip together, I topped it with a bright orange button from PTI.  I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

So who else out there loves camping?  What is your favorite part of the whole experience?  I hope you get to enjoy lots of peaceful days out in the sunshine while Summer is still here.  Enjoy!

Stamps: Digi "Floaty Boy" by Whimsy and Stars Studio, sentiment by PTI
Cardstock: My Mind's Eye "Fine and Dandy"
Other: Copics, PTI button

Stamp-a-Faire Challenge 8

The challenge for this round was to create a card with the cover cut back a bit to reveal a portion of the bottom of the base.  I really liked trying this one out because I learned how easy it is to give a lot more depth and interest to a card just by using this technique.

Another fun little thing I've discovered about using clear stamps is the ability to emboss pretty much any color using only clear embossing powder.  I stamped the poppy images here in red ink, cleaned my stamp, then stamped right over the original image using versamark ink and embossed with clear powder.  With the clear stamp I was able to stamp right on top of the original image without using any special tools.  This also totally eliminates the need to have powders in every color.

Stamp-a-Faire Challenge 4

The challenge for this round was to create a project using these colors:

I wish I had taken the time to take and edit a better photo because I really did use two different greens between the leaves of the flowers and the green strip on the left.  I promise!  I would have loved to participate in all the challenges today but I was super short on time as I had to use the kids' nap-time to do a little stamping then jump in the shower before we headed to town for the rest of the day.

  This challenge stuck out to me as one I really wanted to try because of the use of two very similar colors.

Here's what I came up with: