sugarbuffetstudio

Paper Smooches winner announced!!

2012-01-28T10:56:00.000-05:00

Good morning, I'm back to announce the winner of the Paper Smooches blog hop!

Without further ado, the winner according to random.org is #21, which belongs to Emily (stampingout on SCS)!

Congrats, Emily! Please contact me with your mailing info and we'll get your prize out to you!

January Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2012-01-26T09:00:00.011-05:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches February stamp release with you! The three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on February 1st. You will find them HERE. Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new February stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, January 27th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, January 28th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

To increase your chances of winning:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post

2. Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

4. Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

I used the super adorable new set Spring Fling for my card.

I kept it clean and simple, which is best with an awesome chevron pattern to ground the little cutie!

It was love at first sight!

Bunny and carrot.

Me and bunny.

Love.

She is just too sweet!

I adore her!

Lifestyle Crafts Giveaway

2012-01-18T10:33:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to join the Lifestyle Crafts design team! I love, love, love their trendy dies, especially all the 3d dies, they will come in super handy for party favors!

Here are some of my favorites:




Cute embossing folders:



BONUS! Lifestyle Crafts is giving all my readers 20% off their purchase using promo/coupon code: SUGAR.

And just a reminder that you still have time to enter the I Made This Ultimate Giveaway from Lifestyle Crafts! Check out the prize!!

Bella Blvd guest artista

2012-01-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm a guest designer at the Bella Blvd blog today. How fun!

Here's a quick shot at my projects.

I used their latest lines Winter Wonderland and Spring Flings and Easter Things to create my projects.

And YUPPP, that's a layout! I always feel so accomplished when I complete a layout that isn't a total eye sore, hah! Pop on over to the blog for more details on each project! Thanks for looking!

Hero Arts 2012 Catalog Blog Hop!

2012-01-13T08:00:00.015-05:00

Welcome to the final day of the Hero Arts 2012 Catalog Blog Hop!

You should have hopped your way here from Tracy Kuzniak's blog.

All the Hero Arts Hostess alumnis have come together again to showcase the brand new 2012 stamps!

Hero Arts will be awarding prizes from randomly drawn comments. For a chance to win, simply comment on ANY of the stops along the hop on ANY day, including each day’s starting post at the Hero Club Blog. The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning! If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Hero Club Blog. Also, please report broken links to Tami.

Here's my first card. Love that girl with the stack of presents. This is my favorite stamp in the entire catalog. The image can be used for so many different occasions. Birthday? Wedding? Bridal shower? Baby shower? Basically, anything festive! I chose to leave it sentiment-less just so I have it on hand for the next occasion -- whatever it may be! And that chevron background stamp is a must-have! Quick and easy and adds a modern touch to the card. The girl is colored in with Copic markers.

Stamps: (Zig Zag CG422, For You Gifts G5596) Hero Arts

For the second card, I decided to go CAS, with a little touch of detail. I pulled out my all-time favorite sentiment stamps from Hero Arts for this. I used Prismacolor pencils to color the flower in. Also, it's hard to tell from the photo but it sparkles a bit. I diluted a dab of shimmery Luminarte paint with water and just lightly painted on top of the colored image. It gives off a subtle, pretty sheen.

Stamps: (Fleurettes K5597, Thoughtful Messages CL184) Hero Arts

Alright, that wraps it up from me. I had a lot of fun with these new stamps. Beautiful and versatile images that can be used over and over again for many occasions!

So, are you ready for one more? The last and final stop of the hop is Jenny Suchin!

Blogger seems to be having hiccups again. If you can't load the comments page, try using Google Chrome or you can leave an extra comment on the Hero blog for me HERE.

Update: I think I fixed the commenting issue. If anyone is still having trouble leaving a comment, please let me know {contact me above}. Thank you!

Lifestyle Crafts: Sweetheart

2012-01-11T18:01:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the late post, I was swamped the past couple of weeks and all of today pounding out loads of cards, projects and even a scrapbook layout! My desk looks like product vomit and I have multiple paper cuts -- BUT, I am all caught up. So many things checked off my to-do list, and that feels great!

So, did you see the Lifestyle Crafts blog today?

I have a project featured along with others showcasing their new Sweetheart release.

This one would be mine:

I used a sketchpad notebook that I had lying around. It's actually a plain pad that I paid $25 for an artist exhibition project. I never went through with it, so I was just stuck with an expensive plain notebook that made me feel bad every time I looked at it. :( In comes these gorgeous Lifestyle Crafts dies to the rescue! I spruced it up, meticulously die cutting each heart and lining them up. I will probably modpodge the cover being that white will get dirty in an instant. I don't feel all that bad about the notebook anymore since it served a greater purpose. :)

Dies: (Nesting Hearts, Arrows) Lifestyle Crafts
Stamps: (Ali Edwards Love Always Wins) Technique Tuesday

Hello Wednesday!

2012-01-04T13:32:00.002-05:00

Happy new year, everyone!

How was your holidays? We had a great one. Family, friends, lots of love and laughter -- can't ask for anything more.

November/December always tend to be my busiest month on top of the holiday season-- because my calendar is chocked full of birthdays and other special events. I struggle to find time to meet all my obligations, both at home and on the design front -- I barely survived this year! But, that's 2011 and I'm looking forward to better time management and wiser decisions to help balance everything in the new year. And I wish that for you too.

Now, my first share of 2011 is a Paper Smooches card that displays a style that I would like to tackle more this year -- graphic and bold.

I used the newly released Vogue Abode stamp set. If you don't own a home-ish set yet, this is the one to get! So many different mix and match options. Just get it, you'll love it!

Toodles now, I just might have some time to get crafty today, got some CHA projects on my to-do list!

Paper Smooches winner announced!

2011-12-31T10:11:00.000-05:00

Congratulations! Please contact me with your mailing address and we'll get the super trendy Helping Hands stamp set out to you!

SHartl said...

101

What a great way to use this stamp...never would have thought to do that! Love those added feathers too!

December 30, 2011 3:19 AM

December Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-12-29T09:00:00.007-05:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches January stamp release with you! The three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on January 1st. You will find them HERE. Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new January stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, December 30th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, December 31st to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

To increase your chances of winning:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post

2. Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

4. Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

Here is my card using Helping Hands.

I turned my hand into a birdie, complete with feathers from My Peeps. And yes, that would be an engagement ring -- perfect for my newly engaged bestie. :)

Surprise Birthday Blog Hop for Bella Blvd's Stephanie!

2011-12-19T06:00:00.003-05:00

Hi, today I'm participating in this fun hop celebrating Bella Blvd's very own Stephanie's birthday! Fun!

Happy birthday, Stephanie! Hope today is one awesome day for you! :)

To start from the beginning of the hop, please hit up the Bella Blvd blog HERE.

Here's my card for the birthday girl...

The next stop on the hop is the talented Carina Lindholm's blog HERE.

Paper Smooches

2011-12-08T10:57:00.003-05:00

Two Paper Smooches card today, because I am just that behind!

This one uses stamps from Smoocheroos and Word Salad. The olives looked like lanterns to me, so lanterns they became for this sweet party! Broke out my distress inks and my seam binding that I dyed myself since forever and neglected!

And this is just a simple card also from Smoocheroos. I love green, yellow, and blue together. So calming.

Kids are sick, so that's it from me. Toodles!

New stamp storage | Paper Smooches: Smoocheroos

2011-11-29T10:05:00.008-05:00

Did you take advantage of the weekend sales? I sure did! Crafty things accounted for half of my purchases. Hopefully all the new products will ramp up my mojo a few notches, cause I surely haven't been in the mood to do anything! The crickets around here will agree with me. I did manage to reorganize my desk yesterday. Reorganizing and purging always helps. My desk is still a mess, with a pile of paper. I'm tempted to just scoop it all up in my arms and trash everything!

One man's trash is another man's treasure, right? Well, look at what I picked up down the street from me!

My husband teased me for being a garbage picker, but it was in pristine condition! I was able to fit all my cd cased clear stamps in there! Basically, all my PTI, older Hero, and some misc stamps went in here. I also stored a few Hero Arts Designer Blocks too. I still have a ton of wood block stamps that I haven't decided what to do with them yet. So, that's why the bottom is bare for now.

Oh, and I do have a card to share with you today! Audrey has been reading everything lately! She really enjoys reading and I couldn't be happier. She is so diligent when it comes to her education -- every night she would read a book or two and make me record it in her reading log. You know, I'm lazy and forgetful sometimes, but she is never lazy or forgetful. She actually gets upset if I tell her it's too late for books and she has to go to sleep pronto. We just had our parent-teacher meeting and I'm pleased with how well she's doing at school -- always a model student, albeit a bit shy. But, she is one of the most academically advanced students in her class. Actually, she's #2 next to her genius friend who I swear looks like she's two years older! Anyway... so, after the meeting, I made her this card to encourage her. The bookmark is detachable. I wrote a little note inside telling her how proud we were of her and our hopes that she will continue on this path.

She loved it. :)

Stamps: (Smoocheroos) Paper Smooches - to be released December 1st

Paper Smooches winner!

2011-11-26T15:01:00.003-05:00

The winner of Chubby Chums is #97

Scrapcollectr said...

I blog posted about the hop!
http://thecraftyfrugalista.blogspot.com

Congrats! Please contact me with your mailing info to claim your prize.

November Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-11-24T09:00:00.005-05:00

*Scroll down for my CASE Study challenge post!*

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches December stamp release with you! The three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on December 1st. You will find them HERE. Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new December stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, November 25th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, November 26th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

To increase your chances of winning:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post

2. Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

4. Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)
Sounds, good? Okay! So here's my card using Chubby Chum Pals. I love this bear - sweet polar sweet! She is sooo cute! I have her stacking snowballs here, ready for another polar bear to come along for a snowball fight, perhaps? ;)

Have a happy, happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones, and remember to check back to see if you're a lucky winner!

CASE Study #67

2011-11-24T00:01:00.002-05:00

Hi and Happy Thanksgiving! I'm back with my last post as the Muse for CASE Study!

I think this was saved as my last hurrah because it is the best representation of my current style -- completely CAS! At least I think so anyway!

Here's my CASE'd card...

I didn't feel a need to make any drastic changes to the CASE'd card, just swapped out butterflies in varying shades of blues and greens and a text overlay instead of polka dots. This is an extremely easy card to make with with either a single large image as in the original card or smaller images stamped repeatedly. The result is rather bold and elegant -- definitely a personal fave go-to card of mine!

I want to thank the adorable Miss Chupa for inviting me to be the muse this month and all the talented designers at CASE Study! And of course all the players for playing along! It's been so much fun~! Ciao!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC29

2011-11-18T00:00:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone, I'm typing up this post with less than 3 hours before it's set to go live. I'm not usually a procrastinator, but this is as close as it gets for me for advanced notice challenges. Which brings me to some bittersweet news today... this, my friends, is my last CAS-ual Fridays challenge on the design team. I have enjoyed the past year with all the Girl Fridays immensely! And I love that the weekly challenges gave me contents to post on my otherwise quiet blog! :) Anyways, it's been fun and while I am sad to go, life goes on... and it's been a very busy life!

Anyhoots, here is this week's challenge!

This week we are sponsored by Tradefish Designs. Please hop on over to the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see what prize is up for grabs this week!

And here's my card. Simple as can be.

Thanks for looking!

Case Study #66

2011-11-17T00:01:00.002-05:00

Hello, welcome to another week with CASE Study where yours truly is the muse/guest designer for the month!

This week we are CASE-ing this card that first appeared on this post HERE.

I have to admit that this card is not my normal style, there's embossing, distressing, die cutting, coloring -- wow, just typing all that out got me tired! Yes, I am a lazy stamper. But every once in awhile, I do break out all the goods and create something out of my comfort zone!

So, here's my CASE-d card, dramatically watered down, haha!

Instead of embossing, I went with Stickles for the "snow. No die cuts for the sentiment, just plain ole stamp and ink on paper. I kept the house elements and colored them in. So, it wasn't a total cop-out of laziness. I used a very old but loved Doodlebug stamp set, the name escapes me because I bought it when I first started stamping and didn't think to retain the packaging or the name of the stamp set! Doh! Anyways, hope you get a chance to play along, would love to see which elements you pick from this card!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC28

2011-11-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hi and happy Friday! So glad you popped in! So, here's the challenge for this week:

Awesome. Perfect timing! With how hectic my schedule has been, it's a very good thing that I can get some holiday stuff done via a challenge. I need more tags!

Check out the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see what amazing prize is up for grabs!

This week's sponsor: Purple Onion Designs

I like to double my tags as cards. It just kind of make sense. Well, for our household especially since I don't give handmade cards to friends and family (gasp! wait! keep reading...). What we do around here are photo cards of the kids. Which I love equally if not more. Not a creative cop-out because I put my graphic designing skills to work and design something from scratch. So it's the photo card + handmade gift tag with a tiny handwritten message inside. That is good enough for me. Good because it's also less work, hah!

CASE Study #65

2011-11-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

I'm back today as CASE Study's muse! What a wonderful response to the first week, can't wait to see what you do with this week's CASE card... which is this Paper Smooches card that first appeared HERE!

And here's me CASE-ing myself!

I used some new Bella Blvd goodies from the newly released Winter Wonder line and stamped the Paper Smooches sentiment from Swanky Snowdudes twice.

Did I ever tell you that this is my favorite color combo of all time? :)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC27

2011-11-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

Gosh, is it Friday already? We LOVE Fridays around here! Fridays mean we get to go out for dinner and Audrey can stay up a wee bit later than usual. Not too late because she still has Chinese school every Saturday morning. Good thing she loves it and doesn't mind waking up early. I hated being dragged out of bed on weekends by my mom, which was both Saturdays and Sundays! It was Chinese school on Saturdays and then work at my parent's restaurant on Sundays. On the rare days that I did get to sleep in, I wouldn't get up until 3 in the afternoon, lol!

Anyways, we're gearing up for a fun weekend -- my little Ella is turning the Terrible Two tomorrow! I'll be sure to share some party pics later in the week. In the meantime, back to the scheduled programming! It is a CAS-ual Friday after all!

Check out the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see what amazing prize is up for grabs!

This week's sponsor: Lil' Inker Designs

I used one of my all-time favorite stamps -- Hero Arts Silly Scape and another stamp set that I use way too much -- Technique Tuesday Ali Edwards Good Cheer.

Have a great weekend!

CASE Study November Muse

2011-11-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday! I am the Muse (guest designer) this month at CASE Study! CASE Study is a fun concept challenge blog that features a new muse every month. In that month, a card is selected each week from the muse as inspiration. So, despite my awkward intro (they're always awkward), I'm pretty psyched to see what the amazingly talented DT and all the players do with my cards.

The first card chosen to CASE appeared on the Hero Arts blog last year

And this is me CASE-ing my own card. Christmas 2011 version..

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone links up!

Paper Smooches blog hop winner...

2011-10-29T10:45:00.001-04:00

The winner of Promenade is #85... Please contact me with your mailing address! Thanks for playing along, everyone!!!

osirisandloki said...85

a very cute balloon card@

October 28, 2011 5:02 AM

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC26

2011-10-28T00:01:00.004-04:00

Check out the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see what amazing prize is up for grabs!

This week's sponsor: Lawn Fawn

I love the sweet simple sketch! i don't know about you, but I could never figure out what to do with overly complicated sketches with one too many lines. Just too restricting, this one is perfect and so versatile! Here's what I did with it.

You're gonna see a whole lot of banners and even more doilies popping up here -- even more so than before! I want to use them on everything! Used one of my fave Lawn Fawn stamps -- Hello Friend and some beautiful A Muse paper.

October Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-10-27T09:00:00.006-04:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches November stamp release with you! The Three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on November 1st. You will find them HERE. Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.
To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new November stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, October 28th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, October 29th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

To increase your chances of winning:

1. leave a comment on this blog post

2. tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. tell us that you Tweeted about out blog hop

4. tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

My card uses Promenade -- a stamp set that I absolutely fell for at first sight! There are so many cute elements that allows you to build the perfect chic little outdoor scene -- Paper Smooches style, of course! Kim really thought of everything in this little gem! My favorite is the bicycle image, so cute!

I punched a bunch of circles and turned them into balloons tied to the bike. The strings were all drawn freehand. Such a simple card that anyone can do! And I'm finally cutting into my beloved A Muse papers. Love them.

Thanks for popping in, good luck with the hop!

Market Street Stamps Guest Designer

2011-10-22T09:00:00.004-04:00

Hello, I am the guest designer over at Market Street Stamps today!

But first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARKET STREET STAMPS!!! Wishing you wonderful folks many, many more!

I have created a few projects to showcase the versatility of these awesome stamps!

My mother in law was never a great cook, but she was amazing at making soups. My husband grew up with a big pot of piping hot soup on the stove every night. He loved it. I loved it. Before she passed away in 2007, one of the last things she did was pass her recipes down to me. At the time, I diligently wrote them down by hand and eventually typed it all up. It was always on the back of my mind to make a little soup recipe book. When I saw the big pot image in Comfort Food -- it clicked! Here is my mother in law's collection of heartwarming soups...

I used Perfectly Pretty Grid for the background. Love all of MSS's background stamps!

I wrote a little tribute to her...

All the recipes are handwritten to give it a heartfelt feel... if that makes sense. I want my girls to pick this up one day and see my handwriting instead of something I printed from the computer. It is one way I thought could connect one generation to another.

I also made a matching card...

Now any of my friends can tell you that I am an avid cook. I created my own recipe book of my favorite recipes that I've collected throughout the years. When you're cooking 4-5x a week, it's so easy to get into a rut and forget to make the really good stuff. I don't want to deprive my family of my yummiest creations, so this recipe book will serve as an inspiration when I "just don't know what to cook for dinner tonight!" I've also sneaked in a few top secret dessert recipes!

The inside of the pages were stamped with Vintage Notepad.

And a last card using Comfort Food!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC25

2011-10-21T00:01:00.011-04:00

Check out the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see what amazing prize is up for grabs!

This week's sponsor: Clear and Simple Stamps.

Here's my card for the challenge

I had a great time making this card. I am in love with the clean, crisp images of this stamp set -- and of course the fact that it speaks to us, paper crafters is a bonus. I did a bit of masking to here, not too difficult. All the whites were in-lined (as supposed to out-lined) with a gray Copic marker to give it some depth, hard to tell from the photo. I love the bright rainbow pops of color coming from the pencils. All together, for me, this is a very visually appealing card. Love Craft Room!

And wait, there's more! Because Clear and Simple Stamps is such a fabulous sponsor they are running a special little contest! Read below!

***BONUS***

Use the html code below to add the CSS blinkie to your side bar, and leave us a message with a link to your blog and we will randomly select (3) blogs featuring the CSS blinkie with the Limited Edition Crafty Bonus stamp set! {bonus closes Thursday 10.27.11 at midnight, EST}

BLINKIE HTML:

http://www.clearandsimplestampsonline.com">http://www.clearandsimplestampsonline.com/cssbadgeanim.gif" />

I've already threw my hat in to the ring, now it's your turn! Good luck and have fun!

Paper Smooches: Hot Concoctions

2011-10-17T10:10:00.003-04:00

Good Monday morning, I have a busy week of crafting ahead of me, so many deadlines to meet! I don't know why I have been procrastinating lately, totally off my game! I suppose it has something to do with my messy desk. I'm just too lazy to clean it up. Even my little 6x6 square of workspace is gone! I guess I have to clean up and organize first!

Good thing I still have something to share here today...

I'm experimenting with different color combos that aren't my norm. When I work I have absolutely no inspiration pieces in front of me. I really should set up my computer or subscribe to more magazines but I haven't. My process is usually a lot of experimenting -- good thing this one turned out okay! If you like coffee, tea, cups, cute stuff, etc. you can get the Hot Concoctions set HERE.

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC24

2011-10-14T00:01:00.005-04:00

Check out the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see what amazing prize is up for grabs!

This week's sponsor: Clear Dollar Stamps

We were challenged to use NO ORANGE, so naturally, since I'm creatively fried also, I reached for my purple spray ink. It's purple, really. :) The finished effect looks like those creepy, grainy films.

Stamps used: (Halloweenies) Paper Smooches, (Chandelier) Impress Rubber Stamps

WOTY is done!

2011-10-10T13:20:00.005-04:00

I am finally free from duties! My sister's wedding is finally in the books! It was a huge undertaking from me as I basically designed her ceremony site, invitations, programs, guest book, and whatever else I can't/don't want to think about right now.

Henceeeeee my absence of words and posts here on the blog. I think I need some time to recuperate and basically do nothing and think about nothing.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share some quick captures from my camera of the big day right here!

The altar, I love that it looks like it's shaped in a heart -- totally unintended!

Exchange of vows

My beautiful Flower Girls...

The trouble makers tearing down the decor...

Vintage coke bottles!

The final capture and quite possibly my favorite one...

How Tweet Of You

2011-10-03T10:15:00.005-04:00

Hope you had a great weekend! I spent my weekend doing wedding stuff, cleaning my desk, and being sneaky planning a big surprise birthday brunch. I even managed to sneak a card in on World Card Making Day, which I missed the last 2 years. I'm hoping this week will be more productive now that my desk is semi-cleaned and my schedule is a tad bit less hectic.

Onto the craft! I just love this little penguin from Paper Smooches My Peeps!

I'm still pretty into white on white textures, it really brings out the bold images which Paper Smooches is quite perfect for! I love that the sentiment fit inside the photo caption punch. I always have a mind to incorporate those, but somehow always forget.

By the way, did you know Paper Smooches now carry embellishments? Check it out HERE!

A Special Paper Smooches Blog hop(e)

2011-10-01T09:00:00.007-04:00

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

So many of us know or have known someone who has battled this terrible disease; some have beat it and some have not. In honor of all of the brave women (and men) God Bless You all. May you find the love and peace you so deserve.

The goal of this hop is to spread awareness as far and wide as possible. Early detection is key. It is so important for both women and men to take initiative and get them squished! Your loved ones will also appreciate it.

We are here today to share a special set with you called HOPE.

Paper Smooches is donating 50% of each HOPE stamp set sold to The National Breast Cancer Foundation

This special stamp set will be available to purchase starting today and like all of our other stamps, it will not retire. You will find it HERE.

Please check all five design team blogs to see what they created with this timeless stamp set.

P.S. There's a giveaway at the Paper Smooches blog HERE!

Paper Smooches winner...

2011-09-24T17:11:00.003-04:00

Hi, popping in to announce the winner of the Paper Smooches blog hop!

And the winner is...

Vera Rhuhay said...

So cute,Kryssi!

September 22, 2011 6:31 PM

Please contact me with your mailing address, Vera!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC21

2011-09-23T00:01:00.005-04:00

Check out the CAS-ual Fridays blog to see what amazing prize is up for grabs!

This week's sponsor: Stampotique.

Here is my card for this week's challenge...

It was a tiny bit of a struggle for me to work with so many colors but I hope you can see that there are many different variants of blue on this card. Actually, I cheated a little bit. ;) The butterfly and the doily image are the same color, but are of different intensity. I first stamped the doily onto scrap paper before inking them onto the white cardstock -- hence the fainter blue. It looks kind of distressed. I like it, and I love the images supplied by Stampotique!

September Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-09-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches October stamp release with you! The Three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on October 1st. You will find them HERE. Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.

We all know how much you all love Kim's cute handwriting sentiment sets, and Chit Chat is no exception! I stamped the "thanks" and then colored it in with a white gel pen.

That cute birdie is from My Peeps, also a new release!

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new October stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, September 23rd to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, September 24th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

To increase your chances of winning:

1. leave a comment on this blog post

2. tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. tell us that you Tweeted about our blog hop

4. tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

Paper SMooches

2011-09-19T14:35:00.003-04:00

Hi I know I've been rather quiet here. First week of kindergarten, first week of Chinese school, and first week of church has kicked our butts. I actually fell asleep today when Ella was napping. That never happens, I assure you. I hate napping, because then it screws up my entire schedule. Anyhoots, here's a quick share for today using Paper Smooches new release...

Sunny Side Up

Halloweenies

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC20

2011-09-16T00:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome to another CAS-ual Friday! We are sponsored by Annabelle stamps, check them out!

So I've got the perfect stamp set from Avocado Arts for this week's mini card challenge. I absolutely fell in love with the Zipnby stamp set. The images are all kind of smaller scaled so it worked really well as a sole focus of the card.

I'm still stuck in my rainbow love mode, hah! I love how a simple colorful background can bring so much to a single simple image.

So, when I first started getting into this stamping hobby, I spent a lot of money on a lot of little thingamajigs that I barely use now -- like ugly ribbon, cheap inks, bad stamps, and way too much eyelets and brads! When was the last time you saw an eyelet or brad make an appearance here? Right, never! Until now! I wanted a smaller gold star, but this copper star topped with gold Stickles kind of works too. :)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC19

2011-09-09T00:01:00.003-04:00

Here we are again, another CAS-ual Fridays challenge upon us.

For my card, I paper pieced the nut image from Paper Smooches Falling For You and paired it with a quotey sentiment. Right now, I am so into the white on white textures and layering with a pops of color. It's so clean and pretty!

Stamps: Falling For You (Paper Smooches), Inside & Out: Thank You (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Little Girl (Echo Park), Kushgrip Scissors (Tim Holtz)

(Tim Holtz)

Paper Smooches: Perpetual Bliss

2011-09-05T16:00:00.004-04:00

Good afternoon and Happy Labor Day! I apologize for the late post but we spent all morning and a good part of the afternoon packing. We are flying out very early tomorrow morning to attend one of my best friend's wedding in Aruba. I am nervous and excited about the trip -- it'll be the first time the kids are flying. Add to the nervousness the fact that we didn't buy Ella her own seat. At 22 months, there is just no containing her in one area for more than 5 minutes. I am still packing, which I don't think I'm doing a very good job at.... what the hell do you pack when you go away with kids anyway? I think I will end up packing the whole house!

I'm hoping all my worrying is for naught. I'm hoping Ella will sleep for most of the 5 hour flight. I'm hoping Audrey will behave. I'm hoping I won't be a hot mess!

Hah! I wish you all perpetual bliss too! Yea, let the good times roll!

Please judge my Copic coloring skills! I paid a lot for the Copic certification class and I hope it shows! :)

Back to packing and I've still got that MOH speech to prep. See you guys soon!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC18

2011-09-02T00:01:00.005-04:00

Check out this week's challenge over at CAS-ual Fridays!

And we are sponsored this week by Paper and Such.

So what a cute challenge huh? What is black and white and READ all over? Hah, so punny! Well, since I have two small children, the only books that comes to mind are children books. My first inclination were titles like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Click Clack Moo, Pat the Bunny - these are all favorites in my house! But, one of my favorites books to read is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Such a wonderful, heartfelt, and meaningful book. I think Shel Silverstein delivers a powerful message that I think is important for children to learn and understand.

So, I was literally inspired and created this card...

Stamps: Through the Trees (Papertrey Ink)

Avocado Arts: Zipnby

2011-08-31T09:56:00.001-04:00

Super quickie today! Posting this card that I never shared...

I used Avocado Arts' Zipnby stamp set. It is so flippin' cute and so clever!!!

Skipping Stones Design Sketch 91

2011-08-30T08:00:00.005-04:00

Today is my last day guests designing for Skipping Stones Designs. It's been an absolute pleasure working with SSD and participating in the Blogs 4 Boobies fundraiser. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! :)

Here is my last card based off of Sketch 91 (courtesy of Miss Teri Anderson)!

Stamps: Victorian Summer, Timeless Textures, Everyday Blessings (Skipping Stones Design)

Other: Circle Punch (Marvy), Kushgrips Scissors (Tim Holtz)

Market Street Block Party

2011-08-28T18:47:00.005-04:00

What do you do when you are stuck at home waiting for Hurricane Irene to pass by?

Well, aside from celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary with an awesome home cooked dinner of steak + lobster salad, I cut some time out to make this card...

Market Street Stamps has a new challenge. I needed an excuse to ink up my stamps and I believe in supporting this great new company. I was the grand prize winner of 3 months of Market Street Stamps a few months ago and shame on me, I barely inked them up. This is the first time I created a card just for fun outside of DT duties in quite some time I believe. I've been experimenting with color mists lately -- also something I have an excess of for over a year now. I think I have the complete collection of Smooch Spritz. :P Black + pink + cream really is a knockout color combo!

Stamps used: (Hippie Chic, Vintage Music), Market Street Stamps

Other: (Black Velvet) Smooch Spritz

By the way, Hurricane Irene delivered a whole ton of rain and I practically stayed up all night listening to the wind whip and howl. But otherwise, it didn't really affect us. Thank you to everyone who kept us in their prayers.

Paper Smooches winners announced!!

2011-08-27T09:55:00.002-04:00

The winner of Halloweenies from the Paper Smooches blog hop is...

Annette said...

Oh MY.... Frankenstein is the cutest... I just love Halloween stamps.. This is a must have.. Thanks for sharing.

Annette, please contact me with your mailing info. Thanks.

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC17

2011-08-26T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hello friends, welcome to another CAS-ual Friday.

Meet this week's challenge...

This challenge is sponsored by SRM Stickers

Here is my "stuck on you" card.

I used Papertrey Menhdi Medallions and one of the large SRM circle stickers. They are so

easy to apply!! Love it!

Thanks for looking! be sure to play along, I hear there's a generous prize to be won! :)

August Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-08-25T09:00:00.006-04:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches September stamp release with you! The Three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase on September 1st. You will find them HERE. Follow the Paper Smooches blog for more sneak peeks.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new September stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, August 26th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, August 27th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

We are joined this month by the very talented Karolyn Loncon (woo to the hoo!). Heather has her hands full this month, so Karolyn is stepping in for her. Heather will be back for our next blog hop on Sept. 22.

To increase your chances of winning:

1. leave a comment on this blog post

2. tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. tell us that you Tweeted about out blog hop

4. tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

I used Halloweenies -- such a fun and spooktacular stamp set!

I created a mono card, reminiscent of those old, eery black and white tv shows. Remember those?

Earlier this month, my bestie and I went to a Copic Certification class here in NYC! Lol, we are now Copic Certified Designers! So, now you'll really see me work those markers -- which works especially well with the open line style of Paper Smooches stamps!

Skipping Stones Design Sketch 90

2011-08-23T08:00:00.005-04:00

I'm back today with a Skipping Stones Design card.

This card is based off of Sketch 90 from my friend, Teri Anderson.

Stamps: Victorian Summer, Everyday Blessings (Skipping Stones Design)

Other: Candy Shoppe Collection (Echo Park), Bird Cage (Kaisercraft)

Blogs 4 Boobies reminder!

2011-08-22T10:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the last day of Blogs 4 Boobies!

There is still time to join in on the fun(draising)!!!!

There are two ways you can help.

#1 There is still time to bid on my project: Here is another look at what I have up for auction.

The auction will end at 8:00 p.m. Mountain time August 23rd.

The highest bid is currently: $100

To win this simply bid more than $100 in the comment section of this post. You must include your email address with your $ bid. (This way we can get in contact with the winning bidder.) Remember, 100% of what you bid will go to the Susan G. Komen foundation!!! If you are the top bidder you will receive a paypal invoice for the amount that you bid.

#2 There is still time to shop!!! Through midnight on the 23rd of August, Skipping Stones Design is still donating $2 to the Susan G. Komen foundation for every stamp set sold. Together we can make a difference!!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC16

2011-08-19T00:01:00.001-04:00

Thanks for stopping for another CAS-ual Friday challenge!

This week's challenge is sponsored by The Stamps of Life.

We were all graciously given a stamp set to work with and I chose to use Banner4All. I like the different mix of patterns in the set. Covers pretty much every major holiday as well. I decided to do something a little more artsy by misting over the embossed paper. Such a pretty and effortless look.

The sentiment is an EAD Designs rub-on. )

Blogs 4 Boobies

2011-08-16T08:00:00.008-04:00

IT'S TIME TO STAMP OUT CANCER!!!

Welcome to the second annual Blog 4 Boobies fundraiser!

This is day 2 of a 3 day blog bounce(hop) where every card or project is up for auction! Last year with your help Skipping Stones Design raised and donated $1108.99 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It is our goal to raise $1500 this year and we need your help!

There are 3 ways you can join in on the fun(draising)

Go shopping! For every stamp set that you purchase during August 15th through the 23rd Skipping Stones Design will donate $2 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Stamping and shopping that you can feel good about!
Bid! Another way you can help us raise money for the Komen Foundation is to *bid on a project or card along the blog bounce(hop). YES! EVERY Single card/project along the blogs for boobies bounce is up for auction. We recommend a starting bid of $5 or more. Your bid not only includes the card or project but shipping to your home as well. *See how to place a bid for more detailed instructions. If you are the highest bidder August 23rd 8:00 PM (mountain time), you WIN the card/project that you bidded on.
Tell your friends! Help us spread the word about Blogs 4 Boobies. The more people that know, the more money we can raise! If you have a blog feel free to copy and paste part or all of our Blogs 4 Boobies posts.

How to place a bid on a card/project

Find the comment section of the blog that shows the "Blogs 4 boobies" card or project that you want to buy. *Please note you may only bid on the card/project shown in the specific "blogs 4 boobies" post. *Any bids not placed on the correct post will be considered invalid.
Once you are in the "blogs 4 boobies" comment section fill in the dollar and cents amount of what you are willing to pay for the card/project. We recommend a starting bid of $5 or more. Remember your bid includes shipping as well as the card/or project. 100% of the money your bid will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Next to your $ bid please type in your email address. During a silent auction bidders sign their name next to their bid. Typing your email address is the electronic equivalent of signing your bid. Also it will help the blogger contact you if you are the highest bidder.
Watch and wait.Once you have entered your bid/comment sit back and wait. If someone out bids you then you may bid again. Bidding will continue until 8:00 p.m. Mountain time August 23rd. *Please note that the participating stampers/bloggers will probably re-post their Blogs 4 Boobies card/project on the 23rd of August. When the blogger re-post their project then the bidding will continue on the NEWEST post and that comment section.

What do I do once I placed a bid?

The "Winner of the Auction" will be the highest bid (that includes an email address) in the comment section of the MOST RECENT blogs 4 boobies post at the end of the silent auction. Please note that ALL cards/projects WILL BE REPOSTED on the 23rd of August. The silent auction will end at 8:00 PM Mountain Time on August 23rd.

Things to keep in mind

Near the end of the bidding you may not see bids as they come in. Most blog have a comment feature where the blogger must approve comments before they are published. So bid high. You might have the highest bid that is published, but someone might have outbid you in an unpublished comment/bid.

The blogger/designer will declare who has won the silent auction. Skipping Stones Design will send you an invoice for your donation/bid amount. Please pay that invoice as soon as possible, so the designer can get your card/project in the mail to you.

Remember, 100% of your bid will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Here is my card set up for your consideration.

Winner will receive the set of 4 cards shown here.

All 4 cards contains different sentiments found in the Everyday Blessings stamp set, which by the way, I had a small hand in designing the font art!

Here is the list of today's participants: make sure to come back the tomorrow and check out our other amazing designers, cards, and projects.

Day 2 bloggers:

Have fun bouncing from blog to blog. Enjoy all the designs, and make a bid or two! This is a rare opportunity to take home a card(s)/project from your favorite designer, and fight the war against breast cancer!!!

Together we can make a difference!!!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC15

2011-08-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

Welcome to another CAS-ual Friday. This week we've got a sketch for you! And what a pretty one it is! Really can't go wrong with this one!

Of course we've got a sponsor as well and this week we are sponsored by Clear Dollar Stamps. Be sure to check the blog for prize details!

Here is my card...

Stamps used: (Life, Enjoy the Ride, Background Basics: Text Style) Papertrey

Hope you make time to play along too!

Skipping Stones Design Sketch 88

2011-08-09T08:00:00.003-04:00

Hi all, popping in super quick to share my card for this week's sketch over at Skipping Stones Design.

Another fabulous sketch provided by the even more fabulous Teri Anderson!

I used Victorian Summer on my card.

I love, love, love the feather image!!! So elegant and gorgeous! A few touches of rhinestones here and there and I was in love. The alphabet is a punch from Martha Stewart.

Pop on over the Skipping Stones Design blog to see what the other girls did with the sketch!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC14

2011-08-05T00:01:00.002-04:00

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge...

Paper Smooches winner!

2011-07-30T10:14:00.003-04:00

The winner from the Paper Smooches blog hop is

Annette said...

These are the cutest cards... Love your idea..
Thanks for sharing

Congratulations, Annette! Please contact me with your mailing address to claim your prize.

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC13

2011-07-29T00:01:00.006-04:00

Hello and welcome to another week with CAS-ual Fridays!

This week we are sponsored by Lawn Fawn.

I had a love/hate thing going on with this week's challenge. I think I went through 4-5 crappy cards before I called it quits for a few days. Every single card I had made were trash-worthy. Sometimes, stepping away and taking a breather is the best solution to get your mojo back. I think it worked in this case because I love this card. :)

I used Hello Friend for this card, one of my favorite Lawn Fawn sets. I love the mix of cute images and playful sentiments. Will be using this one quite a lot I think!

Hope you play along!

July Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-07-28T09:00:00.005-04:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the newest Paper Smooches August stamp release! The Three NEW clear stamp sets are available to purchase now. You will find them HERE

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new August stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, July 29th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, July 30th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

To increase your chances of winning
1. leave a comment on this blog post
2. tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop
3. tell us that you Tweeted
4. tell us that you posted on your blog
(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)
I used Alphadot for my simple project. My 1 year old is a little sponge learning and absorbing new things everyday. Since she is always, constantly, forever in my scrappy room up to no good, I thought it would be nice to have a cute little project in there to catch her eyes. Now she can make a mess and be educated at the same time. :)

The fruits are from Fruitastic. The carrot is from Vegtastic.

Good luck, hoppers!

A Little Lovin'

2011-07-25T10:06:00.003-04:00

Today I get to share with you a brand new stamp set from Paper Smooches that will be available for purchase in August. It is called A Little Lovin and it is hands down one of my favorites! My favorite image from the stamp set is the mama/papa and baby elephants. I have an extra sweet spot for elephants!

Here is my card...

Be back tomorrow! (I think!)

Sunday Shopping

2011-07-24T09:00:00.004-04:00

Cameras, both vintage and modern, have been a hot trend in the industry for awhile now. I love that they are still popping up everywhere in the form of cuteness! As an amateur photography hobbyist, I love collecting them!

Holy cute tape dispenser! I will be trading my boring black Staples one for this!

How adorable is this felt case for your P+S!

I LOVE this! It'd be super cute on my wall if I had anymore wall space to spare!

I got one of these keychain toppers recently. When you click it, the flash goes off multiple times, like a real camera! My kids have been so amused by this!

Catch you later!

Paper Smooches/EAD Designs blog hop!

2011-07-22T09:00:00.007-04:00

*This is my 2nd post for today. Please scroll down for the CAS-ual Fridays challenge*

You may have heard that we have partnered up with EAD Designs to make fun rub-ons and stickerz. We thought that it would be fun to show just how well these products work together!

Meet my little card...

I love the Hang Ups set and was happy to take inspiration from Kim when she posted THIS reference sheet. So many possibilities!

I created the die cut window using a new favorite shape, Spellbinders Labels 18. You'll see these used a lot in the future!

Blog Hops are more fun when a prize is involved, right? All comments received before midnight Pacific time on July 24th is eligible to win a prize pack of both EAD Designs and Paper Smooches stamps. Visit the Paper Smooches Blog on Monday, July 25th to see if you were the ONE winner chosen. You do not need to comment on all five design team blogs to qualify. Good luck!

THE PRIZE:

1 EAD black stickerz sheet (July release)

1 EAD black rub-ons (July release)

1 Paper Smooches stamp set of your choice

To increase your chances of winning, comment to tell us that you facebooked, tweeted or blog posted about our blog hop.

Thanks for stopping by!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC12

2011-07-22T00:01:00.004-04:00

Woohoo! It's Friday with CAS-ual Fridays time!!

This week we are sponsored by EAD Designs.

Their rub-ons and stickerz are second to none. I've played with both and they are amazing and will change the way you think about them forever once you give them a try. For starters, their rub-ons are clean and so easy to apply. And they stay! And their stickerz are repositionable! I love that!

Here is my card using Fluttering Blooms Color stickerz.

I pierced holes for the raindrops and drew the little hearts in with a Spica glitter pen.

Hope you all play along too!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC11

2011-07-15T00:01:00.005-04:00

Welcome to another CAS-ual Fridays!

So this week's challenge is....

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC10

2011-07-08T00:01:00.003-04:00

Sponsored by the one and only Paper Smooches!

I can't tell you how incredibly lucky I am to be on the Paper Smooches DT. Everything about the company is fabulous! I love Kim, she is truly a gem. I hope you all take some time to play along with this fun challenge. As for myself, I gave it my best go! I love all of shaped templates, they go perfectly with Paper Smooches stamps. :)

Here is my card for the challenge using the cart shaped template, which by the way, is my personal favorite. :) And that naughty little monster has a permanent place in my heart as well!

Supplies: (Falling For You, Vegtastic) Paper Smooches, (Cart) Paper Smooches

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T10:14:00.003-04:00

We're about to head out on this hot and humid day, but I thought I should post this card up before I forget!

I used Paper Smooches Surf and Turf. The fish bowl was hand drawn. And now I have to get going cause the kids are screaming at each other. Sigh...

Happy Independence Day!

Paper Smooches Winner!

2011-07-02T22:15:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the late post, I was out all day today! We went to Sesame Place, it was pretty hot today so it was perfect to soak up some fun and sun. Anyways, on to business, the winner of their very own Paper Smooches Surf and Turf is... Congratulations, Gabby! Please email me with your address to claim your prize.

Gabby said...

What a super cute "surf and turf" card! I absolutely love the heart shape and all those cute little creatures! :)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC9

2011-07-01T00:01:00.005-04:00

Hi there, thanks for stopping by this CAS-ual Friday!

Take a look at this week's challenge....

June Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-06-30T09:00:00.007-04:00

June Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the newest Paper Smooches July stamp release! Three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase at 12:01am (mountain time) on Friday, July 1st.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new July stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Friday, July 1st to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Saturday, July 2nd to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

Here is my card using Surf and Turf...

This stamp set is sooo much fun! I love all the different fishes and other critters in it. My fave is that crustacean right there, he is so cute! You can make him hold just about any sign, hee!

Lately I've been obsessed with this color combo and was thrilled to see it take center stage at The Play Date Cafe!

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!!!

Paper Smooches - Santa Paws!

2011-06-27T10:28:00.006-04:00

Hello! I'm here today to share this new Paper Smooches card using Santa Paws (on sale July 1st). If you're looking for an amazingly fun and unique Christmas stamp set, look no further! Santa Paws is a MUST HAVE! The images Kim included are sooooo freakin' cute!

I chose to use this ahhhhhdorable little reindeer...

I altered their eyes a bit to give them some different personalities *grin :) I drew the reins in with a Memento black marker and created the bells by drawing little circles then just dotted them with a gold marker so they're not completely black. The sky was inked with Tumbled Glass distress ink. This is my favorite way to make a sky. I love the soft blue halo it creates. And another fave are Stickles as sparkling snow.

Hope you had a great weekend!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC8

2011-06-24T00:01:00.006-04:00

Yay, it's Friday! That means it's time to get inky with CAS-ual Fridays!

And it is sponsored by one of my favorite new companies on the scene Market Street Stamps!

You seriously have to check out their stamps, especially their big clear background stamps HERE. They are big enough to cover an entire A4 size card. How great is that for all the people who can't align stamps for their life (me!).

I chose to use this super fun set named Hippie Chic.

Beautiful, unique images + awesome sentiments = winner!

Can you see the bling on the guitar? I applied a thin layer of Diamond Stickles to give it that rock star edge, haha! Hope you have time to join the fun! :)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC7

2011-06-17T00:01:00.006-04:00

TGIF!!!

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge is sponsored by Crop Stop.

Click on over to the blog HERE see what fabulous prize is up for grabs!

And did you see the awesome challenge for this week?

Color block! What a fun trend! I love, love my color block two-fer dresses, so I took inspiration from a dress I recently spotted somewhere. I know it's a bit boring, but gray + anything is so my color!

Here is my two-fer, I mean color block card... :)

Stamps: (Year of Flowers: Carnations, Round and Round) Papertrey Ink

Catching up on my posts...

2011-06-15T11:10:00.005-04:00

You know I had an eventful weekend when it's Wednesday and I'm playing catch-up right now. A few things to share I suppose. I'm at a loss for words, so I'll just post the cards and be done with it.

First up, a layout I created for the Pebbles blog last week. I really love this too because I feel like it's quite the culmination of things I've learned from the other Pebbles DT member while still keeping to my own style. This layout is created with the Happy Go Lucky collection, which has skyrocketed to my favorite collection ever status. I can't stop using it!

Next is a Paper Smooches card using Swanky Snowdudes. I just love this little guy!

This card I love because it is so simple and elegant and uses one of my favorite large flower stamps from Impress. I love it. I just wanna ink it up in every color. :)

Okay, that's it from me today... wasn't too bad, right? I'll be back soon with pics from the baby shower I hosted with a bunch of friends this weekend. :)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC6

2011-06-10T00:01:00.006-04:00

Yay it's Friday! That means a challenge is up over at CAS-ual Fridays! And what a whopper of a challenge do we have for you this week... Take a look at this!

Isn't this week's challenge just so, super fun and unique? Just pick a row and go with it! This week's sponsor for this fab challenge is our very first Girl Friday Temp Tami Mayberry!

For the challenge, I chose *drum roll please *..... row number 3! Hah, probably not a surprise there as I love buttons. I love flowers. And oh I sure do love twine! Here's my CAS card for the week...

So, go on and pick a row and awayyy you go!

Purple Onion Designs guest designer

2011-06-08T09:00:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I won some awesome Purple Onion Designs stamps from their newest release. A couple of emails with Michele back and forth later, I somehow was invited to be a guest designer today.

I know, right... lucky me!!!

First card uses the ultra fun Citrus Set. I love all the sentiments that this set packs.. and one of my favorite and the funnest fonts, Seasoned Hostess! (I'm a bit of a font freak.)

Next card uses the Birthday Noteblock stamp. I loooooooove these! I own a couple of other Noteblocks and they are great to have. They cover an entire card and can make a statement all on its own! High, high, super highhhhhh on my recommend list! (I also have a card using this stamp on the upcoming publication of Paper Crafts A Card a Day, double yay!)

Next up is a stamp set called The Bird Cage. Isn't that bird cage just so lovely? I love that it's off-balanced, imperfect with uneven sketch-like lines. Just lovely! And that birdie is too sweet!

Here's a simple and graphic card using Date Me. I've fawned over this stamp set after watching the amazing things my talented friend Jenn B. have done with this stamp. She is pure talent! This would be great for scrapbooking layouts!!!

Finally, this is also from their newest release. I own more than a few banner stamp sets now and this Hearts on a String reminded me of those old country stamps where there dots and doodles are combined. You know? Yes? Okay, does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Thanks for having me, Michele! I had a blast! :)

Thoughts of You

2011-06-07T09:32:00.004-04:00

How about a late Paper Smooches card?

This card uses the newest stamp set FOLKal Points. Such sweet, cute little images. Being a mama of two small kids, my brain seems to always be wired to nursery rhymes and the likes. So, when I saw the barn and the sheep, I immediately veered towards creating an "Old Mac Donald" type of scene.

And yesterday I received the cutest birthday card in the mail from Kim!

I was so giddy, it's like getting mail from a celebrity!! :) Thanks, Kim! I love it!!!

And yep, I'm 32 today... birthdays have been perplexing to me ever since I was 22. Don't know whether to be celebrate or lament, lol. But, today marks my first day of starting my SMASHBooks! Let's hope I keep at it and not lose interest. :)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC5

2011-06-03T00:01:00.005-04:00

Welcome to another CAS-ual Friday! Isn't this week's sketch by Laura fun?

This week's challenge is sponsored by The Craft's Meow.

I found the sketch to be quite a challenge at first. It would be all too easy tog overboard and non-CAS with the sketch, but all you card-makers, if you put your mind to something, you can do it!! I think my finished card turned out pretty CAS. Thanks for the versatile sketch, Laura!!

Stamps: (Traditional Butterfly) Hero Arts, (Hippie Chic, Sweet Lace) Market Street Stamps

Paper Smooches FOLKal Points + Word Up + winner announced!

2011-05-30T10:25:00.006-04:00

Popping in today to wish everyone a Happy Memorial day! I hope you're enjoying this long weekend. We've been out and about with our good friends the last two days and I'm looking for a little down time today.... maybe the movies with my Audrey! We might do a little playdate with her best friend B and catch Kung-Fu Panda 2. It would be the first time that we catch a movie together! So, I'm excited about that!

Before I go, a couple of things today..... first up, a new Paper Smooches card using FOLKal Points and a sentiment from Word Up (they will be available for purchase June 1 HERE)....

And the winner of 'Swanky Snowdudes' from the blog hop is Julie Campbell! Congrats! Please contact me with your mailing info, Julie!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC4

2011-05-27T00:01:00.003-04:00

It's Friday again!!!

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge is pretty straight forward, yes? Just create a CLEAN and SIMPLE graduation card.

This week's prize is sponsored by Market Street Stamps.

I can personally vouch for this awesome company. Their stamps are high quality photo-polymer with a sweet peachy tint. Just yummy!

Here is my graduation card. I use one of my favorites, Here Comes the Sun from none other than Market Street Stamps. Love it.

Ready to play along? just go HERE!

May Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-05-26T09:00:00.003-04:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the newest Paper Smooches June stamp release! Three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase at 12:01am (mountain time) on Wednesday, June 1st.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new June stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Saturday, May 28th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Monday, May 30th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

I am using this cooooooooool stamp set aptly named Swanky Snowdudes, my favorite from this month's release!

Okay, seriously?! How unbelievably cool and hip and fun and cool and cute and awesome and cool are these 'dudes'? Wait till you see the whole set! Me thinks it just might knock your stockings off! :D There are sooo many little additions to customize your snowdudes. I was going to make the card so that the little snowdude is giving the tall snowdude a candycane, but I think I stamped the snowdudes a little too close together. If I had added the candy cane, it would've looked a tad bit, uhm.. inappropriate, hah! Oh goodness.... :) Hope you liked this peek!

Birthday Party Pics + Grow Giggles

2011-05-23T10:57:00.003-04:00

I am glad today is Monday because today means I can relax! Last week was a killer! First, the confusion of Saturday with the predictions of the world ending. So not cool. I'm sure most of us didn't believe it, but still, we couldn't help but watch the clock as it approached 6:00 PM. Huge sigh of relief when nothing happened, haha! Then Sunday was Audrey's party. I'm glad the weather held up for our backyard bash, but gosh, it was frigid! I think the birthday girl had a great time and all the food turned out yummy.

Here are some shots from the party...

The pretty pink ruffle cake...

DIY crepe paper flowers...

My fave... pink lemonade in milk bottles and those hot stripey straws!

Party favors... cheesecake brownies inside!

The sweet birthday girl...

It got really cold, so we moved it indoors...

Yum yum cake!

Finally, I want to share this Paper Smooches card using Perky Plants.

Hope you enjoyed this post!!! :D

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC3

2011-05-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hola welcome to another CAS-ual Friday!

This week's challenge is sponsored by Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker!

This week we are challenged to bring the bling! Oh yeah, all you glitter happy people, bring it! Lols, truth be told, it was a little tough for me. Two reasons, 1. I'm lazy and don't like the drying time or looking for the bling buried in my mountain of paper in my always messy desk 2. I'm just lazy. Haha!

Here's my card

Ready to play along? Just create a CLEAN and SIMPLE card by Wednesday 11:59pm and load it up HERE!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC2

2011-05-13T16:38:00.003-04:00

Thanks for checking in! As you may or may not know, Blogger decided to go on vacation for 36 something hours, so this post is just a tad late... but here we are nonetheless, so let's get to it!

Welcome to CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC2

This week's challenge is sponsored by

Here's my take on the challenge:

Supplies: Poppy (Impress Rubber Stamps), Up, Up, and Away (Papertrey Ink), buttons (Denami Design), twine (The Twinery)

Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Paper Smooches + CPS

2011-05-12T10:09:00.000-04:00

The Paper Smooches DT were invited to play along with CPS this week using this awesome sketch:

Here is what I came up with...

Stamps used: Paper Smooches Hang Ups, Vegtastic

The tree waas created by stamping the fir repeatedly like a million times. If you look closely, you can see some leaves floating in the air. Purely a fun accident. Sometimes, I get ink all over my stamp block and I probably rocked too much when I stamped the image on paper. I was annoyed with myself at first, but then decided to work with it.. and after I stamped a few more "mistakes", it looked pretty cool! Almost a distressed look even!

Breakfast time!

Hi... from Paper Smooches

2011-05-09T17:50:00.005-04:00

How about an elegant Paper Smooches card for a change? I know, I know, it is so hard to resist making fun and cutesy cards with all the fun and cutesy Paper Smooches stamps! But really, I want to show you just how versatile the stamps are.

Kim is amazing, she seems to think of everything and then some!

Let's take a look at this fantastic stamp set, Hang Ups shall we?

The possibilities are endless! This set would work for pretty much any occasion! Baby? Check. Encouragement? Check. Birthdays? Check. Love? Check. Christmas? Check. Just for fun? Check. Come on, throw one at me! Check! Check! Check!

Here's my card...

PS: The flower is from THIS stamp set.

Be sure to check out the Paper Smooches blog for more inspiration. I was particularly excited to see what the other DT girls did with this stamp set this month, and they did not disappoint!

CAS-ual Fridays kick-off!

2011-05-06T00:01:00.004-04:00

The wait is over!

Welcome to the first CAS-ual Fridays challenge!

Here is the first challenge!

Just create something with text!

My card for the challenge...

Products used: Papertrey Ink Simple Sentiments, Background Basics: Text Style, Silhouette, Fiskars Star Punch

I think the beauty of CAS is that you've got to think outside the box and invent new ways to use a single element without adding layers and layers of stuff. This is a great challenge blog where you will undoubtedly expand your creativity. Even if CAS isn't your expertise, I find that the only way to excel at anything is to practice, practice, practice... or in this case, play along! Besides, it'll be fun!

So go on and hop hop hippity hop on over to see what the rest of the Girl Fridays have created! And don't forget, there will be a prize from this week's sponsor Crop Stop.

Will you be our first challenge winner? ;) See you there!

Perky Plants and winner announced...

2011-05-02T09:19:00.007-04:00

Here's my card for today using Perky Plants -- available for purchase now!

Inside the window

And the winner of the Paper Smooches blog hop is...

luvhymns said...

Super cool texture in the your chick! Love the jute for the nest. And the tiny bird pal for the chick, is so sweet!

Please contact me with your mailing address!

We went to bed early last night so we missed the big news. What a long and painful journey it's been. It's been nearly a decade, but I have to say that the 9/11 attack has changed the way we live here in New York. I always feel vulnerable. I always worry when my husband goes out to work. I'm always scared about potential attacks on mass transit, bridges and tunnels, tourist sites...

Do you remember the botched car bomb attack in Times Square last year? The SUV was parked outside the Viacom building. We were directly across the street for a photoshoot. Thankfully, we left an hour before the madness ensued. And thankfully, the bomb did not go off.

In NYC, it's stressful always being on edge, on alert... but I'm glad yesterday's operation brings some sort of peace and closure. I'm thinking about all the victims down at Ground Zero today... may you all finally rest in peace.

April Paper Smooches blog hop!

2011-04-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the newest Paper Smooches May stamp release! Three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase at 12:01am (mountain time) on Sunday, May 1st.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new May stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Saturday, April 30th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Sunday, May 1st to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

Here's my card for the hop using Chubby Chums.

These gumdrop cuties are sooooo adorable! My fave is this little chick! I created the nest out of jute twine cut into short strips and adhered onto scor-tape which was first cut into a bowl/nest shape.

I'm just a girl...

2011-04-19T00:01:00.004-04:00

... a CAS-ual Girl Friday, that is!

I am ecstatic to be invited to join this new design team at CAS-ual Fridays!

If you've been reading my recent posts, you'll know that I have been rediscovering and returning to my core CAS style! It is with great pleasure that I will be designing CAS cards alongside a stellar lineup! I am pleased to be joining forces with Karen (fellow Paper Crafts Gallery Idol 2010 alumnae), Virginia (fellow Hero Arts Hostess), and Laurie (Paper Crafts newest Stamping Royalty)... and more to come! Thank you, Julie and Michele for this op!

So, mark your calendars -- the first challenge kicks off May 6th!

Sentimental Monday

2011-04-18T13:40:00.004-04:00

Thanks for all your weather prayers, we've got gorgeous weather 2 days in a row!

I actually just got home from dropping Audrey off at school. Just the two of us taking a nice, relaxing 20 minute stroll. I was in such a good mood we even got ice cream from Mr. Softee! And for once, she didn't complain about being tired from walking!

I spent the morning organizing, planning, and purchasing stuff for a birthday party, a bridal shower, and a wedding. So, in the next few week/smonths, you'll probably see some events-related posts here. Think Amy Atlas! (I'll try!)

So, have you been Paper Smooched yet?

Here's my card today for the Paper Smooches blog.

Who isn't a fan of Kim's super cute handwriting anyway? If you love her handwriting and can never have enough sentiments in your stamping arsenal, then Sentiment Sampler is a must havve! The apple is from Falling For You.

April showers... and a clear stamps FAQ

2011-04-14T10:20:00.008-04:00

As I'm sitting here typing, looking up I see through my big living room windows that the sky is absolute perfection today. It's a pretty shade of blue. Not a gray cast in this beautiful canvas. And, my favorite, perfectly formed puffy cotton ball clouds. Yup, no rain today. :)

But, I still have to post this rainy layout I created for the Pebbles blog. I am in the phase of simplifying everything I do -- and that includes scrapbooking. While I love the look achieved by many artists when they masterfully throw a ton of products on their pages and it's just instant wow. I admit, I can't do it. Instead of trying so hard to emulate, I figured I'll just do what I'm most comfortable with.

This.

(All products are from the Pebbles Happy Go Lucky line -- love this line!)

To elaborate my post from yesterday, I discriminate when it comes to clear stamps. They are not all created equally. If they do not describe anywhere in their product descriptions and/or packaging that the stamps are made from photopolymer, then it's probably the cheap cling stamps. What is the difference?

INK

- Photopolymer stamps take any ink.

- Cheap stamps only work with certain inks (Versafine, Chalks, pigment, and heavier inks). Regular dye inks will just frustrate you to no end. Forget getting a clean, crisp impression. Upon pressing the stamp to the ink pad, the ink will bead and ball on your image. When you stamp on paper, the stamped image will appear blotchy. If you do not intend to use dye inks, then you're fine. But I personally do not like to be limited in my ink choice. I have not tried sanding my stamps, so maybe upon conditioning these stamps will work with dye inks. I will experiment later.

CLINGABILITY

- Photopolymer stamps are easy to handle. They peel off the clear acetate sheet easily. If a stamp becomes dirty or loses it's cling, a simple wash under water and air drying will restore it's cling.

- Cheap stamps are difficult to peel off their acetate sheet. I find that after awhile they lose their stickiness altogether. And washing won't help.

HOW TO TELL

- Photopolymer stamps have a distinct smell. I can't describe it, so I guess this point is moot. They feel soft and pliable.

- Cheap stamps feel a little more rigid.

Once you get the two different types of clear side by side and compare, it's quite easy to tell them apart - both by their slight but obvious physical differences and their performance quality.

Here's a list of companies that uses photopolymer stamps:

Paper Smooches, Hero Arts, Papertrey Ink, Lawn Fawn, Technique Tuesday, Maya Road, October Afternoon, Market Street Stamps, Stampendous, My Cute Stamps, Memory Box, Close to My Heart, A Muse, Gel-a-tins, The Petal Press, Mint Motif, My Sentiments Exactly, The Cat's Pajamas, Daisy Bucket, There She Goes, Clear & Simple, Waltzingmouse.

That's just a sampling, I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot. I also have a mental list of non-photopolymer companies. I'll leave that for another day!

A quickie hot air balloon card

2011-04-13T15:55:00.003-04:00

I have been on full blown lazy mode for quite some time now. I'm guessing it has something to do with the gloomy weather that's blanketed New York for the last couple of weeks. I think I am a very weather-moody kind of person. When the sun is shining, so am I. And vice versa.

I don't like walking in the rain, but I've have had to to get Audrey to school everyday. Confession, on her short days (2.5 hours), and it's nasty out, we play hooky and stay home. *GRIN* Just don't tell her teachers, okay?

I've been thinking... I think most of us fit into a category of what type of artist we are as cardmakers/scrapbookers. Are our styles a direct reflection of our life? Take myself for example, I consider myself 'clean and simple' -- but frankly, I am 'clean and simple' mostly because of time constraints. My time is limited and I'm always on the edge because one of the little people would come into my room and disrupt my flow in a number of ways. I speed through my creative process, racing to finish and then moving onto the next project. Even if I have a whole day to myself, I still find myself rushing all the time. I usually skip the elaborate layering and details in favor of a quickie. I've conditioned myself to be quick, therefore my finished product usually falls under the 'clean and simple' category. But I digress. Most often than not, I like and prefer clean and simple.

Like this little card...

I 'nub' it. :)

And I'm plugging this into the In My Beautiful Balloon Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Stamps are from Pink Paislee's Daily Junque line. I want to mention that the stamp quality is not at par with the stamps I'm used to (not made from photopolymer), but I love the images too much and bought it anyway!

Paper Smooches surprise wedding blog hop!

2011-04-02T09:00:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Paper Smooches surprise wedding blog hop!

Miss Kim Hughes is getting married today, so us DT girls decided to do a little hippity hop to celebrate her big day! Here's my card using the brand spankin' new Giddy Bugs stamps and Pretty Phrases.

The "groom" is donning a tie while the "blushing bride" has lace wings. Hee!

Please check out the other DT girls to see their lovely cards for Kim!

And when you're done hopping, we invite you to play along with us! Just create a wedding card using your Paper Smooches stamp and SHARE!

Here are the details:

You may use any stamp, but you should use at least one Paper Smooches stamp (digital is fine too).
Upload to the Paper Smooches flickr gallery HERE. All uploads should be tagged with the keyword: CongratsKim (one word, no spaces).
Or leave a comment with the link to your blog post on the Paper Smooches blog.

Lawn Fawn + Echo Park

2011-03-29T11:19:00.005-04:00

Can you believe how chilly it still is? My calendar tells me April is only a few days away but it's been cold with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. Ella came down with a cold and Audrey is just wheezing. Both of my girls look so cruddy and crusty. I just want to stay underneath the blankets all day. This is the warmest spot in the house, hands down. Beside our boiler providing heat, we've got a Vornado heater in our bedroom for the cold nighs and then our heated mattress, which is pretty much on all the time. There's nothing better than snuggling up to a warm and toasty bed in the Winter. Heated mattresses = best thing, ever.

Now that that endorsement is done, you know what else is the best thing ever? Cute stamps and cute paper paired together. :)

I managed to snag Lawn Fawn's Say Cheese stamp set when it first appeared on i {heart} papers. It's been a few weeks already, but shame on me, I just inked it up yesterday. It's an incredibly cute set, and I didn't realize it would be such a hot seller. I jumped on it because I had been looking for a polaroid stamp. Studio Calico had one, but it's no longer available. So, I was so glad to see Lawn Fawn come out with this stamp.

I created this simple layout with one of my favorite Echo Park lines, Little Girl.

I especially love the sticker sheet that comes with this kit. I had to restrain myself from over-stickering on this layout, hah!

Paper Smooches winners announced!!

2011-03-28T10:14:00.005-04:00

And the winner of the Boob Tubes stamp set from the Paper Smooches blog hop is

Congrats, Amy! Please contact me with your mailing address!

Everyone else, be sure to check the rest of the DT's blogs to see if you won!

I leave you with this little cutie using Sentiment Sampler that will be released in April. Lots of awesome sentiments in this one! I've become addicted to paper piecing too, those veggies from Vegtastic are so over the top cute!

Have a good one!

March Paper Smooches DT blog hop!

2011-03-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the newest Paper Smooches April stamp release! Three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase at 12:01am (mountain time) on April 1st.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new April stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Sunday, March 27th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Monday, March 28 to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

The stamps I'm showcasing today is the super cute and fun Boob Tubes. So many possibilities, but I kept it CAS with some paper piecing. I thought it'd be fun to stack them, imagine creating your own little tv scenes? Will have to try that next!

Thanks for looking and good luck. Make sure you check back here next week to see if you are a lucky winner!

Paper Smooches/EAD Designs blog hop

2011-03-18T09:00:00.004-04:00

You may have heard that Paper Smooches have partnered up with EAD Designs to make our rub-ons and stickerz. We thought that it would be fun to show you just how well these products work together!

Please hop along!

I paired Paper Smooches Friendly Flowers with the EAD Designs rub-ons for my cards. I've never really liked rub-ons, they just never worked well for me. I've had way too many rub-ons tear and separate! The rub-ons from EAD Designs have changed my view of rub-ons, wow are they such a difference to work with. No ripping and easy application! The only thing I have to remind myself to do is to cut out the particular portion I want to use before rubbing it onto my paper (lesson learned), cause they are way, way sticky -- and awesomely so!

Blog Hops are always more fun when a prize is involved, right? All comments received before midnight Pacific time on March 20th are eligible to win a prize pack of both EAD Designs and Paper Smooches stamps.

Visit the Paper Smooches Blog on Monday, March 21st to see if you were the chosen winner. You do not need to comment on all five design team blogs to qualify.

The two flowers represent the colors of the rub-ons. The clear stickers are black. If you win and you already own the Pretty Phrases stamp set, just let Kim know and she will swap it out for another PS stamp set instead. Good luck!!!

Swings and things

2011-03-16T13:38:00.002-04:00

Here we are mid-March! Although this past Winter has been nothing less than brutal with the multitude of snowstorms, I have to say it went by pretty quick -- otherwise! The weather has been so pleasant lately that we couldn't resist a quick trip to the park even when the temperature is only in the low 50's. We did just that a couple of weeks ago at the first sign of warmer weather.

Audrey is at the age where the swing is just "one of the activities to do" at the park. But for little Ella, the novelty is still there. And you can see the pure joy in her face. Every push of the swing elicits squeals of laughter from her little body and her smile would stretch across her face a mile wide. Ahh, I love.

Here's my layout of the girls on the swings using the new Pebbles Ever After line.

I totally get why people preserve their memories and life's little moments through scrapbooking now. It's just unfortunate that I am way, way behind. Scrapbooking new, recent photos have been much more enjoyable for me, compared to backtracking and digging through old photos. I wonder why that is?

A Paper Smooch Monday

2011-03-14T12:04:00.002-04:00

I was sidelined all week because of a nasty stomach virus, courtesy of little Ella. It seems inevitable for me to fall ill whenever one of the kids get sick. Germs are highly, highly, highly contagious in this little household, especially when the kids latch onto me 24/7 as well. Back to normal mode today, hopefully. Audrey missed 2 days of school because of me. Friday she went to work with daddy at his company's emergency daycare. He's been at the same company for so many years and we just discover this perk. Hmm...

Blogging now and catching up with projects... so here is last week's and this week's cards.

Spiffy Scooters

Friendly Flowers

Paper Smooches blog hop winner...

2011-02-28T09:44:00.005-05:00

Hi, good rainy morning to you! I am feeling so well rested today, because Ella only woke up twice last night, as supposed to 4-6x a night! I've been on zombie mode for at least 2-3 months now! So, last night came as a surprise... I even had a couple of dreams, hah! I just might be bouncing off the walls today from the excess energy! If it weren't for a meeting I need to attend in an hour, I'd probably get some crafty work done today too, but I guess it was not meant to be... I've been wanting to dive into my new shipment of Pebbles' CHA yumminess. Boo, maybe when I get home.

Here's my card for today using the Vegtastic stamps again. Goes to show you that these veggies can swing either way, bold or soft to achieve different effects. I went for sweet here. :)

The lucky winner of the Paper Smooches Vegtastic stamp is

Congratulations, Megan! Please contact me with your address!

Welcome to the first Paper Smooches blog hop!

2011-02-24T09:00:00.004-05:00

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the newest Paper Smooches stamp release! Three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase at 12:01am (mountain time) on March 1st.

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new March stamp sets! (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify) You have until midnight MT on Sunday, February 27th to leave a comment. Please check all five blogs on Monday, February 28 to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

I created a watercolor piece with my Vegtastic stamps. I didn't have actual watercolors, so I used a combination of Spray inks (Smooch Spritz, Tattered Angels) diluted in water and a brush. Pretty much the same, but I've been digging the washed out, imperfect coloring of watercolors lately, so I'll have to reinvest in a basic watercolor set. If you decide to do this, make sure you use watercolor paper. Regular cardstock will warp and bend when wet.

I'm thinking this would be really cute displayed in our kitchen!

Thanks for stopping by, good luck along the hop!

Post Valentine's day!

2011-02-15T20:27:00.008-05:00

Hola, getting the kids ready for bed soon. I'm organizing some pictures and this one of me and my BFF's really makes me smile.

We had brunch at Fatty Cue in Brooklyn for Pearl's birthday and I have to say that it was the best brunch I ever had. I had a sampling of everyone's food, all 6-7 plates, and everything was delicious!!! And Ella just enjoys sucking on her fingers.

I'm salivating thinking about the food haha, but I leave today's rather random post with a post-Valentine's day card.

Love my Paper Smooches stamps!

I'll be pretty MIA from here on (even more so than usual). I have to finish up a bunch of projects by the end of this week. I'm not sure how much time I'll have afterwards, because starting next week, Audrey will be officially discharged from her preschool for being too advanced. Since September 2009, she's been attending a preschool for children with special needs. She qualified for services because she had a severe speech delay at the time. Fast forward to the present, her teachers and therapists have determined that she is extremely high functioning and have caught up to the level that is appropriate for her age and even exceeding the standards. I am really proud of her, of course. But this is happening in the middle of the school year it leaves me in a bit of a dilemma. All the universal pre-ks and regular schools are already at maximum capacity. Trust me, we've been wait-listing since last year when we were first told to be prepared for this possibility. Really stinks. So, she'll be home, until the Summer when hopefully we'll enroll her in a program. I just hope she doesn't go through school withdrawal anxiety. She gets really antsy whenever there is a week-long break from school, constantly telling me she wants to go to school. It's gonna be a big challenge having her at home for the next 4 months, at the minimum! I have to figure out a schedule that will be beneficial for all of us. I hope to find a groove that will include reading and learning for her, then quiet time when Ella naps while I get some work done. I've been dreading this day for a long time, lol... yes, I am panicking, but at least Spring is right around the corner! And I do love my Audrey Bee, to pieces. I will stay positive and try to enjoy this time with her until she is off to kindergarten in September... and for the next 18 years!

My super sweet and sassy cutie-pie. Love.

Good evening!

2011-02-07T23:50:00.002-05:00

Oiey, Mondays... they're always so hard on me. I usually knock out early on Sunday nights (I didn't even bother to watch the Superbowl) and still wake up tired on Mondays. So, my usual "me" time was spent napping today. The good news is, daddy put the girls to sleep tonight so I could get some work done. I actually finished some projects and even snuck a couple of cards in to the Paper Crafts Stamp It! Cards call. Yup, tonight is the deadline. So last minute, I know. But, it's done! And now I'm here to post my card that's on the Paper Smooches blog today if you haven't already seen it.

This card uses the unbelievably cute Birthday Buddies stamp set.

Soooo, have you gotten onto the Paper Smooches bandwagon yet? :)

Happy birthday to my bestie!

2011-02-04T22:00:00.011-05:00

Happy birthday to my bestie best best best BFF, Pea! She is someone who is truly special in my life. Besides being the most awesomest friend a girl could ever ask for, and beside the fact that she is an over the top amazing godmama to both my girls, the icing on this cake is that we share the same hobby! Yes, she is so creative and talented, so please check out her shiny new BLOG and wish her a happy birthday! I'm telling you, she can scrapbook like no other. I just have to get her to post her stuff and submit them to CK! :)

Of course such a special birthday calls for a special crafty project from yours truly. And leave it to me to start on it today! So, today I set everything else aside and worked on it all day. Gosh, my desk and floor (and children) are beyond messy now!

You know how sometimes it's the gift that finds you, and not the other way around? Well, today was one of those times. I wasn't really sure what I was gonna find at Marshalls. I thought about doing an 8x10 word art typography kind of print, so I was hunting for nice picture frames when lo and behold I saw this amazing shadow box. HELLLLLLLO! It is beautiful!

Hubs was watching American Idol on the dvr and Rascal Flatts' My Wish song came on. I've must've heard the song numerous times in the past but seriously, I guess I never really listened to it, the lyrics of the song were perfect! I typed up everything I needed!

I printed the quotes on a sheet of textured American Crafts white cardstock. I printed the photos on my Selphy photo printer (love that thing!) and went about assembling my collage.

Coordinating gift bag

The whole enchilada!

Aren't the cups cute? Target scores! There's a little chalkboard surface that you can write on. I love that everything is in her fave colors, red and turquoise!

Brunch at Fatty Cue manana! I'm letting her indulge in bacon only because it's her birthday! After that, we're putting her skinny but greasy butt on an H2O diet! Hehe, love you, PeaPea! Muah!

Supplies: Hero Arts Truly Appreciated, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Maya Road vintage pom-pom trim, Cosmo Cricket Togetherness, Bazzill Basics Wild Rose Crimson flowers