Follow me on Bloglovin

Hello!  As you may all already know, Google Reader is shutting down very soon so if you like to get updates from my blog, please click on the follow me Bloglovin button to the right! Thanks.  I have a card to share with you that I created for Scrapbook Nerd Summer Camp.  This early arrival challenge is the first of many challenges this summer!  I also uploaded my card into their gallery!  If you have not yet signed up for their summer camp please head on over and check it out HERE!  Here is a look at my card

I used two Close to My Heart stamp sets Tropical Paradise and Surfs Up and ink colors from Hero Arts, Close to my Heart and Stampin Up!  I hope you join me and sign up for Scrapbook Nerds Summer Camp!!  I can not wait to the next challenge!  Thanks so much for stopping today!

Mini Album

Hello!!!  Well it is Friday night and I am so ready for bed but I wanted to get this post up first!  I have not made a mini lately and I am feeling a bit sad about it!  I have been so busy creating layouts and cards my minis have been pushed to the side!  Mini's are my absolute favorite thing to create so it is time to put one together!!  I pulled some product from my stash of goodies along with a Heidi Swapp wood album I recently purchased from Michael's and some Heidi Swapp rub-ons and stickers!  Here is a look at my product I plan on using for my girly mini album!

I posted these photos on my Instagram feed as well so if you are a follower you have seen them already!  If you are not yet a follower head on over to Instagram and you can find me MEDGA902  Tonight I found some time to get a good start on my mini!  I used color shine in Primrose for my cover and finished this first page of my album along with getting all my photos printed cut and matted!  Here is a look at the first page of my album!

 

I love the way this page came out and I still want to add a little cluster of embellishments in the bottom corner.  There is a Close to My Heart mini bag behind the photo that holds a tag for journaling and to put more photos!  I can not wait to get this album finished up because it is a friend and I can not wait for her to see it!  She asked me to photograph her delivery and it was one of the most amazing moments!!  I of coarse took a million photos and this one is my favorite!  Baby grabbing hold of mama's hand!  I hope you enjoyed my post today and are inspired to create something fabulous!  Are you a mini album addict like me or do you stick to layouts or cards?  I would love to know what are your favorite things to create!!

Let's Scrap 6-26-13

Happy Wednesday!!  Hope you are all having a fabulous day!  I just got home from my sons baseball game and they won 9-4!!  They are doing amazing and we have another game tomorrow night!  Today it is time for another Let's Scrap sketch and layout share!  I am so excited for all the ladies who have joined Let's Scrap and I am loving seeing your work in our gallery!!  If you still have not joined us I hope you will soon!  Here is a look at this weeks sketch

I created a one page layout using this sketch and used papers from the Heidi Swapp No Limits paper pad.  I seriously can not get enough of these paper pads from Heidi Swapp!  I love the cut apart sheets that come in the paper pads and I am running low!! Yikes!  I also used some of the Heidi Swapp Ghost Letters from my stash and I have been hoarding these for awhile but thought they would be great with this layout!  Here is a look at my layout

This week our sponsor is Scrapbooking@Aquila and they are giving away a Prima Lyric kit! 

To be entered into the draw you must post your layout/card no later than July 2, 2013 at 11:59 pm (by the main page clock).  I hope you join us this week and upload your card or layout!  If you upload your project to the gallery and come back to this post and comment that you did I will enter your name to win 2 packs of American Crafts Thickers and some washi tape!  Good luck and I can not wait to see what you create!

Great News!!

Hello!!  I have some news I would love to share with you!!  First thing is I was picked as one of the Stamps of Life gallery winners and I get a free stamp set!!  How great is that!! Check out the video HERE!  Next I received some more fabulous news and I am so excited to share it with you all! I have been chosen to be on the Craft Warehouse 2013-2014 Design Team!

I am so excited to be a part of this fabulous team and I hope you stop by and check out the rest of the Craft Warehouse Design Team.  Stop by their BLOG and make sure you follow them there and on FACEBOOK!  Thanks so much for stopping today!

Sunday Card Share

Hello Friends!  We had a great time at the drive-in last night with the kids!  It was a late night but it was so worth it!  I did take my camera of coarse (actually took 3) so I could document the kids first time at the drive-in!  I can not wait to scrap the photos and put some in my summer mini album!  Today I have a card to share with you that I created Saturday afternoon for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog!  This week the challenge is "Summer Fruits" and I am using sketch #69 from Retro Sketches.  Here is a look at Retro Sketch#69

I used papers from Heidi Swapp Serendipity line, stamps and dies from Amuse Studio and some American Crafts ribbon to create my card!  I love all the yellow in this line from Heidi Swapp and I thought they would be perfect for my card!  Take a look..

What do you think?  Can you tell I love this stamp set from Amuse Studio?!  I used the same stamp set for Made Especially For You's 2 year blogoversary blog hop!  I made a few extra lemons when I created my project for her hop and they came in handy for this card!  If you are going to be doing some die cutting you might as well run through a few extra for future uses right!?  I just stick them in the same packaging as the dies so I always know where to find them!  Just a fun little tip to remember when your die cutting!  Well I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and I am so happy you stopped by today!  Hugs!

Paper Bakery Sketch Challenge#6

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend so far!  I have a layout that I would like to share with you that I created tonight using a sketch from The Paper Bakery!  Here is a look at sketch#6 from The Paper Bakery and my layout I created using this sketch!

I used papers from Glitz Designs Color Me Happy, KI Memories Flashback some color shine in primrose, Heidi Swapp epoxy stickers and a flair from The Paper Bakery Shop!  I also added some stitching with my sewing machine in gold thread! 


Here are the details you need to know to play along with us using the sketch:

1.) Sketch Challenges will be twice a month. Play along once for a chance to win the monthly prize OR play along twice to double your chances of winning the monthly prize.

2.) Make a layout or project utilizing the sketch. Be creative and have fun!!! Using Paper Bakery kits are not required to play.

3.) Take a picture and link it up on the sidebar of The Paper Bakery blog using the INLINKZ widget by the due date June 29.

4.) Winners are chosen at random and will be posted on their Facebook page and their blog! 

Thanks so much for stopping today and enjoy your day!  We are headed to the drive-in tonight to watch Monster's University and Man of Steel!

Happy Friday!

It is a Happy Friday for me because I am getting lots of time at my desk today and enjoying every minute of it!!  Today I have a card to share with you that I created for the Heartstring Designs Challenge Blog!  The challenge is to create a card using the sketch provided and make a masculine card with a mustache somewhere on it!  Well I knew my June Simon Says Stamp card kit was going to come in handy for this challenge!  This kit was filled with all kinds of great products to create masculine cards!  Here is a look at the sketch provided

Fabulous sketch!  Everything I used to create my card came from my SSS June card kit and I had so much fun creating this card!  Here is a look at what I came up with!

I am so in love with the mustache washi tape that came in this kit!!  Please stop on over to Heartstring Designs Challenge Blog and enter your masculine card using this sketch!  One lucky winner will receive 3 rolls of washi tape plus a mystery mustache surprise!!  Thanks so much for stopping and enjoy your Friday afternoon!!

Hello Sunshine!

I have really been enjoying the sunshine lately!  We have a had a few beautiful days here in Illinois and I hope it continues!  We had a great Father's Day weekend and we are busy this week with making up a few baseball games that were rained out this season for my son!  Their team is doing awesome and I am so proud of how much he has grown from the beginning of the season!  This is his first year playing and he is doing so well!  Today I am here to share with you the card I made using this weeks sketch from Let's Scrap!  Everything I used to create this card came from the Simple Stories I{HEART}SUMMER collection!  I am in love with this new collection and I was so happy when my Memory Works Express Kit came this month cause it was filled with I{HEART}SUMMER goodies!  Here is a look at my card

and here is a look at this weeks sketch from Let's Scrap that I used as my inspiration to create this card..

I hope you can join us this week and link up your fabulous project using this sketch!  This week our sponsor is Fresh Brewed Designs and they have an amazing prize for one lucky winner!

Link up your project to the Let's Scrap gallery by June 25, 11:59pm(by the main clock page) for your chance to win!  I hope to see your work in our gallery!!  Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to stop and visit my blog!  Have a wonderful day and crafty day!

Hello My Friend...

I hope you are all having a fabulous week so far!  I received some exciting news the other day and I can not wait to share it with all of you!  Of coarse I can not share it just yet so I will hold you in suspense for just a little bit longer!  One thing I would like to share with you is a YouTube video from The Stamps of Life  and I was very surprised when I saw who is one of the gallery winners!  Take a look...

I was very excited and surprised when I saw my name as one of the gallery winners and I can not wait to get my free stamp set!  I have had so much for with the stamp set phone4you!  I LOVE the quality of these stamps and I am so very happy that I became a club member!  If you have never purchased a stamp set from The Stamps of Life I highly recommend them!!  They have a huge variety of stamps, dies, cardstock, inks, glitter, and recently have added coordinating buttons!  Thanks so much for stopping and have a wonderful day!

Made Especially For You's 2 Year Blogoversary Hop

Welcome to Made Especially For You's 2 Year Blogoversary Blog Hop!

If you've come from Jessica's blog, you're in the right place! If you just came across the hop, please start at the beginning over at Made Especially For You.

I am so excited to be a part of this hop to celebrate Made Especially For You's  2 year Blogoversary!!  Ashley is a one of my crafty friends and I am so honored to be a part of her blog hop! 

Instead of having a theme for the hop, Ashley put together a bingo board full of some of her favorite crafty things and we were to choose at least 3 of them and create a project.

I chose Stickles, Twine, and Polka Dots and made a fry box filled with something sweet!  I used polka dot cardstock from Amuse Studio and cut my fry box out with my Cricut.  I used the stamp set Squeeze the Day and matching dies from Amuse Studio for my sentiment and lemons.  I wrapped twine around my fry box and straws and added stickles to my lemons and then added a few packs of lemonade mix!  This is going to make a sweet little gift for someone special!

 

 

To coordinate with our bingo board, we have sponsors providing prizes to match each item listed on the board! 

The Paper Nest

3 Copic Markers of Winner's Choice!

AND A SECOND WINNER WILL RECEIVE...

Doodlebug Designs Polka Dot Paper Pack!

(Assorted colors - 4 6x6 sheets of each color)

Freckled Fawn

10 Rolls of Washi Tape!

Miriam's Crafting Supplies

$5 Gift Certificate!

The Cutting Cafe

$20 Gift Certificate!

My Craft Spot

Winner's choice of 5 Bundles of Twine!

(10 yards of each color, over 50 colors to choose from!)

Scrapping Fun with Tonya

3 Pack of Stickles!

3 Girl Jam

$15 Gift Certificate!

To qualify to win, you must:

1. Be a follower of Made Especially For You

2. Leave a comment on every stop of the hop

3. *Extra Entry* Become a fan of the MEFY Facebook page

Winners will be announced at Made Especially For You on Thursday June 20th.

Your next stop of the hop is Abby's blog.

Ashley (Made Especially For You)

Tonya

Stephanie

Jessica

Erica

Abby

Georgiana

Laura

Pam

Eileen

Cyndy

Robin

Thanks so much for hopping with us! :)

Challenge #164

It is Friday and I am so excited for this weekend!  I am part of an amazing blog hop happening this weekend by my crafty friend over at Made Especially For You so make sure you come back tomorrow and hop with us because there are some fabulous projects and tons of prizes!

Today it is my turn to post a challenge in the Let's Scrap forum and I wanted to share it with all of you and hope you can join us for this challenge!  My challenge is to create a one page layout using this Let's Scrap sketch

You must also include the following three things in your layout for this challenge..
1.  Stitching(machine or by hand)
2.  Something Metallic
3.  Hearts

Here is my layout using Let's Scrap sketch 4-20-13 and adding some stitching, metallic and hearts!

 

 

I used my new Dream Pop paper collection from Close to My Heart to create this layout.  I love the colors and patterns in this collection they are so fun and perfect for summer!  I used some gold thread and a piece of vellum with gold polka dots from Dear Lizzy as my metallic, wood veneer hearts and some die cut hearts on my banner and used my sewing machine to add stitching!  I love stitching on my layouts and I think this new gold thread is amazing!  I would love to see you join me in this challenge over at Let's Scrap!  You must upload your layout to our gallery by Thursday, June 20 at 11:59 p.m. (using the main page clock time), to be eligible for the prize drawing!  Be sure to tag your layout/card correctly:  challenge164 (all one word), followed by a comma, a space, and the sketch number used(4-20-10).  My tag will read: Challenge164, 4-20-10 

Thank you so much for stopping by today and for leaving some bloggy love!  It is so much appreciated!!

Let's Scrap 6-12-13

Can you believe it is already Wednesday??  This week seems to be going by so fast!  I am so excited to be sharing another Let's Scrap sketch with you!  Here is this weeks sketch

I created a one page layout using a 12x12 from Close to My Heart and I used photos from my daughters first day at volleyball camp!  I kept it very simple adding a few embellishments and some machine stitching!

Our sponsor this week is Fab Scraps and they have a fabulous prize for our winner!  Take a look....

To be entered into the draw you must post your layout/card no later than June 18, 2013 at 11:59 pm (by the main page clock) and tag your layout 6-12-13.  Thanks so much for stopping today and I hope you join us over at Let's Scrap!

June Embellish Me Happy Challenge

Hello bloggy friends!  Today I am here with the June Embellish Me Happy Challenge!  This month our sponsor is our very own Toccara Feliciano! 

This Month Challenge is a Recipe Technique challenge:
1. Pick one of the color combos below, either the Pomegranate color combo or the Zebra color combo.

2. Chose what type of project you are going to create. ( layout, mini album, ATC, card, smash book page, painting etc.)
3. This month is Using a Technique. Since it is summer, Banners are so popular. We always find great banners for all occasions but this time we are going to make one of our own. Make one that will complement your project as the main focus. It can be as many as you like. 

4. Chose whether you will be using the notched banner, Pennant banner or a combination of both.   If you need a template Google Pennant Banner template or Notched Banner Template and it will give you one.  Between the Fabulous DT both type of banners have been used.  You will see some notched banners and pennant ones.  you can use a combination of both on a layout and use more than one.

5. Dress them up add whatever you like, you ladies are creative so do what you know how to do.  Make sure you stick to the color combination and you can not mix color combos.  You have to use one combination or the other.

Here is a look at what I created for this challenge!  I choose the Zebra color combo and used both banner types!

 

Challenge is Due July 6th 12am EST
Upload challenges using In Linkz!  you will find InLinkz on our right side bar!  Happy Scrapping and enjoy this months challenge:)  Thanks for stopping!!

I {HEART} SUMMER

Hello Friends!  I was so excited when I first saw this line from Simple Stories and I could not wait to get my hands on it!  As soon as it was available from Memory Works I ordered it up and  I received it in the mail the other day!  The colors are so fun and perfect for summer!  I have a layout to share with you today and I am going to take you through a little step by step of how I created my layout!  I started out with a plain white 12x12 and used 3 Splash sprays from Amuse Studio in Cherry, Mermaid, and Lime.

After this I took one of the 12x12 pattern papers in the collection and cut some strips out of it and adhered them to my layout with some temporary adhesive.

I then cut out one of the 4x6 cards and matted it with one of the faux chalkboard papers and ended up with this.

I wanted something dark behind the 4x6 card to kind of separate it from the colored strips and I think the black is perfect!  I saw this little card and I thought it was adorable but knew I wanted to cut it up a little.  This is how it looked 

Super cute, Right!?  But I wanted the words on the heart so I cut it all out and added some stitching! 

Next I took my photo and matted it with paper from the collection, added a sticker and some stitching and voila my photo is ready

After placing my photo on my layout I felt like the strips of colored papers were missing something so I grabbed my sewing machine and added some stitching to each strip!

I love stitching on my projects and I love how it looks on these colored strips!  Now it is time to adhere my photo and add a few embellishments!

I think it is looking good so far!  I wanted to keep it pretty simple this time and I just added a few more small embellishments and here is my finished layout!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  If you are in love with this collection as much as I am Memory Works has it in stock and I can get it delivered to your door!  Just shoot me a message and I can send you a paypal invoice!  I hope you all have a fabulous day!