April Final Friday Winner!

Hi all!  I almost let April escape me before announcing this month's winner!  Sorry for the delay, dear friends.  Are you ready to find out who this month's lucky winner is?  Then let's hear it for....

Lucky number 10, who happens to be Rosalee!!  Woo Hooo! 

It was lots of fun reading about everyone's furthest travels in the world!  I have to check a map, but I think my upcoming vacation may be my furthest travel location.  In any case, we're super excited!  I'll let you guys know soon enough.  You'll definitely see some pictures!

Anyway, hope you guys had a wonderful April!  Time to gear up for May.  I hope to sprinkle some more posts on the bloggie blog this month, so pop on by for a visit every now and then! 

Time to go to bed for now.  Thanks again to all that played in April's Final Friday.  Ciao for now! :)

Happy Easter!

Hi there blog friends!  Hope you had a very Happy Easter!  Just wanted to pop in with a quick share of our Easter celebration  After attending mass this morning at our church with my parents, we met up with our friends for brunch.  It was a great time had by all!  And I am still stuffed!  I put together this quick layout using My Digital Studio - so fun!  With the new camera and all, I am more excited about getting into digital scrapbooking!  These are just a few photos, but we ended up taking a bunch throughout the day.

Hope you like these! 

Happy Easter!!!

looking through a new lens...

Hi again, dear blog friends!  I know it's been a while since I've shared a crafty project, so I'm popping in with a quick post.  And, yes - from a NEW lens.  A new camera lens, that is!  In preparation for our upcoming  {and very fast approaching!} vacation, we got a new camera and I have to say I am IN LOVE with it so far!  It's my first DSLR camera, so there is definitely a lot to learn.  We got a Canon EOS Rebel T1i and these are a couple of my first few pictures.  Ok...I took a lot of random pictures so far just to get a feel of the camera and focusing and what not, but these are my first pictures of my crafting projects.  This is the swap card I happened to make for our UStamp With Dawn and Friends DT swap!  Hope you like it! It's an easel card I made using the Scallop Circle Bigz die.  The paper is a sneak peek from a new paper pack in the upcoming Summer Mini catalog called Beyond the Garden DSP.  Lots of cute stuff coming soon.  How about that flower?  It's an oldie but a goodie - it's the Fancy Flower punch and I notched the petals using the 5 Petal Flower punch!  I love crinkling up the flowers - it makes them more realistic to me.  Then, I just sponge daubered the edges and added a button center - viola!

I didn't use a flash with these pics - just natural lighting.  I am still on the Auto setting right now, but over time {and hopefully, there will be more available time for me at some point}, I hope to experiment with the different settings and styles.  For now, I'm pleased with the basics! 

As for our upcoming vacation, I'm not quite going to spill the beans as to where were're going yet..you'll just have to wait and see from the pictures!  We're not quite leaving yet - we've got a few more weeks to go...so I have some time to play with my camera in my teenie tiny bit of spare time.  I'll leave you with a parting shot I took of the sunset last night...

I was really happy with how that came out!  Not bad for a novice, eh?  I can't take credit - the sunset was beautiful and I just happened to snap a moment of it!  The colors in the sky looked so pretty against the shadows of the palm trees.  So fun..I'm getting quickly addicted to photography...and this camera.

That's it for now.  I'll catch up with you guys a bit later!

200,000 Hits Winner!

Hi all!  Happy Friday!  Hope you all had a great week.  The days seem to be speeding fast for me!  Are you guys ready to find out who the lucky winner of the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder is?  It's time!!!  I had fun reading your comments about your favorite spring flowers and it looks like Tulips and Daffodils were quite the popular pics.  I really love those flowers, too.  I think Spring is just filled with beautiful, bright and cheery flowers, so you really can't go wrong at all!  Anyway, how about we find out the winner?  This lucky girl is....

Lucky number

33

who happens to be

Eseniya

who left this fun comment!!!:

Did you get that?  In case you need a translation, here's what she said:

Isn't that so cool!  I'm so glad my international visitors play along!  I also love that there are tools on the internet that can help translate :)  It makes communicating with friends around the world so much easier!! Eseniya - I will be leaving you a note on your blog to let you know you won!

Thank you all for playing!  Hope you fantastic weekend.  And, for those of you that celebrate Easter..

Wish you all a WONDERFUL EASTER CELEBRATION!! : )

As always, I appreciate you guys coming by for a visit to my corner of the world.  Ciao for now!

Ollie's a hard working cat

Hi all! Hope you're enjoying your weekend. Just wanted to share a picture my kitty from this week- as you can see he has also been hard at work! Those conference calls are wearing him down, too!! It's a busy time for everyone in the household!


Have a great day!

{woot woot!} - celebrating over 200,000 hits!

Hi all!  We made it!  Thanks to each of YOU, dear bloggie friends, my blog has had over 200,000 visits, which is definitely something to celebrate.  How about something crafty to DIE for?!  How does the Framed Tulips Embossing Die sound?

Well, this will be easy peasy for you to play in!

Here are the rules {only enforced by the "Honor System"}:
1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, April 20th.
2. On your comment, please make sure to include a valid email address or a blog URL (where I can leave a comment or have a way of contacting you). For those of you that are uncomfortable with leaving an email in a post, you can write your info like this: yourname at emailaccount dot com.
3. One comment per person please. :)
4. Anyone can play - international visitors welcome!

You can leave me a comment about anything or share the first flower that comes to mind when you think of SPRING!  For me, it's Poppies!!  I am so into those right now.  It could also be because I got my Martha Stewart Living Magazine the other day and there are a bunch of prettty Poppies on the cover!

I'll be announcing the winner on my blog on Friday, April 22nd!  Be sure to come back and visit!  Have a great day :)

April's Final Friday Giveaway!

Hello blog friends!  How are you all?  Have a good week?  Hope so.  I missed you guys and wish I had more time to craft this past week, too.  Oh well - it's just one of those busy times where there's just not a whole lot of free time for me, so I just need to bite the bullet for a while.  :)  So, how about we talk about some fun crafting stuff for a quick second?  First of all, it's time for April's Final Friday Giveaway!  I know it's taken me forever to post this, but at last, here it is!

This month, you can win this fun Punch Potpourri stamp set!  It's a current level 1 Hostess Set and it coordinates with 4 of Stampin'Up's cool punches (sorry folks, punches are not included!) 
Here are the rules {only enforced by the "Honor System"}:

1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, April 27, 2011.
2. On your comment, please make sure to include a valid email address or a blog URL (where I can leave a comment or have a way of contacting you). For those of you that are uncomfortable with leaving an email in a post, you can write your info like this: yourname at emailaccount dot com.
3. One comment per person please. :)
4. Anyone can play - international visitors welcome!

You can leave me a comment about anything, or you can answer this question - where is the furthest destination you've travelled in the world?  For me, I'd say that so far to date, the furthest I've travelled has been to and from the Philippines.  The first time was when I emigrated to the United States as a child, and then I've gone a couple times after that to visit.  The airline I took coming to America that very first time was Pan Am.  Some of you may not have even heard of that, I bet!  I remember getting a coloring book with Pandas in it and a small box of crayons.  That was a long time ago! What a blast from the past.  Now it's your turn - would love to hear about your furthest travels!

But wait - there's more!  This week also marks my 200,000 blog hits!!  WooHoo!!  I have you guys to thank for getting to this big milestone.  I know I should have had more fanfare on the bloggie blog, but I didn't get a chance to post when it happened mid week!  So, I'm offering another giveaway in my next post...be sue to check first thing tomorrow.  Feel free to leave a comment on that post for a chance to win...you'll have to read the post to see what I'm giving away!

Have a great night and look forward to hearing about your travels!!  I'll be announcing the winner on my blog on Friday, April 29th!

Easter Gifts Challenge for HSS63!

Hello blog friends!  How are you all?  I know it's been a few days since I've last posted and I really am still around...it's just a tad bit hectic.  You know that saying "when it rains, it pours"?  Well, I'm getting quite a dose of it at the moment, and alas, it has not left me with much time to stamp!  So, you'll have to forgive me if my postings are a bit sparse this upcoming month.  With lots of deadlines and moving parts on the work front, I'm having to make some sacrifices on my time posting to the bloggie blog.  Anywhooo.....how about some fun with this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge?  The theme is Easter, so what a perfect time to finish up those cards and gifts for friends and family, AND play along in a challenge, too?!  Here's a look at the project I made...a couple of fun and easy Pillow Box favors with a bit of a vintage flair...

What do you think?  I really do love the pillow box die - so versatile!  I think the die works great on DSP as well as solid cardstock - you can whip up a quick little gift in a jiff with these.  I used the Springtime Vintage DSP and the pretty sentiment from the Easter Blooms stamp set.  Hope you like it!  Here's one more picture for you so you can see the upright and horizontal versions I made of these pillow boxes - either way, they make a pretty presentation!

Hope you like them.  I would love for you guys to play along with us!  Make like a bunny and "hop" over to the Hand Stamped Sentiments blog to check out more inspiration and get you psyched up to create your fun Easter Themed project!  Have a fab day!

Paper Crafters Sampler April Issue is available!

Hi all!  Just wanted to pop in with a quick announcement - the April Paper Crafters Sampler is now available here and the theme is Avian Art.  I am so proud to be working with these talented ladies - I think you'll enjoy everyone's AMAZING projects.  If you're one for the birds, then these will definitely knock your socks off!  Interested in subscribing to this issue?  You can go here and please be sure to reference code PCSRD! :)  Here's a sneak peek of my project:

I had fun playing with all kinds of elements.  Hope you like it!  As a subscriber to this issue, you'll get the detailed instructions for this project along with all the other avian projects, too!

Gotta get going for now.  Have a fantastic day, all and thanks for visiting!!

Pinkalicious for this week's HSS Challenge 62

Hi there peeps!  How's your week going?  Well, I wish I could just take a sec to catch my breath - lots of things going on in the work and personal fronts...but that's for sharing at another time..all good though.   :)

Since time is of the essence, I will be short and sweet today sharing this week's post for Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge 62.  The theme is Pink-a-licious:

I made a little gift set that's a quick and easy little something for a hostess or friend.  Hope you like it!  Here's a look at the box and one with the tags inside.

Isn't that flower on the top of the box so FUN?  I learned how to create it from one of the projects over at UStamp With Dawn and Friends' Big Shot Brilliance.  Super cute, don't you think?  As for the box, it's super easy to make.  Start with a 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" piece of cardstock and score the 10 1/2" side at 2 1/2", 5", 7" 1/2, and 10.  The 1/2" flap left over is where you'll glue the seam of the box.  On the 7 1/2" side, score at 2 1/2" - this will form the bottom of your box.  For the lid, start with a 4 9/16" square and score each side at 1".  Fold at the score lines and cut at the 2 top and bottom verticle lines up to the 1" score lines.  Assemble box and use the Multipurpose glue to adhere.

Here's the inside of the box - the tags fit perfectly!

Hope you liked my quick and simple project!  Now it's time for you to play along and create ANY project that uses PINK!  Hop on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out all the fun projects from our talented DT team :)

Have a great day!!  By for now!

Retro Baby Shower ensemble for UStamp With Dawn and Friends

Hi all - Happy Sunday!  I've got a peek of my 2nd project for the Big Shot Brilliance issue at UStamp With Dawn and Friends that's currently going on now.  I had fun putting this together and using non conventional baby shower colors!  What do you think?  You can get all the deets and instructions for my projects plus a bunch more in this fun Big Shot Brilliance issue.

As you guys know or probably can tell by my projects, I use the Big Shot to create many of my projects, whether it be die cutting, or dry embossing, it is a key component or tool in my crafting toolbox!  Anyway, hope you guys like this little sneak :)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!  It's a beautiful day here in CA, so I'm gonna take advantage of it and get my quick run on :)

Ciao for now!

Nested Boxes project at Craft Project Central

Hi all!  What a crazy busy week it has been for me!  How about you all?  Hope it was a good one and hope you're all doing well! I can't believe we're already into April!  I'm a little late in posting this, but today I have the last project of the March issue from Craft Project Central.  This fabbie little nested box set was created by Jacque!  Isn't this amazing??  It's so pretty and elegant! 

I love the presentation!  Who wouldn't want a present that looked like this?!  If you want to check out how to make it, you can get all the deets by subscribing to the March issue.  Too fun!  I definitely encourage you to check it out.  In the meantime, I've gotta run.  I'll catch up with you all in a bit.  Enjoy your day!