Rose's World

Scoring with UStamp with Dawn and Friends!

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Just wanted to pop in real quick with the project I created for UStamp with Dawn and Friend's "Let's Score."

If you haven't checked out a UStamp with Dawn event, it's definitely worth it! This month's "Let's Score" edition focuses on projects that use the Simply Scored tool. You can check out my project along with 40+ others, complete with pictures and PDF instructions by subscribing to the "Let's Score" edition here. Hope you liked this quick look!

Have a fantastic day and thanks so much for dropping by!

Sale-a-bration is {HERE!!}

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yay! This is one of my favorite times of the year as far as crafting is concerned! It's Sale-a-bration, and that means you can earn some FREE crafty products with each $50 purchase of Stampin'Up goodies from January 24-March 31, 2012! Isn't that a deal? Not to mention, there are additional benefits when you:

Host a party!: Get a free tote when your workshop total is $150 or more, or you can qualify for a product bundle with a workshop total of $400 or more {Product bundle includes: Fresh Vintage Stamp set, Every Day Enchantment DSP, and Every Day Enchantment Ribbon and Brad pack!}
Join my team!: You can join by purchasing a starter kit for $125, AND in addition, you get your choice of a free Designer Series Paper or Free Digital Downloads each month for the rest of the year!

Sound like fun? You can shop online 24/7 at my demonstrator store anytime. Or, if you'd like to find out more info about the Stampin'Up! opportunity, you can always email me with questions you may have and I'll be more than happy to talk you through! :)

Enjoy! Hope you have a great day. Toodles for now.

Sale-a-bration Sneaky Peeky

2012-01-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Hello there dear friends! I'm back with a combo Sale-a-bration Sneak Peek using the yummy Everyday Enchantment DSP in a layout I created in My Digital Studio {MDS}. AND, I got to incorporate a few more pics from the Stampin'Up! Leadership conference, too! Mark your calendars, cuz Sale-a-bration starts tomorrow!! For those of you that may be wondering what Sale-a-bration is, it's an awesome annual Stampin'Up! promotion where you can earn free stamps or products from the Sale-a-bration catalog for every $50 you spend in Stampin'Up! Merchandise!! It's quite the deal if you ask me. I personally LOVE this Everyday Enchantment DSP, which comes in double sided 12x12 paper as well as in Digital format, too! In fact, all the new Sale-a-bration offerings are available as a Digital CD download as one of the free product options. Pretty cool, if you ask me! ;)

Now, here's a look at the 2 page layout I created:

I am having a lot of fun learning and experimenting with all the different elements in MDS. Not to mention, after seeing all the different books and pages that you can purchase in the printed products, I am really hooked! I have a few projects lined up that I want to try - first, my Leadership Conference book, and then a board book for my cute little guy. I'll definitely share once I have them ready to go. Don't you worry, though - I am still a stamper and paper crafter at heart, so more cards and papercrafting projects are coming up soon.

In the meantime, I am gonna continue going through my photos and will post more soon. In the spirit of Chinese New Year, I want to wish you all "Gong Hei Fat Choi!" {Happy New Year!}

Some highlights from Stampin'Up! Leadership

2012-01-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

Hello there bloggie friends! I am back from the Stampin'Up! Leadership conference and came away with so many new creative ideas to share as well as some new ideas for making my Stampin'Up! "My Way." First, let me share some fun pics of the displays that definitely gave me fresh inspiration:

I love how they made flowers out of the Fashionable Hearts embosslit! So so pretty!

How about these sweet little love notes? Such a cute idea with the card and pen holder, AND the Balloon Frame. Do you see that heart box with chocolate in it? We got to sample some of that chocolate and it was DELISH!!! Home made by a Stampin'Up! employee!

Here's a broader look at the display - love the Doily banner. Just gorgeous!

And I love the yummy ice cream cone card - not to mention those fun jelly brad embellies!

These pillows using the Dresden die are truly inspiring me to learn to sew better. How pretty are these!

You know I LOVE me the buttons, so I just loved this display of button ideas.

And, last but not least, the gorgeous Blossom punch. The card idea is so so fun and summery - must case or recreate in some way!!

And, here's a picture of the fun group of gals that I got to spend lots of time with - from left to right: AnnMarie, Michelle, Liz, {me}, and Norma.

So, besides all these awesome creative displays and fun Make and Takes, Leadership was also a great source of motivation for Demos to take an introspective look at their own businesses and provide insights on areas of growth or improvement. What I really liked was this year's theme of doing business "My Way." Being a working mom, many of you that have been following my blog know that I'm still trying to tweak my schedule to incorporate my stamping and blogging. So, it's really nice to know that I can create my business to suit my needs and adjust as necessary. Of course, I'm totally motivated now about my stamping business, so I'm rejuvenated by the idea of optimizing my schedule to fit everything in that's important to me. Let's say it'll be an active work in progress, with more regular blog posts with stamping and crafting ideas coming in the future :)

Here are a few highlights of the classes that we got to take:

Why Women Buy - sounds like such a simple concept, right? Carrie Cudney shared some great insights about the buying patterns of women and what made me laugh was her example of how a woman shops at the mall vs how a man shops. Hilarious. Bottom line is that we women want what we want - isn't that right?
Then, we also got to learn about our individual career plans and benefits. Bonnie Thurber was the presenter and I just LOVE her. She's got such a great sense of humor that made it even more fun and entertaining to learn about the great benefits at the Sr Supervisor level of being a demonstrator and gave us inspiration to shoot for the stars ;)
As you all know, stamping and papercrafting spans across a broad demographic of women of various generations. Amy Swartz and Paula Critchlow shared with us how to include new generations to share the love of stamping. I couldn't agree more - the art of stamping should be shared with young and old alike, so exposing a new generation to stamping is a no brainer in my book. And, I just love how digital stamping makes it even more accessible! {Love me the MDS, too!}

The biggest highlight, as always, is getting to see Shelli.

She's one of those amazing women that just never ceases to inspire. It was great seeing her and getting to chat one-on-one for a quick second, too. Thanks, Shelli!

I took so many photos - I just need a bit more time to look through and edit so I can post more card samples and conference pics to share with you all! Will do that soon. Thanks for visiting! Bye for now!!

Greetings from San Antonio!

2012-01-19T04:40:00.001-08:00

Hello blog friends! How are you all? I am posting this morning from the Stampin'Up! Leadership Conference in San Antonio! I arrived yesterday and kicked off the session with picking up my cute little bag then it was off to Make and Takes. Here's a couple of pictures I took to share with you all:

I'll post more in a bit. In the meantime, have a fantastic day!!

{Heartstrings} Forever and Always

2012-01-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

Pin It

Hello there dear blog friends! Hope you had a nice weekend. I'm just popping in with a quick post - a simple card I made from the extra hearts I had left over from my "you're just my type" card in my previous post. I'm a big fan of clean and simple, and for this month's So Shelli Challenge, I think this card fits the bill! What do you think? I love using twine on my projects and am so thrilled that the new Occasions Mini has twine in the In Colors! Here's the super simple recipe for this card for you...

{Forever and Always Heartstrings}
*Stamp Sets: Take It to Heart, Loving Thoughts
*Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Pool Party
*Inks: Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, and Pool Party Markers; Early Espresso Classic Ink Pad
*Accessories: Fashionable Hearts Embosslits, Calypso Coral and Pool Party Baker's Twine, Corner Rounder

Hope you like it! Thanks for popping by today. Have a fantastic week and I'll catch up with you guys soon.

you're just my type.

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there friends! I've got my first card for the year to share with you. I am so excited that I got a chance to craft for a quick second! I got to play with some of my fave new goodies from the Occasions Mini catty. What do you think of the little sneaky peek above? I love this new stamp set, called "You're My Type" and I'm also a big fan of this color scheme - Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Early Espresso, and Crumb Cake. Yummy vintage retro Valentine with a splash of color. Here's a look at the full card for you:

Pin It

I had so much fun playing with the new Labels Framelits and the pretty Doily sizzlit. Don't they add a nice touch of texture to the card? How about the sweet little hearts? Those are a new embosslit called Fashionable Hearts..just too cute!

Here's another angle of the card. I love that Stampin'Up! now has twine in the In Colors! How cool is that? For this card, I used Pool Party and Calypso Coral and added a button embelly as well. Hope you liked this Occasions card! Here's the recipe for you:

{you're just my type!}
*Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, and Sweet Shop DSP
*Inks: Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake
*Stamp Sets: Just My Type
*Accessories: Paper Doily Sizzlit, Fashionable Hearts Embosslit, Labels Framelits, Pool Party and Calypso Coral Baker's Twine, Twitterpated Designer Button, Sponge Dauber, Corner Rounder

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Have a great day!

The Occasions Mini Catalog is {HERE!}

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hello there bloggie friends! Are you ready to check out the new Occasions Mini catalog? It's chockfull of CUTENESS and has already burned a hole in my pocket {wink!}. I'll let you check it out for yourself and you let me know what you think. In addition to the must-have array of stamps, there are also cool new framelit dies that are absolutely to die for, plus of course, all the yummy accessories! The cover alone gives you a pretty good sneak, don't you think? Just in time to kick off the New Year with some stylish crafting. Have fun perusing the catty! And remember, if you get the itch to shop, you can order online anytime on my Demonstrator store.

Now that I've semi-reorganized my craft room, I am chomping at the bit to bust open my new goodies. Hope to have some crafty samples ready for you soon! Have a great week!

Happy New Year, dear bloggie friends!

2012-01-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

Hello there! How are you guys? Hope you had a nice time over the holidays. It always seems to go by so quickly. So much so, that I didn't really get a chance to post very often to the good ol' bloggie blog. Nevertheless, this was an especially memorable holiday season with Denver. The entire family had lots of fun doting on him. It's a lot of fun seeing Christmas through a child's eye!

Then, after the holidays, it was time for some much needed {early} Spring Cleaning at the Diehl house. Is it just our household, or do you guys accumulate a bunch of stuff, too? It's incredible how instantly things can pile up!! Now, this might be a good segway for me to share some of my New Year's Resolutions with you {as it primarily involves me managing my piles - heehee}.

1. I resolve to keep my house and my crafting studio neat.
2. I resolve to work out, eat well, and stay fit {this is an annual resolution!}.
3. I resolve to make sure I keep a good family/work/crafting balance in my life.

Those are the top 3. I figure if the list gets too long, then nothing gets done, so I am going to focus on these. Wrapped into #3 is figuring out how to manage my time with crafting and this good ol' blog, so I appreciate you all hanging in. I have so much crafting energy stored up, it's just a matter of time for me to find a way to share it with you all!

Now enough about me. What about you all? I would love to hear about your New Year's resolutions! Feel free to share if you'd like.

Hope you all have a great first week in 2012 and I'll catch up with you guys soon! Bye for now.

{Winner winner!} for December's Final Friday Giveaway

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Hope you are enjoying your holidays. I just wanted to pop in with a quick post to announce the December winner of my 2011 Monthly Final Friday Giveaway. You guys ready? The lucky winner this month is....

Lucky #41, who is none other than Cheryl M!

Congratulations to you Cheryl!

Thank you all for playing along with me this month and throughout the year! Wish you all a wonderful 2012 and hope you'll keep visiting my corner of the world! There are lots of fun things coming up in January...namely the new Occasions Mini Catalog and Sale-a-bration! Enjoy the rest of the year and hope you have a fantastic New Year ahead :)

Ciao for now!

{Merry Christmas!} to you

2011-12-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

Hi there blog friends! I wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas from our home to yours. Hope you enjoy spending time with family, friends and loved ones over the holiday season! Also wanted to share our Christmas photo this year. I have succumbed to going digital, but I am such a big fan of MDS, I had lots of fun making this card of my little Santa Baby :)

Holly Jolly Christmas to you all!

Stampin'Up! Clearance Blitz!

2011-12-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

Hey there! Are you looking for some gifts for your crafting friends or some fun crafty goodies for yourself? Now's a great time to check out Stampin'Up!'s Clearance Blitz - punches, dies, ribbons, stamps and a variety of accesssories are on sale now and up to 80% off! The sale goes on from now until January 5th, 2012 while supplies last, so if you're eyeing anything specifically...now's the time to scoop it up! You can shop at my Online Store anytime..no waiting in lines! Enjoy!

Paper Crafters Sampler: Adorned Holiday

2011-12-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

Hello there blog friends! How are you all? Hope you are enjoying the holiday season so far and getting all your preparations completed. If you'd like another resource to check out to keep you inspired and in the festive spirit, I invite you to take a peek at the Paper Crafters Sampler "Adorned Holiday" issue that's chockful of holiday ideas for you! Here's a sneak peek at the project I created:

Can you guess what it is? In any case, it was my first attempt at creating one of these and I was really pleased at how quickly and easily it came together. That's as much of a hint as I'll give you :)

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week and I will catch up with you guys soon! Toodles for now :)

{stamps and ribbons} for December Final Friday Giveaway!

2011-12-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hello there blog friends! I know we just finished with the Blog Hop and Blog Candy announcement, but tis the season for giving, so that means it's time to announce this month's Final Friday Giveaway! You could be a winner of the Afterthoughts wood mount stamp set and some pretty Stampin'Up! ribbon! I love the sentiments in the Afterthoughts stamps - they're in such cute font and all are nice and practical sentiments you'll use throughout the year. All you have to do to play along is leave me a comment on this post (for my Facebook friends viewing this post on my Facebook page, you'll actually need to get to my actual blog post here.

Here's what you need to do to play:

1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, Dec 28, 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!

I'll announce the winner on my blog on Friday, December 30th, so be sure to check back! You can leave me a comment about anything, or you can tell me what one craft item you would love to get for Christmas. Who knows - maybe Santa's one of my blog readers, so he may even get it for you if you've been on his "good list" ;) {heehee!}

Hope you all have a great week and are enjoying the Holiday Season! I'll catch up with you guys soon. Bye for now.

Check out Shelli Gardner on the TODAY Show!

2011-12-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hello bloggie peeps! Just wanted to pop in with a quick share - Stampin'Up!'s Shelli Gardner was on the TODAY show today! You can see the clip here:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How cute is Shelli?! Her presentation was great and her outfit was adorable, too. :) Love that she's sharing the Sweet Pressed Cookie stamps and I also love that Stampin'Up! is donating $500,000 worth of products for the Toy Drive! What a wonderful way to give and share in the Holiday Spirit. On a side note...how funny are Hoda and Kathy wth their random banter and commentary - too funny.

TIP: To mute my Playlist so you can listen to the video, you can scroll to the bottom of my blog, and click on the volume icon (looks like a megaphone) in the top right corner of the pink playlist box - that will mute the music. To unmute, you can click it again and the music will resume playing!

Blog hop winner!!

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Hope you guys had fun on the Up on the Rooftop Blog Hop! It's time to post the lucky winner...and that person happens to be:

Lucky #32, who is none other than Terry Duncan! Congrats, Terry! :) I'll be emailing you soon to get your snail mail addy.

Thank you all for hopping on by and leaving me a sweet comment. I'm glad you guys liked the wine charms! I don't know if I've told you guys before, but my dear hubs is a total wine nerd, which is a good thing because I get to benefit from it, too! Anyway, so that was the inspiration for the wine charms. We've had many a party where there have been mixups with glasses, and since then, I've implemented handmade wine charms. What I love about the 25 & Counting set is that it's perfect one for a Holiday party - definitely enough to go around! Hope you guys enjoy! Have a great week and I'll catch up with you all soon. Ciao for now.

Up on the Rooftop Blog Hop!

2011-12-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Hi bloggie friends and new visitors! Welcome to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Up On The Roof Top Blog Hop!! Holiday 2011.

If you have been following the Blog Hop from the beginning, you would have just come from Melissa Stout's delightful Countdown Santa. Such an adorable idea to fill in Santa's beard each day, don't you think? So cute and clever - it's a great project for big and little kids alike as they count down to Christmas time!

If you are just jumping in on the Blog Hop, no problem, as you can start at any point. All the Designer's Blogs are linked together, so you will be able to see ALL the super projects we have for you.

For my project, I created wine charms for the holidays and, of course, cute packaging to put them in. Here's a look:

I made the wine charms out of the 25 and Counting stamp set, so if you're having a holiday party and want to make sure everyone can find their happy spirits, you'll have enough charms to go around.

They tie on nicely to your stemware and have a cute festive touch with the Cherry Cobbler baker's twine. Oh and the packaging....I love how these Mini Milk cartons convert to little Christmas houses.

And here's a look at the complete ensemble:

So, not only will you have lots of wine charms at the end of this project, but you'll also have a stash of Holiday tags to make sure you can mark your presents accordingly! All of these fit into the cute little houses that you can put in the carrier and off you go. Holiday party and present organization all in one place :)

As a Special Thank You for stopping by my blog I am giving away BLOG CANDY!!

Please leave a comment about my project to be entered for a chance to win a great goodie bag of current Stampin' Up! products. I will randomly select a winner to be announced on Tuesday, so please check back to see if you are the lucky recipient!

AND there's MORE...LOTS MORE!!

You have the opportunity to get the downloadable PDF Tutorial for my project FREE!! It's a GIFT from UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Woohoo!! See the blinkie below to access the FREE Blog Hop Website.

In the Spirit of the Holiday Season, you have the opportunity to get in on "Special Holiday Pricing" for the upcoming UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! SCORE!! Event. The Stampin' Up! Simply Scored Tool is HOT STUFF and SCORE!! will feature 40+ projects, all created using the Simply Scored Tool. SCORE!! is a MUST NOT MISS Event!! See the blinkie below to join and get in on the Early Bird savings.

And now for the most exciting giveaway of the season...

Everyone that joins the new and exciting upcoming event - SCORE!! - with "Special Holiday Pricing" will be entered into a Drawing to win 1 of 3 FREE Passes for an ENTIRE YEAR of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

YES!!

You read that right!!

YOU could win a whole year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events FREE!!

***Special Holiday Pricing of just $19.99 ends Dec 8th***

Winners will be announced on Friday, Dec 9th.

Click the Blinkie below to join SCORE!! with Special Holiday Pricing

and a chance to win a FREE Year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

Click the blinkie below and you will be taken to

THE UP ON THE ROOFTOP BLOG HOP WEBSITE!!

Of course it's ***FREE*** to join and

there you will find the tutorials for ALL the blog hop projects,

PLUS live chats, challenges and more prizes!!

You will even have an opportunity to be considered for a spot as a Guest Designer!!

Yes!! It is all FREE, so tell all your friends and

join the fun with UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!

***

AND last but certainly not least, it's time to hop on over to the next Designer's Roof Top, so please click below for NEXT BLOG, where you will find Mercedes ready to share her beautiful rosette decor project with you.

If you would like to hop back to Melissa's Roof Top, please click below.

Thanks again for stopping by and Happy Holidays to YOU!!

Get ready for a {blog hop}!

2011-12-01T01:23:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! Happy December! I'm up way past my bedtime right now, but wanted to quickly drop a note to let you know that I'll be part of the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Up on a Rooftop Bloghop that goes from December 2- December 4th! So, be sure to pop on by :)

Hope you guys are having a great week. I will catch up with you guys soon at the blog hop! Bye for now :)

November Blog Candy Winners!

2011-11-25T23:39:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Did you have a good Black Friday? I know I did - I was able to get lots fo my Christmas shopping done! But let me tell you what happened this morning. I had my cup of coffee in hand and ready to turn on the computer to draw my winners on random.org, but discovered that my computer would not turn on! Already, I thought...oh no. I didn't back up my pictures or docs from the last month. Please let me be able to recover all of that! Thankfully, it turned out that my computer's power supply went dead, but the good folks over at the local Best Buy were able to install a new one. Yay! Disaster averted. For now anyway.

So let's fast forward. Shop, shop shop, nap, play with the baby and feed him. Eat dinner. Watch Shawshank Redemption with the hubs and my in-laws. And now, here I am ready to post my winners. Whew! You ready to find out who the 2 lucky winners are? Well let's do it, shall we? The first winner is for the November Final Friday Giveaway, which is the Something To Celebrate clear mount stamp set and Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon. The winner is...

Lucky # 33, who happens to be Ilene B! Here's her sweet comment:

Congrats, Ilene!!! I will be emailing you soon.

The lucky winner for the November Blog Candy Bonus - the Merry wood mount stamp set - is...

Lucky #46, who happens to be Lisa! Here is her comment:

Congrats to you, Lisa! I will be leaving on comment on your blog!

Thanks to all of you for your fun comments. It truly is so much fun to read them and I appreciate you all sharing your thoughts with me and all my blog friends that stop in for a visit :) Thanks so much. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! Good night for now!!

from our home to yours...

2011-11-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a touch of some papercrafts this year with our napkin ring/ place settings...

May you all have a wonderful day with your friends and family. Wish you a day filled with thanks and gratitude. We have so many things to be thankful for, especially for our sweet little blessing!

Have a wonderful Turkey day!

fun and simple {Luggage Tag}!

2011-11-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

Hello there bloggie friends! Did you guys get a chance to check out the Online Extravaganza that started yesterday? It's definitely worth checking out if you haven't already. For today, I've got a quick and easy project that would make a cute stocking stuffer or little gifts for co-workers. It's a luggage tag I made using the Spice Cake DSP and the clear Decor Elements Vinyl sheets. Isn't it cute? What's nice about it is that the clear vinyl sheet has some weight on it and makes my Spice Cake DSP more durable by protecting it.

Here's how I made it:
1. Cut one 4"x 4" piece Spice Cake DSP.
2. Die cut a letter of your choice (or any image that will cover up to 3"x3" of your 4"x4" paper) using a Vinyl sheet. For this sample, I used a "D" for my little man, or for Diaper bag {heehee}.
3. Adhere the letter in the center of your 4"x4" DSP piece.
4. Cut 2 pieces of 4"x 4" clear Decor Elements vinyl sheet.
5. Adhere the clear vinyl sheets on the front and back of your DSP and use a bone folder to smooth over the top of the DSP to ensure it's adhered well. This "laminates" your paper.
6. Using the Scallop Circles #2 die, place your DSP onto the larger scallop circle, with the letter face down.
7. Run your laminated piece of paper thru the Big Shot. Now you have a scallop circle tag.
7. Finish it off by punching a hole at the top with the Crop-a-dile, string through ribbon and you're DONE!

Here's a final look at my diaper bag:

Doesn't the tag look so cute on it? Hope you like this fun and easy project! Have a great day!

Online Extravaganza is HERE!

2011-11-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Today's the kickoff of Stampin'Up!'s Online Extravaganza. You can check it out here! You'll find discounts on select items from 20-60% off. Today's 24 hr specials are on the following items:

Happy shopping and hope you guys have a FABULOUS week! Toodles for now.

Stampin'Up!'s Online Extravaganza starts Monday, Nov 21!

2011-11-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there, bloggie peeps! Have you been waiting for some Stampin'Up! deals for this holiday season? Then you won't want to miss the Online Extravaganza that starts on November 21st and goes thru Wed, November 30th! You can shop 24/7 on my Demonstrator Website, so no need to rush out and drive anywhere! Just log on starting November 21st and you'll be good to go.

Here are some very KEY THINGS TO NOTE:

There will be a special 24 hour sale on 2 specific items starting November 21st from 12:01 am until 11:59 pm (Mountain Time). It's so top secret I don't even know what they are yet...you'll want to check it out! I would hate for you to miss these 24 hr only deals!!
Some sneak items {just to give you a little taste} are: FREE digital downloads valued at $40 when you buy My Digital Studio Express, 60 percent off select Designer Fabrics, and 30 percent off an exclusive ribbon bundle!

This is great time to get gifts for your crafty friends and family, or indulge on the items you've been wanting for yourself {everyone needs to do that every now and then, don't you think? wink, wink}

Get ready to start the week with some great crafting deals in advance of Black Friday!!! Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'll catch up with you guys soon!!

November Blog Candy is here!

2011-11-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

Hello dear friends! I'm back with some fun giveaways for November! As I had mentioned in my previous post, not only will I have this month's Final Friday Giveaway, but I will also have a 2nd prize bonus giveaway since I've just passed my 250,000 blog hits!! Thanks to all of YOU :) So, what does that mean? Well, if you leave me a comment on this post, you are eligible to win:

November Final Friday Blog Candy

"Something to Celebrate" Clear Mount stamp set and Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon

the November Bonus Giveaway

"Merry" Wood Mount stamp set

I will announce the 2 lucky winners next Friday, November 25th, so be sure to come back and see if you won!

Here are the deets to play:

1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, November 23, 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 tell me about your Thanksgiving plans this year. If you're an international friend, then I would love for you to tell me about your fall season traditions! I look forward to reading your comments. Good luck, all!

I {heart} sweet potatoes!

2011-11-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends! How are you all? Getting ready for Thanksgiving? I know it's been a while since my last post. Thanks for hanging in :) Theres lots of stuff going on as usual, but I wanted to share the latest developments with our little boo! He's already 5 1/2 months old...where does the time go? Well, I am excited to share that he has made his foray into solids. First, the rice cereal. Then came the sweet potatoes. It was fun watching his reaction to new flavors :) At first he was tentative, but after a few spoonfuls, he went to town. What's not to like? It's SWEET potatoes afterall ;) Next flavor of the week - squash...just in time for Thanksgiving.

I had fun making the layout using My Digital Studio {MDS}. The layout above uses the Noteworthy paper, and the Pennant and Circle punch. Digital scrapbooking is really starting to get addictive! What I love about it is that I just took these pictures last week, downloaded them and then was inspired to make a layout. I think I do love the convenience factor - all my supplies in one spot. In my computer. And, the best part? No cleanup! Just save the files and viola - I'm done. Heehee. I say that as my stamp room sits in dire need of a reorganization and heavy duty picking up. That's one of my projects for the weekend!

How about you all? What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Well, I will be back with a post shortly for this month's Final Friday Giveaway AND a bonus giveaway for surpassing my 250,000 hits!! Woot woot!

Hope you guys enjoy your weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Paper Crafter Sampler November Issue

2011-11-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Hello there bloggie friends! How are you? It's been quite a Monday already for me. Hope you guys are having a great start of your week! Are you getting ready for the Thanksgiving Holiday and looking for some crafty ideas? Well - here's a great spot to take a peek at...this month's issue of the Paper Crafter Sampler is here! Here's a quick look at my project sneak:

In this issue, you'll see lots of great ideas using the Spice Cake papers and fabric, so go check it out for some fun inspiration! You can refer to promocode PCSRD if you decide to subscribe to the issue :)

I'll be back soon with some highlights from my crafty weekend, so stay tuned. Bye for now!

Digital Scrapbook day and {free} digital downloads!

2011-11-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hi there bloggie peeps! I am finally over my cold and feeling much better. Hard to believe we're already into November though...yikes!! I need to get started on my Christmas cards!! Have you guys started? Well, I guess that's really a topic for a separate post altogether. Today, I've got some fun news to share! Since tomorrow is Digital Scrapbooking Day,Stampin'Up! is making a big to-do about it by giving away some free digital downloads starting today, November 4th through November 7th! Isn't that cool? I have to say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the images and layouts in this free offering. Head on over to MyDigitalStudio.net to check them out and download. They are free for ANYONE and EVERYONE!! You don't need to have My Digital Studio to use the downloads.. You can use them with any of your digital applications {so AWESOME!}. Here's the link to all the deets. It's definitely worth the while to take a peek!

Just to share a sneak...Here's a digital card I created using one of the free layouts. It was originally a "Home For The Holidays" layout, but I changed it up a tad to be more harvest/Thanksgiving-y to match the photos I wanted to use. I've used a few of the pics in other layouts that you may recognize, but some are new, too. The sentiment I used is one of the freebies from the stamp brush set - I love the font!:

What do you think? I really am enjoying the digital scrapbooking. My little boo boo has inspired me to capture and remember all those precious every day moments in life. It's truly amazing. Pictures are such dear snapshots of life unfolding before your very eyes. I think becoming a mom has given me a whole new perspective. It has reaquainted me with the innocence and sweetness of youth, which I am greeted with everyday seeing my sunshine's smile. Now, I see the pull of scrapbooking. Taking pictures and capturing the emotions of the moment is addicting! Ahh, but as usual - my enemy is time and trying to find enough of it to enjoy life AND chronicle it, too. There's the rub. I think you'll probably see more of the digital scrapbooking on the bloggie blog, woven in with posts of my cards and papercrafting. Afterall, this is Rose's World, and it's continually evolving and starting to "revolve" around the little guy. Stay tuned.

That said, I've got some stamping, crafting, and some "me" time ahead of me this weekend! I'm going to Sandy Hancock's Demonstrator meeting tomorrow, and I'm excited about it. I have a feeling I'll have lots crafty inspirations to post about in the coming weeks!

Well, my friends, that's it from me for now. Hope you guys have a great weekend! I'll catch up with you guys in a bit!

Happy Halloween from the King of the Jungle

2011-10-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Happy Halloween to you! Our little lion will be celebrating his first Halloween!! Being sick the last few days has kind of impeded my grand plans of making a lot of Halloween cards, but I managed to put this together using MDS. So fun!

Have a great one! I'll catch up with you guys soon...

New Projects on Craft Project Central!

2011-10-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hi there bloggie friends! How are you? Hope you're enjoying your weekend. I'm a little under the weather, so I kind of feel like I'm moving in slow mo. We've had the sick bug visit our house 2 weeks in a row now, and luckily, Denver's been the most resilient of the 3 of us :)

I just wanted to pop in real quick to share 2 new projects on Craft Project Central - the first one is an adorable Magnetic Christmas Countdown Calendar by Heather Stevens:

And this next project is gorgeous set of Christmas Cards by dear friend, Anne Marie Hile:

Don't these projects just get you in the Christmas Spirit? So festive and fun! If you want to check out the deets, hop over to Craft Project Central to subscribe for the October projects!

Woot Woot Winner Time!

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi bloggie peeps! Happy Friday to you all! It's time to announce this month's Final Friday Winner. I was SO excited to be able to easily see the NUMBERED comments - yippee! And this month's lucky winner truly had luck on her side....ready to find out? Here we go. The lucky winner is:

Lucky #22, who happens to be:

TanySol! I was so pleased to discover that it also happened to be her BIRTHDAY on Oct 25th! Congratulations, Lucky Birthday Girl!!!

I enjoyed reading your comments and discovered from TanySol and many of our international friends that they don't celebrate Halloween in their countries. For those of you that DO celebrate Halloween, I had fun reading up on your traditions and memories! It's so nice to hear your stories. Thanks so much for playing along!

On a side note - how do you guys like my little banner? I am having so much fun tinkering with My Digital Studio! There's so much you can do with digital images...not only can you scrapbook, but for blogging, I'm finding that it's a GREAT way for me to create images for my blog. I am discovering that the possibilities truly are endless! And...I'm excited to share a little tidbit - next week Stampin'Up! will be giving away free digital Downloads at mydigitalstudio.net! Stay tuned...more info to come soon :)

In the meantime, hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend! Bye for now!

Yay! A simple way to number your comments in your blogger blog!

2011-10-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hi again bloggie friends! I just had to share that I finally found a way to easily number comments in my blog! I know I'm probably late to the game on this, but I've tried before with other instructions...to no avail. Thanks to the super easy tutorial on thecutestblogontheblock.com, I now have numbered comments - woohoo! They break it down for you so it's pretty clean and simple to implement. Now you'll see my comments are numbered like so:

Isn't that cool? For those of you that do blog candy or any sort of giveaways, this now eliminates the need to count through your comments individually {and double count sometimes, as I do to make sure I counted correctly!}. Hope you find this helpful! Have a great day!

French Foliage and Flirtatiously FUN projects!

2011-10-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, blog peeps! How are you guys? Hope you are having an enjoyable weekend. I know I am. It's always nice to be able to unwind and take it down a notch after a hectic and busy work week! Well, today, I have 2 fun projects to share with you from the October Craft Project Central! Are you ready? I think you'll definitely enjoy these. The first is the beautiful French Foliage set by Lynn Weiss:

Such a pretty set that's perfect for fall! I love the leaves and the colors - autumn at its best!

The next project is this super fun Flirtatious gift packaging ensemble by my dear friend, Sharon Field:

Isn't this so deliciously pretty in pink?! Love how girly and sweet this is! If you'd like to get all the deets on these 2 projects, be sure to hop over to Craft Project Central and sign up for the October projects!

As for the home front, we've been having fun trying to get Denver ready for Halloween. We've put on his little Lion hood a couple times for him to get used to, and yesterday we put on his full regalia for some Halloween photo ops. So fun! I will share those soon. I've been working on some MDS layouts...I have to say that I am embracing digital scrapbooking and crafting - it's sooo fun! Especially, when I'm working with such a cute little model ;) I may become a scrapbooker yet!

Anywhoo....stay tuned for those. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your weekend! Bye for now and thanks for popping in for a visit!

Gingham Christmas Tree box and card

2011-10-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there, peeps! As promised, I'm sharing the project I created for Craft Project Central today! I had been eying the pyramid boxes I've seen in Craft magazines and websites, and finally decided to make my own Christmas Themed box! I also am such a fan of the Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, I had to incorporate it in my box and card, too {hee!}. You can find out all the deets of this project in the October subscription over at Craft Project Central, so hope you'll pop over there and check this out along with all the awesome projects I've posted from this month's Craft Project Central.

Have a great day, dear friends!

Need Masculine cards? Look no further...

2011-10-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hey bloggie friends! How's your week going so far? Hope all is well. I feel like I sound like a broken record sometimes cuz I just feel constantly busy busy! Oh well - the good news is, I do have a fun share today. Do you have those moments where you need to make a masculine card and either have creativity block or just don't have the right stamps? Well, here's a cool set of cards using the Need for Speed stamp set that will work great for any guy cards you may need! I especially love the clean lines and minimalistic modern feel of these cards. Kris McIntosh created this project for Craft Project Central, so if you'd like to check these out or learn more, hop on over there!

Stay tuned for tomorrow! I'll be posting the project I created this month for Craft Project Central. It's a fun and simple packaging project for the holidays. That's all I'll say for now. Have a great night!

a trip to the {Pumpkin Patch!}

2011-10-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hey there bloggie friends! Just wanted to share some pics from today - we went to the pumpkin patch with Denver and had so much fun! He was being so cute, too!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Everyday Elegance Card Kit for Craft Project Central

2011-10-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hi blog peeps! Happy Saturday! I hope you guys are enjoying your weekend. After a crazed week at work, I am trying to do some catch up and a bit of unwinding today. But wanted to pop in real quick with some fun cards by Sharon Burkert using the Everyday Elegance card kit.

This is another creative project available in October at Craft Project Central. Want to know more? You can check out the deets over at Craft Project Central!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Have a great day all! Cheers!

Simply fabulous deal for Simply Sent Kits!

2011-10-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hello again, peeps! Who wants some free stamps? Well, now's a great chance to get a coordinating stamp set when you buy 2 Simply Sent card kits for the month of October. Here's a look at the kits:

Everyday Elegance - #122377, $11.95

Great Day - #122375, $12.95

Sweet Moments - #122376, $13.95

This deal runs for the month of October. For those of you that are thinking of your holiday shopping, these would makes a great gift for new stampers! So don't let this promotion pass you by - now's a great time to stock up! :) And, no need to wait in lines...you can shop any time at my Online Store! Isn't that convenient? ;)

Bye for now!

October Final Friday Giveaway is here!

2011-10-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog friends! Are you ready for this month's Final Friday Giveaway? It's a great all occasion stamp set called Slice of Life that was offered earlier this year as a Hostess Set! With these versatile images, you can create, Birthday, Wedding, Thank You, Baby, Valentine, or general thinking of you cards with a snap! Would you like to win this set?

All you have to do to play is follow these simple rules, only enforced by the "Honor System":

1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, October 25th, 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!

Feel free to comment on anything, or if you'd like, you can tell me about a favorite Halloween memory or Halloween tradition. For me, I think this year will be a memorable one with EVERY holiday, since it's going to be Denver's firsts! I'm excited about this Halloween and seeing him dressed up...he's going to be a Lion! Of course, I had to tie it into our Africa Safari trip ;) I'll definitely post pictures of him once we have them. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he will like being in his costume! I'm looking forward to reading your comments. You guys are so fun to play along and humor me. So, as you ponder your memory or tradition, sit, stay a while, and enjoy the music on the bloggie blog or perusing past Halloween posts to get you in the Halloween Spooky spirit!

Have a great day and thanks for popping by!

{PS - If you happen to be reading this post in your inbox, or on Facebook, please make sure to leave me a comment on my blog to play along for the giveaway!}

{bewitchingly} creative!

2011-10-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hi there peeps! I've got another project inspiration for you from Craft Project Central! Now, how cute is this Witch Hat Treat Box & Pop-Up Card? This very wickedly spooky Halloween duo was crafted by Monika Davis at http://www.stampnmad.typepad.com/. I just LOVE th spiders on the hat and the pop up card! How about those candelabras, too?! Too fun! I encourage you to pop on over to Craft Project Central if you're inspired to create this project. I tell you, this October issue is brimming with fabulous crafty creations! Enjoy!

Up next, I've finally got my October Final Friday giveaway...so don't go far!

Note to self...

2011-10-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

...I need to CASE this cute Memo board project! The complete instructions for this handy little project by Laurie Zoellmer is part of the October issue at Craft Project Central. This would make such a great teacher or neighbor gift, too, don't you think? I love Laurie's use of the chalkboard Decor Element Sheet and cork board! If you haven't tried using these different textures and surfaces, it's a great time to step out of your comfort zone and have fun experimenting and expanding your crafting repertoire!

In the meantime, I will make another note to self to get more consistent on my blog posts! I'll catch up with you guys soon. Thanks for popping by!

Check out what's brewin' at Craft Project Central

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Happy Thursday to you. Does it feel like fall in your neck of the woods? Well, it's definitely starting to feel like that in Southern CA. We had some rain and fog yesterday and I think that's when it finally sank in that we're ALREADY in October! So crazy how time seems to be getting shorter. Today, I've got a couple of pics to share with you. I'm so excited to be a guest designer over at Craft Project Central! For the month of October, I'll be sharing some sneaks of the projects in this month's issue. The first one is this super cute Scarecrow Card and box ensemble by the super talented Kim Score. She does incredibly amazing punch art!

This next project by Julie Edmonds is such a fun idea that incorporates Halloween with one of my favorite things - spa relaxation and indulgence! Such a clever idea for Halloween themed favors!

Like what you see? You can hop on over to Craft Project Central to check out the deets and subscribe to October!

On another note - did you notice that I decorated the good ol' bloggie blog with a Festive Halloween background? I thought it'd be fun! It's like decorating my online "house" - heehee. Have a great day and I'll catch up with you soon. I've still got to post my October Final Friday - yikes! It's coming soon, I promise! Bye for now.

The first week of Christmas is {HERE!}

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog friends! As I had mentioned in my post yesterday, my 1st Week of Christmas starts today!! WooHoo! These holiday projects are a special treat to my Newsletter subscribers, so you won't see these on the bloggie blog. As a matter of fact, if you're a newsletter subscriber, should be getting the first holiday project in your inbox this morning...

If you're not on my Newsletter list, you can still sign up to get the remaining 11 weeks! You'll find the Newsletter sign up in the right column of my blog. Enjoy and let the holiday festivities begin!

Ciao for now.

Paper Parade Sneak Peek!

2011-10-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I'm back with a quick post of my project for UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade! My project showcases a Mini Baby Album of my adorable little guy and a matching card using the Party Animal Simply Scrappin Kit. The colors of the kit are so adorable and the cute embellies made assembling the album a breeze. Here's a peek at a couple of the page layouts...

There are so many INCREDIBLE projects in the Paper Parade series - truly a wide array of crafts for lots of different occasions {holidays, showers, wedding, babies, to name a few!}. Plus, you'll get detailed instructions and pictures with every project along with a complete supply list. If you haven't checked out UStamp With Dawn and Friends, it's definitely worthwhile to subscribe!

12 Weeks of Christmas is coming!

2011-10-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

Hi dear bloggie friends! I am a little behind on the posts this week...October is turning out to be quite a busy month on all fronts! So, for the sake of catching you all up on all the crafty happenings, here are some fun things to note this month:

My 12 Weeks of Christmas Newsletters will start TOMORROW! I'll be featuring 12 awesome Holiday projects that have been made by a collaboration of demos as well as yours truly, so you don't want to miss this! In order to get these projects, you'll need to sign up for my newsletter {don't worry - sign ups are free!}. You'll see the sign up in the right column of my blog :) You can check out sneaks of what I did last year at this post. The first week will go out Wed, Oct 5!
I am so excited to share that I'm a guest designer this month on Craft Project Central! The cool thing too is that I'll be featuring the projects available this month on my blog so you'll get to see what awesome projects are being offered.
I'm also back designing for UStamp With Dawn and Friends. This month focuses on all thing paper with "Paper Parade. I'll be posting a sneak of my project soon!
StampinUp! has an AWESOME promotion this month.....you can get a FRE BIG SHOT when you sign up to be a demo. It's a great time to join, and I would LOVE for you to be part of my team!! :) More deets on my Demonstrator Website. This fabulous offering is available for the month of October only, so don't wait til the last minute - JOIN TODAY to take advantage of all the benefits of being a demonstrator. You can always reach out to me, too for more info. Drop me an email! ;)

Ok, so that's the bulk of my announcements. October's Final Friday Giveaway will be coming soon in a separate post AND I will also be scheduling a Christmas Stamp a Stack towards the end of this month or beginning of Nov. Stay tuned!! In the meantime, hope you all have a fabby day! Toodles for now.

October Paper Crafters Sampler!

2011-10-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Hi blog friends! The October issue of the Paper Crafters Sampler is here! There are fabulous projects for Halloween that you won't want to miss. Here's a sneak of my project:

You can visit Paper Crafters Sampler to subscribe to the issue. It's a wickedly fun one!

September Final Friday Winner!!

2011-10-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I know I'm a day late in posting the winner for September, so let's find out who it is, shall we? The lucky winner of the Bliss stamp set is.....

#9 who happens to be SueBee!

Congrats to you SueBee and thanks to all of you guys that played along this month. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your happy September moments. So much fun to find out more about you, dear blog friends :)

I know today is October 1st, so stay tuned for a post later today for this month's giveaway!! :)

Chat with you all soon! Enjoy your weekend in the meantime. Ciao

{Bliss}ful September Final Friday Giveaway!

2011-09-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Would you like to have another chance at Bliss? Well, I'm happy to announce that this month's Final Friday Giveaway is the beautiful Bliss stamp set from this past Stampin'Up! Sale-a-bration! Soooo...if you love this stamp set and didn't get a chance to earn it thru Sale-a-bration, you can have your chance by leaving me a comment on this blog post. {A quick note to my dear readers on Facebook, you'll have to go to my blog and leave me a comment here!}

Here are the rules {only enforced by the "Honor System"}:

1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, September 28th, 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!

Now, your comment can be about anything, but just for kicks and so that we can get to know each other better, how about you tell me about one memorable, funny, or happy thing that's happened to you this month? For me, one very memorable thing that's happened this month that put a smile on my face was when Denver started cooing along with me to "You are my Sunshine." It was the cutest thing ever and I'll never forget it! Can't wait to read your comments!

Have a great day!

Happy Owl-oween!

2011-09-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hi all! How are you dear blog friends? I know it's been a while since my last post! I tell ya, I think time is a big enemy of mine these days because it doesn't seem to allow me to do everything I'd like to do in a given day. Do you guys feel that way sometimes? Well things have been quite busy on my front, which means that as a result, my blog has been somewhat neglected. So sorry, dear friends. I do miss you guys and keep wanting to share a bunch of things with you. I know I'll get there. It's just a matter of getting time on my side ;)

For today, I've got a fun Halloween post for you - how cute are those owls!! I made these Owl treats for a Woo Hoo Demo Swap this past weekend. Since I've found the need to try and maximize my crafting moments into the small windows of time I have, I opted for a quick and easy treat project that turned out pretty darned cute for how easy they were to put together! Here's a close up of one of the treats for you:

I used the Two tags die to create my little "treat jacket." What I did was start with a 3"x6" piece of Frightful Sight DSP, then folded it in half. I then placed it onto the tag die so that the crease of the DSP was just above the scoreline on the tag die. Then, run it through your Big Shot. For the front of my treat jacket, I punched out a Scallop Circle, then I stamped my adorable little Owl from the Warmest of Wishes Hostess stamp set {Holiday Mini} in Basic Black and punched it out with the Owl punch. Then, I adhered the treat to the inside and then tied up the treat jacket with the cute Scallop Dots ribbon in Basic Black. Viola! So easy peasy! You can put a variety of Halloween treats in this little jacket. For my sample, I had some extra Sugar Daddys that I had and used those. What do you think?

Wanna see the rest of the amazing Halloween swaps I got? Here's a look:

Now, aren't these just the cutest set of Halloween treats? The witch's hat is actually an outlet cover - isn't that clever? How do you like that tray that's holding all the treats? It's super easy to make.. I used our handy dandy Simply Scored board to make it. Just score a 12"x12" piece of DSP or Cardstock at 2 inches along each edge. Then pinch the corners into triangles and use your Crop-a-dile to punch a hole in the center of these triangles. Cinch up the corners with ribbon and knot it or make a bow to secure. Now you've got yourself a tray! Another quick and easy project that makes a great display for treats, cookies or really any baked goodie :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I will be posting this month's Final Friday giveway sometime tomorrow, too, so stay tuned for that. Have a great night!!

September Paper Crafters Sampler {Sneak peek!}

2011-09-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday, dear blog friends! I've got a little sneak peek of my project for the September Paper Crafters Sampler issue, Backpacks and Bookmarks, which will be available on September 10th!

Enjoy your day! Thanks for visiting ;)

quick {snapshots} of a delightful shower!

2011-09-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all! As many of you know, I'm not a scrapbook gal by nature, so any scrapbooking endeavor is quite a feat on my part!! With that said, here's a page I put together with just a few snaps from Denver's Welcome shower that my dear cousin and friends threw last weekend. It was so much fun! I am so grateful to be surrounded by such awesome family and friends :)

These 4 photos don't do it justice, but all the details and decorations were absolutely impeccable and the time spent with family and friends was priceless. It was a lovely day! Michael and I are so blessed to have our little Denver. I am so in love with my family unit. There we are in the last picture on the right. I {heart} my sweet boys : )

Hope you all have a fantastic Labor Day weekend!

Happy Wishes

2011-09-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I've got just a quick post today. This Happy Wishes card is actually an anniversary card I made. I think I need to start stockpiling anniversary cards because there are a bunch of them coming up that I need to send out!! For this one, I used the pretty Timeless Portrait DSP and got to use the Designer Frames Textured Embossing Folder for the first time! I love the color combo and the cameo images on this paper - it's just gorgeous. I also discovered that the medium oval from the Ovals Originals dies fits the Oval Frame embossing folder perfectly! For the center of the oval, I stamped one of the flourishes from the Style Beautiful stamp set and then stamped "Happy Wishes" using the Fabulous Phrases stamp set. I dressed up the oval frame with the antique brads and just a smidge of the black scallop ribbon...Here's the full card for you!

This is a simple card design that's dressed up by the DSP! Here's the recipe for you:

{Timeless Happy Wishes}
*Stamp Sets: Style Beautiful, Fabulous Phrases
*Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Timeless Portrait DSP
*Inks: Basic Black, Marina Mist
*Accessories: Basic Black Scallop Dots Ribbon, Antique Brads, Designer Frames Textured Embossing Folder, Ovals Originals die

What do you think? Hope you like it. It's a nice and simple sketch that can be translated into a lot of different cards for all occasions. Just change up the DSP and you have a whole different look!

That's it for now...Thanks for popping in. I'll catch up with you guys in a bit :)

Ciao!

Ready for the Holiday Mini?

2011-08-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hi bloggie friends! Hope you're having a great week! It's been quite an eventful one for me, so apologies for the lack of blog posts. In a nutshell, I went back to work full time this past Tuesday, so that in itself was quite an adjustment. It's amazing how much of an impact the past 12 weeks has had on my life. LBD {Life before Denver} seems like a lifetime ago and now it's hard to imagine LWD{Life without Denver!}. There's definitely a lot of juggling to be learned (by me, of course), but it's all good.

My card share today is a card I created for a Demo Swap we had this past weekend for the WooHoo stamper's demo meeting. I had fun making this card because it's predominantly made using goodies from the Holiday Mini that will be available tomorrow, September 1st in the US! It's my first Christmas card this year...can you believe it? Now that I've broken the seal on the Christmas stuff, you'll definitely see a lot more holiday cards in September! Wanna see the full card? Here it is for you:

What do you think? The card sketch is actually a CASE of one of the Christmas cards I created last year that you can check out on this post. I used some old current favorites - like the Top Note die, the Contempo Christmas stamp set, Real Red Baker's Twine, and the Decorative Label punch. And the NEW goodies I used are the Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty DSP (#124004, $12.95), the coordinating Holly Berry Designer Buttons (#125636, $8.95), and the new Stocking Accents Originals Die (#124099, $17.95). Lots of fun stuff! I just LOVE the specialty DSP - the picture doesn't do it justice because those fun polka dots really pop with those embossed glittery red circles! Hope you like it. Remember, the Holiday Mini products will be available for purchase on my Online Stampin'Up! website on September 1st!

Thanks for visiting today. Stay tuned for September's Final Friday giveaway post...it's coming soon :)

Bye for now!

August Final Friday Winner!!

2011-08-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, all! How are you guys? Hope all is well! In know it's been a little quiet on the blog front over here, so thanks to all of you that have continued to peek in on me these last couple of weeks! I truly underestimated how busy I'd be with a little baby...and on top of it all, I've been trying to mentally prepare going back to work next week! YIKES! Well, that can be a whole 'nother post, so let's get on with the task at hand, shall we? :)

It's the last Friday of the month, so that means it's time to announce this month's Final Friday Winner. Thank you so much for the warm Anniversary wishes! We had a good one...we actually went on our first date post baby! We had a nice dinner and we were able to survive being away from the wee one for two and a half hrs. Can you believe it? Anyway, here I go again digressing.... So now, let's get ready to find out who the lucky winner of the Pennant Parade Stamp Set is. The August Final Friday winner goes to...

lucky number 71, who is

littlebitoftoto {aka tlfletcher}

Congratulations to you!!!

Thank you all for playing this month! I really do love reading all the comments :) Stay tuned for next month's Final Friday Giveaway. In the meantime, hope you have a fabulous weekend, my dear bloggie friends! I'll catch up with you guys soon. Toodles for now.

Flirtatious Christmas Stocking {sneak peek!}

2011-08-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! Happy Monday to you. I've got a quick post today, but a fun one! I had a chance to play with the new Christmas Stocking die cut that'll be available in the Holiday Mini starting on Sep 1. I decided I'd go with a non-traditional Christmas stocking, so I used the Flirtatious Specialty DSP and LOVE this girly look! :) Hope you like it too! Here's the full picture for you:

The stocking is a Bigz L die and measures 5 1/2" x 4 3/4". The heel, toe and top band are separate die cut pieces, so you can create a variety of looks and stocking styles! I embossed these pieces on Whisper White cardstock using the new Snow Burst embossing folder, which is also a new favorite of mine because it's such a versatile pattern! I die cut 2 pieces of the stocking and glued them together using the Multipurpose liquid glue. The little lace trim peaking out at the bottom of the band is a smidge of the pretty Lace Ribbon Border punch. To give my stocking a bit of a vintage-y look, I sponged the edges with Crumb Cake using a sponge dauber. I love this new die and think I'll be using it quite a bit for the holidays! It makes for a perfect size to stuff a gift card or small gift! I embellished my stocking with a little bit of Pink Pirouette Taffeta Ribbon, buttons and white twine. Oh yes - and the fun little Snowflake punch to give my stocking just an added bit of interest! Hope you liked this little sneak peek! Stay tuned for more projects using this adorable stocking die :) Have a great day!

Simple Posy Punch Thanks

2011-08-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Happy Saturday! I've still got a case of the challenge bug, so today I'm sharing a quick card I made for the Pals Paper Arts challenge - where you need to use 1 piece of DSP 1 punch and 1 sentiment. Plus, the inspiration photo reminded me so much of my kitty when we got him that I was inspired to play along! Here's the inspiration photo:

How cute is that little kitty cat? It soo reminds me of my Ollie when he was super little! Well, anyway, here's a look at my full card:

This card was super easy to put together and I think it packs a lot of punch, considering how simple it is! I love the Posy Punch Hostess stamp set and if you're curious as to what DSP I used, it's actually a Hostess DSP as well called Cheerful Treat, and what a treat it definitely is! I punched out the Fancy Flower punch from the DSP, then I stamped the Posy Punch image {the flowers from this set actually coordinate perfectly with the Fancy Flower punch!} on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and lined it up with the punched DSP. I then used dimensionals to adhere my DSP to the stamped cardstock. Viola! All I did after that was add the cute little pom pom trim at the top and then the button at the bottom of my pennant. I hand cut the little "V" at the bottom, which was easy peasy! Lastly, I stamped the Thank You from the "Thank You Kindly Stamp Set and I was done! I think I'll be making a few more thank yous in this design cuz I think it's a fun and easy one to mass produce! Plus, love the DSP!! Hope you like it! Here's the recipe for you.

{Simple Posy Punch Thank Yous}
*Stamp Set: Posy Punch, Thank You Kindly
*Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Cheerful Treat DSP
*Inks: Melon Mambo
*Accessories: Melon Mambo Pom Pom Trim {retired}, Subtles Buttons, White Twine, Fancy Flower Punch

Hope you guys have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by today ;)

11 years ago today...

2011-08-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

I married this handsome man, who also happens to be the love of my life. This was our engagement photo, which was taken on a beach in Malibu, not too far from where we actually got engaged. It feels like it was just yesterday. My, how time does fly when you're having fun!

Happy Anniversary, dear husband.

Thanks, dear blog friends, for visiting today. If you're reading this, in the spirit of our anniversary, tell someone that's important to you how much you love them :) Let's pay it forward.

Have a fabulous day! :)

Inkspirations and Embellish challenge fun!

2011-08-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Hello there bloggie friends! I'm back with another anniversary card, which was inspired by the Embellish color challenge and the Inkspirations sketch challenge:

For me, I think challenges give me the kick start I need sometimes to get the creative juices flowing. I have been itching to use the Up, Up & Away stamp set, so I incorporated it with my little hillside scene, which I created using the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die. I also really love the new Snowburst Embossing folder, which will be available in soon in the Holiday Mini {Sep 1!}. Here's a look at the full card for you:

I really do like the nice muted color scheme. It's definitely a new one for me, but a good one to keep in mind! Hope you like it. Here's the recipe for you:

{Hot Air Balloon Anniversary}
*Stamps: Up, Up & Away, Teeny Tiny Wishes
*Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Pocketful of Posies DSP
*Inks: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi
*Accessories: Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch, Scallop Square Duo Bigz die, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Snowburst Embossing Folder, Stripes Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls

Thanks for coming by! Toodles for now :)

Fun flowers for the ColourQ #97 challenge

2011-08-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog peeps! It appears that I've been bitten by the challenge bug! This time, I was caught by ColourQ's challenge #97 as soon as I saw this fun color combo: Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Pool Party and Basic Black. Here's a look at the inspiration photo:

How fun are those flip flops! I thought they were such a happy and cheery color palette that I decided to give it a whirl. I made an anniversary card as you can see in my sneaky peeky photo above, but believe it or not, it's not for my hubby for our anniversary on Friday. August is a big month for anniversaries on my hubby's side - his two sisters also have August anniversaries, too! So, needless to say, this is one of the cards that I'll be sending off soon. :)

What do you think? As I was putting the card together, I really liked how the Melon Mambo and Tangerine Tango flowers looked against the Pool Party background. And how about the Basic Black accents? I think it makes the colors even bolder, don't you think? I gave the black stems some texture by dusting off my crimper and running the cardstock through. Such a fun little touch! This card has minimal stamping, too...just the sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. How do you like that embossed Top Note die? Isn't that pattern yummy? It's a little sneak peek for you of a new embossing folder that will be available in the Holiday Mini catty called Snowburst. It's a goodie for sure! I popped up the embossed cardstock with dimensionals just to add a smidge of depth. Overall, I think the card has a clean and simple look to it and it was super easy to put together! Hope you like it! Here's the recipe for you.

{Fun Flowers Anniversary}
*Stamp Sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes
*Inks: Basic Black
*Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Pool Party, Whisper White and Basic Black
*Accessories: Fun Flowers Bigz L die, Top Note Bigz die, Snowburst Embossing folder, Boho Blossoms punch, Basic Black Polka Dot Scallop Ribbon, Neutrals Buttons, Vintage Trinkets

Thanks so much for popping by and paying me a visit! Have a fabbie day :)

{Make a Wish!} August Paper Crafters Sampler Issue!!

2011-08-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog friends! This month's issue of the Paper Crafters Sampler features all things Birthday, so if you'd like to check out the ideas, it's a great one to subscribe to! After a brief hiatus, I'm getting back in the saddle with some fun crafting. Here's a sneak peek of the project I submitted this month...

Hop on over to the Paper Crafter's Sampler to check out other sneak peeks or to order the issue! Hope you enjoy!! :)

Toodles for now!

Buy 3 get 1 FREE! Designer Series Paper Promo for August

2011-08-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Just wanted to pop in real quick and tell you about the August Stampin'Up! Promo!! Are you just loving the new Stampin'Up! Designer Series Papers? Well, for the month of August, when you buy 3 DSPs, you get one FREE! It's a great time to stock up on your faves :)

**Please note that the Specialty DSPs are not included in this promotion.**

Here are a few of my faves:

Berry Blossom DSP

Beau Chateau

Big Top Birthday

Domestic Goddess

There are lots of others to choose from, so hop on over to my Online Store if you'd like to check them out! This promotion runs until August 31st!

Have a great day!

Mojo 203 - {take 2!}

2011-08-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm back with another variation of the Mojo Monday Sketch 203 challenge - I still used the Beau Chateau paper, but this time I decided to have a flower focal point and add some more ribbon!

I LOVE the Fun Flowers die and I think it really looks so pretty with this DSP! For the center of the flower, I used the Boho Blossom punch and an Antique Brad as a finishing touch - love me the embellies! I also like that the Crumb Cake Seam Binding makes such a pretty little ribbon accent. I created the ribbon by creating 2 loops and then cinching the center with the twine and then knotting the button on top. Easy peasy!

This also fits into the So Shelli's Creative Challenge of a Thinking of You type of card, so I'm throwing this card into that hat as well. Hope you like this version! I still did the buttons at the top, too, but used the Early Espresso twine and kind of looped the buttons loosely. I also went with a little pennant sentiment, which I just hand cut and added a little twine and button at the top, then adhered to the card using a dimensional.

Here's the recipe for you:

{Mojo Take 2 - Beau Chateau}
*Stamps: You're a Gem
*Cardstock: Textured Soft Suede, Marina Mist, Beau Chateau DSP, Very Vanilla
*Inks: Soft Suede
*Accessories: Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Fun Flowers Bigz L die, Neutrals Buttons, Early Espresso Twine, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Basic Pearls, Antique Brad, Boho Blossoms punch

Thanks so much for popping by! Ciao for now :)

Playing along in the Mojo 203 Sketch Challenge!

2011-08-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hi there bloggie friends! How are you? I can't believe we're already into the 2nd week of August. It's been busy here on the home front with the little man and all, but I got to eek out a card for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge 203 in between fussy bouts and naps from my dear baby. Here's a look at this week's sketch:

It looked too fun to pass up! I wanted to use the Beau Chateau paper that I just got, so here's a look at the full card I came up with!

What do you think? I'm still practicing my hand at the vintage look...I admire so many cards made in that style, but I feel like for me, I still need to work at it. I was pleased at my attempt though. Just need to practice some more!! At least I had fun playing with all the elements and putting them together. Don't you just love that doily background? It's from the Flirtatious Specialty DSP. What I like about it is that it's got color on one side and white on the back, so it's totally versatile! The other side is Melon Mambo, but for this particular card, I chose to use the white side for a more muted look. Here's a closer look at the Beautiful Butterfly die on the doily:

Hope you like it! Here's the recipe for you:

{Mojo Beau Chateau}
*Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
*Inks: Soft Suede
*Cardstock: Textured Soft Suede, Marina Mist, Pink Pirouette, Beau Chateau, Flirtatious Specialty DSP
*Accessories: Neutrals Buttons, Early Espresso Twine, White Twine, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, Decorative Label punch, Basic Pearls, Sponge dauber, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Big Shot

Thanks for looking! Hope you have a fab day! :)

Happy August!..ready to see this month's giveaway?

2011-08-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I can't believe I am actually posting this month's giveaway on the first day of the month! That's quite a first {at least in a very very long while!}!! I personally LOVE this Pennant Parade stamp set, and I hope you do, too. It coordinates perfectly with the new punch called Petite Pennants Builder - soo cute and so easy to make those darling pennant cards!

Anyway, all you have to do to play is follow these simple rules {only enforced by the "Honor System"}:

1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, August 24, 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!

Your comment can be about anything, or if you'd like to share some fun tidbit about yourself, I would love to here it! Some fun August facts about me - my dear hubby and I will be celebrating our 11th anniversary on August 12th! Woo Hoo!! I am such a lucky girl to have the best hubby :) And as for my dear son, Denver will be 2 months old on August 7th! Time is flying by and I don't know how he does it, but he gets more precious by the day. I'll post some pics of him soon... :)

As for this month's winner, I'll be drawing the person at random using Random.org and then posting the lucky winner on the bloggie blog on Friday, August 26th! Good luck to you!

Bye for now :)

Winner Winner!

2011-07-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Happy Friday! It's that time to announce July's Winner! Are you ready? The lucky winner this month is.....

Lucky #25, who happens to be Nicole Cracco!!! Congrats, Nicole!!!

Thanks to all of you for playing this month! It's always fun to read your comments. :) Hope you guys have a great weekend and I will catch up with you soon. I'll be posting August's Final Friday Giveaway on Monday, so stay tuned...I think you guys will like it! Bye for now ;)

Retired Stamp Set Sale!

2011-07-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Just a quick post to let you know I've finally updated my "Stuff for Sale!" tab with a list of retired stamp sets I'm selling! Please take a look and if you're interested in any, please email me!

Also, I wanted to chime in about the last few days of the $99 Stampin'Up! Starter Kits!

If you've been thinking about becoming a demonstrator and starting up your own biz, or would simply enjoy getting a discount on your crafting supplies, I would love for you to become part of my team! There are 2 starter kits you can choose from - either the Standard or Digital, so it's really up to you to decide as to what type of kit would suit your crafting needs. Either way, it's $99 til the end of July. You can find out more details here or you can always email me, too. This special goes until this Sunday, so there are only a few days left to take advantage of this great opportunity. :)

{It's a Wrap!} for quick favors

2011-07-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hi all! How are you? Hope you guys are doing well. Last week was a busy one in the household - my brother and family were in town, so needless to say...I didn't get a chance to post! Anyway, I did have some quiet time today and played with another fun new clear mount stamp set called It's a Wrap Occasions {#123592, $19.95} and it really makes making favors quick and easy! Aren't those favors so cute? The wraps fit perfect on Avery Labels {#5160} which measure 1" x 2 5/8". They are just the right size to wrap the Hershey Nugget chocolates - now who woudn't want those yummy chocolates as favors, right?? I used the new In Colors again, too. I can't seem to get enough of those colors! I really love the Pool Party and Calypso Coral together, but all the colors look really good together, too, as you can see with the multi-color candies :) Want a closer look at the favors? Here you go:

For this "Thanks" favor, I used the Flower Folds Bigz XL die to create my flower. I did 2 flowers and curled the petals on the bottom layer down and the top layer up using a bone folder. For the center, I used the scallop punch to punch out the Thanks sentiment, which is from the Hostess set called Tagtastic. Are you wondering how I got the scallop circle punch to look like that? I notched out a small triangle in each scallop using my paper snips. It gives it a more petal-y look, don't you think? The leaves are loops of the Lucky Limeade ruffled grosgrain ribbon - so pretty! I used glue dots to adhere them onto the back of the flower and used dimensionals to pop them up. Oh - and of course, before I forget, the topper itself is made using a Top Note Bigz die folded in half! I LOVE the Top Note. It's a favorite die of mine that I keep going back to now and again!

Planning an upcoming shower? This set has you covered too! For this Congrats favor, I used the Decorative Label Punch and stamped the "Happy Shower" labels in Calypso Coral and Wisteria Wonder. I just finished it off with a bow using the Wisteria Wonder ribbon.

And lastly - I love these "Happy Cake Day" labels! The design is so fun in the In Colors! I also love the Happy Birthday sentiment stamp from Tagtastic. It is so cute with the polar bear. The sentiment is stamped in Calypso Coral and I also accented the topper with the Calypso Coral ribbon. It pops so nicely against the Pool Party textured paper!

Here's a look at the full stamp set for It's a Wrap Occasions:

Such a versatile set of sentiments to wrap those yummy nuggets in! Well, that's it for tonight, folks! Hope you liked these! Ciao for now :)

Edited to add the type of bag I used: they are the small flat SU! cello bags (3"x5") and you could probably fit up to 6 nuggets in them if you wanted to!

Here's July's Final Friday Giveaway!!

2011-07-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I know that I missed June's Final Friday giveaway altogether, so for July, I've got something fun! First, there's the Square Lattice embossing folder pictured above. Then, I'm also adding the cute little Petite Pockets projects I posted yesterday!!

How about that? Worth playing for?? Here's what you gotta do to play:

1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, July 27, 2011.

2. On your comment, please make sure to include a valid email or blog address (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 tell me what your one favorite color is - it can be a Stampin'Up! color {if you have a fave} or any color you choose! Look forward to reading your comments.

I'll be posting the winner on my blog on Friday, July 29th! Hope you have a great Friday today and a wonderful weekend!

July Paper Crafters Sampler is now available!

2011-07-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Just wanted to pop in again real quick to let you know that the July Paper Crafters Sampler is now available! You can check out a sneak peek of this month's issue or subscribe here! Enjoy! :)

In LOVE with In Colors!

2011-07-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all! While many Stampin'Up! demonstrators are at convention right now, I sat out this year out to spend time with Denver. I am happy to say that I'm managing to get a wee bit of a stamping fix by playing with my new catalog goodies in between my little baby's nap time! It's definitely a juggle, as I'm learning. I have newfound amazement and respect for all the new moms that could still find time to craft and tend to baby {and other kids, in some cases!}. Needless to say, I had LOTS of fun crafting with the new Houndstooth and Stripes Embossing folders as well as the brand new Petite Pockets Bigz XL die. The cute little envelopes were SOO fun to make. Oh - and I can't forget the stamp sets - I played with Button Buddies and Happiest Birthday Wishes {hostess set}.

Button Buddies Clear Mount Stamp Set, $21.95:

Happiest Birthday Wishes Clear Mount Hostess Stamp Set, $15.00 with Hostess Dollars:

It feels good to be stamping! Here are more pictures for you.

I love the coordinating ruffled ribbon and ink colors! These look great in monotone colors, or you could definitely have fun mixing and matching. The flower from the Button Buddies set punches out perfectly with the scallop circle punch - isn't that cool? How do you like the textures? I did the Houndstooth on the envelope flap, and the Stripes just on the back bottom panel. I kept the front side smooth.

And of course, I had to make a little card tag insert for the inside of the envelope. Those little circle reinforecments are part of the die cut! Aren't these fun little envelope ensembles? These would be great little thank you note cards, too, or any sort of gift note cards {baby, wedding, teachers, hostesses, new neighbors...possibilities are endless!}

Hope you got some good ideas! If you like what you see and want to order some of these goodies, you can always shop 24/7 at my Online Store. Thanks for popping by today. Have a good one :)

Getting back into Card Challenges...

2011-07-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm so excited to play in a challenge after a long hiatus. It really feels like forever since I've channeled any stamping mojo, but it felt good to dust off my creative cobwebs and stamp! This is the card I created for the Taylored Expressions Challenge 142. I finally got to play with my new Stampin'Up! goodies, too! I had so much fun! While Denver and the hubby were napping, I snuck into my craft room and put this together. Here's the full card for you:

This is a color combo palette that I haven't really used, but I like the cool combination with the Basic Gray and the new SU! Pool Party and Calypso Coral In Color colors. What do you think? I also really LOVE the new border punch called Lace Ribbon Border and the Petite Pennants Builder punch is soo fun, too! Hope you like it! Here's the recipe for you:

{Pennant Parade Pool Party Birthday!}
All supplies Stampin'Up!
*Stamp Sets: Happiest Birthday Wishes, Pennant Parade
*Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Basic Gray, Whisper White
*Inks: Calypso Coral, Pool Party
*Accessories: Petite Pennants Builder Punch, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Itty Bitty Punches, Basic Rhinestones, Boho Blossoms Punch, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, White Twine, Corner Rounder

Hope you like it! Time for me to hop to bed! Bye for now :)

Fox and Friends Thank You

2011-07-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hey blog friends! Happy July and Happy belated Independence Day! I know it's been a long time since I've last posted, but Denver has kept me and the hubs pretty busy behind the scenes! We are really enjoying him and can't help but revel in all the new developments that we see every day in our darling little boy! It's incredible to me that he'll already be a month old tomorrow!! I truly can't believe how fast time flies! I know many of you have told me, and I am in fact witnessing it to be all too true.

Believe it or not though, I have a card share today! It's actually the thank you card I made (and continue to make..heehee) for Denver's Thank Yous. I love the Fox and Friends set - especially with the tie in to our safari trip, too...I just love the adorable animals and I thought they would be great for these cards. Here's a closer look:

I've also been having fun dabbling with MDS - here's a few simple things I've created:

a little page commemorating my birthday this year with a family photo!

I also made another version of Denver's announcement from the hospital photos we got:

and here's the back side:

Hope you enjoyed these! Bye for now :)

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hi dear blog friends! How are you guys? I wanted to do a quick post to wish all the DADS out there a very Happy Father's Day. I also especially wanted to wish my hubs a wonderful and happy FIRST Father's Day! Here's a card that he's getting from Denver ;)

On a separate note, I also wanted to say thanks so much for all the sweet heartfelt comments and warm wishes I got from my last post! We are so excited and truly feel so blessed! We're starting to get into a routine, so once we're settled in a bit more, I'll share more about the goings on in our current world ;)

Toodles for now. Have a great one!

Big News in Rose's World!

2011-06-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hello there, blog friends! I know I haven't posted in a little while, but there have been major things going on behind the scenes....all good though! I am so excited to announce that there is a NEW addition to my world......my hubby and I are so proud to announce the birth of our son!!

He is so precious and perfect. We're so blessed to have him in our lives. So, my dear friends, forgive me if my blogging and crafting posts become erratic in these coming months as I adjust to motherhood and all the wonderful things that come with! I just wanted to pop in real quick and share the news. :)

Hope you all are doing fab! I'm thinking this new development will probably get me more involved with digital scrapbooking. I whipped up this announcement using My Digital Studio {so convenient!}. And, already, I'm taking tons of pictures every day! How could I not? He's just so adorable and makes the cutest faces. I'm sure every mom says that about their children {now I totally get it!}.

Well my friends, I'm off for now, but will be back to post and share as time permits. I've just discovered the true meaning of sleep deprivation, so bear with me :)

Thanks for popping by today! Bye for now!

Hello! It's time for Last Chance Stamps!

2011-06-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hi there blog friends! How are you? I know it's been quiet on my end, but ever since we got back from vacation, me and the hubs have been super busy on the work front. Thankfully, the long weekend helped us play catch up a bit. I can't believe it's already JUNE, though! You know what that means? It's that time of year to say goodbye to Stampin'Up!'s retiring stamps for the year, which means that the month of JUNE is your last chance to scoop up your favorites before they're gone! Here's the complete list for you. The great news is, for those of you in the United States - you can also shop at my online store anytime....but keep in mind that these retiring stamps will ony be available from now til June 30th! For my dear international friends, Stampin'Up! is available in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand! Please note that promotions vary by country, so you'll want to check out the specific offerings available where you are. :)

Well, my dears, I'm going to call it a night for now, but I'll be back soon with some crafty things to feast your eyes on! ;) Thanks so much for visiting. Toodles for now.....

May Final Friday Winner!

2011-05-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Hope you guys had a good week! Sorry for being a day late to post this, but I had the lovely surprise of getting a virus on my computer yesterday....so not fun! After spending all morning researching and working to get it off of our computer, I think I was able to quarantine and take care of it {fingers crossed}. So, without further adieu, one day later....let's find out who the winner is, shall we? So the lucky winner is....

Lucky #7, who happens to be Brenda H! Congrats, Brenda!

Thanks all for playing in May's abbreviated Final Friday Giveaway! I will let you all enjoy the rest of your Memorial Day weekend. I'll try and post more crafty things soon...I promise!

Toodles, for now :)

Last and final Safari destination - Serengeti

2011-05-25T08:14:00.001-07:00

Serengeti, a set on Flickr.

Hello there! Today I'm sharing the last segment of our safari trip to Tanzania, Africa. We went to the Serengeti and stayed at the beautiful Serengeti Migration Camp. The area is sooo vast with the terrain varying from a wooded region to an expanse of grassy plains as far as the eye can see. In addition to all the animals we had seen in the previous 3 locations, we were still introduced to a bunch more! And, we even got to witness the incredible wildabeest migration! It's nothing I've ever seen before....a sea of animals all heading North as part of their annual migration. You'll see these pics in the series. There's a picture that shows they fill the plains and extend to the horizon. It was incredible.

At the camp, we encountered an adorable animal called the Hyrax and I totally wanted to take one home with me. See if you can spot them in the series - it looks like a cross of a cat and squirrel with no tail and just the cutest round body.

Well, I hope you enjoy this last set! I can't say enough how much we enjoyed this trip and would highly recommend going on safari at some point in your life - truly amazing and inspiring to get a glimpse of nature's playground. I would also highly recommend our tour operator - Elewana Skysafari. Everyone and everything we encountered, from the staff and activities to all the properties we stayed at were amazing and absolutely fabulous! I really can't say enough.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Oh - one last thing on a completely different note - today is the last day to play in my May giveaway, so if you'd like to take a stab at winning the free stamp set, please go and leave a comment on the May Final Friday Giveaway post!

3rd Safari Stop - Ngorongoro Crater

2011-05-23T20:11:00.001-07:00

Ngorongoro Crater, a set on Flickr.

Hi bloggie friends! How are you guys? Hope you're enjoying the pictures so far. This set is from our third destination at the Ngorongoro Crater. We stayed at the lovely Manor at Ngorongoro which was just so beautiful and unexpectedly decadent while on safari. We even had a little downtime to get massages in between our game drives. The Ngorongoro crater is actually a caldera, which is roughly 18 km in diameter. It's amazing that such a broad spectrum of animals found a way of life there in the bottom of the crater. We saw lions, buffalo, and rhinos here to round out our Big 5 sightings! I will have to caution you that viewer discretion is advised when viewing this set - there's a series of pictures of lions mating, and a few snaps of lionnesses guarding their kill. But, this is nature, so it was awesome to see live! The weather here was actually a little like home - overcast and misty in the morning and then it cleared up and warmed to mid to upper 70s. It even rained here during both nights we were there. The terrain actually reminded me a lot of Hawaii {probably because of its volcanic influences!}. Anyway, enjoy this set! Oh, and feel free to leave me a comment if you have any questions about any pictures, places or animals!! I'll be happy to comment in the string for everyone's benefit :)

One last thing - the first few photos of the pink dots and pink masses...can you guess what those are? I know it kinda looks like a petri dish of growth {at least, to me!} but they are actually masses of flamingos in Lake Manyara!! It was an incredible view from the plane.

I'll be posting our last and final stop tomorrow...the grand finale of our trip, the Serengeti.

2nd Stop on our Safari - Tarangire National Park!

2011-05-22T21:33:00.001-07:00

Tarangire, a set on Flickr.

Hi all! The second stop on our safari was Tarangire National Park and it was absolutely amazing! After we landed, we were greeted by our guide, Alex, who took us on our first game drive on the way to our 2nd lodge - the Tarangire Treetops. Not only were the accomodations to die for, but as soon as we left the airstrip, we saw lots of amazing animals, too! I was so fascinated by the beautiful birds from the start, then we saw a parade of elephants and a leapard in a tree! It was truly incredible. I learned that when you go on safari, you want to keep an eye out for the Big 5 - Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard, Lion, and Rhino. I'm so happy to report that we saw ALL of them on our trip! In Tarangire, we saw two of the Big 5 - we saw tons of elephants and lucked out by seeing a leopard in a tree during the first half hr of our game drive! {We were told later that leopards are typically hard to spot, since they are usually alone, unless they're mating or have cubs}. Overall, we were delighted to see so many animals - it was always a treat to learn about new ones, too! My animal repertoire has definitely increased since this trip. Hope you enjoy these pictures. In the next week or so, I'll try and recap a few of our favorite new animals that we discovered on the trip!

Good night for now! The last two destinations to come soon....

Pictures from Arusha - our first stop on our Africa Safari

2011-05-22T16:34:00.001-07:00

Arusha, a set on Flickr.

Hi all! I've spent many hoursthis weekend reviewing and finally uploading my photos from our trip to Africa. I literally sifted through thousands of photos to come up with four segments. The first of which starts here... Our first stop was in Arusha, Tanzania, where we stayed at the Arusha Coffee Lodge on our first night. We met our lodge hosts, Martin and Traci {sorry, we didn't get a picture of Traci though!} and our lovely tour coordinator, Caudence. We got in late on Saturday night, May 7th, and then toured a coffee plantation the next morning. Hope you enjoy!

animal inspired {THANK YOU}

2011-05-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hi blog friends! Good morning and happy Saturday to you. It feels good to be able to catch my breath this morning! I even had time to assemble my first animal inspired card from our trip to Tanzania, Africa. It really was such an amazing experience. Looking through our pictures brings a smile to my face each time. The animals, the people, the scenery were all so incredible! I'm sure you will continue to hear that from me for the next few weeks...so much to share! Well, let's get started, shall we? My card was inspired by all the beautiful elephants we saw on the trip. For this card, I used the cute elephant stamp from the Animal Stories stamp set. And, how cool is this - it's on sale this month for National Scrapbooking month! You can check out the details on my Demonstrator Website. {BTW - select stamp sets are 30% off til the end of the month!} Wanna see my full card? Here it is:

I had fun creating the background - can you guess what I used? It's the Tasteful Trim die! I used the large wavy ric rac and what I did was ran the piece twice through, and aligned the die slightly off set by 1/4" to make a narrower width of the ric rac pattern. Then I alternated the resulting pieces - narrower and wider - and placed it on a diagonal to create the background. Then I just trimmed the excess off and viola! A fun new animal-ish pattern! I am also into this Basic Gray and Daffodil Delight color scheme. Just love this combo. Here's the recipe for you:

{Elephant Thanks}
*Stamp Sets: Animal Stories, Curly Cute
*Cardstock: Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
*Inks: Basic Gray Classic Ink, Basic Gray and Daffodil Delight Markers
*Accessories: Daffodil Delight Satin Ribbon and Pom Pom ribbon, Neutrals Buttons, Linen Thread, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die

Hope you like the card! Now, I'll share one of the many inspirational photos we have {we literally took hundreds of photos of these gorgeous animals -no joke!}. I'm hoping to put together a slideshow of the trip that I'll be posting on the blog, so you'll definitely see more....hopefully soon. For now, here's a cute baby and momma pic we snapped from the Tarangire National Park for you. Isn't it so sweet?

Have a fantastic day! Bye for now!

May Final Friday Giveaway!

2011-05-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hey there blog friends...I know I'm a little late this month for my May giveaway, but here it is if you'd like to play!!! It's the Sweet Summer set from Sale-a-bration!

Here are the rules to play:
1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, May 25, 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!

The lucky winner will be announced on my blog on Friday, May 27th!

You can leave me a comment about anything, or you can tell me if you have any fun plans for Memorial day weekend!!! Look forward to reading your comments!

Back from the other side of the world!

2011-05-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hi dear blog friends! How are you all? I am back from vacation and I have to say that Tanzania was an incredible experience. I have so many pictures to share and stories to tell! I will have to do it over a few posts...and I promise - I'll have some crafting inspiration trickled in as well! For now, here's one of my favorite pics from our trip - I love these lions! They are a mating pair, and let's just say we've confirmed this first hand. They are a handsome couple, aren't they? We saw these 2 at the Ngorongoro Crater, which was an amazing place just teeming with animals. Details and more pics to come.

Anyway, I've gotta hop for now, but will definitely catch up with you all soon! G'night!

Scenes from our safari

2011-05-10T21:11:00.001-07:00

Hi all! I figured out how to post a few pics using BlogPress for my iPad! So cool. Here are a few scenes for you...

These are the first set of elephants we saw at the Tarangire National park. It was such a sight! We had seen a lot of beautiful birds at this point, but these are the first large animals we saw..and tie first of the Big 5!

Imagine our surprise when our guide started driving away from the elephants toward this tree. We didn't see this spectacular leopard until we were at a closer approach. It was unbelievable that we saw him sleeping on the branch. After a few minutes, he woke up and sat and posed for us.

We were in awe to come across this giraffe. Notice his little friends he's carrying on his back. They eat the parasites off his back, so it's a nice little symbiotic arrangement they have!

This is the first of many impaled we've seen so far. They are such beautiful animals!

We had the opportunity to visit a Masai Village and the experience was truly humbling. The women of the tribe were so welcoming.

On our our walking safari tour yesterday, Michael and I got a great photo op with these friendly elephants. They are so fun to watch!

That's it for now. Hope you all are having a great week! Bye for now!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Tanzania, Africa

Scenes from our safari

2011-05-10T21:09:00.001-07:00

Location:Tanzania, Africa

Greetings from Africa!

2011-05-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hi bloggie friends! How are you? I am doing well and happy to report that I'm having the most amazing time on safari in Africa! We flew in to Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania and started our journey in Arusha, Tanzania. The flight was long, though not without some fun adventure. We arrived a little late on our layover in Amsterdam, so we found ourselves literally running in a mad dash to our gate to catch our flight to Kilimanjaro airport. We thankfully made it in time with a few minutes to spare, but sadly, our luggage did not. So, picture me in my platform wedges with the thought of starting a safari in these cute, but impractical shoes. Fun, huh?! You guys are probably wondering why I wore platforms....well, I figured it couldn't hurt to have some cute comfy shoes on for the plane ride. While I did pack an extra change of clothes, it just didn't dawn on me that I wouldn't have my bags when I landed, so from the get go, we had to make do. All in all, our situation sorted itself out for the first few days and we were off on our safari...and it has been so incredibly amazing. I will try and figure out how to post some pics from my iPad, so, stay tuned. Needless to say, being one with nature has given me so much inspiration to incorporate in my crafting, so once I'm able to carve out some time to craft, I will definitely do so. It's getting late here and I need to get up early for a game drive tomorrow morning, so I'm going to say goodnight for now. We're headed to Ngorongoro Crater tomorrow and we're keeping our fingers crossed to see some lions, rhinos, and hippos! Ciao!

Introducing the Triple Layer Punches!

2011-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy May, blog friends! Today I'm excited to share some new products with you! First, here's a look at one of the Triple Layer punches that are available in the Summer Mini Catalog - this one is the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch with the sweet little flowers. In addition, I also showcase the Strength and Hope set that is a special stamp set being offered by Stampin'Up in partnership with The Breast Cancer Foundation. This set will be available from May 1-Aug 31, and the cool thing is that SU! will donate $2 from the sale of each Strength and Hope set and Digital kit! So awesome.

The cards and purse ensemble pictured above also happens to be one of two projects I created for UStamp With Dawn and Friends this month in the Classes, Clubs and Camps issue, which just opened on April 29th. Here's a close up of one of the cards:

So...if you'd like to see more, you should definitely head over there and register! This is a great issue for demos because if you're looking for some creative class projects, you won't need to look further! Or, for you crafters out there, you'll get your fill of fun projects with detailed instructions on how to recreate each of the projects. Lots of fun! Stay tuned for my second project, which I'll post once it goes live on UStamp with Dawn! :)

If you want to scoop up some of these adorable new products or just have to have it ASAP, you can always place an order 24/7 on my online store. Isn't online shopping the best? ;)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Toodles!

April Final Friday Winner!

2011-04-30T23:15:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-04-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

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

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

2011-04-17T12:59:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-15T23:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

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!!