May 31, 2012

The Book of Eli


Hi there! Just dropping in to share a little sneak peek of a mini album I have up on the Pink by Design blog today. It uses the Big Hexagon Background stamp set, which is quickly becoming a favorite and several colors of Colorbox Chalk and Dye inks, including a few brand new colors.

Check out the full post here and have a great day!

May 29, 2012

Honey Bee


Well hello! Hope your weekend was wonderful :)

A new theme is up this week at Paper Issues and this time it's all about Hexagons and Honey Bees. This design trend has held strong for a few years now so I know you have something to link up. Do it right here.

Find a little inspiration from our talented creative team via a blog hop and the chance to win a prize full of new My Mind's Eye goodness right here.

Check out new deals in the Paper Shop here.

And lastly, check out my Honey Bee projects here, here, and here.  I'll have one more to share on Thursday as well.

Enjoy the day!

May 25, 2012

Friday Favorites

The first full week of summer break was wonderful! No bored kids arguing and fighting and no mom about to loose her mind. We made it a point to go somewhere or do something extra fun at home every day and everyone was happy. Let's just hope I can keep it up for the next 3 months.

Since I don't have anything to share today, I'll give you a list of some things I've been excited about lately.


1. Sweet Dreams by Rose A Lewis. The story in this children's book is very sweet and one I wouldn't mind reading over and over again, but it was the illustrations by Jen Corace that got me. Absolutley magical and inspiring.


2. October Afternoon's 9-5 Days of the Week washi tape. Just picked some up in the Paper Issues shop.


3. This darling line of fabrics by Maude Ashbury - Crabtastic. I'll definetly be whipping up some bibs for baby will several of these prints.


4. My lovely friend Marissa's pin board, Itsy Bitsy. The most charming collection of things for little ones. Even if you don't have little ones yet, it's sure to make you swoon.


5. Just discovered the Cirque de Bebe blog yesterday. Sewing projects for little boys with the most adorable fabrics and amazing photography. I honestly didn't think boys sewing could be just as cute as girls', but Sophie proves otherwise.

Hope your Memorial Weekend is great! ♥

May 23, 2012

Pretty Party Banner


Hello! Just dropping in today to share a party banner I created earlier this month for the Clearsnap blog using the luscious Mix'd Media Inx and Embossing Powders. I'll post just the photos below - you can find more details, the video tutorial and a complete supply list on this post.

Have a great day!



May 22, 2012

Candy Confection Birthday Dress + Bodice Pattern


Hello, hello! I am so happy to say that after 2 months, I finally have photos and a bodice pattern for Miss Leah's 5th birthday dress! The dress top is such a great shape for spring (a little late now, eeep!), the skirt looks like a jumbo sized stick of cotton candy and the pale pink makes it oh so girly - and perfect for this girly girl.


Ooh the layers of ruffles! I never get tired of them. The top 2 tiers are chiffon, the middle 3 are lace and the bottom layers are made of poly/satin. The different textures add so much interest, don't you think? The skirt is the width of the fabric - so no cutting or measuring required - and then gathered at the top to fit her waist.

 (In case you noticed, nail painting is never a good idea while wearing a fancy dress - we got a bright pink stain right in the front within 10 minutes of the party starting! Oops!)


This is also the first top I've ever finished with (functional) buttons and wow, is it easier than expected - and inserting a zipper. Normally I always use a pattern for the bodice but since ours are all size 4 and under, this time I had to create my own. Also much easier than expected and insured a *perfect* fit.

You can download the bodice pattern right here.


The sleeves are just a sweet and simple ruffle - a tapered length of fabric gathered all around. Since the are so small, I was able to tuck them into the lining to hide the seam completely! Hooray!


And this little lady was very happy with her dress. If only we had birthdays every week. :)

Have a beautiful day!

May 21, 2012

With Sympathy Card


I have yet another sympathy card to share today from a blog hop last month with Clearsnap and Woodware. This one features a beautiful lily stamp set brought to life with Mix'd Media Inx and Embossing Powders, Smooch Glitz and a simple Rollagraph design.


You can view the full project here, as well as all the other lovely projects created by both the Clearsnap and Woodware design teams.

Have a lovely day!

May 18, 2012

Last Day of Pre-K


Oh my. Tuesday these 2 cuties finished up their last day of preschool. It's crazy to look back on this post to see how much they have grown and learned since the beginning of the school year. Keegan pretty much looks the same, maybe a few inches taller but Leah looks so little compared to now! She has really grown up, in so many ways.

We sent the kids with thank you flowers for the teachers plus cards, carmels and chocolate ( I don't really know what a good teacher gift is, so hopefully this was?). They spent the whole day playing outside instead of the usual centers and work and although there wasn't a graduation ceremony or going away banquet, they did come home from school with a giant bag of M&M's each. That seemed to be parting gift enough for them :)


To quickly make the thank you cards before school yesterday, I used CPS265 which I was glad to find was the perfect easy to put together design. The stamps are Papertrey Ink - Rosie Posie and Pink by Design - My Type. Oh and those ink colors you see there? They are a few of the brand new, just released premium dye ink colors from Clearsnap - Nautical, Party Pink, Jalapeno and Kettle. Vibrant and gorgeous!!

And that's all for today. Let summer break begin!

May 17, 2012

Rockstar Minis


Hi! Just dropping in today to share a mini card set I created for the Pink by Design blog today using the newly released Rockstar stamp set. So glad to have picked this one up before it sold out - and I can see why - it's such a cute set!

Check out the full post with close-up pics right here.

We are off to the park for a picnic, have a great day!

May 16, 2012

Clearsnap + Basically Bare


Clearsnap has teamed up with Basically Bare this week to show just how well these products compliment one another. They really do have some awesome mixed media shapes and albums and I was so excited to turn the Celestial Shapes pack into this baby mobile, with the help of some Colorbox Mix'd Media Inx, of course.

Check out the full post (as well as the rest of the team's projects) right here.

Oh and don't forget to leave a comment for the chance to win some goodies of your own!

May 15, 2012

Bust Out of Your Comfort Zone


Bust out of your comfort the next couple weeks with Paper Issues and Gauche Alchemy!

Link up any projects using non-traditional supplies here.

Take the blog hop and find some inspiration from a few of our talented ladies + for a chance to win some yummy goods from Gauche Alchemy here.

Shop the Paper Issues shop here.

And finally, shop Gauche Alchemy here using the code PAPERISSUES2012 for 30% off everything in the shop other than subscriptions.

Yes!!

May 14, 2012

Some Exciting News!!


Hi! Hope you had the most wonderful Mother's Day!! Just stopping in today to share some exciting news --- I will be rejoining the Clearsnap design team for the 2012-2013 term!! You can read the full announcement and meet the rest of the team on this post! I'll post links to their blogs below as well - these are some seriously talented ladies and I can already they will be so much fun to work with! Hooray!!

May 10, 2012

I'm So Sorry Card with Watermark Twinkle


Just popping in to share a card that was up last month on the Clearsnap blog. If you are interested in learning more about Watermark Twinkle and ways to add extra sparkle to your projects be sure to check out this blog post for some new techniques.


Stamps are Hero Arts and Pink by Design.

May 9, 2012

...And She's All Mine


My sweet and lovely 4 year old. I could just smoosh her tiny face in these photos. Such a little doll and at other times a temper-throwing terror. Gaining so much independence but still prefers to hold her mama's hand. I can hardly believe she'll be going off to preschool in just a few short months.


For this layout with pics from her birthday, I had the idea swirling around in my head for months to use numbers and facts instead of regular journaling and finally was able to put it down on paper at a crop last month. (It was the only project I finished in 13 hours!)

My memory is truly terrible and I'll never remember these small facts about her in the future. Even though they are not really significant facts, it's still a fun glimpse at this moment.


I just love arranging all the little bits and embellishments "just so" and this was the first time I'd actually fully used up a kit from a year's subscription to Studio Calico. Seriously all but scraps of the paper, a few embellies and leftover alphas. Wow.

Anyway, have a wonderful Wednesday!

May 8, 2012

April PBD Projects

Hello. Just wanted to fully share the projects I completed for this Pink by Design blog last month.


First up is this cute little cupcake treat bag from April 5th. You can find the original post here. I used the You Are stamp set along with some Clearsnap and Dear Lizzy goodness.


Such a fun sentiment! And I also created a template that you can download and cut out if like me, you are one of the last crafters on Earth who doesn't own a digital die cutting system.



Next up is a card we sent to grandpa for his birthday from the April 19th post. See the entire post here. On this card, I used the Grandparents stamp set along with an older Studio Calico kit to make the pieced heart.


I filled in the area around the heart with some mist that had been sitting neglected on my shelf. A fun color scheme and much different than one I would normally use.

And that's all for today! ♥

May 7, 2012

at 20 Weeks


Whew! 20 weeks down and I am officially half way through this pregnancy. It certainly goes by a lot faster when you have other little ones running around, commanding your attention. My belly is growing steadily, as is my appetite and oddly enough it seems like I have more energy and need less sleep than when we started.


The 20 week check-up and ultrasound was Friday. If we are Facebook friends, then you probably already saw that a little fellow is on the way!! After doing every gender predictor quiz on the internet and the doctor telling me she thought there was a little peepee growing at the first ultrasound, I kind of had a feeling but it feels good to just finally know. There is no way I could wait until the birth to find out - how do some of you do it?! The anticipation would kill me!

Let the nesting, sewing and shopping commence!

Have a wonderful week!! ♥

May 4, 2012

Clearsnap + Stamps of Life Blog Hop


Welcome to the Stamps of Life & Clearsnap Blog Hop! We're so excited to be hopping with our good friend Stephanie Barnard and her talented design team. We traded inks for stamps and wow, we love the crisp images from her amazing clear stamp line!! They work perfectly with the Stephanie Barnard ColorBox Dye Ink Pads.

And, it's not a Hop without a fabulous prize so here's what we're giving away:



 
An entire assortment of Stephanie Barnard ColorBox Ink Pads!!! Since this is a BIG Amazing Super Duper Awesome Prize, we're gonna ask you to do a couple things in order to enter to win. Here's how to enter:


  • Comment here on this Blog Post and each blog in the Hop = 1 entry each blog comment
  • PIN to Pinterest ALL of the Projects from the Hop = 1 entry each image pinned (leave a comment here telling us you did it)
  • Refer your friends to FOLLOW Clearsnap on Facebook = 1 entry per friend who posts your name on our Page
  • Refer your friends to FOLLOW The Stamps of Life on Facebook = 1 entry per friend who posts your name on their Page


  • I created this fun notebook and bookmark set to keep in my purse for jotting down ideas, lists and what-not using the "outlines4letters" and "kites2fly" stamp sets along with Stephanie Barnards Colorbox Dye Inks - which are my favorites!


    To create the cover, I stamped a sentiment using the outline4letters, embossed with Black Mix'd Media Inx and then cut out the centers of the letters using a craft knife. To give design to the letters, I traced the letters onto white paper and then stamped over the tracing with the kite patterns from kites2fly. Each letter is stamped with a different color of Colorbox Dye Ink for a cheerful, rainbow effect.


    The coordinating bookmark gets it's rainbow with several strands of twine and is accented with some cutie clouds from kites2fly. Stamped and embossed with Jasmine Mix'd Media Inx and embossing powder.




    Other Product:
    Bazzill Cardstock
    Bind-It-All
    Tombow Liquid Adhesive
    Scor-Tape
    Sharpie

    Thanks so much for dropping by, don't forget to visit the rest of the list below...

    Sabrina Alery - you are here!
    Deb Felts ---> go here next!