DeNami Tag Blog Hop

welcome to the DeNami Design Blog Hop featuring tags! hope you'll find some inspiration along the away!

you should have come from Ruza's blog HERE, but if you missed her creation (or any of the others), then you can always start at the beginning of the hop at the DeNami Blog.

i had a great time making this gift tag--i used two DeNami stamps--"baby" for the sentiment "baby it's cold outside" and then on the opposite side, "you're so sweet!" fun stuff, huh? that polar bear with the cute little snow cones always cracks me up. of course there's some patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's Jolly by Golly 6x6 pad.

don't forget that if you comment before midnight on December 11th (PST) you have a chance to win one of THREE $20 gift certificates to the DeNami Design website... how cool is that? be sure to leave some love along the way.

so now you're off to Kristy Smith's blog HERE, you'll be sure to see some eye candy there!

Merry Christmas and happy hopping! :D

welcome December! & vintage love

hi everyone! it's December now, and it's my favorite time of the year--Christmas! :D i've been so excited about Christmas for the last few weeks (or maybe even months) that i know i've had several dreams about my decorations, how things will work out when family comes to visit, etc.

are you getting excited for the season too? i sure hope you are... it's coming sooner than we know! :D

so i know a lot of people have been talking about doing a December Daily scrapbook album, and i've actually planned ahead to join the fun. in mid-November I made all my foundation pages and sparsely embellished some of them, so i'm all set to go! i can't wait to have a daily record of the things i do in December... whether they tie into Christmas or not!

so, i also have a card for you... it's sort of a vintage shabby card, and it would be perfect for a wedding or anniversary. the sentiment reads 'happily ever after' but it's hard to see in the picture. speaking of 'ever after,' during the snow storm here last week, i had a friend and her family come over to wait for traffic conditions to get better, and we watched that movie. a SERIOUS favorite of mine :D

oooh, see that doily peeking out? i'm loving doilies (just like everyone else :D) and thought it matched perfectly. there are also some Sassafras papers (not on the bright side of things like i normally do) and a graphic 45 tag too. i got to borrow a PTI set from Paulina for the sentiment, and i used some DeNami Design grosgrain ribbon for that sweet little bow :D

this card just makes me sigh... now if only i could find a man ...hehehe! :D

well, i think that's it for now... go and enjoy your first day of December--things will get crazy soon!

so thankful...

with Thanksgiving coming up, i thought i would share some of the people and things i'm thankful for... God has blessed me in so many ways, and i can't be thankful enough! so here goes a completely UN-COMPREHENSIVE list in no particular order:

• music! i really really love listening to music. i think it can change a mood right away. currently i'm totally digging Christmas music (and have been for at least a month), but the current favorite i just bought on iTunes is "Pennies from Heaven." hehe, so fun!
• my family--love them so much. my parents are awesome and supportive, and my brothers are super sweet and they never fail to make me smile. Peter and Joey still live close to me, and getting to see them brightens my day. AND! everyone will be together for this Christmas. Cecelia is coming from D.C., Lincoln will be jetting in from PA, and my grandma and my aunt are coming from NY. who knows when the next time me and my siblings will all be together like that again. it hasn't even happened yet, but i'm already thankful it's going to! :D
• Christmas! i love celebrating the birth of Jesus, and i love everything that it entails. i'm a fan of traditions, but i'm so totally excited to decorate in my own place in just my style. since i have a pink living room and bedroom, i'm thinking of going with a sweet and girly tree and decorations (aka pink and green!)--of course i'll be making some handmade decorations, and i'll have to share them with you :D
  

this one i found HERE was sooo pretty!

friends. this includes so many people. the ones that care about how i'm feeling and how it's been going, the ones who pray for me, the ones i get to meet up with and we don't skip a beat even though it's been ages since we got together, my sister, my daily best friend, my co-teacher, my crafty buddies... they help me in so many ways. i only hope that i'm half as reliable or steadfast as they are. i just seem SO lucky. actually, BLESSED.

sandwich grills. addicted and about ready to give them as Christmas gifts to everyone i know. they make grilled perfection every single time no matter what the contents! *LE SIGH*

scrapbook retreats--i counted up the actual 'completed pages' and even though not all of them are 12x12, i still had a record productive weekend: i completed 82 pages!!!! w00t w00t! :D

bursts of ingenuity when teaching or planning for school--it helps so much! i love doing something that makes students think!

coupons and sales. these make me so happy. good deals MUST be endorphin boosters, would you agree?

diet coke. helplessly addicted.

laughing--i am so thankful for laughter.

water polo with all its challenges and physical demands. i think what others say is 'insane' actually keeps me 'sane.' oh, the irony.

and YOU, my precious blog readers... you are a constant source of encouragement that i feed off of. i am blown away by your support. i love reading your comments!

oh, and you thought i wasn't going to share a card? hehe--nope, i've got one here:

i used tons of Sassafras papers that made me think 'vintage' so i de-hoarded a length of vintage lace trim and then inked up the edges, and finally i added a fun swirl stamp i picked up from Impress a year ago. i also added a few BG felt stickers--they're perfectly wonderful texture-wise on this acetate card. oh, and i used an EK border punch for the inside edges. fun stuff in sort of fall colors--what do you think?

so, what are you thankful for? i'd love to hear what has blessed you lately :D thanks for stopping by!

Christmas music makes me smile...

wow, i have to say, that participating in the DeNami Blog Hop yesterday was so much fun... if you missed it, then check out my card HERE. i seriously LOVED reading all your comments on my non-traditional Christmas card.

they made me smile. and they made me feel really special. :D

and then i thought, 'why don't i do this more often?'

because, you see, your comments are the fuel that makes me want to post... so here i am again!

this card makes me smile, and it's so simple. it has some Sassafras goodness on it, and features a PTI sentiment from Dawn's Signature Greetings... and it's so NOT a Christmas card--in fact, it's a birthday card!

so yeah. another thing that makes me smile is listening to Christmas music on the radio. see, i've been listening to my holiday tunes via CD in my apartment and in the car, but NOW one of the local radio stations is playing 24/7 Christmas music.

ah, be still my heart!

i will be happily dancing around to "Jingle Bell Rock" all the way through January :D

thanks for stopping by, you're the best!

DeNami Christmas Blog Hop!

welcome to the DeNami Design Christmas Blog Hop!

you should have arrived from Michele's blog. but, if you didn't start along with us, head back to the DeNami Design blog and follow all the way from the beginning. and, if you plain just don't know what's going on, check out the info below:

When: The blog hop starts on November 14th at 8 AM, PST. However, you have until November 15, 2010, 11:59pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for a prize).

Why: To be inspired by stunning DeNami Design Christmas creations and also the chance to win mini shopping sprees on the DeNami Design website!

Prizes: We are giving away THREE $20 gift certificates to our website! We'll be giving away one gift certificate to a random participant (DT members not eligible) and then we'll also be giving away TWO gift certificates to TWO people who comment along the hop!

so it sounds like fun, right? i agree :D right now i'm actually enjoying a weekend of scrapbooking in Seattle... fun stuff, and i'm actually being productive too!

anywho, on to the blog hop card i made. this one features a non-traditional take on Christmas, but i love this DeNami stamp and glitter :D

you all know the Bing Crosby song, Meli Kalikimaka? yeah... that song is one of my favorites of the season, and truth be told, i've actually been playing Christmas music for a long time. now, i'm not usually one of those 'forget Thanksgiving people' and move to Christmas, but this year, even though i'm not forgetting Thanksgiving, i am really excited for Christmas. like, a LOT.

the above is a close-up... the rhinestones (love 'em!) are from my stash, and the letter stickers are from Making Memories that complete the sentiment. i love that hibiscus flower stamp... seriously so fun and cute, so i shaded it and glittered the center.

hope you have fun checking out the rest of the ladies along the hop--they have some seriously awesome projects to share.

next on your stop is Angela! you'll totally want to see what she cooked up for the Christmas blog hop!

have fun, and thanks for stopping by! :D

what's for dinner?

i'm currently pondering the answer to this question on this lovely November day.

i could quite possibly be leaving you soon for a little bit of take-out, or maybe i'll be inspired by my fridge selections. who knows?

anyway, i hope you have been enjoying some of the fall things happening now... i feel a little out of sorts with the season changing, because today in WA we had 70 + degree weather--totally record breaking! so different from our normal downpours :D

the card i made has a really simple design--the main sentiment panel is a Cosmo Cricket label from "early bird" collection, i believe. the yellow heart patterned paper is Sassafras, and it's perfect. i tucked a doily and a Bazzill flower behind the upper portion of the label, and added vintage buttons topped with pearls--so pretty, huh?

this card would be perfect for a busy mom or grandma who's always running around getting things done. do you ever feel like that? hehe, i KNOW you do. anyway, i really think that's it for today, other than to say that...

1) i'm still doing NaNoWriMo, which makes me crazy, and busy, together.

2) i got my own internet!!! *yay* this happened one day ago. i should be commenting more, and posting more too.

3) i go on a scrapbook retreat for 3 days on nov 12-14... so super excited for dedicated craft time!

and i hope you all have a lovely night! XOXOX

all shapes and sizes

still posting some of the older projects from my computer. today's comes from an afternoon when i made some zuchinni bread and muffins to share with other teachers at school. this tag was for the cheerleading coach and the home ec teacher... (and it was actually in the shape of a triangle flag--a leftover that i had from a banner project for school.)

this little baggie was for my co-teacher, and it housed three of the muffins i made. i used a group of papers from my 'red scrap' pile. since i've been in love with banners lately, i thought that one would be cute to put on this bag with some bling in between.

oh, and another thing, i'm in love with doilies. like, hardcore in love. so much it's almost sick. i love how this doily looks with the Cosmo Cricket "hey there cookie" panel. i just do.

and that's that for the zucchini bread. i love making bread. especially banana bread. i have some bananas waiting to be transformed that i've been saving in my freezer... maybe i'll dig up some free time this weekend to work on a loaf or two :D

thanks for stopping by, and also for leaving your encouraging comments! they mean a lot to me. btw, i think that you'll like some of the projects i have coming up. at least, i hope you will! ta ta, have a lovely day!

you are special...

you really are. i can't believe you stop by and read my blog. it makes ME feel special. but really, we're still talking about you here. (how do i get off on tangents sooo quickly? it must be a disease *le sigh*)

today's card comes from the vaults and crannies in my computer.

i am reorganizing my craft room which is sort of out of commission (making way for a bigger table, which means i'll now have 3 work surfaces to crowd with paper, etc!) and i haven't posted a lot of the projects i have on my computer.

this card was made specifically for a teacher that had to leave our school because her military husband was moved to a different base across the country. i was originally going to give her a smaller card, but realized it wouldn't hold all of the signatures/ well-wishes that my staff would be writing, so the card is HUGE (i used a whole 8.5 x 11 sheet)!

and that's it. i have a proverbial pile of projects that need to be posted, so look for them later.

thanks for stopping by, i hope your weekend is fabulous!

the new busy

**EDIT: as i look at the 'scheduled date' on this post, i notice that it's about three weeks late. and since i figure you deserve to know what i was {{GOING}} to say, i'll just publish the old post part in RED. so then just look for the regular 'now' stuff in black at the bottom. cool? good.**

oh hey. yeah, so i think i owe you an apology. i've been absent from the blog as of late.

it's one of those things... school started, swim coaching continued, practice times got changed, the internet i'm mooching off of someone else in my apartment complex has been UBER splotchy and sketch lately, and then there's the fact that i've been doing more baking and cooking recently which has to do with a budget crunch in my world... should get better after October (which is still a long ways away!), and i just haven't been around.

so i guess that's my excuse? which, i hate getting as a teacher, but i figure you all should know what's been going over here.

moving on.

i made a quiche on sunday night! (this was after i made three homemade pizzas... crust and everything to have as a lunch option this week.) it was lovely. i didn't follow a recipe really, but i looked online at a few places to give me a starting point for portions. i took a picture. i know it's cheating to just show you a picture and not the recipe, but frankly, i'm too tired to link it up.

so how 'bout you search 'quiche' in Google-land and do what i did and make it up? i bet it'll taste awesome! i mean, it has eggs and CHEESE, right? right. so yes, we're good.

oh, and random fact #23: i still have sand in the front pocket of my hoodie from a trip i took to the beach this summer. VERY recent discovery, btw. i've even washed this thing a few times (well, maybe just one). so, i put my cell phone in there to keep it toasty (well, actually, more like to keep it handy) and i pulled it out a minute ago and it had all these little specks of sand on it. grr. annoying! (said like Gru from "Despicable Me" would say, "LIGHTBULB!!!" hehe... makes me smile every time!) just thought you should know.

fun fact #57: a little seventh grade boy cut his hair because of me and what i said in class. i felt bad. for about a minute. and then i realized it was beneficial to both of us that he could now see out of his eyes instead of swiping them to the side every 3 seconds.

that is all.

so back to the regularly scheduled program. ha! so swimming ended yesterday--we had our last meet of the season, and now all that is left to do is have an end of the year banquet and send out the lettering certificates, etc.

i have a project for you (well, kinda a project). i made a whole bunch of fall leaves from my Cricut. i used the "Stretch Your Imagination" and "Wild Card" cartridges. i cut a HUGE pile of leaves out of a HUGE stack of paper (patterned and sort of matching). they're now hanging around my apartment making my place look more fall-like. i went to the thrift store the other day and picked up all the ribbon/ bias tape that is holding all the leaves together.

doesn't it make my curtains and blinds look awesome? i thought so.

oh, and did i mention? i'm participating in NaNoWriMo again this year.

you might remember from last year how i took on the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days (about 1,667 words/ day). this year is going to be bigger and better! i'm getting a lot of students involved at school, and they're super excited about it... so great to see young minds trying something 'new' and 'hard.'

oh, besides the leafy garland, i've been doing some prep for a scrapbook retreat i'm going on in Nov. i went last spring with my co-teacher Jen, and we had a BLAST, and i got sooo much work done, and i'm totally looking forward to it this year. we're leaving school to go straight up to the Hilton in Seattle a few weeks before Thanksgiving to get productive (or not! :D hehe!) last year, i totally loved getting to know some new girlies and getting a new nickname 'Tonic.' ha! i think that all crafters have a magical bond, don't you?

anyway, that's it for today, sorry again, and please feel free to harass me next time i'm gone so long... i DO succumb to peer pressure in that regard! :D

DeNami Blog Hop Cuddly Critters

welcome to the DeNami Design blog hop! every stop you make on the way is featuring some of the cute cuddly creatures that everyone seems to love, including me! so let's see what's going on...

if you're following along, you should have come from Anne Harada's blog, and now you're here! if you didn't start at the beginning, you can go back and start at the DeNami blog here!

i hope you're having as much fun as i am as we look at all the lovely creations that DeNami lovers have made :D so here we go, on to my cuddly creature project!

i was thinking of using a 'spring' chickie, but couldn't come up with a solid idea, so i switched gears and pulled out the cutest little snow chickie... he seriously makes me smile :D

i tried to make things a little vintage-y and i pulled out some Cosmo Cricket papers. i also tied a few ribbons together--satin and seam binding/ aka crinkle ribbon.

you can see i made a matching envelope (decorated both the front and back with some simple borders and ribbons) and i think it adds a ton to the project...

this card is completely in non-traditional 'Christmas' colors, but i absolutely love it! a few flowers here, some glitter there, oh! and don't forget the bling! :D

alright! thanks for stopping by today, i hope you have fun... be sure to hop on over to Teresa E's blog, and see what loveliness she's created!

i love you x2!

okay, you remember yesterday? super quick post and multiple cards (in different colors)? yeah?

well... same thing here :D

yeah, i was on a roll when i perfected this design... the tags + ribbon + button = too cute to only make one card! :D

so...

here we have the same basic idea, except that you can't really see the stamping along the bottom strip of the orange card stock... there are little hears like the yellow one on the tag, the filled heart is from SU! and the outline is from PTI's Tiny Treats set. (same with the sentiment and the circle frame.)

oh, and if you didn't catch it yesterday, i'm kinda addicted to pleated paper as a new border strip. i think it's pretty sweet :D

thanks for stopping by, and also for your lovely comments... they sure cheer me up when i get back from a long day at school (or the pool!)

hope you have a great day!

beautiful blushing dahlias

really quick post today! hope your week isn't hectic like mine... i've been at school SOOO much this week and last getting all prepped for school--things are coming together in my classroom, but i still have lots to do.

here are some cards featuring PTI's Delightful Dahlia set... i used some of the flowers and leaves as background on the bottom of the card, and then stamped them on the tags that i tied off with ribbon and buttons!

i also used MM Girlfriend paper (the pink polka dots) and pleated the paper to create a fun border strip along the bottom...

i think that if you follow my blog at all, you know that i like to make multiples of the same design/ card so that i have something handy when the need for a gift or card arises... these were made for those 'just in case' times :D

thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments... it's so good to hear from you! i'll do my best to post again this week, but no guarantees as i'll probably be trapped at school--hehe :D

August PTI Blog Hop ::Brown Bags!::

hi there! thanks for stopping by and participating in PTI's blog hop :D should be tons of fun to see all the inspiration... i know i'm excited!

first up, though, before my brown bag is something that could go INTO my bag if i hadn't gobbled it up last night...

doesn't all that yummy frosting make you want to drool? hehe... i know i was slobbering a bit after i made them last night. but not for long. that cupcake settled quite nicely into my tummy.

okay, onto the challenge...

we were asked to dress up a typical 'brown bag' like you used to put your lunches in.

wanna hear something funny?

i HONESTLY did not even know that this was the blog hop challenge until this morning. yesterday, i was making these exact bags for 'fun' with my friend Helene...

yeah. talk about weird! so i figured i'd share them tonight (i was going to share them sometime!) and here we are:

i chopped off the tops of both these bags with a decorative border punch or scissors.

i added a flower, some die cuts (the butterfly from PTI was thanks to Paulina from when we crafted a week ago... well, really, all those die cuts were hers :D) and a brad... then there's the PTI Signature Greetings stamps too!

i love the doily and polka dots on this one... makes me smile!

thanks for stopping by, i love reading your comments! :D

hope your day is fabulous and all that...

i really do hope your day was fabulous... because otherwise, that just wouldn't be fun, now would it?

hehe... well, i'm ba-aack! i've been in Idaho for a week (got back Saturday after a long 12 hour drive) doing my last Vacation Bible Adventure of the summer with my church. it was good, it was HOTTT, it was tough, and i learned a lot.

i'll miss the busyness and the hardness of the VBA when school starts in two weeks, but right now i'm seriously just enjoying some down time. i made some cupcakes tonight, along with one layer of a cake that i'm baking for my brother's upcoming 24th birthday. i also made jell-o last night... first time in forEVER. it's been yummy.

oh, and i totally had some delicious burrito today with some shredded pork from the slow cooker that was just begging to be let out of the freezer for a taste :D

so yeah. my bits and pieces of summer have definitely been yummy.

now, on to the cards for today. they feature Dawn's PTI Signature Greetings and an Impress flower. there's also PTI's Polka Dot Basics II on the bottom of each of these stamped in VersaMark.

these cards were super fun and easy to whip up... all i did 'special' was emboss each flower image and add some matching ribbon to coordinate it all together...

hope that these bring a smile to your face... they sure look cute all lined up together :D

okay, i'm off to finish the icing for the cupcakes, and then i'm going to watch "Zombieland" which i normally wouldn't watch (especially on my own), but my sister, brother, and DAD all thought it was funny. so yeah. i'll probably put in a cute flick like "Confessions of a Shopaholic" soon after to soothe my mind while i polish off the remainders of the 12 cupcakes i just baked.

ack, my life. :D

thanks for stopping by! (please say hi... it makes me SOOO happy!!)

Embellish Challenge: quirky, cutesy, clean

OOF-DA!

it's friday! :D

i am so happy for today for a few reasons: i have homemade bread in my kitchen for toast (breakfast/ lunch/ dinner... doesn't matter. heck, i even eat the stuff after i brush my teeth! :D), i get to see Paulina for the 2nd time in 2 weeks and i get to STAMP with her!!!, PLUS >> i have another challenge card for you!

this one comes from Embellish Magazine, and the inspiration is amazing... check it out:

and the challenge also has a twist... you have to make your project quirky, cutesy, or clean!

so here's what i came up with when i matched the colors to the challenge...

what do you think? i'm pretty sure that i've used this cupcake stamp, ohhhh, a BAJILLION times since i bought it (seriously one of the best investments i've ever made), and doesn't it look so awesome with all that dimension and glitter and those BUTTONS for a cherry!???! hehe. *pats self on back*

i like it, but i'd love to hear what you think... please leave a comment for me to smile about :D

i hope you have a wonderful friday, friends... and that your weekend is AMAZING too!

...hello! (2S4Y + Denami)

happy thursday. i wanted to share with you some 'everyday' things that have been happening with me...

first off is the delicious looking bagel sandwich in the photo above. i made it. it was dinner on monday. it was AMAZING. (aka: NOM NOM x10!) it's piled high with lots of stuff, which explains its open face. so from the bottom up: mayo, spicy mustard, co-jack cheese, turkey, ham, cucumbers, red peppers, bacon, and avocado slices (sprinkled with salt). DE-lish! *you jealous yet?*

hehe... anyway, up next is a combo challenge card: 2sketches4you Laura's #58...

plus another entry into the Denami Product Challenge (inspired by the technique that Wendy used on the card featured over at the blog today)...

and here's the card:

featuring Webster's Pages, felt flowers, a border punch, DeNami Glitter and 'hello' sentiment, and some Polka Dot Basics II, and some pearls and buttons!

there's still time to enter both challenges, so hop on over there to get some serious inspiration as well as a shot at snagging a top spot!

thanks for stopping by... i'm off to play some water polo tonight and hopefully not get injured in the process (i'm wearing my mouthguard now to prevent any more chipped teeth! :D *toothy grin... hehehe, j/k about the toothy grin part**)

TA!

summer play & birthday blessings!

well, i know that back to school is coming up fast... eek! don't let me think about it too much. i've already been into my classroom several times this summer, and it's creeping up too quickly for my liking.

one way to prolong the vacation days is to make summery cards! here i have a few that are similar to the one i made last week... lots of layered goodies (brads, buttons, chippies, flowers, etc) that make it a happy fun project :D

this first one with 'play' as the sentiment has some of my new fav. ribbon on it... May Arts :D such fun stuff in the perfect color combo too!!

and then here comes a different color scheme... but the paper still comes from WeRMemoryKeepers (the patterned paper from above and below) and most of the embellishments come from the same companies i used for the 1st card. spy that fabby ribbon again? :D

the 'blessings, you're so sweet' card went postal to my brother Lincoln who just turned 22 last week... he's over in PA, and i miss him a lot sometimes. back last year he was in a video production class and he acted in this music video that CRACKS me UP! every time i watch it. so check it out HERE if you're interested :D

and this last card has basically the same stuff, except i must have had a flower fetish at the time because i LOADED this baby up with tonnnns! of the petaled variety :D

well, it's a quick one... thanks for stopping by, and for all your lovely comments. i love hearing even what your favorite colors were in my cards (i aim to please!) xoxox and take care!

Denami Product Challenge #3

WOW! >> two posts in one day?? :D hehehe... i'm getting greedy i think!

but hooray and yay, another challenge post! i love these opportunities to stretch myself or jog my creativity... it's a good thing :D

this time i'm participating in the DeNami Design Product Challenge (#3!) that involves using produced by the company... and this time, it's...

GLITTER :D hehe... love this stuff... i only have two of the colors shown above (yellow and pink), but DeNami also offers some awesome gold and red glitter (perfect for holiday cards + projects!) that i have and love love love.

so, for the challenge, you're asked to also use a DeNami image... so i pulled out a fun little sentiment that's perfect for anyone, and based my color scheme off of the butterfly image i was going to use, and also the glitter colors i had available! :D

so here we go! i think that this card is a little bit on the classy side of what i've been making lately... it's not super fussy or layered... just some fancy flourishes stamped with the glue pad and then covered with the 'citrine' glitter, the butterfly image popped up, Kaiser bling, May Arts ribbon, Polka Dot Basics II, and of course, the DeNami sentiment 'miss you.'

well? what do you think? i love reading your comments... you're ever the kindest :D hope you have a great day, and if you haven't checked out my other challenge card for 2s4y, you should hop over HERE and do that :D

thanks for stopping by!!