all yellow and blue...

hi!  happy friday!  :D

i know it might be considered bad taste, or conceited, but i just have to say it... i LOVE this card.  i don't know if i'm ever going to give it away.  you'll have to wrench it from my cold hands when i'm dead.  (ew, no, not really.  that's just weird.)

but i do love the sentiment and the colors, and the whole thing.

have any of you read "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin?  i highly recommend it... it's got great anecdotes and advice throughout the whole thing.  it's one of those books that i am telling everyone about, because it's so appropriate for me.  it just fits my life right now.  i bet it would fit yours too... go read it!

but remember that day, like tuesday or wednesday, that i said i'm pretty much addicted to using tags on my cards... yeah.  evidence.  RIGHT HERE.

:D but anyway, i love the layers, the colors that i don't normally put together, but did for the sake of that lovely heart and flower from CPT creations :D

thanks for stopping by, i have a Nutcracker performance to see tonight!  (told you it was the Christmas season!)

xoxo!

instagram love. (random edition)

haven't done one of these in a longgggg time... 

not many words, as per usual.

favorite 2 year old sleeping... UM > adorable!

my youngest brother has an obsession...

i took them to the fair by myself (with brother)

after the big kid roller coaster!

all of us at the fair

my "nephews" on my lap!

shot from Bumbershoot, playing with effects

new, awesome shoes

cheering for closest swimmer!

my lovely and loving parents--they're old school awesome.

and that's it.  hope you have a great day!

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

hello friend!

hi there friends!  how does this middle of the week Wednesday find you?

tonight right after school i have a meeting, and then i have an ornament exchange/ ladies get-together for one of my schools.  should be fun!  i haven't decided on my ornament yet, i was going to make one, but i'd have to do that like, NOW.  so, i'll let you know what happened with the ornaments (i'm hoping to get a pink one :D)!

this card features an SRM sentiment with more flowery goodness.  not any patterned paper, just some yummy colors in the fabric ribbon, the die cut flowers, the Prima flowers, and the little birdy from CPT.

somehow i can't stop using tags on my cards... it makes creating them so easy!

well, i'm keeping this short... like i said, i have to find an ornament to give away :D

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

B is for Balloons

hi there!  today B stands for BRIGHT as well... this card is the perfect pick-me-up from any of the cold weather blues you may be experiencing.  or maybe it's the sniffles.  or the sneezes.  no fun to be sick during the holiday season!

anyway, this card is chock full of dimension--flowers, canvas flowers, an alphabet card, washi tapes, some fabric ribbon and even a cute banner stick pin.

today i'm going to pick up the couch to add to my living room... i'm excited because it's also a pull-out bed, and i've been desperately needing one for guests that come along (and it also allows me to open my home more).  pretty happy about getting it for FREE as well :D  and even the delivery too--my youngest brother Joey has a truck that can haul just about anything.

you know what they say about people with trucks right?  they get asked to help with moving people/ things all the time... well, it's true.  i shamelessly use my brother to help me get things from point A to B if they can't fit in my awesome "Red Rocket" (aka a cherry red Toyota Matrix that i LOVE).

okay, back to the card...

you see what i mean?  all those lovely bright colors... they sort of remind me of some of my Christmas decorations... i decorate my tree in white/ silver/ and PINK.

well, what do you think?  a good pick-me-up card?  or maybe even for birthdays :D

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

because i still have a heart...

how was your Thanksgiving (if you celebrated it)?  do you still have leftovers?  (mine are currently tupperware'd up into 7 lunch portions... not sure what i'm going to do with the rest of it...)  has it turned chilly where you live?

i thought i'd pop in here again to share a quick project i made from some scraps on my craft table (to be honest, this was a long time ago).  i know i have been gone for about a month? well, maybe not a month, but it feels like it... every time i think about the blog, i think--"GOSH, why haven't i posted?" and then i move on to the next thing and forget that passing thought about this blog...

things have been going on over here though:

• i hosted Thanksgiving at my apartment this year, made my first turkey, and first gravy, and it turned out GREAT! everyone had a great time, we enjoyed the company and food, and it was just right.  i so enjoyed my Thanksgiving this year.  it was needed.
• i re-arranged my living room furniture to make room for another couch.  it has a more "grown-up" feel now, by virtue of the layout.  i like it a lot.
• i have the bare bones of my Christmas tree up.  half of the pre-lit clear lights aren't working (which isn't a big deal since i cover my tree in about 8 strands of pink lights, so yah.)
• i am doing my National Boards (NBCT) for teaching, and my brain is unable to contain the needed information.  hence, my phone and planner are my substitute 'brain books.' if i lost either of them, i know i would have a nervous break down.
• i have made about three trips to IKEA recently. had some returns, bought a floor lamp, more curtains, and other general house-things.
• i have my ears pierced.  i am buying myself cute earrings as i see them.  no rush, though.
• i have three major commitments/ concerts with my band next weekend--it's officially the Christmas season!
• my apartment is slowly but surely getting decorated... more slowly than surely, i'd say though.  my goal is to have it all done before my sister, brother, aunt, and grandma come to visit for Christmas. 

anyway, on to my card.  *good for you if you've made it this far... and if you skipped that other stuff, oh well!*

the gray, the white, and the little bits of red make me smile.  i love layers, so of course i have a funky flower there :D

hope you enjoyed, hope to be back more often than before.  let me know what you've been up to!

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

CPT: Tip Top Shape - Circles

hi there!

it's me, the long lost blogger... ha!  i'm here today for a quick share of the creation i whipped up for the Tip Top Shape challenge over at the CPT blog.  you should seriously check it out... the inspiration photo (the white throw pillow) is so cool, don't you think?

anyway, there are a lot of ways you could interpret the circles onto a project, but i decided to go with a card featuring tons of circular objects.  that's just how i roll :D

in this close up, you can see all the little circles i included on the front...

I used all sorts of circles on the front of the card (bottle cap, stickers, flower stickers, doily, kraft scalloped circle, polka dots, flower tissue paper circle, silhouette circles on the washi tape), and then i added an inside to the card as well... more circles there too!

now, for those of you who know me and have been following for a while, you know a few things... i don't do insides of cards, and i don't color (at least that much).  but here, today, you get to see a card with both!  how lucky!

i got to use the Abigail image from Paper Sweeties, so excited to see people wanting to sponsor what Andrea and the DT (including me :D) are doing over at CPT! 

happy friday! thanks for stopping by, xoxo

love notes - a bright CPT card

hi there!  hope your mid-week is going well!

 

today is pink day at school, so of course i'm decked out (literally head to toe) with my finest pink clothes and accessories.  we're honoring Breast Cancer Awareness week (i have some relatives who've had breast cancer... not. fun.)

 

but, i thought i would share a fun card... this one is from my stash pre-move (seriously, it's going to be ages until i get it all unpacked and organized again.  moving is HELL on my creativity... i WANT to make stuff, but it's just not available!)

 

this card features a Creative Paper Trade felt heart (with a flower), the shabby chic pink trim, and the blue and white fabric ribbon behind the pink trim, as well as a birdy note image tucked behind the doily.

 

i love working with everything Andrea has created... it's seriously amazing.  we have some fun tutorials on the blog, and of course the amazing DT creations, so please be sure to head over there to check them out... 

 

 

anyway, this is going to be a quick one.

 

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

CPT Party Favors

hey there!

 

for some reason, this project didn't get shared last week when it was posted to the CPT blog (oh wait, maybe it was because of my internet connectivity issues--grr! from last week).

 

anyways, i wanted to share this party favor gift bag (it actually has a gift already inside, i couldn't wait to package it up... just a little journal/ notebook). 

 

but i love the inspiration that Andrea provided for us... be sure to check out THIS POST to see what i'm talking about!

 

i loved pulling out some yummy orange and teal to go with the black and white polka dotted background.

that's it, i've really gotta run, but please make sure you check out the CPT blog for more inspiration and tutorials, there's a lot going on over there :D

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

monday manicure: beige invasion (late)

can a girl catch a break?  last week i was stressing about entering grades into my gradebook and not being entirely unpacked at my apartment, and yesterday morning i was hugging the toilet to start my morning, and then pretty much stuck there all day (although i went to school to teach anyway).

 

ugh, i hate not being ready to go, but i'm learning to cut myself some slack when it comes to things like my blog, or my apartment, or even work.  you see, i'm kind of a perfectionist.  i say kind of because i actually heard a new term recently that fits me a bit better... it's the adjective satisficer, and it means that i'm satisfied when i reach a good choice or sitaution, i'm not hung up on getting the BEST choice.

 

but it still means that i have to have reached a good choice or decision.  i stumbled across this word in my reading of "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin.  i've been glued to the book, mostly because almost all of it resonates with me in some way.  i have also discovered that i am a normally happy person, but i should take care to cultivate it, and stay that way.  by the way, i highly recommend this book to just about everyone--even though i won't follow all of the things Gretchen did, the book and ideas themselves have made me self-reflect in ways i've never done before.  it's awesome.

 

all of this to say, i'm giving myself a break for not posting this monday manicure on time yesterday.  i had the picture loaded and everything... quite a while ago actually.  the only thing(s) that stopped me were: 1) being SICK SICK SICK, and 2) my slow internet connection at my new apartment.

 

reason #2 might not be a big deal to most of you, but i'm seriously considering getting a new carrier because my internet isn't connecting well at ALL.  it's driving me insane.  waiting 5 minutes for a picture to load is NOT okay.  i've been lucky before in that i haven't had internet connectivity issues before, but now i seriously can't imagine living without some semblance of what i had before.  it's painful.

 

i'm actually posting this one from work.  (shhhh, don't tell!)

 

so, here's the manicure that i should have posted yesterday.  and the post that is eating at me for not having it posted on time (because gosh darnit, it's supposed to be a MONDAY manicure... ack!) :D but like i said, i'm working through stuff, and i'm NOT perfect.



 

 

this manicure really needed another coat (i only did one!), but for a one-coater, this isn't bad.  it's an Orly polish, and i just love the suble sparkle of the tan/ seude color.

 

so yes, that's all for now.  i have some other posts in the works that i'll hopefully get figured out shortly.  sorry for all that rambling above, especially if you're just here for the pictures... :D

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

10 Minute Craft Dash #5

hi there!

i'm so excited to share this card with you today, it's for the new 10 Minute Craft Dash Challenge #5!

what fun colors, right?  i'm loving the color palette here :D ...what do you think?

so, before i show my card, i have some news of the sad-ish variety--this is my last dash as a designer (at least for now)... i've been super busy, (and unfortunately, stressed) with a new job - 4 weeks new, a new apartment - less than a week, and then having all the normal things that are on my plate.  so you won't be seeing sneak peeks over at the challenge posts, but you'll still see me linking up what i've made... it seems that i've become quite addicted to rushing around my craft room like a crazy lady! :D

so, here's my version of the challenge, we got to use some lovely embellishments from Andrea over at Creative Paper Trade... she's a genius with all things crafty, and she's been gracious enough to provide a prize to our 10 Minute Craft Dash winner! hooray!

also, you better check Paulina's blog for the list of other designers joining us, they're my fellow designers over at Creative Paper Trade, and they're the best!

anyways, hope you enjoyed :D

thanks for stopping by, xoxo

monday manicure: just for fun.

oh my goodness!

happy monday, and welcome back to another monday manicure!  it's a little later than i normally post, but it's still within my desired time frame, eh? :D

today's manicure comes from a desire to do something completely just 'cuz.  i have some pretty colors in my nail stash, and i'd totally neglected a few of them... as in, never been opened (GASP!)  i know, i know, i know!  there's only so much time in the day! :D

hehe, anyway, this was super fun to paint (the pink is a creme and it goes on so smooth!) and the OPI glitter on my ring finger over the teal is DIVINE.  seriously.  it's from the ballet collection, and if you want to know the bottle name, i'll have to do some digging through my boxes and boxes of stuff... but i will :D just for you.

if you want.

if not, i'm coolio with that too.  anyway, i hope you like these fun colors and it brightens your day!

thanks for stopping by, xoxo

best wishes

hi there!

it's thursday, but it's really my friday... we don't have school tomorrow, and i'm so thankful, because i'm moving!  yay!

for the past 4+ months i've been staying at my parents house because i didn't have a job and didn't want to sign another year lease (or pay another $100 for month-to-month) at my old apartment.  so, i moved back to a room in my parents house... not my idea of being independent, you know?

but now that i have a job, i went searching around my favorite city--and i found a steal of a place :D  it's older, appliances are pretty dated (mostly the stove), and the kitchen carpet is a funky 70's flower/ mustard/ rust pattern.  but it's perfect for me and i'm paying TONS TONS TONS less than my other place.  and it's more than i was even looking for truthfully.

i'm very excited to be going back to my old city... it seriously makes me beyond happy.  plus i'll be ridiculously close to my job, which means less gas, etc!

anyway, on to today's card.

the first few days of school were great for me, but i wasn't quite into a routine yet, so one night when i knew i needed to go to bed, i did.  but i couldn't sleep.  so instead of squandering that time being awake without doing anything, i hopped up and went to my craft desk and put together this little card.  just grabbed things off my desk, but as you can see, i've used some awesome CPT goodies (the fabric flag and the digital heart paper).

so that's about all i can stay for now--best wishes to you for your weekend and plans, it's really starting to feel like fall around here now!

thanks for stopping by, xoxo

stars and flowers, 10 Minute Craft Dash style

hi and happy Tuesday!  it's been a good week so far... got all my laundry done and folded last night, re-painted my chipped nails, and went to band practice--we're playing Christmas music now because we're getting ready for a few concerts in December, loving the sleigh bells and the Christmas hymns i'm humming on the way out the door.  don't get me wrong, i love fall, but i LOVE Christmas more :D

so anyway, i'm back with another card featuring the latest color inspiration for the 10 Minute Craft Dash #4... there's an awesome sponsor, so be sure to play along before the deadline... details here.

used some Studio Calico paper (kraft color background), and mixed up the rest with washi tape, fabric ribbon, and some stars from Studio Calico and a few cute little brads.  love this color combo-- so easy to use for just about any card!

time it took to create: 12:14 (eek!) the flowers with the fabric trim definitely ate up my time there... oh well :D  still love the card... now to figure out where it's going!

thanks for stopping by, xoxo

monday manicure: good & not so good konad stamping...

hi there! happy monday!

last week marked my second week at school for the year (even though students have been there since the day after Labor Day).  it was a great and super busy week.  i put some finishing touches on my classrooms, went to band practice (we're gearing up for our Christmas concerts: SO excited!), and basically attended about three different meetings/ appointments besides that.

oh, and i found a new place to live.  and i am probably going to move next weekend.

it's been a whirlwind kind of month around here...  but i know it's what God wants me to do and where He wants me to be.  and i take comfort daily in that reminder :D

so... today i actually wanted to showcase some manicures that i sported within a week of each other.  now, usually i don't do stamping that close together (time!) but i've been getting a LOT quicker, so i did it anyway.

the first picture is of the manicure that i wore to my interviews when i got the job.  so it was a pink base from China Glaze and then the black konad polish on top with a Cheeky super size plate.  my nails are quite large, so it's a bit of a pain to get a design to transfer cleanly to my whole nail.

so, yeah.  this is the not so good stamping picture example.  i loved the colors and the design on the plate, but i know i was in a bigger hurry, so that might have contributed to the messiness.

next, this is the manicure that i wore for the first Friday of my teaching week... red and black happen to match the colors of both schools i'm teaching at, so i thought it was perfect!

i used a red China Glaze base and a sparkly (think ruby shoes--Dorothy style) Finger Paints polish over it.  then the konad special polish in black with the zebra print plate (konad as well).  i also too the time to make my ring finger a bit more blingy...  the little jewels were something of a pain to place perfectly, but i love the end result.  lots of shine in the end with the Seche Vite top coat. 

i love hearing your comments about my manicures... i know it's not crafting related, so it's nice to know you still read these posts :D

thanks for stopping by! xoxo

10 Minute Craft Dash #4

hi everyone!  it's the first wednesday in october, so you know what that means...

time for the 10 Minute Craft Dash Challenge #4!  super excited about this one, mostly because the colors include red, and also because when i was creating cards with this color palette, i just couldn't stop!  i actually made three cards--one of which you'll see today, and the others later on :D

we also have an awesome prize up for grabs for the winner of this challenge, so make sure you get your entries in before the deadline, you don't want to miss this!

Paulina and i are so lucky to have such awesome sponsors for our challenges, so make sure you show them some love yourself, and head over to WPlus9 to check out all the awesomeness you could buy with your $20 gift certificate! (or you could just buy the awesomeness anyway :D)

so anyway, on to my card...

i think i must be getting better at this challenge (hehehe) because this card only took me 7 minutes and 29 seconds.  that's a new record for me.  i pulled out some 6x6 papers, had my twine and washi tape ready (don't think i've made a card or project without washi tape for a long long time), and started my timer!  one thing that definitely helped in this challenge was having the chevron bag... i like putting those on my cards because it's perfect for slipping another little note in, or a gift certificate even!

so there you have it, hope you enjoyed!  if you haven't been to Paulina's blog yet, you need to check it out, she has all the details for how long the challenge runs, and also the spot to LINK UP your own project.  so what are you waiting for? :D

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

monday manicure: crazy tribal prints

happy monday!

i hope you've had a fabulous weekend!  it's OCTOBER.  i seriously can't believe it.  this manicure is from the summertime (don't have enough mondays in the year to keep up with my changing nails... maybe i should make this feature more frequent?  thoughts?  keep it as is?  let me know!) but i still really like the idea.

i'm not sure my execution is the greatest, but i am really proud of how detailed i got.

WITHOUT any stamping.  no Konad plates used.  just a brush and my polish.  granted the brush was quite small compared to the brush the polish comes with... but hey!  cut me some slack!

i used all the colors shown in the first three blocks, plus a black from OPI and a Sally Hensen "Going Grape" color which is really fun :D  but then after i was done i thought, "what the heck" and added an Essie matte topcoat.

which i kinda like.

i think that if i did this manicure again maybe i wouldn't go so detailed (it's a lot to take in, right?) and i'd stick to a few colors, instead of five :D hehehe, well... live and learn, right?

tribal prints are super hot in fashion, and i found some inspiration from my "nails and face" Pinterest board for this one.  check them out!  i'd love to hear what you think :D

thanks for stopping by, xoxo

Creative Paper Trade - Color My Week #2

hey there!

i know i haven't done that post i promised about the miracle from the last few weeks... but i will! :D it's going to settle down around here pretty soon--i've been at school setting up my classrooms since i didn't have any time to do that before classes started, but after that's done, i foresee a bit of free time, and i'll be devoting that to creating and my blog!

so, anyway, onto the creations i made yesterday for the Creative Paper Trade!  this time we're focusing on some softer, girly colors, which i surprisingly loved (usually i go for the brightness!)  you can participate in our challenges over there, so please check it out... there's an awesome prize up for grabs (including some of Andrea's handmade embellishments... i LOVE LOVE LOVE them!)

so... here we go--first a little gift bag that i'm going to fill with either some chocolate or other edible goodies to give to the office manager at my school... she's been so helpful in getting me situated!

Andrea made the pink fabric trim, the cute little heart felt pin, and of course, the digital purple heart paper (one of my favorite digital items :D)

and since i know i have some birthdays coming up and some more thank you's to give, i made this card without a sentiment so i could use it whenever the need arose.  lots of layers, some fun seam binding, a glorious felt flower from Andrea again, and then a bitty piece of digital goodness (a tag) tucked under the white flowers... again: hearts :D

this last one features lots of Andrea's goodies... she actually die cut the white banner and sent it along in the package of goodies, so of course i thought it would be perfect for this!  a lovely "cherish" tag is the focal point, some polka dotted digital paper is nestled behind the purple, and then the felt heart/ flower combo... it's the best thing ever!

and there you have it!  loved making every little bit of these... and i hope you enjoy looking!  don't forget to check out the CPT for the challenge details!

thanks for stopping by, xoxo!

happy girls...

hi there!

sorry i've been gone from blog-land for a while... i have a really good reason, i promise! :D

but first, some other reasons why i haven't been around:

• having a cold/ sinus infection last week
• food poisoning (brother, best friend, best friend's husband, best friend's two kids) on Sunday/ Monday... the whole she-bang too--lovely flu-like symptoms and basic inability to move.

but now i think that's basically over... i am pretty sure that's all behind me now.  at least i really really hope so :D

and i still haven't gotten to the "good reason" for me not being around lately... 

but first, do you remember this?  it was a project i posted during my return to blogging (in the summer), and i did a little summary of my life this year.

these canvases have been great reminders to me through the tough times i've had... but i have to say, they have also proven true very recently (like this last four days) in my life... because...

i have a job!

and happy girls really are the prettiest!  i start today--eek!  i'm so excited, you have no idea.  it's been a whirlwind couple of days getting everything ready/ done/ together.  i will be posting the particulars of how it came about (let's just say BIG TIME MIRACLE!) in another post when i have a little more time.

the basics:

• teaching again (full time)
• two junior highs (one in the morning, one in the afternoon)
• different district than where i've been the last 5 years
• MIRACLE

:D so that's about all i can squeeze in now, but thanks for hanging in there with me--i've got some cool projects to share for Creative Paper Trade, and don't forget to enter your ideas for the 3rd 10 Minute Craft Dash... there's an awesome prize up for grabs! :D

thanks for stopping by, wish me luck! xoxo

monday manicure: neon rainbow stripes! (+ glitter, duh!)

yay for September!  that means i'm still doing fun manicures that blind your eyes!

well, you may not see the blinding-ness in this photo, but in real life, it was pretty dope.

just used a lot of my neons to make this one.  the huge bummer was how long it took for everything to dry.

also, remind me to never use the Sally 'diamonds' glitter again.  either that or my top coat (which is typically lightning fast) made the drying time last a lifetime.

but fun nonetheless.

this post actually is going to be short.

have a fun monday, thanks for stopping by, xoxo

CPT: Paper Nudge (the alphabet)

hey there!

back with a post for Creative Paper Trade (i'm loving being on this design team!) that focuses on the alphabet.  our inspiration came from the picture below, check it out!

and i couldn't help but use some of my alphas for this challenge... it was really simple, but super fun! (the best kinds of cards in my opinion!) :D

basically, i used Andrea's colored checks and dots digital paper, and some of her felt embellishments (seriously, they're the best ever!) to put this card set together in a snap.

you definitely should check out the other creations--you can see Cherry's, Jessica's and Andrea's on the CPT blog, and you can see the other awesome projects here:

• Geri
• Lisa

thanks for stopping by, xoxo

10 Minute Craft Dash #3

hi there!

Paulina and i are super pumped because the third challenge for the 10 Minute Craft Dash is here!  check out the colors on this one... so fun and happy :D

in our first challenge, all you had to do to participate was create a project in 10 minutes or less, post the time on your blog/ photo space of choice, and link up to our page.  well... if you missed our second challenge (which was TONS of fun!), we've introduced a new element.  colors!  you're more than welcome to use neutrals along with the above colors, but we would LOVE to see what you can create within 10 minutes using the picks above as your guide!

now, i must confess, i was so excited when i saw our sponsor, Lawn Fawn (eek!), and even more excited when Kelly sent us some goodies to play with for this challenge.  couldn't help but snag the "Sunny Skies" stamp set and the 6x6 "Bright Side" paper pack.  awesome stuff i tell you!

and if that wasn't enough, Lawn Fawn is also sponsoring our giveaway!

you're not going to want to miss this... whoever our winner is will be one lucky duck!  (oh: and if you missed the WINNERS POST for challenge #2, then make sure you follow the link and head over there to see who Paulina and i picked for winner and favorites!)

okay, so you already know the details/ guidelines... i'm here to show you what i created in (get this!) NINE MINUTES and 18 SECONDS!  **i think this is my fastest card yet, but i'm not sure how, i kept thinking "why hasn't the alarm gone off yet?" hahaha**

washi tape was my best friend on this one.  i still can't get over the fact that i was able to fussy cut my sun, pop his face up, AND get a stamped banner in there... *phew* i was pushing my luck!

haha, anyway, i totally enjoyed myself (as always), and if you're here without first visiting Paulina, then you need to scoot outta here to check out her awesome creation--don't miss it!

so happy you've popped in here... hope to see you playing along.

i'd love to know what you think! thanks for stopping by, xoxo