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