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!

10 Minute Craft Dash #2

hi everyone!

if you're here in the States, i hope you had a lovely Labor Day... I know that i did--full of fun times visiting with a college roommate and doing all sorts of tourist-y types of things!  i'll be posting pictures of those adventures later this week, so stay tuned.

BUT, today is all about the second 10 Minute Craft Dash!  Paulina and i are so excited about doing this another time--there were so many awesome entries for the first one, we can't wait to see what you do this time around!

so, here's the details if this is your first time with the challenge:

Challenge starts: TODAY, Wednesday, September 5th.  Use the colors above & post the time it took to create your project.  Don't forget to link up too!

Deadline: the challenge will run for 10 days, the deadline is September 15th, 11:59pm, PST. 

Prize: $20 Neat and Tangled gift certificate

we have such an awesome sponsor and prize, so you're going to totally want to join in... and this time we're using certain colors to narrow down your 10 minute options.

honestly, i thought that having colors to incorporate was a blessing... made my decision making that much easier.  and when you only have 10 minutes to work, you have to make some decisions in a split-second!

so here's my card creation.  you might have seen a sneak peek at Paulina's blog, if so, i'm so glad you stopped by! 

time to create: 9 minutes 39 seconds

even though i think the colors limited my choices (a good thing!) i wish i had realized how hard "fussy" cutting the bike would be.  i have this awesome Schwinn cruiser that pretty much looks exactly like this Lawn Fawn stamp, and i love it... been biking a lot recently.  but when you only have so much time and you're going for two colors/ fussy cut images--EEK! :D

washi tape came to the rescue again, as well as a DeNami "love you" sentiment and some Studio Calico patterned paper.

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

happy birthday (to me)

hey y'all!

i thought i'd pop in for my birthday and say hello/ goodbye (i gotta run... i'm watching 4 kids between the ages of 9 and 1 for my friend for part of the day & part of yesterday).

and, since i love you so much, i thought i'd share some cards with you as well. i never know what you're in need of inspiration wise, but i hope this fits the bill in some way :D

the first one up features a free-hand patterned paper banner with Lawn Fawn stamps that i borrowed from Paulina one time we had a crazy crafting session a while back...

and here we have a VERRRY me card... that color, the glitter, the flower, the ribbon leaves, etc. (p.s. if i've shared this card before, enjoy it a 2nd time!)

anyway, that really IS all i have time for, but best wishes to you all...

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!

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

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!

random teasing...

another quick post today... i have a friend who's moving to a new house soon, and i had the pleasure of taking a mini-vacation with her whole family. my favorite toddler just happens to be her oldest boy of 22 months... so adorable. i taught him how to say 'nom nom nom' whenever he eats something :D

and here's a teaser for you >> these are some of the cards i just finished before i left for the church outreach i'm on. i'm working on some more, and i'll be sure to post some good pictures later.

thanks for checking back again :D

oh, and i just thought i'd share something fun today... it's an email i got from my sister Cecelia, who is hilarious. she tends to be a people watcher, which has led to some great observations/ letters that she's written in her head. i've gotten quite a few of these letter/ emails from her, but i'll just share one:

Dear Man with Mark Twain Hair and Jesus Sandals,

I have to say, you blew my socks off. Normally when I walk into my favorite coffee shop I get a fashion lesson from all the hipsters, but today was special. Today, you were standing in front of me in line. You with your Mark Twain hairstyle, open white collared shirt, bell-bottom khakis and black Jesus sandals. Yes, it might be sacrilege to call them that, but it's all I can think about when I see people with a few flimsy straps of leather covering their feet. And especially if they have tan feet. Like you. I just don't even know where to start. I don't know if I should admire your style or continue shaking my head. No, scratch that, I do know: I will keep shaking my head.

Only other thing to say? I hope you become a regular. I need this much weirdness in my life. And also? I can't wait to see what kind of sunglasses you wear. I'm hoping for cat's eye.

With lots of love and confusion,

- Me

okay, so that's it from me! ta ta! :D

LOVE to a bloggie friend!

hey there... hope you are having a fabulous Sunday!

i'm doing quite well myself (thanks for asking ;) hehe), and especially so to share this card with you. you see, i'm finally doing something i should have done ages ago, and am sending a card to a bloggie friend! *gives self pat on the back*

this one i made at the Impress Stamp Night (you're probably tired of hearing about it... but oh well!) with LOTS of stamps, and just a few extras...

i used a lined background stamp, the medallion stamp i featured on these cards in THIS POST, and then a banner stamp that is sooo cute, along with those subtle open circles on the scalloped circle punch out, and then the "LOVE" sentiment. ALL from Impress. then... lovely buttons, cute rosebuds, like the ones i used HERE, and then some Sassy paper and a bit of lace.

it's funky, but i like it. here's hoping that the girly will too :D

well, that's it, this was a quick one. hope you have a great end to your weekend! i am going to be busy this next week, but i'm hoping to post a few more projects i've made ...so don't forget to stop by and leave your comments every once in a while :D

XOXO!

ROY G. and mustard?

happy wednesday! it's soo nice outside today--mid-80's in Washington, and the Mt. is out, and i had breakfast at a fav. place... omygosh, it's gonna be a good day.

PLUS, i get to have a crafty friend over (the one that was supposed to come Monday and then before that was supposed to come last week... but 3rd time's the charm, right? ;) hehe)

okay, so you may be wondering about the blog title... remember how you were taught in kindergarten what all the colors were? ROY G. BIV, like a guy's name? stood for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet? yeah, well, my tags today don't go all the way through the rainbow, but they sure are pretty :D

so the first set is a maroon bunch... i like them, but really, i was stretching myself in an effort to create something with this color... but i think the end result is pretty cool. i used some SU! flower stickers, buttons, and even a few MM die cut shapes (the guitars and POW! and "sweet" sentiments).

next up is the orange... geez, a whole smattering of stuff slobbered on here :D mostly leftovers. SEI ribbon and paper, Impress stamp, Graphic 45 die cuts, buttons, a MM travel dog tag, a poofy flower, and even a PTI sentiment thrown in there.

it almost reminds me of "I Spy" books... like: can you find the clothespin? hehe :D

oooh! YELLOW!

these tags are probably in my top favs. for the bunch. i used PTI stamps (tiny treats that i bought from Paulina, polka dot basics II), AC gingham orange ribbon, some ric-rac, and then DCWV grade school stack paper :D DUDE >> these are SOO cute :D

with sentiments and images to match, they'd be perfect for gift tags for little kids, boys, or just about anyone. i love the plane image with "love is in the air..." hehe!

okay, i know you may be sick of the green tags by now, but i cut out 3 different kinds of green tags, and i really liked playing with all the shade variations. again, it's a smorgasbord out there :D

some of the tags got a little bit more attention than others, and that's okay--sometimes less fuss is good.

and btw, i'm not even going to try to list off the supplies i used. EEK!

okay, lastly, i have MUSTARD tags for you. oh, these tags made me shudder a little, until i found some awesome paper from K&CO that i had stashed away (it's the floral in the fancy square punch shape), and then paired it with BG's Indian Summer 6x6 pad and some Bazzill card stock. super fun!

plus, those roses are perfect, and the AC ribbon is AWESOME, and the polka dots! like i said, i'm in LOVE.

so different and happy, and i never thought i'd say this, but i like the mustard tags :D

okay, so i don't want to prolong this too long... here are some cards i made for a special order from a teacher at school. they're ones she wanted 'copied' from previous cards she'd seen on the blog...

can never go wrong with owls, right? :D

ooh! then look at more colorful goodness! these are going to be used as a thank you set, i think, and i monogrammed them for her. don't they look awesome like this?

i used the fancy punch again, some pearl stickles things (i know they're not stickles, but can't remember...) different papers from all over to match the card stock colors, and then a 'C' from a Technique Tuesday set that i own.

well, what do you think? it's been fun sharing these tags with you, and i do have a few more to show, but i think i'll save that for later. i want to show you my scrapbook page (good guesses, btw, although i think it wasn't that hard to guess) tomorrow.

so, stay tuned. love to hear your comments! XOXO

floral woodgrain + tags galore

so yesterday i left you hanging with a sneak peek at some tags. well, i have to say, i'm going to leave you hanging again... although not as much (hehe--am i evil or what?)

no really, i just found that after loading and editing the tag photos, there were just too many to put in all one post. so you'll get to see them all spread out over the next couple of days. but today, never fear--you get to see tags AND some cards :D

yes, i'm good to you ;) i think i'm in a weird mood today. weird, but good. anyway, lets get back to the tags:

these first two are just a smattering of things i found in my scrap drawer and in the little containers i'd gathered for other projects. i always have little things left over that still go together in a great color scheme, but just weren't right for the project i was working on, you kwim?

i just love the oddness of these tags--i have some Amy Butler glitter paper in there, along with ric-rac, a cute flower, and some textured white specialty paper. (not to mention all the other goodies loaded on!)

ooh! check out this fun guy! the one above has a cool felt star that i just love. the one below has some green and blue ribbon thrown in there to mix things up, also featuring some felt--this time in the form of a blue crown. i grabbed that felt last year at the CK Bellevue Scrap Convention (4 laser cut sheets for $4... i couldn't resist). i've been using bits and pieces here and there in TONS of my projects. good deals, good deals.

more butterflies appearing all over the place here. these tags are all inked up on the edges with my tim holtz antique linen pad.

below you can see more in the series here... i made 8 in each color, and i think i used 8 different card stock colors :D

that huge button is from DeNami Design, and it looks perfect on this tag, don't you think? it's an awesome focal point.

the little felty butterfly here has a letter attached--a J from a KI Memories alpha chipboard pack. thought it looked good here, and i dotted the 'j' with a rhinestone from my stash :D

the fabulous striped flower is from a sweet pack of plastic-like embellies from Recollections--i grabbed them at Michael's. :D

and just to make sure you keep coming back... i have a sneak peek of what i'll be showing you tomorrow in regards to tags... these were some of my favorite of the bunch.

okay, phew! we're done with tags today, and we're on to the cards...

i made these at the Impress Stamp Night i mentioned in THIS blog post. those nights are pure awesomeness :D

i grabbed some limited supplies for these cards, but they came together so well... a woodgrain stamp (from Impress) along with that lovely vintage rose stamp. then i paired it with a strip of Basic Grey's lemonade paper from the 6x6 pack... perfect for this. add some crinkly pink seam binding, DeNami buttons again, a rhinestone, and VOILA! *sigh* i LOVE :D

thanks so much for coming by--i love reading your comments... do you like seeing these tags, or do you prefer the cards? let me know!

oh, and one last thing... any guesses as to what i'll be sharing with you LATER in the week? i'm pretty freaking stoked to show you :D

have a WONDERFUL day, and don't forget to come back later to see more! :D

cosmo cricket LOVE :D

today i bring you more cards from the stamp night at Impress last weekend... (i mentioned it in THIS POST) while i was there i made a set of similar cards from some of Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird line... i just matted the patterned paper, rounded some corners, attached pompoms and buttons, and did some simple stamping for all the sentiments.

i started out with a HUGE polka dot stamp that i found lying around, and i stamped it on different Bazzill papers in different/ matching colors. you can really see the texture on some of these, which i think is really cool...

after stamping the circle/ polka dot in white, i used some VersaFine ink in black to stamp the various sentiments.

from there i just used a Fiskars scalloped 2" circle punch and popped them all up onto some foam for dimension.

i love that i found some colored twine to thread the buttons up with...

i used green, cream, and blue twine for the button threading depending on the main colors of the patterned paper on each card.

you saw one of the cards from this set already the other day that i gave to my assistant coach in water polo, Gordon. he needed something with blue/ green :D

anyway, i love how these turned out and how they're all really similar but could be given away separately.

you know one of my favorite parts of this card set? the different sizes of trim that i used... i had SUPER mini pompoms on some, and then...

bigger ones on others! :D

well, thanks for looking and leaving your comments--it means a lot! have a wonderful thursday... i know i will! i'm heading off to take a nap before i go play some water polo on my pick up team. thursday and sunday nights are fast becoming a key part of the week for me, i look forward to playing water polo so much. do you do something like that for yourself once or twice a week that you really look forward to? let me know, i'd love to hear about it :)

thanks again, we'll chat soon!