boy, do i love pink!

first of all, can i say WOW! i had so many comments on my blog hop post HERE that i was smiling for two days straight :D seriously! oh, also, if you need a break and want a laugh, you should check out my embarrassing story over HERE a few posts back :D

well, i thought i would share a card that also comes from one of previously un-posted folders of my computer... i like this card because it showcases one of my obsessions:

PINK!

ha! so you've noticed a few things: PTI sentiment stamps (borrowed from Paulina) and then a felt swirl, pink Denami ribbon, pink flowers, MME polka dot paper... and it goes on! my favorite colors are red, black, PINK and blue. and then i like orange, green, yellow and purple too :D

and to document the reality of my obsession with pink, here is my Christmas tree (with horrible lighting, but sadly the best i could get all season). i made all the bows myself, and bought most of the ornaments from WalMart, Target, or Michael's... all for cheap.

my friends and family all loved it when they visited, and i got a few sweet comments like, "can we just take this one home and give you ours to decorate here?" or "your tree belongs in a department store" ...all those sweet friends!

i added some white poinsettia flowers among the branches because my pink/ white theme needed more of the 'white' side :D i think i had 6 strands of pink lights in addition to the pre-lit set already on this (FREE) artificial tree. what did your tree look like last year?

anyway, thanks for visiting, hope you have a great Wednesday!

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!

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!

Brazil favorites + some craftiness too

oy! it's been a while past when i thought i'd be posting, but here i am! (better late than never is what i tell my students about assignments, and it can apply to blogging, too, eh?)

today i wanted to share some pictures with you that i took when i went to Brazil with my sister, Cecelia, in Summer 2008. yes, it's been a while since the trip, but these pictures are really gorgeous.

both of these buildings are churches that we saw in a mining town that still has the original colonial architecture throughout the whole city--there were probably 50+ chapels/ churches throughout Ouro Preto (which means"black gold" in Portugeuse) and all of them are amazingly beautiful.

this picture below is one of my favorites, and happens to be gracing the background on my computer desktop at the moment. this was the view from the patio of the hostel my sister and i were staying out... i'm telling you--AMAZING stuff!

and yes, yes, i do have some cards for you! these were made using some scraps and a fun new tool i got courtesy of my dear friend Paulina. she knew that i wanted an eyelet setter/ punch for crafting, so for Christmas she got me the Crop-a-dile Big Bite II! :D *big grin*

that girl is so good to me. speaking of good... we had an amazing chat and dinner the other day (at Panera! love!)--the very first day back to work from vacation for both of us. i think it literally may have saved me from breakdown! love you Paulina :D

okay, so back to the cards. i was inspired by Nichole's post on her blog about using scraps. Lord knows i have drawers full of them... so i pulled out all the red, pink, coordinating patterned paper (plus some neutrals) from my pile and cut down TONS of card bases for mini's and A2 size cards. i have a stack to create with now...

but, since the goal was to use up some scraps, i put some pieces through a punch, some got stamped on, distressed, punched again, chopped in little tiny pieces, etc :)

all of these have Valentine's themes... and there are more to come--so bear with me :D

the first card i made combines a few things--DeNami Design sentiment, DoodleFactory birdie image, ribbon from Michael's, pillow heart stickers from MM, some swirl stamps, fabric pins from Wal-mart, and some Bazzill dotted cardstock. the patterned paper is from me & my big ideas i think?
he turned out so cute, right? i normally wouldn't put the big circle right in the middle of the card, but since it was left over from a Cricut cut, i figured i'd try to use it up.

next up i have some DCWV paper from the green stack, a stamped image from Impress, more pillow stickers, Michael's ribbon, lace from Jo-ann's, MM staples in pink, a pink square cut from my Cricut, and some pearls to boot :D i love that tree image--it actually goes with the pattern in the background... kind of an environmental Valentine, right?ooo! on this next one i have some lovely texture! DCWV has some velvet silhoutte sheets in one of their stacks, and i just LOVE it! also, the red/ white polka dot is actually leftover Christmas cardstock paper, there's lots of punching on this one--the scalloped square, and both hearts are punched out. i had a TON of fun making the little kraft embellies with the hearts, buttons, and pearls. sooo fun!

so here's what i did... i got some patterned paper with text on it, punched the little heart, inked up the edges with pink, and stuck some pearls on top. then, i punched the big heart, inked it up, and attached it to the kraft square with a 1/8" punch + red eyelet using my new Big Bite! i also inked the edges of the square and layered a button beneath the square.

totally loving making Valentine's Day cards... they're fun! i even had one approved by my brother Joey--hehe :D

okay, off i go to sleep and school tomorrow... this week will NOT end soon enough :/ we just came back from break and i need another one! what about you? do you feel like you rested up over your vacation time, or were you running around like me?

well, thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

Christmas gifts

okay, so first off--if you've been following my blog, you know that it's been AGES since i posted last. secondly, you know that i haven't been really commenting on many of your LOVELY creations. that being said, i'll try to make up for it a little today, and just know that i'll do my darnedest to encourage you in your beautiful creations :D

i made Christmas gifts for my extended family this Christmas. it was actually based off of something that Dawn McVey had posted a while ago and that i had discovered and really liked. i started creating these things around Thanksgiving, but of course, i didn't get them finished until right before the packages needed to be sent.

i like to call them "framed art." the best part about these is that they can come in any shape, size, or color that you could ever want, and i've already had a request to make one for a wedding present in the wedding colors. how smart is that? i might have to be brave and start listing these on Etsy... what do you think?

okay, so on to the frames. sorry for the bad lighting (and the above frame still has protective plastic around the corners... ick!)--these were taken literally seconds before they were carefully cocooned in bubble wrap and tissue paper for shipment.

i have a few favorties... this big one below is one of them :D (all big ones are 8x10 frames, little ones are 5x7)

^^that bow was just PERFECT! (i couldn't believe it :D)

here's one where i replicated the colors and lace for some mini frames (5x7)... that black lace is just too flirty and cute!

the coral ribbon really brings out the stripe in one of the square pieces.

ooh, and this next one just has "Ginny" written all over it--fun colors, etc :D

i loved how the papers i picked had some foil on them, flocking, or glitter, and it made parts of the art just a little more "special."

this shows a stack of them...

this is a variation of the first piece i made... for an uncle... so the navy background was good for that.

and a mini one (5x7) here in the "fun" colors. i actually designed the remaining little frames differently--they ended up being the same scalloped square shape as the big ones, just on a smaller scale.

oh my gosh... this next ribbon bow is divine. i am in love with the ribbon here... my fav bow by FAR!

this was for an uncle... so i tried to keep it masculine. greens, tans, navy, etc... did i succeed?

anyway, thanks for hanging in there! i have a shopping trip with my aunt, grandma, mom and sister to go on today... oh how i love shopping! :D

thanks for stopping by, and also for your lovely comments.

yes, Virginia

there is a Santa Claus. [famous line from Miracle on 34th St. you know this, yes?]

so i don't know how many of you knew about the deal that Macy's was putting on for "National Believe Day" on Friday, but they had this promotion. anyone named Virginia could go in to Macy's and get a free $10 gift card. yeah, simple, right? well, only if your name is Virginia.

and mine is! :D

GASP > i know some of you may be surprised to know that although i go by Ginny here on the blog (which is an honest-to-goodness nickname) my real name is Virginia. well... it is. it's a nice name--somewhat rare, and very unique. so i decided to get the gift card--i mean, who could it hurt?

so there's a good story for the day, right? can't get much better than that ;D i bought something already with the free money, but i can't share, because there's a chance that the person might be reading this blog post, and i don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone :D

also up on the agenda are some more banners. i really need to enter some cards for challenges, but still have my craft space covered with things for this project... we'll see if i can fit it in sometime.

i'm sorry about how out of order these pictures are... Blogger doesn't want to cooperate with me for some reason... again, i'm going with the pink, green scheme for these Christmas banners.

here i am... not looking my best, but still, it's me.

lots of goodies loaded up over here.

and oh.my.goodness... i have to tell you about how thrilled i am that i got to go to a concert tonight! i went with Paulina, her sisters, and my brothers to the TobyMac "Winter Wonder Slam Concert!"



i got to see this awesome performer... if you haven't heard about him before, he's one of the most popular Christian artists out there, and i absolutely love his sound--hip-hop/ rock/ r&b/ rap mix--> hard to describe, but just plain awesome.

he's getting older (as far as the concert circuit and for doing what he does on stage), but i am still totally in awe of his energy tonight. my ears are totally blasted out! :D

and to make things even better... he came down to the floor seats (which btw, i had AWESOME 6th row seats thanks to Paulina, best concert buddy EVA!) and he sang this close to us...and THEN... OHMYWORD... still can't believe it... he WALKED DOWN MY ROW. he got up on the chairs along the aisle that my brothers were standing on, and at this point i am basically hyperventillating... and he comes down, he's walking along the chairs, he's passing me while he sings, and i touched his arm as he went by.

(okay, side note: i know i totally sound like a groupie here, but seriously, i LOVE TobyMac... like a TON. and this had to have been the greatest concert experience EVER. ohmyword. so call me groupie, or whatever, but it ROCKED!!!)

and i could not believe that it had happened... still amazed. i came home with the brothers, and i know that i'll be a little hard of hearing for a while yet, and that my eyes will still be hazy from the fog machine, and that i'll remember this always.

thanks for checking in--hope you have a great rest of the weekend!

i LOVE you Christmas!

hi again! i've been sadly absent from the blog, but here i am--back with some yummies all over again :D (this post will be sort of short though--so enjoy lots of pictures and not much "talk"!)

this time i'm featuring a new banner i made for Christmas. now, i know it spells "LOVE" and it may look pink, green, and white to you, but it's Christmas themed.


i am already done with another banner that says "JOY" and will be working on a "PEACE" banner shortly. so, you get the idea...

i really am creating for Christmas--love, joy, peace. and aren't these fun? embellishment heaven, i'd say. i have a whole big pile of fun things on my desk--all pink and green :D

this banner gave me an opportunity to emboss on vellum for the first time--so pretty, i think. definitely will be doing this more often...

and here's the finished product:

anyway, thanks for stopping by after my too long absence. hope you enjoy! i'll be back soon, hopefully (*crosses fingers*)

XOXO

have a great Friday!