Christy Gets Crafty

and our guest designer,

the very lovely Ruby McGuire!

And don't forget to stop back at the

Lawn Fawn's Cozy Christmas

for all the details on how to enter

and to pick up our gift to you --

our thanks for being such wonderful supporters

through this past year.

We love you guys and we couldn't

do it without you!

Wishing you all a happy, crafty 2012!

Lawnscaping Challenge #24

2011-12-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

Hey there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #24,

the last Lawnscaping challenge before our

BIG BIRTHDAY BASH!

Can you believe that Lawnscaping

is nearly a year old already?

It's been such a fun and exciting year,

and I cannot wait for the next!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. ;o)

Back to the current challenge:

Our lovely host for this round is the

always amazing and inspiring Lawn Fawn

who have generously offered up a

wonderful prize:

A great prize to win, especially since

Lawn Fawn just released a brand-new set,

Love N' Breakfast!

I got mine in the mail yesterday and

gosh, is it ever cute!

On to my card.

I decided to add texture with my embellishments,

specifically some fabulous bloomers trim.

It's gorgeous.

And it's so fluffy and light, it actually

takes up very little space inside an envelope.

I used some of the sentiments from

along with Sally's ABCs

and also tucked in some feathers and rhinestones

and added diamond stickles to make it extra fabby. ;o)

Please check out the rest of the design team's

creations and leave them some comment love.

and our wonderful guest designer,

Vicky Papaiannou!

We have loved having Vicky with us!

Don't forget to also stop by the

for all the details on how to enter.

Have a wonderful day, everybody!

Happy Holidays!

Seasons Greetings Rudolph

2011-12-14T22:41:00.000-05:00

Hey there!

How are you all doing?

Busy, busy, busy?

I know the feeling!

Just wanted to pop in and share

another holiday card I made recently.

I used a stamp from last year's

My Mind's Eye "I Believe" collection,

pairing it with paper from Basic Grey

and Memory Box, with a little MS

baker's twine and a snowflake button thrown in.

I hope you enjoyed it!

Have a great day

and Happy Holidays!

Lawnscaping All About Red Blog Hop

2011-12-09T00:01:00.004-05:00

Hello!

Welcome to our second Lawnscaping Blog Hop!

Our theme this round is:

You should have hopped over here from the

seriously creative Samantha Mann's blog.

If you're just wandering in here,

or find yourself lost along the way,

be sure to head back to the

for the entire list of participants.

Oh boy, I can't wait to see all these

pretty, red crafty projects!

Here's a look at mine:

I used Lawn Fawn's Critters In The Snow

Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum, Bannerific,

and Cozy Christmas, as well as Distress Inks,

Jillibean Soup paper, and lots of glitter

to create my little Christmas snow scene.

I hope you enjoy it!

From here you're going to hop on over

to the talented Danielle's blog,

and be sure to leave a comment at every

stop along the way.

We've got prizes from Lawn Fawn,

Mold Muse, and Whisker Graphics to hand out

to three very lucky random commenters!

Have fun hopping and be inspired!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lawnscaping Challenge #23 + bonus video

2011-12-05T12:01:00.005-05:00

Hey there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #23

This challenge is brought to you by the wonderful

Simon Says Stamp

who has generously offered up this fabulous prize:

This round our challenge is all about making

tags or treat bags, which are both perfect for the

holiday gift-giving season.

Here's mine:

I made this cute little mini treat bag

out of -- are you ready for it?

A regular standard-size card envelope!

And it was so easy to do,

I knew I had to share the process,

so I filmed a little how-to video for y'all.

Filled with candy or cookies, these mini treat bags

would be perfect to have on hand for all the little

goodies you need to hand out this holiday season --

teachers, the mailman, the babysitter, kid's classmates,

just about anyone on your gift list.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

(Click the far bottom right to watch in HD on YouTube)

Please also stop by the rest of the design team's

blogs and leave them some comment love

on their wonderful creations.

Lawnscaping Challenge Blog

and our amazingly talented guest designers:

Samantha Mann and

Vicky Papaioannou!

And don't forget to hop over to the

for all the details on how to enter.

Have a great day, everybody!

Peace Love Joy

2011-12-02T09:23:00.000-05:00

Hello there!

Happy Friday!

Aren't you so glad it's the weekend?

Oh my goodness, I know I am.

What a week!

Anyway, I hope that you all were able to get your cards in

for the Cards That Care holiday card drive for the elderly.

My boys got involved, and all together we were

able to mail out 52 cards!

I sure hope they brighten some spirits this Christmas.

I worked right down to the wire, so I actually didn't

even have time to snap photos of most of mine.

I did get a few of the early ones captured though,

and I thought I'd share another with you today.

Made with some scraps leftover from the last card I posted,

and a few additional patterns from the Memory Box Tinsel collection.

Sentiment is by Hero Arts.

Hope you like it!

Have a great day, everybody!

Make A Card With Christy #4

2011-11-22T00:01:00.002-05:00

Hi there!

Have any of you been making cards for

the Cards That Care card drive for the elderly?

If you have, GREAT!

If you haven't, please consider helping with this

wonderful and worthy cause.

You still have until November 30th to participate,

and not that it's the focus, but there are

lots of great prizes to be won as well!

I've been cranking out as many as I can,

and I thought I'd share a few of them with you

over the next few days.

Here's the first one I made:

And I even had time to film a video!

Click on the bottom right to watch it in HD on YouTube.

And if you wouldn't mind rating my video by leaving

a thumbs up or a comment, I'd sure appreciate it!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Lawnscaping Challenge #22

2011-11-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Hey, all!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #22!

We have a brand-new challenge for you

with a brand-new theme -- inspiration

in the form of this gorgeous fall photo!

Our sponsor this round is the wonderful Lawn Fawn

and the winner will receive this fabulous prize:

Nice, huh?

I know I still have a few sets on my wishlist!

On to my card:

I drew heavily on the beautiful elements

of the inspiration photo.

I tried to pull in the colors, the burlap,

and especially the apples.

I wanted to give my apples a little place to live,

so I drew this little bushel basket

and colored it in with Copic Markers.

I used a masking technique to layer my apples inside.

I hope you like it!

Please stop by the rest of the design team members

and take a look at their inspired creations:

and our most honored guest designer,

the fabulous Jennifer McGuire!

Also, don't forget to pop over to the

Christy's YouTube Thank You Giveaway

for all the details on how to play along.

See you there!

Nutty For You and Giveaway Winner

2011-11-15T21:37:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody!

Thanks for stopping in today!

You guys and your comments really

brighten my life, so thank you for doing that.

Here's another card I made recently

using an adorable Whipper Snapper stamp

and some October Afternoon papers.

Isn't he a cutie?

Also, I wanted to announce my YouTube

Thank You Giveaway winner.

I numbered up from the bottom, in the order

the actual comments came in,

and put the total through random.org

and..............

The winner is:

#8! agohl85!

:) Love your videos... I am a subscriber :)

agohl85 @ gmail DOT com

agohl85 5 days ago

Congrats to agohl85!

I will get the package out to you shortly.

Huge thanks to all of you who subscribed

to my YouTube channel!

I really appreciate your support.

It honestly means so much.

Mwah!

Plant Smiles

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO SIGN UP

FOR MY YOUTUBE THANK YOU GIVEAWAY!

ENDS TONIGHT AT 11:59 PM EST.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER:

Hey everyone!

I wanted to stop in and share a

sweet little card I made recently

using some adorable Paper Smooches stamps

and My Mind's Eye papers.

I hope you like it!

Have a great day!

Thank You Giveaway

2011-11-09T19:26:00.001-05:00

Hi there!

Sorry it took me an extra day to get this up!

On Monday's post I asked you to stop back

for a little surprise, and well, here it is!

Click on the far bottom right
to view it on YouTube.

Enjoy!

Lawnscaping Challenge #21

2011-11-06T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hi there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #21!

This challenge is sponsored by the wonderful

They have generously donated a $25 gift certificate

to their online store for the winner.

Here's my card:

I used Lawn Fawn's Turkey Day stamp and a

sentiment from Many Thanks.

Did a little paper-pieceing using gorgeous patterns from

My Mind's Eye So Sophie collection 6x6 pad.

Added some lace, Papertrey Ink buttons and twine,

and some Queen & Co pearls, and it was done!

I hope you like it.

And I'll give you a little hint -- if you like

the supplies I used on this card, you just might want to

stop by my blog sometime tomorrow. ;o)

For now, I hope you'll take a few moments to visit the rest

of the design team and leave them some comment love:

and our AMAZINGLY talented guest designer,

JENNIFER MCGUIRE!!!

We are so excited to have Jennifer with us!

Please don't forget to stop by the

for all the details on how to enter.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a wonderful day!

Cards That Care Blog Hop!

2011-11-04T06:00:00.006-04:00

Welcome to my stop along the Cards That Care blog hop!

Having spent a lot of time visiting my great-grandmother

in the nursing home when I was a teen,

I can truly say that this is such a worthy cause and I

am so thrilled and honored to be a part of it.

Special thanks to Vera and Jennifer for hosting it!

You should have come here by way of the

adorable and talented Brandi.

If you're just popping in or get lost anywhere along the way,

just hop back over to Vera's blog

for the full list of participants and the awesome prizes,

including Lawn Fawn, Hero Arts, May Arts,

Penny Black, The Sweet Stamp Shop, and many more.

On to my card:

I hope you enjoy it!

See the end for a full list of supplies.

And please don't forget that Vera and Jennifer are

collecting holiday cards through November 30th.

See Vera or Jennifer's blogs for those

details and please consider joining in this

fabulous cause and spreading a little Christmas

cheer to the elderly this year.

For now it's time to continue the hop

with the incredibly artistic Cristina Kowalczyk!

Have fun hopping and be sure to leave

a comment at each stop for your best chances to win!

Have a great day!

Supplies:

stamps: Stampendous, Hero Arts

ink: Momento Tuxedo Black

coloring medium: Copic Markers

paper: Memory Box, My Mind's Eye

burlap: Canvas Corp

ribbon: stash

Happy Birthday Soccer Star

2011-10-25T20:38:00.000-04:00

Just a quick pop-in to share my latest card with y'all!

My oldest son just celebrated his 10th birthday --

I can hardly believe it. Where did the time go?

Chaz is a HUGE soccer fan,, so I had to

make him a card using this LOTV cutie,

coloring the jersey with Copics to match his

favorite team -- Bayern Munich.

Hope you like it!

As a bonus, here's a picture of my cheeky 10-year-old

and his younger brother, Elliott, in the background:

And my three monkeys,

Elliott (8), Chaztin (10), and Dominic (6)

Have a great day!

Lawnscaping Challenge #20

2011-10-17T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hello there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #20!

Can you believe we've already gotten to #20?

It has been such a fun, exciting ride so far,

and I know that's going to continue.

I am SO HAPPY and HONORED to be

a part of this fabulous design team.

And we've got another great challenge for you!

Paper piecing is a wonderful way

to add a touch of whimsy to your projects

and use up some of those great patterned papers we all

like to hoard and can never seem to get enough of!

And we've got a fantasic sponsor,

the ultimate in cute and quirky stamps: Lawn Fawn!

Check out the prize!

Who wouldn't love to add another adorable

Lawn Fawn set to their stash, right?

Especially with all those amazing new releases!

Here's my card:

I took the Winter Fox stamp set and altered the fox

by carefully removing the mug and steam with a baby wipe.

Then I drew in her belly and haunches with a Copic multiliner.

I added Winter Bunny to give her a friend to hang with,

and paper-pieced both the animals and their scarves.

I used a touch of my BG11 Copic marker to add a touch

more color to the stripes on Winter Fox's scarf.

Hope you like it!

Now please go and stop by the rest of the design team

and see their amazing samples and leave them some love!

Ayana Posadas

and welcoming Melania Deasy!

Our guest designer is the lovely

Laurie Willison.

And don't forget to check out the

for all the details on how to enter!

Have an amazing day!

Gnome Birthday Surprise

2011-10-10T21:39:00.000-04:00

Hey there!

What's happening, people?

I have a new card to share with you all today.

I bought this adorable gnome digi stamp

from Whimsie Doodles a while back,

and finally had the opportunity to use it

on this birthday card for my Dad.

I hope you like it!

The papers all came from the

October Afternoon Campfire 8x8 pad.

I LOVE that collection.

It has some really great prints for fall.

Thanks so much for stopping by

and leaving me some love!

I so enjoy reading all your comments.

Have a great day!

Peacock Love Life (video tutorial)

2011-10-04T06:45:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone!

I hope this lovely Tuesday morning

finds you all doing well!

Yesterday was my day off,

and it was one of those rare days where

I didn't have much I HAD to do,

so of course, I had to get crafty! ;o)

I made this card, and decided

to film a video tutorial while I was at it.

I have to apologize for the shakiness of the film!

This is what happens when your camera set up

consists of a goose-neck lamp and packing tape.

Guess it's time to invest in a tripod.

I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Thanks so much for watching!

And if you'd like to leave any comments

over on YouTube or subscribe to my channel,

I would really appreciate it! :o)

Have a great day!

Supplies:

cardstock: Bazzill

patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket

stamps: Lawn Fawn "Turkey Day" and "Fly Free"

ink: Tsukineko Momento "Tuxedo Black"

copic markers: BG18, BG15, BG13, BG11, G24, G21, G20, YR23, YR21, YR09, YR04

Lawnscaping Challenge #19

2011-10-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hello there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #19!

This one is all about adding layers and dimension

to really make your cards pop!

And we have a WONDERFUL sponsor,

Simon Says Stamp!

Who is graciously offering up a $25

gift certificate to the winner.

There are many ways to add layers

and dimension to your project.

Using foam dimensionals is what typically

comes to mind, but there's also paper-piecing,

shading with Copic Markers or colored pencils,

and even distress inks.

I tried to combine a little of each of these

methods in my card:

I used Lawn Fawn's Critters on the Farm

stamp set to create my scene.

I really hope you enjoy it!

Please check out the other amazing projects

created by our fantastic design team

and be sure to leave them some comment love.

and our talented guest designers,

Laurie Wilson

and Cathy Fong

Then stop by the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

for all the details on how to enter.

Have a great day!

Happy World Cardmaking Day!

2011-10-01T13:07:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!

So sorry I've been MIA.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks.

I'm sure you all understand how those can go. :o)

Anyway, I do have a couple of new cards made

to share with you over the next week,

including this one that I made for

World Cardmaking Day!

I used an adorable stamp from

Lili Of The Valley -- isn't he a cutie?

I colored him in with Copic markers and

used papers and tags from Basic Grey's

Oxford collection, along with

Bazzill cream cardstock for my card base.

I hope you like it!

Happy World Cardmaking Day,

everybody!

I'll be back on Monday with my latest

Lawnscaping design team sample,

so be sure to join us for our latest challenge!

Lawnscaping Challenge #18

2011-09-19T00:01:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #18!

This one is SO MUCH FUN!

And we've got an awesome sponsor this time:

The stamp company we all love so much,

and who inspired Lawnscaping in the first place!

Here's what the winner will receive:

With all these new releases,

I can't think of a better prize!

I was so excited about this challenge,

because it gave me an opportunity to combine

my love for papercrafting with my other great passion:

WRITING!

For my background, I actually printed up the opening lines

to my short story "Blackbird's A' Comin'"

on some Basic Grey Oxford collection ledger paper.

I combined that with some other great patterned

papers from that collection,

and used Lawn Fawn's Just My Type

and Harold's ABCs for my image and sentiment.

I hope you like it!

Please stop by the rest of the design team

and leave them some love on the wonderful

projects they all created.

Christiana Reuling (me)

and our guest designers this month:

the lovely Amy Tsuruta

the amazing Nichol Magouirk

and the fabulous Kelly Marie Alvarez!

And don't forget to head over to the

to find out all the details on how to enter.

Have a great day, everybody!

Happy crafting! :o)

1st Ever Lawnscaping Blog Hop!

2011-09-09T00:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome, welcome!

You've made it to the last stop on the 1st ever

Lawnscaping Blog Hop!

We hope you've had a ton of fun and gathered up

lots of inspiration to see you through all your

holiday crafting in the coming months!

If you hopped along in order, you should have come

from the lovely Kelly Bertram's blog.

If you just stumbled in here on your own,

please check out the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

for the full list of participants and PRIZES!

I know it's been a long one, so I won't keep you

too much longer -- I'd just like to share my card:

I'll have a list of supplies at the end in case you're interested.

On behalf of the rest of the Lawnscaping Design Team

and myself, we just want to thank you from the bottom of

our hearts for making our first blog hop so successful.

We were truly touched by the sheer amount of crafters who

wanted to participate, and by all you fans who hopped along.

We appreciate you all so much!

If you still haven't made it the whole way through,

be sure to take the time to do so!

There'll be prizes given to random commenters along the way.

The hop runs from Friday, September 9th

through Sunday, September 11th,

with the winners being announced on

Monday, September 12th.

Again, thank you so much for your support!

I personally think that Lawn Fawn stamps

have the BEST fans in the world!

And we at the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

are so happy to count ourselves among you!

BIG GROUP HUG, EVERYBODY!

There, now don't you just feel great?

Supplies:

cardstock: Bazzill

paper: My Mind's Eye

stamps: Lawn Fawn's "Winter Bunny", "Frosties", and "Critters In The Snow"

ink: Tsukineko Momento in Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress in Broken China and Faded Jeans

copics: C0, C3, R20, E25, E27, E29

punch: EK Success

glitter/twine: Martha Stewart Crafts

techniques: emboss/resist

Lawnscaping Challenge #17

2011-09-05T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hello again!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #17!

And we have a great prize from our

fabulous sponsor, Simon Says Stamp.

We can't tell you how much we appreciate

their generosity month after month!

Here's my card:

I embossed two strips with Lawn Fawn's

Teeny Tiny Backdrops, and combined them

with some paper strips from The Girl's Paperie.

For my focal panel, I embossed the cake and sentiment

from Lawn Fawn's Year One and ran it through

my Cuttlebug using a Nestabilities die.

I hope you enjoy it!

Please be sure to check out the rest of the

Design Team's amazing samples:

Ayana Posadas (who is taking a break)

and our wonderful guest designer this month,

the fabulously talented Nichol Magouirk!

Yay! We are so fortunate to have Nichol with us!

I'm a longtime-fan of her amazing work.

When you're all done leaving the

Design Team some love,

please visit the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

for all the details on how to play along.

We can't wait to see your creations!

Have a great day!

We Love Kelly Marie Blog Hop

2011-09-02T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hey, everybody!

Today the rest of the Lawnscaping design team

and I would like to do something a little different,

a little special -- we'd like to take a moment to let

Miss Kelly Marie Alvarez, owner and founder of our

beloved Lawn Fawn stamp company,

know just how much we love and appreciate her.

It's a we heart Kelly blog hop! :o)

Each member of the Lawnscaping design team

has made a card for Kelly Marie,

and we will be putting them in the mail

and sending them out shortly.

Here's mine:

My favorite thing about Lawn Fawn stamps

is their cute and quirky designs.

Each new release just gets more and more fun!

Kelly Marie just knocks my socks off with her

creativity, her kindness, and her super sweet personality.

Thanks, Kelly Marie!

You're the best! :o)

I hope she enjoys this card,

and that you do too!

Please hop along with the rest of the design team

and take a look at their wonderful creations.

Christiana Reuling (that's me!)

and Vera Yates

Thanks so much for stopping by!

And please also visit the Lawn Fawn blog

and let Kelly Marie know how much

you love and appreciate her, too!

Stuck On You

2011-08-30T01:16:00.001-04:00

Hello, again!

If you're Facebook Friends with me,

you already know that my Monday did not

exactly go as planned.

I had all these errands I "HAD" to get done,

but ended up being home with a very sick little boy.

I decided to make the best of it though,

and used the time he was resting

to get some crafting in.

After seeing Kristina Werner's latest MACM video

I knew I had to use her card's layout as

inspiration for a card of my own.

Here's what I came up with:

I used Lawn Fawn's Critters in the Forest

for my stamped images and colored

them in with Copic markers.

The cardstock is Papertrey Ink's

Rustic Cream -- love those little fiber flecks,

and the paper is from My Mind's Eye.

Alphas are Cosmo Cricket's Tiny Type.

I hope you like it!

Have you played along in

Lawnscaping's Guess the Designer Game yet?

If not, head over there and see if you can

figure out which card is mine, and which cards

belong to the rest of the Design Team.

There's a great prize up for grabs!

Have a fantastic day today!

Lawnscaping Guess The Designer Game

2011-08-29T12:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, everybody!

Today myself and the rest of the Lawnscaping

Design Team have something really fun in store for you!

We're playing "Guess The Designer!"

Each of the design team members have made a card,

and if you are able to correctly guess whose is whose,

you will be eligible to win a fantastic prize --

a brand-new Lawn Fawn stamp set!

So please hop over to the

Lawnscaping Challenge Blog and see

if you can "Guess The Designer!"

You're So Tweet

2011-08-22T09:49:00.000-04:00

Hey there, Peeps! ;o)

How are you this fine Monday morning?

Getting all ready for back-to-school?

My kids start back on Wednesday,

and I'll tell you a little secret --

I can't wait!

But I'm sad too. I love my boys.

But I also love the feeling of sending them

off into the wide world of knowledge

and picking them back up and seeing

the new information shining in their eyes.

Love hearing about their days.

Love writing little notes for their lunchboxes.

Love the smell of paper and pencils

when I clean out their backpacks.

Kinda makes me wish I could go back myself.

Ah, but enough reminiscing.

How about a card?

I made this sweet little number

using a stamp from My Favorite things.

The background was my attempt

at sundown -- not a great job, but it'll do.

Hope you like it!

Have a tweet day!

And The Winner Is...

2011-08-16T23:15:00.002-04:00

It's time! It's time!

I'm so excited to announce the winner of my

100 Follower Appreciation Giveaway!

Yay!

But quickly, before I do,

I want to take the opportunity to thank

each and every one of you who left a comment

and participated -- you were all so sweet,

I wish I could give out a prize to every one of you.

Speaking of prizes, let's take one more look

at what the lucky winner will receive:

I used random.org to select the winner,

which happened to be commenter #31,

Simone!

Simone, please contact me at

penciledwhimsies at gmail dot com

and let me know which Lawn Fawn

stamp set you would like to receive,

so I can place the order and get your prize

package sent out to you.

Congratulations!

Have a great night, everybody!

Lawnscaping Challenge #16

2011-08-15T00:01:00.002-04:00

Hi there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #16!

And we have a brand-new sponsor for you this round:

Jenni Bowlin!

Jenni has a wide range of amazing products.

I'm particularly fond of her inks -- they're my favorites!

I had a really difficult time brainstorming

for this challenge -- ONE layer?

No patterned paper? No ribbon? No buttons?

No foam dimesionals?

It took me completely out of my comfort zone.

But you know what? I'm glad it did.

Because it's good to challenge yourself in new ways.

Here's what I came up with:

I used Lawn Fawn's Critters in the Forest

and Bon Voyage, and LOTS of masking on this card.

I started with a 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 square, then cut out

a center square from the middle.

I left the outer square mask on, and did my stamping

and distress inking and coloring in the middle,

using lots MORE masking for my scene

(Inkadinkado Stamp Masking Paper is my secret weapon).

When I had the focal image the way I wanted it,

I put the center square mask back on,

then took off the outer square and replaced it with

strips of masking paper, which I alternately pulled up

and either distressed with Ranger Vintage Photo distress ink,

or painted with a Jenni Bowlin paint dabber in Malted Milk.

The effect is kinda cool.

I hope you like it!

Please go visit the rest of the design team

and see their amazing samples of a one-layer card:

CLICK HERE FOR MY BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY!

and our fabulous guest designer

Jenny Suchin!

And don't forget to check out the Lawnscaping blog

for all the details on how to enter this fun challenge.

Also, I want to remind you that today is the last day

to enter my 100 Follower Appreciation Giveaway,

so please do that if you haven't yet.

The comments will close at midnight

and the winner will be announced tomorrow.

Best of luck to all of you!

Have a great day!

Get Well Soon

2011-08-12T14:30:00.001-04:00

Hello, again! Happy Friday!

Are you ready for the weekend?

Today I have a card to share with you

that I made a few weeks ago for a friend

who was experiencing some health issues.

I wasn't able to post it earlier, since

she might have seen it here,

but now that she's received it, it's safe. ;o)

I used an adorable Lili of the Valley stamp,

colored with Copic Markers

and some sweet October Afternoon papers.

I couldn't find a place to put the sentiment on

the front, so I stamped it on the inside.

That way it lets the image really be the star.

Anyway, I hope you like it!

Have a great weekend!

Have Fun!

2011-08-04T17:12:00.002-04:00

CLICK HERE FOR MY BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY!

Hey, all!

How are you this fine Thursday?

Thursday is my favorite day of the week,

because it's the night my writer's group meets.

We always have such a good time.

It's been a while since I've played in any challenges,

so last night I decided to visit the

Color Throwdown blog and saw that they had their

#153rd challenge posted.

I got inspired by these colors right away.

The colors spoke "masculine" to me,

which is great, because I need to challenge myself

to make more boyish cards.

Here's what I came up with:

I inked up an Elzybells stamp that I'd been

wanting to use, and colored him in with Copic markers.

This was my first time doing a suntan,

and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

iCopic is also having a skin tones challenge

(thanks for the head's up, Laurel!)

so I'll also be entering it over there.

These "Good Day Sunshine" papers from

My Mind's Eye just fit this image perfectly.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

I'm off to get some writing time in

before the meeting tonight.

Have fun!

100 Follower Appreciation Giveaway!

2011-08-01T23:36:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone!

I'm so excited to be writing this blog post tonight.

You guys have been so great to me this last year and

a half since I started blogging, and I want you to know

how very much I appreciate you all.

As I mentioned earlier, I recently hit

100 followers here on my blog,

a pretty big milestone, and one I'm so grateful for.

To show my thanks, I want to put up a big

blog candy giveaway of some of my most favorite things.

Here's a look at what's up for grabs:

I know there's a lot to see, so I thought I'd

break it down for you into a couple detail pics.

This blog candy includes:

Cosmo Cricket Glubers

Doodlebug Alpha Rub-ons

3 Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Alphas

Glitz Stickers

Tombow Dot Runner Adhesive

My own Lawn Fawn's Critter's on the Farm

is standing in here, but the winner will actually receive

one Lawn Fawn stamp set of their choice

Basic Grey's Hello Luscious 6x6 pad

Tim Holtz for Sizzix embossing folder 2 pack

Prima Pearl Flourish

2 Queen & Co Adhesive Gem packs

And last but not least, a pack of

Pebbles Felt Flower Embellishments

American Crafts Glitter Buttons

Liquid Pearls in Pewter

Copic Multiliner Pen in 0.03

Sakura Stardust Clear Glitter Gel Pen

and 4 fabulous ribbon trims of 1 yard each.

To enter:

You MUST be a follower of this blog.

It's a follower appreciation giveaway,

so no negotiations on that one.

If you are not already a follower,

you may still become one to be eligible.

If you'd like to put the first blog candy picture

up on the sidebar of your blog,

I'd sure appreciate it, and for that

you may have an extra entry.

And last, if you want to pass on the word

by posting the link to my blog candy giveaway

on Facebook or Twitter, that'd be great.

When it comes to blogs, word of mouth is everything,

isn't it? I know I've found some of your wonderful blogs

by being linked up by others I admire.

So if you pass on the word of the giveaway,

you get a third entry.

Please leave one comment on this post

for each of these things you have done,

for a total of three possible entries per person.

The contest will run for two weeks.

It is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

On August 15th, I will draw the winner

and make the announcement on August 16th.

Thank you all again, so much.

Love you girls! You make every day worthwhile.

Good luck to every one of you!

Lawnscaping Challenge #15

2011-08-01T00:02:00.001-04:00

Hello, there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #15!

This challenge is all about distressing.

You can use inks, edge distressers, crackle paint,

whatever, as long as it gives your card that distressed look.

The winner of this round is going to get a pretty

awesome prize -- a $25 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamp!

On to my card.

This round I wanted to go a little shabby fabby on y'all!

I found this great hot pink zebra print ribbon

on a recent craft store trip,

and I knew I had to use it somehow.

I brought out my Echo Park "Be Mine" collection,

and Lawn Fawn's How Delightful stamp set.

I also tossed in some cool gauzy ribbon

and some sparkly gems.

Something different for me, but I hope you like it!

Now please go and check out the other Design Team

members' amazing creations:

Jenny Suchins of Wee Memories

and our newest DT member,

the adorable Vera Yates!

We also have sweet and multi-talented

joining us for our August guest designer!

When you're all through with that, please

don't forget to stop by the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

for all the details on how to enter.

One last thing before I go:

I recently hit 100 followers here on my blog,

and to show my immense gratitude to all you lovely people,

I am doing a big blog candy giveaway,

which I will announce later on today.

It will be a follower-appreciation giveaway,

so you MUST be a follower of this blog to be

eligible to win. Just a head's up. ;o)

So please stop back for that.

Have a great day everybody!

Grow Giggles

2011-07-26T17:05:00.000-04:00

Hey, everybody!

I just wanted to pop in real quick and share a card

I made last night, using my new Paper Smooches stamps.

Paper Smooches are designed by Kim Hughes,

and feature such cute and quirky designs.

Like this little guy from Perky Plants:

I colored him in with Copic markers,

pulling my colors from these papers by

My Mind's Eye Lime Twist collection.

Hope you enjoy it!

I've decided to announce my blog candy giveaway

on August first, so keep a look out!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Have a great day!

Lawncscaping Challenge #14

2011-07-18T00:01:00.003-04:00

Hi, there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #14!

I was super excited about this challenge,

because creating scenes on card fronts is my

favorite thing to do with stamps!

In a way, it's like telling a story in pictures.

You create this little world and populate it with

characters, and I always feel like maybe

they come to life after I leave the room.

Wouldn't that be something?

Aside from the pure joy of

creating your own happy little scene,

the winner of this challenge will also

receive a fantastic prize:

When I sat down and began to brainstorm

for my Design Team sample,

I knew I wanted to stretch myself and

come up with something I hadn't seen done

with Lawn Fawn stamps before.

But I was feeling tired, hot, and zapped of energy.

Looking through my Lawn Fawn stamp sets,

my eyes came to rest on the turtle from

On The Mend, but as you all know,

he has an ice pack on his back.

And then I thought,

"What if I gave him something else to carry?

What if he had a friend who was feeling how I'm feeling?

What if he carried him instead?"

One glance at My Silly Valentine

and I knew I had to do my own take on the

classic tale of the Tortoise and the Hare.

I hope it brought a smile to your face!

Please be sure to visit the rest of the Design Team

and check out their amazing samples:

(who is taking a break this round due to health issues --

please keep Ashley in your thoughts and prayers)

Ayana Posadas

Karen Burniston of Sizzix!

and our TWO amazing guest designers

Niki Estes

and Karen Baker

Leave them some comment love,

and then high-tail it over to the

Lawnscaping Challenge Blog for all the

details on how to enter.

We can't wait to see your creations!

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:

cardstock: Bazzill

patterned paper: Basic Grey "Oxford" 6x6 pad

stamps: Lawn Fawn "On The Mend," "My Silly Valentine," "Cruising Through Life," "Blissful Botanicals," and "Harold's ABCs"

ink: Tsukineko Momento "Tuxedo Black"

coloring mediums: Copic Markers, Ranger Distress Inks in "Antique Linen," "Tea Dye," and "Forest Moss"

ribbon: Pure Color

button and twine: Papertrey Ink

Merci

2011-07-15T13:04:00.002-04:00

Hey, everybody!

I just want to thank you all so much for your

sweet and supportive comments about my darling nephew

(who is thriving in the NICU, by the way)

and about my various recent health issues.

You all are so encouraging, and I'm grateful

to have such a great group of readers out there.

Inspired by you, I wanted to make a thank you card.

I broke out this adorable Lili of the Valley stamp

and went ultra girly on it, pulling my Copic marker colors

from these gorgeous papers by The Girl's Paperie.

I dressed it up with a felt flower from Pebbles,

some pink twill ribbon, and a flag banner stamped

with a Lawn Fawn bonus stamp that you can get

by ordering from the company direct.

I colored in my background with Spun Sugar

Distress Ink by Ranger, holding the image in place

inside the Spellbinder's Nestabilities die

to give it that white halo effect around the edges.

I hope you like it!

I also wanted to let you know that I've got just about

everything now for my big 100 followers giveaway!

I'm waiting on a package that should hopefully come

early next week, and then I'll take the pics and make

the big announcement! So please stay tuned!

Thank you all so much for taking the time to

stop by today and brighten my day with your comments.

It's something I look forward to every time I post.

Have a wonderful day!

It's a boy!

2011-07-11T15:08:00.002-04:00

I have to apologize for being away

from the blog for so long.

It's been with good reason, I promise. :o)

First off, my nephew, Shane Murdock,

was born Saturday night around 11:10 PM,

six weeks and six days early.

It was an anxiety-ridden day, to be sure,

but it ended so beautifully, with this sweet little guy

making his way into the world.

Shane weighs 4 lbs and 13 oz and will have to

remain in the NICU for four to six weeks,

but he's such a strong little guy, I just know he'll be fine.

He scored a 9 on his Apgar and is already breathing on his own.

I can't wait until the day we're allowed to hold him.

He's already stolen my heart.

So that's the good news.

I, myself, have been having some problems lately.

After a rash of doctor's appointments and tests,

I've been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome,

(also known as PCOS) as well as Diabetes.

I have to have more tests done in the next two weeks

for elevated liver enzymes, and thanks to an abnormal pap smear

and I'm having a Colposcopy done next friday,

where they take sample tissue of my cervix for further testing.

It's been a rough couple of weeks, to be sure,

with my husband in the middle of mid terms,

and everything that's been going on with me.

As I'm sure you can imagine, worrying about your health

doesn't make for much positive creative energy.

On a much more encouraging note,

I saw that I passed 100 followers last weekend!

I'd been watching the numbers creep up,

getting super excited, but not wanting to say anything

because I really only want followers

who want to follow my work,

and not just for the sake of numbers.

But now that I've hit 100, I've got a big giveaway

planned that I will reveal in the next couple of days.

So please stay tuned for that.

Sorry there's no card today,

but I hope you understand.

I'm sure I'll be back in the swing of things in no time. :o)

Thanks for being there!

Lawnscaping Challenge #13

2011-07-02T00:01:00.005-04:00

Hey there!

Welcome to the Lawnscaping Challenge #13!

I was really excited about this one because

it gave me an opportunity to really grow as a crafter,

since I typically don't do anything to the inside of my cards.

I'm definitely going to try to do this more often!

It really makes the whole card seem more finished.

And we have a new and exciting sponsor for this round,

Karen is a well-known designer and paper crafter

who focuses primarily on designing pop-up and interactive

elements and is a licensed designer for Sizzix.

Please visit the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

for more information about Karen and the prize

(the die featured by the design team)

she has generously offered up.

For this challenge, we were given these great new

Sizzix pop-up die cuts to play with.

When I first received mine, I have to admit I was

really afraid they would be difficult to use.

But after watching this great video, I saw

that they couldn't be simpler!

And they just make a card so much fun!

Here's what I did with mine, using Lawn Fawn's

Critters on the Farm and Plus One stamps

and My Mind's Eye papers.

the outside:

and the inside:

I hope you like it!

The other girls on the design team turned out

some amazing cards that you really have to see.

and we are very lucky to have with us

the fabulously talented Niki Estes

for our July guest designer.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

And don't forget to head over to the

for all the details of how to play along.

I can't wait to see your creations!

Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop

2011-07-01T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hello, there!

Welcome to my stop in the Young Crafters Unite blog hop!

I'm Christy, and at the ripe old age of 34,

I don't know if I necessarily qualify as "young."

But having only stumbled upon the wonderful world

of papercrafting about a year and a half ago,

I definitely consider myself a "young crafter" in terms of experience.

And besides, I think what we all love about papercrafting

is that it takes us back to memories of our childhood,

when we felt free to let our imagination loose on paper,

and took great pride and pleasure in doing so.

So in that sense, we're all "young crafters," aren't we?

The theme of this hop is "our favorite things,"

and while I have room in my heart for many

different types of crafting supplies, ;o)

I've tried to showcase a few extra-special ones here.

As a writer, I love, love, love text prints.

As a mom of three boys, also I love any excuse

to break out the girly patterns and colors,

like these gorgeous papers from The Girl's Paperie.

And I also threw in a new favorite item:

Cosmo Cricket's Glubers.

I used their 2" gluber with fabric scraps torn into strips

to create the floral embellishment you see here,

adding some hand-trimmed fabric leaves to the underside.

And no "favorite things" card could be complete

without a stamp from my favorite company: Lawn Fawn.

I stamped "thinking of you" from Sophie's Sentiments

in my favorite Jenni Bowlin Spice Tin ink.

And now it's time to continue the hop,

over to the AMAZINGLY talented Jill Foster's blog.

This lady is such an inspiration!

You'll see what I mean when you get there.

If, for any reason, you lose your way or need to

return back to the beginning of the hop, you can do so

by clicking the Young Crafters Unite blog hop link,

which will redirect you to the main page,

where you will find the complete list of participating blogs,

and also find out how you can win some great prizes.

I hope you've enjoyed your journey so far.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Wedding Wishes

2011-06-29T16:24:00.000-04:00

Hey there!

Sorry I've been MIA lately.

My sister-in-law is visiting from Germany,

and we've been having a great time together.

Also, since my craft room is also the spare bedroom,

I haven't had access to any of my supplies.

Last night my hubby took her shopping to Walmart

so I asked her before she left if I could use "her room"

for a few hours and get some cards made,

including this one, which she requested for some

friend of hers who are getting married.

I used some My Mind's Eye Lost & Found paper,

a gorgeous Prima embellishment, which I got on Monday

when my hubby and I went on a 2 1/2 hour road trip

to Fairlawn, OH where they have an Archiver's!

I was hoping we would get to go, so I was saving up

and a got a whole bunch of new goodies to play with!

I embossed my sentiment strip using

Lawn Fawn's Bannerific and Sophie's Sentiments.

There's also some Antique Linen Distress Ink

from Ranger thrown in there.

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well!

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by

my blog today! It really brightens my day!

Best Dad Ever

2011-06-23T22:17:00.000-04:00

Hi there!

What a busy week this has been!

I meant to get this posted on Tuesday,

but I never got a chance, so I hope you

won't mind seeing it now.

This is the Father's Day card I made for my Dad.

Every year he goes on a fishing trip

with his dad and brothers the weekend

before Father's Day.

So I thought this card would be appropriate.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lawnscaping Challenge #12

2011-06-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hello, everyone!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #12!

Lawnscaping Challenge #12 is a sketch challenge,

drawn by the winner of our sketch contest, Jennifer Rzasa.

We hope you'll enjoy it!

Our sponsor this month is the lovely Nikki Silvis

who is donating an amazing prize pack of her products.

She also generously donated a sample pack to each member

of the design team for our card samples for this challenge.

Here's what I came up with:

Every single thing on this card,

with the exception of the Sculpey clay flower,

is from Nikki's Max & Mollie collection.

Even my little piggie from Lawn Fawn's Critters On The Farm

is paper pieced using some pink cardstock with tan distressing,

which I thought worked perfectly for dried mud! ;o)

I hope you like it!

Each of the design team received a different collection,

so be sure to check out their individual blogs to

see them in detail and leave them some comment love.

Lawn Fawn's Critters On The Farm

and we are so lucky to have three amazing

guest designers with us for this challenge:

the adorable Vera Yates

our sketch contest winner, Jennifer Rzasa,

and our wonderful sponsor Nikki Silvis!

And be sure to check out the Lawnscaping Challenge blog

for all the specifics and for the actual sketch.

Happy crafting!

Vintage Thanks

2011-06-15T19:31:00.001-04:00

Hello again!

As busy as these first days of summer vacation

have been, thanks to the longer daylight hours,

I've been able to get a little crafting done

in the evenings after work.

Here's a card I made using Crate Paper's

Portrait collection and a Tim Holtz for Sizzix

embossing folder with some Distress Inks.

I takes me back to childhood memories

of visiting my great-grandparents in Ohio.

They were the sweetest couple on the planet,

and my grandma was always doing crafty things with us.

I think she would have really liked this card.

And I hope you do, too!

Enjoy these long summer evenings!

With Sympathy

2011-06-14T17:40:00.001-04:00

Hello there!

How's your week been so far?

Enjoying your summer vacation?

One of my co-workers recently asked me

to make a sympathy card for someone in her family.

And while I was happy to do it,

sympathy cards can be tricky to make.

I've found that simple design and classic

fonts and images seem to work best.

On this card, I used an emboss-resist technique

with two different hero arts stamps, a vintage book page,

a Fiskars sentiment stamp, some Distress Inks, and twine.

I hope that none of you find yourselves in need of a sympathy

card in the near future, but sometimes it's nice to make one or two

just to have on hand, should the occasion arise.

Then you'll be able to send off your thoughts and prayers,

and help ease the sorrow of their loss just a little bit.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Have A Blast

2011-06-07T22:52:00.001-04:00

Hi there!

I just wanted to pop in tonight and share another card!

Being a mom of three little boys means that I often find

myself in need of a little boy card for one of the

various birthday parties they've been invited to.

When I saw Bo Bunny's Blast Off! line,

I knew I needed both the 6x6 paper pad and the stamp set.

What little boy doesn't love space monkeys and aliens?

And Lawn Fawn stamps have the perfect font

for these fun cards!

I used three different sets here --

The "happy birthday" from Year One,

"have a" from Critters In The Sea,

and "BLAST" was spelled with Harold's ABCs.

A quick and easy card that's sure to bring a smile

to any birthday boy's face!

Lawnscaping Challenge #11

2011-06-05T23:43:00.001-04:00

Hey there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #11!

The theme of this challenge is Clean and Simple,

which I know should make a lot of you out there happy!

And here's a little something else to make you happy --

take a look at what the winner gets:

A big thank you to our generous sponsor,

Simon Says Stamp!

Here's my card:

I did reverse stamping with the little mouse from

to create my two little mice, hunkered down beneath

some paper-pieced ferns from Blissful Botanicals

for the storm that's sweeping in with the rain clouds

from Bon Voyage. And I borrowed the

perfect sentiment from Partly Cloudy.

I hope you like it!

Please go check out the rest of the design team's

amazing creations and leave them some comment love.

and our amazing guest designer this month,

the adorable Vera Yates!

And then don't forget to head on over to the

Wee Memories "Stamp It" Challenge #57.

and check out all the details to enter.

Happy crafting!

Happy Graduation

2011-05-31T08:46:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday, everybody?

Did you all have a fabulous Memorial Day?

I love it when a holiday falls on a Monday,

because when the work week starts,

you already know you're one day closer to Friday!

And speaking of Fridays, I recently came across a new

(to me, at least) challenge called CAS-ual Fridays.

CAS in the papercrafting world stands for Clean And Simple.

CAS cards are HARD for me.

I always think I need to add "one more thing"

to make a card complete.

Nevertheless, I wanted to challenge myself

and see if I could do it.

The theme of this week's challenge is:
GRADUATION.

And it's being sponsored by Market Street Stamps

who has a lot of really adorable images.

Here's my card:

I'm not positive it actually qualifies for CAS status...

I'm not clear on what the rules are.

But I did keep it all one layer.

I added dimension by embossing my card front with

an embossing folder by Tim Holtz for Sizzix,

which I think really brings this card to life.

Instead of making a little diploma,

I thought it would be fun to make this funky ruffle

with a page from a vintage book

(Across Five Aprils, if you were wondering).

I really like the effect!

Well, anyway, I hope you all have a great day!

Talk to you again soon!

Hay There, Chickadee

2011-05-28T11:48:00.001-04:00

Hi there, everbody!

How's your weekend going so far?

We've been having fun.

Last night was Family Movie Night,

so I introducted my boys to the original

Karate Kid with Ralph Macchio.

Now we're hearing a lot of

"Wax on, wax off,

Left-a-circle, hei! Right-a-circle, hei!"

It's quite amusing. ;o)

After I tucked my little Daniel-Sans in bed,

I decided to get a little crafty,

I clicked on one of my favorite color challenges,

to Color Q challenge #86

and was immediately inspired.

Don't you love it when that happens?

I immediately thought of a barnyard scene,

which was perfect, because my new Lawn Fawn stamps

just arrived in the mail,

and it gave me the perfect opportunity to ink up

Critters on the Farm.

After that, I still wasn't tired,

so I decided to log on to my old computer

and read through some of my short stories

and novel beginnings.

For those of you who don't know,

writting has always been my number one passion,

but a crippling case of writer's block hit me

last January, and I haven't written a single thing since.

I was really starting to believe that maybe I'd only

imagined that I had talent as a writer,

and that, in truth, I probably wasn't very good after all.

Reading through some of my pieces last night,

I discovered with tears of relief that some of it

was actually pretty darn good.

I've been lost in the woods for a long time now,

but I think I am beginning to see the light through the trees

on the other side. Let's hope so.

With that being said, I'm off to my writer's group,

and then to work.

Have a lovely Saturday!

Supplies:

cardstock: Bazzill

paper: Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon

stamps: Lawn Fawn's Critters on the Farm and Bon Voyage

ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress in Tea Dye, Peeled Paint, and Tumbled Glass

copics: lots

Fly Free

2011-05-24T23:12:00.003-04:00

Hello, again!

I wanted to stop in tonight and post a card

that I made yesterday evening.

I used Lawn Fawn's "Fly Free" and the leaf

from "Critters In The Forest" which I used as a feather,

as well as some gorgeous papers from Little Yellow Bicycle.

Isn't it pretty?

This is one of my personal favorites

of all the cards I've ever made.

It just makes me happy!

I used these two brands specifically

so I could enter this in both the Lawn Fawn

and Little Yellow Bicycle product challenges

over at Two Peas In A Bucket,

my favorite online retailer.

The challenges are both going on until May 31st,

so play along if you get a chance!

I try not to combine too many challenges,

but I also couldn't pass up the

Wee Memories has the most fun challenges,

and this one is so easy, anyone can join in!

I hope you will!

Have a great evening!

Bundle Of Joy Video

2011-05-23T15:03:00.003-04:00

Hello, friends!

How's your Monday been so far?

Mine's been good.

My hubby had the morning off because of the rain,

so he and I went to our local garden center

and picked up some flowers for our front yard.

Can't wait to get those put in!

My yard is beginning to look so pretty. :o)

Over the weekend I got a chance to get crafty.

I made a "welcome baby" card for my brother

and his girlfriend, who are expecting their first child,

a baby boy, they just found out, in August.

And while I was making it,

I went ahead and filmed another video.

I hope you like it!

Let me know if you'd like to see more of them

in the future, perhaps even weekly.

(Btw, I don't know why Blogger has blurred
the photo. Click on it to see it clearly.)

Two little notes:

Sorry about the choppiness of the video!

I had to get it from 48+ minutes to under 10,

so I had to do a LOT of editing.

Hopefully I'll get better at that quickly.

Also, I made a couple of additions

after the film was already uploaded.

The card just didn't seem finished to me.

The above photo is the final result

after I added the pennants and additional buttons.

But I hope you'll enjoy the video anyway.

You can watch here or on YouTube.

Thank you so much for watching!

If you get a chance, please rate my video

over at YouTube and subscribe to my channel

if you have an account over there.

And of course, any comments or feedback

either here or there are so appreciated.

Have a great day!

It's The Little Things

2011-05-20T09:49:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday morning, everybody!

Isn't life grand?

I don't know exactly why,

but I am in SUCH a good mood today!

Despite the fact that I got less than five hours of sleep last night.

Despite the fact that I'm home today with a sick little one

(instead of at the garden center picking up green onions and herbs

to plant in my new little container garden

like I'd planned to spend my day off.)

Despite the fact that if my little guy doesn't start feeling better,

we'll have to cancel the first date night my husband and I

would have had in months...

Despite all that, I just can't stop beaming!

How can I be grumpy on a day like today?

The sun is shining.

My lilacs are blooming and smelling heavenly.

My new little garden is doing so well.

My husband is on summer break from his Thurday night classes,

so I got to attend my writer's group last night,

and will get to for the rest of the summer!

There's still the possibility of the aforementioned date night.

Sometimes, it's the little things that make life great.

Sometimes you really just have to appreciate the beauty

in each puzzle piece, rather than the whole picture.

Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most.

And sometimes you need a card to express that sentiment.

Here's a challenge.

If you've got someone in your life -- maybe a spouse,

a sibling, a parent, a friend, ANYONE

who does little things to make your life

just a little bit easier, just a little bit sweeter.

Why not make them a card today?

And mail it.

Or hand-deliver it.

Or leave it somewhere unexpected where they'll find it

and know.

Really KNOW

how much you appreciate their love and friendship.

Because sometimes it's the little things.

Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most.

Supplies:

cardstock: Bazzill kraft

paper: Fancy Pants

button & twine: Papertrey Ink

Sending You Love Video

2011-05-17T23:23:00.002-04:00

Hey there, everybody!

Wow, thank you all so much for stopping by

yesterday and showing me your support during the

design team reveal of our latest Lawnscaping Challenge.

I really appreciate you ladies so much!

Today I have another card to share,

and a little something extra...

My first card making video!

I've done an Altered Mini Notebook video

and a Craft Room Quick Tour video,

but not an actual make-a-card video.

Until today. ;o)

So this is the card I made:

And here's the video,

which you can watch here or on You Tube

by clicking the You Tube tab at the bottom right.

Thank you so much for watching!

Maybe I'll do another before too long.

I'd love it if you would stop by on You Tube and rate my video

and leave a comment to let me know if you enjoyed it!

Take care,

and have a wonderful day!

Lawnscaping Challenge #10

2011-05-16T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hello there!

Welcome to Lawnscaping Challenge #10!

Can you believe our 10th challenge is already here?

And, gosh, it's a fun one!

I mean, who doesn't love polka dots, right?

Check it out:

And we have a very special sponsor for you.

Mold Muse has generously donated a $25 gift certificate

to their fantastic Etsy shop for the winner.

If you aren't familiar with Mold Muse, they make

silicone molds for use with polymer clay and resin.

Kelly Marie Alvarez has two video tutorials here and here,

and Laurel Beard has two here and here.

The molds are fun and easy to use, so be sure to check those out.

Also, the winner of Lawnscaping Challenge #10

will receive a guest designer spot on a future challenge!

Okay, so for my card,

I decided to turn my molded clay flowers into earrings,

and then use them to embellish the front of the card.

This was a super simple project,

and it turned out adorable, don't you think?

To make room for the earring studs behind the panel,

I added 3 layers of dimensional adhesive squares to the 4 corners.

I also wanted to mention that my sentiment came from

Lawn Fawn's Bows & Holly set.

That's what I love so much about Lawn Fawn stamps.

They're so versatile, that even a Christmas set

works perfectly for every day use.

Did you know that Lawn Fawn is also sneak peeking

NINE new sets at their blog this week? Yay!

Speaking of things you don't want to miss,

how about the other design team member's fabulous samples!

Lawnscaping Challenge #9!

and our lovely guest designer

Winter Sims

And of course, you'll want to visit the

Lawnscaping Challenge blog for all the details on how to enter.

Have a fantastic week, everybody!

Supplies:

cardstock: Bazzill

patterned paper: My Mind's Eye, DCWV

stamps: Lawn Fawn "Bannerific", and "Bows & Holly"

molds: Mold Muse

clay: Sculpey

ribbon: Pure Color

twine: My Mind's Eye

The ABCs of Me

2011-05-11T00:17:00.000-04:00

Hi, all! So sorry I haven't been around lately. It's been a crazy busy week for me and I've been crafting up a storm -- just not for personal pleasure. At work this week I had 18 custom arrangements that I needed to get done besides my regular work so the store has something to sell. I've finished with 13 of them so far, so I'm getting there... I also had a couple of signs to make for the baskets my writer's group is donating for the Chinese Auction at the Writer's Conference this weekend in Pittsburg, which I am incredibly disappointed to not be able to attend. I'll finish up the last sign tonight right after this. I don't have any pics to share, because I've either been doing these projects at work, or late at night when I don't have good lighting, and oh! I forgot, I also have two sympathy cards that a coworker asked me to make for her. I should really get on those... And there's a new Lawnscaping Challenge coming up this Monday, so I really need to start brainstorming ideas for my Design Team sample card. I'm trying not to wait until the last minute to turn in my project, like I usually do.

ANYWAY, I thought I'd do something different tonight, something a little lighthearted before I dive back into work. How about a quiz? I saw this on one Danielle's Neat & Tangled blog tonight and thought it was a fun way to get to know someone a little better.

So without further ado, here are The ABCs of Me:

1. Age: 34. I still think I'm in my late 20s though.

2. Bed size: Queen. My husband would like a King, but I like that no matter how close to the edge I go, I can still reach back and touch him.

3. Chore you hate: I am proud to say that I have not once in the last five years washed the kitchen floor. I also rarely clean the bathroom (well, except the sink and mirror, which I do every day practically), and only occasionally do laundry. I am fortunate to have an AMAZING husband who enjoys those chores and does them for me. I happily take care of the rest.

4. Dogs: None currently, but we're either adopting a kitty or a dog in the very near future. We're hoping to visit our local shelter tomorrow.

5: Essential to start your day: On work days, I have 30-45 minutes between dropping the kids off at their schools and having to be at work. So I head to Tim Horton's for a Mocha and some quiet time with my latest library book. That's my "me" time. I'd go crazy without it for too long.

6: Favorite color: I love so many. sunshine yellow, vintage blue, periwinkle, indigo...

7: Gold or silver: I like both, but I'm leaning toward gold lately.

8: Height: 5’4"

9: Instruments you play: I used to play the piano. I miss it. I really, really, really want to learn to play the guitar. I'm close to the point of going out and making it happen.

10: Job title: Floral Designer

11: Kids: three boys. Chaztin (9 1/2), Elliott (8 in June), and Dominic (6)

12: Live: in a house in a lakeside town. I LOVE being near the water. I feel discombobulated without it.

13: Mom’s name: Cindy

14: Nicknames: Sunshine (from my Hubby)

15: Overnight hospital stays: all in Germany. The births of my three boys, plus emergency surgery after an acute case of Mastitis. I was there for nearly three weeks that time. Missed bonding with my two-week old firstborn baby because they wouldn't allow him to stay with me. Worst time of my life.

16: Pet peeve: slow drivers, people who don't signal for a turn, people who curse or talk disrespectfully in front of my children, people who belittle their children or have impossible expectations for their children (I see a LOT of this at work. Hello, his little legs are ONE FIFTH the length of yours! He cannot be expected to keep up with you speedwalking through the aisles! In fact, it's a physical impossibility. So stop yelling at him to!)

17: Quote: "A person's calling ought to be that identifying trait, the thing that makes you who you are. If you want to know what God designed you to do, look what you're doing when you shine." -- Jim Walker

18: Righty or lefty: lefty

19: Siblings: two brothers. Clayton and Jeremy. Both younger.

20: Time you wake up: Ten to seven. Notice how I phrase that. To say it otherwise would mean using a dirty, dirty three-letter word. I have intentionally eradicated that word, when followed by the letters AM, from my vocabulary. If you change it to PM, it's not nearly as threatening.

21: Underwear: You bet'cha. Fresh every day. ;o)

22: Vegetable you dislike: lima beans! Ick! Now there's a word that should rest in peace beside the dirty three-letter-followed-by-AM word.

23: What makes you run late: Having one tiny bathroom in a five-person household. It's madness.

24: X-Rays: a few. I fractured my wrist once. And I've had several at dental visits. I still have two baby teeth.

25: Yummy food you make: Well, if you asked the people who know me personally, they'd probably shout in unison, "CHEESECAKE!" I love cheesecake. I'm making a Bailey's Irish Cream chocolate cheesecake topped with fresh raspberries for my husband's birthday this Friday. I love to cook, and I'm pretty decent at it. Pecan Crusted Salmon is another of my specialties.

26: Favorite zoo animal: Oh, the polar bears! I adore them.

Well, I hope you enjoyed getting to know me and my quirks a little better. :o) If any of you decide to post one of these, please let me know. I'd love to read it!

Until next time, friends.

Lawnscaping Challenge #9

2011-05-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone, and welcome to the

Woo-hoo!

And check out our generous prize from our sponsor:

I tell ya, this challenge couldn't have come at a more

opportune time, because there are SO MANY birthdays

in my family in the month of May.

My husband, both of my brothers, my mother-in-law,

my nephew, my grandma, my aunt, my husbands aunt,

a cousin of mine, and a couple of my husband's cousins.

It's crazy! So I need to make LOTS of birthday cards.

Here's the first, which I made for this challenge:

I used lots of fun Lawn Fawn stamps to create

my happy little party scene.

This one will be for one of the guys, so I kept it

pretty masculine (i.e. no frills!)

but used bright, primary colors to keep it up tempo.

I hope you enjoy it!

Check out the rest of the incredible Design Team's projects

and please leave them some comment love!

Let them know how much you appreciate them bringing you

these fun challenges again and again.