Monday, August 23, 2010

early bird fabric...

Did you know Cosmo Cricket has had some of their paper lines turned into fabric?  I was lucky enough to receive fabric made from the same designs as one of my favorite Cosmo Cricket paper lines, Early Bird

Here's what I created:

A headband:

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And a little throw pillow cover:

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You can see some projects by other Cosmo Cricket design team members HERE.

The fabric isn't the easiest to find, but I know you can get the Girl Friday Fat Quarter Set Here on Amazon.com.

There are several Cosmo Cricket fabric designs available HERE also.

And here is one more online STORE that carries the CC fabric.

I haven't ordered from any of these stores, but I thought I'd maybe save you a little time if you were wanting to find the fabric that matches the fun paper! :o)

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Pixie-licious...

I had lots of fun with this new Pixie Line from Cosmo Cricket called Pixie-licious

Once again, I'm out to prove that these "girlie" lines aren't just for girls! :o)

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Of course, they ARE dang cute with girl photos too.  (Meagan took this photo of our cute neighbor a couple of years ago)

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And this line has lots of elements that are perfect for cards.

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Pixie-licious Papers

Pixie-licious Chipboard

more Pixie-licious Chipboard

Pixie-licious Mini Deck (6x6 pad)

Fairy Tales Chipboard Letters

Sweet Sparkle Chipboard Letters

Saturday, August 14, 2010

shred sled...

Last week, we received another fun package from Team Mom

Inside, we found a great new "toy," and this time it was for the big kids! 

Here's what we received:

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It's a Shred Sled!

What is a shred sled?  A shred sled is a next-generation caster board that combines the movements of snowboarding, surfing and skateboarding all into one experience.  There are 4-wheels and two decks, connected by a flexible tubing.  Each deck has a great grip surface too...which is something I was worried about, so I was glad to see that the kid's feet gripped the board really well.

Instead of pushing off like a regular skateboard, you have to use your hips, legs, and arms to move the board.  It really is a great workout...I need to learn how to do it, I bet I'd burn more calories than I do on the treadmill.  (If only I had a private sidewalk where none of my neighbors could see me falling on my rump trying to figure it out, lol.)

I need to get better pictures of the kids riding it - Meagan and Josh are both getting good! 

Here are a couple of quick pictures I took the day we took it out of the box:

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[Yes, I know - we need to get some safety gear...we will, we will...]

You can check out the Shred Sled site HERE

They are also available on Amazon.com

Just click the link below for more information!

Thanks, Shred Sled and Team Mom for sending us a fun product to try out and review!  :o)

Friday, August 13, 2010

meagan...

Meagan and I attended a reception for a girl in our ward last night - then we decided to sneak away and take some new photos - it's been a while since she let me take pictures of her - on purpose! :o)

I see her every single day, but somehow, looking at her through the camera lens, she's suddenly grown up so much!  We had a really great time together last night - hopefully she'll let me take more pictures of her again soon.  Only next time I am hoping she won't seem even more grown up when I see her through the lens.

matilda...

Isn't that a great name for a Halloween line?  Matilda

It's one of Comso Cricket's newest releases & I love it! 

It is kind of a "mini" release as it only has a mini deck and chipboard sheet,

but there are still lots of possibilities (even 12x12 layouts)!

Here are a few projects I created as soon as I got my happy little hands on the product!

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Matilda Mini Deck

Matilda Chipboard

School House Chipboard Letters

Black Chipboard "retro mix" letters

Garden Collection Buttons

Joy Ride Buttons

"Haunted" ribbon

American Crafts White Cardstock

American Crafts Black Carsdtock

Scallop Border Punch

Corner Rounder Punch

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

treats...

...just wanted to share a quick and easy idea for dressing up items for party treats/favors.mm_glitterbling_sports_party4

I made this project for the Making Memories Blog earlier this week.

 

Simply wrap a bottle of water and a granola bar with cute patterned paper and tie them together with a fun ribbon.  Adding a simple tag is the perfect finishing touch.

 

It's definitely an easy way to make some plain old store-bought items look a lot cuter,

match party decor, or just add personality. :o)

more details about swagbucks...

I've been asked by several people about how to earn more swagbucks.  I'm more than happy to share what I know, but please be aware that I do not know everything - I've just figured out a few things as I've used swagbucks, so, for what it's worth, here's the information I have.

First of all, you need to sign up.  If you haven't already registered, please click HERE to fill out the registration form.

You can also explore swagbucks.com, where you'll find tons of information...but here's a quick summary of ways to earn points:

1.  Download the toolbar so every search goes through swagbucks.  (just having the toolbar installed will give you random swagbucks).  If you use Internet Explorer or Firefox, the quickest way to win Swag Bucks is to have Swagbucks.com always at your finger tips. The Swagbucks.com toolbar resides on the top of your browser and only takes seconds to install.  Get the Toolbar Here

2.  Invite your friends to join - when they earn points, so do you (this has definitely helped my point balance - and everybody wins!). Every Swag Buck they win searching the web, you'll win as well. Win up to 1,000 Swag Bucks per referral!  Invite Your Friends & Win

3.  Share Your Opinions Through Trusted Surveys.Major brands want to know what you think and are willing to pay you Swag Bucks to hear it. Complete your personalized profiles and start earning BIG Swag Bucks on your own time, at your own pace. Visit Your Survey Dashboard

4.  Complete some of the "special offers" linked on swagbucks.com.  Check out our Special Offers Page where you'll find rewarding promotions from major brands. Sign up only for the offers that sound right for you! Complete an Offer Now3.  Visit Swagbucks.com and click on the "ways to earn" tab at the top - check out the surveys, polls, etc.

5.  Visit the Swagbucks blog often - they will randomly share codes for swagbucks.  When big news breaks about Swag Bucks, it happens first on the Swag Bucks Blog! Find out about all the newest offers, prizes, and Swag Codes, all in one convenient location. Look for posts by The Swag Guy for exclusive Swag Buck opportunities! See the Swag Blog

6.  Shop online (visit the shop & earn link on swagbucks.com)  Odds are you'll find the stores and/or brands you're already looking for, and you can earn Swag Bucks when you make your purchase through them!  You earn 2 points for every dollar you spend - that can add up fast!   Visit the Shop & Earn Mall

7.  Sign up for the newsletter.  Get timely updates, notifications, and the occasional Swag Code delivered right to your inbox with our bi-monthly newsletter. Every email is packed with important news and tidbits to help you get more out of your Swag Bucks account. Sign Up Now

Hopefully some of those tips will help you earn more swagbucks more quickly!  You can read more about earning swagbucks by visiting the "winning tips" page on swagbucks.com. 

Also, please note that I do not earn extra swag bucks simply by blogging about swagbucks.com.  I do earn, just as you can, when someone signs up through my link, but that's all.

One more thing to mention...while I usually choose to trade my swag bucks in for amazon.com gift cards, there are MANY MANY MANY other options, including CASH!  Yep, CASH!  You can cash in your swag bucks for gift cards to PayPal, which is the same as earning CASH!  In addition, there are tons of other great gift cards and super cool items.  Also, you can use your bucks to buy entries in many different "swagstakes," with items ranging from additional swag bucks to cool electronics.  So be sure to browse around the store to see what you'd like to save up your swag bucks for!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

swagbucks...

I just deposited $75 worth of gift card credit into my Amazon.com account.  Nope, not an early birthday gift...just my latest Swagbucks rewards!  If you haven’t signed up for Swagbucks yet, this is a great week to sign up.  You will get your regular 30 bonus points as a new member, but this week use code BackToSchool to get an extra 70 bonus points added to your account — for a total of 100 points! 

Hurry and sign up soon - the code is only good until August 15, 2010.

In case you haven't read my previous posts about Swagbucks, here's a little bit of information. You can earn Swag Bucks simply by searching the internet (Just use their toolbar instead of Google or Yahoo). Trade your bucks in for fun prizes, merchandise, gift cards and even cash deposited directly into your PayPal account. (My personal favorite is an amazon gift card!) It's easy to do and the bucks accumulate SO quickly!

 

What are you waiting for?  Click here to start earning your bucks today!

a quick card...

Just wanted to share a quick card I made a few weeks ago.  I just love the 6x6 mini decks from Cosmo Cricket - the designs are perfect for card-making.  And guess what?  Usually you'll find designs in the mini decks that are not available in the regular 12x12 sets. And sometimes they are my favorite designs in the line!!  :o)

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Have a great day! :o)

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Delovely Mini Deck

Delovely Stickers

White Cardstock

Divine Twine (aqua) - Yay!  I finally found a place to buy this great twine without having to buy a whole 240 yard spool!!! :o) 

Corner Rounder punch

Foam Squares

Monday, August 09, 2010

swim, hike, swim, repeat...

meagan had a blast swimming with the cousins...

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this was the 2nd day at the pool,

after they had had a "sleep-over" with no actual sleeping involved...silly girls...DSC_4202vint DSC_4217vintage

we went for a little hike near grandma's...VERY little since it was over 100 degrees...

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more swimming - with swim vests...

at first seth wasn't excited about the swim vests, but by the time we left,

he had really started to enjoy floating and swimming with it on...

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zach was fearless (as usual) and took to floating and swimming immediately...DSC_4475urganbw

he was even jumping into the "deep" end of the pool, holding his face underwater,

and thought he should just take the vest off so he could swim on his own (um, no.)

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of course josh was there too...but for some reason I didn't get photos of him -

he must have done most of his swimming  while I was also in the pool

(instead of taking pictures of everyone else)...

i'll get more pics of him next time...which will be very soon, I hope! :o)

Friday, August 06, 2010

i'm not good at secret-keeping...

...so it's a good thing I didn't have to wait too long to share some fun news:

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I get to work with Pebbles for the next year!  Yay!

I've been a Pebbles fan since before Meagan was born and they were just a little store in Orem.  I used to go into the store on my lunch break and leave feeling creative and excited - I loved it!  Now they have their own product line and they are a part of the American Crafts family (of which you know I'm a huge fan).  I am thrilled and honored to be joining their design team and can't wait to get to know the other team members (check them out here) and to get busy creating fun projects to share! 

Thursday, August 05, 2010

a gift from the kitchen...

I'll be the first to admit I'm much more creative with paper and scissors than I am with pots and pans...but I love strawberry freezer jam.  It's super easy to make (duh, if it wasn't easy I certainly couldn't make it) AND you can decorate the jars when you're done. The best of both worlds!

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I put together these gift jars for the Making Memories blog last month - you can read more here.

When you make jam, there's ALWAYS enough to share...and if you're going to share, why not make the jars cute, right?!?

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Now if I could just master homemade bread to eat with my jam, I'd be one happy girl!!

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Slice

Slice Hands-Free Kit (if you have a Slice and haven't purchased the hands free kit yet, do it...you will LOVE it!)

Noteworthy Design Card

Pink Paper (available in this pack...I couldn't find it available individually anywhere)

Teal Paper

Orange Paper

Vintage Groove Charms 

more VG charms

and more VG charms

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

sonic slush smiles...

Last summer, Sonic slushes were our go-to treat. 

This summer...we haven't had any because our local Sonic went out of business. 

I'm glad I took a few pictures of the boys enjoying a slush last summer.

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I wish someone would re-open the Sonic here in town. 

The kids miss the slushes.   I miss my cranberry diet coke...sigh...

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white cardstock

striped patterned paper

red patterned paper

heatwave stickers

journaling blocks

slick writer pen - perfect for writing on photos!

glitter chipboard letters - LOVE these!