Tuesday, May 31, 2011

card-o-rama {and a giveaway too}…

We had a wonderful, relaxing, productive long weekend!  I’ll share some photos and ideas from our weekend soon, but today I wanted to share some cards I’ve worked on recently.  All of these cards are made with Cosmo Cricket products – but several different lines…

This card was on the Cosmo Cricket blog last Saturday.  I used the newest Cosmo Cricket line – Odds & Ends – isn’t that little image so cute?     

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I made this quick and easy card using elements from Cosmo’s Circa 1934 line:

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This “Thanks” card was created with Cosmo’s Social Club line. 

(I also used a sketch from Papercrafts magazine for this one)

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And here’s the last one I have to share today (using the Togetherness line by Cosmo Cricket)…and it’s only a sneak peek.  Why?  Because it was recently published in a brand new mini magazine! 

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This new publication features cards created with the Cricut die-cutting machine

EASYCARDSCOVER

I was thrilled to be asked to contribute to the premier issue of this fun little quarterly magazine.  You can purchase the magazine exclusively at Oh My Crafts! (it’s on sale right now for only $2.99)  BUT, before you rush over to purchase it, you might want to leave a comment on this post for a chance to win your own copy!  The nice folks from the magazine sent me an extra copy (or maybe a couple *wink*) to share with my blog readers – and I’d love to send one to you!  The only stipulation is that you live in the US.  Please leave me a comment telling me how you spent your Memorial Day weekend.  I’ll choose the winner(s) on Friday morning!

Friday, May 27, 2011

big bikes…

It’s Friday and that means it’s time for another Slice Project! 

Today I’m sharing a layout…

The boys actually got these bikes at the end of last summer, but after a long winter, it’s time to take them out of storage (yay!).  They were getting pretty good, and we were even able to take Zach’s training wheels off, but they are back on for now (I bet they aren’t on for long though).  Our new neighborhood is full of little boys who ride their bikes and scooters all around – my boys are going to fit right in!big_bikes_layout

On this layout, I used my Slice to cut out all of the words on the right side.  I used a few different digital cards for the words: Big Kids, International Travel, and Travel USA.

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Sometimes that’s all you need for journaling – a list of words.  I think between the photos and the words, the story is complete.

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Happy Friday! :o)

{If you are on Facebook, be sure to become a FAN of the SLICE FACEBOOK FAN PAGE so you can be the first to know about new products, project ideas, tips & tricks, and giveaways too! :o)}

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Making Memories Slice

Big Kids Design Card

International Travel Design Card

Travel USA Design Card

Just Chillin’ Collection

Tiny Alphabet Stickers

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

favorite things…

This week is “favorite things week” over on the Pebbles, Inc. blog.  For my assignment, I decided to create a layout featuring the “favorite things” of my kiddos.

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I typed up a list of things and then had each of them fill it out with their current favorite things.

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I love that I have a list of their favorites in their OWN handwriting.  Except for Zach…but he did want to write his name himself. :o)

Meagan’s favorites:

favorites_meagan

Josh’s favorites:

favorites_josh

Seth’s favorites:

favorites_seth

Zach’s favorites:

favorites_zach

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In keeping with the “favorites” theme, I used my very favorite (current) line from Pebbles – Happy Go Lucky!

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I think I’m going to create a page like this every year – it’s fun to see how their favorites change or stay the same over time.

Check out the Pebbles, Inc. blog to see the fun “favorites” projects the other design team members are sharing this week!

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Happy Go Lucky Glee
Happy Go Lucky Carefree
Happy Go Lucky Tickled Pink
Happy Go Lucky Chirpy
Happy Go Lucky Delight
Happy Go Lucky Cloud Nine
Happy Go Lucky Black ABC stickers
Happy Go Lucky Embossed Stickers
Happy Go Lucky Chipboard Flowers
Happy Go Lucky Layered Embellishments
Happy Go Lucky Buttons
Happy Go Lucky Toothpick Flags
Cardstock 
Pen 
Border Punch
Crochet Thread

Monday, May 23, 2011

she’s still sick…

hospital_sign

Meagan has been sick for over 3 weeks.  At first we thought she had a little cold, or maybe allergies. We gave it time…it didn’t get better.  We finally took her to the doctor where they told us she had a respiratory virus that was attacking her lungs.  She was given a breathing treatment (which we are all too familiar with since we have a few asthma sufferers in our family).  Then we were given a prescription for two different inhalers and a steroid.  She was diligent with her meds, but didn’t get better.  We took her back in to the clinic, and we were sent to the hospital for x-rays and lab work.  The diagnosis was pneumonia.  So they added an additional inhaler plus an antibiotic to her regimen.  That was last Thursday.  She’s STILL sick.  Coughing her little head off, no appetite, sore, and completely miserable.  She has little spurts of time when she feels okay.  just okay.  She wanted to get out of the house yesterday, so we took her with us to visit her grandpa and grandma…I thought maybe she was finally at a turning point…but I was wrong.  She was up all night (yes all night) coughing.  We have another appointment later today – hopefully they can figure out what the heck is going on.  She’s miserable and sick of being sick.  She HATES that she is missing school.  She hasn’t been able to run for weeks – and that’s something she loves.  She wants to feel better.  I want her to feel better.  It’s so frustrating that it’s taking so long to figure out what is wrong…

{btw…I DID take photos of her while she was getting her lab work done at the hospital, but she threatened me about putting them on my blog – so I guess they are for my eyes only, lol}

Friday, May 20, 2011

soccer and treats…

Zach has been playing soccer this spring.

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It was his first time playing and he’s been having a lot of fun.

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It’s a county league, and the “under six” division plays 3 on 3.  Each team has only five players, so there is plenty of playing time for everyone.

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It’s a pretty short season – especially when you consider it should have ended a week ago, but due to snow and rain we had a couple of games rescheduled to this week.

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Tomorrow morning will be our final game (unless it gets rained out).  If you’ve ever had a kid play soccer, you know that the only thing more important than getting an opportunity to kick the ball is getting a treat after the game.

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We are taking treats to tomorrow’s game.  Since it’s the final game, I wanted to do something a little more special, so I put together some little treat bags.  I used my Slice and the Bravissimo Slice Design Card to create these little goodie bags for our team members.

soccer_treat_bags

The bags are just simple brown lunch sacks, but the fun part is the little paper ribbons that embellish each bag.  Here’s a closer look at the ribbons:soccer_treat_bag1

I used the Noir Paper Reverie collection from Making Memories.  I like using papers from a single collection – that way they all match and it eliminates the step of looking through every paper I own to get several papers that work together.

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I used different words on each ribbon.  Each one is a sentiment on the Bravissimo design card.soccer_treat_bag3

I thought about adding their names…but these are 5 year old boys, and I know they likely aren’t going to save their bags, so I didn’t want to do too much work, lol.soccer_treat_bag4

Wish us luck on our final game…and keep your fingers crossed for sunshine! :o)

{If you are on Facebook, be sure to become a FAN of the SLICE FACEBOOK FAN PAGE so you can be the first to know about new products, project ideas, tips & tricks, and giveaways too! :o)}

P.S. Don’t forget to leave a comment on the post below for a chance to win a copy of Creating Keepsakes – Fabulous Flowers!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

finally…

Wow, what a crazy giveaway this has been!  Thank you so much for your patience and understanding – I’m so glad many of you made it back to leave a 2nd comment after your first one disappeared into cyber space.

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The winner of this issue of Creative Spaces with Megan Hoeppner is:

Chelsea said...

Looks like such a fun issue, everyone is talking about it! I can't wait to be able to look through it!

 
**Chelsea – I can’t figure out how to contact you.  The link (in your blogger profile) to your e-mail isn’t working.  So please e-mail me with your contact information so I can pass it along to Creating Keepsakes.**
 
Thanks again, to everyone who visited my blog and left a comment.  I wish I could send you ALL a copy of this inspiring book - simply because you had to go through this whole blogger fiasco with me!  Since I can’t do that, don’t forget that you can find Creative Spaces on sale now and use the code SPACESBB for free shipping in the US (offer good through 5/27/11).

Be sure to check back – I have another exciting giveaway coming soon!

Have a happy Tuesday! :o)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

creative spaces {a giveaway}…

I’m mentioned a few times that I haven’t taken the time to really dig in and organize my scrapbook area in our new house yet.  Don’t get me wrong – everything is put away and the room looks pretty tidy…but it’s not organized how I want it to be yet.  And it’s definitely not decorated or cute.  It’s been on the list…just not at the very tippy top.  Well, at least it wasn’t at the tippy top – until this came in the mail last week:

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Creative Spaces with Megan Hoeppner hit newsstands earlier this week.  If you are familiar with Creating Keepsakes Magazine, you know that Megan wrote a monthly article featuring Creative Spaces – and this is a book featuring many of those same spaces (and more!) – with beautiful photos and tons of great organizational ideas.

I was lucky enough to have my space featured in the regular magazine, and now again in this fantastic new book!  Here’s a little peek at a few of my favorite things about my (old) space:

This is one of the first photos I took of my Scrap Box.  I have two now – and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

This is just a happy little corner of my room…

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And this is one of my favorite little additions to my space –

I’ve shared it before, but I think it’s appropriate to share it here again today:

new_mousepad

I know – it’s just a mouse pad…but I love it & it makes me smile. :o)

Since I received my copy of Creative Spaces, I am feeling an urgency to get my new space organized and pretty.  I’ll definitely share some photos when I make some progress!

Here’s a sneak a peek inside the new issue:

You can check out Creative Spaces on sale now and use the code SPACESBB for free shipping in the US (offer good through 5/27/11).

And now, for the best part… Creating Keepsakes is generously donating a free copy of this fantastic new issue to one of my blog readers! To enter, just leave a comment telling me what you love about your own work space!  I’ll draw a random winner Friday morning.  Good luck!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

may studio AE from Technique Tuesday blog hop…

Welcome another Studio AE Blog Hop!  As this month’s guest designer, I am so excited to be joining the team for this fun day!

The new stamp set from Ali and Technique Tuesday is called, “Real Life by Ali Edwards.” 

Studio AE May 2011 - Real Life

The set consists of 16 clear stamps. The set works great for scrapbook pages and mini books, as well as cards.

The set ships to Studio AE members between the 10th and the 15th. Non-Studio AE members can also purchase the set for a limited time through the Technique Tuesday Web site. Some retailers are also now offering the Studio AE stamp sets for purchase. Check with your favorite retailer for more details about that.

Here’s a layout I created using the stamp set:

family_layout

I came across this photo of our family from a few years ago.  We were living in a different home.  The two little boys weren’t in school yet.  Meagan and Josh look so tiny and young.  For some reason it struck me that time is going by so quickly.

family_layout_detail1

Things can change so fast.  But one thing remains the same – my love for this group of people.  My family.  Past. Present.  Future.  No matter what stage we’re in.  No matter what we’re going through.  As long as we’re together, we’re “home,” and that’s the only thing that matters.

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You might recall the project I created last week using this set – you can see it HERE.  My first layout has a very different look/feel to it – I just love how versatile this stamp set is!  Speaking of versatile, you need to check out the blogs of Ali and all of Technique Tuesday’s Studio AE team members taking part in today’s blog hop to see more ways to use the new set.

Ali

Wendy Sue (you are here)

Nichol

Laura

Sharyn

Teri

Jaime

Leave a comment here on my blog (or on any one or even ALL of these blogs) by Midnight PST on May 12th. We’ll pick two people from comments received on all seven of the blogs to receive the Missing You by Ali Edwards stamp set from Technique Tuesday.

Technique-Tuesday-AE-Missing-You-Clear-Stamps-Small

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Stamps - Real Life by Ali Edwards, Kids are Cool by Ali Edwards

Papers – Sienne Branch, Sienne Dictionary, Sienne Floral Dot

Stickers – Sienne Ephemera, Brun Ephemera

Flowers – Sienne Florets, Sienne Gems 

Brads – Brun Gems

Ribbons/Trims – Brun Antique

Tickets – Vintage Findings

Heart Charm – Vintage Findings (love collection)

Ink – Cranberry Pigment Ink

Cardstock -  White

 

**Updated to let you know the winners were posted on the Technique Tuesday Facebook page on May 13th.  I was so excited to see that one of the winning comments was left here on my blog!  If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check it out here!  Thanks so much for your comments – have a great week!**

Friday, May 06, 2011

a mother’s day card…

It’s Friday – and that means I have another Slice project to share with you today!  Of course, in honor of the upcoming holiday, I opted to use my Slice to create a Mother’s Day Card. 

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I used one of the newer Slice Design Cards – Grandma’s Attic to cut this sweet bird/nest/branch image as well as the tag behind the bird.

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Would you have guessed that the line I used for almost all of my project (including the actual card base & envelope) is actually the latest Valentine’s Day line from Making Memories?  It is Je t’Adore – and it’s still available for purchase here.  I think the soft pinks and subtle designs make it perfect for a pretty Mother’s Day card.

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I used lots of pop-dots, ink, and layers to add some unique dimension to the image.

The ‘Grandma’s Attic’ design card has a lot of vintage-style images and a really sweet alphabet.  I’ll be sharing more projects featuring some of these images soon!

Have a Happy Mother’s Day!

P.S. Did you notice something interesting in that first photo?  The GREEN in the background?  Yep – those are real live bushes in my yard.  Spring is FINALLY starting to think about making a debut here – yay!

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

a perfect combination…

Pebbles and American Crafts.  They go together like peanut butter and chocolate.  Each one is wonderful on it’s own, but put them together and mmmmmmm…..perfection! :o)  This week on the Pebbles blog (and the American Crafts blog), all of the design team members are combining products from the two companies and creating super fun projects! 

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This was a super fun assignment.  I knew AC and Pebbles products worked well together, but I was simply amazed at HOW well!  One of my favorite things about being on a design team is simply focusing on one line or one brand while I'm creating...but this assignment didn't feel any different.  I didn't feel like it was a stretch at all!  I created a layout with some pictures I took last year of my kiddos sitting in the back of the truck, playing with Meagan's flip...being silly and having fun.

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I really love how both lines have a lot of papers with soft, subtle designs…this made combining the lines easy.  The patterns do not compete at all and work perfectly together.flip_layout_detail2

I love how each company has it’s own “signature” embellishments – and they compliment each other perfectly.

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This was probably one of my favorite assignments!  It’s also been one of my favorite weeks on the two blogs – checking in each day to see what everyone else put together!  There are a LOT of design team members between the two companies, and I think every single designer is participating this week.  That means there is a lot of fun inspiration and I am loving how every single project is so unique and inspiring!

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Happy Go Lucky Delight
Happy Go Lucky Cloud Nine
Happy Go Lucky Embossed Stickers
Happy Go Lucky Embossed Border Stickers
Happy Go Lucky Dimensional Stickers
Cardstock Ash (71078)
Cardstock White
Campy Trails Stumpy Meadow
Campy Trails Elk Creek Trail
Campy Trails Salmon Cove
Campy Trails Premium Ribbon
Lovely Premium Ribbon
Thickers Serenade (53151)
Remarks Accents & Phrases Good Morning
Flair Good Golly