Seasons Givings Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Seasons Givings Blog Hop! This hop is going to be a little bit different, in the fact that every single person on the list below, is giving something away. All you need to do, is go to their blog, and leave a comment. Really, really easy. 

For a little added inspiration, I have decided to share my favorite project of 2012 which is this layout. 

By leaving a comment you will be entered to win this RAK:

• 3 Clearsnap Design Adhesives
• 4 packages of Want2Scrap Bling
• 1 Spellbinders M-Bossibilities Folder
• 1 Studio Calico Stamp

Check back on January 7th to see who the winner is!  You will have up to midnight PST on January 6th to enter.

 Now grab a cup of coffee, or tea, or maybe some hot chocolate, whatever your favorite is, and start hopping.

Here is to starting off the year 2013 in a fun way!

Paper Crafts

Kelly Marie Alvarez/Lawn Fawn

Unity Design Team

Avocado Arts

GinaK Designs

Latisha Yoast

Lee Murphy

Laurie Schmidlin

AJ Otto

Michelle Woerner

Jocelyn Olson

Cindy Lawrence

Amy Tsuruta

Jessie Rone

Karen Baker

Lori Tecler

Jodi Collins

Kim Kesti

Tosha Leyendekker

Lisa Henke

Tonya Dirk

Ann Cox

Jimmi Mayo

Cristal (Pinky) Hobbs

Vera W. Yates

Jennifer Gallacher

Emily Leiphart

Lori Craig

Melody Rupple

Kim Hughes/Paper Smooches

Lynnette Kauffman

Beate Johns

Ashley Marcu

Becky Olsen

Jessica Diedrich

Alice Wertz

Joanne Basile

Carolyn King

Teri Anderson

Isha Gupta

Melissa Mann

Lydia Fiedler

Beth Pingry

Jaclyn Miller

Glenda Wyatt

Julia Stainton

Angie Blom

Sharon Harnist

Karolyn Loncon

Julie Overby  *you are here!*

Tenia Nelson

Emily Branch

Windy Robinson

Keri Sereika

Here's to an amazing 2013!!!  God Bless you and your family in this new year! 

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~Isaiah 9:6-7~

I love celebrating the most treasured gift ever given.  I pray that during this season, you too are blessed with Peace and Knowledge of the Almighty who has demonstrated the greatest gift of love that one could ever have!  

And speaking of giving, if you are a paper crafter, you are in for quite a treat at the end of this week!  Check back for one of the most 'giving' blog hops you'll ever come across!  

Until then, Merry Christmas!  

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!!!

I have two more cards to share with you today.  These are with the same Kaiser Craft paper line and Spellbinders Die Templates (Layered Poinsettia and Heirloom Ornaments). I also used an M-bossibilities folder on the second card called Ornamental Iron. These were actually designed these for a class at Memories and More.  Hope you are inspired today and stayed tuned for a give-away details!!

I'm pretty excited that we are going to have our first white Christmas.  The kiddos are loving the snow!!  I can't believe we are on a five day count down. So. not. Ready!

You could WIN Big Time!!!

Hi friends!  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!  I wanted to share some cards I did but you can tell by the photo is was a few short months ago when things were still a bit warmer!  LOL  I also had some super, fun news to share!  It's time to get your craft on!  Spellbinders is having a HUGE contest and you can read all about it below.  I think you should go for it!!!  One never knows until one tries!!  

Also on the Spellbinder blog you can read some amazing things about Stacey, the owner, and how 'trying' and a lot of perseverance has brought her to where she is at today.  It's an inspiring story!

~ You Could Win BIG Time!! ~

Spellbinders is currently running the BIGGEST contest they've ever hosted to date! Spellbinders Explore Beyond Challenge: Craft to Win gives you a chance at a $5,000 Grand Prize Package from Spellbinders and their cross promotional partners! They'll also be choosing a 2nd place winner to receive a $1,000 prize package and a $500 3rd place prize package!

Prizes will include products from WorldWin Papers, Want2Scrap, Xyron, KaiserCraft, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, Basic Grey, Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine, BoBunny, Fancy Pants Designs, Canadian Scrapbooker, Nikki Sivils, Elmer's, Bazzill Basics, Graphic 45, IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko and more!

How do you participate? It's easy!

Simply create an original project using at least two (2) Spellbinders dies. And get creative with it! Push your own creative boundaries...do something different. We'll be looking for those crafters and artists who have really taken on the challenge to truly "Explore Beyond".

Take photos of each step of your project. If chosen as a finalist... You'll be asked to submit these photos.

Submit a photo (of your finished project only!) to the appropriate Spellbinders Flickr Group.

Contest runs from November 26th, 2012 through December 26th, 2012 Midnight EST.

Categories:

Card Making

Home Decor

Scrapbook Layout

Jewelry Making

Fabric Arts

Mixed Media Art

Official Rules:

You may enter more than once in multiple categories. Projects entered must be original. A total of twelve (12) finalists will be chosen. There will be two (2) finalists from each category. Finalists will be announced on December 27, 2012. Finalists will be asked to submit photos of the steps of their projects to validate their originality. Finalists will be asked to mail in their final original project to the Spellbinders office. Original projects must be received by end of day, Friday, January 4, 2013.

A celebrity panel of judges will review the twelve (12) final submissions and narrow it down to three (3) winners. Winners will be announced on Friday, January 11, 2013. There will be one (1) Grand Prize winner of a $5,000 prize package and the project will be featured at the Spellbinders booth at the Craft and Hobby Association show on January 12, 2013. There will be one (1) 2nd prize winner of a $1,000 prize package and featured on the Spellbinders blog. There will be one (1) 3rd prize winner of a $500 prize package and featured on the Spellbinders blog.

Legal:

All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners. By acceptance of the prize, winners agree without limitation to the use of his/her name, photograph and/or likeness for publicity purposes without any additional compensation. Winners agree to be bound by these rules and the decisions of the Spellbinders panel, which are final and binding in all matters regarding this event. Winners agree that the event and its representatives affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees have no liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind relating to or arising from this event or resulting from participation in this contest.Contest is not open to Spellbinders Employees, Various Team Members, or their immediate family members (Grandparents, Parents, Siblings, Spouses, Children).

Thanks for stopping by my blog!!  I have more cards to share and a RAK coming up in the next few weeks. 

Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season.  One last card to leave you with!

(Cards created with Kaiser Crafts paper and Spellbinders Decorative Eight and Labels Eight die templates.)

NinaB Designs Blog Hop!

Welcome to the monthly NinaB Designs team blog hop. NinaB Designs is a product designer for a few paper crafting companies including Spellbinders, Want2Scrap, Penny Black, and The Craft's Meow. For this month's hop, Nina challenged us to create something with Winter and Holidays in mind.

The holidays provide many opportunities for paper crafters to give an extra personal touch to every occasion.  Whether you are doing place cards for a dinner, tags for gift giving or even just hand made projects using your supplies on hand, it is a blessed season indeed! 

Having stamps that match die templates perfectly makes creating cards so much fun!  For this Christmas card, I stamped the house roof and bottom piece with two different inks and then cut them out with matching dies.  I added a bit of glitter to the center and to the edges for a slight winter touch.  

Here are the products I used for my project:

The Craft's Meow - Love Dwells Here Stamp Set

 

Spellbinders Home Sweet Home Die Templates

To welcome you back to our blog hop, we are giving away PRIZE PACKAGES so be sure to hop along!  Winners will be picked randomly from 2 of the designers' blogs:

Nina Brackett * Beate Johns * Beatriz Jennings *Clare Buswell * Jennie Harper * Julie Overby * Lea Lawson * Linda Lucas *

Everybody is welcome to comment and be eligible to win. The winners will be announced on  November 23 on Nina's Blog, where you will also find all the relevant info regarding the giveaways.  Finally, please consider liking the following Facebook pages that are represented on today's hop, so you don't miss the latest news and happenings:

NinaB Designs

Spellbinders Paper Arts

The Craft's Meow

Want2Scrap 

Penny Black Inc.

Thank you for joining us today!

Baby...it's cold outside!

Hey everyone!  I can't believe that I actually saw the first snowfall in October this year!  Although not enough to play in, I'm sure we will be knee deep in fun shortly!  This layout is from when my daughter had her first time playing in deep snow.  I wanted to create lots of fun snowflakes that brought out the design in her coat and that caught the feeling of the moment.

My first set of snowflakes were done by using Spellbinder die templates and cutting out Donna Salazar paper from the Botanique collection.  It already had beautiful glitter on it so I just place my dies on that section and cut them out.

The second set of snowflakes, I used a punch and then added my own glitter using a glue gloss adhesive and Fairy dust glitter.

I cut out a Label Die template for my journaling and decorative pink circle as a base for the photos.
Finishing it off with glittery alphabet stickers gave it the last 'cold' touch.

Supplies:  Botanique - Magical #1714, Comfy #1709; Storybook - Chalkboard #1737
Other:  American Crafts Alphabet Stickers; Spellbinders Die Templates; Want2Scrap pearls; Clearsnap Fairy Dust Glitter

Thanks for stopping by!  Bundle up and stay warm!

 

Sometimes....

I've had to take a break from blogging and crafting over the last month due to some personal and health issues.  I really do apologize and seriously can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged.  A MONTH!  Shameful.  But seriously, I've had to take a look at these past few months and realized that sometimes you have to adjust things.  I've really needed to focus on getting well and taking care of my family and myself.  Thank you for your patience.

In the mean time, the crafting world has been whizzing by full force ahead!  I'm excited about all that I'm seeing.  Did you hear about the new D-lites that Spellbinders came out with?  They are just P.E.R.F.E.C.T!!!  That is one product I'm anxious to start creating with and hope to have something to share with them shortly.  For now, I wanted to share one of my favorite layouts ever.  It's the one I had published in Creating Keepsake recently.

Aaaahhh...to be sleeping and carefree like this sweet baby! Yup!  That's where I want to be right now.  LOL  So, I'm going to sign off but I honestly hope to be updating much more regularly.  

Thanks for stickin' with me!

Celebrating YOU!! GCD Style!

Hey everyone, Julie here!  Just wanted to take a quick second to say Happy Birthday to my sweet 11 year old!  I think YOU are all the things described on this layout:  Lovely, Strong, Delightful, Confident, Respectable and Brilliant!!  I love you!!

Okay, I actually created this layout to scrap my daughter's first day of fourth grade but it just so happened that the post fell on her Birthday!  More reason to celebrate!

The bright, yet warm colors of the Country Charm style work so well as we say good-bye to summer and welcome fall.  I absolutely adore the Country Bloom pattern and I wanted it to be one of the focuses on my layout.  To create interest and keep but keep it subtle, I added texture to cardstock using a Spellbinders M-bossibilities folder which was large enough to cover the entire piece of cardstock on the left side of my layout.

To create my embellishments, I used flower die templates and cut out the centers of the strawberries and other pattern paper.  Then I layered them and used a foam dot to adhere them to the layout.

I used a butterfly die cut out coordinating pattern which came straight from the flowers in the Country Bloom paper.  Then I cut out a flourish for the base of them.

I hope you've been inspired by this simple, yet bold layout.  I know that I've been inspired by this amazing young lady who is growing up right before my eyes!

 

Supplies:  Country Charm – Paper:  Farm Field Strip #1506, Strawberry Jam #1510, Handycraft #1508, Cherry Pie #1504, Country Bloom#1505 Other:  Spellbinders Dies, American Crafts Stickers, Want2Scrap Pearls

NinaB Designs Blog Hop with Prizes!!

Hello, friends! After a much needed summer break, the NinaB Designs team is back to showcase some of Nina's designs for our monthly hop. Make sure you check out the new Summer CHA Releases by Spellbinders, Want2Scrap and Penny Black, and her monthly release by The Craft's Meow. For this month's hop, Nina challenged us to create something with gift-giving in mind. Here is my project:

Here are the products I used for my project:

The Craft's Meow - Happiness Is Stamp Set

The Craft's Meow - Tweet of You Stamp Set

Spellbinders Paper Arts - Homespun 

Home Sweet Home 

I also used Want2Scrap Beautiful Blooms Border and GCDStudios Country Charm Pattern Paper.

To create the tag on the jar, I stamped two select words from the 'Tweet of You' stamp set and cut it out using the Home Sweet Home tag. I added a strip of paper around the lid and then I cut out the flower and leaves from the Homespun set and and tied them on with jute.

For the card, I added strips of pattern paper and then adhered my trim.  I layered the bling border over top the paper.  Next I cut/embossed/ inked the jar die from cream paper and adhered it with foam squares.  I cut and embossed the Homespun die template from redcoredinations cardstock and adhere it to the top of the jar.  Lastly, I stamped my sentiment.  

A nice coordinating card with gift ready to give to a teacher or anyone that you want to bring a smile to!

To welcome you back to our hop, we are giving away these TWO PRIZE PACKAGES:

Prize Package #1 includes Spellbinders Ironworks Accents and Motifs:

 

Prize #2 includes The Craft's Meow's Vintage Rides and Retired Layers of Colors Dotted Dahlias and Dotted Peonies Stamp sets:

 

Winners will be picked randomly from 2 of the designers' blogs:

Nina Brackett  * Beate Johns * Beatriz Jennings * Clare Buswell * Heather Jensen * Jennie Harper * Julie Overby * Lea Lawson * Linda Lucas * Viola Mahr

Everybody is welcome to comment and eligible to win. If you are a winner, please email Nina (via Contact tab above) with your info within 4 days (till September 26) in order to claim your prize.

Finally, please consider liking the following Facebook pages that are represented on today's hop, so you don't miss the latest news and happenings:

NinaB Designs

Spellbinders Paper Arts

The Craft's Meow

Want2Scrap 

    Penny Black Inc 

Hope we've been able to send some inspiration your way today!

Back to School! Already?

Well, the girls are in a new school this year.  New friends, new neighborhood, new teachers....They are such troopers!  They seem to be doing well for the first few days.  It's so hard to see them off.

Of course, you gotta love the first day of school photos.  I think my kiddos might be getting to an age where they actually don't quite enjoy these anymore!  Good thing they still like ice cream...hee hee.

And...of course the shoe shot.

And next, I have a sweet, innocent layout to show you that I created using the photo from last year's first day of school because yes, I am that behind!  But, at least they are getting scrapped!  

Technically she was in 'second grade,' not 'grade two!'  But, ya know, we are working through all the American/Canadian kinks.  LOL  Sure can't believe how fast my kiddos are growing up.  I feel like I say that in every post but it's so true.  The fast forward buttons seems to be stuck!  

I actually created this layout for GCDStudios ezine called The Paper Cut.  You can find all kinds of fun back to school inspiration in it. 

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

Our store, Memories and More, got in all the new Spellbinders die templates and M-Bossibilities plates today.  Soooooo much fun!  I love being at store that stocks such gems and this fabulous GCDStudios paper line too (Country Charm and Oh Happy Day!)  

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope your Day is Happy!

Sand Dude!

It's HOT outside!  No better place to hit than the beach!  For as long as I can remember, the moment my son hits the beach he dives into the sand to begin building a castle.  In this layout, I included some sand to help capture his ‘true love’ for the beach. 

I had fun embellishing this layout with lots of different things.  To begin with I used several pieces of pattern paper to create the banner. 

I decided to add the sand under the title so I used a Spellbinders die to cut out a wave. 

I ripped some a soowang tape sheet and folded it half back and placed the wave over half the sticky area.

Next I dumped the sand that I had collected over the sticky part and pressed it down.  You can buy scrapbooking sand or you can be sentimental and use the real thing! Next I pulled out the rest of the backing of the tape, added some pattern paper and trimmed it down to fit on my layout. 

I also used Spellbinders Nautical shapes too accent my page.  Using them as a stencil, I left the paper in the die and adding some liquid adhesive and then poured on more sand.

I was excited to find this trim in my stash of stuff.  It already had shells hanging off of it.  The perfect touch!

Supplies:  Organic Geo (1645) – Flower Child, Twisted Floral (1649) – Flower Child, Groovy (1642) – Flower Child, Swirling (1648) – Flower Child, Peacock (1646) – Flower Child, Layered Geo #1644, Bouquet (1535) – Bonjour

Other:  Cardstock, Stickers, Trim, Ink, Spellbinders Die Templates