Spellbinder's Design Retreat!

It's Labor Day Weekend!!!!  Or Labour Day if you are in Canada!  I hope you have great plans to wrap up this summer...can't believe it's over already!

Here is a card I created with some JustRite stamps and Prima paper.  The background is Shabby Music and the rose is from the With Sympathy set.  Spellbinders released some incredibly gorgeous dies this past month and the one I've used here is called Captivating Squares. I created the card before my trip for our lss here.  And we JUST got all the new dies.  It's been a frenzy for sure!  They are flying out the door.  Too much fun!

Okay, I've been wanting to do a post about my Spellbinder's Design trip to Phoenix but I wanted to wait until I had time to edit the photos.  um...that's not going to happen any time soon.  Sooooo....I apologize for the quality of these photos.  They are just with my iphone and the are quite bad quality.  I had so many and some that I was waiting to get from a few others that took pictures.  There might be a few more photos trickling through my next few posts.  LOL

To start out, we have the top photo with the three of us long time friends who have stuck together through design teams, Spellblogging, teaching, demo-ing...you name it and what a journey it's been!  In the center is Stacey Caron who first presented us with this opportunity and has believed in us along the way. Kazan, Holly and I met five years ago and have become very good friends over time. Many more memories were made at this retreat.  So grateful for them!

I had the awesome privilege of rooming with the very talented and amazing Windy Robinson shown in the center photo.  It was such a blessing getting to know her on a personal level and I'm thrilled that we are now on the same team together.  Also shown here is another long time Spellbinders buddy, Judy Hayes!  Such a sweetie and always so inspirational.

Guess what?  We even had a few fieldtrips.  Yup.  These were much more exciting than your trip to the local aquarium!  One of the trips was to the Spellbinders office where you can see Ken Oliver and co-worker turning a Grand Calibur® into a...pet?  LOL  Keeping it fun!  That's what I love about this company!  While at the office we got to see the warehouse *gasp* and then we ended with a bezel buffet.  Oh my!  Baskests and baskets of bezels that we got to pick from.  Nice!  Oh and speak about keeping it fun.  Hello.  i pic Theater!!!!  Lounge recliners with blankets, pillows, dinner, candy and popcorn while watching the movie.  I've only just 'heard' about such a place!!  The gorgeous gal in the blue is AJ Otto.  She is such a kick in the pants!  I'm so glad we got to spend some time together.   She is the new DT coordinate for the Design Team and they are in for such a treat having her. The photo was taken at the Fun Stampers Journey office and warehouse.  Boy that was placed with oozing with gorgeous decor and inspiration! AJ fit right in.  : )

So here is the complete new Inspirational Team that I am on with Stacey in the middle.  It was so great to finally meet Tina McDonald, Leslie Langdon and Windy Robinson.  We are quite a team and some fabulous bonding time....Kim?!!  Where are you??!!  Clearly I need more photos.  LOL  Also, the designers from Australia put on a tea with a spread of their 'special' treats.  Ever heard of Tim Tam's?  If you've been there I'm sure you have.  Thanks to both of you!  Great memories!

While we were there we were spoiled with a few jewelry class from Juliana Hudgins and the Beadalon Jewel Loom.  I loved it!  Got my tools.  Get ready to start seeing some jewelry posts!  I also loved seeing Cindy who rocked the entire event and my new friend Janice!  Woot...go girl!

This gorgeous piece is by Linda Peterson, the mixed media queen!  It was so neat to meet and take a class with her as well.  And the Lovely Linda posing with me...(she came all the way from Australia!  Check out her fabulous creations on the Spellbinders blog!)  Also the EVER and ALWAYS inspiring Becca Feeken.  Fun to see her the entire blog team again.  Then there was John from Imagine Crafts.  He pretty much had me constantly in stitches.  He also sent us all home with prezzies...awe!  Can't wait to get my box and play with some of those new products!

So, lots and lots more photos.  There are so many great people I got to see again and meet for the first time.  Just couldn't get them all in at this point.  BUT, the lesson in this post is don't wait for the perfect photo to get your scrapbooking done.  Get them together and jot down your memories before you forget!  Sheeeshk.  I must be getting old. 

Thank you Spellbinders, for such and incredible trip and for all the years you have believed in me! 

Magestic Labels Twenty-Five Encouragement!

Hello my blogging buddies! I am finally getting all back to normal after my AMAZING design trip to Phoenix with Spellbinders.  I will do a post all about it but I haven't even got my photos of my phone yet.  Yikes!  I came home and hit the ground running.

This is a card I created before I left.  It's a one that means a lot to me today.  I found out this week that I did not get the teaching position that I was hoping for this fall.  It's hard moving into the future without a full time job but I have to keep trusting that I am right where God wants me to be and that He will continue to open and close the doors.  Deep breath.  Wouldn't be able to make to do this without the strength that He has given me.  So.....that's the significance of this card for me.  The yummies all clustered in the corner come from Webster's Pages, Want2Scrap and Prima.  The paper is also Webster's Pages and Prima.  I used one of my favorite Spellbinders dies (I have lots of favorites!) called Magestic Labels Twenty-Five.  Check it out!  It's a beauty!  The stamp is from an awesome set designed by Nina B for The Craft's Meow called Beautiful Hymns. 

Are you ready for some exciting news?  Spellbinders is having another Frenzy!!  Woot!  What does that mean?  Tons of fantastic inspiration and incredible give-aways to go along with it!  All the details are on the Spellbinders Blog.  Good Luck!  I'll be posting about our retreat soon so check back!

Have a super fabulous day!

Hello...

Hello!  I've been anxious to share this technique that I tried out that I haven't used a whole lot but it was super fun and now I might just be hooked!  I started but cutting out some canvas using Spellbinders A2 Distressed Edges.  Then I chose my stamp set which was GinaK Designs Wild Flowers (LOVE this set!)  I painted my stamps and stamped it right onto the fabric canvas.  To get a layered look, I stamped it a second time in a lighter color.  Then I stamped my sentiment and cut it out with Spellbinders Labels Thirty-Three.  This is the sweetest lil' label ever.  I think it's a new fav.  A few foam dots to adhere the sentiment and I was done!  My own mini canvas in card form.

Not sure how we hit August but I'm okay with it because that means only FIVE more days until I leave to Arizona for my Spellbinders retreat!!  I am beyond excited!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

New Spellbinder's Dies!!

It's hotter than ever and yes, I'm posting a Christmas card!!  CHA is in full swing and I am so excited to now be able to share some of the cards with you that I have done with the new Spellbinder's dies that were JUST released today!  There lots and lots of fun new Christmas ones.  This is a gorgeous wreath called Build A Wreath.  It's a lot of fun because you can make it turn out different every time!  And don't you just love the big bow?  I used gold foil paper and black velvet paper for my card.  The sentiment is from JustRite Stampers and the glitter is Martha Stewart.

If you want to get an up close look at some of the new dies and more projects made with them, you can check out Create and Craft where Kim does a stellar job showing them off on the live channel!

I hope you've gotten a chance to see some peeks of all the new goodies coming out this week at CHA.  Do you have any favorites?  I'd love to hear!!  I'm loving all the chalk paper.  So fun!

Well, me and my fam are off for a little get-away time in the hot, hot sun.  I can't get enough.  LOVE it!  I will definitely be sharing more projects with the new Spellbinders dies when we get back.  I wish I had of gotten my camera fixed before we left.  I might have to snag one off the kiddos.

Enjoy your ice tea and sunshine!

Happy Birthday Shaped Card

It's somebody's birthday today!  I have a little birthday card inspiration for any of you who may need it.  This is a card that was published in the Paper Crafts Birthday Creations Vol. 3.  I've had a peek and it's jammed packed with cool ideas!

I used Spellbinder's Labels Twenty-Nine and Splendid Circles.  The gorgeous rose pattern paper is from Crate Paper.  I chose JustRite Spring Words for my stamp sentiment.

If you haven't tried a shape card yet, you should!  They are super easy and lots of fun.

Have you seen the new bezel hat pins from Spellbinders??  They are soooo cool!  I can't wait to play with them.  Soon.

Off to an interview.  Smiles.

You Are So Thoughtful

The days just keep turning into weeks and the weeks keep turning into months!  Time has never gone faster for me than in the last few months and I can't believe that it is time CHA reveals already!  I'm sooo excited because I love seeing all the new goodies that different manufactures have come out with.

AND

That of course also means that Spellbinders is having their sneak peek week right now!!  The projects that the all the designers have come up with so far are just spectacular!  Although I'm not apart of this weeks reveal, I do have a lot of projects that I just haven't taken the time to share on my blog.  I know...bad blogger!  So, I'm going to try and make up for it this week.  But you for sure have to check out the Spellbinders blog for the give-aways and incredible inspiration going on!  My friend Holly revealed the most beautiful die template ever today.  You will be amazed at the detail in this one!

Okay, about my card....it's not a new die but it's an old time favorite!  It's the second to largest rectangle in the Timeless Rectangles set.  LOVE!  I simply inked the inner edge before removing the die from the paper to create the color inside the rectangle.  I then stamped the flowers, cut them out, colored them and added diamond glaze to them.  After they were dry I adhered them using foam squares.  The flower and sentiment are JustRite stamps.  The flowers are from a set called Seeds of Summer.  I have some new JustRite stamps due to arrive any day now and I can't wait to play with those!  I will also have some projects to share with some of the newer dies that have just been released.  

Hope this project has brightened your day just a little!

Welcome Little One

No, there isn't any new lil' babies in our family!  Just this sweet card to share today!  This lil' carriage grabbed me the moment I saw it.  Isn't it the sweetest thing ever?  I love the vintage feel it had and went to creating with it right away.  Apparently the girls at Paper Crafts liked it as well and I was so excited to see it published in a recent Spring Issue of Card Creations!

The stamp is actually a Unity stamp called Delight in The Little Things.  The sentiment is from a GinaK Designs called Ticket Trio. After creating my card base and adding pattern paper, I stamped it and cut it out with a Spellbinders oval die template.  To create the fun dots on the bottom that soften the card up just slightly, I cut/embossed an A2 Polka Dots die template from Spellbinders.  Then I cut the bottom of the rectangle off and adhered it to the card.  Sweet pastel paper is from Simple Stories.

The winner of the giveaway is Val!  Congrats!  I will try and get that out to you right away.  I love seeing the crafting community come together to help those in need.  Hopefully everyone who was able to attend the crop had a great time as well.

July is just around the corner!  The kids have one more day of school.  Can't wait.  I'm soooo ready for the hot weather.  Have a great weekend everyone!   Thanks so much for stopping by!

Oklahoma Online Benefit Crop

Today is all about those who have been affected by the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma.  If everyone gives just a little then we can all help out a lot!  Besides that, this is going to be one super fun crop with many sponsors and fabulous challenges!  You will have a full week to complete the challenges.

This is the project for my challenge.  Hop on over to find out more about the challenge (it's easy...I promise!) and to find out how you can resister for this event today.  Click here for more information.

Supplies:  Cardstock - Bazzill; Pattern Paper - Webster's Pages;  Die - Spellbinders (Grateful Lattice)Stamp - Papertray Ink; Wood camera - Prima Marketing.  

During the online crop there will be challenges hosted by a variety of scrapbooker's including myself, Stephanie Howell, Juliana Michaels, Becky Fleck, Lisa Pace, Cathy Zielske, Mary Ann Jenkins, Jess Mutty  and more. There will also be some fantastic prizes being given away from our generous sponsors including: Bo Bunny, Jillibean Soup,Little Yellow Bicycle, The Paper Bakery Kit Club, Pink Paislee, Fancy Pants, Bella Blvd, SRM Stickers, May Arts, Echo Park and more!

There will be a challenge every hour, on the hour, from 8am EST - 6pm (or maybe later) plus fun challenges with a full week to complete the challenges you pick. You will have tons of chances to win some great prizes. A fun perk-a drawing will be held for a big prize from the first fifty people to donate!

I wanted to offer a lil' somethin' here as well. I will leave this open (US and Canada address only) for one week and will choose randomly from the comments on Saturday, June 22nd, 11:59 pm.  

• 3 Wooden Prima Camera's
• Fancy Pants Rub-Ons
• Want2Scrap Pearls and Bling (3 packs)
• Clearsnap Design Adhesive
• ColorBox  Ink (6 pads - Fiesta)

I know crafters like to make a difference.  Let's show Oklahoma that we care!  You will find the donate button on the page where you sign up for the crop at CheekyChics Scrappbooking.