SRM Stickers Guest and Blog Candy

Hello! Happy Monday!

Well....did you guess what my surprise is today? *smile*

A month or so ago, Jenyfur from SRM stickers contacted me about being a guest designer for their blog. I was so honored/excited to be asked....I LOVE my SRM stickers and found that once I got started creating for the post---I couldn't stop!

So....today I have a bunch of cards on the SRM blog. I would love it if you head on over there to check them out. Here is an extra one I created:

I paired my SRM Friend sticker with some Jillibean Soup letters, a flower shape, button, stickers and paper.

Wanna win some of the new SRM stickers??? Just leave a comment on this post and tell me which card on the SRM blog today was your favorite. You have until Wednesday, March 2 at 8 p.m. central time to enter. Random.Cara will select a winner. (This blog candy is courtesy of SRM stickers and will be shipped directly from them.)

Thank you SRM for the wonderful opportunity to create for your blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Seize the Day!

Hello! Hope you are having a great weekend!!
Despite the rocky start---ours is going good. Lauren is slowly recovering from her bout with the stomach bug. Boy, it takes the little ones forever to get over that beast.

Ben has another tournament this weekend. His team won both games yesterday so we are watching the finish today. Fun!! And my oldest, Cara, has her first piano recital later on today! Cannot wait to see her play the piece she prepared. It is amazing to hear how much she has learned in a year. This is the stuff I LOVE!

And.......I have something fun going on here tomorrow so be sure to check back....there *MIGHT* be some blog candy involved.

Here is a HINT
I finally dug into the For the Record Collection from Echo Park and created this card. I added a tiny button to the bottom of the hot air balloon and used a red Copic marker to add some color to it. To finish the card, I added some fun ribbon and some SRM stickers!!

Can you guess what my surprise is??? Check back tomorrow to see if you were right!

In the meantime....have a rockin' Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Daddy Love

Hello! Hope you are having a good week.
Mine is a lot quieter than orginally planned with my son home on Monday and Tuesday and then yesterday I was called into school to get my youngest (who got sick there :(

So....I am writing a few blog posts while watching her sleep. Hopefully this nasty bug leaves soon.

In the meantime, here is a frame I gave to my husband from the kiddos for Valentine's day: I used an inexpensive frame and dressed it up with some Echo Park paper and stamped the sentiments on cardstock and then arranged them along the edge. The stamps are from My Favorite Things (Clearly Sentimental about Fathers.)

Have a great "germ-free" day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Miss Me?

...you don't have to answer that!

Sorry for the lack of blogging---Life has been getting in the way this week:
1. My son had his first baseball tournament (two games on Saturday and one on Sunday)
2. My mother-in-law came for a visit
3. We found out last Wednesday that someone wanted to come see our house (from out of town) and were asked by our realtor if we could have it ready by Saturday
4. (In case #3 was confusing) We are moving and JUST put our house on the market (two weeks earlier than originally planned)
5. My son had a fever and was sick right after his Sunday game
6. We had two showings in the first two days our house was on the market
7. My son has been out of school since Monday so I am trying to keep him caught up at home (btw....Teachers do NOT earn enough money)
8. So....things have been busy :)

I did sneak in a little play time last week. (Just an hour or so in front of the TV). I HAD to play with the Little Girl line from Echo Park (esp. since I now have their newest lines sitting here.)

I have been wanting to scrap this special tradition that my youngest daughter and I had last year (when she was in pre-school). Here is a detail shot:
Here is the page-- Table for Two

These are pictures of my youngest enjoying our Friday ritual---- we would go play at the neighborhood park and then go to lunch at her favorite restaurant- McAllister's. It is the only time I ever saw her eat everything on her plate. It was our special time (because the rest of the weekend was spent taking her siblings to all their activities and social events.)

I miss those days and seriously consider pulling her out of kindergarten one Friday for one more trip :(

Anyway...sorry for the absence. I promise some super FUN things are coming. Things I am excited about and things YOU will be excited about too.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Back to neurotic cleaning :)

Gina K Release TONIGHT!

Happy Thursday! Tonight is release night---all of the stamps you have seen previewed all week will be available at Gina K Designs at 10 p.m. cst.

The design team is previewing the final set today...the one free with 3 set called Framed Greetings. This set comes with a beautiful frame but I wanted to show you the set without using the frame (since I know you will be seeing some beauties with it as you hop along!) I paired a sentiment with the flower image from Live Life Loud set to get this: Simple. This set works so well with the others!

Hope you will Join us for the Release Party will be held tonight- Thursday , February 17 at 7 pm Central on Stamp TV!

In the meantime, hop along to each of the amazing blogs listed below and leave a comment for your chance to win it. The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have of winning! Gina will announce the randomly chosen winners who will win one of these fabulous new stamp set!

AJ Otto
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Deb Felts
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Gina K
Giovana Smith
Janice Whiting
Jennie Harper
Lee Murphy
Melanie Muenchinger
Michelle Woerner
Suzanne Dean
Theresa Momber
Tina Gilliland
Valerie Stangle
Vicki Dutcher

Thanks for stopping by and for all your sweet comments this week!

Gina K Preview Day 3!

Hello! Today is day 3 of the Gina K Previews. Today the team is showing their designs created with two more new sets--Live Life Loud (by Tami Mayberry) and He is Risen (by Nina Brackett).

First up---the card I designed with He is Risen:
I absolutely love this cross. True elegance. I chose to keep the card very simple and keep the focus on it---I popped it up over the designer paper and lace and added some jewels to it.

Next, here is my card with Live Life Loud:

This set is so fun. I love all the different elements to it and I know I will be making a lot of cards with it. It is hard to tell in the photo but I diluted some red re-inker (just put a drop with some water in a mister) and sprayed it all over the background for a little hint of color.

Would you like to win one of these fun sets? All you have to do is visit each of the amazing blogs listed below and leave a comment. The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have of winning! Tomorrow, Gina will announce the randomly chosen winners who will each win one of these fabulous new stamp sets!

AJ Otto
Asela Hopkins
Carolina Buchting
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Colleen Schaan
Deb Felts
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Gina K
Giovana Smith
Janice Whiting
Jennie Harper
Lee Murphy
Michelle Woerner
Nina Brackett
Tami Mayberry
Tina Gilliland
Vicki Dutcher

Join us! The Release Party will be held on Thursday, February 17 at 7 pm Central. Join us for a fun evening of card samples using the new sets, challenges, contest questions and full stamp set reveals!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gina K Preview Day 2

Hello! Welcome to Gina K Designs preview day 2! Today the design team is showing their creations with two more new sets that will be released on Thursday--Little Critters (Illustrated by Theresa Momber) and Chocolate Bunnies (Illustrated by Asela Hopkins).

Here are my creations:
For my first card I used Little Critters. I used the sweet frog image..just used the frog part of the stamp and paired it with the adorable sentiment. I colored the frog with Copic markers. The designer paper by Echo Park goes perfectly with the Pure Luxury Ocean Mist cardstock.

Next is my card using Chocolate Bunnies:

I wanted to use one of the bunnies in a non-chocolate way so I created a little Easter scene with him hopping along.

Now head on over to these fabulous blogs to see more samples with these sets and don't forget to comment for a chance to win them for free!

AJ Otto
Asela Hopkins
Carolina Buchting
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Colleen Schaan
Deb Felts
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Gina K
Giovana Smith
Janice Whiting
Jennie Harper
Lee Murphy
Melanie Muenchinger
Michelle Woerner
Suzanne Dean
Theresa Momber
Tina Gilliland
Vicki Dutcher

Would you like to win one of these fun sets? All you have to do is visit each of the blogs listed above and leave a comment. The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have of winning! Tomorrow, Gina will announce the randomly chosen winners who will each win one of these fabulous new stamp sets!

The Release Party will be held on Thursday, February 17 at 7 pm Central. Join us for a fun evening of card samples using the new sets, challenges, contest questions and full stamp set reveals!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentine's Day and Gina K Preview Day 1

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Today is the first day of the Gina K previews!! The design team is showing off two coordinating sets illustrated by Melanie Muenchinger called Spring Basket and Basket Blessings**.

Here is my card that uses images from both sets:
I paper peiced the basket and the liner and two of the animals. I colored the teddy bear with Copic markers. These sets are perfect for Easter greetings or many other occasions. (I just love the trio of animals!)

**All of the sets that will be previewed over the next few days will be released on Thursday, February 17 at 10 p.m. cst after the release party on StampTV.**

Now head on over to these fabulous blogs to see more samples with these sets and don't forget to comment for a chance to win them for free!

Carolina Buchting
Carolyn King
Cathy Tidwell
Deb Felts
Donna Baker
Emily Giovanni
Gina K
Giovana Smith
Janice Whiting
Jennie Harper
Lee Murphy
Melanie Muenchinger
Nina Brackett
Theresa Momber
Tina Gilliland
Valerie Stangle
Vicki Dutcher

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh Boy! It's Friday!

Yeah! It's Friday. Today will be fun since I will be visiting the kids' school for their class Valentine's parties. LOVE that!!

Here is a little BOY card I created using Gina K's Oh Boy! Stamp set (by Tami Mayberry) and Echo Park Paper's Little Boy line:Materials used: Stamps- Oh Boy! (Gina K Designs); Memento tuxedo black ink; buttons -pastels (Gina K Designs); Designer paper/ stickers- Little Boy collection (Echo Park Paper); label punch (Stampin' Up!); stapler (Tim Holtz); ribbon (Michael's); twine (Westrim Crafts)

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Stampy Blog Candy Winner

Remember this:???

http://myblogbycammie.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-about-some-stampy-blog-candy.html

Random.Cara selected #199 as the winner of all those stamps. Congratulations to Karen McAlpine who said "I am a subscriber! Thanks."

Karen, please email me your address so I can get these out to you!

Thanks everyone for playing along. I will have more to share soon!!!

Have a great day!

A Virtual Party For Gina K!

This contest is over. Winners are posted HERE.

YOU are invited to a Virtual Birthday Party for Gina K! Each blog on the tour features some part of the birthday experience. Hop around to see the amazingly creative projects the team created to honor Gina on her special day!


When: TODAY!
Where: on the design team's blogs
The party starts here and you just follow the links at the bottom of each post to continue to the next stop on the party tour!
Why: To wish Gina K a Happy Birthday. After you are finished hopping along, don't forget to head on over to Gina's Blog and wish her a Happy Birthday. TWO lucky commenters will receive a party favor---a FREE stamp set!

Here is my birthday card for Gina:


I used Floral Wreath and Lovely Labels 2 on this card. The designer paper is by Echo Park (Be Mine).

Hope all your birthday wishes come true, Gina! xo

The next stop on the birthday tour is the amazing Janice!

Thanks for stopping by!

How about some stampy blog candy?

This contest is now closed. Hello! Hope you are enjoying your weekend. I realized that I haven't posted blog candy in awhile so I have a few of my favorite stamp companies' stamps to share with one reader: Here is what is included--
My Favorite Things Sending you a Little Christmas set
My Favorite Things Bubble Bunny set
Gina K Designs Perfectly Polished set
Papertrey Limited Edition Simple Little Things set
Unity Stamp Company Winter Wishes stamp (The one that came with PaperCrafts Magazine)
Just Rite What's Cooking Set
JustRite Holiday Demi Phrases Set
JustRite Curlz Font Lowercase

How to enter to win: All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what the weather is like where you live! You have until Monday night, February 7 at 10 p.m. central to enter. Subscribers can enter twice.

We had SNOW yesterday in central Texas. The schools closed for the less-than-an-inch accumulation and the kids had a blast sledding, tubing and just playing in the white stuff they never get to see!
Sadly, it is pretty much gone today. Here is one of my favorite pictures:
Lauren sledding with a neighbor. I love the look of joy on her face.

Have a wonderful day!
Thanks for stopping by!

Beary Cute Treat Container Tutorial

Hello! It is getting closer to Valentine's Day so I thought I would share a tutorial on creating a sweet treat container. This project is easy to make and can hold treats, pencils, small toys, gift cards or whatever you want to put in it. Here is the finished project:
What you will need:
soup can (you can also use a crystal light container, empty paint can, or anything that has straight sides)
Clear stamp set- Honey Bear (The Cat's Pajamas)
Memento tuxedo black ink
Copic markers (or whatever you wish to color the images with)
Stampin' UP! Marker- real red
Cardstock- white (Gina K. Designs)
Designer paper- Atomic Soup: Pinch of Electrons (Jillibean Soup)
Craft wire (The Beadery)
Pencil
Mini clothespin (Hero Arts)
Glue Dots and adhesive (Glue Glider Pro- Glue Arts)
Scissors
Optional- glitter (Doodle Bug) and Quickie Glue pen


Directions:
Step one: Empty and clean out your soup can. Remove label.

Step two: Measure height of can and cut a strip of patterned paper to wrap around can.

Step three: Adhere paper around can. (Notice that I left the top and bottom edge showing. The paper fits nicely between the rims if you measure it just a bit smaller than the can.)

Step four: Stamp images on white cardstock. (I used Gina K. Design's pure luxury white cardstock. I like how it holds the ink and it is very smooth.)

Step five: Color the bear, bees and honey pot. I used Copic markers to color my images.

Step six: Cut out images. *I cut along the edges of all the images and cut the sentiment out in a square shape (see step seven below)

Step seven: Run a red marker along the edge of the sentiment. (It is important to use a water based marker, like Stampin' Up, on this step so the color stays on the edge of the paper.)

Step eight: Cut a section of the patterned paper to use under the sentiment. I cut along the pattern so that I kept the honeycomb shape.

Step nine: Wrap a piece of beading wire around a pencil and slide off. (I used beading wire because it is very easy to manipulate and you can cut it with regular scissors.)

Step ten: Adhere a bee to the end of the wire with a glue dot and manipulate the wire until you get the desired flight path for the bee. Adhere under sentiment panel with a glue dot.

Step eleven: I filled the container with a bag of candy hearts and tied it with a bow. Clip the sentiment onto the bow using a mini clothespin.

Step twelve: Repeat steps nine and ten to add a flying bee to the bear image as shown below. Attach bear image to can.

Step thirteen: (Optional) Add some glitter to the little hearts on the bee and to the honey on the honey pot.

Finished! Now you have an adorable Valentine treat container to surprise someone you love with on Valentine's Day!

Have a Beary nice day!

Thanks for stopping by!