Monday, May 21, 2012

Inspired Birthday Card

Hello! Just wanted to pop in and let you know I have a post up on the Cardmaker Blog today.  Come see how a Tiffany & Co. bag inspired this card:

 

I would love for you to check it out! -------> Click HERE!

Supplies used: White cardstock from Gina K. Designs; Swoon 6 x 6-inch paper pad, stickers and stickpin from Little Yellow Bicycle; Splash Blue and Yours Truly Grey patterned papers from Echo Park Paper Co.; Fancy Sticker Sentiments-Birthday from SRM Stickers; silver cord from Stampin’ Up!; Recollections pearls from Michaels Stores Inc.; Perfect Petal Trio Die-namics die from My Favorite Things; artisan ornate oval frame Silhouette file by Samantha Walker from Silhouette America Inc.  

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Monday!

Friday, May 18, 2012

The Twinery and Bella Blvd Project Showcase and Giveaway!


Hello! Welcome to the final day of the The Twinery & Bella Blvd Project Showcase that has been taking place all week at The Twinery blog and the Bella Blvd Blog.  Each day designers from each team have been showing their projects created with both products and the results are amazing. 

Be sure to check over at the two company blogs to see all the designers' projects from each day!

Here is my project:
I created a little gift using a flower pot, some dowels and some chipboard to create a notepad:
 
I wrapped each dowel in baker's twine - Blossom and Shore-- and then attached the Bella Blvd chipboard elements (Sophisticates- Stars & Hearts) to the top. I added some more twine embellishing to the tops using Pink Sorbet and Shore.  I finished the heart dowel with the little Bella sweet Heart flag (Flag-Girl) :)

Here is the finished gift:

 

And here is a close up of the notepad.  I think this is a gift anyone can use.  I always keep a notepad in my purse to jot things down and I keep one by the computer for passwords, etc.  I designed this notepad for that purpose so I added the word "Remember" to the front of it.  The Bella Blvd paper is from Plastino-Bermudas and the label and stickers are from Plastino-Label Additions.  I added a little Bella Blvd button (Aqua flower) in the center, threaded with some Pink Sorbet baker's twine.  I used the Pink Sorbet to wrap around the clip as well:

 

Next, I just wanted to share this project that was on the SRM blog this week because it uses both Bella Blvd and The Twinery products.   I created a little photo cube using Bella Blvd. chipboard (Sophisticates- Stars & Hearts) and patterned paper (Plastino):

 

I used some Honeydew baker's twine to cover up the place where I cut the chipboard flower in order to attach the picture of my daughter.  I really don't think I make any projects anymore without at least a touch of twine. Sigh!

Giveaway:  And since everyone loves a giveaway----The Twinery is giving away 3 different 'Original Sampler' packs to 3 winners: 



Comments must be left on each of The Twinery's designer's blogs on all 5 days ( a total of 3 blogs per day ).

A complete list of participating blogs will be on The Twinery blog each day.

Deadline to visit and leave comments to win is 11:59 EDT, Sun May 20th
Winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 22nd on The Twinery blog


Be sure to stop by the Bella Blvd blog as well to check out their giveaway.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

16 Years Mini Album

Hi there! Well, I thought I would share this mini album I made for my daughter for her birthday.  She turns 16 in two weeks and I just cannot believe how the time has flown.  Truth be told--I am also posting this because yesterday I had one of those FANTASTIC mommy moments.  Yep...I arrived at her end-of-the-year awards assembly at 9 am, camera in hand.  Sadly, the ceremony was at 8 and I got there just in time to see the throngs leaving the auditorium.  Sad:(

So, I am making myself feel less crappy by posting this gift I made for her. It was on the SRM blog yesterday.  I used Echo Park This & That Graceful collection on it and tons of SRM stickers:





 
SRM Stickers used: We've Got Your Number, Extra Large (#48095), Express Yourself- Everyday Girl (#42041), Express Yourself- Everyday Boy (#42040), We've Got Your Sticker- Princess (#53007).

Thanks for stopping by today!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Time to Shine Blog Hop

Hello! In case you are wondering....I am one blog in a series of blogs that are participating in a "Time To Shine" hop.  There are several hops along the way and you collect the letters you find at each blog to play along (more details are further down in the post).  If you didn't come her from Tammy's blog, you might want to go to the beginning and join in the fun.

There is an awesome crop going on over at CardSwaps this week. Challenges and games will be posted May 16-19, 2012 and you have until May 22, 2012 to get your projects posted to the appropriate thread. If you haven't participated before, don't worry! There are many members and myself that will be around to offer support and encouragement. You can find out all you need to know in the forum. At the end of the hop, will be taken to the crop and I do hope you join in. Collect the letters along the way and unscramble them to entered into the drawing for a prize for one lucky hopper! You will be given details at the bottom of the post. Don't skip ahead!!! Please read my babbling :)

The blog hop theme goes with the crop title of "Time To Shine". We pretty much left the type of project the hostesses of the blog hop created open. The only criteria the project has to meet is that it has to be able to be used for a day in which someone has their “time to shine”, such as birthdays, graduations, weddings, bridging ceremonies, communions, or whatever. We were also asked to share something about our favorite memory of a day when it was our “time to shine”.

Growing up I always avoided the spotlight.  It made me uncomfortable to have all eyes on me.  And although I still often feel that way I LOVE to see my children excel and take the spotlight.  My oldest is very much like me and avoids situations that put her up front and center. But, It never ceases to amaze me how my son can get up in front of so many people in sports and perform effortlessly but is petrified to have a line in a show or get up in front of his class.

But the card I created for today's post is for my youngest, Lauren, who will be having her very first dance recital in just a few weeks.  She is very nervous....super nervous.  She has a line in the show and is in the front position for the dances.  Obviously the teacher feels that Lauren can rise to the occasion and perform in front of everyone and I know she will be wonderful.  I made this card for her so that she knows that we love and support her:
 
Supplies: Cardstock- white (Gina K Designs); SRM stickers-Sticker Sentiments-Thinking of You ; Patterned paper- Be Mine: Love Letters (Echo Park); baker's twine- Pink Sorbet (The Twinery) ; ribbon; star punch (SU!); Tea dye distress ink (Ranger); aqua open rose- (Wild Orchid); Silhouette file - ballerina (by SnapDragon Snippets LLC); sponge; corner rounder punch (Creative Memories).

Unscramble It Game:  You will be unscrambling a word once you will collect a letter at each blog you visit. . Once you collect ALL the letters, the last hostess in the blog hop will direct you to the thread in the forum where you can find all the details you need to enter the drawing. All hoppers collecting all the letters, unscrambling the word or phrase, entering the game by following the directions in the forum, and leaving feedback on EVERY blog they visit WILL be entered in to a random drawing held on May 23, 2012. ONE lucky hopper will have their name drawn and will win a prize!! Fun, right?? So, make sure you visit every blog and find the letters. Your hints are... it’s a phrase, it has four words, and it’s a way you will be able to shine. 

You should have arrived her from Tammy's blog. If not, go back and check out her blog and collect your letter. Then collect my letter and hop on to Marlene's blog. If you want to start over, feel free to start back with Brooke on the CardMaker Magazine blog.

My letter is...W

The list of hoppers, in case you get lost:
Brooke Smith -CardMaker blog 
Anya Schrier      
Carolyn King - you are here!

Good luck!  Thanks for stopping by! 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Twine Cards- Update!

Hello there!  Am I the only one who gets so overwhelmed in the month of May? So much going on--- games, school dates, recitals, etc.  Mind blowing.  Well, part of that has prevented me from posting some of my projects that I have created for my dt's here.  I do like to share my work on here because I understand that time is precious and it is not always possible to follow links to other blogs I contribute to.  So, here are two cards that I had on two different blogs this past month:

The first card was on the Helmar blog: 
 
Supplies:  white cardstock (Gina K Designs); baker's twine- Denim, Pink Sorbet (The Twinery); Patterned paper- Echo Park; Stamps-By the Numbers (My Favorite Things), sentiment-Moments + Minutes (Technique Tuesday);  Die- Fly a  Kite Dienamics (My Favorite Things); ribbon- Pinecone Press; pearls- Recollection's (Michael's); tiny attacher stapler- (Tim Holtz); Memento tuxedo black ink.

Next, this card was on The Twinery blog last week.  I love the whimsical feel to it with the wrapped leaves:
 
For this card I used  Pea pod and Honeydew baker's twine from The Twinery.  I also used the Silhouette file 3 branch tree by Lori Whitlock to cut the tree shape.  The patterned paper and stickers are from Hello Summer collection by Echo Park.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, May 14, 2012

StopAndScrap Winner!

Remember the StopAndScrap post below...well, it's time to announce the winner of the $20 gift certificate.  The complete list of winners will be posted on the StopAndScrap blog.  The winner from my blog is....drumroll------
Riti said...
"Congratsssss!!!!!

This is such an adorable project.
Love the Bird House & the papers u have used are just Perfect!TFS,
Hugs,
Riti X "
Riti--please email me (address is on sidebar) and I will send you your gift certificate code so you can go shopping.
Thanks for playing along!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Card Creations, Volume 10

Paper Crafts magazine just released it's 10th Issue of Card Creations, one of my all-time favorite PC publications.  To celebrate 10 years of this magazine, editor Jennifer Schraerer walked down memory lane with with some interesting facts about this special issue.  You can see her post HERE.

Paper Crafts Card Creations, Volume 10 is on sale now in your local stores or online.

Here is a card that I have in this issue - page 141 of Card Creations, Volume 10.
 
This issue is so inspiring. So honored to be a part of it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Cardmaker Blog Hop- What a Difference You've Made!

Hello! Since it is teacher appreciation week, the Cardmaker blog team gals are sharing cards we have made with the theme:  What a Difference You've Made--Thank you cards for teachers and mentors.

I designed a card that can be given to a teacher of any level.  Since I have one in high school and two in elementary school---I like to make things that can be given to any of the teachers.

I used Echo Park's This and That Charming collection for the card.  I used the banner strip and then added stickers in each flag to spell out teacher.  (It was the perfect length for a standard sized card---happy joy! Love when that stuff happens.)

After adding another strip above the teacher border, I inked and stitched the edges of the card.  I added some alpha twill ribbon over the borders (Ribbon Carousel).  The globe sticker is popped up on a card I cut from another piece of paper in the collection.  I added a little Honeydew baker's twine (The Twinery) to finish off that section.

I love the more mature look of this card, especially since most of my teacher cards in the past have been for elementary school teachers.  Fun to mix it up a bit.

Supplies:  cardstock-ivory (Gina K Designs); patterned paper- This & That-Charming (Echo Park Paper); ink- tea dye distress (Ranger); baker's twine- Honeydew (The Twinery); tiny attacher stapler (Tim Holtz); sewing machine; alpha twill ribbon (Ribbon Carousel).

Here is the list of the blogs participating in the hop: Go and be inspired!
Cardmaker blog
Kimberly Crawford
Carolyn King---you are here!
Colleen Schaan
Anya Schrier
Trudy Sjolander
Michelle Woerner

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Stop and Scrap Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Photobucket 
Hello!   StopAndScrap is unveiling it's brand new design team today with a special blog hop.  We are celebrating with wonderful projects and prizes at EVERY blog!   Each designer is giving away a $20 gift certificate to the store.  So....the more you hop and comment, the greater your chance of winning!

StopAndScrap is an online store that stocks tons of your favorite cardmaking/scrapbooking supplies such as Echo Park, Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon, Basic Grey, Prima, Little Yellow Bicycle, Tim Holtz, Jillibean Soup, Carta Bella and many many more!  You can see they are lots of my personal favorites and so I couldn't say no when I was invited to be a part of this incredible team*.

My project features the Echo Park collection Hello Summer :)  (One of my favs!)
I created a little birdhouse and embellished it with stickers and paper from the collection and then designed a matching card:

Here are some detail shots of the birdhouse:

 Here is a detail shot of the card:
Supplies used: Patterned paper- Hello Summer (Echo Park Paper); white cardstock (Gina K Designs); baker's twine- Honeydew, Shore (The Twinery); tiny attacher stapler (Tim Holtz); Tea Dye distress Ink (Ranger); rhinestones/pearls (Recollection's, Michael's); Silhouette file- 2 story birdhouse (Samantha Walker); corner rounder punch (Creative Memories).

Here are the amazing designers I am so fortunate to work with on this new adventure:

Here are the rules to be entered to win a $20 gift certificate to the store:
Follow us on the blog: StopAndScrap blog, and leave a comment on this blog.   Leave comments on all the blogs above for more opportunities to win.

Suggestion----When you stop by the StopAndScrap blog, sign up for the newsletter so you don't miss any great deals on the products you love!

It isn't mandatory, but we would love it if you followed our Facebook page and/or Twitter, Pinterest .
It's that simple! Check out the StopAndScrap blog on Monday, May 14, to see if you won!

*Due to other obligations, I am not able to join in on the blog until after the summer but I cannot wait to get started :)
 
Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Karing for Karen

*****If you are looking for The Twinery/Clearsnap post....you can find it HERE!

Welcome to a special blog hop we are calling, Karing for Karen-- A hop for a very special friend of ours, Karen Knegten.  Here is a birthday card I made for her (her birthday was last week):
 
Supplies: cardstock- pure luxury white (Gina K Designs); patterned paper-Berries and Vines (Gina K Designs); branch with leaves die (Sizzix); Scarab vintage seam binding (Ribbon Carousel); stamp- Sweet Strawberries (Gina K Designs); adhesive pearls (Recollections, Michael's); baker's twine-Shore (The Twinery); stick pin- (Little Yellow Bicycle); ink-Olive (Memento Dew Drop)

If you have been around the stamping community for any length of time at all, you might have run into Karen. She is always participating in challenges, offering us wonderful inspiration with her awesome talent! About a month ago, Karen had to have surgery for two brain aneurysms. She is still in the hospital and we are having this blog to inspire more of you out there to send in some cards to Karen AND to her family that is caring for her too! So hope you feel inspired with our little hop for you today. Below you will find all of the links to all of the girls participating...these are from the CSS Alumni group and the Design Team from Gina K Designs. Enjoy and be inspired to send a card or two in!

Here is the address for sending the cards to:
Karen Knegten
c/o R.S.V.P. Rental Services
350 W. Northwest Highway
Barrington IL 60010

Here is the list of friends who are participating in the hop today:
Carolyn King (you are here!)
Tina Gilliland
Giovana Smith
Lee Murphy
Theresa Momber
Deb Felts
Vicki Dutcher
Cathy Tidwell
Melissa Shultz
Tera Fujan
Cheri Weston
Joy Hadden
Linda Payne
Sue VanDeVusse
Jennie Harper
Betty Neville
Geri Utterback
Brenda Turner

 Thanks for stopping by!

Clearsnap and The Twinery Product Showcase + A Giveaway!

***Although The Twinery team is posting their projects today......Please be sure to visit the Clearsnap blog tomorrow, Saturday, May 5, to see what their designers created with our products.***

 Hello! Today Clearsnap and The Twinery are partnering up and you can see the results on The Twinery blog and Clearsnap blog today. 

The Twinery is offering up a Colorful Bunch Sampler pack ($20 value) to one commenter on the blogs.  Increase your chances of winning by commenting on all the blogs!  You can find a complete list of participating designers on The Twinery blog.  To be eligible to win prizes from The Twinery, comments must be left on each participating blog Deadline for comments is 11:59pm EDT, Sunday, May 6th.

Here are my cards:
 Both cards feature stamps from My First ColorBox mini stamps- Flutters.  For the first card I used  Colorbox Classic Pigment Cat's eyes in Lettuce, Banana Custard, Plum Berry.  I tied some coordinating baker's twine by The Twinery- Honeydew, Cantaloupe and Orchid,  around the bottom of the card:

For the second card, I used ColorBox Pigment Stamp Pad Playground and hit the pad directly to paper.  I stamped the butterfly on vellum and used some Pink Sorbet baker's twine (The Twinery) to create the butterfly trail:
 
Don't forget to head on over to The Twinery to check out what the other designers did with the same stamp sets.  Special thanks to Clearsnap for the beautiful stamps/inks to play with. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Decorative Pencil Tutorial

Hello!  Today I have my first tutorial up on the Ribbon Carousel Blog!  You can check it out HERE!
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Just some HAPPY news....


Hello! Just wanted to share some news that was officially shared on the Ribbon Carousel blog yesterday!  I am joining a wonderfully talented group of ladies to form the new Spotlight Tutorial Team for Ribbon Carousel.  Every Thursday there will be another tutorial up on the blog.   You can check out the announcement HERE.
The fellow Spotlight team members are: 

Although I am always careful to not increase my commitments for the summer, this has been in the works for awhile now.  I was able to accept this spot because I worked ahead---- all of my work is already completed for it and sitting ready to be shared over the next few months on the Ribbon Carousel blog.  I have a few fun tutorials for you and I cannot wait to share them.

And.....as a total aside -- If you LOVE seam binding like I do--you should check out the amazing inventory of vintage seam binding that Ribbon Carousel carries. DEEP sigh!

In the meantime, here is my brand new Ribbon Carousel that I bought for myself for my birthday:
 
I love it and it is only ribbon holder I have found to hold the narrow spools of Stampin' Up! ribbon and several others I have that have tiny center holes. Yippee! Hooray for more office organization!
Anyway, thanks for sharing in my excitement.   I know I completely rambled a bit there----SQUIRREL! Sorry about that. 

Thanks for stopping by!