Awards & A Blog Hop Announcement

I have been very honored to receive several blog awards lately!  First, I need to once again thank Momo!  It is because of her that so many people have been coming to my blog lately. If you haven't been to visit Momo you must check her blog out.  She has amazing projects!  On to the awards....

The first award I received was the Stylish Blogger Award!  I'd love to thank Maquel - The Paper Maniac for giving me this award.  The requirements for this award are that I tell 8 things about myself, and pass on to 8 bloggers!

 The 8 things about myself are:
1.  My favorite colors are red and purple.
2.  I love reality T.V.
3.  I love to read children's books.
4.  I love to stay up late and sleep in late.

5.  I have lived part of my life on the East Coast and part in the Midwest.
6.  I couldn’t keep a plant alive if my life depended on in (in fact I am usually pretty good at killing them).

7.  I love to spend time with family and friends.

8.  I'm addicted to blog hops!  I love all of the wonderful ideas they have :)

and I am passing this award to: 

* Tami at Tami's Craft Connection

* Kelly at Kelly's Kardz 

* Melissa at Adventure in Heels 

* Diane at Scraps by Ownhomedog 

* Judy at Scrappin’ with Judy 

* Courtney at Krafty Keekeerz 

* Judy at Grammie Judy’s Spot 

* Jamie at Crafty Girl 21!

 The second award I received is the Versatile Blogger Award.  Thanks so much to Sherrie from Sherrie Scraps for giving me this award! The requirments to accept this award are :
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Tell 7 things about yourself (see above)
3. Pass it on to 15 other bloggers

 

I'm passing this award on to:

* Julie K at A Little Bit of Bling 

* Jen at Jen's Craft Corner 

* Tina at Tina's Card Creations 

* Lolis at My Creative Corner 

* Katie at KatieO’s 

* Kara at Kara’s Sweet Creations 

* Krystal at Krystal’s Kreativity 

* Ana Maria at Teach U 14 

* Shelley at My Paper Love 

* Ruby at Handcrafted Simply by Us 

* Amy at **Smooches Stampin’! 

* Linda at  Fancy Framework 

* Jenny at Scrap with Jenny 

* Ms. Nette at Craftin R.N.  

* Terri at Scrappin’ with the Bug 

The last award I received was the Liebster Award.  It is designed to bring new blogs to light. It is a great way to share blogs that might not otherwise be seen or ones you may want to share with others. I am here to honor 3-5 blogs to bring awareness to other wonderful blogs. As a recipient you must share the love and pay it forward by:

1. Creating a post where you blog about the Liebster Award & reveal your 3-5 blog picks.

2. Let them know you chose them

3. Copy & paste the blog award to your blog

4. Have faith that your followers will rally & show their crafty love back out to those you awarded

5. Have FUN!

 This award will is going to:

* Valarie at The Best is Yet to Be

* Rachael at The Accidental Scrapbook

* Jacquee My Closet Crafts   

* Ali at Ali’s Thoughts (Cards n’ More)

Now I am hopping over to all of these wonderful blogs to let them know they have received an award from me.  Please be sure to check them all out too! 

Before you go... I'd like to announce that I will be in my first ever blog hop!  I'm super excited to be joining in on the Happy April Fool's Day Blog Hop hosted by April at It's ... A Joy... To Scrap. She and I (as well as many others I am sure) will have wonderful blog candy for you.  We'd love to have you hop with us!

 This sure was my longest post ever!  Be sure to check back in a few days for the Blog Hop and don't forget to check out all of the wonderful ladies above!  *~*Thanks for stopping by*~*

Bridal Shower Card

First, I want to thank all of those who are new followers and give a big THANKS to Momo for her link up!  I appreciate everyone who visits me :)  It has been such a busy week and I didn't get as much done as I wanted or needed too.  I did, however, make a wonderful card for a bridal shower I attended this morning.  I used the Forever Young cartridge again.  I think it turned out super cute, but I'd love to hear your feedback!

The designer paper did not have glitter on it originally.  I used glitter glue and a toothpick, to give it some sparkle! I'm not sure how well it shows up in the picture.  I also used a piece of vellum (this was my first time) on top of the dress.  I found that you have to be super careful when embossing vellum because it cracks very easily.  I ended up only using my A and B (just one) Cuttlebug plates along with a little bit of junk mail to emboss it.  If anyone has any tips on this, I could definitely use some :)  This dress didn't have a layer feature I liked, so I just cut the dress base twice at different sizes.

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What I used:

* Black Cardstock - cut 8.5" x 5.5" scored in half

* Designer Paper (by The Paper Studio) cut 5.25" x 4"

* Black Cardstock - cut 4.75" x 3.5"

* White Cardstock

* Clear Vellum

* Light Pink Ribbon

* Diamond Glittler Glue (from Wal-Mart)

* Love Stamp - Dollar spot purchase

* Martha Stewart Sterling Embossing Powder

* VersaMark Embossing Ink Pad
* Cuttlebug & Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

Cuts:

* Dress (bottom w/ white paper) -Forever Young cut at 7.5"

* Dress (top layer w/ vellum) - Forever Young cut at 7"

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I linked this up at

I have a lot of cards/projects to accomplish over the next couple of weeks.  Hopefully it won't take me so long to post the next time.  Be sure to check back in a few days! *~*Thanks for stopping by*~*

Thank You Card!

Yea for Friday!  This is the last day of Spring Break for me and while it has been productive (not as far as card making goes though), I do miss my kiddos and am excited to get back to school. I made this card for a spectacular friend of mine, to thank her for being so wonderful!  I used the Forever Young cartridge this time.  I really like this cartridge because it has so many cute girly cuts on it. This is was the perfect occasion for my first project with it.

 I couldn't decide which picture to post because I liked them both so much.  I decided to post them both! I glittered the shoes with black glitter after I cut them out.  I also added glossy accents to the insides and heels.

What I Used:

* Black Cardstock - cut 8.5" x 5.5" scored in half

* Dark Pink Cardstock - cut 4" x 5.25"

* Designer Paper (I can't remember who it is made by)

* Black & Pink Scraps for High Heels

* Hero Arts Stamps - Everyday Sayings

* Dark Grey Ribbon from Hobby Lobby

* Gems (pink flowers and silver circles) by The Paper Studio

* Black Glitter

* Glossy Accents

Cuts:

* High Heels - Forever Young Cartridge - cut at 3.5"

I linked this up at 

I'd love to hear your thoughts :)  I have lots of cards I need to make over the next couple of weeks so be sure to come back in a few days for something new!  ~Thanks for stopping by~

To the Bride & Groom

Another card with yet another cartridge!  This time I chose Simply Charmed. This card is for a couple that is getting married in May.  Their wedding invite was in blue, that is why I chose to use blue papers for the card. 

 I wanted the cake itself to have a shimmer, but unfortunately because I live in a small city I can't just buy one piece of shimmer paper in the color I want.  So, I made my own. First, I cut the cake out.  Then, I painted it with pearl fabric paint.  After it dried I ran it through my Cuttlebug with my d'vine swirls folder.  It turned out just how I hoped it would!

I added the flowers and the pearls to give it a finished look.  I also colored the cake stand with a silver sharpie marker to make it look shiny.  Finally, I attached the cake to the card using pop dots and tied a ribbon at the top.

What I Used:

* Simply Charmed Cricut Cartridge - Cake Cut at 3.5"
* Navy Blue Cardstock Cut at 11" x 4.25" - Scored at 5.5"
* Light Blue Cardstock Cut at 5" x 3.75"
* Medium Blue Card Stock Cut at 4.75" x 3.25"
* D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug Folder
* Love Language Cuttlebug Folder (part of a die/emboss combo)
* 2 mm pearls by The Paper Studio
* Tulle Flowers by Wilton
* Silver Ribbon (from Wal-Mart)
* Pearl White Fabric Paint
* Silver Sharpie

There isn't anything too sparkly about this one, but there is lots of shimmer. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check back in a few days for something new!

I linked this up at:

Baby Shower Card

I'm so excited to finally get to post this card!  I made it weeks ago, but it was for a surprise party so, I couldn't post it until now.  This is a baby shower card that I made for a wonderful friend at work who is expecting her first baby (girl) in May.  We had her baby shower yesterday. 

 

What I Used:

*Paper:  Chocolate Brown Cardstock Cut 5.5" x 8" and Scored in Half, White Paper Cut 5.5" x 2", Scrap Paper for Carriage & Sentiment
* Cuttlebug & Swiss Dots Folder
* Fiskars Apron Lace Border Punch
* Hot Pink Ribbon with White Polka Dots from Hobby Lobby
* Hot Pink Flowers (sent to me for free from www.cropstop.com with my last order)
* Silver Gems
* Hero Arts - Everyday Sayings Stamps (congratulations)
* Pink Ink (it was actually an ink stick)

Cuts:

* Carriage Cut at 3" - Potpourri Basket (originally on New Arrival)

This is one of my favorite cards so far.  I'd love to hear your comments. I hope you'll check back in a few days for something new!  *~*Thanks For Looking*~*

Another Sympathy Card

I would love to start out with some wonderful news.  I have won my very first blog candy!  I am so excited to be receiving a pair of Cutter Bee scissors from Alex at You Had Me At Craft. I've heard such good things about these scissors and can't wait to try them myself.  If you haven't checked out Alex's blog, you definitely should.  She makes so many cute projects!

On to the card I have made...  Here lately it seems like I make a lot of sympathy cards.  It makes my heart so sad to know we are losing so many great people in this world.  On the other hand, it makes me happy to know that I can create something to brighten the lives of people who have lost friends and loved ones.  Recently a friend of mine lost a very close friend and colleague.  I made this card to let her know she was in my thoughts during such a difficult time.

 

What I used:

* Dark purple colored cardstock cut 5.5" x 8" and scored in half
* White cardstock cut 5.25" x 4"
* Cuttlebug Divine Swirls embossing folder
* Glitter glue - Tulip fabric paint - diamond glitter
* Stickles - green
* Silver gemstones
* Purple flowers sent to me (for free with my purchase!) by everythingbyhand on ebay 
* Scrap paper: dark purple, light purple, and dark green 

 Cuts: 
* Butterfly - from Potpourri Basket cut at 3"
* "You're On My Mind" - from Lyrical Letters cut at 2"

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you will be back in a few days to see a new project!!! 

Four Legged Friends - Sympathy Card

As promised, I finally have a project that is made with a cartridge other than Create-a-Critter!  I made this card for a wonderful friend who recently lost a dear family member.  She is a huge dog lover, so I immediately thought of using my Four Legged Friends cartridge.  It was just the perfect thing to lift her spirits and I am so glad I could put a little sparkle in her day!

What I Used:
*Chocolate colored cardstock cut 5.5" x 8" and scored in half
*Glitter designer paper - from The Pet Stack by DCWV cut 2" x 5.5"
*Blue Ribbon
*Heart with paw - Four Legged Friends - cut @ 2"
*"Thinking of you" w/shadow - Classic Cricut Font - cut @ 1"
*Glitter Glue (I actually used fabric puffy paint)
*Various cardstock scraps

Thanks for looking.  Be sure to check back in a few days for another project!