Thank You!

Apparently I'm on a Thank You-Card kick because I've shown you one everyday this week!  Well today is no different, I'm afraid, but this one is so fun :).  My husband works in the corporate world for the best big box retailer out there (hehe, I'm sure you'll figure out which one) and he needed a thank you card.  So ...here's what I came up with! 

I popped up my faux-Bullseye!  Isn't he ADORABLE?!

Thanks for stopping :)

A Teacher Thank You Card

Happy Tuesday!  My oldest daughter {just turned 4} will be completing her first year of preschool in about a month so I decided to get a jump start on her teacher's gift.  I haven't quite decided what I want to make her yet because, thanks to Pinterest, I have about 37 ideas and am having a hard time choosing. :)  BUT, I did get her card made so that's a start.

I used the EAD Designs Back to School Stickerz, ABC Background Sticker, and the Thank You Sentiments.    

I made it sort of collage style and popped up all the little characters.  The glue and scissors and the paintbrush and pencil I glued together. 

 

I hope she likes it :)  Thanks for stopping by!

EAD Blog Hop: Peace in the Hood Stickerz

Hi everyone!  Welcome to the EAD Designs Weekly Blog Hop!  You should have arrived from Julie Ranae, but if not please head back over to the EAD Blog to start from the beginning.  Remember to leave some love on all of the blogs (including the EAD blog) for your chance to win this weeks goodies!  

This is my final hop as March's Guest Designer {*tear} and I must say it's been SUCH an honor to design along side of these very talented ladies.  A HUGE thank you to Emily and EAD Designs for allowing me the opportunity and for creating such awesome product to work with!  I truly big {puffy} heart EAD! 

Alright, enough mush--on to the project!  This week I used the Peace in the Hood Stickerz.  LOVE the colors of this set!  

 

So fun!  I only popped up the middle flower :)

Again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone at EAD for the amazing opportunity! :)  Your next stop is one of my favs, Lauren from Lauren's Creative!

Stop by tomorrow to see the card I made for my daughter's teacher as part of her end of the year gift (yes, I am way ahead of things!) with some more EAD Goodies!

 

EAD Hop: Pocket Full of Sunshine Stickerz

Good morning (afternoon, or evening!)  I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Last week was jam packed with fun for me--I went on a scrapbooking/crafty getaway with my sister.  It was so nice to spend some time with her.  She is due with baby #2 in about 2 weeks so our crafty time together will be put on hold for a bit!  While away, I got some great projects done and even more started, and I'm so excited to share them with you! 

It's Monday so of course that means it's time for another FABULOUS EAD Hop!  I actually have two cards for this hop.  I worked on several projects with my EAD goodies so there's lots to show :).  You should have arrived from the fabulous Judith, but if not make sure you start at EAD's Blog!  You definitely want to check out the awesomeness of the DT and get in on the giveaway for the week!

For both of my cards, I used the Pocket Full of Sunshine Stickerz.  SO cute!  

I am a {serious} self-proclaimed cheese ball; the cheesier, the better!  Of course, when I find something that enables my cheesiness, I run with it.  Such is the case with my first card ...

    HA!  I love it!  My husband thinks I'm the biggest nerd because I think it's so funny! :)

My second card doesn't register on the cheese-o-meter, but it sure is cute!

 I think it's hard to see, but I 'covered' her nose in sunscreen (read: my white gel roll pen and glossy accents).  

Now it's to hop on over to the AH-MAZ-ING Lauren! 

Make sure to come back tomorrow to see some more EAD awesomeness :).  Thank you!

EAD Hop: Thinking of You Sentiment Rub-Ons

Hello Monday, we meet again! :)  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  We were busy with my not-so-little Ms.' 4 year birthday party. It was fun, but I. AM. BEAT.

It's time for another EAD Hop!  You should have arrived from the ever-so-lovely Julie Ranae, but if not make sure to visit the beginning at EAD Designs so you can take a peek at the awesome giveaway for the week!

This week I decided to use the Thinking of You Sentiment Rub-Ons. 

 I sound like a broken record, I'm sure, but EAD Rub-Ons can't be beat!  

   

Make sure you leave some love at every stop, including the EAD Blog at the very end for your chance to win!

LAUREN is your next stop and we all know she NEVER disappoints!  

 

See you tomorrow!

EAD March Color Challenge!

Hey everyone!  Aren't these colors B.E.A.UTIFUL together?!  I LOVE them and yet I never would have paired them up?!  That, my friends, is just one reason to participate in EAD's Color Challenge every month ...you are exposed to some awesome color combos that may not tickle your fancy if you were to just throw them together yourself!  Another reason, as if you needed another, is because EVERYONE that plays along will receive a 25% off coupon to use in the EAD Store AND one lucky participant will win a $20 gift certificate and the opportunity to be the next months Guest Designer :)  YAHOO!  This means you should DROP what you are doing right now and RUN to your crafty spot.  Start creating ....as soon as your done looking at all the purdy projects we've all created!   

 

This little ol' creation is actually going to one of my husband's {bachelor} friends.  I kept it simple and not-so-girly for that reason but I really love how it turned out.  The picture really does not do it justice!  Doesn't that blue really POP! off the card against the other colors?  Love, love, love!  

 In the Park Stickerz

These are the stickerz we used--SO fun!  I love the hints of orange in there.  Very nice!  

Alright, the time is now!  RUN {not with scissors}, don't walk!  Go get your craft on so you can have the chance to be April's Guest Designer!  I've had so much fun already, I'm dreading the end of the month :)

Ready. Set. GO! {and when you're done, don't forget to LINK up HERE!}

EAD Hop: Coffee Shop Stickerz

Hello and Happy Monday!  Welcome the EAD Designs Monday Blog Hop!  To say that I am {SO} super excited to be their Guest Designer this month is an absolute understatement :).  Can't wait to share this month with you and showcase EAD Designs wonderful product.  Let's do this!

You should have arrived here from EAD's blog, if not make sure sneak on back because you surely want to start at the beginning!  While you're there, make sure to check out the awesome giveaway this week :)

I just love the Coffee Shop Stickerz--aren't they SO cute?! 

I'm a Caribou fan and every time I see these stickerz, it sends me into a coffee crave.  YUM! 

Make sure you leave some love at every stop, including the EAD Blog for your chance to win!

Your next stop is the absolutely lovely (and one of my most favorite crafty blog friends), LAUREN!  

Remember, Thursday starts the March Color Challenge--please join us!   

Exciting week ahead!

Hey, hey everyone!  

I know I haven't posted a ton of crafty in the last couple weeks--shame on me, I'm missing my paper and scissors something fierce!

Actually, I've been busy with more birthday prep for my 'biggest' little that turns 4 soon.  She's having a "Mermaid" birthday and has requested a cake (so no cupcake toppers needed), and other things that I don't have to necessarily make.  I do have a banner (apparently I'm on a banner roll, LOL!) that I'll share with you very soon.  

 I've also taken on a new venture--Thirty-One Gifts!  If you haven't heard of this company, you are missing out most definitely.  On the right side of my blog, you'll see a button that says I'm an independent consultant--go ahead, click on it!  Check it out!  You'll fall in love!  Perfect scrap/crafty organizational tools, super cute totes, purses, etc. ;) 

This weekend I am helping my {very} pregnant sister prep for baby #2 so I'll be, once again, away from my craft room.  BUT ...the good GREAT news is, I WILL be back on Monday for my first Guest Designer Appearance on EAD Designs weekly hop! 

I am BEYOND thrilled and I really, really hope you'll come hop along with us!  There's always an awesome giveaway, you'll see some AH-MAZ-ING inspiration, and well ...there's always me *cough*cough*  :) You DO want to come support me, don'tcha?  LOL! 

See ya Monday!

Happy 4th Birthday Banner!

Happy Tuesday!  We're all waiting for the 'big' snowstorm to arrive here in MN (I'm crossing everything I own, that it won't) so I thought I'd share with you a banner that I made last week.

If you remember my little memory card fiasco (read about that HERE), I wasn't able to take pictures before I sent it to my girlfriend.  Thankfully, she took some pictures for me so I can share them with you!

Her daughter's birthday was Snow White themed, but I don't have any of the Princess cartridges and Snow White paper is hard to find!  So ...I went with Snow White's colors (red, dark blue, light blue, yellow) :).  

The tulle was glittery and the lighter blue, it looked really nice with the darker blue.  This was also my first time making rosettes!  For the most part they didn't give me any trouble.  The tricky part was making sure they were the same size.  

I think it turned out great and can't wait to make another :)

Remember, next Monday I start my Guest Designer Month with EAD Designs!  Don't miss it!!! :)   

EAD Color Challenge Winner!

Hooray! I won! (This is me doing the Roger Rabbit, LOL!) Every month EAD Designs has a Color Challenge in which they challenge us to create something fantastic with the colors of their choosing.  This month it happened to be black and white.   EVERYONE that participates received a 25% coupon and one person, randomly chosen, wins a $20 gift card AND an invitation to be the Guest Designer the following month.  You can see my winning submission HERE.  They also have a weekly blog hop (each Monday) that is spectacular!  

I cannot even tell you how excited I am to have been chosen!  YAHOO!  I have always been a HUGE fan of EAD so I'm super pumped to be able to help showcase their awesomeness for an entire month!

I hope you'll join me :)

See you soon!

Love

Hello!  Long time, no talk :)  What. A. Week.  Let me take this moment to do a little PSA...

Earlier this week I went to take some pictures of some work I had just finished, only to find out that my memory card called it quits.  UGH.  {insert huge groans and LOTS of tears from yours truly}  Unfortunately, that little memory card still held all of the pictures we've taken since about December 1st.  All of my Christmas pictures--GONE!  My sweet little lady's 2nd birthday party--GONE!  All of the extraordinary pictures of our ordinary days--GONE! I cannot even tell you how many hours of sleep that I have NOT gotten this week or how many tears I have cried.  While it could have been a lot worse (we've had that darn thing completely FULL before), my heart shatters into a million little pieces everytime I think about it.  So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE clear your pictures off of your camera! 

Thankfully, I have some awesome friends that have been supportive and have pointed me in some directions that *might* result in salvaging some.  It may be a long shot, but I'm willing to do anything to try!

Ok...off my soap box :)  On to my project!  I wanted to try to sneak in a little EAD Color Challenge action before it was too late.  The colors this month are black and white. 

 

Please forgive the horrible lighting!  I didn't have time to get a new memory card until today and of course, it was dark by the time we got home.  

I had a great time with this!  Black and White aren't colors that I typically use as the primary base for my layouts, but I LOVE how it turned out ;).  I also used the LOVE rub-on from EAD.  SO awesome! 

I also have a double layout to show you but I think I'm going to wait until I better lighting.  I hope the Sun is 'on-duty' tomorrow. HA!  

See you soon!

Happy Birthday my Sweet, Sweet Baby!

At the risk of sounding like a total cliche, where DOES the time go?!  It seems like yesterday I was wondering, OK-maybe pleading, with this sweet little blessing to come join our family and all of a sudden, it's her second birthday! 

Well after 30+ hours of labor and 6 hours of pushing, my perfect little sunshine joined this big ol' world and man, she has given us all a run for our money.  She's spunky, determined, sweet, snugly, stubborn as they come, and ever-so-smart.  Absolutely everything a mama could ask for!  She is AMAZING!

 

2 weeks

2 years

Happy Birthday my Sweet, Sweet Lauren!  You are loved more than words could ever express. :)

I survived the Barnyard Bash!

I did it!  I survived!  The 'Barnyard Bash' for my almost-2 year old went wonderfully!  We had her birthday party yesterday and despite a not-so-great start with my homemade cupcake fiasco--we had so much fun!

 

 So here's the cupcake story:

Plan A: I would make homemade cupcakes with homemade frosting.  All of my guests would RAVE over how wonderful they were and I would be crowned the "Homemade Cupcake Queen."

What really happened:  My vanilla cupcakes were dry and eventually turned into hockey pucks-despite keeping them covered and adding an apple slice to keep them moist.  My vanilla frosting was too soupy, no matter what I did or how much powdered sugar I added.  My chocolate frosting was great for all of 3 minutes.  After that, I couldn't even squeeze my piping bag-it was SO hard.  My husband thought it was fudge! Oops?  I swear I followed the recipes to a T, especially because I had never made them before.  I didn't want to mess with them before trying them!  Needless to say, I was so bummed!  I spent 5 hours trying to make them and make them work and it just didn't happen!  The recipes I found were just off the web--note to self: don't use them again.  Off to Plan B ...

Plan B: Run to Target and PRAY they have 1) birthday cupcakes and 2) enough for all of my guests!  

Plan B was a success :)  

Here are a few more pictures from the shin-dig!

 I love fresh flowers!  I think they add so much to a nice display :)

Here is the birthday girl GLOWING with excitement when I put out the "Cow Patty Cakes."  She was in awe with amazement, LOL!  My little lady is almost 2 ... it's so bittersweet.

Now we're on to the Mermaid Party Scene for my almost-4 year old.  Maybe first I can sneak into my craft room for a little "me" crafting time?  :) I have some challenges I want to join in on before time runs out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hello!

Hey, Hey my crafty friends!  (Hello to my non-crafty friends too! He-He)

My apologies for my scarce postings this week ...I've been kicking it into overdrive with birthday party prep for my little one.  Her birthday party is on Sunday so I've been cooking, cleaning, and creating party 'stuff' in between pre-school, swimming lessons, and all the other daily chores.  Phew! 

I'm really, really excited to pull it all together, it seems like I've been working on party prep for MONTHS! :)  So ... I'll be back on Sunday {post-party} with all the pictures and details on how much a success the party was ;).  I've already decided that after our guests go home, I'm hitting my craft room!  I've seen SO many challenges I'm dying to create for and I really need a break from the barnyard scene, LOL!  

Hope to see you then!

Cupcake Toppers

Hello!  Happy Sunday!  It seems like I was just writing that ...where did the week go?  It's crunch time around here as Round 1 of the birthday celebrations is a week away.  I've been busy making t0-do lists {I'm totally a 'list' person} to make sure all of my i's are dotted and my t's are crossed :).  What can I say, I'm a planner!

I finished up the cupcake toppers for the homemade cupcakes that I'll make closer to the party.  Much like last year, I wanted to try my hand at something new for my little one {See my Elmo cake-pop adventure HERE).  I'm hoping that this year goes just as well as last. Wish me luck! 

This little project was so fun and OH-EM-GEE, EASY!   

Using my Creative Memories Scalloped Circle Punch and Circle Punch, I create the layers.  I decided to use 4 different color combination's for more POP!  The scalloped circle design matches the banner that I made last week--check it out HERE.

Originally I wanted to put a cow, pig, horse, or sheep on each topper ...but, the smaller circle is only 1 1/4" and well, I just couldn't get anything cut cleanly at that size.  So, I did the next best thing!  I used "2" because my little beauty will be 2 and I used "Moo," "Oink," or "Baa."  The font is from Country Life.  

What do you think? Cute, right?  I am so pleased with how they turned out, being this was my first venture into cupcake toppers and I am SUPER excited to see them on my homemade cupcakes!  I'll share those with you next weekend :)

We'll see you soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

Mermaid Birthday!

Mermaid invites: CHECK!  Of the three different types of invites that were on my list, two down-one to go!  High five to self :)!

My oldest daughter is turning 4 {insert more sobbing here} in early March and her birthday theme request: Mermaids.  She was "Ariel" Mermaid for Halloween {red wig and all} so I guess it's her stage at the moment.  I don't have any of the Disney Princess Cartridges to create with, and from what I've read they take quite some time to assemble, so I went with Life's A Beach cartridge instead.  

 

Super simple!  The picture doesn't really do it justice because the colors are so awesome together {blame it on the little sun we've seen lately!}.  I decided to print right on the patterned cardstock, instead of adding another layer, because I hated to cover it up, LOL!

Overall, I'm really pleased with how they turned out and the amount of time they took.  Thanks for stopping! :)

See you tomorrow!

Barnyard Banner!

Birthday prep is in full swing at my house, with two little girls that have birthdays just two weeks apart.  This makes for a very busy mama :)!  I just finished up the banner I made for my almost-2-year-old {insert sobbing here}.  You can check out the invites I made, HERE.

I could NOT find cow print patterned paper ANYWHERE!  So, I did the next best thing and drew the cow spots myself, LOL!  I did not inherit the drawing gene so I hope you can tell they are supposed to cow spots, HA!  At the very least, I hope the banner looks 'country!'

If anyone knows an easier way to capture better photos of banners, I 'd greatly appreciate the help!  They're tricky little buggers.  {It might be easier if we had a mantle, but since we don't (yet), this will have to do!}  Just click on the picture to see it up close and personal :)

 

Next up--cupcake toppers :)  See you tomorrow!

Birthday Wishes

Happy Sunday everyone!  I {big puffy heart} Sundays!  Church, relaxing with the family, football, good times I tell ya.  Anyway, I made my list of my craft to-do's {birthday cards and such} this morning.  I have a rather large list so I figured, no time better than the present to get started. 

Here is the card I made for my Father-in-Law.  I have the BEST in-laws EVER, hands down.  {They don't read this blog so no, I'm not brown-nosing, ha!}  They have a little place on a golf resort that they practically live for in the summer so I thought this was a perfect card for him!  

 The sentiment is an EAD Designs Rub-On ....LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Of course I had to emboss and pop-dot the golf ball :)  

Materials:

•  Golf club/ball: Father's Day Seasonal Cartridge (3 1/4")
• Brads-Recollection's
• "Birthday Wishes" Rub-On-EAD Designs (Find them HERE)
• All cardstock from my scrap bin (YAY!)

I'm entering this card into these challenges:

• Cardz TV
• My Craft Spot
• Celebrate the Occasion

I hope you're enjoying your Sunday!