croppin!

I went cropping yesterday and had a great time! I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but I love everything that I made. The only thing I can share right now is this page that I made for the My Little Shoebox January sketch challenge. Thanks to Leslie for gifting me with these fabulous papers!






























Here is the sketch:

wanna be a queen?

I saw this on one of my friends' blogs and thought - this might be biting off more than I can chew right now, or it might be just the thing to get me out of my scrap funk. Check it out

Leah's giving blog candy to Envious followers!

Check it out, Leah is giving away some blog candy to NVS followers, go to her blog HERE to see the deets. and while you are at it, if you haven't done it yet, check out the january challenge. She has the deets on that on her blog too.

in other news, I got my prize from pink paislee at it is AWESOME! I will be sharing the love around in the near future.

check it out - this is it!

and in still other news, and update from my weekend. I thought I was doing better on thursday after learning that I didn't make the webster's pages team on wedneday. But when it came time to scrap, I wasnt so sure. I procrastinated it a little. Then I finally made myself do it because the scrapbook nook was having an online crop. Well that just made it worse. I felt like I had to complete all of these layouts this weekend for the crop, and as I worked on them, not feeling the mojo at all, I was thinking WHAT am I doing this for! I am making layouts that I don't like. I am making myself do my hobby when I don't feel like it, and for what? So I stopped. Then I felt depressed. Then finally I said, 'screw it! I am going to scrap because I wanna scrap, and I am just going to play. I am not 'in it to win it' with

this Nook crop thing, and that's ok.' So I scrapped a little more. I played with my cricut (which I had had for about 6 months and never really took the time to learn how to use.) I played with my texture boutique and did some embossing. I dug through my scraps and pulled out things that I loved even though they weren't current and weren't going to win me anything. and it was good.

Here is a page that I am loving right now, from a sketch that I made for myself last week in anticipation of the crop. I am really into monochromatic and borders and textures right now. can ya tell? lol oh and this is some of the pink paislee stuff that was in that prize pack!

I'm so pretty grey monochromatic card

I made a card for the moxie fab tuesday trigger this week. I always think that I am going to do it, and I always end up not getting time. This time I did! I also combined it with the Grey is the new black challenge.

This is the trigger: Im so pretty



















and here is my card. I think it's pretty easy to see how I was inspired. I combined this trigger with the 'grey is the new black challenge' also from the movie fab blog, and with the monochromatic card challenge from the nook's virtual crop. I didn't have grey flowers, so I took the brand new white ones that I bought today at joann's, I think the trim that I cut these from is simplicity brand. EVERYONE has these ribbon trims now! Anyway, I had 2/3 of a yard and guess how many flowers were on that? 9 - just enough! I used what was left of my grey smooch spritz. I love how these turned out though! they aren't just grey, they are sparkly too! I also used some coredinations cardstock, which I embossed and sanded. Got that at joann 6 for 96c ! can you believe that?! and that silver trim is Webster's Pages.

ACOT Glitz Reveal

This month I got to work with Glitz Hoopla, and I was surprised by how much I LOVED it! I have always liked Glitz, but this line is just amazing! I used every scrap and am seriously considering going back for seconds! See my whole reveal at ACOT HERE.

Here is one page that I just HAD to work on last night after I saw the sketch posted on the Glitz blog. Noel Culbertson made this sketch. So this page was a last minute addition to my reveal, and unfortunately I had to use the scraps that were leftover, but I still kinda adore it! I also found in working with this line, that I had a lot of stuff that matched perfectly! Sassfrass Lass Indie Girl has some greens that match great, and I even had some basic grey felties from an older basic grey line that were perfect as well.

Pagemaps sketch + ACOT Glitz reveal

This month I did a reveal with Glitz Hoopla and boy do I love it! It will go live later today, but for now, here is a page that I made with the pagemaps contest sketch for this month

I won! and some thoughts

Thank you to everyone who voted for me over at Pink Paislee! I did win and I will be sure to let you know when I receive my prize.

In other news, I have most of December's Nook kit to sell. I thought I was going to use it because it's really nice and would be my style, but I really don't do Christmas. So, I have two sheets each of 9 double sided My Mind's Eye Holly Jolly papers (that's a total of 18 sheets!), the coordinating 12x12 chipboard sticker sheet, and a sheet of coordinating letter stickers from Pink Paislee. This would retail for $22. I'm asking for $18 shipped.

and now some thoughts - from Jess's blog challenge prompt list for this week over at ACOT

What are your favorite websites right now? Blogs? Where are you spending your online time? Playing games, barely time for email, scrap challenge sites, news sites, Facebook?

Favorite Websites - ACOT, My Scrapbook Nook, Facebook, Google Reader, Webster's Pages Ning Community, SparkPeople and Pogo.

ACOT - love the community, love the store, love the inspiration. That about sums it up

Nook - pretty much the same. It's a very different group of people at the Nook and I do more lurking than posting, but I really enjoy the variety. And of course the kits are great too.

Facebook - well duh! isn't it obvious? to keep up on news of not just my friends but my old acquaintances, and my favorite scrapbook companies and groups.

Google Reader - because to list my favorite blogs would take FOREVER! I 'read' a ton of blogs - mostly scrapbook related. Tons of challenge blogs, tons of manufacturers and magazines and some of my friends and favorite scrappers' personal blogs. I could never keep up with them all without my google reader.

Webster's Pages Ning - well I haven't really kept it a secret that I applied for the Wesbster's DT, and am anxiously awaiting the results. I know that a TON of people applied and I probably don't have a chance, but that doesnt stop me from being obsessed. I have always checked in with the Webster's community a couple times a month, but now it is a couple times a day.

SparkPeople - a free online community that lets me track my calories and workouts to help with my weight loss. Plus they have groups and boards to help also. LOVE IT!

Pogo - free online site with TONS of games to play. I pay for a subscription so that I can collect badges, but I played for free for a while before I decided to join. Great for when you're bored.

there you have it! that is where you can find me multiple times a day every day - oh and cnn.com

a day late and a dollar short

well, I was planning this week to start a 'wordy Wednesday' or something - where I post something more than just a scrapbook project on Wednesday. Jess is doing a blog challenge over at ACOT and I have been wanting to do more with my blog. But, well, this has been one of THOSE weeks. So, I promise that every week won't be like this, but instead of following a prompt this week, I am just going to share the comedy of errors that is my life this week. Minus a few TMI details. (yeah there IS more than this)

Monday - turned on my computer at work and first thing, got a blue screen. I said, "this is NOT a good omen". boy was I right!

Tuesday - woke up with vertigo. I get it occasionally, but never this bad. It was so bad that I went to sit down on the toilet, missed, fell to the side and hit my head on the sink. Seriously? how do you DO that?! I sit down on a toilet multiple times every day. it should be automatic. Anyway, so needless to say, I didn't go to work. Driving didn't seem like a good idea, and I couldn't look at the computer without wanting to vomit. Spent the whole day sitting on the couch, sort of listening to the TV.

Wednesday - planned to work from home due to the snow. Was really looking forward to working in my PJ's. Ended up not getting much work done (only a few hours) and instead dealing with family drama until past my bedtime. THEN in the middle of the night, Ellie fell out of bed and hit her head. That has never happened before. So, we brought her in our bed for me to hold her until she stopped crying. Seth threw my body pillow out of the bed because it was too crowded. Put ellie back in her bed, went back to sleep, only to be awakened some time later by the dog whining because she couldn't get into the bed because the body pillow was in the way!

Thursday - woke up late, and tired, from all the activity the night before. HA! that sounds like it would be a good thing, but in this case, far from it. Raced out of the house, got 3/4 of the way to work (which is a 45 min drive BTW) and realized that I had left my work computer at home! Had to turn around and go back for it! (luckily seth brought it and met me part way so I didnt have to go ALL the way home, but still)

So, despite all that, I am in a good mood. How weird is that?! Yeah I lost two personal days, and it is only January, but whatever, it's almost funny. right? you are laughing, right?

Ok, because I think every blog post should have a photo, I got my prize from the Webster's Pages December digital challenge - which was a gift certificate to the digital store at Webster's. I, of course, jumped at the chance to get the new Spring Market stuff. And I couldnt help staring at it at work and a card just jumped into my head. I can't wait to make some pages, but for now, this gave me the fix I needed. I put glossy accents on the boots, because, they just looked like they were screaming to be shiny. I took this photo before the glossy accents had dried completely. So I can't tell if the ink of the boots bled (since I printed them on my printer) or if that is just the not totally dried glossy accents making them look less than crisp. Anyway, everything on this card, except the cardstock, the ribbon, the chipboard little frame and the letter stickers, are Webster's Pages digital elements that I printed out and cut up. The green frame around the boots is from the Life's Portrait collection. I changed the color a little to make it match this collection. I also used pop dots under the boots, and the striped piece.

mother's day card

This is for the My Mind's eye card blog challenge.

Birthday card for a bunch of challenges

Here is a card that I created for a bunch of challenges. I started with the Nook kit, and the card color challenge then I used the sketch from priscillastyles this week. Since I needed a birthday card, I took the birthday card challenge from stamping royalty and charisma cardz. This is also for the buttons challenge at do you stack up.

Finally, this is for the anything goes challenge at kaboodle doodles and the distressing challenge at phindys place.

carp! I just realized that I forgot to post the name of the digi stamp designers (I combined two). I will post it when I get home.

new NVS challenge is up!

Here is the inspiration: (sponsored by candy shoppe designs)















and here's my take. which is from a pagemaps sketch

Featured at Pink Paislee - please vote!

My layout from my Sweetness reveal is one of the First Friday featured layouts at the pink paislee ning gallery. check it out and please vote ! http://livepink.ning.com/

here is the layout, but please go vote! you don't have to be logged in or anything, and you can vote multiple times apparently

I'm hosting a Submission Challenge at ACOT

I know that I need to get my rear in gear and do more submitting, so I am hosting a submission challenge all year over at acherryontop.com

It is going to be in the 'our little pub' forum and every month I will post a thread asking if you submitted. if you did, I will enter your name into a drawing. The drawing will be every few months (3 or 4) depending on my finances and I will send a RAK to one random winner.

I want to see some of my pals in publications! so get submitting, you have nothing to lose!

Here is the forum: http://www.acherryontop.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=160

and now, because I don't like doing a post without a photo. Here is the calendar that I made for my Webster's Pages DT submission and gave my grandmother for Christmas. (I'm holding back the other parts of my submission because I want to submit them)

you can see the rest of it and read some details on how I created it (hybrid of Webster's Pages Wonderfall traditional, and life's portrait and hollywood vogue digi) HERE.

I won at Webster's Pages for the Dec digi challenge!

Check it out I am so excited! I won the December Digital/Hybrid Challenge at Webster's pages for this hybrid card that I created.

Congrats to Mitsue for her win also! for her gorgeous digital page. LOVE her work! and I am very proud to be sharing the spotlight this month with her!

we went to the nutcracker!

This is not my usual style, but when I saw these papers I had to use them for a page about our recent trip to see the nutcracker. Unfortunately, we couldnt really take photos in the show, so I had to make do with some photos that I found online, and one of us on our way there. I also really wanted to include the tickets and some journaling. So before I knew it, the page was pretty cluttered. I decided to just go with it. the journaling is hidden on two tags tucked behind the title. I masked the background so that the outside of the paper is sprayed pink and there was a large unsprayed square in the middle. You can't really tell from this photo, but I went to town adding little touches of glitter on the cupcakes, the flowers, and the blue dots that rim the title frame. All the sweets and pretty accents really echo the mood that I was trying to create, which matches the gorgeous costumes from the second act of the ballet.

thank you card

This thank you card is for a bunch of challenges but the one that really got me going was the webster's pages thank you card challenge. I needed a thank you card, and I am just addicted to the wonder fall line. I am so sad that I may only get one more item out of that line, and I am all out of the beautiful daisies that were part of it - I cut them all out and used them already. Oh I was pining for one of those sunflowers when I made this! Anyway, I used a sketch (MMSC83) from priscillastyles. this is also for the papertake weekly, and cute card thurs and c.r.a.f.t blog and phindy's place (which is a new to me challenge blog and digi stamp manufacturer, and they are having a DT call too! check it out! and thanks to Anne for suggesting it to me) challenges to make thank you cards. why did everyone have thank you card challenges this week? I feel like I should make more than one, but I only need one thank you card. plus, I really like this one!

Products:
Papers, trims, stickers and vellum from Webster's Pages WonderFall
trim from maya road
cardstock from bazzill
pin from jenni bowlin
rub-ons from fancy pants and crate paper
flower from making memories

AND my new cricut cartridge - lacy labels. I love it already! thanks Seth!