Blog Candy WINNER!

Hi, everyone!

Thanks to all of you who left comments to win my Anniversary Blog Candy! I enjoyed reading all of your stories of weddings, anniversaries, and love! :)

I used Random.org to choose the winner... Sheila Davis! Congratulations!

Sheila, email me your address and I'll get your goodies out to you right away!

I can't thank all of you enough for visiting me every day! You all are the best! :)

Have a great day!

Christina

When Life Hands You Snow...

You make snowman cards! We're in the middle of a big snow storm -- several inches of snow, followed by ice, followed by several more inches of snow! Here are some photos of what I woke up to this morning...

This first photo was taken from my front porch. Look at all the ice on the tree!

Here's a view from my back door, looking across the deck.

This is the second day my kids have been off school, so it's a little crazy around here! I finally managed to sneak downstairs and stamp last night. Here's the card I made for yesterday's SCS Color Challenge -- Garden Green, Pacific Point and Baja Breeze. I wasn't loving this combo when I first saw it, but it really has grown on me! I used the set A Scarf for Three by MFT Presents, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer. The DP is Ski Slope by SU!. I colored with a combination of Copics and a blender pen & SU! inks. The hats are paper pieced with the DP.

My next card is for today's ATS Wednesday Challenge, Brads Galore. I used 14 brads along the scallops -- I don't think I have ever had that many brads on a card before! The images are from Winter Bear by C.C. Designs, and the paper is from the Be Merry collection by My Minds Eye. I colored with Copics, and I used some Icicle Stickles for the snow. The center snowman is popped up on dimensionals.

If you want to play along with the brads challenge, use keyword ATSDTC34. Then upload it to the Challenge Gallery so we can see it! Go HERE to see a list of all the challenges -- play along at any time!

Well, that's it for today! I'm going to drink my coffee and watch the snow fall! Hopefully I'll get some stamping done, too! Thanks for visiting today -- I'm so glad you stopped by!

Have a great day!

Christina

Gift Certificate Winner!

I've chosen the winner of the $5 gift certificate to All That Scraps, using Random.org.

Random Sequence Generator
Here is your sequence:
31

The winner is...

Lori A. said...
Cute card! I love that leaf ribbon. Very cool. Thanks

Congrats, Lori! Email me (the link is under my photo) and give me your email address, so I can pass it on to Christine! :)

Thanks to everyone who participated! It was fun hearing from all of you!

Have a great day -- thanks for stopping by!

A Sadie Review and a Giveaway!

Hi, everyone! Happy Friday! I have a "Review Preview" of the new Sadie stamps from Stampin' Spot Studio, manufactured by C.C. Designs. I've already shown you Birthday Sadie, and this one is Thanksgiving Sadie! There's a Christmas Sadie, too!

The paper is Autumn Vine from SU!, available in the Holiday Mini Catalog. I absolutely *love* it! I colored Sadie with Prismacolor Pencils and OMS, and I sponged around the image and sentiment. I found this gorgeous leaf ribbon at my LSS a couple weeks ago, and it was perfect for this card!

Now, how about a GIVEAWAY?!?!? If you're looking for the $5 gift certificate to All That Scraps, you've come to the right place! :) To win, just leave a comment here on this post. On Tuesday morning, I'll choose a winner using Random.org.

Thank you for visiting today! I hope you have a great weekend planned! Have a fantastic autumn day! :)

Stamps: Indian Sadie (Stampin' Spot Studio) Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Sage Shadow (SU!) Cardstock: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Autumn Vine dsp (SU!) Other: Prismacolor Pencils; Turpenoid; Vintage Brads, stamping sponge, stampin' dimensionals (SU!); leaf ribbon (May Arts)

Giveaway Winner and More Dirty Cards!

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope your weekend was a great one! The first thing I need to do is to announce my Giveaway Winner! Thanks so much to all of you who commented on my post! I'm so happy and humbled to know that you all are out there, and that you like what I have to share!! THANK YOU!!

I used Random.org to get the winner, and the number is:

Random Sequence Generator
Here is your sequence:
81

The winner is: Lorene said...
....congrats!!! What a treasure trove of goodies...hope I win!!

Congrats, Lorene! Email me with your address, and I'll get those goodies out to you! :)

Okay, on to the cards. I have two more Dirty Dare Challenge cards to share with you. This first one was for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge. I love Cuppacakeabella, and I don't use her nearly enough! I pulled the colors from this American Crafts paper. I colored with Copics and added Stickles to the cupcake. The background was done with the Spots & Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder.

This second card couldn't be more different than the first! The size is 4.25" square. Since I just didn't have the time to do all the DTGD challenges I wanted to do, I combined FOUR of them on this card! I did Lauren's monochromatic challenge, Joan's silhouette challenge, Julia's stitching challenge, and Laura's distressing challenge. Whew!! I often work with images that need to be colored, so I'd forgotten how much I love this style of card. I think more of my earlier cards had solid images and texture. My favorite color is brown (really, it is), so of course that's what I chose for my color scheme. I used the SU! set Fresh Cuts (my first time inking it up *gasp!*). The cardstock is Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, and Kraft. Ink is Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel. I slipped a little natural hemp twine through the Chocolate Chip ribbon and frayed the ends.

I still have lots of projects on my "to do" list, so I'd better get to work! Thank you so much for visiting today -- have a fantastic day! :)

It's My BLOGAVERSARY!

Good morning! Happy Thursday to you! Today is my First Blogaversary! I can't believe how fast this year has flown, and I can't believe how much has happened. I remember a year ago I was tossing around the idea of starting a blog, but I just wasn't sure I had enough "stuff" to make it interesting. I had seen so many of my stamping "heros" (whose blogs I still stalk) who had amazing creations to share every day -- could I do that? And would anyone even read it?

It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. So much has happened since then. I have pushed myself to be better and to try new things. I'm on a fantastic Design Team. I've been asked to be a Guest Designer. I've been published. I NEVER saw it all happening a year ago. And truly, the best part of my decision to blog is that now I have all of you new "friends" to share the ride with me!!!! ((((friends)))))

So, to celebrate with you, my friends, and to thank you for visiting me, I have a Blogaversary Giveaway! Last weekend, while cleaning my stamp area, I came across lots of extra goodies! Here's what you can win:

Two retired SU! hostess sets, So Lovely and Reason to Smile

SU! Prints 6 x 6 pack

Gelly Roll Glaze Clear Pen

SU! Flower Fusion felt flowers

Black and White Magic Mesh

SU! Square Vellum Metal Edge Tags

Lots of fun ribbons!!

All you have to do is comment on THIS post -- ask a question, leave a comment, or just say hi! I'll choose a random winner on Monday morning, July 28. Good luck! :)

Before I go, I want to share another card I made for the Dare to Get Dirty '08 Challenges. This was for JulieHRR's challenge to make a Clean and Simple (CAS) card with lots of white space! NOT an easy challenge for me! I used the set Nature Silhouettes by Cornish Heritage Farms. I scored two lines with my Scor-pal, and I added some brads. This was one of the quickest cards I've made in ages! Maybe I could get used to this style after all... ;)

Have a great day, everyone! THANK YOU so much for making my first year of blogging a great one! HUGS!!!

Edited 7/28: I've chosen the winner -- see today's post for more! :)

Giveaway Winner and Some MFT Fun

We have a winner of my Birthday Giveaway!!! I really enjoyed reading about all your birthday celebrations! I used random.org to choose the winning entry, and the winner is pat s.! She said:

Hi Christina!Congratulations on your birthday, and the success of your
blog! I am one of your daily readers...it's always fun and inspiring :)Thank you
for celebrating with a great give-away!My favorite birthday celebration was when
I turned 50 (that was very recently :) My stamping buddies through me a surprise
over-the-hill party, complete with a black cake!

Pat, email me with your address (under my photo) and I'll get your goodies out to you!! :)

I have one last teacher gift to share. This is a gift card holder I made for Celebrating MFT Day on the MFT Forum at Splitcoaststampers. I used a Petaloo magnetic tag (they are soooo cool) and the set Baby It's Cold Oustide. There's a whole lotta sparkle on this one!! I used three different kinds of Stickles and one of my fave Glitter Dots. Her coat and scarf are paper pieced. I found the fibers in my stash, and the red and pink were perfect! Plus, they have more sparkle!

I can't believe Christmas is just a few days away! I'm just about ready! ;) Have a great Friday!

Stamps: Baby, It's Cold Outside (MFT) Ink: Basic Black, White Craft, Bashful Blue Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Whisper White Paper: Winter Bright SS Kit Other: Petaloo magnetic tag, Heidi Swapp ghost shape, Candy Cane Stickles, Stardust Stickles, Frosted Lace Stickles, SU! Markers (Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue), Glitter Dot, glue dots, fibers, silver cord, sponge, dimensionals

Celebrate With Me! It's a Giveaway!

Today is my birthday. I'm 42. Birthdays are typically a time when I look back over the past year and its ups & downs (and most of all give thanks that I've made it through another one!). This year I have much to celebrate. I am fortunate to be healthy and to have healthy family and friends. I have a wonderful husband and four beautiful children. I'm a papercrafter. I am able to do something every day that I LOVE and that hopefully brings joy to others as well. I can't believe how much has happened in just this last year. I started this blog in July, and it is something that has brought new abilities, new friends, and new opportunities. I recently passed 25,000 hits -- that just blows my mind. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to visit me every day!! This year, I was chosen to be on my first Design Team, and I can't thank Christine and Amy at All That Scraps enough for having faith in me. I was asked to be Jen del Muro's Guest Designer for December -- what a thrill! Also, this month, I was published for the first time!! Several of my cards are featured in the Winter 2008 issue of Take Ten magazine, on pages 52-53, as part of their "Variations on a Theme." Check it out if you get a chance!!

Like I said, it's been a great year! *smile* Sometimes I feel like I need to pinch myself to be sure it's really happening! With all these things to celebrate, I thought I'd give a birthday gift to YOU!!! I'm having my first Celebration Giveaway! I'm giving away some Studio G Clear Stamps and a Clear Block, 12 SU! Long Notes with envelopes, Candy Cane Stickles, some Got Flowers? by Prima in blue and pink, and lots of fun ribbon! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Tell me about your favorite birthday, how you like to celebrate birthdays, or just say hi! On Friday morning, December 21, I'll select a random number to be the winner!


Thanks so much for celebrating with me -- have a fantastic day!! :)