A "Pinteresting" Hip Hop Thursday!...

Yeah, so I'm a little in LOVE with Pinterest.
Are YOU?

Seriously, every time I turn around there is something I want to cook or make or buy...it is dangerous that way, although since I can't buy any of it I am content window shopping... much more fun online than having to get out to the mall and then not spend money, right?  LOL

What started out as this teeny little "invitation only" group has blown up into one of the highlights of MANY of my friend's days...and I can't say I'm not a huge fan, myself!

So today, at UNITY STAMP CO. for Hip Hop, we are getting PIN-spired...Pinterest Inspired!

I'm using this week's Deconstructed Sketch to kick off my creation today:

LOVE this one- Jen is crankin' out some of my fave sketches to DATE this month and next- so stay tuned!

Today I found a pin that I re-pinned 36 weeks ago... very early in my Pinterest days.  Here it is:

...and HERE is the Unity Stamp Co. stamp set, "The Time is NOW", that it totally reminds me of!

Be sure to check out the UNITY BLOG today where our girl Jen E. (from the block) is kicking off HIP HOP and definitely check back later today too because Unity has some SMOKIN' new releases- SOOOO many it's a Virtual CHA party!  

Last but not least, please send some shout outs and leave some love for our fabulous Deconstructed Sketch team!  Links are on my sidebar this week for this talented bunch of ladies!

A Non-Traditional Valentine...

Hey, everyone!

Today I'm here w/ a fun post using NON-Traditional Valentine's colors for Ribbon Carousel.com's challenge today brought to you by our fabulous DT sister, Suzanne!

I love this challenge and think you will, too!

Today we are combining forces with Paper & Such and a $15 gift certificate is up for grabs to a luck winner this week!  Paper & Such JUST opened in May 2011 and they have some SUPER cute stamps so check them out!

I made this card for my DH for Valentine's day using some pretty Authentique paper and the words couldn't be more true.  We have been through everything together and just like I feel towards the kids- I don't think I could love him more and then I do.  The sentiment is from Verve Stamps and the rose trim I think *may* be out of stock right now at RCC but check out all the other fabulous things I found here! ;)

sorry for the bad pic- I am rushing through my day but wanted to get this posted! Shhhh!  don't tell DH ;)

Well, your day just won't be complete until you visit the Ribbon Carousel CHALLENGE for the rest of the deets on today's challenge- and also, PLEASE visit the amazing group of ladies that make up our Ribbon Carousel DT.   I can't even tell you how much I enjoy these girls and their lovely creations...they have heart and soul and they just plain rock!  Links on my sidebar... seriously- go see what I mean- I adore them <3

See you back here on Thursday, everyone!

xoxo,

My Little Girl...

Hi, everyone!

Just a quick post this quiet Sunday to let everyone know that there's still a bit of time left to play in The Greeting Farm's Customer Challenge & Chit Chat night challenges from this past Friday night!

What FUN we had!

I have to thank our lovely hostess Rachel Parys once again for putting a FABULOUS night together for us and for whipping up some pretty amazing samples too!

Our theme was "A Night at the Bookstore" and there are THREE challenges...I used the "Favorite children's book" theme.

I had NO idea that Tim McGraw had written a children's book a few years ago, titled after his song "My Little Girl".   I absolutely love this carefree story about a girl and her Daddy and how they spend the day together and how sometimes..OFTEN times, actually, doing nothing is doing EVERYTHING.

Seriously, check it out- it's the sweetest book and I read it to the girls quite often :)

For my card, I used Make a Splash Amelia's head/arms and Creeper Sasha's body and boots- the combo totally reminded me of little Katie here in the book :)

The challenges are all listed HERE and they're open until NOON tomorrow, so if a crafty afternoon or Evening is in your future...you know where to FIND us!

xoxo,

Lollipop, Lollipop...a Key Ingredients Blog Hop!...

Hi, everyone!

Have I mentioned HOW EXCITED I am about today's Key Ingredients Blog Hop with the DT?

Well, I must admit- VERY excited.

The best part about my project is hearing the amazement and getting that "you're the coolest Mom EVER" look from my 6 year old ( who still has baby hands and I really, really love that, by the way ;) ...but we'll get to that in a bit...

HOW is everyone today?

I have a fun project to show you using the January Key Ingredients Kit from Taylored Expressions and I love this kit SO much.  I just want to tell you guys too- if you're new and thinking of subscribing, please check out my post HERE and the valentine's I made for my little one's class.  Not only was I able to make all of that, but when you see today's project, too, you'll know JUST how much supply is in this kit- it's a CRAZY good deal!  There are lots of perks for members too, so you can check all of that out HERE.

I wanted to make some coordinating treats to go with my Valentine's for Ava's classroom and it just so happened that the theme for our Key Ingredients DT blog hop is "Classroom Treats!"  Perfecto!

I started by die-cutting some card stock using a Spellbinders die.   I had one here on hand that reminded me of the AMAZING new Taylored Dies I have been wanting and am going to get as soon as they're back in stock!  I wanted one to look like the Medium Layering Doily Die- LOVE it!  Once I was done, I punched out some designer paper included in this months kit and punched out a circle in different coordinating papers for the front of the lollipop cover.   I stamped the "Handmade with Love" sentiment from the "From the Heart" stamp set on each piece. 

I needed to decorate 20 suckers so I die-cut 40 of the "Heart Circles" (Spellbinders), 2 for each one to adhere to the front and back.  The suckers have a square label so I taped down the label so it wouldn't peek through the card stock circles  I cut out:

After I stamped them, adhered the punched out circles of patterned paper, I stamped a bunch of the hearts from the "From the Heart" stamp set onto Choice Snow White card stock (included in kit) and cut out 20 hearts.   I used a dimensional to "pop" them up on the circles and then I got a little sparkly ;)

...ok, YES, I'm obsessed LOL!  So, I grabbed some Stickles in Star Dust, Ruby Slippers, and Fruit Punch and went to town :)  Thankfully we had dinner plans so I left while they were drying or I might have gotten antsy as this was a little "Extra" step I didn't see coming, ha!  Gotta have a little sparkle, right?  Here's a close up of the fun front cover:

Here are the finished products in a little tin:

...and here's one more close-up of the finished products!

Hope you like them!   Ava was SO excited she came barreling around the corner and said "Oh. MY. Gosh, Mom....those. are. SO. CUTE."  When she found out they were for her class for their Valentine's party, her eyes were dancing with excitement and THAT is what it's all about, isn't it? 

I let her put the final touch on these fun Classroom treats:

Voila!  All of the paper, card stock, and ribbon came from the January Key Ingredients kit..  So now, after seeing these and the other projects from this month, you should know JUST how much comes in these awesome kits -so go, subscribe!  If you do, please let me know because I would LOVE to see what you do with the Key Ingredients!

If you are not yet a subscriber, I hope you'll sign up!!!  I would love to see what you make with your kit!  Here are some benefits to signing up :)

º Store Discount. Subscribers will be given a special discount code to save 10% on any order placed between the 10th - 13th of the month to be combined with your subscription shipment. Subscribers in the US may combine your additional items with your KI Subscription shipment for no additional shipping fee. Subscribers outside the US will pay additional shipping costs to combine your additional items with your KI Subscription shipment. You'll receive a reminder e-mail on the 10th of each month which will also include a list of other products that will coordinate with the kit being shipped to you that month. This list is incredibly helpful for those who want to stretch the use of a KI with even more supplies!

º Design Team Inspiration. We'll debut the Key Ingredients kit on the 10th of each month followed by 5 days of inspiring projects posted by the Key Ingredients team right here on the Key Ingredients Blog. Of course, don't forget to check out the gallery where the design team is constantly adding new projects!

º Storage. Subscriber kits will come in a Storage Solutions Plastic Case. This $3.25 value is a special benefit that is FREE to Subscribers.

Here is the direct link to sign up!!  Thanks so much for stopping by!!  Have a great weekend!

Last but not least, my amazing team mates have LOTS more inspiration to bring you so be sure to visit:

• • Corinna McGregor
  • Debbie Carriere
  • Jessie Rone
  • Lea Lawson
  • Monika Davis
  • Thanks so much everyone!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

xoxo,

The Tie that Binds...

Hi, everyone!

I'm here today with another awesome "installment" of the Deconstructed Sketch!  Here is Jen's latest and greatest, DS35:

I love this one, but I think my memory failed me a TEENY bit when putting this together (I didn't have any printer ink, LOL so I committed it to memory...sorta ;)  How funny is that?  Oh well, I'm actually kind of digging on my little variation- check it out:

The papers are all Crate Paper "Portrait" DP and that awesome sentiment is an Authentique die-cut.

Speaking of Authentique, I'm over on the Helmar DT blog with a fun project featuring our Helmar/Authentique week so hope to see you over there!

For now, please stop by:

• Amber Hight
• Arielle Gordon
• Donna Wardle
• Jen Shults
• Jessica Diedrich
• Kadie Ensley
• Lori Boyd
• Pam Varnell
• Sheri Gilson
• Andrea Ewen, Guest Designer
• Tracey Pickersgill, Guest Designer

Thanks everyone!

xoxo,

You Are...

...getting sentimental!

Wait, no, I am!

That's cuz this past Monday's "Monday Fun-day" challenge on the Farm Fresh Challenge Blog was to "get sentimental", so I did just that ;)

I LOVE this sentiment (and such a pretty font!) from the re-released "Lucky Bunnies" set by The Greeting Farm.  I love it and have been thinking it's way too awesome of a sentiment to be tucked away on the inside of a card, don't you agree?

I used some Crate Paper "Emma's Shoppe" DP I had leftover and added a few Prima spray roses and a little bling ;)   I added the "It's Your Day" sentiment which could be used for birthday, a special congrats or celebration, or in this case, maybe a dance competition or two ;)  We shall see!

Be sure to check out all the details of this week's Monday Fun-Day!   Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

xoxo,

My DIRTY. little. secret....

REVEALED!!!!

ACKK!!!!!!

For those of you that know me well, it is VERY hard for me to keep a secret.  Now I'm not talking about confidences, my friends know they can trust me.  I mean when ***I*** have a secret- especially a happy one.  Kind of like when I find a really great gift for someone and want to tell them what it is...or when I get some really great news that would just be sooooo much more fun if I got to share it..to SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS maybe???

Well..... WOWZA.

Today is THAT day!

I have been invited to the Splitcoaststampers DIRTY DOZEN Design Team!

I wish I had more words right now, but I am so, so, so excited that it's been hard to type even this short blog post.  I am HONORED, humbled, HAPPY, still in shock, and well, you could say this gives a whole new meaning to the "Whimsical Butterflies" that have been residing in my STOMACH for the past, oh... LONG time, lol!

Thank you so much for letting me share my DIRTY little secret with you today...and WELCOME also to Charlene Merrick, my Dirty sista!

Well, it's been a weekend that I can hardly comprehend.  SO much happiness.  My boys won their basketball game w/ a record score, and the best part?  When my son Jack scored his first basket of the game (it was a pretty cool shot, I must say ;), and the boys were running back to the other side of the court, Nick jumped around his back and put his arms around him and hugged him.  I wish I had that on film...my heart about burst and of course I burst into happy tears along with my mom ;)  Then, last night,  my daughter's first competitive dance "Showcase" was amazing and brought me to tears again watching her dance...now this.

Life is good...even better being able to share it with YOU!

xoxo,

2012: a year of Faith...hope....LOVE...

Hey, everyone!

Today I have a card for you for our Unity HIP HOP Thursday that also uses the Deconstructed Sketch and I think this is one of my all-time favorite sketches...check it out:

Isn't it SUPER cool?  Jen outdid herself on this one- I seriously LOVE it!

It's also the 1st HIP HOP of 2012 for me since last week wasn't my week and we have a theme this week:

NEW YEAR.  NEW BEGINNINGS...

I'm not much of a 'resolution' girl.  I think maybe it's only because the word resolution when mixed w/ New Year's just has too many connotations of great beginnings w/ not a lot of follow-through...not just for me but for a lot of people I know, too.

Another thing I see a lot of people doing is that "one little word" for the year.  Ummm, hello!  I can't even do Twitter because they cut me off at 140 characters, LOL!  So narrowing down my wishes, goals, hopes and dreams into ONE word?  For some that may be powerful but for me it just isn't easily done.

...anyway, there are lots of things that I have my sights set on for 2012.  There are new ventures...there are continued goals, and increasing faith in God.  There is hope that the one yet unresolved situation in my life will be resolved...hope that through the depths of what seems like much unhappiness/unrest for someone I used to know, hope that enlightenment will find them..and that they will decide to stop living in the past even though they don't even realize they still are...hope that they can peacefully move on... but most of all, there's just love.  

There is so much love, growing love, for my family and friends.  There is love I didn't know that could grow any bigger or root itself any deeper and yet, with each passing year, it does, and that's a miracle.  I'm really looking forward to a year of growing Faith, Hope, and LOVE, and hope you all are too :)

My card today uses the "Faith, Hope, Love" sentiment  (I'm sorry, I can't remember what kit it's from!) and also the butterfly from "The Time is NOW" stamp set.  I thought this was significant because it's 2012, a NEW Year.  Time for those new dreams to be chased, new ambitions to kindle a flame, and time to get started.  now.  The TIME IS NOW.

Thanks for coming to visit today!

Be sure to check out the UNITY BLOG for the HIP HOP order, announcements, etc.

See you soon!

xoxo,

This lil' creeper is Lucky in Love...

Hey, everyone!

We are getting LUCKY today on the Farm Fresh Challenge blog!

LUCKY IN LOVE, that is!

This month's "RETRO-FRESH" challenge is up and ready to go on the Farm Fresh Challenge blog and this little Creeper Abbey is blushing she's so pretty in pink...not like her normal 'punky' self ;)

CC Abbey was released at The Greeting Farm in May 2011...can you believe it was that long ago?  See?  It's not hard to find a "retro-fresh" TGF stamp....and you'll want to play along this month because a 4x6 OR Clear stamp set of YOUR CHOICE is up for grabs to a lucky winner! 

...and talk about laid back!  You have ALL MONTH to play along!

Check out the rest of the details on the FFC blog and be sure to visit my teammates:

• April Davis
• Joni Wilson
• Lisa Gobea
• Margie Cortina-Team Captain
• Sharette Smith

See you tomorrow, everyone!

xoxo,

It's that time again....

{{{Please scroll down for my Ribbon Carousel challenge post...thanks!}}}

....for a NEW Key Ingredients kit from Taylored Expressions and some fun announcements too!  Check out this fun sneak peek:

Want more? 

Head over to The Key Ingredients blog and check out the announcement there too-we are welcoming 2 AMAZING new designers and I have a fun little announcement over there, too ;)

Have a happy day!

Hi everyone!  It's Tuesday and time for another fun Ribbon Carousel.com challenge!

This week, Laurel is inspiring us with this gorgeous Pinterest photo:

And to make it even more fun, our sponsor this week is Whimsie Doodles!

Here’s a little about our sponsor:

Whimsie Doodles is so excited to be sponsoring the new challenge! In March of 2009 Melyssa Connolly, artist and owner, began turning her whimsical hand-drawn images into digital files for sale online. Whimsie Doodles' digital stamp line features images that range from cute little boys and girls, to punny stuff, and everything in-between. We enjoy sharing lots of samples on our company blog, where we also post challenges and tutorials.

We are huge fans of Melyssa here at the RCC! And can you guess why? Aside from the fabulous designs and amazing artwork from the Whimsie Doodles team, Melyssa is the designer of the carousel in our logo! The prize this week is One (1) winner will receive a $10 Gift Certificate to the Whimsie Doodles Online Store.

And just for participating, Whimsie Doodles is giving a special offer to you! Use the discount code (Ribbonrocks) at the Whimsie Doodles online store and receive 10% off your next order! Code is good until February 8, 2012.

SO, here's my card today using this fun Snowman Cocoa image:

I didn't have any dark brown cardstock so in keeping with the inspiration photo, I used kraft and aqua :)   I added some fun liquid appliqué for the hat and marshmallows ;)

Be sure to check out the RCC blog for all the details on how to play, and visit the Ribbon Carousel STORE, too!  I used the awesome May Arts Jute/Burlap Twine in NATURAL and you can get that for an AWESOME price at the RCC store!

See you tomorrow, everyone!
xoxo,

My 365: 2012...

Hi, everyone!

I am SO excited about our May Arts/Helmar collaboration this week.  Whew!  So awesome! May Arts is one of my favorite ribbon companies and when I found out they were a preferred partner with Helmar I was pumped!

This week we are bringing you a TON of inspiration every day here on the Helmar DT Blog and I've got one that I'm really excited about.   As many of my  Facebook friends and blog followers know, I have been studying photography and recently began a "Project 365".  It's a huge commitment to take a photo EVERY DAY for a year.

Well, I've also been getting down on myself with my scrapbooking and lack of time for it lately but hey, we can't do EVERYTHING, right?  Or can we?   I decided that scrapbooking doesn't HAVE to be fancy and that Smash books were the perfect thing to document my 365 this year.   I started out with some gorgeous Orange Sheer Woven Rosettes and I knew that HAD to be my border :)   I glued down some Helmar 450 Quick Dry which is SO perfect especially for Sheer ribbon.  It dries clear and you'll never know it's there :)

Then I painted the outside of my book before it was time to glue down some of my favorite leaf satin cut outs from May Arts.  I have seen Tracy use these SO many times on some gorgeous canvasses and other projects and I was shrieking with delight when I saw these in my Design Team box.  Shrieking I tell ya!

I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry on the leaves as well and the Helmar nozzle makes it so easy to get some glue down even in a really thin space.  I love that!   

After I attached the stems, I cut out a few rosettes from the Orange and Red Sheer Woven Rosettes and used that for my smaller flowers.  I then took a gorgeous piece of purple ribbon from the Silky Crush line and began to roll/twist it into a ribbon rose:

I added a button and some felt clouds that my DD cut out for me and attached them with some ACID FREE Glue and here is the finished product:

I am so excited to have this book ready as I'm just about to print off my first week of 365 photos!  This is going to end up being sucha special keepsake memory for my family- I cannot WAIT!

Thanks for stopping by today and thanks so much to MAY ARTS for being so generous...be sure to check out more details today over on the HELMAR DESIGN TEAM blog...thanks!

xoxo,

Jess :)

Happy are those...

Hey, everyone!

Miss me? haha well.....

I took a little break this week to hang out with the kids before they went back to school and also to edit some photos and work on my photography business that I'm trying to get off the ground!  I'm really excited about it but man, editing takes FOREVAH!

All that in due time, but today I've got a Deconstructed Sketch to show ya!  Here is DS33- love this one:

I used the BRAND NEW {Ippity} stamp today, "Happy are those".  Could this sentiment come at a better time for me while I'm pursuing some new dreams in the next few weeks?  Don't think so <3  Love that about Unity...they always have a quote to fit my life and/or feelings and I love being a designer for them even more because of this.

Here's my card using this cute new stamp:

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come TRUE..."

Have I mentioned I.LOVE. THIS?!

I'm really inspired by this and hope you are too!

Now, for a little 'business'...there are some {ippity} announcements today!

  We are VERY EXCITED about the NEW YEAR CHANGE with {ippity} stamps by Unity!

Starting this weekend {ippity} will be available on the UNITY WEBSITE!

Once the WEBSITE IS READY and all tuned up for this change over - All YOU will have to do is CLICK ON the photo of YOUR Favorite {ippity} CHICK - and BUY your favorite {ippity} stamps from there...HERE is something MORE LOVELY! ...if you would like to add UNITY STAMPS to your order YOU CAN! 

ALSO - Starting SOON - ANY Unity DISCOUNT CODE used in combination with your order of {ippity} WILL WORK, including Unity Kit Member 25% discount codes.

It is going to be UNITY SIMPLIFIED - making our {ippity} line available through your favorite {ippity} chick - RIGHT on the Unity website and SHIPPED TO YOU directly through Unity! :) 

So there ya have it for now- EXCITING changes with {ippity} and it's going to be SO much more convenient to order!  I'm thrilled about it and think you guys will be, too!

Be sure to check out the UNITY BLOG for all of the happenings today and also my DECONSTRUCTED Sketch girls have lots more inspiration on Jen's fun sketch today and the DECONSTRUCTED SKETCH blog is sponsored by Scrappin' GREAT DEALS and there is a $25 gift certificate up for grabs for playing along this week!

 

The Deconstructed Sketch Girls

• Amber Hight
• Andrea Ewen - Guest Designer
• Arielle Gordon
• Donna Wardle
• Jen Shults
• Jessica Diedrich
• Kadie Ensley
• Lori Boyd
• Pam Varnell
• Sheri Gilson
• Tracey Pickersgill - Guest Designer

Have fun and check it out!

xoxo,