The One with the 1200th Post Giveaway!

The 1200th post kinda snuck up on me! No time for even a teaser post! Time flies when you're having fun :) Following tradition of doing a giveaway for every 100 posts, up for grabs to one very lucky person:

1) Three yards of each of the 18 colors of baker's twine that The Twinery has in their shop. (Pretend the labels say "3 yards" instead of "15 yards")

2) 144 blue striped paper straws. These things are all the rage at parties!


3) A felt cozy that I made for a magazine step-by-step photo tutorial. Slide it onto a hot or cold drink to keep your hands from getting burned or frozen.


4) A collection of Basic Grey rub ons and assorted American Crafts Christmas-themed products. Just trying to downsize my scrapbook supplies that are taking over our apartment!



5) A tube of Warm Amber lotion by Mary Kay - it smells nice!


6) This fun and eclectic necklace.


7) My once read through paperback copy of The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks - in preparation for the movie that comes out on April 20th, I can't wait!!!!


8) The Knock Outs Value Kit by American Crafts. When I was in Utah for Thanksgiving I went to the AC Warehouse Sale and bought one of these, then I got one for free in my design team box... My impatience is your gain!


9) A set of three cards that I made.


10) A set of four girly pacifier clips - if you don't have a baby girl, these would make great baby shower gifts or you can even use them to hold your keys and such.


11) Some brand spankin' new Dear Lizzy Neapolitan embellishments and her new date/sentiment stamp that's so hot right now!


12) And last but certainly not least, a PaigeBook! This is probably my most favorite book I've ever made (I say that every time!). It started with my current obsession: vintage florals. I've had some vintage floral fabric swatches for years now and never knew what to make with them. Then I did something I've never done before - I sort of made a quilt! I used my sewing machine for fabric instead of paper, that's pretty much unheard of! Do I sense a new hobby in the making???

I used the two mini quilts to cover chipboard sheets for the cover.

The pages are made from an assortment of matching colored patterned papers.

Then when I was sewing the book together I added crystal jewels to the binding. I may do this to every book that I make from now on, I just love the added bling!

More views of the finished book:





For a chance to win all this loot, leave a comment on this post by Monday March 5th 2012 and let me know: what is your favorite thing to do in your spare time? Goooooood luck!

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The One with Pacifier Clips for Sale!

My dear sweet husband spent most of the weekend watching Fox and taking over wifely duties (cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping and much, much more) so that I could devote all my time and energy into making dainty/girly pacifier clips. I'm happy to say I'm finally finished and my etsy shop has been updated!

They come in sets of 3, 4, or 5 (there's even one with 6) and range from $12-$20 per set. Scroll to the bottom of this post for a 15% discount code! Materials range from stitched tulle, eyelet trim, lace, and crocheted ribbon, to sheer satin ribbon, pearl and jewel strands, scalloped velvet, and more. And yes I kept one of each kind for my sweet baby Jane (crossing fingers she's still a she - Friday is the big day!).

Use coupon code BabyJane for 15% off your purchase!

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The One with Faux Nursery

At the beginning of the year our church meeting schedule changed from 9am-12pm (the perfect time!) to 11am-2pm (not so perfect time...). Let's just say the time switch has been.... challenging... We have a definite routine with Fox and it doesn't mesh well with our new time slot. Lunch is at noon, nap time is at 1. Smack dab in the middle of church. Add that to the fact that Fox has been throwing more and more tantrums lately (the terrible twos have definitely come early!) and Sundays = miserable. Even though Fox looks like he's 2, it's not looks that matter to be admitted to nursery, it's age. (Nursery is where all the kids age 18 months to 3 years (correct me if I'm wrong) hang out for two hours during Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society so the parents can actually pay attention). Fox isn't 18 months old until April 14th - nearly two months away. Instead of roaming aimlessly through the halls today, we decided to check out Nursery! As long as parents stay with their kiddos until they "come of age" they can be in there. 

Fox's toy of choice: a big green bouncy ball. He held onto this thing for dear life.

He didn't really interact with any of the other kids, he just watched from afar. 

Faux Nursery is definitely a step up from meandering through the halls for two hours! Counting down the days 'til he's legit!

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The One with a New Batch of CARDS Challenge Cards

Here are the next five cards for the CARDS challenges I make up every week on the Create: Blog!

Challenge for 2.23.12 - Girls Night Out

GNO CARD

Note: What's important about March 23rd 2012? That's when The Hunger Games movie comes out! That definitely calls for a GNO.

How to: Stitch a border around a pink checkered paper card base using brown thread then stitch three sets of three crosses on the edges. Die cut concentric flowers from white cardstock, layer them together with foam adhesive, push a yellow fabric brad into the middle, then adhere it to the card off-center. Tuck green felt leaves under both sides of the flower. Stamp the date in brown ink on a chipboard banner and tuck it under the flower. Trim a gray tag and adhere it under the banner then place blue "GNO" alphabet stickers on top. Add a dash of small and large pearls over the right side to finish.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, paper leaves, chipboard banner, tag, date stamp, adhesive: American Crafts; Fabric button: Crate Paper; Felt leaves: Fancy Pants Designs; Pearls: K & Company (small), Pebbles (large); Alphabet stickers: October Afternoon; Floss: DMC; Ink: StazOn; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark; Die cut machine (Cameo), flower dies (Silhouette): QuicKutz
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Challenge for 3.1.12 - Quilt-Inspired

HAPPY BDAY CARD

How to: Punch a bunch of 1" squares from patterned paper then trim them all in half diagonally. Arrange the triangles in a pattern inspired by a quilt then adhere them across a green cardstock card base; trim any excess. Set an epoxy brad or epoxy wooden button on the center of each paper cluster. Tuck a chipboard sentiment banner under the epoxy brad and add yellow mini alphabet stickers below to finish the sentiment. Tuck two banner stickers under one of the epoxy wooden buttons to embellish.

Tip: To make arranging and moving the trio of paper clusters easier, I adhered them on scrap cardstock first and cut around them so they were like die cuts.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, epoxy brad, wooden epoxy buttons, chipboard sentiment banner, banner stickers, adhesive: American Crafts; Mini alphabet stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Square punch: Marvy Uchida
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Challenge for 3.8.12 - Confetti

SURPRISE CARD

How to: Die a star from white cardstock then trace and cut it out from a piece of transparency packaging material. Punch star confetti from a bunch of patterned papers and set it aside. Start stitching the stars (the transparency on top of the cardstock) onto the center of a yellow cardstock card base using aqua thread; before going all the way around, stuff the confetti into the star pocket then finish sewing. Sew a straight line from each "dip"of the star to the card edge. Add lines of pearls and jewels beside the straight line stitching. Die cut a banner from blue patterned paper, layer a chipboard star on top, notch the ends of an orange sentiment sticker, place it on the star, then adhere the entire banner to the center of the confetti star.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, chipboard star, sentiment sticker, transparency packaging material, adhesive: American Crafts; Jewels, pearls: Mark Richards; Star confetti punch: Martha Stewart Crafts; Die cut machine (Cameo), dies (banner, star) (Silhouette): QuicKutz; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark
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Challenge for 3.15.12 - St. Patrick's Day

KISS ME CARD

How to: Drop two colors of green spray mist across a a cream lined paper card base. Die cut a shamrock from green cardstock. Punch scalloped borders from a bunch of green patterned papers then use the borders to cover the cardstock shamrock; trim the excess. Place a line of glue around the edge of the shamrock then carefully press green baker's twine into the glue; let it dry completely. Die cut a banner from cream cardstock, set a green chipboard bow in the middle, then place green mini alphabet stickers on either side of the chipboard bow to make a sentiment. Add a light green baker's twine bow on top of the chipboard bow, accent the baker's twine bow with a green pearl, then adhere the entire banner across the middle of the shamrock. Use a strong adhesive to glue the shamrock to the front of the card.

Supplies: Cardstock, chipboard bow, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper: American Crafts, Crate Paper, Echo Park Paper Co., Scenic Route Paper Co. (lined), Studio Calico; Pearl: Pebbles; Mini alphabet stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Baker's twine: The Twinery; Spray mist: Studio Calico; Scalloped border punch: Fiskars; Die cut machine (Cameo), dies (banner, shamrock) (Silhouette): QuicKutz

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Challenge for 3.22.12 - Vintage Floral Paper

BEST. DAY. EVER. CARD

How to: One of my friends/In-House Designers at American Crafts has a new blog called Nifty Swank.  Her most recent post was a collage of vintage floral designs that I melted over:

 I am SO into vintage florals right now. So I printed off her image and then punched a butterfly from each circle. Adhere the butterflies in a 4 x 3 grid on the front of a gray cardstock card base. Take off one of the butterflies to make room for a sentiment later. Stitch a line using aqua thread down each row of butterflies then slightly bend up the wings. Embellish the center of a few of the butterflies with a trio of pearls or an epoxy wooden button. Punch a butterfly from white cardstock, stamp a sentiment on it in brown ink, then adhere it to the empty space using a pop dot.

Supplies: Cardstock, epoxy wooden buttons, sentiment stamp, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Printed from http://niftyswank.blogspot.com/2012/02/vintage-florals.html by Clairice Gifford; Pearls: Mark Richards; Ink: StazOn; Butterfly punch: Martha Stewart Crafts; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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Anyone can play along with the challenges - so please do!

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The One with February Hambly Projects

Every month the Hambly Design Team will create a project based on a sketch (something so totally complete foreign to me!) so here's the sketch for February:

and here's my card based on this sketch:

LOVE YOU CARD

How to: Apply a white doily border rub on across the top of a kraft grid paper card base (I cut the border into two pieces to get the two curves). Set a yellow fleur-de-lis border sticker on the top right edge. Trim pink diagonally striped paper into a notched strip and adhere it across the bottom. Trim a yellow chevron transparency into a notched strip and adhere it over the other notched paper. Create an accordion flower from aqua map paper and set it on the bottom right corner. Cut a purple frame sticker in half and set the halves on the accordion flower with a space between. Trim green leaves paper into notched strip and adhere it over the frame pieces. Add woodgrain letter stickers and a brown birds on a branch sticker to the green leaves paper. Write "so much!" with a brown pen under the letter stickers to finish the sentiment. Fold two pieces of washi tape (pink floral and brown birds on a wire) in half and tuck them under the sentiment to finish.

Supplies: Patterned paper, patterned transparency, washi tape, stickers (birds, fleur-de-lis border, frame, letters), doily border rub on: Hambly; Pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Scoring tool: Martha Stewart Crafts

And here are some other things I've created for Hambly recently, all of which can be viewed in my Hambly DT Gallery:

A DISNEY CHRISTMAS

Journaling says: 1. Enchanted Tiki Room 2. Sleeping Beauty's Castle 3. Christmas tree at Main Street 4. It's a Small World 5. Snow White's Scary Adventures 6. Main Street 7. Entrance 8. On the tram advertisement 9. Main Street Railroad stop 10. Riding the Carousel 11. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride 12. Blur of Alice in Wonderland 13. Fox on the Carousel 14. Flowers 15. Waiting for the train 16. Alice in Wonderland 17. Poinsettias 18. Pinocchio 19. Captain Jack Sparrow 20. Casey Jr. Circus Train 21. Enchanted Tiki Room 22. It's a Small World 23. Haunted Mansion 24. Pirates

How to: Adhere twenty-four 2" square photos across the top of a kraft cardstock layout base. Hand cut title letters from patterned paper and patterned transparencies then glue them across the bottom. Write journaling around the edges of the exposed kraft cardstock. Add snowflake or Christmas tree stickers to the "holes" of the letters. Apply white frame rub ons to the photos to highlight certain elements.

Supplies: Patterned paper, patterned transparencies, frame rub ons, stickers (Christmas tree, snowflakes): Hambly; Cardstock, pen, adhesive: American Crafts

BFF CARD

How to: Cover a teal cardstock card base with a variety of label stickers. Apply a cameo/scalloped frame rub on to white cardstock and cut it out; adhere it to the center of the card using pop dots. Add a row of pearls along the neckline of the cameo. Place "BFF" kraft mini alphabet stickers along the side of the cameo to make a sentiment.

Supplies: Label stickers, rub ons (cameo, scalloped frame): Hambly; Pearls: Mark Richards; Alphabet stickers: Jillibean Soup

EVERYDAY LIFE

Journaling says: 1. It's a Small World @ Disneyland 2. Pretty flower in the front yard 3. Prepping for 1000th post giveaway 4. June = purple trees! 5. Pretty hot pink flowers 6. Fox in a swing 7. More purple trees 8. Downton LA 9. Results of a Paige Rage 10. 26th birthday haircut 11. Fruits & Veggies 12. Fox yearning to be a big boy 13. Fox's first balloon 14. DVD unit 15. Fox with his red balloon 16. Fox playing on his mat 17. Our first and only (so far) bedspread 18. Another hot pink tree 19. Chandelier at the Sample Sale 20. Embellished wall 21. Li'l Chinchilla 22. Joey 23. Fox in car 24. in swing 25. Rachel

How to: Trim mini photos to 1" squares and punch 1" squares from patterned paper and patterned transparencies. Arrange the photos and paper squares into a heart shape on a shimmery cream cardstock base. Sew around the heart three times using a different color of thread each round. Journal around the stitched hearts. Add a title on the bottom right side. Apply doily and aqua splatter rub ons around the edges. Embellish with stickers and punch butterfly borders in three places as shown. Set some small stickers on the paper squares to finish.

Supplies: Patterned paper, patterned transparencies, stickers (birds, button, fleur-de-lis), rub ons (doilies, paint splatters, stitched border): Hambly; Cardstock, letter stickers, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Punches: Martha Stewart Crafts (butterfly border), Marvy Uchida (square); Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

HAPPY GRATEFUL JOYOUS

Journaling says: Every day is a gift and a blessing. Every day I count my lucky stars for the many wonderful opportunities that have come my way. I am so: happy, grateful, joyous.

How to: Punch a bunch of circles from patterned paper then cut each circle into quarters. Arrange the circles in a quilt-like pattern down the center of an aqua cardstock base. Drop aqua and white mist across the layout. Add a trio of photos using pop dots. Apply angel and butterfly wing rub ons behind the photos. Place a strip of washi tape underneath each photo then add letter stickers to create the title. Write journaling on the left side and finish with a few bird stickers next to the photos.

Supplies: Patterned paper, washi tape, bird stickers, rub ons (angel wings, butterfly wings): Hambly; Cardstock, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Letter stickers: Prima; Spay mist: Studio Calico; Punches: Martha Stewart Crafts (bird border), Marvy Uchida (circle)

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The One with It's Probably A...

I'm not gonna buy anything yet though cuz it was only like 75-90% sure, but I'm still sooooooooo flippin' excited! My OB waved her wand thing back and forth and back and forth over my belly and neither of us could see any "kibbles and bits" if you know I'm sayin', so unless he's a late bloomer, it's a girl! My official anatomy ultrasound at the hospital with high-tech equipment is next Friday, so after that I'll be 100% certain and ready to shop 'til I drop! 

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The One with Trippin'

I'm trippin' with excitement! I couldn't sleep last night - it felt like Christmas. And I'm sure tonight will be just the same. You see, tomorrow I have an OB appointment and I'm hoping my doctor will be able to tell me if this baby is a boy or girl! If not tomorrow, then next Friday for sure at my official ultrasound. 

Eeeeeeek!

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The One with the Evelynd Layout for Hambly

I've got a tutorial up on the Hambly blog today showing how to create a fun background for die cut shapes:

CUTE COUSIN EVELYND

Journaling says: It's going to be so fun for Fox to have a cousin just a few months younger than him to play with! They already laugh and cry together. They're bound to be best cousins.

How to: Design a title background in Silhouette Studio and die cut it from 12x12 white cardstock. Trim the cardstock to 11.75" square. On a scrap of 12x12 cardstock, start layering patterned paper strips, washi tape, patterned transparencies, border rub ons, and border stickers from one corner to the other until the entire paper is covered. Adhere the die cut cardstock on top. Place two pictures on the bottom right corner using pop dots. Add journaling spot stickers to the bottom left corner and write on them with a black pen. Put another journaling spot sticker on the top right corner. All done!

Supplies: Cardstock, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper, patterned transparencies, border rub ons, washi tape, stickers (borders, journaling spots): Hambly Studios; Die cut machine (Cameo), software (Silhouette Studio): QuicKutz

I think I'm in love with my Cameo.

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The One with the Already in Love Layout

I have a layout up on the American Crafts blog today to celebrate Silhouette week!

ALREADY IN LOVE

Journaling says: Even though you're still so tiny, we are already 100%, completely, and totally smitten by you! We can't wait to meet you!

Notes: We still don't know the gender of baby #2 (HOPEFULLY next Wednesday is the big day!) so I'm going to use as much pink and flowers until told otherwise! If it's a boy, perhaps I'll go back and redo this page. I die cut lots of different doilies from white cardstock using my Silhouette Cameo and then backed them with assorted pieces of patterned paper from the new Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line. After adhering the doilies to a gray polka dot paper background and trimming the excess, I added an ultrasound picture to the center of three of the doilies and embellished around them with girly pink ribbon trim, gold sequin trim, accordion flowers, and rub ons that I first applied to white cardstock and then cut out so I could place them wherever I wanted and could move them if I changed my mind. There's a bunch of other details involved, like stamping and the title and the stitched banner border, but it'd take forever and a day to write it all, so just look carefully :)

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, accordion flowers, rub ons (flowers, sentiments, star), date stamp, tags, stitched banner, letter stickers, ribbon, sequin trim, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Die cuts (Dear Lizzy Doilies by American Crafts), die cut machine (Silhouette Cameo): QuicKutz

Can't wait 'til July to meet this little baby!

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The One with Flutterbys

Not to be confused with the cute new stitched borders called Flutterbys by American Crafts...

but I'm 97.3% sure that I've been feeling baby #2 toss and turn in my belly tonight! I LOVE flutterbys! I distinctly remember I was 19 weeks when I first felt Fox move. It's true what "they" say - you feel movement sooner with your second (I'm 17 weeks tomorrow). It's such a wonderful, indescribable feeling that makes being pregnant seem all the more real!

PS - Totally not related, but totally consuming most my thoughts recently... Last Friday we had a major GNO and went and saw The Vow. I thought it was very "meh" - anticlimatic and disappointing ending, BUT, Rachel McAdams is pretty to look at and so is Channing Tatum so it wasn't all bad. Anywhoo, the moral of my story is there was a preview for The Lucky One:

Starring Zac Efron and based on the book by Nicholas Sparks (that guy sure knows how to churn out the romance novels and make them into a movie in .02 seconds flat!) - what's not to love? From the preview alone, I know this is going to be my new favorite movie:

I wanted to read the book immediately so Chris ordered me a copy for Valentine's Day.

I started it last night and am already 150 pages in... Once I start reading I can't stop - it's a sickness!
The movie comes out on April 20th - only 64 more days!

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