Wednesday, August 31, 2016

12 Kits of Occasions - August '16

I'm sneaking this in minutes before August ends, but I'm thankful to be writing this post at all.  Why you ask?  I lost my cards.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I made my cards with this month's 12 Kits of Occasions kit, and then I lost my cards...before I had taken any pictures of them.  I can never find anything when I am in a panic, so of course after the group post went live, and I had resigned to the fact that I may never find my cards, I found them.  Ha!

This kit could not have been sweeter!  My super talented teammate Lisa used her darling granddaughter "Sweet P" as the inspiration, and not only that, but Lisa also designed the Sweet Pea stamp set and the Pretty Posh Sweet Pea Sequins Mix she used in the kit.  (And guess what?! She's giving away one of each on her blog.  Make sure you head over to enter the giveaway.)  Okay, are you ready for my projects? :)
First up is a card I made with a little girl's baptism in mind.  (It always helps me to create when I've decided who and what I'm creating for.)  I tried to channel what my little niece's would wear for her accessories. :) 
I used some of the packaging Lisa sent for my next two projects.  I had a couple notes I needed to send and these were just the right size to dress up as envelopes.  These two projects were the biggest reason I really needed to find what I had lost. 
This next one shows you what they looked like with the tag-shaped card inside.  I saved my favorite for last. :) 
This one showcases both Lisa's beautiful Sweet Pea stamp set (the pea pods and flowers) and her fabulous Sweet Pea Sequins Mix.  Don't you just love them?  The sentiment is from Verve's Simply Amazing stamp set and dies (I just got it and love it already).  I also added Concord and 9th's Blossom Die to the corners because really, I just can't get enough of it.  I'm also happily linking these cards up to the Simon Says: Anything Goes Wednesday Challenge.  

Okay, I better get this post up before these cards disappear on me again. ;) Don't forget to head to Lisa's blog to enter her giveaway and make sure you stop by the 12 Kits of Occasions blog as well to see everyone's projects AND to enter a second giveaway to win next month's kit.  Jeanne is the hostess next month, so you know it will be fabulous and chock full of goodies.  :)
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Saturday, August 27, 2016

"Orange" Tag

Hello, and happy weekend to you!  We started off the day with a birthday breakfast for my dad, so I can already tell it's going to be a good day. :) Often it takes me a long time to create a card (or tag in this caue) because I hem and haw over the details.  But every now and again the idea...and more importantly execution...comes quickly.  This is one of those happy times.  Laurie Willison (I'm probably one of her biggest fans!) is up on Papertrey's blog this week for a Make It Monday: Cover Plate Tags.  I loved the idea, loved her tips, and loved that it fit into the time I had, which was not much. ;) My project was also inspired by this BEAUTIFUL photo I found on Pinterest.
Photo Source
I adore this picture, and in no time I had created the tag using lots of PTI paper and dies: Bountiful Banners, Cover Plate: Stripes Diagonal, Noted (hello), Tag Sale #4, and Turning a New Leaf.
I love oranges, I love these cards, and I love this tag.  It's so simple, but it's one of my all time favorite projects.  Thank you, Laurie, for the great idea that clearly brought a lot of happiness to my day!
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Thursday, August 25, 2016

Papertrey August Blog Hop

Hello!  Last night I was able to squeeze in just a bit of time to create a card for Papertrey's August Blog Hop.  It's been too long since I've been able to join, and I just loved this month's inspiration photo.  I have no idea why my mind when to Christmas, but it did.  And truth be told, almost all of the elements on my card are leftover scraps from other projects.  I love when things don't end up going to waste. :)
Photo Credit
The inspiration photo inspired not only my color scheme, but some of the color placement/layout on my card. With the exception of some fabulous Pretty Pink Posh sequins, this card is all Papertrey goodness.  And probably my happiest moment was using the white on black embossed strip.  I LOVE when I see that used on cards, but for some reason black is really hard for me to use on cards.  And I probably wouldn't have even thought of it if I hadn't seen that big black smudge in the inspiration photo. 
Supplies (PTI unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Wet Paint Holiday
Dies: Center Stage, Rustic Wreath, Wet Paint Holiday 
Paper: Black, Soft Stone, White, Vellum; Grey (DCWV)
Ink: Mellon Berry; VersaMark
Other: Hero Arts embossing powder, Pretty Pink Posh sequins (marhsmallow, rose gold, sand)

I had a great time creating a card just for fun, no stress involved.  And I cannot wait to hop around and see how everyone else was inspired.  Thanks for visiting today!

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Concord & 9th Birthday Bash Blog Hop

***This Giveaway is now closed...see winner below.***
Hello, friends!  I'm super excited to be joining Concord & 9th's Birthday Bash Blog Hop today.  I'm a fan of blog hops, I'm a fan of Concord & 9th, and I'm a fan of prizes, so today is a happy day. :)  Have you been joining in on all of the fun at Concord & 9th this month?  I hope so because there are $20 gift certificates being given away daily (go HERE to check it out), incredible new products including an exclusive sequin mix, big sales, free stamps with a $60 order, and more!  Christmas is coming a little early to my house because I just couldn't resist and had to place an order. :) And that brings me to today's card. 
I had a completely different card scheduled to post today, but when I received my new goodies in the mail, I just had to make something new.  Plus, I realized the theme of my original card wasn't exactly the best for a birthday celebration.  I've wanted Pop Art Pineapple for a long time, so using it was a must.  I pulled my color scheme from the Birthday Bash exclusive sequin mix which I used inside my shaker.  The sentiment and banner are from Happy Day (LOVE this set!).
And here is my original card, a super simple card using two of my absolute favorite products from Concord & 9th--the Blossom Die and coordinating Brushed Blossom Stamp Set.  One of the reasons I love these products so much is that they are so beautiful on their own.  As you can see, you really don't have to do much at all to create a card.   Win in my book!
Remember the part I said about prizes?  Well, I get to give one today!  Woohoo!  To be eligible to win a $20 gift certificate to Concord & 9th, simply leave a comment on this post by 6 pm EST on August 27th.  And make sure to visit Concord & 9th's Birthday Bash Blog Hop HERE every day in the month of August for more prizes.  Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!
**The winner (chosen by Random.org) is Comment #59: Sarah M. 
Congratulations, Sarah!  Please contact hello@concordand9th.com with your full name and email address to claim your prize.  Happy shopping! And many thanks to all who left comments.  I wish I had a prize for each of you!
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Monday, August 15, 2016

You Bring Me Joy

Last month when I was creating projects for Concord & 9th's July Release, I went a little crazy with the Blossom Die.  I think it is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.   This is one of the projects I created but never shared. 
I had die cut several of the Blossom die out of shimmery white cardstock with the intention of layering them, but when I had them all played out getting ready to glue them together, they looked looked so pretty that I ended up just gluing them down onto the paper.  It reminds me of an embossing plate.  I backed the paper with a shimmery grey cardstock and finished it off with a sentiment created from the Joy stamps and dies.
I love color, but sometimes neutrals can be so soothing.  I know I've been MIA for a bit.  I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but having my son start kindergarten last week has been a super hard adjustment for us...well, truthfully, mostly me.  I have been so blessed to be a stay-at-home mom.  Even though I still have another little one at home, I'm feeling a little lost without my cute boy.  But I must say, every day when I see his cute face as I pick him up after school so much joy fills my heart.  It is my favorite part of the day!  I hope that you have a wonderful week filled with many moments of joy!