CARDS Magazine Published Cards

Hi friends! I'm finally home from CHA and I am I SO SO SO happy! CHA was amazing and I have a few posts for you about that. But I'm taking today to catch up on a WHOLE bunch of stuff. Most importantly, Brady's kindergarten registration stuff. Gah! My boy is getting so big!

So, here are a couple card I've had published recently:

December 2011 Cards Magazine

Jan 2012 Cards Magazine

Have a great day, friends!

Paper Made Bakery Feb Release (GIVEAWAY!)

Hi friends! I'm so excited to be sharing the Paper Made Bakery release with you today! It's so amazingly cute! If you came here from Lisa's blog, you're in the right place. If not, please go back to the Paper Made Bakery Blog to start the hop! There's a fabulous PRIZE as well! Just leave comments on each designer's blog. There are additional ways to enter, I'll list those below.

Here's the fabulous kit:

Here's the card I made with it. Every single thing on this card is from the kit. I just added the ink for stamping and some adhesive. I'm also entering this in the CPS 5th Anniversary Day 2 Challenge.

For additional entries into the giveaway, you can do these things:

~Share this hop on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or an email to your friends

~Leave a comment on the Paper Made Bakery Blog

~Follow Paper Made Bakery on Twitter

~Like the Paper Made Bakery Facebook Page

(Be sure to comment on the Facebook page to let us know about your extra entries)

I'm the last stop on your blog hop today! YAY! If you need to start the hop, go to the Paper Made Bakery Blog. Thanks for joining us!

Here's the entire blog hop order if you need it:

Paper Made Bakery Blog

Stephanie

Sav

Ryann

Michelle

Lisa

Ashley (you are here)

My Thoughts Exactly Feb Release Hop (GIVEAWAY!)

Hi friends!!!!! I'm so excited to be sharing projects from the My Thoughts Exactly February release with you all today. I think this is the BEST release yet! But I might be a bit bias. To start the hop, head over to the My Thoughts Exactly Blog aka Alyssa's Blog. Be sure to leave comments on EVERY blog because there's a HUGE prize! The WHOLE release!!! Wow!

In this release, there are SEVEN new stamp sets! There are also FIVE bundles of the new releases available. I adore this release, it's all Valentine's! YAY! The first 20 customers who order one of the new release stamps will get a FREE Love Labels set! So HURRY!

I wanted to show you some versatility here so I used a couple different sets in different styles to really show you what can be done.

Here's a classic Valentine's Day card with pretty hearts and glitter. This is probably my favorite set of the new release called Candy Hearts. How CUTE is this box stamp?! This uses Bo Bunny paper, Love My Tapes fabric tape, and some Stickles.

This next card uses Lovey Puns Animals. It's so perfect for cute cards! Again, I used Bo Bunny, Love My Tapes and Stickles.

Here's one that uses Love Labels which can be used vintage as shown here or elegant or cute or fun. Very versatile! The trims, doily, bead cord and flowers are from Creating is Fun.

And lastly, we need SUPER fun and cute right? Here's a card using Lovey Puns Food. I used some Imaginsce paper and some Divine Twine for this. I think this would be cute for any occasion to give to your love.

That's it for me! Hop on over to BEE'S BLOG for your next stop! And here's the WHOLE blog hop list:

Alyssa - http://www.mythoughtsexactly.co/
Ashley - http://hearthugsdesigns.blogspot.com/
Bee - http://dare2beecreative.blogspot.com/
Belinda - http://beeshiveofdrama.blogspot.com/
Benedicte - http://benelun.over-blog.com/
Jen - http://ourchangeofart.blogspot.com/
Jessica - http://craftyrktsci.blogspot.com/
Kendra - http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/
Lenae - http://sugargemscrafts.blogspot.com/
Tracy - http://queeniesscrapmad.blogspot.com/
Kim - http://hellocutiecrafts.blogspot.com/

Have a great day! And LEAVE comments to WIN!!!

CHA Bound and a LMT Card

Hi friends! I am currently sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to CHA. If you'll be there please stop by the Love My Tapes booth, #869 and I'll be there for a few hours everyday! Hope I get to see you!

Here's a Valentine's Day card I made for the Love My Tapes Blog. I got a really cute mini card deck in a stocking and I thought that they would be really cute on cards. Us crafters are always thinking. ;) And what would be more perfect that Love My Tapes Red Stripe Fabric Tape to go with it? Nothing! The paper is Bo Bunny, the letters are My Little Shoebox, and the punch is EK Success.

Have a great day, friends! Hope to see you at CHA!

Paper Made Bakery

Hi friends! FUN exciting announcement time!!!! I made the Paper Made Bakery design team!!! YAY!!!! I could not be any happier about this! It is such a great company with awesome kits! The value is AMAZING! The owner is sweet as can be and the design team is super talented! Check out the Paper Made Bakery Blog to see who else is on this fabulous team!

Ohhh, and go like the Paper Made Bakery Facebook Page, there's all sorts of fun giveaways over there!

Merci

Hi friends! I hope you are having a great week! I'm gearing up to go to CHA in a couple days and things have been BUSY! I've been trying to get things ready. I'll have a bunch of projects to show you in the coming weeks.

Here's a card I made using some fabulous ribbons, trims and a button from Martha's store. They are so pretty and easy to work with. You can see how easy it brings a card together. I love these large pearl buttons! They are perfect for the center of flowers and bows. The olive trim is so lovely, it's one of my favorites. The sentiment is from MTE Many Thanks. The paper is Webster's Pages.

Have a great day!

Monthly Maniac Snow Challenge

Hi friends! I hope you are well. I'm still sick. :( I'm hoping that I will be better soon, I was hoping to go to a festival this weekend but we shall see.

Today, we are kicking off the Month Maniac Challenge. This is a challenge put together and played by the old Paper Maniac design team as a way to keep in touch with each other. Paper Maniac was and probably always will be one of the best teams I was ever on. I love all the ladies that I got to be on a team with and miss working with them. I'm so glad we are doing this. The team that was chosen for this month is SNOW!

Here's my card for this month's challenge. It was made with Echo Park paper/stickers and an SRM sticker for the sentiment. I really embraced this snow theme. We don't get snow here where I live. Maybe once every 7 years and even then it will snow for an hour, max! We can drive a little way and play in the snow though.

Be sure to check out the rest of my Monthly Maniac friends doing the challenge today:

Emily
Tenia
Ceal
Ashley
Patti
Christine
Cindy

Have a great day, friends!

Washi Chevrons

Hi friends! I hope you are having a great week! I'm still under the weather but I'm almost convinced that it's nothing serious. Here's hoping that I'm better by the weekend! I have big plans to do something on my 30 Before 30!

Here's a card I made for the last Paper Crafts call that was rejected. I really thought it had a chance. Oh well. I made the chevrons with Hambly washi tape and some Paper Smooches sentiments. It's a one layer card and everything! ;)

Have a great day, friends!

November Cards Magazine Pub

Hi friends! I'm super sick but I thought I would put up a quick post and try to get some blogging out of the way. Last month was so busy that I forgot to share this card with you.

For more information about this card, check out the Nov 2011 issue of Card Magazine.

Have a great day, friends!

Getting to Know You Tag

My new friend April from My Captivating Images tagged me in a Getting to Know You tag. I thought this would be a fun thing to do. I've been trying to expand my blog from just creations to encompass more of my life.

First, 11 random facts about me:

1. I love penguins! I think they are just adorable. We have tons of penguin things in the house like a penguin cookie jar.

2. My "big toe" is actually really small. It's smaller than most of my other toes and it's totally weird.

3. I love naps! It just works for me to refresh in the middle of the day.

4. I don't like a lot of things that other people like for example avocados (even though I'm from California), Dave Matthews Band and The Simpson's to name a few. People think I'm odd.

5. I carry a thermos of ice water around with me almost everywhere I go and it makes a little noise that I find a little embarrassing.

6. I'm super clumsy. I trip over my own feet and ram into things all the time.

7. I just discovered a love for YouTube. I used to watch it every now and then but now I'm obsessed with watching tutorial videos.

8. I wanted 6 kids before I had kids. I'm not so sure anymore.

9. I get warm really easily. I often wear short sleeved shirts in the winter.

10. I'm obsessed with Kawaii (cute) things.

11. I enjoy couponing, bargain hunting and getting a deal.

Now I need to answer April's questions:

1. What is the number one thing on your bucket list?

Go to Paris. Sigh...one day!


2. What was your favorite childhood toy?

Magic Nursery Babies. They were like Cabbage Patch Dolls but they came in a hospital gown and hat so you didn't know what gender they were. You dipped this card thing in plastic to dissolve this papery stuff and it said "Congrats! You have a baby girl/boy!" I had like 6 of them.


3. What is your favorite book?

Eat Pray Love. I love Elizabeth Gilbert's view on religion! It was really refreshing to me. I also love her writing style and sense of humor.


4. Do you prefer a busy city or a calm country area?
I like the Suburbs. I think I might be the only one out there. I don't like to be too crowded or have to fight to get where I'm going but I also don't like being too far from civilization. I like being a 10 min drive from the grocery store, restaurants, etc...

5. Who is your role model and why?

I don't really have one. There are people who inspire me like Ghandi and Mother Theresa but I don't know that they are role models.


6. What is your special talent? (everyone has one, even if it seems small, it is not!)
I multitask really well

7. What do you do to relax when you have alone time?
Read, craft, watch a movie

8. If you could live anywhere, where would you live and why?
I have no idea. Maybe Monterrey because the pace is so calm.

9. What is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you?
My husband cleans the house. :)

10. What is your favorite time of day?
Bedtime for the kids? ;)

11. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Does Queen of the Universe count?

And now I have to give 11 questions:

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?

2. Where was your favorite vacation?

3. What's your favorite store to shop at?

4. If you could get one thing for yourself for free, what would you pick?

5. What is your favorite comfort food?

6. What is a tradition that you want to pass on to your children?

7. What's your dream pet?

8. Who is your celebrity crush?

9. What's your favorite scent?

10. What hobby do you wish you could get paid for?

11. What's your favorite TV show right now?

I'm supposed to tag 11 people to do this but I'm not going to. If you'd like to do this tag so I can get to know you better, I would LOVE that. Leave me a link in the comments section and I'll come check it out!

MTE Giveaway Winner!!!

Hi friends! I want to announce the winner of my My Thoughts Exactly giveaway for Holly Jolly Tags. Random.org picked #17 and that is...

Savannah O'Gwynn said...

OH ASH! I agree--you have several styles! And this card is def. YOU!!! LOVE the lace and papers--love that little tag set! SOOOOOOO glad you are getting crafty--we need to do it together:) <3

January 7, 2012 8:56 PM

Love My Tapes Sketch #1

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well! We are doing pretty well. We are prepping for my birthday party tomorrow. YAY! I'm having an ugly sweater party. :D I'll be posting pictures later.

I want to share with you my take on our current challenge here at the Love My Tapes Blog. Did you know that you can win a whole box of Love My Tapes goodies if you play along? What a great prize!! And Giovana made such a fabulous and easy to use sketch. What are you waiting for? You can view challenge details HERE.

For my card, I used the sketch as is but turned the label into a rectangle. I used the 13mm white lace tape on top of the Lemon Bar fabric tape. Super simple but lovely at the same time. This is a sketch that I will use over and over again. The sprinkling of the embellishments makes this so cute. The paper and die is Authentique.

Have a great day and don't forget to play along with our challenge! You have until Jan 27 to link up!

My Thoughts Exactly DT Thurs

Hi friends! I hope you're having a great week! We are doing pretty good. The days just seem to fly by here. I need to try to blog more.

This week, I have my first DT Thurs post for My Thoughts Exactly. I had a great time working with these stamps. Right now I only have two sets, Holly Jolly Tags and Under the Sea. I had a lot of fun trying to combine these sets to make some birthday cards that can be used all year long.

My first card uses the ornament from Holly Jolly Tags as petals to a flower and the sentiment from Under the Sea. It's a little bit of a stretch. Perhaps next time, I'll use the back of the of the paper for just the shape. But it kind of comes out fun, don't you think? The paper is My Mind's Eye.

My second card is uses a tag from Holly Jolly Tags and the same sentiment from Under the Sea. I turned the tag upside-down to make the ornaments look like little trees. They would also be cute if you made them into lollipops. The paper is Echo Park and the twine is Cotton Candy Divine Twine.

Be sure to check out the My Thoughts Exactly Blog for all the other DT cards. Have a great day, friends!

Project 365 (+1) Deux

Hi friends! I hope you're having a great day! We are having a pretty good week around here. We are adjusting to Dustin's new work schedule and it's a little hard but we'll make it through.

If you have read my 30 Before 30 then you know that I'm reattempting my Project 365 which is a photo a day, every day for a year. The first time I got so caught up in what everyone else is doing, I lost sight of why I wanted to do this. I want to capture memories, the everyday ones. I just want to get in the habit of taking photos and hopefully, I'll learn to love it again.

Isn't it convenient that my birthday is the last day of the year? It just makes everything so easy when you start over in a new year. I think I might be a little OCD because having my photos match up with the day of the year really makes me happy.

Jan 1 - Brady taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.

Jan 2 - My friends Gina and Suzy got me cupcakes to celebrate my birthday! So sweet!

Jan 3 - My poor kids had to go with me to get Brady's kindergarten registration packet at 7am in the cold. I'm so glad we won't have to do that again.

Jan 4 - I found PINK MOSCATO sparkling wine at Trader Joe's. Seriously, have you met me? This is just SO me!

Jan 5 - Snuggling with my Parkie.

Jan 6 - Lemon and cherry candy cane. There are tiny holes in the candy cane that you can drink the lemon juice through. So yummy!

Jan 7 - My lovebug napping on the couch.

I'm linking up to:

My Thoughts Exactly Intro and GIVEAWAY!

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well! Dustin has a new schedule so we are in the middle of our weekend. It's kind of nice having him off on a weekday so we can get our stuff done without all the weekend crowds!

Today, I am up on the My Thoughts Exactly Blog. It's my intro onto the design team! YAY!! I absolutely LOVE these stamps and I know that you will too! The designs are awesome and the high quality stamps are SO easy to work with!

Here's a card I made for today's challenge. Alyssa challenged us to make a card that really showed off our style. Honestly, I should have made like 3 cards because I do a lot of different styles. I couldn't because the kids are so demanding of my attention right now. But I LOVE how this card turned out! No matter what style I do, a few things are always consistent with me: I use minimal embellishments, I LOVE patterned paper, and I love a little feminine touch on my projects. This card uses Holly Jolly Tags and Under the Sea. I love both of these sets and you can see how versatile they are on this card!

GIVEAWAY ALERT! Alyssa is letting me giveaway my FAVORITE My Thoughts Exactly set today! Woot! Thanks Alyssa! I'm giving away HOLLY JOLLY TAGS! I love this set! It's a fabulous Christmas set but you can use it all year round!

Here's how to enter. You get one entry for each thing you do, just leave a separate comment for each!

~Leave a comment, easy peasy

~Go like the My Thoughts Exactly Facebook Page

~Follow the My Thoughts Exactly Blog

~Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect

~Share this giveaway somehow (Twitter, Facebook, Blog) and leave me a link

That's FIVE chances to win! Giveaway closes on Saturday Jan 14 11:59pm Pacific time. Winner will be announced on Sunday Jan 15. Good luck!

30 Before 30

Hi friends! Did you know that last Saturday I turned 29? Yup! I've seen these 30 Before 30 lists a lot on the internet and really wanted to make one starting about 6 months ago. Alas, I procrastinated. I wrote my list up the day after I turned 29 and let me tell you, it's gonna make for a really fun year.

Without further ado, here's a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30 on Dec 31, 2012.

1. Read 30 books.

I love to read by often push it aside because I don't have time. This year, I really want to put aside more time for reading because I enjoy it so very much.

2. Send 30 "just because" cards.

I make SO many cards each year. SO MANY. And I never send them. I have piles stacking up and designing so much has taken away from the reason I started making cards, to make people happy. I wanted to make cards that were like a hug for someone's heart. Well, they can't really do that by sitting on my shelf now can they?

3. Lose 30 pounds.

I have a lot more than 30 pounds to lose but I figured I would start somewhere. My desire is not to be thin, just more healthy.

4. Go on a family trip.

We've only gone on a few trips as a family and none of them have been what I want for us. I want a memorable family trip where we can relax and enjoy.

5. Try 10 new restaurants.

I love food! I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone. We do get stuck in a rut though, going to the same places over and over again.

6. Learn to use my sewing machine.

That I got for Christmas...last year...that still lives in the box.

7. Get 6 projects published.

I love being published! I'm not gonna lie. I get excited every time I see my name in print. I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself. I think 6 is a good number.

8. Go wine tasting.

I've NEVER been. I live really close to wine country. Though I'm not super into wine, I really want to do this. And eat cheese! Mmmm!

9. Complete a 30 day "no buy"

I am constantly buying things. I LOVE new things! But we have so much and I need to use what I've got and rediscover the things I already own.

10. Start and maintain a skin care routine.

I'm not getting any younger people! ;) Honestly, I've really started to see some changes to my skin in the last few months and I feel a strong urge to try to keep my skin looking younger.

11. Keep a journal.

I have lots of thoughts, ideas, plans, goals, etc... I would love to journal them. I'm HORRIBLE at keeping a journal but maybe I can turn that around.

12. Make 30 new recipes.

Again, we get stuck in a rut when it comes to food. I really want to introduce my kids to new flavors and change up our dinner menu.

13. Project 365 -iPhone only.

The first time I tried Project 365, I lost sight of WHY I wanted to do it. I got caught up in lens, editing, taking artsy photos, etc... The REASON I want to do Project 365 is so that I remember to take pictures. So that it's a habit and I captured the memories.

14. Throw a dinner party.

I've had a dinner party or two in my time. BEFORE kids. I used to love to entertain, perhaps I can rekindle that.

15. Purge 30 bags of stuff.

I'm a pack rat. I'm a pack rat that loves to buy new things. It's bad. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't end up on an episode of Hoarders.

16. Finish a scrapbook.

It's probably going to be a small one. Maybe my December Daily, which I've made ONE page for. Gah! I can do it!

17. Save up and buy myself something expensive.

I've decided on a new (to me) Macbook. I never treat myself to anything that costs more that $20. I have no problem saving up $100 to buy my kids the Kinect but I really try to pinch pennies when it comes to myself. This is gonna be a hard one!

18. Get a spa treatment at a real spa.

Not a cheapy nail salon. No a pedicure at home. Not a haircut at Supercuts. Not a 5 minute thing at a craft fair. A REAL treatment at a real spa.

19. Dress up 30 times. No jeans, t-shirts, sweats, hoodies, or sneakers.

I used to dress up. I used to wear nice clothes to work. Then I became a stay at home mom and sweats and t-shirts became a uniform for me. I'm not even sure I have the clothes to dress up! Yikes!

20. Go see a play.

I love theater! Absolutely adore it! I think it's been a minimum of FIVE years since I've seen a play. :( How sad is that?

21. Get professional pictures, alone.

No hiding behind my family. I really badly need headshots done for all my design work but I am never happy with how I look. This is more than just getting my picture taken, it's working on my confidence as well.

22. Go to a festival.

There is so much that I want to experience. So much culture that I'd like to be emerged in. I don't think I take full advantage of what a melting pot of a community I live in. I need to be out there in it.

23. Take my kids fruit picking, not in our yard.

Growing up, we used to go to local orchards and pick our own fruit. It was such a great time and we made a whole day out of it, picnicking and taking pictures. Ideally, I want to take my kids to Apple Hill.

24. Make 30 things from Pinterest.

I love that site! I get stuck in creative ruts and make what I know. Well, I need to make what's on Pinterest instead. ;)

25. Sell my cards in a store.

Gulp! I'm nervous a approach stores. Really nervous.

26. Buy and wear a pair of heels.

I used to do this all the time. But now I don't even have a pair of heels that fit. I couldn't even wear heels if I wanted to right now.

27. Get a Parker inspired tattoo.

I have one for Brady. Parker is 2.5 years old. Pretty soon he'll notice.

28. Take pictures of every major holiday.

I used to love taking pictures. Then I spent a while working in photography and it killed my love of taking pictures. I need to get that love back. I need to capture these memories for my kids.

29. Take my boys on 1-on-1 dates, 3 each.

I think I neglect that sometimes my kids need me all to themselves. No distractions.

30. Research adoption and decide.

This is a big one. It's something I've been wanting to do for a really long time but life always got in the way of "finding the right time." Though it might not be the right time yet, I need to get information and really think on it.

Bonuses: learn to organize (I'm hopeless!), ride a train (not around a zoo/amusement park)

There you have it. A lot of reclaiming who I once was. A lot of starting over. A lot of trying to create some joyful memories. Wish me luck!

NEW Teams

Hi friends! Please excuse my tardiness! I just have been a mess with the kids this break from school and all the illnesses that they have incurred. I feel like I'm a chicken with my head cut off!

The beginning of this year brings a couple new beginnings for me as well. I've started two new design teams that I am THRILLED to be a part of! I can't wait to show you all the inspiration hat these amazing products have given me!

First up is the My Thoughts Exactly Stamp Company. They offer awesome clear stamps with tons of fun sentiments that you can build yourself, giving the the ability to really customize your cards. They also have a couple of cute little images in each set.

Next is Creating is Fun. This is an amazing shop owned by my friend Martha. She has all sorts of gorgeous trims, lace, buttons, doilies and other wonderful embellishment items. I love all the items that she finds for her shop, they are so unique!

Here's a card I made using products from both companies. The stamp is from My Thoughts Exactly Under The Sea. I also used the White Trim and some seam binding from Creating is Fun. The other elements are American Crafts.

Have a great day, everyone!