Happy Mother's Day!

To all you moms out there, I hope you are having a wonderful Mother's Day!

And to my mom: if you are reading this, STOP RIGHT THERE, do not pass go, do not read any further! Please exit out of my blog . . . otherwise you will spoil your Mother's Day surprise. :)

Is the coast clear now? Okay, let's move on. You see, my mom is out of town today (it's the first Mother's Day we haven't celebrated together), so I can't give her the gift I made for her until later on this week. But I can show all of you her gift. My sweet mom took me and my girls on a trip to Hawaii last year for one of our annual "girls only" vacations. We had SUCH a great time! And since she always appreciates the mini albums I make for her, I decided to make her a mini album with pictures from our Hawaii trip (this was also one of my entries for the A Million Memories DT call).

I used lots of fabric and Glimmer Mist on this. I started with an off-white fabric, cut it into squares and strips, then sprayed all the fabric pieces with various colors of Glimmer Mist. I sewing machine stitched around all the fabric swatches then layered them under the photos on each page. I used the Glimmer 'Mist-ed' fabric strips as ribbon and tied them to binding rings along with some straw (like you find on a grass skirt). And of course, I just had to use oodles of beautiful Prima flowers!!!











Happy Mother's Day to you and yours!!!!! And Mom, if you missed the part above about not reading any further, Happy Mother's Day and I hope you like the gift! I love you!

AMM May Kit Layouts

I had so much fun playing with the A Million Memories May kit! This kit is full of gorgeous Prima, Webster's Pages, Basic Grey and Narratives products. Hats off to you, Michelle . . . you put together another amazing kit! Here are my layouts:

If you'd like to purchase this kit, you can find it here: AMM monthly kits.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!!

A Million Memories NSD Blog Hop & Scavenger Hunt

As part of A Million Memories' NSD crop we’re having a blog hop and a scavenger hunt. Here is how this will work: each one of the design team girls will have a special post for the blog hop where you will have the chance to get to know them a little bit better. Also, the end of the post there will be a clue that will lead you on a hunt through the AMM site. Be sure to check the NSD forum for complete information on the Blog Hop Challenge. Also, you can find links to the other design team girls’ blogs can be found in the (right/left) column.

Here’s a little interview for you to get to know me better:

Why is AMM your favorite online club? Because the kits are the BESTEST (yeah, I know that's not a real word, but it works perfectly in this case), and the forum is filled with nice, supportive ladies and tons of inspiration!
What is your favorite item in the AMM store at the moment? There are so many things I love, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be these Prima butterflies.
What TV show must you watch each week? Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy
What are your 3 must have scrapbooking products/tools? My Making Memories trimmer, Making Memories edge distressor, and FLOWERS!
What is your guilty pleasure? I have to have something sweet every night -- usually it's a bowl of ice cream or a handful of mini peanut butter cups.
Are you a messy scrapper or clean and tidy? MESSY!!! While working on a project, it always looks like a tornado struck my scrap area. But I always have to clean up between projects.
How "Out of the Traditional Box" type scrapper are you? Lately, I've started to think very out of the box!!
Do you shop for your scrapbook supplies more online or at your LSS? Online
What is your favorite new trend? Mixed media.
How does your spouse, sig. other, or family, support and understand your scrapbook needs? My husband and family are VERY supportive of my scrapbook hobby . . . uh, er . . . addiction. :)

Now, onto some scavenger hunting. Here’s a clue for you:
Who created the layout that was recently touted by the owner of AMM as, her new favorite layout? What is the title of the layout?

Also, be sure and check out the AMM NSD forum for some amazing tutorials and challenges. I posted a tutorial on how to make these velvet pinwheels:

I also have two challenges going on: a sketch layout challenge with a fabulous prize provided by Graphic 45, and a corrugated cardboard challenge. You have until next Friday, May 8th to upload your entries, so come on over and play!!!

Lastly, I want to tell you about a great new technique challenge blog called The Next Step. It's headed by Lucy Edson, Bethany Kartchner and Galye Martin, who will posting tutorials, tips and techniques for us every week. It's for scrapbookers and mixed media artists alike. The first tutorial will be posted tomorrow, Monday May 4th. I Can't wait!

A little share for the day and NSD events

I was so thrilled to have one of my layouts published in the Spring 2009 issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today! My "You Brighten My World" layout was the featured layout for the article titled "what goes around comes around."

 

 
If you aren't familiar with this fabulous magazine, be sure and check it out! You can either subscribe to the magazine and have the hard copy delivered to your door, or you can download the current and past issues directly from the site.

Just a few more days until National Scrapbooking Day, and there's some great stuff going on!! We have LOTS of fun things planned all weekend long over at A Million Memories. First of all, GRAPHIC 45 will be in da house!!!!!! Yes, Graphic 45 will be hosting a challenge with a prized giveway of Graphic 45 papers! In addition, the Design Team has been working very hard putting together some amazing tutorials and sketches. There will also be fun challenges, games and a special NSD sale!! Be there or be square!!

Also, in celebration of NSD there's a contest going on right now on the Shimmerz blog! You just need create something using Shimmerz paints and upload it to the blog before May 9th. Three lucky winners will be drawn, and those winners will each receive FIVE jars of Shimmerz.

I'm busy working on my layouts with the A Million Memories May kit, and let me tell you that this is the best kit EVAH!!! I'll be posting some of my creations in the next couple of days.

This Face

Here's a layout I created for Graphic 45. I used the weekly sketch on the Graphic 45 blog (the sketch was made by Jing-Jing Nickel). I was inspired to get out my crochet needles by the very talented Wendela, who often adds bit of crocheting to her beautiful pages.



Have a great week!!

A Million Memories May Kit Sneak Peak

I have one word to describe the A Million Memories kit for May: WOW!!! It is filled with Prima, Websters Pages and Narratives goodies. I think it's one of the most beautiful kits I've ever seen! Here's a little sneak peak:


And just wait until you see the rest of this kit. It will knock your socks off! You can pre-order it here.

Also, A Million Memories has some fun things planned for National Scrapbooking Day. There will be some amazing tutorials, challenges, printable journaling spots and more that entire weekend, May 1st through 3rd. More details will be posted shortly on the message boards. You can find the details here: NSD Crop at A Million Memories. Save some time that weekend, because it's going to be lots of fun!

Style

Here's a layout I made with Graphic 45 papers from the Fashionista collection. I used Shimmerz paints on the angel wings and on the black dress to add some sparkle.




I couldn't resist adding a little velvet hat to my daughter's picture!

And the winner of the RAK is . . .

I still haven't figured out how to do the random number generator thingie, so I picked a winner the old fashioned way . . . I wrote down the names of the all the people who commented here and on 2Peas, and I pulled a name out of a hat. And the winner is . . . drumroll please . . .

robinredd!!!! Congrats Robin! Please email me your address and I will send you your goodies!

"Spring Has Sprung" RAK for positive energy

A couple weeks ago Amy Coose gave away a RAK over at 2Peas and on her blog as part of a "pay it forward" type of RAK to spread good vibes around. I was lucky enough to win her awesome prize package (thank you, Amy!), so now it's my turn to pay it forward. Here's a pic of what I'm giving away. It's spring themed with spring colors, flowers and an Easter mini album. It includes 1-2 yards each of 10 different styles of vintage-looking lace.


Post a comment here or on my thread over at 2Peas before the end of the day on Saturday, April 11th, and I'll pick a random winner. Just promise that if you win you'll post a RAK of your own to keep the positive energy going around!

My Graphic 45 altered project and a sale at AMM!!

When I was a little girl I loved to make crafts. I used to walk to a hobby store near our house and buy beads, felt, yarn, and all sorts of arts and crafts kits. One of things I used to buy were some little kits that contained a plain styrofoam doll bodice, and it came with different colors of fabric, trim, bling, and other things to decorate the bodice. Well, when I stumbled upon a plain styrofoam doll bodice on Etsy, I just new I had to order it so I could dress it up!



Sale alert! A Million Memories is having a sale now through Sunday, April 5th. Use coupon code 401 at checkout and get 20% off your entire order. This applies to everything in the store EXCEPT the monthly kit and the online courses, but you MAY use this for limited edition kits! Have fun shopping!

A Million Memories Design Team!!

I'm thrilled to share the news that I've been chosen for the Design Team at
A Million Memories!! Many of you who know me know that I've had my fingers and toes crossed since the call went out two months ago, so I was SOOOO excited to make the team! Thank you, Michelle!

I'm sharing this honor with an EXTREMELY talented group of ladies from all over the world (the list includes some existing DT members and some new ones):

Tonya Dirk
Hilde Janbroers
Karen Grunberg
Wendela Lam
Jennifer Findlay
Larissa Albernaz
Mia Caniza
Lucy Edson
Susan Dupre
Rachel Hall

WOWSA!! These ladies are uber-talented!

One of the things I love about the AMM kits is that they are consistently fantastic month after month. Here's a picture of the April kit:

It's packed with all kinds of Pink Paislee, Sassafrass Lass, and Prima goodies (just to name a few). I think there are still a couple kits left, and you can buy one here.

A Million Memories has a very friendly message board and an inspiring gallery, so if you haven't been over there, go check it out!!!

Happy Tuesday!

I had a fantastic time this past weekend at the Scrap Retreat House. It's a new scrap retreat house located in the French Valley area of Riverside, California. It was the grand opening weekend, and Christine and her husband have done everything in the house top notch! The house was beautiful, the scrapbooking tools were plentiful, and the accommodations were GREAT!

The best part of the weekend was the company I shared. We laughed until our sides ached. I didn't get much sleep and I only got two pages done the whole weekend, but I had a great time chatting and sharing stories. Thanks, ladies!!

Here's one of the layouts I made this weekend. I used goodies from the March kit from A Million Memories. I started with a piece of corrugated cardboard, tore it, then painted it with blue and green paint. I "borrowed" some dry wall tape from my husband's tool closet (sshhhhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell him), and I used that as a mask to get the little grid design on the cardboard. I then sprayed over the paint with several colors of Glimmer Mist to add some sparkle. I thought the rough and tumble cardboard would provide a nice contrast to the hand stitching, flowers, pearls and bling . . . a little masculine mixed with feminine . . .


One last thing to share for today . . . Graphic 45 has a great new ning site! Here's the link: Graphic 45. All you Graphic 45 fans can upload your own Graphic 45 projects and chat with other Graphic 45 fans and the Design Team members. Come check it out. We'd love to have you!!

Week of Cards at Graphic 45!

It's the Week of Cards over at the Graphic 45 blog. Pop on over and check out all the BEAUTIFUL cards made by the Design Team and some very talented Graphic 45 fans! Here are a couple of cards that I made:




I used Coffee Shimmerz on the black patterned paper to give it an antique look, and I used Gold Glimmer Blingz on the Prima flower to give it that old gilded look and make it pop. And speaking of Shimmerz, they just came out with some beautiful new colors! Ooh la la!!

And now I must run and continue packing for the scrap retreat I'm going to this weekend. I've never been good at packing for crops because I always like to have everything at my fingertips when I scrap, and therefore I end up bringing tons of stuff. I figure that I'll end up packing everything but the kitchen sink (but only because I know they'll have a kitchen sink there).

Enjoy the rest of your week!!!

Holy Guacamole!!

I think I just pulled a muscle . . . or a gasket . . . or something! I found out that I made the Graphic 45 Design Team! I knew that they were going to announce the new team members today, so I popped on over to the Graphic 45 blog (for like the 30th time today!) and I saw my name on the list!

I LOVE Graphic 45 papers, and I'm thrilled and extremely honored to be on the team! I'm sharing this honor with some VERY talented ladies (both the existing and the new G45 team members). Here are the rest of the newest Graphic 45 DT members:

Candy Rosenberg
Nancy Burke
Natasha Pryma
Sasha Holloway
Susan Lui

Thanks for letting me share the good news!

Playing with Shimmerz

I'm having a ball playing with the beautiful, sparkly Shimmerz paints! The wheels are turning in my head with different ideas about how I can use these wonderful paints on different things. Here's a layout I just finished. I couldn't resist making another clothes line with the cute little dresses cut from the Graphic 45 "Playtimes Past" paper collection.


I painted the little dresses with Shimmerz paints (Celery, December Sky and Royal Red) to give them a little sparkle. Here's a close-up:


I'm also thrilled to share a pub toot! I started submitting my work at the end of last year, and the first of my layouts that was picked up for publication has come out in print. It's on the page 72 of the March/April issue of Memory Makers:


It was exciting to see my layout in print for the first time. I'll have some other layouts in the magazines in the upcoming months too.

Lastly, here are a couple sneak peaks of the layout class I'll be teaching at Millie Papercrafts scrapbooking store on Sunday, March 22nd. If you're in the neighborhood . . .



That's all for today! Thanks for stopping by!!!!