February Giveaway~!!

Hi there! After taking a couple of months off and surviving the holidays (and its aftermath, lol)- I'm back with another monthly giveaway! At first, I told myself I should skip it again this month. My family and I are potentially looking at a big change coming up possibly this month and I know there will be much stress and money involved- which is never good. But honestly, I've found my faith renewed in an unexpected way and giving all of my worries over to God has been an amazing thing. And I feel that I need to continue doing positive things in my life and doing what I can to give of myself to others- SO~ here we are with my February Giveaway :)~!! I hope you like it :)...

Coming off of January and heading into February are the two coldest months of the year where I live. So I wanted to put together a giveaway that spoke of spring and warmth and happiness :). I've included the Elise Rebel paper collection & coordinating cardstock stickers from 7 Dots Studio (Poland), various flowers from Prima Marketing, Manor House Creations, & more, some Blue Fern Studios chipboard as well as some printed chipboard pieces from Prima, a wooden embellishment from Kaisercraft, some rub-ons, trims, pearls, and more!

So how do you get yourself in the running to win? Pretty easy:

Simply (1) enter your name using the Inlinkz Tool at the bottom of this post and (2) make sure you are a follower of my blog. That is it! And of course, this is open to anyone and everyone **INTERNATIONALLY**~!!

And to stick with tradition, I'm going to offer up a random pack of chipboard to anyone who shares my giveaway on either their blog, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. Simply stop back here and leave a comment with a link to where you shared and you will be in the drawing :).

Giveaway open until midnight US-CST on February 28th, 2013. Winner will be chosen via random.org and posted in the week that follows. Good luck! And thanks for all of your suppport!

Two More for C'est Magnifique

Good morning (I think?) to you all :). It's Monday morning here. Did NOT sleep well last night and up early this morning...and just super tired. Really don't like starting out my Monday like this as this is historically the most difficult day of the week for me (and the kids)- it's like we have a weekend hangover together- and Dad isn't around to help us out, lol...

But I need to show you a couple more projects using the February Kit "Royal Tea Party" from C'est Magnifique! So let's go~!

"After Party"

My daughter's first birthday was quite busy, filled with family, and it caused her to be a bit overwhelmed. Though I took nearly 400 pictures during the day, I don't think I got even a single one of her smiling . However, AFTER the party (and a nap!) she was much happier. I spent some time with her outside, just her and I, and got a bunch of really great shots. She was so adorable in her little birthday outfit- and when I first started to work with this kit, I just knew that it would coordinate perfectly with it! I pulled apart one of the wire hearts and used a couple of the sprays in my cluster. Then I took the remaining piece and bent them into "leaves", also sticking them in with my cluster. It's so much fun to find different ways to use a product!

 From the Flower Add-On:
Prima: Amore Violet
Prima: Coventry: Serene
Prima: Botanical: Marri
Prima: Larkspur: Sherwood Rose
Manor House: Lotus: Imperial

From the Embellishment Add-On:
Leaky Shed: Keyholes
American Crafts: Thickers: Rainboots
Pink Paislee: Artisan Wings

Next, I have for you probably the most "clean and simple" layout I've ever made. But this photo that my sister Kelly took of her daughter was so incredibly gorgeous, I just didn't want to take away from it- and so I turned it into a "quote piece" instead...

"Autumnal Face"

I love it when I am insired by color. This photo is of my niece on an autumn day and the colors are amazing, as well as the subject herself! But I was at first uncertain of how I would match the kit to the photo. However, once I got started, I found that every color in the amazing picture is available in the kit- one way or another. I was excited to discover that the beautiful Blue Fern Studios packaging was perfect for the fussy cut bit to the left of my photos, and it really helped draw out some of the rich fall colors. I actually had a hard time ADDING more flowers, which is pretty much unheard of for me! But it actually looked better left a little more simple, and the beautiful quote just tied the whole thing together :).

From the Flower Add-On:
Prima: Coventry: Serene
Prima: Botanical: Marri
Prima: Larkspur: Sherwood Rose

This gorgeous kit has just sold out- but there are still some of the paper packs available, a flower add-on, and some individual items available in the store HERE! These kits generally tend to sell out QUICK, so if you'd like to make sure you  never miss out on another one again, become a subscriber! You can learn how HERE :).

I hope your Monday treats you well~ have a great week and we'll see you again here soon :).

Selected Scrapper @ Skissedilla: Week 4~!

Good morning, my friends~! Sunday is again upon us (well, "us" to whom it applies- I know you ahead-of-it-all-other-side-of-the-worlders have already {or soon will} said good-night to Sunday)~ and what that means is it's reveal day at Skissedilla~! Today's sketch is my last for the month as the Selected Scrapper there, and I just wanted to thank them so much for having me :). It's been a pleasure creating with their wonderful sketches~!

I have a super sweet story behind the layout I created for this challenge. I tell a lot of stories about my kids, and some day I hope to print a book of my blog (I've heard you can do this- should probably check into the validity of it)- and then I will have one place in which all of these stories are documented. But I also like to share them because I think we all find some enjoyment in learning about eachother's lives. I do, anyway. It makes us all seem a bit more "real", if you know what I mean. And being a parent, I understand that most parents never tire of talking about their kids- or at least their kids' stories :)...

"Don't Cry, Mom"

My little Gunner. If you've followed my blog, you know about my little Gunner. He's just as sweet as they come- a wild child too- but inside, he's just a sweetie. I've seen more of this from him as time goes on, and this particular layout was inspired by something I discovered a few weeks back.

But first, here's the sketch, #195:

Of course we need some closeups...and the story :)...

 So one night I'm sitting on the couch and I just wanted Gunner to come and sit with me. When he decides he'd rather continue playing instead, I pretend to start crying- you know, burying your face in your hands and doing your best (obnoxious) crying sounds, body shaking and all...

 (yeah, I was that desperate)...Little Gunners drops his toy, comes on over, pulls my hands from my face and with the most concerned, big brown eyes he says, "Don't cry, Mom."

 My heart seriously melted. And then he took it a step further, climbed into my lap, and wrapped his arms around my neck before burying his face against me. And then he stayed like that for about five minutes. I seriously held him for every moment of that five minutes!

Since then, any time I have any look of concern on my face he will come right up to me, look me directly in the eyes as if trying to read my emotions, and ask, "What's wrong, Mom?" Or- if I'm pretending to be sad again- he tells me not to cry, and won't leave my side until he knows I'm okay. It's incredible. And I hope he never changes :).

Thanks for letting me share my little story with you :). 

I'd love to hear yours! So won't you play along with this week's sketch? When the challenge closes in a week, I'll be reviewing every entry from this month and choosing one lucky duck to win this from me:

Sure hope to see you there :). Enjoy the rest of your weekend~ take care!!

C'est Magnifique February Kit Reveal~!

Hey hey everyone! It's that time again...kit reveal day at C'est Magnifique Kits~!! We've got another great one for you and I'm sure you're just going to love it! Of course I've got plenty of examples for you, one of which you already saw this past week. I showed you how to take this feminine kit and use it in a masculine way. Today I'm going to show you how to work the feminine side ;)~!

"Doll"

This is my daughter at ten months of age, last summer at the lake. She truly is a doll! I thought the gorgeous Blue Fern Studios dress form was perfect for this layout. To alter it I first primed it with gesso, then took a mask and used the purple Color Shine mist with it. Then I added various gold and purple microbeads.
I fussy cut quite a few of the small purple flowers from one of the papers and added them in with my flower clusters to add some bulk. I also snipped off the small flowers from the vine in the main kit and scattered them throughout my clusters. Finally, I tore apart one of the wire hearts and created two floral sprigs from it, placing them in with the flowers as well. 

From the Flower Add-On:
Prima: Amore Violet
Prima: Coventry: Serene
Prima: Botanical: Marri
Prima: Larkspur: Sherwood Rose
Manor House: Lotus: Imperial

From the Embellishment Add-On:
Blue Fern Studios: Sweetheart Dressform
Leaky Shed: Keyholes
Prima: Resin: Marvelle

SO- you've already seen the add-ons for this kit- how about a look at the main kit itself??

Our February Kit, "Royal Tea Party"

A few closeups as well...

If you've been itching to get your hands on some Blue Fern Studios chippies~ you will find one of our most popular pieces in this kit- the Blue Fern Frame!

 And for you Manor House Creations lovers out there- you'll be happy to find that we've got some of the precious "Glitter Mini Roses- Caramel" flowers in this kit! LOVE them~!!

If you want to get your hands on this kit, visit the February Kit section of the store HERE, where you will find individual items from the add-ons as well, should you want some :). And to make sure you never miss out on a future kit- see the FAQs HERE on how to join!

Thanks so much for stopping by- and check back later for more projects using this beautiful kit. Take care and have a great weekend~!

Webster's Pages (Inspired By) Perfect Motifs~! (Tag Set)

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing great as we near the end of this week :). It's been brutally cold here and I'm just liking January going by fairly quickly and am already looking forward to spring...even though we have a good four months to go before we see any of that! You would think having been born, raised, and lived my entire life in Minnesota that I would be used to the winters here. Nope. Still don't like suffering through -30 F temps!

But let's heat things up today with a cute little project I put together for Webster's Pages! :)

"Perfect Motifs Tag Set"

This set was inspired by the Webster's Pages "Perfect Motifs Pad", which includes (18) 6"x6" papers full of fun little motifs for accenting any of your WP projects. 

Aren't they just the CUTEST?! I love them. And creating with them was SO easy!

This tag includes a mix of "In Love", "Park Drive", some "Royal Christmas", "Everyday Poetry", & "Best Friends" trims, bloomer trim, and even one of the brand new "Quick Picks" bows! The "Park Drive" sentiments provided quick & easy sentiments for each of the pieces in this set. This tag would be great for attaching to a wedding present as a little handmade "something extra" for the new couple :).

 I never tire of how well different collections can mix and match! Here we see the "Sunday Picnic" Perfect Motif, complimented by "Park Drive" papers, trims from "Park Drive" & "Royal Christmas", some more bloomer trim and another "Quick Picks" bow. And although it's very difficult to see since I photographed against a white background, there is a big fluffy trim treatment up top that I just love! A great, simple tag for a friend :).

This last one here is my favorite color combo of the three. "Sunday Picnic" and "Park Drive" mesh together BEAUTIFULLY, don't they?! I think this one would be great for giving with a housewarming gift. The pink bloomer trim paired with the lacy orange trim and even that sweet little polka dot "Quick Picks" bow...gotta love a great mix :)~! And the nice full trim treatment at the top is provided by the "Western Romance" collection- an old favorite of mine!

Products Used:

Perfect Motifs Pad

Park Drive Collection

Park Drive Sentiments

Best Friends Trim Card

Park Drive Trim Card

Royal Christmas Trim Card

Everyday Poetry Trim Card

Western Romance Trim Card

Bloomer Trim

Quick Picks Bows

Bling

Have a wonderful day- and I'll see you again this weekend!

Selected Scrapper @ Skissedilla: Week 3~!

Good morning! Another Sunday has come which means a new sketch from Skissedilla :). As you know, I'm guest designing there this month and have had such a great time creating with their sketches~! Today we reveal to you Sketch #194. It's always interesting to see where a sketch will take me- I never know if I will follow it closely or stray, but usually it ends up being a little bit of both- if that makes ANY sense~!

I've been trying to get some of my "older" photos scrapped- mainly those from this past year. I was happy to finally create a layout for this special photo of my husband and our daughter, taken last Easter (her first!)...

"Thank Heaven for Little Girls"

I wanted my color palette to be as soft and sweet as this moment between father & daughter :). I've used paper from Riddersholm Design (Denmark), which I actually received in my very first C'est Magnifique kit back in February 2011. I LOVE this paper, so I've been hoarding it ever since! But I figured it was "time"...

Sketch #194, designed by Nabon:

And of course a closer peek:

I keep waiting for my bead obsession to subside...but it's just not going anywhere. So you're going to have to put up with seeing more of this madness until I either find something else to love this much, or just plain get sick of it! ;)

Products Used:

Fancy Birdcage

And as a reminder, the RAK I'm going to be giving away to one lucky participant! I'm sure it will be no easy task, but I get to take a look at each and every entry from the month and choose my winner :D~!

I sure hope you can play along with this week's sketch! Hope to see you linked up over there~ I'm excited to see what you create! 

Thanks SO much for stopping by- hope your weekend has been awesome :)

Take care,

C'est Magnifique: A First Look @ the February Kit~!

Good morning everyone! I hope you are doing well :) Things are great here and I have even more craftiness to share with you today as it is time to reveal the papers and add-ons for the February kit from C'est Magnifique~ and of course a layout to go with it!

"Boy"

I always have to find a way to make these beautiful kits masculine (at least once!), which is what I was going for on this layout. I love the vintage feel of the cream paper with all the little black hearts, as well as the navy paper. I knew that by adding some book pages and a bunch of layers, I could accomplish a masculine/vintage look to capture the essence of my baby boy just six months ago. He has grown SO much in that time that it almost saddens me to look at this precious photo. I also wanted to show you the versatility this kit offers! At first glance, it appears to be predominantly purple, when in fact there are so many amazing, rich colors to pick from and combine in a variety of ways!

I've done lots of layering with this layout- book pages, flowers layered on top of flowers, canvas pieces, resin, trims, and jewels...

Packaging is a commonly used and great way to add interest and another layer to your projects! I've taken advantage of the Prima packaging that comes with the resin pieces, cut it into a banner and stamped with a script stamp.

From the Flower Add-On:
Prima: Coventry: Serene
Prima: Botanical: Marri
Prima: Larkspur: Sherwood Rose
Manor House Creations: Romance

From the Embellishment Add-On:
Prima: Resin: Marvelle
Prima: Craftsman: Velvet Trinkets

The paper in the February Kit is from Maja Design of Sweden, out of their "Ska-vi-ta-en-fika" collection, which can be found HERE in the C'est Magnifique store:

Of course we've got a gorgeous Flower Add-On which has already sold out- however, there are still some individual items available in the store HERE:

And a fabulous Embellishment Add-On (also sold out)- but again, there are individual items available yet in the store HERE:

Thank-you for dropping by today :)~ if you love what you see and would like to make sure you don't ever miss out on one of these beautiful kits and/or the add-ons, see the "Join" section of the site HERE, where you can find frequently asked questions, kit prices, etc.

Have a good one!