Monday, November 30, 2009

check this out!

The Old Post Road is featuring kits to make holiday gifts, and they are featuring one of my Etsy shop holiday card kits!! Yeah! The one above is the one featured, and the one below is also available.

Trish has a pretty cool site, too, check it out for some great crafty ideas!


Sunday, November 29, 2009

holiday spirit anyone?

Anyone else get their tree put up this weekend? I'm not sure if I always put the tree up right after Thanksgiving, but this year it makes sense. The first two weekends are jam packed with family activities, and waiting until the 19th just seems silly.

This year Nate was really into it. He took great care with where he put each ornament. Only one ornament broke, and it was my fault. Oops!



Don't forget you have a chance to win some iCopic marker sets on Sketchy Thursdays!! Run over there now, you only have a few days for this challenge!


Saturday, November 28, 2009

a second chance challenge with a big prize!

Since we didn't do a regular Sketchy Thursday challenge this week, we're just going to have to bring you a shorter Second Chance Challenge instead, and it's a card challenge. You don't have to make a card, but if you need some inspiration to get started on those holiday cards, why not have a chance at winning some fabulous prizes in the meantime.



The sponsor of this Second Chance Challenge is iCopic.com!

iCopic.com is your destination for great selection, the best prices, and fast delivery for all your Copic needs. iCopic.com is a Copic Authorized Dealer. And, they have GENEROUSLY donated these kits for our lucky winner!!!



AND...if we have more than 60 players, this set will also be thrown into the pot:




This is a shortened challenge. You have until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, 12/2 to hook up your creation to Mr. Linky in the sidebar of Sketchy Thursdays. The random winner will be chosen and revealed on Thursday, 12/3.

Be sure to spread the word!!! The more players, the more Copics you can win!!!!


Wednesday, November 25, 2009

so very thankful

With many people pretending today is "Friday" on account of Thanksgiving here in the US, If The Shoe Fits... Scrap It! is doing the same! Fashionista Friday #12 is posted today, and the prompt is "Thankful."

We'd love to see your thankful pages and cards. Above is the card that I made for my DT contribution this week. I love using the Maya Road chipboard trees set. They are just too darn cute!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the US readers. Who's participating in the Black Friday crazies this year? I am!! My MIL and I try to go out every year. I have no idea what exactly I want to go for, but I have my Michael's, JoAnn's, Kohl's, J.C. Penney's and plenty of other retail coupons ready to go. Not to mention all of the online scrapping sales going on!

What are you doing this weekend?

Sunday, November 22, 2009

happy fall Sunday


Nothing much going on here, just lots of cleaning and yard work at the Fisher house. I made this page for The Studio's Charity Crop last weekend and just love how it turned out. It took forever to cut out these flowers, though, but I was committed to the look once I started. It was worth it, I love the look of it once I was done.



Don't forget to vote for the GDT spot on Sketchy Thursdays!! Take a mouse-click over there and peek at the entries for this month... they are all REALLY good! I'm excited to see who the winner of the Lil Scrappin Mama Dec. kit is going to be!!


Thursday, November 19, 2009

11.19 sketchy thursdays sketch

The new sketch is up at Sketchy Thursdays! I am in a fall mood. I love oranges and browns, and just the overall look of a great, fall page.

These papers are from Jillibean Soup. I just love their stuff! The big, wood green button and the cardboard lettering are from Jillibean Soup, too.





Thanks for stopping by! This week's Sketchy Thursdays winner is going to get the December kit from Scrapbook Kit Club. And here's a peek to get you excited to play along with us.




Wednesday, November 18, 2009

reality vs. perception

The next Get Meaningful Prompt #27 is ready for you today! The idea is to think back on a situation where after-the-fact your perception versus the reality of what happened was completely different. I'm sure we've all had those moments when we are in the thick of things we can't see the forest for the trees.

I chose to make a page about having Nate. The idea to have a baby seemed all well and good until I had to raise him! As mothers, I'm sure we have all been there where we say, "Wow, this is a tough job!" My choices for him now are so much larger than the initial fleeting thought on whether or not we were ready to have him in our family.

(And don't you just love "lil Nate" in the picture? He was adorable from day one! In this picture he was only 3-4 months old, I believe. )

I used some more of my Lil Scrappin Mama kit for this. That Nov. kit is so darn versatile! I never get tired of using it. (Do you have one yet? Hurry up....) Thanks for stopping by!!

my 150 followers giveaway!

As promised, when I hit 150 I was going to giveaway a vintage mix set from my Etsy shop. The above picture is representative of what the winner is going to get along with some cool buttons and little extras that are also sold in my Etsy shop. Head on over there if you are interested in some holiday vintage mix goodness for making holiday pages or cards.

So, without further ado... the winner is: almondeyez2000 (Tanisha). Hi Tanisha!! Send me your shipping address to dianadesigns@rochester.rr.com and I'll make sure you get your vintage mix kit asap!

Thanks again to everyone who is a follower of my site. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. Make sure you leave comments so I can also visit your site!!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

a little bit vintage

Hi there! This was one of the few pages I was able to make for The Studio's Charity Crop this past weekend. The picture is of me and my brother when we were little. The challenge was to scrap vintage, whether it be the style, the time period or the look.

Like the button flowers? I made those using corrugated cardboard, Maya mists, lace, old buttons and string. Don't forget, I sell these buttons in my Etsy store. I hope to put a few more in there over the next few weeks.

Thanks for looking! And thank you to everyone who sent me well wishes to feel better. I am finally feeling a bit more like myself. Big hug!

Monday, November 16, 2009

more lil scrappin mama and a chance to win!

I had a few minutes this weekend to try and scrap again. After being so sick all week, it felt good to get back into the swing of things. Here's another page I made using the November kit for Lil Scrappin Mama.



The first ever Friday Challenge over at Lil Scrappin Mama is going on right now. You'll need to:

1. Make a layout based on this sketch.

2. The layout must have at least one embellishment that you have created yourself.

3. E-mail your layout to
kristie@lilscrappinmama.com to be judged...we will post our favorites and the winner will be announced next week.
4.
Deadline for submissions is Tuesday, November 17th, midnight CST.


The winner will get the November kit all for their very own!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

11.12 sketchy thursdays and lil scrappin mama kit love

Here's the next Sketchy Thursdays challenge for you. Sponsored by Torendi this week, one luck winner will get a prize pack from them that you can see HERE. Can't wait to see all of this week's entries!!

And here is my oh-so inspirational page for you this week. Want to know why it rocks a whole bunch? It was made with my Lil Scrappin Mama Nov. kit. Oh yeah... it's a great one! You better scoot over and get one before they are all gone!





Thanks for checking in!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

i hope he always believes

Here's my page for the Nov. 1st challenge at The Studio. You had to:
  1. Use the sketch provided (by Sketchy Thursdays)
  2. Your layout and journaling should be based on something you hope or wish for
  3. Use glitter in some way on your page
My page is about how I hope Nate always believes in the power of super heroes. The pictures are from when he got his new Spider Man pjs and he thought he could run faster, jump higher and be stronger. The Spider Man statue is from the Strong National Museum of Play display in the new Marvel wing. So very cool!!


And where, you may ask, are all of these great supplies from?! Lil Scrappin Mama kit club, of course!! I got my kit this weekend and it is chock full of great stuff. I love the Bella Blvd. and Sassafras Lass goodies that are in there.

I've made 2 other pages with the kit that you'll see for my Get Meaningful page this week as well as my Sketchy Thursdays page. Make sure you check back! This kit is quite versatile!

Monday, November 9, 2009

vintage goodness

I finally did it! I got together the goodies I have been collecting and making recently and put them in my Etsy store. Over the course of the next week, new vintage and holiday goodies will be popping up in my Etsy store. Remember, when I hit 150 followers I will be giving away a vintage goodies kit to one lucky follower. If I hit 200 anytime soon, 2 kits will be given away.

Thanks for looking! I am hoping that these items will be successful. I am also going to be making more embellishments and flowers like ones you've seen here before.

Friday, November 6, 2009

see the flowers smiling

A new challenge is up at If The Shoe Fits... Scrap It! The color challenge is to use KRAFT, CREME and ORANGE.

I also added a second challenge to myself to use the other jar of Art Glitter I had from last week's Sketchy Thursdays challenge. This time I used their Elements Glitter: Morocco. It is so pretty, lush and thick for glitter. Check out this up close shot.


And here is the flower I posted from Wordless Wednesday. (Don't forget to check the Wordless Wednesday post for my recent giveaway!) I do love how they turned out and plan to make some more flowers like these in different colors and papers. And I'm now a Maya Mist convert. I went from baffled to in love with the stuff!

Thanks for stopping by today! I really do appreciate each and every one of you that read my blog and hold a special place for many of you (you know who you are, friends!!!). My life is richer because of you! Happy Friday and hope a great weekend awaits you!



We are taking on 2010 sponsors for Sketchy Thursdays! Do you have an affiliation with a kit club, a store, an Etsy shop and want to sponsor one week in exchange for giving a prize? Send me an e-mail at dianadesigns@rochester.rr.com and we'll get you set up.

And don't forget to play Sketchy Thursdays this week for a chance to win a Studio Calico Tango Kit!!



Thursday, November 5, 2009

11.5 sketchy thursdays layout

It's Thursday which means Sketchy Thursdays is up with a new sketch. Here it is, and I hope you play along with us this week! Studio Calico is sponsoring this week's challenge! Someone is going to walk away with their Tango kit. Check out details about the kit and also how to play along at Sketchy Thursdays.

Here's my page for inspiration.
I was just talking with my friend Leah about why on earth do we make our challenges difficult on ourselves?! She runs a challenge over at Design Dollies and we both had "duh" moments where we boxed ourselves in with our own creations.

My moment: A tilted picture! I NEVER tilt single pictures. Especially negative space ones like this. So, I had to run with it and notice... mine's straight! Ha ha... just proof that even the creator of the sketch has an interpretation of it.



This page is about how, for as long as I can remember, Nate has called the weekends "Mommy Days." I think it was a way for him to keep the days straight before he knew the days of the week. He still calls days home from school "Mommy Days." I just love it!!

We've spent many of those weekend mornings at the playground by our house. That's where this picture was taken.
Thanks for looking!



Supplies: October Afternoon (pp), Sassafras Lass (flowers and felt car), October afternoon (journaling spot stickers), Maya Mist (blue)



Wednesday, November 4, 2009

wordless wednesday and a giveaway


I made some pretty neat flowers this week. And I'm getting on the Wordless Wednesday bandwagon. Seemed like a great way to share these with you without sharing the project I made for a DT reveal. (Better stop talking or it's no longer "wordless.")

Have a good Wednesday!

Oh... and I'm wanting to do a giveaway. I seem to be stalled at 139 followers. When I get to 150 I will randomly chose from my followers to receive a cool prize pack. I'm going to be making some neat-o kits for my Etsy site. There will be dictionary pages, holiday sheet music, ribbons, buttons, holiday papers... perfect for some trending ATCs or holiday cards. Want one for you? Let's get those extra 11 followers! :) If I get to 200 pretty quickly I'll draw for a second one.


Sunday, November 1, 2009

turning point

Everyone has a turning point. I have a few... I moved to another state after college. The birth of my son was a huge turning point. My husband's job change has been a big one for our family. But, if I have to make a page about a turning point, it would have to be about having a space all my own.

Having my own scrap room has taken my love for art and creativity to a whole new level. Who I am now, my confidence in my own abilities, my love for this... it all rests in this space.


I made this page with two challenges in mind. The All About Me Challenge blog has the "Turning Point" prompt up for a few more days. Click on over there and play along! The Creative Type prompt right now is "Negative Space." I LOVE to make negative space pages, so I was all over this.

See those cool white rings? I used a toilet paper roll and an ink pad to make 'em. Yeah... I feel pretty smart (lol). I think it all turned out pretty cool, and I will definitely try this again.

Hope to see you over at these challenges. (And happy November!)