Sketchy Thursdays and Scrapbook Circle

Hello! Today is another Sketchy Thursdays reveal day. Oh, how I never tire of these! Can you tell I'm excited and proud every week that Sketchy Thursdays is thriving?! Such a fun place to play along if you aren't already.

Make sure to stop by and say goodbye to the design team members that are sharing their final reveal with us. The new DT plays along for the first time next week. And this week's sketch is made by the wonderful Heidi. I turned the one big photo into four smaller ones. Check out the sketch!


This page is made with pictures I took at The Strong Museum of Play when we went to meet Curious George. Funny thing is that good ol' George was hiding on us for most of the time we were there, and we only barely saw him for a split second. I managed one poorly lit picture of Nate and his friend, Madison, with the monkey before he took off again.

Nate had brought along one of his many stuffed versions of George for the occasion (hence the pictures), and we ended up having a wonderful day anyways.


This week at Sketchy Thursdays is sponsored by Scrapbook Circle. The wonderful thing, too, is that I used my April kit from Scrapbook Circle to make this page! Isn't it such a fun and bright kit? I loved it the moment I opened it!


You know you want to win this!! Play along with Sketchy Thursdays this week for your chance, and can't wait to see what you make!

Favorite Scrappy Tool

The These Are a Few of My Favorite Things blog is challenging you these next two weeks to make a page about your favorite scrappy tool.

The DT pages are fabulous and the ideas are endless, so head on over to the blog and see what these fabulous ladies have for you today.

I chose my fave trimmer, adhesive, scissors and border punches. I can't imagine making anything without these items. We are all so lucky to be creating in such a fabulous time for this industry.

I made my page using the Echo Park Springtime digi kits at JessicaSprague.com. If you are comfortable using Photoshop, I'd highly recommend these kits to anyone!

I hope to see you all join us at TAAFOMFT! What's your favorite scrappy tool?

Happy umbrella and pretty little birdies

For this card, I'm playing along with the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club. I love that they do a weekly sketch challenge. I used the Pure Innocence stamp "My Umbrella" that I actually bought at Simon Says Stamp—my first purchase there.

I have to say that I was happy with the experience and will shop there again. I had ended up there when looking online for the resin frames from Melissa Frances. (pssstt... do you spy a small one around the bow on the ribbon on this card?)


The cards shown here serve as a sneak peek for you. Other than the stamps and ribbon, these cards were made with the Scrapbook Circle April kit. You know you want one!! Isn't it so fun?!



This card was made using the Card Patterns Sketch #108. There are some great sketches there, so play along if you are looking for card inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I hope everyone is having a great week so far.

Sneak peek and a hop reminder

I've been working with the April kit for Scrapbook Circle and it is fabulous! If you haven't planned to get one yet, you should. It's full of vibrant colors and fun patterns. Perfect for spring and all that it will offer soon enough.

I also want to remind you about the Paper Issues Blog Hop. This is the last week to leave a comment and play along. My post is HERE. The Paper Issues hop is HERE. And the fab prize up for grabs can be seen HERE.

Hope to see you hopping! And thanks for stopping by today.

Thinking spring

Getting the house ready for Spring!

Snow day swimsuit

Yep, that's my son! Spending his snow day home from school in swim trunks and flip flops. He loves to play dress-up, so I guess this counts as a costume when you're getting 16" of snow and it's 20 degrees outside.

I made this page with Heidi's latest sketch over at Sketchy Thursdays. Join us! This week, one lucky winner will get a $25 gift card to AddictedToScrapbooking.com. Yahoo! Great prize, huh?! Everyone loves scrapbook shopping!!


I used my March kit from Scrapbook Circle finally. I absolutely love the alphas, tickets and banners in this kit. Great little extras for sure! The paper is pretty awesome, too, actually. And what is life without a little Twinery love?! Did you know that Scrapbook Circle sells twine now? Check it out in the shop!


Thanks for checking out my blog today. And my silly son! :) Play along with Sketchy Thursdays this week for the chance to win that $25 to AddictedtoScrapbooking.com!

Some'bunny' is ready for spring

Here's a cheery little card to get you hoppin' with your spring or Easter cards. I know some of my friends are already having days near-90-degree days (cough...AZ...cough...), but up here in the northeast we are dodging wintery mix and 30-degree-afternoons. We need all the sunshine-y things we can get!

I made this card with a few different challenges in mind. The first is the Card Makin Mamas: Animals challenge. Who can resist a cute lil bunny?! Speaking of ... this bunny is from DigiStamp Boutique.

Second, I used Card Patterns: Sketch 107. (Which is a great sketch that I plan on using over and over again.)


And I also used this color challenge at colourQ. I have to admit that this color combo took me a bit longer to put together, but I realized that a lot of the colors in my Scrapbook Circle March kit worked out for this, so all of the papers on this card are from that kit. The papers are from Echo Park and Crate.


Hopefully I've inspired you to play along with some of these challenges. Hope you all are having a great week so far!

A little love for kraft paper

Happy Tuesday, ladies! Here's another card I made using kraft. I just can't seem to get enough of this stuff! I used sketch #132 from Clean & Simple. You can see that sketch HERE.



I also used the color challenge at CR84FN, Challenge #20. I really liked the flowers, so I kind of went with that idea, too.


And here's an engagement card I made last week, also using more kraft paper.


I love these Love Notes chipboard pieces from Maya Road. I never use glitter or sparkle on anything, but this card seemed to call for it, so I gave in. :) And the heart paper in the background is Bella Blvd.


Does anyone else think I seem to be obsessed with putting white dash marks all over my projects? I think I've marked up 95% of my last few pages and cards with faux white stitching!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I have to say that even though daylight saving time kicked in, I still can't wait until it's light out later into the evening. My photos are so blah without natural light. I swear these cards are super cute in person. :)

May your dreams soar

I was playing around with my Copics a bit last week. A friend of mine ordered a retirement card, so this is what I came up with. I really love the way the centers of the flowers turned out. I've been practicing working on achieving the look of depth with my Copics.


Of course, I couldn't make a card without baker's twine from The Twinery. And clouds. Would you expect anything less from me?! The flower stamp and clouds die are from Papertrey Ink, in case you're looking for a similar floral stamp or clouds.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday! Thanks for reading my blog today!!

The Sampler sketch challenge for March

On the 20th of each month, The Sampler DT challenges you to use a sketch. You can share your page with us over at the ScrapbookingSuppliesRUs.com website, here, on the contest page.

I sure hope you'll use the sketch and play along. The challenge is fairly new, so until it gains momentum, your odds of winning are pretty good, kwim?!


I absolutely loved so many pieces that came with the March kit for The Sampler. The alpha from October Afternoon is a great one. Lots of choices for the letters and I love this font style.


Oh, and my page is about Nate's first TALL snowman this season. Some of you who read my blog regularly may remember THIS SNOWMAN PAGE HERE. Yeah, that snowman didn't really count. We pretended it was like he had melted and decorated him anyways.

But this snowman ... he rocks, and we were quite proud of him.

Here is what the sketch looks like. Like I said—I sure hope you'll join in and make a page using this sketch.


Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Did everyone find some time to get crafty?!

I have Paper Issues & my favorites

Hello! You are most likely here for the Paper Issues blog hop. Our focus for the hop is FAVORITES. How fun, right?!

This card was made using my "favorites." What are they, you might ask? Here is a list of what I reach for first when I can.
• Kraft paper
• My Mind's Eye paper (I just adore this company on so many levels!)
• The color blue and a neutral
• Silhouettes, cameos, anything in this style
• Buttons!!
• Rub-ons ("Smile" is a rub-on)
• Ribbons—especially crinkly, seam-binding ribbons
• Trinket pins. I hoard these and just have to have them in all sizes, shapes and styles.

I also applied a favorite technique, which is layering. I can't remember the last thing I made that didn't use a foam dot somewhere on the project. And I used my Nestabilities dies, which is a go-to technique for me, as well.

If you are doing the Paper Issues Blog Hop, here is the order for the team I'm on:

Chris Aiton
Gretchen McElveen
Mandy Starner
Lowri McNabb
Cassie Box
Zarah S Peterson
Diana Fisher (YOU ARE HERE)

All hops end with the Paper Issues main blog. We'd love to see you leave a comment there so you have a chance to win a fabulous prize!

Of course, I would love it if you leave a comment here, too! :)

Thanks for visiting today! I'm really in love with this card. I may actually keep it and display it somewhere in my house. See what happens when you make something from your favorite things?!

Hey there, chick-a-dee

So, I'm on my way to a 65th birthday party this weekend for my husband's aunt. Of course husband is working, but Nate and I will be there to represent. Ready to party the night away and celebrate.

This cutie little card will be accompanying her gift, some goodies from Pier One. Who doesn't love Pier One?! :)


These stamps are from the Chick Chat set from Skipping Stones. And I also used this week's Skipping Stones sketch, which can be found HERE. I simplified it a bit, but I think the sketch is still in there somewhere, lol!

So, what is everyone up to this weekend? Here's some of what I have going on for you:

• Join me here tomorrow for a Blog Hop and a fabulous kit up for grabs from Paper Issues.
• I'll have a sketch challenge from The Sampler on Sunday.
• Saturday is the last day to play along for a chance to be April's GDT for Sketchy Thursdays.
• Today is the last day to apply for the Sketchy Thursdays DT for the next 6 months.

Lots to do if you'd like!

Sampler, ST and some SRM

The latest Sketchy Thursdays sketch is posted for you to join in and play along. This week is sponsored by SRM Stickers. I used the stickers on the right side of my page (all of the words). One lucky winner will get themselves a fabulous set of SRM Stickers.

I made the rest of this page using the March kit from The Sampler. On Monday I shared a page with you using the Sassafras Lass Starter page. This page is from Sweetly Smitten collection. I also threw in the MME buttons and stickers. Such a great kit with wonderful variety that all seems to go together so well!


I'd love to see you playing along at Sketchy Thursdays! You have until next Wednesday night to share a page with us to be eligible to win the SRM Stickers prize.

Cityscapes on the rise

Cath has managed to inspire me again! Another card I never would have made without the inspiration and direction from the Moxie Fab blog.

This card is inspired by the Cityscapes Are On the Rise Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. My little city scene is 3-D with a peek-a-boo window in the front of the card. (And can I just say how difficult it is to photograph a card with a window?! Wow!)



Thanks for stopping by to see my cityscapes card. I just love how bright and fun the card turned out to be. With dreary winter dragging on forever, I feel like I needed this splash of color in my life.

Favorite Pastime

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things challenge blog has a new challenge for you: What do you like to do to pass the time?

Do you visit coffee shops, watch movies, play a sport? Scrap? (LOL—like I have to ask that one?!)

My page is about stopping for a coffee break. I really, really enjoy coffee shops. I love to sit in those big over-stuffed chairs, read and sip a latte. Now that I have Nate, the dynamic for that kind of relaxation has changed.

When he's in a good mood, I do like to take him to Starbucks or Panera and we enjoy a light snack and beverage together. It's during these times that I get some great conversation from him. And that is the best part.

I really hope that as he gets older we take advantage of this more. It will be great to have that kind of one-on-one relationship with Nate. I hope that setting this trend now may start a habit that he will enjoy with me.

For my page, I used Sketch 110 from The Scrappiest and mostly the digital kits from Echo Park that can be found on Jessica Sprague's site. I invested in quite a few of them, so don't be surprised if you see a few more digis popping up here. I like to keep you all on your toes. You never know what you'll get from me! :)

I hope to see you all playing along with us at TAAFOMFT. You have two weeks to play along. You can link up your post in the comments section, and we give one lucky player a cool prize. Easy as pie! Join in the fun!!

The Sampler and Sassafras

The Sampler kit for March has the gorgeous Sweetly Smitten in it as well as a fabulous sheet from the Starters collection. That's the sheet with the great pink sheet music print. So pretty and very versatile. I can see myself grabbing for the Starters over and over again.


I was inspired by the March challenge for Sassafras Lass to make a page using a blocking technique. I've always loved that style of layout and jumped at the chance to use some Sassafras goodness to meet the challenge.


And do you see more of the lovely twine from The Twinery? Something about baker's twine and Sassafras Lass seem to go perfectly together.

Here's a picture of all that is in the March kit from The Sampler. I am especially in love with those MME buttons!


I hope this Monday is going well for you. And thanks so much for stopping by to see my page today.

Vintage Market kit

The Vintage Market kit from Scrapbook Circle is fabulous. So much so that I'm actually hoarding it a little bit to take some new pictures of Nate first. I just keep grouping and re-grouping the papers together as I plan my pictures and pages. *Sigh*, I just love these kits!!


If you are looking for a kit that has the latest and greatest from Echo Park, Lily Bee and Crate, look no further. You can purchase your kit HERE today!

Or you can try and win one! Scoot on over to Lisa's blog HERE and leave a comment for your chance to win. Commenting closes Sunday evening, so get your fanny over there!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend planned. Hubby is off work today and tomorrow, so we have some fun family things scheduled. Including going to see Rango. It is Nate's reward this week for completing some pretty tough goals we set for him at Pre-K. I'm proud of him for staying focused. Has anyone seen the movie? How is it?

Thanks for stopping by and see ya again soon!!

Sketchy Thursdays and digi

It's a Sketchy Thursdays day! And this time we have a few twists for ya'll.

There is the first twist of a double-page layout. Sometimes we'll throw those in for the double-page fans. And for those of you that dread these—remember that you can make a single-page layout as long as it still somewhat resembles the initial sketch.


We also have a digital sponsor this week. The DT was able to work with the Pot O' Gold collection from Raspberry Road Designs. I really like the flower, string and bubble in the elements collection. I think I'll be using them over and over again. This kit is so full of whimsy!

I hope you'll be playing along with us. And don't forget Sketchy Thursdays also has a DT Call going on and the monthly GDT challenge for April's GDT spot. Lots to do over there!!

Thanks for visiting my blog today!!

"Love" my Cricut

I broke out the Cricut a few weekends ago and made some cards. I'm a big fan of the Sweethearts cartridge, which is where these cutie die cuts came from.


Too cute, huh?! Maybe I've inspired you to dust off the ol' Cricut or die cutter. Can't wait to see what you make! :)

With the new Cricut magazine out there, who knows ... maybe you can answer a few calls for publication with what you make!

Thank you for all of the well-wishes yesterday about my back. The spasms have stopped (thank goodness) but now I'm left with a sore, achy feeling. I'm taking it easy and hope to get back to crafting soon. It's been too many days since I sat in my lovely green crafting chair. Nearly a whole week, actually. Yikes!

Thanks for stopping by today!! :)

Celebrate today

Happy Tuesday! I've been couch-bound with muscle spasms in my back for the past few days. It does not feel well at all. Ick! But before I was sentenced to the couch for rest, I made this lovely little card.

I just love working with this jar stamp and die from Papertrey Ink. What's your favorite stamp? I'd love to see it!


Thanks for stopping by today to check out my work. Hope everyone is doing well!

Chirp, chirp...

It's Monday, so here's a quick card to get you in the mood for a great week. Something bright and happy to inspire you.

This was a new baby card I made. I purchased some cutie animal digi stamps from Digi Stamp Boutique, and I got their whole collection of spring animals. They are just too cute, and I see so much potential for them. Adorable!!


Thanks for reading my blog today. I hope you're inspired to make a cute, bright card this week!