a 'lil' bit to win and some cropping going on

As many of you know, today is a big day for a few reasons. First, I am off to meet Spiderman with my son this morning, so that is the most important event of them all—Super heroes are the best!

No, really... here is the big news for today in the land of scrapbooking. At Sketchy Thursdays today, we are rolling out another Second Chance Challenge courtesy of Lil Scrappin Mama. If you haven't guessed by now, the DT members each took a stab at the October kit and it was WONDERFUL! Great fall colors, awesome kraft paper and amazing embellishments that seemed to go on forever! (*swoon*)


Your challenge, for a chance to win your very own October kit from Lil Scrappin Mama, is to make a fall layout using normal fall colors (orange, brown, green) and then to add a splash of bright to it. Add teal, add pink... add some splash!! One random winner is going home with this kit, and it could be you! Play along and link your entry HERE!

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And, because the day just keeps getting better, this layout I'm showing here goes with the Sketchy Thursdays BONUS CHALLENGE over at Memories Always - Forever's Fall Festival Online Crop. I can't begin to tell you how fun this weekend is going to be!

I would love to show you the sketch.... I would love to show you the prize I'm giving away.... I would love to tell you all about the tutorial I am posting today!

There is so much I would LOVE to share with you... but I can't. You have to be a MAF member and play along over there. You have all weekend to complete even just one project for a chance to win, so no excuses that you're too busy! Hope to see you over there!

And with that, I am off to meet Spidey! Throwin' webs everyone, and I'm outta here! I'll see you on MAF this weekend!

the fall festival crop is this weekend!

I know I've mentioned it before, but just a reminder to check into Memories Always - Forever this weekend for the Fall Festival Online Crop Oct. 17-19. LOTS of prizes. LOTS of games. LOTS of challenges.

The DT has been working hard for more than a month to make sure there are a wide variety of challenges and plenty of prizes to be won.

Check it out! Go on over now, sign up at MAF if you haven't already, and stake your spot in a very fun weekend ahead! (You may need to pick some Bingo words... I'm just saying...)

I am personally hosting a make-and-take challenge for the holidays, and made a special Sketchy Thursdays sketch just for MAF's Fall Festival Online Crop. I'll be giving a prize from my stash for the sketch winner.

For the make-and-take challenge... here's a list to make you wonder, as well as pre-shop if you need to:
Flowers
Bling
Glue Dots
Glitter
A cardboard cone or 12x12 heavy card stock

Can't wait to see you over there!

just a quick hello and reminders

Nothing much to post about today. All 5 projects I was working on these past few days are on hold for DT reveals. So, I'll have lots to show you shortly. For now, I wanted to post some reminders and share pics of my son enjoying World Card Making Day. He loves to use stamps and color pencils. He was at this for more than an hour. I am so proud!

His table is in my scrap room, so we like to go in there and play when we can (especially on the evenings Daddy works late).


Just a few housekeeping items. Get your Sketchy Thursdays entry in HERE before tomorrow night for a chance to win a $25 gift card to Scrap Freak. It's a random draw, so no excuses!! You have to play to win!

And Memories Always - Forever is hosting an online crop in less than two weeks. We'd love to see you there! I'll be hosting a sketch challenge with a prize, as well as a make-and-take tutorial (perfect for the holidays)! If you aren't a member over there, you're missing out! Stop by, sign up and play along!

happy world card making day!

Hello and welcome to World Card Making Day! I am celebrating right alongside so many other paper crafters.

Like many card makers, I started out using stamps to make cards (back in 1994, gulp!). I soon followed as a scrapbooker, and I'm now involved in both equally.

One thing I have found is that some of my favorite cards are made with scrapbook supplies and not with rubber stamps. So, today I'm encouraging all of you card-making blog hoppers to look through your scrapbooking stash and find that perfect piece you've been hoarding and make a card today. Make a card for your best friend, make a holiday card, or make a card for your honey!


Here are two cards I made just for today. Totally cute, huh?! I thought so! They are Halloween cards using some of the pieces from K&Co.'s new Halloween line. Couldn't resist!!

I also used borders from Making Memories, patterned paper from both Sassafras Lass and DCWV, Making Memories mini letters, and Making Memories pre-made card kits (so convenient!)


If you are doing the Paper Crafts blog hop, here is where you can go to find the rest of the wonderful paper crafters participating in the blog. There are discounts and plenty of inspiration on these blogs, so please go and check them out.

Also, Memories Always - Forever is hosting a WCMD challenge. We're giving away more than $75 worth of prizes, just for sharing with us your card and what inspires you to create. (THAT'S IT! JUST POST ANY CARD AND TELL US WHAT INSPIRES YOU AND YOU CAN WIN!)

And... (I'm not done yet!) I had to get in on the action here. I'm giving away a $10 gift card to Scrap Freak just for visiting today. Leave a comment, let me know you were here, and let me know if you plan on creating anything today. I'd love to visit your WCMD blog, so let me know if you are participating so I can stop by.

Thanks again for visiting. I can't wait to see what is created today!

10 things i wish...

Are you playing challenges with all you've got? Are you playing everywhere you possibly can, and be inspired by the fabulous paper artists that you meet everyday? Does the idea of more than one challenge a week overwhelm you, but you just want to work them all in?

OK, well that describes me! I want to play everywhere and soak it all up! I love learning from and playing with all of the wonderful women that are out there in this industry.

So here is the crazy "I CAN'T BELIEVE I COMBINED 3 PROMPTS PAGE!" I can combine a sketch with a color challenge and then throw in a prompt. That's easy for me. But three prompts... whoa!

This page was built for:
• Get Meaningful: I WISH...
• The Studio Scrapbook 101: Summertime topic with a die cut page and long title
• Memories Always - Forever: Top 10

With all of that, I got this "10 THINGS I WISH WE DID THIS SUMMER" page. TA-DA! (jazz hands...)



Do you like the felt and button flowers on this page? They are made by Eve at Evalicious on Etsy. She is the sponsor this week at Sketchy Thursdays. We are so lucky to have her sending a prize pack to one lucky winner next week. All you have to do is play along with this new sketch. A winner will be randomly drawn from the players next Thursday.

Head on over to Sketchy Thursdays! Today we're giving away stamps from Unity Stamp Co. as part of our mega launch celebration.



Supplies: Little Yellow Bicycle (pp), Cosmo Cricket (bike), Evalicious (embellies), My Mind's Eye (tree), Making Memories (small lettering), American Crafts (Thickers lettering and flair), Karen Foster (white lettering), Creative Chaos (journaling spot)

pile those challenges on!

Taking a moment to plan my page allowed me the opportunity to play a few different challenges with one page. (Heidi isn't the only one that can do this, but I think she holds the record! Check out her latest post.)

This page is a picture of me when I was a toddler with my first dog, Sandy. The picture is one I have had in my possession for a little more than 5 years and haven't had a chance to scrap yet. Along comes Pink Ninjas and the Old Skool prompt. I changed the title, but trust me, this really is OLD skool for me!



It might be difficult to see in the picture, but this page also has a mask on it (the word "me" to the right of the border-punched teal strip I used my Glimmer Mists over SEI chipboard letters). That goes with the Tuesday Techniques Challenge at Memories Always - Forever.

The layout is for the Scraplift Challenge at MAF. ... AND the title is for the Wacky Wednesday Challenge at MAF (mess up your letters).

Have I intrigued you yet? Are you ready to see what we are doing over at MAF? Join me and the rest of the DT for the challenges we have going on. Trust me, there's plenty to do!



Are you ready for one more? The colors I used go with this week's SPCC colors. If you aren't playing over there yet, you are missing out! Sam is giving away a set of Copic markers, and the talent over there is amazing inspiration. This color screamed Girl Friday from Cosmo Cricket to me right away.


OK, I guess that's it for now. Don't forget to come back tomorrow and meet Tonia, our Sketchy Thursdays sponsor this week. She has a very cute Etsy store and has cooked up something amazing for this week's Sketchy Thursdays winner.

more early bird love

One of the challenges this month over at Memories Always - Forever was to use stamps on your layout. Only stipulation was that you couldn't use black ink. The challenge goes through until the 28th, so we'd love to see you playing along at MAF.

I also used fancy borders on this page for the Finally Friday SPCC challenge. Take a look over there and see if you want to gussy up your pages with some fancy trim!

This page uses a picture of me and my son that we took on one of our usual Saturday mornings. My husband works odd hours and there were many Saturdays where he would sleep all day after having worked overnight. Nate and I loved our Saturday PJs days and often took pictures like this.


Supplies: Cosmo Cricket Early Bird (pp and fussy cuts), Creative Chaos (brown journaling spot), Heidi Grace (oh happy day stamp), My Mind's Eye (bracket stamp), Stampin Up (quote stamp)

a lift for a fireman

If you didn't know already, I am a DT member over at Memories-Always Forever. I am running a Scraplift Challenge there twice a month. Here is where you can go if you'd like to play along!

This is the layout I did to lift the always wonderful Nicole over at MAF. I'd love to see some more people playing, you have until 8/20 to submit your entry.



My son's daycare does dress-up day twice a year when a local photography place comes in with costumes, dresses the kids up, and then takes pictures for the parents to purchase. It's a great idea, and so far we have loved all of the pictures they've taken.


Supplies: Basic Grey (pp), JoAnn's Essentials (bling), My Mind's Eye (notebook pp), American Crafts (thickers lettering)

candy shoppe designs layout and a winner!

Hi there! Today I am sharing the layout I did for Candy Shoppe Designs' new blog. Right now they have a pre-challenge posted. There is a sketch to use and the idea was to incorporate warm colors. Lynnette is cooking up some great things over there, so be sure to check it out!

This page is made with pictures from last fall. There is a festival near our house at Springdale Farm. Nate just loved going to see the animals, climbing on the hay and all of the other fun fall activities.


Supplies: Basic Grey Mellow (pp), Maya Road (chipboard), Basic Grey Mellow (lettering), 7 Gypsies (journaling spot)

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And now for the winner of this past weekend's blog hop! Thanks to everyone who participate, we are so excited about what we are doing over at Memories Always - Forever. We'd love to have you join us!

The winner is: Brenda! Congrats Brenda! Thanks for doing the hop and signing up at Memories Always - Forever! Please send your shipping address to dianadesigns@rochester.rr.com so I can get your blog candy to you right away!

blog candy reminder

Hi all! Just a reminder that if you sign up at Memories Always - Forever and leave a comment here at this post, you are eligible to win this blog candy from me!

If you did the hop yesterday, thanks so much! We're really excited about what we have planned over at MAF and hope to see you playing along!

welcome to the memories always - forever blog hop!

Welcome to our first Memories Always-Forever blog hop!! We are so excited to introduce our site and our Design Team to you!! This hop starts 8 a.m. (EST) Sat. Aug. 1st.

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(If you arrived here any way other than from our blog hop, please go back to the MAF homepage to start at the beginning of the hop.)

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Memories Always-Forever (MAF) has been created as a place where members can rally together as a crafting community, showcase their crafting talents, share their ideas, learn and participate in exciting challenges. Our Design Team is here to provide inspiration, answer questions or just chat with you!

As a Design Team member for MAF, I will be hosting a Scraplift Challenge twice a month (on the first and third Fridays). If you've already been playing Sketchy Thursdays, you know how I run challenges and know that this should be fun! Sketchy Thursdays can also be found on MAF, so join to see what other crafty peeps are posting for their entries.

Now to showcase some of what you can find on MAF. In July we had a Girlfriend Card Swap and (spolier alert to my swapper Eileen... lol) here is what I made for that swap.





Leave me a comment today on this post to let me know you were here, that you did the hop and that you also signed up at MAF to be entered to win this scappy prize from me. You are only eligible if you comment here before 11:59 p.m. (EST) Sunday, Aug. 2 and also become a member of MAF. I will pick and announce my winner on Monday.

I have to tell you what's in this blog candy from some of my favorite brands!

I would be lost without MiniMarks and these rub ons are white font. The Anna Griffin chipboard pieces are from the same set that the background paper in the above cards were made from. Adorable butterflies that have a great texture to them, a tin of flowers, three rolls of American Crafts ribbon, journal spots and embellies from one of my fave Etsy sellers, Half Full Martini, and a little gift pack of misc. Chatterbox embellies. There are cork, chipboard and paper embellies in here from their Fabulous Collection. If you look back through my pages, I include at least one piece from Fabulous in almost everything I make.

Be sure to make your way to the end of the hop where you can be entered to win this Blog Hop Grand Prize Candy!

Now onto the next talented girl on the hop:
Lailani at Studio Lailani

If at any point on the hop you happen to get lost or off track just check back on the MAF homepage for the hop list.

new cards and a sneak for the hop

Hello! Happy Friday. I wanted to share some cards and sneak peeks with you today. Above is the card I made for the cupcake challenge over at If The Shoe Fits Scrap It. The challenge ends today, so check it out if you'd like to play.

This card is just too cute not to share. I made it for a friend and had to share since the little birdies are just too fun. They are embossed and glittered and just too cute for words. Who wouldn't want to get this card for their birthday?!

And now for the big news, tomorrow's blog hop for Memories Always - Forever. Saturday is the big launch day for the site, so you have to stop back in for the hop. I will have blog candy! There will be many chances for prizes! The DT is excited to have you play along!

Here are some sneaks for what I will have to share tomorrow!

memories always - forever card challenge

Memories Always - Forever is getting ready for it's big kick off Aug. 1st! We'd love to see some new faces over there. As part of the Design Team, I will be participating in the blog hop this Saturday, Aug. 1. Lots of goodies and challenges will come out of that day, trust me!!! You'll want to make sure you save some time to play along with us!

Here is a card that I submitted to DT member, Deanne's, card challenge. The challenge ends tonight, so if you have some time today check out her sketch and post here to play along. Not a member of MAF yet? Why not??? We are new and ready to go! All we need is you to help make the site rock!!



Don't forget to check back all week. I will be getting ready for the blog hop and making small announcements all week.

And, of course, get your Sketchy Thursdays challenge in to me by Wed. night! The Memory Cafe is this week's sponsor!

pink ninjas - going places

Hi all! This layout is a combo of two challenges. The pictures of my son are from this weekend when he got his new motorcycle. He thinks he's tough now!

The prompt is from The Pink Ninja's blog. This week is Going Places. The sketch is a Scraplift Challenge I am hosting over at Memories Always - Forever. Take a look at both of these sites! They both have great ideas and fun people to play along with!



Supplies: Cosmo Cricket (pp), Sassafras Lass (pp), Chatterbox (chipboard), Basic Grey (letter stickers)

red, white and blue summer challenge

Hello everyone! Today I am sharing the page I made for Memories Always - Forever's July summer challenge. The prompt was to use a summertime theme and the colors red, white and blue. Here's what I came up with!

This picture is from last summer when my mom and step dad sent Nate a "tractor." He called it a tractor, but it was actually a motorized big wheel. He still love it now, even though his knees almost touch his chin when he sits on it.

In this picture he's looking all tough as he poses with his new tractor. One of my faves!!




Supplies: Jenni Bowlin (pp), Basic Grey (pp), Crate Paper and BG (rub ons), Kraft paper, American Crafts (Thickers), Half Full Martini (journaling spots), Chatterbox (felt embellies) and some other brands I can't recall at the moment. Lots of goodies here!

sketchy thursdays winner!

We have a Sketchy Thursdays winner for this week! Before I post the winner, scroll through all of the fabulous entries. This week was a record week for participants and there are some new faces playing! Welcome to the new peeps, hope to see more of you in the weeks to come!

submitted by Shannon

submitted by Nicole

submitted by MissBliss

submitted by Kim

submitted by Kathy

submitted by Heidi

submitted by Erin

submitted by Brenda

submitted by Ann

And the winner, randomly generated from the order in which they were posted, is Kim! Random.org seems to like the #4, I think that's what it picked last week, too.

Kim, send an e-mail to dianadesigns@rochester.rr.com with your shipping address so I can send you some scrappy goodies from Pinky goes Platinum.

Thanks again to Jennifer for sponsoring this week's Sketchy Thursdays challenge. Everyone scoot on over to her store and show some support. There is some really cute stuff over there.

When you make your pages using your Sketchy Thursdays prize, I'd love to see it. I can post it here for the sponsor to see their creations in action. Upload it with Mr. Linky and post a comment telling me it's there.


Check back later today when I post a new Sketchy Thursdays challenge.

And, if you aren't there yet, head on over to Memories Always - Forever. The Sketchy Thursdays challenge lives over there, too. Post your entries to the gallery, play along with other challenges (I'm posting a new one tomorrow!) and meet some great people in the community. Hope to see you over there!

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For some of the new players, I didn't think that the "before" July 9 might be confusing. For those playing along from the beginning, they know that my submission cut off was 11:59 p.m. EST (or as long as it was there when I woke up Thursday morning for my West Coast players).

Below I am posting any entries that came in after the fact b/c of my goofy way of wording the submission cut off. Sorry about any confusion and I hope you'll still play the challenge again!

(Vanessa, this page is just too adorable!)

submitted by Vanessa


submitted by DearAbby