Imaginisce {giveaway}

Hello everyone! I posted yesterday about my love for the Imaginisce i-top and shared with you how I used paper and the punches that are created to go with the i-top system to make brads for a layout.

Today I'm sharing what I made using the accessories for the i-top and fabric. I used the medium size snap daddies and bobby pins to make fabric-covered hair accessories.

Here is what I learned and can pass on to you, should you choose to use fabric with your i-top. I had the little templates for tracing, but as it turned out, it was more difficult to get good coverage if I used it. I ended up just making solid circles, as you can see in the above picture. And the extra material seemed to work just fine with the actual tool as I snapped together all of the pieces.


And here are the finished hair pins! And they snap off, so if you wanted to, you could use one pin and change out the decoration at the end as you wished. So versatile! Of course, you know I'm going to be playing around with the i-top for a long time.

To celebrate my new love for the i-top, I am giving away an i-top here on my blog!

Here's what you can do to gain entries to the giveaway:
1. Follow my blog and leave a comment letting me know you did.
2. Leave a comment letting me know you stopped by and saw my project.
3. Post this on Twitter and leave a comment that you did that.
4. Post this on Facebook and leave a comment here.

Sketchy Thursdays is also giving away an i-top (and accessories) to one winner this week. Leave me a comment here that you posted your entry to the Mr. Linky at the Sketchy Thursdays site and that will also earn you another chance—just for playing along over there.

So there you have it! My big i-top secret. :) A big thanks to Imaginisce for sponsoring over at Sketchy Thursdays. I'm so excited to be able to demonstrate what this fabulous tool can do for crafters—it has so much potential!

You have until Wed night, June 29 to comment for your chance to win—have a great weekend!! And if you already have an i-top, I would love to see the links to your projects so I can visit your blog. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Imaginisce and Sketchy Thursdays

I have been so excited to let you all in on this little secret we've been keeping. Sketchy Thursdays is sponsored this week by the wonderfully innovative manufacturer IMAGINISCE! I'm a big fan of the i-top, and that is also what Imaginisce is giving away this week at Sketchy Thursdays.


Now, I know I have your attention, right? Just play along with one little, itsy bitsy sketch and you will be entered into the random drawing for an Imaginisce i-top tool and a sampling of accessories.


I played around with my i-top (as well as used some Imaginisce papers) on this page. You can see where I made 2 of the medium sized brads using paper, and I used one of the small twist-ons, too, just because I wanted to use the other side of the tool (the small side).

I do love how easy this tool is to use when you have the punches to help with cutting your papers. And, I'm officially hooked on this tool. Some of my close friends know that I have a brad obsession. I love using them on my custom flowers for my Etsy shop, so the i-top is a no brainer for me. Have to have it. :)


So there you have it! Play along with us at Sketchy Thursdays for your chance to win your very own i-top! And stop back here tomorrow when I share with you how you can use your i-top with fabric and how nifty some of the Imaginisce accessories are (did you know you can make headbands, barrettes and magnets?!).

Psssttt: I may also have more Imaginisce prizes for you tomorrow, too! :) Just a hint to stop back by!!

And, if you've been wondering how to pronounce the name, here's a hint: IMAGINE + REMINISCE = IMAGINISCE!

First ball game

Some of you know that Nate's 5th birthday party was also his first time at a baseball game. It was so fun! We have a minor league team here in Rochester—the Red Wings. They are pretty good, but they did lose this particular game. Not that we really noticed, we were all about the experience for Nate.


I love the grainy boy feel to this page. And I finally tried out the Tinted Tapes I got from Vintage Street Market. Oh my, I am in love! In the picture above you can see the Numbers tape really well. It is clear with black lettering and goes on perfectly.


In this photo here, you can see the Linen tape, which I nearly covered my whole layout with. It is also placed at the edges of the photos, too. I think you can see it if you click to enlarge the main photo of the layout.

If you haven't stopped to sneak a peek at Vintage Street Market, I highly recommend it. And join their Facebook page for great giveaways and fabulous conversation.

The Sampler {sketch challenge}

On the 20th of every month, Holly and The Sampler put together a sketch challenge. There are prizes and it's quite fun to hop through the DT's pages and see what they made with that month's kit.

So here we are, hopping along and sketchin' it up for The Sampler. I do hope you'll play along!


I made this page using silly pictures of my son at the park this spring. He's such a ham. So much so, that it's getting more difficult to get a nice, simple picture of him. But I'll take these! So much personality, and it just shines in pictures like this.


I did make the rosettes on this page using the buttons in the kit as well as scraps of paper left from the kit. One nifty little trick on this—see the doodles on that background paper? I mimicked that by drawing similar white swirls on the buttons of the rosettes.

Thanks for stopping to see my page today. Hope you all had a fab weekend. And don't forget to stop and see the sketch as well as link up your entry here at Holly's blog!

Felt & hot air balloons

Have I mentioned that I love my Big Shot? I knew when I bought it I wanted to cut materials other than paper, but I had no idea exactly how fun it was going to be. I've had the Big Shot for nearly a year now, and felt is by far my favorite material to play with.


I cut these felt hot air balloons using the Up, Up & Away die set from Papertrey Ink. The sticker is from SRM stickers and the twine from The Twinery.


I am playing along today with the Play Date Cafe. This summer inspired color scheme screams 80's to me—how fun! I was totally drawn to it.

Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend, and thanks for stopping by here today. Really appreciate it! :)

Father's Day inspiration

This Sunday is Father's Day, so I'm sharing some last-minute card inspiration for you. This card is happily in the mail on its way to my Dad.


Did you make a Father's Day card this year? Leave a comment here letting me know, so I can swing by your blog and see what you made.

And thanks for stopping by to see my card. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. As most of us struggle with guy cards, I was very surprised that I was 100% happy with this one once I finished it.

Have a great weekend!

Sketchy Thursdays {fish hatchery}

Hello, everyone! Today I am sharing with you my Sketchy Thursdays page using the new sketch that Heidi has made for us. This week is sponsored by EAD Designs—check out this week's sponsor info, the prize, the sketch and play along with us!

The pictures on this page are from Memorial Day weekend when we has an impromptu visit to the fish hatchery. Nate loves how crazy the fish are when he throws the fish food in.


And I had fun trying to capture that moment on camera where you could see both Nate and the fish. I snagged one great picture where the water appears calm, Nate is leaning over, and the fish's head is above the surface. Perfect!


Thanks for stopping by today to see my page. I hope to see many of you playing along this week at Sketchy Thursdays. And don't forget that you have until Saturday night to play the July GDT Challenge.

For the bride

I absolutely love making wedding cards. Wedding and new arrival cards are my favorites. There is nothing better than new love and new life.

I am also a big fan of this color scheme. The pink is soft, the black is strong and the vintage lace for the dress adds that perfect blend of texture between the two.


I hope you have been inspired to play along with us at Paper Issues. We are sharing wedding-themed cards, pages and projects. It doesn't have to be new, just link up your wedding creativity to the linky party at the blog.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I truly do appreciate it. :)

Using chalkboard stickers

Hello! These Pink Paislee Daily Junque Chalkboard Stickers are included in the June kit from The Sampler. At first, I was going to use them on a layout, but then I realized I had teacher gifts I needed to make cards for. The chalkboard relate was too good to pass up, so I set these aside for those cards.


I was going to use the white pencil that came with the stickers, but my handwriting is awful, so I ended up using some white letter stickers instead (that did not come with the June kit).



Ms. Diana and Ms. Kara got these from Nate last week for their End of the Year party. Rumor has it they liked these and the gift cards. I'm so sad that his Pre-K class is over, but now it's on to Kindergarten! *gulp* I'm going to need the summer to prepare myself for this.

Speaking of, here's a cute picture of the lil man in his graduation gown. His graduation ceremony was on Friday night.


The center did such a great job with the kids and the little show they put on for the parents. I was impressed with how prepared the kids were—it was obviously not just thrown together, they had put some serious work into it.

Thanks for stopping by today, I really appreciate it! Hope your week is going well so far.