You're Giving Me Retro....

Okay, maybe not totally retro, but what's old is new again. We've decided to create a challenge and use what we have. We're calling is What We Have Wednesdays. Genius, right? I am posting a card that I've done in the past that I LOVE RECREATING because it can be for Valentine's day or just because you love someone. The best part is, I used the materials that I already have.



Also, a few friends are joining me in this What We Have Wednesdays challenge. PLEASE go visit Treva's blog for her take on the challenge.

Treva's Fantastic Blog

Crafty Netta's Lovely Creations

What We Have Wednesdays

Hi everyone. I am playing around with my new camera and Picassa and I'm trying to make a button for a monthly challenge that I'll be hosting here on my blog. It is called 'What We Have Wednesdays'. The challenge is simple. You must use what you already have in your inventory. Now, I know we've all been looking for something in our craft space, and we've come across something that we've never used, or in my case, forgot I purchased it. Here's your chance to create something with it. So, stay tuned for more buttons and please let me know if you like one button more than another one. This is my first attempt at making a button, and I wanted to use what I already had (my Cricut Expression, Copic markers, designer papers and my Martha Stewart punch). See, I'm already in the spirit of the challenge.

Stay tuned for more updates about the 'What We Have Wednesdays' challenge.

And the winner is...

Hi everyone. Once again, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in the Blog Hop in honor of Madeline at The Shabby Vanity . I apologize for not getting the winner posted sooner.

So, without further delay, the winner is...


Wait for it...


Wait for it...


mumoftwo @ Purple Monkey Moments

When you get a chance, please visit her blog. She's got some fantastic projects to review (and scrap lift - LOL).

Congratulations Mumoftwo. You will enjoy working with Madeline. She's fantastic.

Thanks a million...

Hi Everyone. I wanted to extend sincere thanks to EVERYONE who participated in the Thank You Blog Hop for Madeline at The Shabby Vanity . It was a lot of fun hopping around to all of the blogs and reading your comments. I especially loved reading what everyone is so thankful for. Thank you so much for sharing a personal part of yourselves.

I need a little time to read through all of the comments and then I will use the random widget to determine who wins. I hope to have the name posted later today. I will also contact the winner via email and also share the winner's email address with Madeline so that she can reach out to you so that you can discuss your blog makeover.

In the meantime, please take a closer look at the blogs of my sister bloggers who participated in the hop. They are extremely talented and creative.

Please keep your eyes open for more blog hops and challenges at Now Stamp This.

Thank You Blog Hop

Our dear, sweet Madeline deserves a special Thank You. Her dedicated clients have decided to say Thank You in the form of a Blog Hop. Madeline, owner of The Shabby Vanity is a talented blog designer. I contacted Madeline on a Saturday and my blog was complete by the following Saturday. Oh, and did I mention that within that week, Madeline was in the hospital having a baby. That's dedication.

I've decided that, as a special treat to all of you "hoppers" I will give away something absolutely fantastic for those of you who are interested. It is what we in the blog world like to refer to as BLOG CANDY. My blog candy is a custom blog design by, who else, The Shabby Vanity . Yes, some lucky "hopper" will win a custom blog redesign by our dear, sweet Madeline. But, you must follow the rules. They are:

1. You must hop along and post comments on all of my sister blogs listed below.
2. You must be a follower of my blog.
3. You must leave me a comment telling me what you are most thankful for. This part is important. I REALLY want to know what you are most thankful for. It could be a spouse, your kids, this fantastic hobby, anything.

I will select a winner on Sunday, January 30th using the random integer widget on my page. So, the first person to leave a comment is #1, the second is #2, you know how this works. Please leave only one comment. Multiple comments does not increase your chances for winning.

Now, on to the good stuff. My sister bloggers who are also customers of Madeline at The Shabby Vanity have created some fantastic projects for you to review and comment on. Please use the links below to hop around and show my sister bloggers some love. They might have some fabulous blog candy as well. You never know how lucky you might get on this blog hop.

My sister bloggers are:
1. Raven
2. Ruthie
3. Theresa
4. Jennifer
5. Erika
6. Kristin
7. Angela
8. Melissa
9. Michele - YOU ARE HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!

10. Zeni

Oh, yes, one last thing... my project. I wanted to design a card that would blend the essence of my blog design with my favorite Cricut cartridge and my favorite colors. Sassy, Forever Young and the color pink. I really hope you enjoy my project. I've posted the recipe below for your convenience.

Thanks So Much

Recipe:

Forever Young cricut cartridge; Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Pink Passion Stampin Up Cardstock; White gel pen (for the faux stitching); Pink satin ribbon from Michael's, Designer paper from Hobby Lobby.

Special thanks to Raven for organizing this blog hop. We are lucky to have you as a sister blogger. Please don't forget to visit The Shabby Vanity if you are interested in a custom blog design. You will not regret working with Madeline. She's the best!

Bland, Boring and just plain BLAH!!!!!

Hi Everyone.

Today I wanted to post pictures of my craft room. Last week, I purchased three small storage units from Ikea, and it took me a week to get them assembled. Once they were assembled and put in place and everything organized I realized just how boring my creative space is. So, I'm posting pictures in the hopes that someone can offer suggestions as to how to liven up my crafting space a little. I'm open to paint, art and some funky colorful curtains. Okay, here we go...

OWH - Happy Birthday, girl

Hi Everyone. As some of you may have heard I have committed to sending Operation Write Home (OWH) 10 cards per month. This is such a great organization. They are sending hand stamped cards to the troops for encouragement, or sending them to the troops so that they can in turn mail them back home to family members. One thing that I rarely make are kid-centric cards, so I've committed to sending 10 kid-centric birthday cards to OWH so that our service men and women can send them home to their kids. What better way to start than with a girl card with two of my favorite things: the color pink, and cupcakes.

Happy birthday, baby girl.

Recipe: From My Kitchen Cricut Cartridge; Cricut Expression; Hobby Lobby pink designer paper; Stampin' Up card stock (Pretty in Pink, Pink Passion, Basic Black, Real Red, Green Galore); $1 ribbon from Michaels, card is 5x5 but will be remade to A2 size per OWH requirements.