August Deal of the Month from Creative Charms

Have you ever heard of Creative Charms?

Up until about a week or so ago I hadn't- one day I received an email asking if I'd like to do a 3-month term for Creative Charms and after perusing the store I said SURE!

The company sells all kinds of great embellishments- felt, crocheted flowers, brads and bling, ribbon and all sorts of cute things. I just got my first package from them today and I can't wait to play!

Each month Creative Charms sells a kit that is such a great deal. The August deal is now up on the site! You can check it out here- it sells for only $6.99 but is valued at $23.00. That's 70% off the retail price!

The Deal of the Month comes with everything you see here and you can choose either pink or blue- or BOTH! All you have to do is go to the Creative Charms site and this can be yours. 

http://www.creativecharms.com/

good happy Saturday

Well, we made it through our first night with the new puppy- she did great and I didn't hardly hear a peep out of her until about 6 this morning, so I took her out of the crate, let her eat a bit and took her outside to go to the bathroom and run around. I think she's adjusting well and our girls sure love the puppy.

Here's another layout that I created using the August kit from My Scrapbook Nook. This kit features the beautiful Indie Girl line from Sassafras.

and one detail shot:

Oh, and since some have commented, I can't take credit for the stitching- it is all the beautiful work of those fine folks at Sassafras. That's right- it's printed on the paper!

Check back tomorrow for another Indie Girl layout after the Nook blog hop starts! 

getting a puppy today and a Nook layout- oh and another CHA picture

I grew up with lots of different pets- a hamster, birds, fish, cats, a rabbit- granted not all at the same time but it was a ZOO at our house. We've talked for quite a while about whether or not to get a pet, what to get and when. About a month ago I had this conversation with my girls and these were some of their ideas- fish, a guinea pig, a dinosaur, a pig, a bunny.

While I don't think we'll be getting a dinosaur any time soon we ARE getting a puppy! The girls are so excited- we went the other day to buy food, a little bed, a crate, toys and lots of other things including a how-to book since we know nothing about having a dog. I am a little nervous today as we get ready to go pick her up, but who could resist this face?

We've gone back and forth, too, on what to name her. A dog, just like a person, needs a good name that fits them, and choosing a name for this puppy wasn't much easier than it was when we were choosing names for our girls. I think we've settled on Bella- isn't that a cute name for her? We think so. 

I'll have to keep you updated...tonight is sure to be a long one since they say having a puppy is like having a new baby. I hope we all survive. 

Now for some scrappy stuff...

As I've showed you in previous posts, the August kit from My Scrapbook Nook features the lovely Indie Girl collection (brand new!) from Sassafras. It's gorgeous and I am so glad that we got it for our kit. I had some to play night before last and here is one of the pages that I created:

The kit also includes some cute buttons, flowers from Bo Bunny, pins from Jenni Bowlin, and these cute paper doily trims from Basic Grey. I used the backing of a couple of doilies for masking on the background before adhering them to my page. 

I hope you have a wonderful day and great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

p.s. I was just looking at the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog and they had some pictures of the Jillibean Soup booth at CHA. If you look closely you will see two of my projects-a  Boo! card and tag at the top right side of the board. Even though I wasn't able to be there it's fun to have a part in CHA. 

our ballerina girls and some Jillibean Soup love

Have I mentioned lately that I just love Jillibean Soup?

It has been a thrill to be on that team and "have to" play with all of that cute product. I can't wait for more new CHA  things (the new corrugated alphas, canvas shapes, sugar pics, more corrugated shapes, especially) to hit my doorstep but for now here's a layout I created for the blog for this month that I can share with you now that it's up on the Jillibean blog.

This is a picture that I took right after I finished making the girls' tutus. I told them I'd make them a deal- I'd make the tutus if they'd let me take pictures of them before the tutus got all messed up. So, on this particular day we went outside and I got some really cute shots of the girls. Sarah, on the far right, had had more than enough smiling pretty for the camera and she was more than ready to go play, tutu or not. I just love the look on her face with her little lips all stuck out.

Supplies:
Jillibean Soup
Patterned Paper: Summer Squash Soup/Yellow Squash; Old World Cabbage Stew/Caraway Seeds, Diced Tomatoes; Egg Drop Soup/Ground Ginger; Soup Staples/White Macaroni
Coordinating Cardstock Stickers: Summer Squash Soup, Egg Drop Soup, Chicken Noodle
Journaling Sprouts: Pink, green and boiled blue on white circle
Alphabeans: Blanched Black
Canvas Flowers: Green Grid, Brown Letters, Red Polkas
Cool Beans: brown
Bean Stalks: Pink/Green, 5 Color Polka, Mini Flowers

Other: Helmar quick dry adhesive, Stampin' Up! ink

To make the ruffled ribbon trim I sewed two pieces of Jillibean ribbon together then ran a stitch across the whole thing, gathered it up and adhered it to my layout. 

Yeah, I think I went a little crazy with the doodling on this one, huh? 

fun things coming at My Scrapbook Nook

I posted about the current design team call at My Scrapbook Nook and guess what else is happening soon? A blog hop! It will be lots of fun and great there will be tons of inspiration from our team at the Nook.

Stay tuned for more info to come!

last chance to get the July Deal at Creative Charms

It's almost August so that means that your time to get the July Deal of the Month is almost up!

You can get yours here: http://www.creativecharms.com/shop/Deal-of-the-Month/p/July-Deal--167-Pieces-sku-deal0710.htm

another look at the August kit and a design team call at My Scrapbook Nook

It's that time again...design team call time at My Scrapbook Nook.

If you love the Nook and its kits this is the team for you! It's been so much fun to be a part of this team over the last year or so, the international team is top-notch, the kits are gorgeous- wait til you see what we're cooking up for September!!! (I know, I shouldn't tease!) and Leah and Pam are so great to work for/with.

First of all, here's another look at the August kit, a glimpse of the gorgeous product you'll be able to work with:

And here is the design team call information, straight from Leah (DT leader and kit designer extraordinaire) herself!

My Scrapbook Nook Kits is looking for a few designers! 

You might be a great fit if: 
You like working with brand new product!
You can create on a deadline!
You’re a team player!
You enjoy actively participating on a message board!
You have a blog!
You contribute to online galleries!
You’re friendly and kind!
You can create an online tutorial detailing how you created something!
You love to scrapbook, alter or make cards!

All designers receive one free kit per month, plus a 25% discount to the online shop and all kit add ons. Your bio will be on our site, you get your own folder in our gallery, you get to participate in give-a-ways, bloghops, virtual crops, and we send occasional freebies and manufacturer donations your way.

To apply, please send an e-mail to dt@myscrapbooknook.com .

Include: 
Full name
Message board username (if applicable)
Phone number
Address
Other design obligations
Why we want you
A link to your online gallery (no attachments, please)

Applications are due by August 10th, at which point we will invite our top finalists to a meet and greet on the message board. DT will be announced by August 14th.

Your DT term is 6 months, with an option to reapply for another term.

We accept international applicants, but we ask that designers outside of the US and Canada contribute $10 toward kit shipping each month.

Check us out at www.myscrapbooknook.com ! 

how about some Monster Stew?

While you'd think this brand-new Jillibean Soup collection would be a favorite of scrappers of boys and Halloween it's become one of my favorites from this release. It's so cute and fun and so very versatile and I just enjoy scrapping those cute little monsters.

Here's a page I made just for fun last week with this oh-so-cute picture of Hailey from our recent family vacation. Yep, gotta love it when kids make these kinds of faces when you ask them to smile pretty for the camera!

This uses the new Monster Stew papers and journaling sprouts, Jillibean alphas, my scalloped border and little EK Success retro flower punches and twine from the hardware department at Walmart. 

Have a wonderful day- I'll have another Jillibean layout to share with you tomorrow ☺

Christmas Chestnut Soup from Jillibean Soup and a little project

How are you today? How is your summer going so far?

Can you believe it's almost over?

Well, before we know it summer will be gone, fall will be here and soon it will be Christmas! I know, you're probably not ready for Christmas just yet but take a look at this cute new line from Jillibean Soup:

As always, leave a comment at the Jillibean blog for a chance to win this collection:

http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/cha-summer-10-sneak-peek-6christmas-chestnut-soup.html

And, here's a little project I made using this Christmas line:

Have a happy day!

lookey lookey

Guess what? I have my first projects at this summer CHA.

Just take a look at this picture that Summer Fullerton posted on her blog with Paula acting as Vanna White. Thanks so much you guys!

Summer said, "Hey Becky I got Paula to play Vannah White to get a this shot especially for you."

The layout on the Soup Staples board is mine (remember the picture that I posted a while back with my girls covered in paint?) and so is the little flower card down on the right of that same board. Isn't that so fun? 

You can see more pictures of the Jillibean Soup booth at CHA by clicking on this link to Summer's blog:

http://summerfullerton.typepad.com/so_there_i_was/2010/07/cha-day-2-.html

how about a look at the August kit from My Scrapbook Nook?

I was a member of the kit club at My Scrapbook Nook for about a year before I became part of the design team. Each and every kit is packed to the brim with the latest and greatest products out there and each kit is a bargain for club members at only $28 a month plus shipping, and all of your kit add-ons ship free with your kit!

Would you like to take a look at what's in store for August? The kit includes: Sassafrass Lass Indie Girl papers (2 each), Indie Girl Banners, a handful of coordinating buttons, Jenni Bowlin pins, Bo Bunny Flowers
Indie Girl stickers, Indie Girl glitter alphabet in chartreuse, Basic Grey Lace Ribbon (Paper)

So, what do you think? Isn't it so pretty? Mine has shipped already and I am anxious for it to get here. 

To get your own kit click here:  http://www.myscrapbooknook.org/club.shtml

quick page today

We are back from our quick trip to Amarillo- we left on Friday and stayed the night at a hotel, went swimming and played and relaxed and then went to the zoo and Cadillac Ranch today before heading back home. The girls enjoyed the zoo but it was a bit hot and humid there, thankfully the zoo wasn't that large. By the end Aimee was definitely ready to go. We stopped at Braum's for lunch and then drove over to the Cadillac Ranch, snapped a few pics and were on our way.

I have made a few quick layouts recently and I am amazed at how much more I can get done if I keep things more simple. I always like to see others do simple pages but I like to do a lot of hand cutting, inking and doodling and that stuff just takes time. Here's a Hailey page I made the other day:

This is my Hailey at swim lessons last week. I used Cosmo Cricket core'dinations cardstock for the background, some Bella Blvd patterned paper, Cosmo and American Crafts alphas, Webster's Pages trim, an SRM Sticker "little miss sunshine", a Jillibean Soup journaling sprout and a Sassafras flower to top it off. 

Pebbles Inc sketch and a quick post

Hi, again! Before we head out I thought I would post a layout I made yesterday with the Pebbles Inc. sketch from Thursday posted here:  http://pebblesinc.blogspot.com/2010/07/sketchy-thursday.html

and here is my take with pictures of my cute Aimee ( I turned the sketch upside-down) 

and a couple of detail shots:

Thanks again for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

p.s. if you want to try out for the Pebbles design team the deadline for applications is tonight!

and even more cute new products from Jillibean Soup and SRM Stickers *lots and lots of pictures for ya!

Some of these new products I have only seen in pictures but the ones I have received from Jillibean already are so cute. See for yourself:

As always, leave a comment at the blog for a chance to win some of these new items. 

http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/cha-summer-10-sneak-peek-5canvas-stars-beaded-straight-pins-and-bakers-twine.html

Next I have a sneak of some of the new stickers from SRM. I used a few on some projects that I made last night so you'll be seeing those here soon. I really like the Everyday Girl stickers (of course!) and like that there are new "We've Got Your Sticker" stickers in black, white and brown as well! I ♥ these!!

You can see more SRM cuteness here: http://srm-stickers.blogspot.com/ 

Aren't they just so cute?!

We are going to take a little trip so I'll see you all again soon!

Thanks as always for stopping by ☺

Water fight and Jillibean Soup

I've been doing some scrapbooking, but like I said, it's been things I can't share with you quite yet.

Here's a layout I did for Jillibean Soup for this month that's up on the blog now so I can share it with you.

I used the new Summer Squash Soup for this page:

I thought it was so funny to catch Sarah in the act of spraying Hailey!

more amazing stuff from Jillibean Soup

When I saw the preview for these new Jillibean Soup products I got so excited!

I ♥LOVE♥ the new printed alpha stickers and the super-fun corrugated shapes. I got a few in the mail already with the new papers and they are so cool! We just knew that they had to be in the works since the corrugated alphas were so well-liked.

Take a look at these:

I can't wait to get more of these cute corrugated things!

a Pebbles card and another Jillibean Soup sneak for you

It seems that summer is flying by and our days have been filled with trips to the library and to the park, with playing outside in our little pool (we did this on Saturday and we all got burned- I don't think we'll forget the sunscreen again) and reading stories and playing dress-up and visits with family and friends.

The beginning of another school year will be here before we know it, I am afraid, and two of my girls will be gone- the oldest everyday and my second will be gone a couple of days a week for preschool, so while the always-togetherness  and the fights that sometimes come with being so close all of the time may be wearing on us a little bit I am trying to appreciate each day with all of my girls at home.

I have been doing some scrapping but most of it I can't show yet because it's for CHA new releases and a couple of guest designer spots that I have coming up in the next few months. I do, however, have a couple of little cards to share.

I made this card using the 3x3 cards from Pebbles Inc's "Twitterpated" collection.

The "baby" sticker on this little card is from SRM ♥

Have a great day!

p.s. Here's the new Atomic Soup line from Jillibean Soup. Remember to leave a comment on this post for your chance to win some of this fun collection. I love the grid backgrounds in this one!

http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/cha-summer-10-sneak-peek-3atomic-soup.html

What do you think? Cute, huh? 

I guess I should post a project, huh?

While I am sure that you love the CHA sneaks for Jillibean Soup (right?) I thought I'd post a project I did this week using some of the American Crafts Dear Lizzy line. It's one of my very favorite collections and it's so fun and easy to work with. The clothesline and scalloped circle banners are hand cut from some of the Dear Lizzy paper. Isn't it so cute? The vinyl letters were originally pink so I used my black Copic marker to change them up a bit. The frame is 5x7 and this will look so cute in my laundry room, don't you think?

This was picked up for the February/March Handmade Magazine!

This card uses the Letterbox collection, some lacey trim, some Dear Lizzy crocheted flowers, one of those cute chipboard frames and some Cupid chipboard alphas. I cut out the frames from Letterbox paper and then randomly placed them on the yellow background. The "Simply the Best" is a Dear Lizzy rub-on ♥

I hope that you are having a great Friday and wish you lots of fun scrapping or spending time with family and/or friends or whatever it is you're up to for the weekend. I am in a mood to sort and organize and purge so that's what I've been up to. I think I'll take a break from all of that tonight after the girls go to bed and do some scrapbooking! Thanks for stopping by. 

Introducing Pasta Fagioli from Jillibean Soup

This one was love at first sight for me- I really like the orange damask and the red houndstooth and the filmstrip paper and isn't that twill so cute? This is a favorite of mine for sure.

As always, leave a comment on the Jillibean Soup blog for your chance to win!

http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/cha-summer-10-sneak-peek-2pasta-fagioli.html

and a card with American Crafts

Okay, so I finally decided to bite the bullet and hit send. Not that I think I have a snowball's chance in you-know-where but you never will know unless you try. Over and over again, in my case.

Are you loving the new product sneaks for this upcoming CHA?

I am, and can't wait to see more. I need to use up some of what I have before I stockpile some more ♥

Here's a quick little card I made using the American Crafts Botanique collection papers. Those kind people at American Crafts sent me just about this whole collection after that Valentine's challenge.

I believe that the little sun sticker is from the Blue Skies collection (please don't shoot me if I'm wrong- I don't want to go upstairs and look right now) and the butterfly punch is by Martha Stewart. The corrugated paper is left over from a package I got a while back. The scallop edge punch is by EK Success.

Monster Stew from Jillibean Soup

Jillibean Soup is releasing 4 new collections this CHA and the first to be debuted on the Jillibean blog is Monster Stew. This was the collection that I was least sure of but thought it was cute from the start. Now that I've had a chance to use the papers I LOVE it! It's such a cute little collection.

What do you think? I really like the grid pattern, the stripes and stars and the frames you can cut out and use. I used one on a card already (you can look for it at CHA!) and it turned out so cute. Those little monsters are adorable all cut out and used on projects.

Leave a comment on this post at the Jillibean Soup blog and you could win some before it's available in the stores! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by. 

http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/cha-summer-10-sneak-peek-1-monster-stew/comments/page/2/#comments

some quick birthday cards for SRM

I just got some of the new Quick Cards stickers from SRM yesterday and played a bit with those but for today I have some really simple birthday cards all made using the same paper/supplies (Fancy Pants papers) and one sheet of SRM birthday stickers. Our challenge was to create one simple project and then two others to go with it, so I made a simple "man" birthday card, a more layered "feminine" card and a birthday tag.

Today two of my girls are going to day camp so it'll just be me and the youngest and believe it or not, I have SO much to do to catch up on things around the house and need to run to the post office to mail off some samples for CHA. I hope that you're having a wonderful day so far. 

Thanks for stopping by!

fun with Jillibean Soup

Are you getting excited from all of the new CHA release sneaks?

Well, guess what?

You got a little peek at the new Jillibean Soup jouraling sprouts last week and this week you'll get to see even MORE. Believe me, there are some fun sneaks ahead. Just make sure to check out the Jillibean Soup blog

http://www.jillibeansoup.typepad.com/

Today I have two cards on the Jillibean Soup blog that I can share with you here now:

I just love those big buttons!

and a little Summer Squash Soup for ya!

Speaking of squash, we ate the first zucchini from our garden yesterday. There's nothing like fresh veggies from the garden during the summertime. Here's a quick meal idea for you:

-slice up some boneless chicken breast and cook it with a little bit of barbecue sauce

-chop up some zucchini, tomatoes, beans, fresh corn on the cob and whatever else you'd like to add

-let it simmer until the veggies are cooked to your liking 

-serve with rice or noodles and you have a quick, easy and healthy meal. 

We had it yesterday and it was delicious!

Have a wonderful day!!!

pausing to share a Pebbles page and a chance to win the new SRM

I have been having so much fun playing with the BRAND NEW Jillibean Soup!

It is so cute, and the embellishments are adorable. You saw some of the new journaling sprouts and things only get better from there. Jill has been hard at work to add some new embellishments to the Jillibean line-up and you will surely not be disappointed.

I thought I'd take a break from creating for a few minutes and share with you a page that I created using Pebbles Inc. products.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend!

p.s. Would you like a chance to win ALL of the new SRM Quick Cards stickers? I've seen them and they're so very cute. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered into the drawing. A winner will be posted on the blog this coming Tuesday. 

http://srm-stickers.blogspot.com/2010/07/1st-sneak-peek-of-new-srm.html

new Jillibean Soup sprouts and some fun Sprout happenings

Have you checked the Jillibean Soup blog yet today?

There are some fun and exciting things going on at Jillibean that you might want to check out:

http://jillibeansoup.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/07/info-about-our-millionth-sprout-celebration.html

and since these sneaks have been posted I can go ahead and share them with you here

There are 4 new collections being released this CHA along with LOTS of fun new embellishments that you are just going to LOVE LOVE LOVE. 

I am off to play with my Jillibean to get things ready for CHA so I hope you have a fabulous day. 

some more fun with American Crafts

Good morning!

I hope that you're having a great week so far.

We've been spending lots of time with family in town from Boston and just went to see "Toy Story 3" yesterday. We're also in the middle of swim lessons now, still trying to get caught up from being out of town for so long but I made some headway yesterday and cleaned out a bunch of stuff and even got some time to scrap.

Here are some pictures that I took of Aimee at First Beach in La Push, Washington. Yes, that's the famous beach from the "Twilight" movies, we took a trip to Forks and La Push on my birthday just a few weeks ago ☺While walking along the beach Aimee kept picking up rock after rock and carried as many as she could hold. I slowly started taking away the heavier ones so that she could carry more. That cute little girl sure loves rocks.

For this page I used the American Crafts Abode collection with some miscellaneous embellishments from my stash. The red paper was just perfect for these Aimee pictures. 

Have a wonderful day!