New Card Projects

It has been a while since I posted card projects so here are some new ones!

1st Card
A sweet little birdie

Materials used
- Turquoise printed card stock for the actual card
- Denim print paper from an Authentique 6x6 pad, cut, with rounded corners and inked edges
- Cream card stock which was first 1) repeatedly distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and sanding until I reached the desired effect. 2) stamped and embossed with a bird and nest image, then 3) colored with Spectrum Noir markers and Prismacolor pencils.  The edges were inked once complete.  A layering technique was used on the nest with a 2nd stamped, embossed and cutout nest image.
- The label  was created from a vellum quote which was a overlay for a larger label in the denim print paper.
- As a final touch, embellishments were added such as with mini paper roses, a navy polka dot bow, stickles glitter glue here and there and Turquoise pearl accents

Entering in the following challenges:
Stampin' for the weekend - Friends Challenge


 2nd card 
Blinged out birthday card with a matching handmade envelope for your darling little princess


Materials used
- Card  made from Aqua card stock
- Overlay created from aqua and pink punched card stock and glittered paper
- Turquoise pearls & pink rhinestones
- A  stamped and embossed cupcake image topped the card with a simple birthday sentiment underneath.
(sorry for the glare!)

Entering in the following challenges: 
Bling it Up - Tammi's Scrapin Corner

Cake Walk - Cute Card Thursday


3rd Card
Spring Birthday Bicycle
The layered button, polka dot ribbon and bicycle wheels all compliment the circle print 

Materials used
- Card made from pink card stock.
- Overlay created from citrus spring/summer print paper
- Bicycle image stamped and embossed on white card stock
- Image colored with Distress Inks and Prismacolor pencils.
- Simple sentiment stamped with opalescent pink ink on white card stock and framed with pink card stock
- Button, rhinestone, floss and ribbon accents added..
- matching handmade envelope

Entering in the following challenges
Birthday - Paper Dolls Challenge 

Spring flowers or colors - Victorine Stamps  I have a few of their fabulous stamps in my collection 

Buttons - Critter Challenge Blog



and finally...4th Card 
Lovely lady

- Actual card made from cream colored card stock
- Overlay of print paper in a neutral cream and pink/red print.  Corners rounded and then inked.
- Layered on red card stock with rounded corners
- Vintage image of lady stamped and embossed with deep red ink on cream card stock.  Framed with fussy-cut florals stamped and embossed in deep rose inks
- Red bow
- Stamped sentiment on cream card stock in red ink

Entering in the following challenges:
Monochromatic - Cupcake Craft Challenges 
Card for a Lady - Artistic Inspirations

Crayola's 110th Birthday - come celebrate!

Break out the Party Hats!  It is Crayola's 110th Birthday!   The 8 original colors are hosting a virtual birthday bash on the Crayola Facebook page and one lucky winner will win a trip to celebrate in person!

Check on the new "fun-omenal" Crayola Experience, the world's only interactive Crayola family attraction. 

How can you join in on the fun and possibly win?  First off log onto Facebook and follow the crayons on their adventure by liking the page and visiting the Birthday Adventure App.  While you are there, learn more about each color and enter to WIN a trip for 4 to celebrate their birthday and the Grand Opening of the all new Crayola Experience this coming May, 2013!  Hurry - entries are accepted through April 30th 2013.  Click here to view the App and read the rules:  https://www.facebook.com/Crayola/app_316661705126536

Visit the Crayola Facebook page and click “enter now” for your chance to be first in line when the Crayola Experience reopens.   "The new Crayola Experience features four floors of new interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind attractions that will bring the magic of color and your child’s creativity to life! The winner will be among the first to experience the fun, along with a three- night, all-expenses paid stay. It’s an experience your kids will never forget – and neither will you!"




Disclosure:  This information was provided to me by Crayola.  To thank me for sharing with my readers I will be receiving a 110th anniversary gift pack.  I did not receive any form of monetary compensation for sharing this information 

Dyeing and decorating Easter eggs

It has been a while since I have posted updates of the girls.  Here are some pictures from Sunday :)  Miss C. did not allow me to take her picture (nor did Ryan) but here are some pictures of Miss N. and Miss E.

The dye

Analyzing the dye

Listening to the dye tablets fizz

Busy at work

Small detail work

more analyzing

The finished product

My Craft Room

We had three rooms in our home that I consider unfinished - the front living room, the loft area and our sunroom.  I finally decided to re-purpose the living room into a craft room and planned on doing so when I received a small inheritance that enabled me to step it up a notch.  

I keep saying that my craft room / art studio is finished but I always seem to find new things to change or add.   My husband tolerates it but the girls and I LOVE this space.  It is our refuge - a place to relax, create and be productive.  I keep seeing other people share pictures of their craft spaces, so I will jump on the bandwagon and share what I have set up.

Most of the furniture, including the ribbon holder, desk, hutch, paper holders and punch/stamp holders are from Martha Stewart Craft Room (available at homedecorators.com)  

BACK WALL: 
This is where I store all of the ribbon and keep my recently finished pieces or work(s) in progress.

Ribbon Holder(s)

Originally I planned to store all my ribbon on this rack but I had more ribbon could accommodated so I came up with some extra storage options:

*  A board was painted in black (cork) and grey (trim).Once dry this was hung from the wall.

*  The top portion of the board was left open and the bottom half was strung with thin colored wire.  Cards, tags or papers could then be draped over the wire or hung from clips

*  Long pieces of thick hemp twine  were strung and secured on the  bottom with a button or large knot to hold the spools in place.  The spools were then simply threaded through the hemp and the top was closed with a slip knot - this then made it easy to hang from simple push pins.   Finally glass jars were filled with loose ribbon and placed on top of the ribbon holder.

SIDE WALL:

Craft Room!

This is where most of the supplies are stored.   Above is a shot of the entire wall:

On the left is a desk that I placed a hutch over.  The hutch opens and has a corkboard on one side and a chalk board on the other.  LOVE it!

The drawers pull out - I keep embellishments and small items like brads, glitter, cricut cartridges, etc in the top two drawers.  The large drawer at the bottom houses glue, glue sticks and glue guns, duct tape, finished cards and other larger objects.

On the very bottom are three baskets to store yarn, knitting and crocheting items as well as the kids craft supplies.

There are a few jars of extra ribbon, bakers twine, pinks and buttons that rest over a stamp and punch holder.  On the stamp and punch holder I have stored  various punches (on the left) and stamp pads (on the right).   To the right of this is a pen holder where I store my distress ink pens, glaze gel pens and plain colored markers

Here is a bookshelf for extra storage and the paper cubes.  Since the bookshelf is getting full I have ordered one more stamp / punch holder for extra storage.  I can then move some of the items around on the bookshelf.  I also ordered a rolling cart which i will store the cutters and miscellaneous items such as reinkers and current projects.

Paper Holder - decorative paper

Card Stock and die cuts

Here is the room from the front:

Side view (right)

Side View (left):

Here is the desk area.  I sit on the left and the girls will sit on the right.  

So that is my space.... If you are thinking of creating a craft area go for it!    You can always change up what you start with and as your space evolves, so can you.  

ChapStick Cupcake Creations. Limited Time Availability!

Take the party anywhere, while keeping your lips happy with the new ChapStick® limited-
edition flavors – decadent Velvet Cupcake and mouth-watering Cake Batter.


Whether it is winter or summer, I seem to battle dry skin - mostly my hands, feet and lips. I make sure to treat year round. My girls also find that they suffer from chapped lips also. I make sure that we are always stocked with lip balm and we have various tubes floating around the house.

I received a fun review pack from ChapStick that included :
 o ChapStick® Velvet Cupcake and Cake Batter varieties
 o Red Velvet cupcake mix from the renowned Sprinkles Cupcakes, named “the world's first cupcake bakery” by The Food Network and featured everywhere from USA Today and The New York Times to “Good Morning America” and “Today”
 o Party hats
 o Cupcake noisemakers
 o Birthday candles

Miss E. LOVED this Chap Stick.  She claimed it as soon as it came.  She grabbed the cake batter and Miss N. recieved the red Velvet Cupcake.  Miss E. used it right away and told me how good it smelled  When I was little I loved Chapstick too.


I vividly remember collecting Chapstick when I was younger.  Up until 1970 there was the original verision.  In 1971 ChapStick introduced 3 new flavors.  I recall at least 3 flavors...  original, cherry and mint.  At some point they added strawberry, orange and grape.  Apparently the orange Chapstick is highly collectible and has a cult following.  Alas, if only I stocked up on Orange chapstick....

This month, for just a couple of weeks longer, you can get a SPECIAL EDITION ChapStick Cupcake Creations sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens. There are two flavor varieties, ChapStick® Velvet Cupcake and Cake Batter, which are available until approximately March 31s, 2013 exclusively at Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens nationwide.   Love cake?  This  is one thing that can hit your mouth but without all the extra calories.  This ChapStick your will sweeten and soften your lips.  These will not be around after this month so make sure that you grab some while you can!  

 

Disclosure:  I received a Gift Set for review purposes.  I did not receive any form of monetary compensation for this post and all opinions expressed were my own.

The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an amazing quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers. From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I never read the books but really enjoyed the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  I am looking forward to seeing the Hobbit, the prequel to The Lord of the Rings.  

 

Thanks to PartnersHub One reader will win The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack - 

To begin, take the "Are You 100% Hobbit?" Quiz! What has a tendency to be very brave, is around 4 ft. tall with sharp eyesight, little to no facial hair, and loves cake? If you thought we were talking about you, then you might be a Hobbit Indeed! Take the quiz to find out just how much of a Hobbit you are!

Once you take the quiz, simply post their results from the Are You 100% Hobbit Quiz in the comments section and then fill out the raffllecopter form. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure:  Partnershub is providing a Blu ray combo to one reader whose name will be randomly drawn from all eligible entries.  I did not receive any form of compensation for this post.
 

What is Paleo?

Paleo is the nickname for the Paleolithic diet.  Designed to strip processed foods from your regular diet, you will eat simple whole foods like those that were primarily hunted and gathered in the stone age.  The premise is that our diets have changed a great deal since the Paleolithic era but our body chemistry and nutritional requirements have not.

Instead of eating a diet heavy in grains and processed foods, we should be eating a diet similar to those of cavemen (and cavewomen) - primarily fruit, veggies, nuts, eggs, meat, poultry and fish.   No grains.  no legumes.  No dairy.  No foods with added sugar.  Minimal processed foods.  The meat  and eggs should be high quality such as organic, grass fed, free range and/or cage free birds.  Good oils are olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, sesame seed oil, etc.  Bad oil would be canola oil or butter.  Click HERE to find out more about Paleo.

My husband and I have been trying a hybrid Paleo / Whole 30 diet for the last 3 weeks.  Not including one weekend out of town and couple of off days, we have stuck to the plan.   I finally did relent and have been using Splenda with my coffee or tea and and indulging in adding chick peas to my salad.  (These may sound small but really are frowned upon).

We have not been "devout" and would probably be reprimanded by purists but I think we have done very well.  Ryan and I have both lost over 10 lbs.  I plan to give myself a weekend off when I hit major milestones only and to otherwise avoid prohibited foods...with the exception of Splenda and garbonzo beans.

Here is what a typical day on Paleo looks like:
Breakfast - Fruit and/or eggs.
Lunch - Salad.  I usually top mine with chicken, hard boiled eggs, olives, beets, sesame seeds, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, etc.
Snack -  Raw veggies or macadamia nut, cashew butter or a handful of almonds.
Dinner - Grilled chicken, steak, pork chops or fish.  One of our favorites for example is salmon encrusted with pecans.   Roasted veggies.  Side Salad.
Dessert - A bowl of fruit or a smoothie made with fresh fruit and unsweetened coconut milk.


What are some of the foods I miss?
Cottage Cheese
Cereal
Milk Chocolate
Pastries
Cheeseburger and fries (I can have burgers but without the cheese and without the bun)
Ice Cream
Pasta
Bagel with cream cheese
Fast food.  I can probably eat some things but have been trying to avoid for the most part.

As much as I miss these foods, the benefits greatly outweigh the disadvantages. I cannot even begin to tell you how much better I feel.  I do not have the stomach problems that I am constantly plagued with.  I feel more comfortable without a constant heavy or bloated feeling in my gut.   Clothes are fitting better and I have more energy.    I can eat as much as I want, as long as it is on the OK list.

Like I said earlier, there have been some days I have fallen off the wagon.   Then there was the one really bad episode with a box of Samoa Girl Scout cookies - I was like a crackhead when I gave in to my cravings.  What started out as one cookie ended up being half a box.  I felt like crap afterwards.  Not only did I have a immense guilt and embarrassment, I also felt sick to my stomach.  I made a commitment  at that point to not let that happen again. Ever.

Last night I was on Pinterest and found quite a few Paleo boards.  I was really excited to find some new recipes and started my own board, comprised primarily of repins that I want to try myself.   I went a little crazy pinning.  You can see my board HERE.  If you are interested in Paleo make sure to follow it.  I am looking forward to trying some of these recipes.

I will continue to share my progress and some of the recipes.  Feel free to share also - please comment!  I welcome any success stories, comments or questions.   Any advice is also greatly appreciated.

The Bible Giveaway II

From Executive Producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett comes The Bible — an epic 10-part miniseries retelling stories from the Scriptures for a whole new generation. Breathtaking in scope and scale, The Bible features powerful performances, exotic locales and dazzling visual effects that breathe spectacular life into the dramatic tales of faith and courage from Genesis through Revelation.

This is a great series for dedicated Christians or even History fans.   This is a family friendly series that brings The Bible to life.


Thanks to the History Channel and PatnersHub, I have a copy of one of the official The Bible companion books for one random winner.  All you have to do is enter :)

(Prize will be chosen randomly from the book titles below!)
 • A Story of God and All of Us (HARDCOVER)
• A Story of God and All of Us (REFLECTIONS)
• A Story of God and All of Us (YOUNG READERS)



a Rafflecopter giveaway

To enter comment as required and simply fill out the Rafflecopter form



Disclosure: I did not receive any forms of compensation for this post.

Oz, The Great and Powerful. - Freebie!

Love Oz?  here are some ways to share that love with the kiddos:

Visit HERE for four fun activities.

OZ The Great and Powerful - Review

If you did not have a chance to view OZ, The Great and Powerful this past weekend (opening weekend) don't wait any longer! This movie is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz. You get to meet the great and mighty Oz before he was great or mighty.

 Oz is actually a little bit on the smarmy side - he is not very trustworthy, has no trust in anyone, prohibiting friendships, is a verified ladies man and always looking for a quick buck. He has 2 passions - magic and the girl he is in love with but won't commit to. Even though no-one else has faith in him, even he himself, she does and believes he will eventually find the good within.

 On the run from a jealous and irate husband, Oz ventures out of Kansas and into Oz via a hot air balloon and a tornado. sound familiar? Half familiar anyway.... Upon arrival he realizes he is someplace new and different....someplace VERY different.  

The first friends Oz makes are a young girl, a flying monkey bell-hop and soon after a little china girl.   Add in one good witch and you have a quartet with enough good karma and chemistry to rival a foursome of a girl, a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man.

 His journey to go home results in a very different journey - one of finding himself while also claiming all of the things he wanted deep down but never seemed to be able to acknowledge or claim.  

James Franco was perfectly cast for this role.  He can somehow make even the most unlikeable character somehow charming and likable.   I don't want to spoil the story so I won't delve in too deeply around the plot or the other characters.  

This movie really was a treat.  It may be a bit too intense for younger kids.  My 10 year old was somewhat frightened but she loved it none the less!   

Hook up with Oz on social and check the movie clips below:

“Like” OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ozthegreatandpowerful

"Follow" OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyozmovie

 







Disclosure:  I was provided with preview tickets to the film.  I was not required to write a positive review.