Girly Sparkly Thanks for a2z Scrapbooking

Happy New Year!

I'm over at
a2z Scrapbooking
with a fun challenge to start up the New Year!

Now's the time to use everything that sparkles in your crafty place.
We're talking about glitter, gemstones, metallic embossing powders...
anything that will make your project sparkle!

Here's my girly, sparkly card...

This card came together quickly using the Hero Arts Blush Folded Cards for my base and adding double sided sticky tape 3 times.  I poured Ranger Distress Glitter in Platinum over the sticky tape and rubbed the glitter in with a scratch piece of paper and a bone folder to make sure the glitter was completely adhered.

I inked up that beautiful font sentiment from Hero Arts Cheers Messages by Lia

and heat embossed using Hero Arts Platinum Embossing Powder.

I added the same embossing powder to the edges of Hero Arts White and Cream Print Flowers using a Versamarker and heat set.  Of course for more bling I used Hero Arts Pale Pink Gemstones.

Here's a closeup...

Enter your sparkly project HERE  for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the store!

For all the products used here and more, head over to a2z Scrapbooking Store.

Use code NICKI15 for 15% off!!

MAHALO for stopping by!

A Silhouette Kinda Day

Today I've got a project using 

my Silhouette for the

I found this super cute file

called Thanks A Latte

and created a shaped card that holds

a gift card on the inside!

It came together pretty quick since I decided

to use cream colored cardstock and craft, 

then inked up with distress inks.

I played with the latest distress inks

Cracked pistachio on the background flower

and Abondoned Coral for the label!

and the inside...

and a closeup...

I think I'll be making more of these 

just to keep on hand!

I made another project using the Silhouette

so stay tuned and come back tomorrow!

MAHALO for stopping by!!

Spring Coffee Lover's Blog Hop!

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Aloha and welcome to my corner of the blogosphere!

I LOVE sharing this bloghop with 

fellow coffee lovers 

and hope you'll come by often!

I'm a HUGE fan of Lawn Fawn 

so today I'm playing around with a stamp set and inks from 

the new release.  

LOVE these flirty frames and LOVE their inks as watercolor!!

Lawn Fawn Flirty Frames, Lawn Fawn inks, Lawn Fawn Love You a Latte,

Lawn Trimmings, Hero Arts Shadow ink in Soft Sand, waterpen

I created a sort of muted background

just so I could highlight the main sentiment.

(read: I wanted to stamp all the frames for fun!)

I wasn't sure about doing a one layer card,

but here it is!

Super fast and easy with a touch of spring colors.

The little cup o' joe is my first attempt at

no line watercoloring...HA, it works fabulous with

Lawn Fawn inks!!!

MAHALO for stopping by

and I'm off to hop myself!!!

The Evolution of my Card...

Oh boy did I make a mess of my craft desk!  It all started with needing a thank you card to give a coworker and I was trying to go for a more masculine feel.  Thus began the plaid look...also keeping in mind I wanted to enter the next Lawnscaping Challenge: Stars and Stripes.

This is where my journey began...painstackingly inking up that fun border to create a stripey/plaid background.  Now what?!  You can tell it wasn't perfectly stamped so I knew I needed to add something to draw your attention away from that fact.  I knew I wanted to use the die cut scripty thanks, but it needed more...

Here's the mess I created figuring things out...

Again keeping in mind I needed stars, I wanted to use the Lawn Fawn Life is Good starfish!

The die cut comes out so cute!  I first tried cutting a strip of paper to pop the die cut thanks, but it just wasn't enough.  Finally I realized I could add a journaling card and also enter the next Moxie Fab: Photo Pocket Page Challenge: Journaling Cards!  (challenges are so great that way) So the lightbulb went on and I focused on making a journaling card.

And the finished product...

Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card, Lawn Fawn Scripty Thanks, Lawn Fawn Life is Good

Lawn Fawn pattern paper, Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Cup O' Joe and Soft Sand

Ok so I ended up nixing the plaid stamped background, because it just didn't work with my journaling card!  I'll definitely save it for later though.  I couldn't decide which yellow background paper to use so....why not both!?  It killed me not to put a little smiley face on the sun and some sparkle or some sequins, but since it's for a guy I figured best to leave it alone.

Okey dokey...that's it for me!  Mahalo for stopping by!!

Special Thanks!

I'm screaming from Hawaii...can you hear me!?

I could not believe it when I received 

the most amazing e-mail 

from thee Holly Anderson of Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking 

magazine!

I've been chosen as an honorable mention for the 10th annual Stamping Royalty

amongst some INCREDIBLE paper crafters.

Me?!?

So my card will be published in the July edition of Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking and I'm hoping it'll get your attention enough to vote!

I would sure appreciate it!

I want to thank all the lovely people that visit my blog and the amazing comments you all leave me!

It is because of you all that I had the courage to take the chance and submit. 

The card below is to show my sincerest gratitude...

Hero Arts Bubble Confetti stencil, Simon Says Stamps Thanks Word Die,

 Distress Inks in Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade and Peacock Feathers

white embossing powder, black cardstock and Wink of Stella clear glitter pen

This was a fun one to do!  I used the stencil and a sponge dauber inked with Versamark to create the panel and cover in white embossing powder then heat set. 

I took the different distress inks and created the emboss resist distress background.

Then I placed the panel onto the card base along with the stencil to match the pattern.  Taking the same distress ink colors to match the area, sponge daubered inside the stencil to create the surrounding card panel.

Fun and easy!

Have you checked out the 2nd challenge for Virginia's View? It's all about stencils and I'll be entering this card in it.  Also entering A Blog Named Hero: Build a Background....

As always MAHALO for stopping by and I hope you'll check out my Honorable Mention Card in Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine in July and vote!!!

Picking Up the Pieces Vol. 7: Christmas Goodies!

I'm baaaack!  I've been in a major funk since coming back from the east coast.  Not quite sure what to call it....post vacation blues...post Christmas blues?!  Maybe a little bit of both.  It was so hard for me to get back on Hawaii time after being on vacation for 2 weeks on east coast time, but nonetheless it's time for another edition of Picking Up the Pieces!

I got some pretty sweet stamps and dies for Christmas and will be playing along with a couple of challenges. The first is for the December Avery Elle Challenge using this sketch

Here is my card using the Thanks A Bunch set....

Avery Elle Thanks A Bunch, Avery Elle Laurels. Hero Arts Shadow Inks in Green Hills and Butter Bar and Orange Soda, Memento Inks in Bamboo Leaves, Rich Cocoa and Peanut Brittle, Echo Park Every Day Eclectic Paper Pad, Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mat Dies, Lawn Trimmings

It took me a couple of tries to get the spacing and ink color combinations right, but totally fun because the possibilities were endless in building a fab bouquet!  The colors were inspired by the last Pinspired Challenge seen below...

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and looking forward to the New Year!  I know I am!!!

Mahalo for stopping by!!!

Moxie Fab Mahalo to Cath Edvalson

Aloha and welcome to this fabulous gathering of crafters that adore and admire the Moxie Fab Cath Edvalson!  This blog hop is epic, and I hope Cath FEELS the love we send from whatever part of the world we live in!

If you're going in order you should have arrived from Alyssa Scritchfield's blog.

Where to even begin?  I had been stalking the Moxie Fab posts for about a year and finally got the courage to enter one of the Tuesday Triggers to celebrate Cath's mom's birthday.  Before then I was completely intimidated by the entries.  When I heard her mom was vacationing in Hawaii, I knew I had to make a Hawaiian card for her mom!  Do you guys remember that?  If interested you could check out my card HERE.

I have never had the honor of meeting her in person, but with her daily posts of inspiration and weekly challenges in the Moxie Fab World over at Paper Crafts Connection Blog I feel like she's just a phone call away.  Her challenges pushed my creative side to new heights and her keen eye for spotting trends is a talent no one will ever come close to.

So how do you make the perfect thank you card for the perfect blog hop?!?  Well I put a lot of pressure on myself and then it just came down to going simple.  Who wouldn't smile at a rainbow and butterfly?!

I cannot thank Cath enough for her many years of inspirational bliss.  I'm surely going to miss it and can't wait to see and hear about her future endeavors!

To continue on, check out the AMAZING list of well wishers...I'm #155 if you're going in order.  Just click on the links below and you'll see more creations just for our Moxie Fab Cath!  Mahalo for hopping by!!!

I {heart} Fall!

The weather around here is finally cooling off and I am so ready for fall!  The hubby already started baking things with pumpkin and I'm loving it! Tonight's dessert was pumpkin snickerdoodles...talk about yummy!  The recipe can be found over at Pretty Pink Posh.  I would have gotten a picture, only we ate it too quickly ;)

I loved the Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World following this pic...

Gorgeous isn't it?!?  Here's my card...

Hero Arts Made With Love, Doodlebug Happy Harvest Pattern Paper, Distress Glitter in Festive Berries and Spiced Marmalade, Memento Rich Cocoa ink, twine

I'm having way too much fun with distress glitter and want to use it on everything!  I also wanted to give the banner a little somethin' and decided to do a garland of leaves.  I followed this sketch over at Seize the Sketch

That's it for me.  Mahalo for stopping by!