Dot & Whimsy

Greetings!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas...we certainly did.  I finished putting up the last of the holiday wares this morning...the house looks sooo bare. It's nice to have everything organized once again, although I still have a couple of closets to tackle...I see some major destashing in my future :)

January is my design month at My Scrapbook Nook.  I adore the "Head Over Heals" kit by Lily Bee...the colors are right up my alley.  Have you seen it?

The kit includes sweet chipboard pieces from Maya Road, adorable layered flowers by Petaloo, ribbon and Thickers.  In addition to the Lily Bee patterned papers, the cardstock stickers and file journal tags are also included. Can't wait to share the cards that I've all ready created with this fabulous kit...get yours today before they're g.o.n.e.

I'm delighted to announce that I've been invited to stay on with the I Heart {Ippity} Creative Team for the foreseeable future :)  Some revamping to the weekly blog is in store...maybe a blog hop or two and each of the designers will have their own day of the week to feature their artwork...mine will be Thursdays! 

Here is my latest IHI project

You may purchase Ippity (Unity) Stamps from Heather...just check out her blog via the link above.

I've been working on and off on my class project that's upcoming with Miss Arts in February.  I'll keep you posted as to when the class is up and available for sign-ups :)  I'm excited (and nervous)!

Just waiting (anxiously) on the arrival of my Imaginisce Design Team box of goodies.  I simply cannot wait to dig in and get started on my projects.  Since the DT announcement, we've all been chatting and getting acquainted.  Truly, this lot of ladies have been extremely welcoming and kin to long lost friends...I look forward to creating 2012 with them!

That's pretty much the low-down from my neck of the woods.  We have one more Christmas celebration tomorrow with Mark's family, Tyler will turn 18 on Thursday and we'll have his party on Friday night...steakhouse, a movie and exchanging presents.  New Year's Eve?  Oh, I'll possibly be welcoming in the first baby of 2012...hoping for an uneventful night LOL

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S WISHES TO ALL

Shellye

Good Friday!

I wanted to share my newest news.  Thank goodness I only had TWO days to keep this quiet LOL...I've borrowed this from the Imaginisce Blog:

2012 Imaginisce Design Team Announcement!

Well, today is the DAY for the BIG reveal!!!

We want to thank ALL of you that sent in an application for this call.

We were overwhelmed by the talent and this made our decision both

time consuming & very difficult as we sifted through over 120 submissions!

It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you the

Abby Laubenstein (Illinois, US)

Adora Concepcion (Washington, US)

Cari Locken, DT Co-ordinator (British Columbia, Canada)

Diana Fisher (New York, US)

Guiseppa Gubler (Utah, US)

Heather Leopard (Texas, US)

Ilene Tell (Delaware, US)

Mary Ann Jenkins (California, US)

Tiffany Hood (Utah, US)

Rebecca Keppel (Arizona, US)

Rosangela Philippsen (Curitiba, Brazil)

Regina Mangum (California, US)

Rhonda Van Ginkel (Minnesota, US)

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YAY!  Who's excited?  That would be ME!

I will get the Team's blogs linked up so that you can check out their work. 

In the meantime, here is a new album that I wanted to share;  it's now up at Dot & Whimsy.  I'm anticipating quite a few new assignments beginning in the New Year, so I don't know how much time I'll have to devote to my Etsy shop...it's all good though!

I used the FARMHOUSE Collection by Crate Paper and coupled it with a blanket stitch...looks so cozy and homey...just right for old family photos. 

Well, just when everything was going good...the Message Board is down again today :(  We're all keeping our fingers crossed that it's just because of a 'little' maintenance. 

Speaking of MSN...I received the JANUARY NOOK kit today.

Total and complete gorgeousness!

A hint?  It deals with bubblegum, flirting and the color raspberry ;)  I'm not sure when the reveal goes up, but I'll keep you posted.

I ran across this YUMMY twine from The Twinery...I adore these colors for the Christmas holidays

I'm off to actually *print* my photos for my December Daily Album AND I have two more months and I'll be finishing with mom's calendar....I'm feeling a big load coming off the shoulders soon.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend

Shellye

I have the little cork-board hanging up in my scrap room that I created as my last project for Your Scrapbook Stash.  Sydnee saw it and wanted one for herself.  I picked up some 50% off zebra papers from Hobby Lobby and went to work!  With my project for I Heart Ippity coming due, I decided to incorporate a few of the fun flower stamps from the Flowers+Friends=Priceless set.

Matches the new comforter perfectly...I can't wait until she sees it :)

I've listed a new paper bag scrapbook album at my Etsy shop today.  Here are all of the photos for those of you who are visiting from there.

A total of 10 pages for photos and journaling...plus an additional 5 tags for jotting down those sweet memories.  I've used the So Sophie papers from My Mind's Eye. 


I'm taking photos everyday for December Daily...I still need to print them, but that can be saved for a little later.  It actually S*N*O*W*E*D here on Tuesday morning and I was able to capture a few of the flakes before they melted.  Even more photo opportunities this weekend...Christmas in De Kalb this Saturday; Sydnee will be dancing two routines.  Sunday our adult choir will be performing the We Believe musical at church.  Kingdom Kids will put on their Christmas play that night and Syd has a bit part, as well as singing.  The kids are begging for a few presents to be put under the tree, so at some point I've gotta get to wrappin' :)
Enjoy every moment of the Season!
See you!
Shellye

So, we've come to find out that if we have the Christmas tree fully lit (that's approximately 1,800 tiny, twinkling lights), the microwave microwaving and the big screen TV blaring, we throw a breaker.  Reminds me of a Griswald Family Christmas, so I can't help but feel as though I'm falling into the footsteps of my much beloved Clark W. Griswald ♥  What a big Christmas dork, just like me!

"My twee...Louis (and you'll notice he doesn't call him UNCLE Louis at this point), what have you done to my twee?"  (it sounds like he's saying TWEE instead of tree, so I've since adapted this vernacular.  Can't help myself.)

I'm adding these photos to my very own December Daily album :)  I will share more photos as I take them.

Here is the latest album that I've created for Dot & Whimsy

The only scheduled Design Team projects that I have for the remainder of the month is for I Heart-Ippity, so I'll have some time to work-up some additional mini albums before Christmas.  Right now, I'm sculpting a sweet and distressed FRIENDS album...stayed tuned for that.

UPCOMING SPONSORSHIP
I've been asked to be a sponsor for Scrapping Everyday Miracles blog and Cookin' Up Creations after the new year.  I'll be sending some of my ON THE FRINGE crepe paper trim, as well as RUFFLED CREPE trim from The Red Robin.  In the meantime, I will be a sponsor during Christmas Week at Scrapping Everyday Miracles, so I hope that you get a chance to stop by and visit them during the week!  I love the inspirational inspiration♥

I look forward to seeing what the design teams come up with...also give-a-ways along the way :)

I'll be back soon!
Shellye

YES!  I'm actually blogging two days in a row...what is the world coming to? Ah, don't answer that LOL

As I eluded to in yesterday's blog post, I have finished the DECEMBER DAILY album for Etsy.

It is such a little fatty and chocked full of sweet stuff from the Peppermint Collection by Crate.  The front of the album is an actual 1950's vintage Christmas card of an adorable Snow Couple ♥

So, without further ado

These are just a few close-ups of the 28 page book :)  I'm listing this at my Etsy shop Dot & Whimsy just as soon as I'm done blogging, so hop on over a take a peek at it.

MY SCRAPBOOK NOOK NEWSLETTER

We love this special time of year and we want to share the

Christmas cheer by offering 3 great specials! 

Give yourself and your loved ones the gift of memories that last through time with a Kit subscription from My Scrapbook Nook Kits!  Each month a perfectly coordinated set of scrapbook goodies will arrive on their doorstep making capturing the best times simple and fast!  Along with the subscription, they will have access to loads of examples and step by step tutorials for each kit!  You can't go wrong with these beautiful kits- it is the Christmas gift that comes all year long!

We are offering three different specials- so you can choose the perfect size!

Purchase a subscription for 3 months (starting with the Dec. kit) and save 10%.

Purchase a subscription  for 6 months (starting with the Dec. kit) and save 15%.

Purchase a subscription for 12 months (starting with the Dec. kit) and save 10% PLUS 2 FREE KITS! 
This is our best value-YOU WILL RECEIVE A FREE KIT TO START (past kit) once your 12 paid months are up you will receive another FREE KIT. 2 FREE KITS AND 10% OFF.

Please Note-you will see 2 charges. One charge will be for the kit and the second charge will be for the shipping. International except Canada will be 16.00 dollars per month, Canada $9.00 per month, US except California will be $9.37 per month, and California $6.50 per month. All shipping charges will be charged at one time. The amount will depend on how many months you sign up for.
After your 3, 6, or 12 months are up we will email you to see if you would like to stop or keep your sub active. If you decide to continue on we will keep your sub active at our kit club price of $29.50 per month
Act fast!  These specials are only available until Dec 25th!

Merry Christmas Everybody!

www.myscrapbooknook.com

Tell 'em Shellye sent you :)

...December Daily starts :)

I have the base for my album finished and am now working on one to sell on Etsy.  I'm using the Peppermint Collection from Crate...also the December My Scrapbook Nook Kit.

I dug way back in my stash and brought out some old Daisy D's papers...all inspired by vintage prints.

I created the assorted pages using my Cricut. I love how each page peeks out from one another...adds fun and interest!

Aw!  My very last projects for  Your Scrapbook Stash.  If you hadn't heard, Erica will be closing down the online store on December 31st.  Tons of great deals can be found there, so go by and visit soon.

I created this sweet mini cork-board hanger using materials by Bella Blvd's FINALLY FALL and Amy Tangerine's PATCHES.  I will be giving a tutorial at the YSS blog next month.

And a layout that I scrapped for my mom's 2012 calendar!

Here's another card featuring the cute bird (or penguin?  I'm not sure!) from the PAIN AND PRIDE stamp set by Unity.

It's a little hard to tell in this photo, but I decided to make this guy a bluebird this time around.

Heather has NEW stamps coming this week...I hope you have a chance to check them out!

www.iheart-ippity.blogspot.com

Gotta get back to work...December Daily calls :)

Shellye

...and boy am I tuckered out.

Over the last three days I have fought the Christmas tree and won, cleaned the house from top to bottom, thrown up the Christmas decorations and have all of my Thanksgiving dishes prepared.  Everything looks beautiful and smells delicious, but I look as though I've just returned from a battle zone: numerous scratches on the hands and arms via the tree tussle, bruises on my shins, a puncture wound on my left thumb (I didn't know you could actually STAB yourself with a ornament hook) and my sciatic is acting up.  And don't get me started on my aching shoulders :-/

But THANK YOU, Lord...I have so much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Eve!

I received my adorable December Daily tags from Chic Tags today.  I'm looking forward to getting my album completed before December 1st :)  I have several ideas for photos, so hopefully I can keep up on the documentation without falling too far behind.  

MY SCRAPBOOK NOOK
I created a couple of cute cards for my CARDS challenge this week over at My Scrapbook Nook.  This challenge is a PINSPO challenge.  What's Pinspo?  Pinterest combined with Inspiration :)  

Just hop on over to the blog (I have direct-linked the post above) to view the photos that I chose.

Here are my two samples using the November Nook Kit

And I'm not sure if I shared this Christmas card that I created last week or not.  My fellow DT member, Danni, created a thread on the Nook Forum just for our holiday greetings

I know that I'm not alone in saying that I'm so ready for the Nook Message Board to be back up and running!  I miss the everyday chit-chat. 

Another week with Ippity!  Sydnee asked that I make a container for her friend's birthday money and card, so I created this sweet little holder from a Maya Road tin.

I used Staz-On to stamp onto the sheer journal sheet, then colored in with permanent markers and a little glitter on top.

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Time to get geared up for an 8 hour siesta.

Be safe, don't eat too much and I'll see you soon!
Shellye

Yes, it is November 15th and I have the majority of my Christmas buying done.  I'm in the midst of compiling photos for my mother's annual calendar.  When I mentioned that I might not have time to pull a calendar out of the hat this year, I swear that I saw a tear...well, and the whining pretty much gave away her dislike of that idea LOL.  You know, she's my dear mom and she doesn't ask much of me at all...so one way or the other, I will have her gift done by December 25th (in years past some of the pages are still wet with glue...nothing like a little procrastination).

Tyler will be 18 shortly after Christmas.  I think this is the first year that he's only asked for ONE video game.  *sniff* he actually requested 'grown up' gifts this year like a Fossil watch, Oakley sunglasses, cologne, a pair of blue jeans, lounge pants, socks and underwear :)

Zachry; not much on his list either.  The generic blanket term "clothes", two XBOX games, one PSP game, socks, underwear and a Kindle.  Oh and Axe...he's gotta smell good too!

Sydnee...well, she's nine and of course her list keeps growing.  Luckily everything she's asked for is fairly inexpensive and of course she won't get all of it anyway hehehe

I had a FIT when I saw this cute coverlet from JCPenney.

She's been begging for a hot pink and zebra room and yes, I've been warding her off. Anyway, she'll get her wish in a much more palatable tone than screamin' hot pink and big honkin' zebra strips @@

 For my project this week at I Heart Ippity, I decided to design a cute door hanger to go along with Syd's NEW bedroom color scheme :)

I dressed the Maya Road frame in My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy, used a computer font for the name plate and then stamped the cute girl image.

And YES, it will be wrapped and given with the coverlet and pillows!

It's up, it's up!  

My HELLO FALL project is up at LYB Blog today.
I will share a few photos here, but be sure to stop by their blog to see the full tutorial, more photos and leave a little much-appreciated L♥O♥V♥E ☺
My project is two-fold...a Fall Family Tree Display that partly doubles as a place setting name plate/accent

--the Fall Family Tree--

I will be posting my latest CARDS Challenge tomorrow...a little prize in store for one lucky winner.

Congratulations to Michelle Price for winning my challenge from last week, "GIVE THANKS"

The Message Board is back up and running, so stop by and check out the super challenges and wonderful inspiration.

There is a section that I'm quite excited about: December Daily.  Yep, I'm taking the plunge this year.  I've already started on the base pages and look to have them all sewn up by the weekend. If you're not familiar with December Daily, there is a great write-up of tried and true methods and ideas found at The Nook Forum!  I'll show off my album just as soon as I'm done.

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My oldest son, Tyler and his fellow De Kalb Bears Varsity football team will be playing for an Area win in our district this Friday night.  To say we're excited is truly an understatement.  Driving around our small town, you will see that most every business has their windows painted up and flying a DeKalb Bears sign outside their door.  We're hosting a city-wide Pep Rally Thursday night and selling car flags, pom poms, hamburgers and hoodies LOL! Community pride is something that I hold very dear.  Small towns have their moments, but it's times like these that I'm glad to say that I'm a small town-girl :)

GO BEARS!

Be back soon enough!  Be blessed!

Shellye

First off, I want to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to our military men and women serving today and in days past.  Thank you for keeping us safe and God Bless you all!

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I went to pick the kids up today from school and was flipping through radio stations while waiting.  Our local 'light rock' station is now officially playing ♫Christmas Music♫ all.day.long.  So, I'm assuming that I'm not alone in being excited about this...after-all, they must do some sort of research before launching into Holly Jolly Christmas on 11-11-11 don't you think? One of my favorite new found Christmas songs (and it's an oldie) is Christmas Waltz...I've heard Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole both sing it and they're equally beautiful!  I also love the old Coventry songs like The Holly & The Ivy and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring...I can honestly say that they've grown on me a lot over the years...maybe I can just appreciate them more now.

While enjoying my Christmas music, I set out to make a new album for Etsy.  Several years ago I purchased a huge lot of vintage cards from eBay, so I thought this guy would look so grand on the front cover

Ahhh, I LOVE him!  Reminds me of the very nostalgic Coca-Cola Santa♥

Here are a few more photos to share of the album;  these are close-ups so that my Etsy customers can get a better look as well. To see the pages entirely just visit Dot & Whimsy

AND, I was so busy last week and the week before that I forgot to show my other mini album

 that I created for Etsy.

The Little Boy Blue collection from My Mind's Eye was the perfect setting in creating this album.  Turquoise, olive green and brown...love this combo of my favorite colors.

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 My HELLO FALL project will go live on the LYB blog next Tuesday!  It looks so lovely sitting in my living room...I only hope that I can find an easy way to store it until next year though.  Once you see it, you'll understand my dilemma LOL

I will be giving a video tutorial at Miss Art's Papercrafting School in February!  If you haven't visited Miss Art's, please do...you'll be pleasantly surprised :)  I really like the selection of classes that they offer and the website is like stepping back in time; so much fun and very welcoming.

I'll keep you updated in the months to come with the class title and other pertinent information regarding my tutorial.

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That's all for this Friday night.  Sydnee, my mom and I will be having a girl's day tomorrow...a little shopping, lunch, and who-knows-what-else *wink* 
Hope you have a terrific weekend!
Shellye