Dot & Whimsy

It's been awhile since I've gotten to play along as a Cycling Team Member with...

I'm so happy to have been invited to create with one of the 

upcoming collections, Just Because

Here's a little peek:

 I love the colors, the sweet blooms and little birds ♥

 This collection will be available soon, so stay tuned!

Would you like to be a Guest Cycling Team Member?

They're calling for designers who would like to craft with their

upcoming Fern& Forrest Boy and Fern & Forrest Girl Collections!

They're both soooo cute!
Check out the details here:

 

Hello, Unity Friends!

Welcome to this Thursday's grand hip hop, which

includes the entire Unity Stamp Design Team...I love hip hop days

and the enthusiasm it brings to stamp lovers :)

And in honor of our fearless leader, we're having a birthday special!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, ANGELA
You're fabulous and 40 is fabulous, so it's all good ;)

I love Phyllis Harris' artwork...her sweet-faced people are just so darned cute!

They never fail to put a smile on my face and this little angel girl is no exception

I chose an apricot colored textured cardstock as the base of the image.

I also stamped onto a piece of patterned paper and then carefully cut the 

dress out.  The arm and heart were cut (or stamp image again onto apricot 

cardstock) from the original image with an X-Acto knife before 

attaching the dress.

I used colored markers for the hair, the blue in the dress and red heart.
I also touched up her cheeks with a bit of blush with pink chalk.

I added her, next to the stamped sentiment, with foam dots.  

A row of small punched hearts were stitched to the bottom...simple 'n sweet!

**Time now for Shemaine's creative blog**
Enjoy the hop and thanks for stopping by!

Happy Hump Day!

Wednesdays are my days to blog over at 

and I have a sweet layout up using the December Add-On Kit

I ran across this picture of my kids…it was actually one that my mom took several years ago.

  I love how Sydnee’s mask is crooked and you can only see ONE eye hehehe!

 I started with a piece of cardstock and began selecting the patterned papers

 from the December Paper Bakery Kit that I wanted to use.  

I knew that I wanted lots of black elements to bring out the black masks…

and doesn’t the black/white striped paper remind you of the old prison outfits?

 LOL So I tucked a bit of it in as I began layering.

 

After punching out a few different sized stars, I covered them in

 paper and then stitched around the edge.  I cut the sentiment portion from the tag

 (included in the December Add-On Kit) and corner rounded the edges for a nice effect.

I used my personal cutting machine to create the “bandits” part of the title

…for the “masked” part I just cut the letters from one of the Studio Calico papers from the kit!

  I ended up with lots of lovely layers by using a couple of the journal cards and

 by heavily matting the photo.  

Finally…a photo that had been sitting in a box for years at last found a home :)

We’ll be sharing fun with the January Paper Bakery Kit SOON!  

Here’s a little bitty peek at something that I came up with:

continues with sneak peeks of their wonderful new products!

Today it's Love & Marriage

And today I have a card featured on the blog!

began today's blog post with a project

by the new 2013 Creative Team...I just happen to be first!

made with tons of goodness from the Curtsey Boutique Shop at Etsy!

I found this sweet, free printable at www.vintagefangirl.com and

printed it onto white cardstock.  Here are the step-by-steps and a listing 

of the supplies that I used from the Curtsey Boutique Shop

I'm first up this week at 

to share some projects made with the new Winter Collections.

Today I've chosen an Urban Traveler mini album and card that I've made!

I'm not much of an 'urban traveler' myself, but my parents take 1-2 cruises a year,
so they were the inspiration for this little mini album :)

 I just had to use the camera image found on one of the journal cards,

 so I trimmed it away from the background before attaching it to the page!

  The small alpha stickers are the perfect size for adding a small title to mini albums.

 I like adding a 'mat' to the background paper...I also distressed all of the paper

 edges with a bit of walnut ink.  Keep in mind how you'd like to display your 

bulky embellishments so that when the pages are closed, they lay as flat as possible.

 It's also nice to have a space where some journaling and dating can be added. 

 The new collections are loaded with so many fun and interactive 

pieces to help bring your creation to life!

  Simple Stories has really given us a treat with  

chipboard pieces, layered stickers and decorative brads...endless fun!
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More new things are being revealed over the next couple of days and even

more creative projects will be shared by the Design Team over the course of

the next two weeks.  

www.simplestories.com

**I have two sketch posts up today...please scroll on down to see the other :)**

It's always great fun to do a layout with an original Becky Fleck sketch!

January's Page Maps features a few of the Simple Stories Design Team members

and I just happen to be one of them who got to play along.

The 12x12 Sketch

And my layout using the brand new Vintage Bliss

I know I've said it before, but I flat-out L-O-V-E this whimsical collection!

If you trend towards fun, bright and girly, then this is a must-have :)

See all of the fabulous January Page Maps right here

If you're not familiar with the site, you can also download the entire month's worth

(and previous months) of layout and card sketches via PDF formant, which makes it

super easy for viewing.  I have a large 3-ring binder that I keep all of my Page Maps in!

A wonderful tool...and it's FREE :)

Thanks so much for dropping in today...enjoy the sketches!

January starts us off with brand new sketches 

and sketch challenge at 

AUTHENTIQUE PAPER
 

For my card, I used the new Lovely Collection, which is completely

swoon-worthy!  I love the nostalgic and reproduction vintage prints and of course

the papers are just as beautiful as ever.

Play-along with us! 

- You will have until Wednesday, January 30th at midnight {PST} to enter.

- You will need to create a separate entry/blog post for each submission. 

{You can submit as many projects as you want!}

- Use the Linky Tool at the bottom of this post to link directly to your blog post.

- You must provide a link somewhere in your blog post back here to the Authentique Paper blog.

- Anyone can play along, but you must use products from Authentique Paper on your project if you would like to be able to win.

- You must provide a supply list of Authentique Paper products used on your blog post.

-As you can see, we have added a splash of color to our sketches,
 sticking with the color scheme is NOT a requirement to enter.

Friday brings us...

by Bella Blvd

An adorable collection for celebrating all things Engagement!

I had the pleasure of creating a few things for display at the 

Winter CHA Show...here's a little peek...

And as with ALL of this week's previews, there's a giveaway involved!
Come by and leave a comment for your chance to win this sweet collection!
www.bellablvd.typepad.com

After a good month of keeping this news quiet...

That's me!  Right in the middle there...yeah, I know...I was shocked too

when the invitation to join the 2013 Pink Paislee team came!

Danielle Flanders-Creative Team Leader

Leslie Ashe

Andrea Budjack

Diana Fisher

Christin Gronnslett

Jen Kinkade

Shellye McDaniel

Renata Moni Bidin

Jess Mutty

Shanna Noel

Nina Ostermann

Betsy Veldman

Karola Witczak

Rebecca Cross

Valerie Salmon

Vicki Boutin

Greta Hammond

Trisha Ladouceur

And Pink Paislee has a brand new, beautiful website and updated blog!

Looking forward to an amazing year with this amazingly talented team :)

Congrats to all!

HAPPY WEEKEND

Time to bring another peek at one of the new 

collections by Simple Stories:
VINTAGE BLISS

This collection is one of those that I will love forever...it's just that perfect.

The beautiful sorbet colors mixed with a grey weathered wood.

Big and bold cabbage roses, rubber boots and of course butterflies!

Have a look

Bliss, right???

Perfect for little girls, big girls, Easter, Spring, April Showers,

Bridal Showers and every plain day in between!

Like to win a prize pack?

blog and leave a comment telling them what you LOVE about 

this collection...you have until January 16th to comment :)

GOOD LUCK!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As the CHA Winter show approaches, it's time to reveal

some of the brand new things to come in 2013.

For the next two weeks, BELLA BLVD will be sharing their newest

collections, as well as some of the coolest new embellishments!

Today though, we will have a peek at...

 That's right!  Crochet.Hearts.  If you loved Bella's Crochet Flowers,

then these are a must have for you! 

Two hearts together= butterfly

One heart tucked behind a flower= leaves

Upside down heart= bunny face

They also make beautiful borders when they're linked together, side-by-side.

I created a sweet little card for the Bella Blvd booth at CHA and I'd love

to share a 'lil peek of it with you!

And don't you love that there's a plethora of yumm-o colors to choose from:
McIntosh, Punch, Cotton Candy, Orange, Bell Pepper, Pickle Juice, Gulf, 
Saltwater, Scallop and White
It may not sound yummy, but I'll bet McIntosh and Pickle Juice would look
beautiful together :)

So, don't forget...that's all of this week and next that we'll be sharing all of
the new Bella Blvd products...and check-out their blog for even more
photos and peeks!
I'll be back tomorrow to share a card created with one of the new collections.
Have a wonderful first-week-of-the-New-Year!

It's always hard to contain the excitement when you're

privy to brand new collections before they're revealed.

But today is the day!

are both showing off a bit of their new stuff starting today and continuing

throughout the next week or two...come and see!

There will be a giveaway to a lucky commenter, so head on over to

the Bella Blvd Blog for your chance to win!!!  Bella will have sneak peeks all week

long with more chances to win goodies...good luck!

In true Simple Stories fashion, they have wowed again!

I generally don't lean towards really bold colors, but this collection is

simply, simply amazing and so much fun to create with!

Here's a little sneak of a mini album cover that I made with it:

And here are a few samples...you can see ALL of it on the 

Simple Stories Blog :)

Again, stayed tuned to each blog all week long (and throughout the month) 

for more sneaks and prize giveaways!  Don't you just love this time of year!

See y'all soon and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you!