February Class - Stationary Project

Today is my monthly class and I thought I would share what we're creating.  I think my ladies are going to have a great time!

Here is the link for the box - Stamping 411

Oh My Goodness - I was nominated!

I originally created my blog to share what was going on in my world (travel, cooking, projects, etc) - then I joined Stampin' Up in the summer of 2009 and my blog morphed into a showcase of current projects and challenge designs.  I love being part of the paper crafting blog-o-shere.  How can you not love peaking at incredibly talented bloggers to seek inspiration.  This award is a great way to share a few of those blogs with you!  I'm completely honored to have been nominated for this award!  Thank you to my aunt, upline and friend Tara Bilbao who nominated me - her creations are goreous if you haven't checked out her blog you need to!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bring new blogs to light. It's a great way to share blogs that might not otherwise be seen or ones you want to share with others.

As a recipient of this award I must share the love and pay it forward by:

1-Creating a post where I blog about the Liebster award & reveal my 3-5 blog picks
2-Let the honorees know that I selected them
3-Copy & paste the blog award on my blog

Here are my nominations:
Pam Giudici - Wacky Whippet Stamper
Lori Rider - The Diva Stamper
Gretchen Barron - Inspiration In Action

While I don't know any of these women personally I love their creations and find inspiration in all their designs.  Thank you for sharing your gift with all of us!

Stamping Royalty - Marker Challenge

Stamping Royalty is having a marker challenge this week.  I have slowly been collecting Stampin' Ups markers.  I love that they color coordinate - like all there products.  One of my favorite tools is the Color Spritzer Tool!  When I was a kid I remember using paint brushes and straws to create the same effect.  The tool is so easy to use and you get this great splatter effect.  I'm a big believer in keeping it simple; not only in my cards and crafts but in my home, closet, and cooking.  So with this challenge I kept it simple.  I used the Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive markers to create this card.  I colored the flower from the Hello Again stamp set (Sale-A-Bration set) and outlined it with Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink (it's hard to see in the photo).  I used the Spritzer tools to create the splatter effect, then added a couple brads and the striped grosgrain ribbon - it was quick and simple to create but I love the finished look.   

Page of the Month & Stamping Royalty Challenge #58

I have a page of the month club and here is this month's Valentine's Day layout.  I love this paper!  It was so fun and easy to create a design with.  My scrapbooking philosophy is keep it simple and let the page highlight you photos.  I thought this was also a perfect fit for Stamping Royalty's Hearts, hearts, and hearts challenge. 

4 in 1: PPC #34, SSC #190, PPA #80 & Shelli's Challenge

Today I'm spending the entire day in my craftroom - HEAVEN!!!  I have been out of the challenge loop and thought "why not start my day off with a few."  While browsing a variety of challenge sights I came across the Pals Paper Arts Challenge of "Vintage" (which is a little outside my normal style), Stamping 411's layout challenge, The Paper Players Color Challenge and Shelli's Sale-a-Bration Challenge.  So I thought let's put them all together to see what I can come up with.  I have my monthly class coming up and we're going to create stationary kits and I want cards that was sentiment free.  I'm really happy with the way this card turned out and I'm going to use it to build 3 more cards for our kits; I'll vary the colors but I think I'll keep everything else the same. I know my ladies will love it!  (We may add vintage tags with initials on them to the mini safety pin in the class - we'll see)

Supply List:
Card Stock - Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, Whisper White
DSP - First Edition (occasions mini)
Stamps: Bliss (sale-a-bration), Wonderfully Worn
Ink - Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake
Markers - Soft Suede, Sahara Sand
Embellishments - Vintage Trinkets, Basic Pearls, Victoria Crochet Trim, Linen Thread
Adhesive - SNAIL adhesive, Anywhere Glue Stick, Stampin' Dimensionals

Things I love!

 

A little more about me... The year after I graduated from high school and the year before I started college I lived in France as a Rotary foreign exchange student  I called a small town on the Atlantic coast home; St. Gilles Croix de Ville to be exact.  I have so many wonderful memories and the experience has shaped who I am today.  So for this entry, the thing I love is France!  I was able to return 10 years later with a group of fabulous ladies.  We stayed for 2 weeks - a week in Paris (one of my very favorite places on earth) and then we rented a car and drove to my stay with one of my host families and then off the beautiful city of Amboise.  There is a magic to this country - I will always have a special place in my heart for the people, culture and food of France.  Gros Bisous aux tous!

(the photos above I took on my last trip - the Eiffle Tower and Notre Dame)