Ready for School!

Well... I FINALLY got a chance to play a little in my craft room. It's been so long that the mojo was tough to conjure up! I hope the ideas start pouring in soon! This is a bright, fun school themed card that I made. I am SO ready for school to start again. :)


Supplies:
Rubber Stamps:
- URA Hoot & Making the Grade (the Kim Hughes Line) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
- Charcoal & Warm Red ColorBox fluid chalk ink

Cardstock:
- Core'dinations CS
- Vintage Cream CS by Paper Trey Ink.
- Intense Kiwi Prismatic CS by Prism

Printed Paper: (October Afternoon)
- Detours (Dirt Roads)
- Daydream (Freshly Mown Lawn)

Accessories:
- Silver Lining Precious Metal Hardware by We R Memory Keepers
- Ribbon by Beaux Regards
- 5/8" circle punch by EK Success (to create scalloped edge)

I have a new addiction

Ok. I admit it. I don't scrapbook. I wish I did because I love seeing what other people create... and I really need to preserve some memories. I like instant gratification and have never dared to break into this whole new world. But, just this morning... I came across this site called Scrap Blog. It's AMAZING! It's a free site where you can try your hand at digi-scrapping. There are hundreds, probably thousands of images that are free to use to create your scrapbook pages. And then, if you want a hard copy of your pages, there is an option to buy print outs. If you just want a digital image, it's free to share your page on your blog or through e-mail, etc.

So.... want to see what I came up with? This is my first attempt at scrapbooking. It's only 1 page so far... but I think it's going to be one of many soon! It's so FUN!!!

EEK! I found MICE in my mailbox!!!

It felt so good to color again! (I know, I'm such a crafting dork!) I was so excited because I opened my mailbox and out poured packages of new stamps! Yeah! :) It made the tall stack of new bills look less terrible too!

Tomorrow is the release day for a new Friendly Kritters image by Tom Allen at Cornish Heritage Farms. (whoo! That was a mouthful!) :) This image is called O' Christmas Cone and is another release for the Christmas in July theme that's going on at the farm.

I was really anxious to tear into some of this October Afternoon paper that I FINALLY got my hands on! I LOVE this paper company! Their new papers on display at CHA were awesome too! I sanded all of the edges of my paper to give it a "lived in" feel. :)

Here is a close up, just to let you see a little more detail in the image.

Stamps:
- O' Christmas Cone & Decorate the Season (Tom Allen's Friendly Kritters) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Ink:
- Espresso Adirondack Ink by Ranger

Paper:
- Core'dinations Cardstock
- Dirt Roads (Detours Collection) by October Afternoon

Accessories:
- Brown Satin Ribbon (Michaels)
- Copic Markers & Airbrush System
- Prismacolor Pencils
- Gemstones by Hero Arts
- Stickles Glitter by Ranger (to add sparkle to cranberries)

Tools:
- Sandpaper

Miss Me?

Helloooooooo! I know it's been forEVER since I've blogged -- but I've been busy! :) First of all, my internet was out the week prior to my trip to Chicago for CHA. I flew home from there and got right back on a plane with my family for a week at Fort Myers Beach, Florida. And now I'm FINALLY home! It feels like I've been gone for a month! I didn't want to mention my Florida trip until we got home (I just don't know who might be reading my blog... and knowing my home would be empty for a week... well, you get the idea) :) So - that's why I've been MIA lately.

We had such a great time! :) Below is a pic of my oldest anxiously awaiting his airplane ride.

Our condo was right on the beach front. I LOVE sleeping to the sound of the ocean roaring. Ahhhh!!!! I'm going to miss that! Our boys took off straight for the ocean, along with all of their cousins. (below)

We found this fun little Put Put course last night where you could feed live alligators. The boys were all over that! :) And... it was so cute to see my boys whacking the golf balls! They had such a ball! Here's my little Tiger (below). :)

So, hopefully I have at least 1 reader left on this blog! :) I've been dying to get into my craft room too, so stay tuned for some new projects soon!

CHA Happenings

I arrived in Chicago late Wednesday night and haven't had a free second until now to log on and tell everyone about what's going on at CHA. We have been SO busy! You will be proud to know that I am now a Certified Copic user! ;) Most of my day Saturday was spent with Marianne at the Copic class & I really learned a lot! And.... the class was full of stamping "celebrities", which is always fun too. I'm not really the 'run up and scream... take your picture with me please' kind of person - but I really liked getting to know some of the personalities that you see everyday in the paper crafting world.

Then... later that evening, all of the CHF girls (and Richard) had dinner together after the booth was set up. Dawn Lusk thought it would be fun to celebrate Becky Olsen's birthday early and had the waitress bring out some cake. And that's where the night got even crazier. For some reason, this man from the bar area took a liking to our little birthday girl. :) He had to be 75+ and just didn't seem to get the cue that Becky wasn't too interested. So... a few minutes later, the waitress comes over with a drink for me... saying that the 'gentleman' at the bar had it sent to me. Um, yeah. I have to say -- that's a new one for the record books. Love being hit on by a senior citizen. It was really gross... but totally hilarious at the same time. And no - I didn't drink it. :) Richard made sure we were safely at our next destination before leaving us for the evening.

So... from that point, we met up with Ellen Hutson - who gave us 'coloring lessons'. Let me tell you... that girl is SO SWEET! She is such a power house in the crafting world... but is completely down to earth and so genuine! She has so much knowledge about coloring and design... it just amazes me!

And that was all just what happened yesterday! Today was another FULL day and was the first official day at CHA. I worked in the CHF booth for quite a bit of the day, but I did get to walk the floor a bit with Sarah Moore & Melissa Norris (Craft Critique gals) to see some of the new products that are about to hit the shelves. I'll be writing a post for Craft Critique really soon (as soon as I can get my pictures organized)... so you'll have to check it out!

After the show closing, some of the girls & I went to the Split Coast Stampers Cupcake Reception and got to mingle with some more familiar faces. I turned the corner and saw Gina K (she is just SO CUTE!) and got to sneak in a hug. (She's just one of those that you just have to touch to see if she's real, you know?!?)

And THEN... we went searching for somewhere decent to eat and ended up at this wonderful hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant. OH YUM! It was just the comfort food that we needed & I got to try some new foods. Loved it!

Well... I haven't had hardly any sleep for days (just take one look at me in the pic above and you'll see what I mean)... so I'm going to wrap this up and try to get a little rest before it starts all over tomorrow. I fly out tomorrow evening & can't wait to get back home and squeeze my boys. :)

Hello & Goodbye!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that my internet has been down since last Friday (ERR!) (I'm on my work computer right now) and I'll be leaving for CHA TOMORROW! :) So... I'm not sure if I'll be back for a couple of days. Just thought I would let you know where I've been! :)

Thirsty for More Sneak Peeks???

For those of you you visit my blog often or know me very well.... you'll know that Kim Hughes' work is so near and dear to my heart. Her stamps are what really drew me to becoming an exclusive designer for CHF. So... when I heard that Kim was releasing a new paper line for CHF.... I just about died and went to paper crafting heaven! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this paper and can't wait to share it with you!!! If you would like to see all of the sheets in this paper pack... CLICK HERE to be directed to Kim's blog! But... for now, I'll give you a little sneak peek! :)


This paper is called Morning Blend. It's just one of the 12 different designs in Kim's MochaChica 8x8 paper pack. :) Each paper is named after a fancy and fun drink and they are ALL SO CUTE! I am seriously going to have to buy a crate of these! They are so fun and coordinate so perfectly with Kim's stamped images!

Pregnancy Journal

NO! This is NOT for me! LOL! A friend of mine from work just found out that she was prego... and I thought this would be a fun little gift for her. She's not a real "pink and lace" kind of girl... so I used colors based off of K Werner Design's Color Inspiration challenge. I don't have SU's colors anymore... but I tried to match her colors to the Prism CS that I use now.

I used a couple of NEW stamps that will be released next week in the Backgrounders Collection by CHF. I LOVE this new stamp called Writer's Block! You can see by my blog that I love braces (THIS KIND "{ }"... not the kind that orthodontists apply)... so this stamp really makes me smile. I also used another new backgrounder called Pinwheels to create the pattern on the rust colored area.

My friend, Mary, sent me a HUGE goodie package with my last Stampin' Up! order! I used some of these white Bella Baubles that she included for my journal... and I think they were just the right touch! BTW... if you're looking for a new SU consultant... I highly recommend Mary! She's such a sweetie and is an awesome stamper to boot! If you have time, you should definitely go check out her blog!





Stamps:
- Writer's Block & Pinwheel Backgrounders by CHF
- Baby Love, Tag! You're It, Quirky Alphabet (the Kim Hughes Collection) by CHF

Ink:
- Colorbox Chalk Inks

Paper:
- Suede Brown Dark, Papaya Puree Dark, Intense Kiwi & Kraft CS by Prism

Accessories:
- Baubles
- Passport Ribbon by Making Memories
- Photo Corners by Heidi Swapp
- gemstone by Hero Arts
- journal

MLM Release Day!

Hey Everyone!!! :) I just wanted to drop in quickly and show you the latest sets from the Mona Lisa Moments Collection in their entirety.

This first set is called Christmas Expressions and retails for $14.99!!! )You can see more examples with this set in the CHF Gallery.)

And this set is called Sassy Petites, which retails for $9.99!!! This set includes 51 stamps!!! (Click HERE to see some samples from the Gallery.)

And.... don't forget! Every order over $35 qualifies for FREE SHIPPING! And, just for July - each order will also come with a Christmas Surprise (we're celebrating Christmas in July!!!) :)

Another TK Sneaky Peeky....

So... for you TK fans out there....

Here's another sneak peek at another Thomas Kinkade paper pack that will be released by CHF! (This one is called the TK Christmas Series):

I think some of these papers could be framed! And... think how easy it will be to make a Christmas card or gift bag with these? Hmmm...... :) Please see Becky's post for more details!

80's Flash Back!

Ok. Do any of you remember this paper folding game? I remember when I was in elementary school my friends & I would make these and had so much fun! We would write the names of different boys in our class in the hidden folds and play this game to see who we were going to marry. Thank goodness it wasn't accurate! LOL!

Tomorrow (Thursday, July 10th) is the release of the next sets from the Mona Lisa Moments line by Cornish Heritage Farms. One of the sets (Sassy Petites) is just jam packed with these fun little words. For some reason, it jarred this paper "fortune" maker back in my mind and I thought it would be fun to try it out again. Instead of finding out who you're going to marry... this game reveals a fun personality trait or characteristic. Some of the words include: Artsy, Princess, Drama Queen, etc.

I paired these sassy words with some of Kim Hughes' sweet little images and fonts. It's super easy to make! Just start out with a square piece of paper (I used an 8" x 8" piece). I added a video at the bottom of this post so that you can see how to make the folds, (The person in the video starts out with a standard sized notebook paper... so by starting out with a square... it will save you a couple of steps.)










How To Make A Cootie Catcher/fortune Teller - Funny video clips are a click away

Stamps:
- Sassy Petites (Mona Lisa Moments) by CHF
- Quirky Alphabet, a Welcome Hug, Paradise Found, & Pretty Birds (the Kim Hughes Collection) by CHF

Ink:
- Pitch Black Adirondack

Accessories:
- Copic Markers

A Great Opportunity!!!

This was just posted on CHF's Announcement Board:

"Now's your chance! Cornish Heritage Farms are once again opening up a position on their highly successful Design Team to someone new. Unlike our 'Fresh Face' call last year that was restricted to designers that had not served on another design team, this call is open to everyone!

Cornish Heritage Farms is looking for a new Design Team Member to work specifically with our more detailed art lines - Thomas Kinkade, Sandra Kuck, etc. The emphasis for this position is on coloring, but overall appeal of the project is still important. The successful applicant will become part of a great team that is constantly being challenged and improving their artistic talent."

Want to know more? CLICK HERE for all of the deets!

A Question.....

Ok. I need some computer help. I know some of you are super savy! :) I use to get every comment from my blog readers sent to my e-mail. That's how I would check to make sure I never missed anything. And now... only about 1/3 of my comments trigger an e-mail? I was just scrolling through my blog and noticed that I've missed most of my comments lately! :( Anyone know what's going on?

A CHF Sneak Peek!....

Cornish Heritage Farms is kicking off a Week of Sneak Peeks! We have 7 announcements to share with you leading up to CHA Summer and Lisa Strahl of Mona Lisa Moments has the first HUGE announcement to share. I have a little taste for you…

I took the plunge!

Yeah. I finally took the plunge! I FINALLY bought a Thomas Kinkade image! Can you believe I've been with CHF since January and am just now inking one of these up?!? OK. I admit it. I was scared. But... I've learned through looking at the other girls' projects that these TK images are so great because you can stamp them quickly (and make a monochromatic card) or spend the extra time to add just the right color (and mimic the amazing paintings that these images were designed from). I thought I'd try this spotlight technique and dabble a bit in both.

This week's CHF Challenge Chick's theme was to use Krylon pens. Have you ever used these before? I am falling in love with these pens because they turn everything I touch into GOLD! (or silver, copper, etc.) :) They look just like a marker but have remarkable coverage and dry really quickly. And... these pens are on sale right now on the farm! But... make sure you save me a Copper pen! I've GOT to have one of those! :)

I colored the outside edge of my main TK image with my Gold Krylon pen. After I die cut my "spotlight" area with my oval Nestabilities die, I outlined the embossed edge too. My jumbo eyelet was silver and I quickly changed the metal to gold with the same pen.

So... are you intrigued about these new Krylon leafing pens??? Click on the CHF Design Team links on my sidebar to see what the other girls are up to! You'll be glad you did! :)

Stamps:
- The Good Life (Thomas Kinkade line) by CHF
- Scripty Words (Kim Hughes Collection) by CHF

Ink:
- Pitch Black & Pesto Adirondack ink by Ranger
- Versamark ink by Tsukineko

Paper:
- Black & Blush Red Dark Prismatic CS by Prism

Accessories:
- Black Detail Embossing Powder by CHF
- Oval Nestabilities die by Spellbinders (www.ellenhutson.com)
- Black satin May Arts ribbon
- Large Eyelet by We R Memory Keepers
- Copic Markers

Yes! The Gifts Just KEEP Coming!

If you haven't heard, Cornish Heritage Farms is celebrating Christmas in July! If you're like me... it's good to start on those holiday cards and projects NOW before the holiday rush takes over! I'm so excited because I already have a small stack of holiday cards already finished for this year! Who Hoo!!! And... any order placed from CHF this month receives a FREE CHRISTMAS SURPRISE! I just love surprises! :)

Well... you're going to LOVE the new Christmas Expressions set that's being released this Thursday from the Mona Lisa Moments Collection by CHF! The sentiments are just PERFECT and the fonts are all so unique! Want to see a little peek? :)

And here's a close up....

I based this card off of this sketch by Our Creative Corner. It looks simple... but for some reason, I had a REALLY hard time with it. ??? My first card went straight to the trash can! So then I spied some of my new Wild Asparagus paper and it all started to click

But.... the patterned paper was so pretty, I didn't want to cover it up with another large rectangular layer! So... I trimmed a piece of a Clear Card Sheet and attached it to my card front by zig-zag stitching around the edges. Voila!

Stamps:
- Christmas Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments) by CHF

Ink:
- Dark brown ColorBox Chalk ink

Paper:
- Kraft CS by Prism

Patterned Paper:
- "Baby Boy Circles/Blue Paper" Wild Asparagus by My Mind's Eye

Accessories:
- Clear Card Sheet by Cornish Heritage Farms
- Snowflake by Making Memories

Tools:
- sewing Machine

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!! This is a quick post... but I thought I would share the card I made for the holiday. I've been dying to use this new paper!!! It's so rustic and the color is one of my favorites right now. :) Hope everyone has a fun day of grilling and fireworks!!!


Stamps:
- Eddie the Eagle & Script Freedom by Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper:
- Suede Brown Dark Prismatic CS by Prism
- Simply Smooth White CS by Prism

Printed Paper:
- Classic "Unique" Shining Star (29th Street Market) by My Mind's Eye

Ink:
- Pitch Black Adirondack inkpad by Ranger

Accessories:
- Copic Markers
- Oval Nestabilities Die by Spellbinders (www.ellenhutson.com)
- Aqua Satin Ribbon by Michaels
- Sewing Machine

It's Officially Christmas!!!

Yeah!!! Today is the release day for Kim Hughes' new Christmas/Holiday sets by CHF!!! Aren't they adorable! :)

This set is called Heart Warmers (above)

And this is the Cristmas Critters set! (above)

This is a card I made with the Christmas Critters set. Isn't this moose the cutest!?! And... he's (or she's) another stamp that can be used year round. Gotta love that! :)

Stamps:
- Christmas Critters (the Kim Hughes Collection) by Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper:
- Glittered Snowflakes by Making Memories
- Memory Box cardstock
- Kraft paper by Prism
- Suede Brown Dark Prismatic Cardstock by Prism

Ink:
- Pitch Black & Espresso Adirondack inkpads by Ranger

Accessories:
- Stickles glitter
- Prismacolor Pencils & Mineral Spirits
- Copic Markers (www.ellenhutson.com)
- Brown Satin Ribbon by Michaels
- twine
- Nestabilities dies by Spellbinders (www.ellenhutson.com)

Christmas In July!!!

I know I say this nearly every time... but Kim Hughes next releases are quickly becoming my new 'favorites'! And... you won't have to wait long! Tomorrow, (Thursday, July 3rd) Cornish Heritage Farms will be releasing two Christmas/Holiday sets from the KH line!!! I just love how SWEET the little faces are of the animals in the Christmas Critters set... and you're going to fall in love with the new snowman image in the Heart Warmers set! Ahhh!!!

And... if you don't get the CHF Newsletter through e-mail, here is what Liz sent out this week:

"Starting July 1st & going for the whole month we are giving away a different FREE gift everyday (stickers, brads, magnets etc). Yes that's right! So if you order on Wednesday & then again on Friday you will receive two DIFFERENT gifts. Now remember we are celebrating Christmas in July so we can't tell you what the gifts are going to be, that's a surprise.

PLUS most of our releases for July are Christmas themed so you can order them now & start on your Christmas cards etc early, avoiding the last minute rush."

So... do you want to see some sneak peeks? :)

The deer image is one of my favorites in the set because you can use it all year long! To make the deer on the right, I used my MirrorIt stamp (this month's Stamp of the Month at CHF) to create the reverse of the original image. And... do you see the white flocking on the deers' tails? How fun! :) (The sketch is for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge!)
I love this set of trees too! I wanted to repeat the heart & band from the tree on my card... so I added a Heidi Swapp Ghost shape held on by red staples. Simple and fun! :) (And... this sketch is from the CPS #71 sketch.)