happy new year & an update to red carpet giveaway

hello! i hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season as much as i am.
i'm planning to post a video on the december red carpet giveaway prize. which will show off all the great loot we're giving away. also it'll announce the extention to this months giveaway. the new end date will be Jan 15th, which will give me enough time to enjoy the holidays and get back to posting a little more regularly.
well that's all for now. . .see you in 2010!
Happy New Year!

SCAT's Red Carpet and SCAT's biggest GIVEAWAY ever!

it's the most wonderful time of the year! i love the holidays, and christmas has topped my favorite's list since i was a kid.
this month's Red Carpet Scrap-Star created one of the most beautiful christmas cards i've ever seen. check out the interview to learn a little bit more about Daniela's scrap-style.

how long have you been scrapbooking/cardmaking
a little more than a year

what was your last scrap purchase?
We R Memory Keepers Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper

name 3 adjectives to describe your style
clean, symmetric, (with a touch of) shiny

name 3 items you cannot scrap without?
ribbon, rhinestones, embossing powder (lately)

below is one of Daniela's favorite christmas cards. what can i say there's so much about it that i love. i'm so into rhinestones right now, the background stamp is adorable. i love how she used the ribbon, and of course the traditional christmas colors really set the holiday mood. she's so talented. :)









I love this card because I love working with simple layouts, adding one or two embellishments, like rhinestones or buttons.

as promised this giveaway is going to be bigger and better than any Red Carpet giveaway so far. (not quite hard since i only started red carpet giveaway's two months ago-but that's not the point, LOL!)
stamps, ribbon, stickers, rub ons, and more! trust me when i tell you, you want to win this prize, and it's super simple. check out Daniela's blog and come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite holiday is and why. you have till December 30th at 12pm PST.

I'M AN AUNTIE!!!!!

i'm a little backed up on my blogging but i have good reason. . . i'm an AUNTIE :) for the first time.

woooo-hoooooo!!!!!!!!!
i'm so excited. this kid is going to be so spoiled. i only have one brother, and i don't have any kids. so this is my parents first grandchild, and my first nephew. he just got here last night. and i can't wait to get off work and get back to the hospital today!

i was planning to post the Red Carpet interview/giveaway for December today, and i may or may not have time. but it'll be up by Monday for sure.

c ya later! well i guess not see you later more like blog ya later since i don't actually SEE you guys. sooooo. . .
blog ya later!

GIVEAWAY ALERT! check this out. . .

one of my favorite bloggers, Jenn Biederman, is having a giveaway! what a great stash- hero arts & purple onion design stamps-what scrapper wouldn't want win this!

as happy as i am to share this info with all of you, i seriously hope i win. :)

check out her blog HERE for your chance at this great prize.

Red Carpet Giveaway WINNER!

one of these day's i'm going to try using one of those random number selectors that i see bloggers use to pick their winners. until then i think my system works quite well. i turn to my husband and say
"babe, pick a number between 1 & 18"
"why?"
"just because"
"what's it for?"
"to pick a winner for my blog?"
"what do i win for picking the number?"
"a happy wife,"
"11"
doesn't get more random than that! so far the system's working pretty well.

and this months Red Carpet Giveaway Winner . . .Jackie!
Jackie said...

Nancy's work is beautiful and this Thanksgiving cards is just adorable! I've been enjoying her work on the Hero Arts Flickr Group for a while.

and when i went to check out her blog i realized she'd created a card that i totally fell in love with when i saw it on flickr. this girls got talent! i hope she can put this HA stamp to good use. Jackie there's a link to email you on your blog so I'll email you to get your address.

thank you all for participating, let's all congratulate Jackie & get ready for the December Red Carpet Giveaway, since it's Christmas time i'm planning on doing a SUPER HUGE GIVEAWAY!

faux stitch mania!

ok i went nuts with a white gel pen, and had a lot of fun making this card. isn't the lil teddy bead adorable? proving my theory that those santa hat stickers can make anything Christmas-y :)

this card is what i like to call vintage shawnte-style since i didn't use any stamping on it. and i didn't start using stamps until i started cardmaking, so anytime i work without stamps it's like going back to my scrap-roots.


so what do i use when i don't use stamps? stickers, stickers, and more stickers. the teddy, santa hat, presents, and snowflakes are all stickers. (the deck the halls is actually an american crafts rub-on)i used a coluzzle to cut the circle around the teddy bear, martha stewards dimensional adhesive to pop that panel up.

thanks for looking.

lucy's color challenge

Lucy's having her first color challenge.The challenge: use the colors soft pink, aqua blue, and kraft cardstock.
I didn't have a lot of kraft cardstock, but i still wanted to participate in the challenge. I love color challenges, they're a challenge but you have so many style/technique options.


this is Lucy's first challenge, and its just for the joy of scrapping not for a prize. and it'll be open until December 1st.



I knew i wanted to make a circle card cause i'm loving my coluzzle right now. i decided to go with a tone on tone look for the background, so i used colorbox chalk ink in orchid pastel on the pink cardstock, and colorbox chalk ink in mint blue on the aqua cardstock with hero arts dot flourish border stamp. i used die cuts with a view rub on stitching on the background. i used fiskars corner rounder on a small piece of kraft cardstock to give it a label look. I used martha stewarts 3 in 1 butterfly punch, and recollections rhinestones on the the butterflies. the flower is a colorbok chipboard flower (that i got in the sale bin at Michael's for $1) then used a marvy white gel pen to do faux stitching on the label and around the base of the card. the thanks stamp is from hero arts trees, birds and messages set.

i had a lot of fun making this card, i'm so glad lucy started doing challenges i look forward to her next color challenge, thank you so much for looking :)

the greatest inspiration

i get so inspired looking at the cards and scrapbook pages of some of my favorite bloggers. their work is so amazing, it makes me feel, well-honestly, like an amateur.
although it's always fun looking at blogs (plus a great way to get an idea when you can't think of what you want to do) i always feel better about the finished card when it's my brain-child, not a scraplift. it's authentic, it's orignal, it's an expression of my creative talent, and that's pretty cool. but is it as amazing as some of the scrappers whose blogs i "stalk"? guess it depends on who you ask-my mom thinks my cards are the best-thank God for mothers, right? not that i think they're bad, seriously i love my work, i just know that as the years go by, the more i learn and perfect my skills i'll move to the next level in my creativity.
to test my theory, i decided to take a look back at some of the early work of a few of my favorite bloggers, and what i found was my theory was right, everybody starts somewhere and it takes time to develop your talent. and that i think is the greatest inspiration i could have received

card: basic grey indian summer collection (paper), bo bunny delilah collection (owl sticker), swirl stamp hero art's trees birds & messages set, queen & co (rhinestones), basic grey epoxy brad, & marvvy white gel pen.

Toya's November Wish List

Usually I am all about the bright colors, and funky patterns, but I must say that Basic Grey has truly surprised me with their new line "Nook n Pantry". The colors are more pastel and I wouldn't normally be so attracted to that but there is something about this line that makes me happy on the inside. I was watching a "Finally Friday" video and Kristina Werner inspired me so much. Even while she was making the card she was so excited, the "Nook and Pantry Cakes Bitsy Clear Stamp" is soooooooo cute I must have it, and of course it's sold out at Two Peas. The entire line truly speaks to me and inspires me in ways I can't even explain. So below are a few items from the Basic Grey "Nook n Pantry" line that I must have in my collection.

1. Nook n Pantry Card Kit

2. Nook n Pantry Collection Pack

3. Nook n Pantry Stitched Brads

Check it out and leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the line.

so much to learn. . .

though i've been scrapbooking for about seven years now, i've only been cardmaking for about seven months. although they have a lot in common, the more cards i make the more i see that they're worlds apart. there are so many tools and products i would have never purchased or already had and didn't use, or have learned how to use in new ways. it like falling in love with a new-old hobby all over again.


this weeks hero arts challenge was to make a card using glitter. super fun for me since i love all things shiny and sparkly. plus it gave me a change to try out two new things.
1. the coluzzle (a circle cutter by provo craft. i believe this product is now retired, it's super hard to find, if you want one i suggest looking on ebay)and 2. vellum!
my circle card has a cute little vellum window that let's you peek inside at the greeting and adorable penguin.


and because it'll make me feel better to know that i'm not the only one who feels like there's so much about this hobby i'm still learning. leave a comment letting me know what tool you've just learned to use, or a technique you've just begun using :)

SCAT's Red Carpet

Welcome to another addition of SCAT's Red Carpet! Where you're the Scrap-star and we can't wait to get the dish on you and your scrap style.

On today's red carpet we have Nancy. Her blog is so engaging, and I love her unique approach to card making. Plus I'm super jealous of her scrap space!

how long have you been scrapbooking/cardmaking
I started making cards with rubber stamps about 20 years ago. I used stamps as a teacher and a friend took me to a store called Stampa Barbara...I was immediately hooked.

what was your last scrap purchase?
I purchased the Hero Arts Four Apples set (LP125) and the Nestabilities Standard Circles large.

three adjectives that describe your style?
changeable, intuitive, imperfect

three items you cannot scrap without?
Distress inks, Hero Arts stamps, beautiful paper

I love the holiday season, and Nancy's thanksgiving card totally puts me in the mood for turkey. adorable card don't you think? It's her current favorite . . .
I just finished updating my traditional Thanksgiving card for the Hero Arts Photocard Challenge. It's my favorite for many reasons but mostly because it's one I add to and improve on each year.

Great card right! I am so inspired.
And now, for the GIVEAWAY!!! Check out Nancy's blog and come back here and leave a comment to win a Hero Arts stamp set. Contest will end November 30th at 12 midnight PST.

exciting news!

when i got home from work today my darling husband surprised me with Cricut Gypsy!!! i couldn't believe it. i'd never even mentioned to him that i wanted it. in fact i never even told him it existed, he really amazes me sometimes- actually he amazes me more often than not, you'd think i'd be used to it by now.
i'm so happy!
if you don't know what the Gypsy is, it's a portable design studio that's compatible with your cricut. you design on the Gypsy and then cut using your cricut, eliminating the need for hooking up to your computer which is totally perfect for me, since as i noted in a previous entry i'm not all that into using my computer when i scrap.

here's a video that'll explain it much better than i'd be able to. if you haven't got a gypsy yet, i totally recommend you get one. i've only had it a few hours and i'm so excited, and so happy with it.

Winner of Breast Cancer Awareness Contest

I am proud to announce the winner of the 1st Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Contest.......And the winner is......drum roll! ........Yvonne Smith. Thank you so much Yvonne for sharing your project and particpating in our 1st Breast Cancer Awareness Contest. Take a look at Yvonne's entry....It's amazing!

jolly christmas card and red carpet winner!

my "have a jolly christmas" card was made for hero arts simple holiday challenge.
using HA's jolly christmas stamps, that's also the stamp set GIVEAWAY for the oct red carpet interview!

speaking of which, the winner of the giveaway is . . .

Daniela Hendea {PurpleD} ...

I love Vanessa's style! She's one courageous stamper, never afraid to learn and try all kinds of new things. She's an inspiration to me.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
if you'd like to be interviewed on SCAT's Red Carpet, leave a comment below.

butterfly thanks

here's a card i made recently. simple right? yep it's super simple. why? -creative block.

creative block sucks. the last couple of days i've sat at my craft desk and not been inspired. so what do i do when my mind goes blank? i flip through old scrapbooks and cards i've done, and look at blogs and cards on flickr.
and even after all of that i still didn't feel that spark of inspiration that comes when i just have to scrap becuase i have so many ideas in my head that i have to get them out on paper.

so i like this card, it's cute, but just a little too simple for my taste. here's hoping i get inspired soon.
thanks for looking.

Red Carpet Giveaway Reminder

hi!

just a reminder that this month's Red Carpet Giveaway is ending this SATURDAY! Oct. 31st at 12 midnight PST.

I'll be announcing the winner on Monday!

to win simply check out Vanessa's blog, and leave a comment here.

WANT TO BE THE NEXT BLOGGER ON SCAT'S RED CARPET???

it's so easy, just leave a comment below with a link to your blog or flickr account, or email and we'll contact you with the interview questions.

by the way here's a peek at the prize . . . perfect for the holidays :)

HA ATC Swap

it's been so long since my last post.
the last two weeks of my life have been CRAZY busy-but i'm glad to be back. and to share my HA ATC's.

when i heard HA was having an ATC swap i got so excited because i love making new friends and getting to know people who love scrapbooking & cardmaking as much as i do. i can't wait to see the other ATC's i get back, and i'll be sure to post them.
if you didn't hear about HA's ATC swap, check out this link HERE. since i believe they'll be having another one.

thanks for looking :)

SCAT's Red Carpet

Welcome to another addition of SCAT's Red Carpet! Where you're the "scrap-star" and we cant wait to get the dish on you and your scrap style.

On today's Red Carpet we have Vanessa. I'm such a big fan of her style. Sometimes it's the little details that really make a project and it's so easy to see that on her cards she really keeps that in mind with results that are simply stunning!

how long have you been scrapbooking/cardmaking?

I have been cardmaking for about 9 months now. Although I discovered the scrapbooking world a few years ago and bought a lot of supplies, I never started scrapbooking! I only read some CK mags and looked at the beautiful creations...

what was your last scrapbook purchase?

BoBunny double dot cardstock

three adjectives that describe your style?

changing, experimenting, shabby chic (recently)

three items you can't scrap without?

distress inks, buttons, stamps

now here's a look at Vanessa's current favorite project. . .

I love butterflies, swirls/flourishes and distressing and sewing and jewels or pearls with ribbon and buttons, so everything I love is combined in this card!

Isn't her style amazing! Alright now for the GIVEAWAY!!! check out Vanessa's blog and come back here and leave a comment to win a Hero Arts stamp set! Contest will end Oct. 31st at 12 midnight (PST).

Finding Some "ME" Time

Today I took the time to look around my craft room and thought about all the unfinished projects that I have tucked away. Wonderful ideas that came to my head and inspired me to purchase the tools needed, only for it to be put off for months. For example I made the decision that I wasn't going to complete another scrapbook of another friend's baby instead I was going to do an "All About Me" book. Using all in black and white photos. I thought it would be an amazing book, with bright colors and embellishments, that really poped agains the black and white photos. But, here I am months later with all the supplies and yet no book is done.
So often we get rapped up in life to the point that we fail to complete the things that we enjoy and make us happy. So I have decided to make a pact with myself that I will finish what I start and spend at least an hour a day doing something that makes me happy.
Are there some things you wish to complete? I'd love to hear about it, drop me a comment on the blog or at our email scat4u2009@yahoo.com!!!! Have a scaptabulous day!

October "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" Contest

As many of you may know October is designated as "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" and there are some amazing walks and events that will be going on to promote awareness. I believe that this is a wonderful cause and thought a great opportunity for a ..............GIVEAWAY!!!!!! So I am asking for individuals to submit a card, or scrapbook page displaying inspiration about being a cancer survivor for themselves of someone they love. Or just create a card that you would give to a friend of loved one that was battling cancer. Although it is breast cancer awareness month I think it is important to celebrate being "Cancer Free". So along with the submission of the card please provide a story giving details about what inspired you to create this project. Please send it to scat4u2009@yahoo.com and I will display all the entries here on the blog and post the winner. The winner will receive a wonderful gift. The last entry must be received by October 31, 2009 at 11:59 p.s.t. I look forward to all your wonderful entries. Thanks for stopping by!

i've come down with the worst case. . .

of scrapfest envy
a weekend of stamping, scrapping, and crafting. making friends with people who love this hobby as much as i do. getting to meet people from my favorite scrapbook companies like: hero arts, basic grey, cosmo cricket, and more. it would have been heaven. plus i'd finally get to see archivers in person. (we don't have an archivers in california) oh how i wish i could have gone.
for now i have to live vicariously through the blog posts of others who attended -hence the envy.

but this jealousy won't last forever. because one day i'm going to go, i'm going to be one of the happy ones. i'm going to enjoy the classes and make n takes and it'll be one of the best things i've ever done.
and i'll be sure to blog about it, and who knows, one day i may be the cause of someone else's scrapfest envy :)

scrap shopping

shop. shop. and shop some more. if i could i'd shop for scrapbooking stuff everyday. i thought i'd share some of my latest purchases.
leave a comment to win one of the items shown in the video.



thanks for watching!

i (heart) u, butterflies

if you've never used distress inks you have to try them! this was my first time using them and now i'm hooked.
i embossed the butterflies with zing white embossing powder and then blended the distress inks over the butterflies.
if you haven't tried this technique what's great is that the embossing powder resists the distress ink. and the colors blend so beautifully.

and the winner is . . .

before i announce the winner of the giveaway i would again like to say thank you to everyone who participated here at scat and over at two peas. you all are so creative.

ok here we go. (drumroll please :) the winner is. . .


TRace44's Celebrate the Season card






she did an amazing job on this card, i just adore those smart little owls, and the jewel accented snowflakes. this card is simply stunning. don't you agree :)
to view more of TRace44's beautitul cards check out her flickr page.

TRace44 please leave a comment with your email address so that i can send you your prize. (i'm also going to send you a flickr mail if you'd prefer to keep your email private you can just respond to the flickr mail.)

The Perfect Tools for A Beginner & Giveaway

I recently met this really nice lady in Michaels and she asked my advise about tools that are essential for a beginner. Here are my suggestions:

* TomBow Mono Adhesive

* Fiskars Paper Trimmer

* Fiskars Corner Rounder

* A Pack of Thickers

* A K & Company Greenhouse Paper Pad

This is just a simple list of things I think you should have in your possession. What do you think? Leave a comment on what tools you Must Have in your possession and we will send you a free gift. Thanks for stopping by have a great and scrappy week!!!!

Toya's Must Haves of the Year!!!

Usually I would blog and give my "Must Haves" for the month, but I found some GREAT GREAT Stuff from K & Company and I just had to share it with you. These are some things that I must purchase, Two Peas In A Bucket has them in stock and trust me in a few weeks I will be blogging to you all about my purchase. It is the K & Company "Green House Collection", it is so bright and innovative I must have it in my possession. Here is a list of the items I have fallen in love with:

Greenhouse 8.5 x 8.5 Paper Pad

Greenhouse Baubles

Greenhouse Pink Canvas Tote Bag

Greenhouse Blue Canvas Tote Bag

Greenhouse Alpha Adhesive Chipboard

christmas card GIVEAWAY ends today

it's almost over! time is running out.
ok all drama aside, this is just a reminder that the christmas in september card challenge ends today. so if you want to WIN just post a link to a christmas card you've made in the comments section by midnight tonight (PST).
i'll post the winner (maybe tomorrow-more likely monday :) -since i don't usually post on the weekends.
i'm so happy its friday, i didn't scrap at all last weekend and i look forward to making up for it this weekend. plus i plan to shoot a video, which i haven't done in months. so it should be a very fun, very "crafty" weekend for me.

happy friday

shawnte's sept. must haves

this months must have list is all about BASIC GREY!
ever since the lime rickey collection i've been paying more and more attention to them. i love their color combo's and the chic modern prints they use on their papers.
i never thought they'd come up with a collection i'd love more than lime rickey, then they debuted the indian summer collection. it's breathtakingly beautiful.
so what do i want this month from the indian summer collection? EVERYTHING, LOL! -my response to everything when it comes to shopping isn't it.

but seriously here are my 4 picks
1. indian summer 6x6 paper pad
2. indian summer hip mini mono stickers
3. indian summer element stickers
4. indian summer glazed brads

what i've learned

last week the theme on the hero arts blog was learning. and their hostess' showed one of their first cards and then made another card showing how much they'd learned. which got me thinking.
i've been scrapbooking for about six years now, but i've only been making cards since may of this year. just 5 months!
so what have i learned?

• that while i never used my bone folder for scrapbooking, its unbelievably handy for a card making


• most of my letter stickers are too BIG for cards (which was as good a reason as any for me to shop)


• 6x6 paper packs are PERFECT for cardmaking. honestly before i just didn't see the point. and i didn't own any, now i'm always on the hunt for a cute mat pack :)


• pop dots are your friend-and make your cards SO much more interesting


• and above all. (because i have to say i didn't own a single one until i started making cards.) YOU NEED STAMPS! :) and Hero Arts make some of my favorite stamps.

i feel like my whole outlook on scrapbook has changed since i've been making cards and when i go back i know i'll be a better scrapbooker because of everything i've learned. although i do think my scale is going to change a LOT. i used to be a 12x12 scrapbooker, i think the next book i do will be and 8x8 since i'm so used to working on a smaller scale these days.

now for the cards. the blue happy birthday was one of my 1st cards. the elements i really wanted to keep in creating my "what i've learned" card were: the horizontal border, buttons, rhinestones, and i wanted placement to be somewhat similar.
i'm proud of my progress so far, can't wait to see what my cards look like a year from now or two years from now.

want to share what you've learned? please leave a link the comments i would love to see your before and after!

Two Peas & Cricut Contest

That's right TwoPeasinabucket.com has linked up with Cricut and created a contest. The contest will go on for three weeks and there will be winners picked each week. Its real simple check below for the information and discover a way to win some wonderful and great prizes.

- Week 1 : 9.14-9.20
- Week 2 : 9.21-9.27
- Week 3 : 9.28-10.4

[1] Create any project showcasing use of your Cricut.

[2] Upload your project to the Two Peas gallery. You must relate at least three products you used that are carried in the Two Peas store. You also must select at least five descriptive tags so that members can easily find your project when searching the gallery. You will also need to check the appropriate contest checkbox under "member challenges" to be included in that week's contest.

[3] You will need to post to your blog - Two Peas or personal - about how using the Cricut on this project made it easier, completed the project, etc. You need to include the following verbiage somewhere in your blog post :


[4] To complete your entry, you will need to reply to the contest blog post for the correct week on mellypea's blog with links to your project + blog post for each project submitted.


You may submit more than one project for each week's contest.

Weekly winners will receive a Cricut cartridge and their choice of any Two Peas digital die cut kit.

Have Fun!

Sharing Some Fun Ideas

Above is a sample of a few cards that I completed after watching "A Finally Friday" video. I was totally inspired by the Cosmo Cricket Line, and the giraffe and turtle stamp. Let me know what you think!

celebrate with style

i've been kind of busy lately not a lot of time to post. i'll make up for it this weekend by actually doing a decent post. but here's a quickie of a card i made.
i purchased these cute prima flowers and loved the colors so much. they're so bold and bright they embody my scrap-style. to make them the focal point i did the rest of the card in black and white.
thanks for looking leave comments if you have any questions.

OH! don't forget about the GIVEAWAY!!! just make a christmas card and post it-and leave a comment, i'll be picking a winner soon :)

christmas in september plus a GIVEAWAY!

i can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. its only September but the holiday scrap supplies are already on display in craft and scrapbooking stores. christmas is easily my favorite holiday and in the spirit of the coming season i thought i'd make a couple of christmas cards.

with this first card i really wanted to create a "scene" card. i love the little polar bears, i think it came out pretty cute.


supplies used: recollections stickers (polar bears & santa hats), HA clear stamps Jolly Christmas Clear Design stamps, recollections rhinestones, DCWV stickers (christmas boxes). colorbox chalk ink blue, red, and colorbox fluid ink white.

the second card i made was using american crafts christmas rub ons. i was so inspired by the festive ornaments.



now for my very first GIVEAWAY!!!!
to win help me celebrate christmas in september! make your own christmas card and post a comment with a link to your blog or flickr page.
a winner will be selected on friday 9/25/09.

SCAT's Red Carpet

Welcome to SCAT's Red Carpet! Where you're the scrap-star and we cant wait to get the dish on you and your scrap style.

Our first scrap star is the incredibly talented Jen.
SCAT: How long have you been scrapbooking/cardmaking?
Jen: About 5 years, but I've always loved playing with paper and collecting stationery since I was little.

SCAT: What was your last scrap-related purchase?
Jen: Patterned paper from BasicGrey and Sassafras

SCAT: List three adjectives that describe your style?
Jen: Eclectic! Dimensional, clean.

SCAT: List three items you can't scrap without?
Jen: Good quality scissors, kraft cardstock, thickers

SCAT: Share your current favorite project? And why it's your favorite?


Jen: I love this card I made recently because of its simple design that doesn't use a lot of fancy product but I just loved how using the coloured pencils really transformed the stamped background. Those moments when I have a new idea and it actually turns out to work are the most gratifying for me creatively.

for more info on Jen's amazing work and style check out her BLOG!

Toya's Toy's and Projects

My partner in crime Shawnte and I are always sharing our wonderful wish list and the great new tools that we would love to purchase. Well this summer I bought some great new things and wanted to share with you all the fun things that I have purchased at Michael's and Sonja's Scrap Spot.........I have learned in the last few months how more important tools are because you can reuse them and if you treat them good they will last for years and years. So this summer I purchased the Marvy Uchida 2" scallop circle punch, and 1" scallop circle punch, a Fiskars Square Punch, and Large Circle Punch. I also caught a sell at Michael's where I was able to get a Martha Stewart Scallop Dot Edge Craft border punches to complete my collection. To show you how much I am enjoying the tools here are a few cards that I created to sample my new toy's. Stay tuned for new updates and project ideas. Thanks for stopping by have a great day!

manweek

it's manweek on the hero arts blog. i can't believe it. i almost fell out of my chair with laughter when i read that monday. whenever toya and i scrap together we always talk about how much we suck at what we call "man-cards" because they're just not as much fun to do.

seriously you don't get to use all the fun girly elements like ribbon and flowers, and pretty girly colors. it's torture! :)

but you know me, i love a good challenge. and i know (well i hope) i can rise to the challenge and come up with a man-card i can be proud of.

not to mention the second part of this super hard (by my standards) challenge: getting your husband to make a card too.

the 1st and only time my husband ever touched my scrap supplies was to make me a scrapbook album which he used to propose to me. it was one of the most romantic things he ever did. but he hasn't touched any scrap tools since! LOL! and when i asked him last night he didn't seem to optimistic about it. oh well. i'll keep trying and i guess we'll see what happens.

any of you having as hard a time as i am getting your husbands to make a card for this challenge?

the school of YouTube

i enjoy learning new techniques, trying out new products, and learning how to use products i already have in ways i wouldn't have come up with myself.
but it's easy to break the bank attempting to take every class i come across online or at my LSS. yes, it's a problem. my solution?
i realized that YouTube is a great resource for for keeping up to date on great tips, tricks and techniques.
jennifer mcguire's thinking inking class taught me so much about distress inks, paint dabbers, and the value of a ranger craft mat. :)
i also subscribe to hero arts YouTube channel. they feed my obssession to learn more and more about my favorite hobby!

do you have a crafty YouTube channel? if so leave a link in the comment below. i'd love to check it out.

caardvarks: myStampBOX challenge

this is my entry for caardvarks color challenge!

i know i've only done two challenges so far, but this was the most fun i've had doing a challenge. requirements: use the colors black, white & hot pink. since my favorite color is pink this was a challenge that got my creative wheels turning the moment i read about it.


as i always do, when starting a card, i sat down and looked through my supplies hoping something would jump out and inspire me, as was the case with the cute little penguins (perfect since they're, of course, black & white), and that's pretty much how the card came about.
thanks for looking! and if you want to participate in the challenge you can HERE.