Sandra's Butterfly Birthday Hop

Welcome fellow hoppers to Sandra's Birthday Hop. We are celebrating the end of her 20s :) with lots and lots of beautiful butterflies.  We have a great grand prize (a Joann's $20 gift card and a set of Scrappy Mom's Stamps) so make sure to leave that bloggy love on all stops to be eligible. Please note that the hop will end at Sandra's facebook page.

Happy Birthday Sandra!!! I hope you have a great day girl and you get all that you wish for and more. Sending you a Huge birthday hug and thanks for inviting me to be part of your special day/hop.

OK, you should be hoping over from: Liz from Liz's Paper Loft. If not make sure to start at the beginning with our lovely birthday gal.

For Sandra's card, I used one of her fave colors, PINK, although it may be more mine than hers (lol). I colored up my cute little Dahlia (from The Greeting Farm) b/w with pink hair because it's hair color I'm secretly hoping I can have. So technically I'm living through her. Lol! I was going to play it safe and color her up normal with brown hair, hehe, but I went against that and decided to give it my flair. It wouldn't be me if she didn't have a crazy hair color. lol. I used my Prismacolor pencils for my coloring. I hope you enjoyed my card.

Your next stop is the uber talented scrapbook gal: Lauren from Lauren's Creative

Thanks for stopping by!

I will be playing with My Craft Spot - Emboss It

I embossed the sentiment and those funky little butterflies.

Note: MS Embossing powder is a bit crappy (lol) as you can see.

The Altered Alice - Chapter 5: Tea-Things

`And ever since that,' the Hatter went on in a mournful tone, `he won't do a thing I ask! It's always six o'clock now.' 
A bright idea came into Alice's head. `Is that the reason so many tea-things are put out here?' she asked.
`Yes, that's it,' said the Hatter with a sigh: `it's always tea-time, and we've no time to wash the things between whiles.'
`Then you keep moving round, I suppose?' said Alice.
`Exactly so,' said the Hatter: `as the things get used up.'
`But what happens when you come to the beginning again?' Alice ventured to ask.

Good Morning Scrappy Friends. This month at The Altered Alice we are celebrating The Mad Hatter's tea table that is full of tea-things. Your challenge this month is to have a teapot or teacup on your project, and, as an option, to use something OTHER than a stamped image as your focal point! *We are already on week 4 of this challenge so don't delay because the deadline is a few days away*

For my project, I altered a mat frame. These frames can be used on their own, in shadow boxes or on scrapbook layouts. It measures 8x10 and frames off a 5x7 picture so it allows you to make that special picture your main focus. 

I wanted to play around with the letters and give it that playful mad look that is the mad hatter. I inked and stamped on the letters to add to the look. The sentiment and the clock come from the collage sheet I chose to work with.

This month we were sponsored by One Crabappple with their beautiful collage sheets. These sheets are a graphic artists dream because the possibilities are endless as to how you can combine the images or merge them to create new ones. The shop may be closed at the moment due to family priorities but if you want to see all the Alice Collage sheets see has to offer, jump on over to The Altered Alice where our Mad Hatter Lynne has uploaded them for you.

I really liked all the images that came on the sheet however I was having a hard time trying to incorporate them all. So I was stumped as to what to do then one day in the dead of the night, the idea of creating my own playing cards came to me.  I altered the sizes, gave them a vintage b/w look and decided that they were all going to be part of the Queen's entourage (lol). This is why they all have the same Queen of Hearts symbol. Also, I used one of my blue Prismacolor Pencils to give them a tint of color. The color is a lot more prominent on Alice's dress but they all got the same treatment.

Make sure you hop on over to see the amazing inspiration waiting for you over at The Altered Alice. Talk about WOW!!! My DT sisters are starting to give me an inferiority complex. :) We are also being joined by a new Alice gal next month who I'm very excited to work with. Ive loved her stuff since day one. So its time to step up my game. lol.    Thanks for stopping by/commenting.

If you are looking for my Operation OWL please scroll down or click HERE.

If you're looking for my Getting Cricky Hijacking post and my Simply Betty Scrap Tag Challenge, click HERE. 

Operation OWL

*Click HERE for my Getting Crikiy Hijaking Post and Simply Betty Scrap Challenge*

Welcome Scrappy Friends to Operation OWL. Today, the Getting Cricky team and some special guests, are having a Thank You hop in honor of our beloved friend and boss lady ;) Kristal.  Our term is coming to an end and we wanted to show Kristal how much she has meant to us these past few months. I know I have said it before but Kristal is really one of the kindest souls I have ever met. It is rare on this planet to have someone like her in your life so if you ever come across your own Kristal (hehe) make sure you enjoy that time together. 

 

* We are also inviting any of you that would like to create a Thank You card or project to send off to Kristal. The linky, info and address can be found on our Brenda's blog. *

Ok you should be coming over from the fabulous Amy Chomas, who generously donated a set of mini gel pens and holders. This will be one off or part of the Grand Prize, as well as some other crafting goodies that were donated by the DT gals. **Please note: In order to qualify, you must hop along to every stop and leave a comment. The hop begins with our coordinator Brenda and ends with her.**

Ok, onto my card. I decided to keep it clean. I wanted my message and sentiment to come across clearly; because I do find her to be Amazing! Ok so in my head (lol) Kristal is the cute kitty and we are the butterflies, happily fluttering around her.

I used Kates ABCs for the cricut cuts and a MS punch for some of the butterflies. The sentiment comes from the mix and match set, Amazing You (benefiting Doorways for Women and Families - an organization helping those escape and survive domestic violence). Remember that every time you purchase a set of Kristal's stamps, a $1 is donated to a specific charity. I hope you enjoyed my card and that you decide to join us in thanking Kristal. Thank You Kristal. You are an amazing strong woman who always sees the best in everyone and everything. Your happiness is infectious and I'm very happy to have met you and have you in my life :)

Now hop on over to Kathy T, our Scrapping Felkatz

Before you go, leave a comment about the card or if you have a Kristal in your life, i'd like to hear it. I will announce my random winner next week to win a card kit (ribbon, buttons, bling, paper, etc).

Thanks for stopping by! 

Gothic Wednesday featured Here and There

Hi Scrappy Friends! Today I'm combining a double post. I didn't want to do this but both things are special that I didn't want to bury either one of them. So first, I'm the guest blog writer for Getting Cricky. Kristal is off getting some much needed R&R and us Cricky gals are taking over for the time being. Ok so I wont bore you with all I said over there (lol) just something about me being a black sheep and all but you'll have to hop on over there to check it out :).

Now for the project itself, it is Scrap Team Challenge time again over at Simply Betty Stamps Challenge Blog.  The theme of this challenge is: Tag It!

• Use a Tag, create a Tag, anything but a Tag must be on your project
• Use the Colors: Cranberry (Red), Hot Cocoa (Brown), Snow (White) and Teal
• Must use a Simply Betty image. It can be from any line as long as it is a Simply Betty Stamp/Digi.

Today is also a special day at Simply Betty Stamps for 2 reasons. First, it is release day. All week, the Sweet Gothic Kids Christmas line was previewed and it ended today with this cutie full of sass, Wednesday. She is def one of my faves from this bunch.)

Second, for 1 week ONLY, the whole SGK Christmas line will be available in digi format. (Click HERE) WooHoo!! So all you digi lovers, this is the time to buy buy buy because Betty will put them back into the vault once the week in done. Btw, they are available in clear rubber format as well. So don't doddle.

(I am submitting to My Craft Spot- Christmas in July)

For my project, I created a mini notepad . Those notepads are very handy because you can just toss them in your purse and run out the door. Plus you can write all the nonsense you want (lol) like i tend to do :) and replace the pad when you are done. Also, since the them is Christmas well its time to start writitng those lists. I know some people think its too soon but the holiday is literally a hop, skip and a jump away and all the madness that comes with it will descend on us.

I also created a pocket for the inside. This way you have some wiggle room to shove some receipts in there or loose sheets from the pad. I added the paper clip for extra security, organization.

Here is a closeup of this sassy bad ass Gothic cutie. The sentiment I used is "Sweet Cheeks You're the Best!", is a representation of what I was talking about over at Getting Cricky. The sentiments are the mix and match set Food for Thought  (benefiting the Storefront Shelter for Homeless Children) from KAndrew Designs. 

*** Ok so I mentioned I would be having mini, mini candy. I will create 3 of these tags with your choice image from the new SGK Christmas line for 3 commentors (1 per each). I personally use my tag as a bookmark but it can be used as pleased. If you want to be included in the draw just write the asterisk* mark next to your comment. You dont have to be a friend/followet but I wont mind if you do.  

Make sure to return tomorrow for Operation OWL. Youll have a chance to win your own set of Amy Chomas pens and holder. Thanks for stopping by.

Winner and Announcements

Hi Scrappy Friends! Thank you to all of you that came out to hop with us this past weekend. It was a special hop and I hope you get to join us in creating a few thank you cards for our military heroes and their families. I also want to say a Huge Thank You to all my new friends. I do hope you come back to visit from time time as I will be having a busy blog for the next few days.

Onto my winner.... CONGRATS to
#4 Lisa from A Mermaids Craft. I apologize if I got the blog name wrong. I'm in the middle of a hiking trail (taking a break, lol) and I can't keep going back and forth. Ok Lisa please get in touch with me by the 26th of July.

I would also like to mention that this Saturday I will be part of another very Special hop/post. You will have the chance to win your own set of Amy Chomas gel pens and holder. WooHoo!!! I love those! So please make sure you come back on Saturday to see what Operation OWL is all about.

And one last announcement, previews for the new Christmas Sweet Gothic Kids line is happening at Simply Betty Stamps (simplybettystamps.blogspot.com). Pop on over to check them. Sweet Betty is giving away 2 stamps a day. Yay!!!

Thanks for stopping by/commenting! See you later!

Simply Sunday: Lunchbox Loving

Happy Sunday Scrappy Friends! I hope you are having an enjoyable weekend. I want to quickly Thank all of You that have hopped with us this weekend. Our special blog hop is still going on til tonight and it would be wonderful if you could join in and thank our military heroes and their families. To find out more click HERE.

This week our theme is Lunchbox Loving. OK so I majorly goofed and didn't realise this until this morning. I was sooo excited to use this cricut cut and this sentiment that I didn't realise the theme was food. Lol. Ummm well I did get one thing right, I used the stamp set Food for Thought (benefiting the Storefront Shelter for Homeless Children)  which is the set we are featuring this week. OK ok but in my defense I think this turned out to be a super cute somewhat shaker card. I say somewhat because not all my little gumballs move. Some decided to stick themselves to the foam. hehehe.

Make sure to pop on over to Getting Cricky and see the rest of the super cute projects my dt sisters created and the guest designers.

Thanks for stopping by/commenting.

Getting Cricky Blog Hop

Welcome to the "Let's Get Cricky" Blog Hop. This month's hop is in support of our fallen HEROES. We will each be featuring special Thank You cards to be delivered to the "Run for the Fallen" in Maine organization.  This organization is dedicated to keeping alive the memory of our military heroes that gave their lives to protect our freedom since September 11, 2001.

One of our DT Sisters, Rebecca of The Crafting Misfit, will be hand-delivering these cards during a special event that will be held on August 21st (in honor of our Heroes). If you would like to help support this cause, we invite YOU to join us in making a card or two to say Thank You.  ** You can find the address to mail your cards by clicking HERE ** The organization is also accepting donations for the event. You can find more information about donating by clicking Here. 

You should be hopping over from our Crafting Misfit, Rebecca. If not you can start at the beginning with Kristal, but since I am the last stop you can begin with me and then loop around.

Today I am featuring the Amazing You set (benefiting Doorways for Women and Families) from KAndrew Designs. To be honest I was a bit stumped as to what to create. I didn't know exactly how I can thank a family member of a fallen soldier or an injured soldier for everything that they do. I felt like nothing can be good enough. But I needed to let all that go and put on my thinking cap. I went for a CAS look with a nice scenery that can be relaxing. I chose this particular sentiment because our military heroes and their family are inspiring. They are showing us how to be better human beings, citizens and what they do for us is very inspirational and brave.

I hope you have enjoyed my card and join us in this special event with a card of your own.

Also, I hope you give our special guest designer Amy Chomas! a nice welcome. Amy is the creator and designer of Chomas Creations. We were fortunate enough to play with her amazing gel pens about a month ago. Like I said back then, I just love them. I'm able to create my own stamps. And if you know me, I've become a cricut lazy bone(lol) and I love to color :)

My blog candy for you today is a collection of DCWV matstacks. Ill announce my winner on Monday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Here's the lineup, just in case :)

K Andrew http://www.gettingcricky.com

Amy Chomas- http://amychomas.blogspot.com/

Kathy P. - http://the3esblog.blogspot.com 

Brenda http://createbyburffrau.blogspot.com 

Kathy T. -   http://scrappingfelkatz.blogspot.com  

Amy - http://www.lovetocrop.com  

Becka- http://www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com 

Becky- http://www.squirlygirlcreations.blogspot.com

JulieK  http://jk-littlebitofbling.blogspot.com

Rebecca H  http://craftingmisfit.blogspot.com/

Jess - http://myscrapdiary-jess.blogspot.com (Thats me!)

Anouncements, Winners and a Fashionista Challenge

Happy Thursday (Wow the week is going fast!) I do have my winners today but they will be at the end of my quick ramblings. Lol.

I wanted to share a card with you I created using Distress Inks. This is my first attempt at water coloring with Timmy's fabulous inks and I'm loving it. It was a little quicker than when I normally color with my Prismacolor pencils but I'm thinking once I start venturing into all sorts of colors, my time frame is going out the window. However, that might take me a while to get there seeing that I still need about 30 of them. Lol!

This is a 5.5 square card. I used one of my new (to me) Anya's from the Miss Anya Dressy Set from one of my fave co The Greeting Farm. Love them!  The sentiment is from my fave gal Kristal, KAndrew Designs.

I will be playing along with: Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes. Simon Says Stamp and Show - Stitching, Faux or Otherwise. Cupcake Craft Challenges - Favorite Cupcake: #110 Pink and Brown. Sketch Saturday - Sketch 163.  A Spoonful of Sugar - Pink and Brown.      

I also wanted to remind you all that we will be having a special Getting Cricky Blog Hop this Friday, the 15th at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific). Our hop will be benefiting the "Run For The Fallen" in Maine Organization. Its an organization that helps keep alive the memory of our fallen heroes from Sept 11. That was a very sad day in our American history and we should always cherish our loved ones and always thank our heroes. Please make sure you come back tomorrow and participate with us in this very special hop. Plus we will be having an amazing guest designer. You wont want to miss her :)

And now for my winners (Sorry for the delay).

CONGRATS!!!

Explosions Blog Hop - Becky from Squirly Girl Creations

I Spy Post - Ashley from Scrapping Pink Piglet

Ladies please email me by July 20th. 

Thanks for stopping by/commenting.

Ill see you tomorrow for my special Double post!

Errrrr..... Le-vi-o-sa?

Hello Scrappy friends! This week Betty and The Burtonesque Dolls are previewing some new Harry Potter images. They will be 6 released at Simply Betty Stamps - with the release date being when "it all ends". lol. Im quotting the movie billboard because that is when part 2 of the 7th movie comes out. Im a huge Potter fan and I couldnt pass up the chance to play with a few of the images.

Today the Dolls are previewing Ron. He looks just to cute and Hilarious! If you are a Potter fan then you know that Ron always had some trouble with his wand and when I saw this image, the first thing that popped into my head was when he first met Hermione in class and she's trying to teach him the correct way to say the spell (hence my title and sentiment). Also, since Ron is a bit of a clutz with the wand then I decided that he needed to be surrounded by distressed/shredded dp&cs. Its just so him. :) So make sure you hop on over to see what the Dolls created plus today begins a new challenge and you have a chance to win 3 free Potter images.

I will be playing with:
Pink {Ink} Sketch - First Challenge
My Craft Spot - Ink it Up
Simon Says Stamp - A Stich In Time
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Stiching, Faux or Otherwise
Cupcake Craft Challenge - Inspired by #48 Distressing

Thanks for stopping by/commenting

SBS Scrap Project #1 - Mini Album

 Happy Sunday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are enjoying the last of it.

I'm here today with my first project for the Simply Betty Stamp Scrap Team. I'm very happy to be part of this team because the gals are great, Betty is the sweetest and its going to be quite challenging to not create cards. :) We are in charge of providing you with scrapbook lo, mini albums, altered items, etc inspiration. But of course from time to time Ill play with the card gals because they are just to many darn cute images to color up and play with.

And speaking of sweet great gals, my DT sis Lelia created my very own watermark featuring Valentine Betty. Isn't she the cutest?!!??

Our first project is a mini album/explosion box featuring the adorable Jude and the Rockers. Since I created an explosion box last weekend (seen here) I decided to create a mini, mini album that can be used alone or can be part of a bigger album. This is the front of it (I miscalculated my measurements so I needed the ribbon to hold it together, haha I went overboard with my layers and it made my mini super thick. But I solved my measurements problem and will be able to make another one soon)

When you first open it up this is how it looks - Off the bat you have 3 spots for pictures or journaling.

Then you open the flaps and you have another 3 spots for pictures/journaling plus the extra space that the pockets give you. In each of my pockets I added 3 tags.

My tags were originally created as ATCs but then I decided to not waste picture space (lol) and move my ATC info from the back to the front and make it part of my art :) I was trying something new (for me) and I love it. I used all 6 Rockers (counter clockwise) Ariel, Oscar, Lilly, Jude, Ali and Brittany.

Here's a closeup of of my Ali ATC and my pocket stamped with Ariel. All of my sentiments from KAndrew's fabulous mix and match Amazing You set (benefiting Doorways for Women and Families - an organization helping those escape and survive Domestic Violence)

I hope you join us this week for your chance to win 3 Brand New Jude and the Rockers clear stamps. They are awesome and who doesn't love free stamps. Make sure you hop on over to SBS Challenge Blog to read all the deeds and to see the gorgeous projects from my DT sis's.

I will be playing along with:
Pixie Dust Studio - Old Photos
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Flourish
Simon Says Stamp - Stitching
Spoonful of Sugar - Stiching

Thanks for stopping by/commenting!

Sending You Sunny Thoughts

Hello Friends!! First I want to say a HUGE thanks to all of that hopped with us this weekend. Thank you for helping make our Explosion hop a success. I also want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to my new friends/followers. I do hope you come back to visit and see what I else I have for you.

For today's sunny card, I used Beachy Tia (Tiny Tia is my fave!!) from Some Odd Girl. I had been wanting to play with some those adorable images for a while now and I finally got a chance to. Yay!! 

I'm sorry but I must be quick today. I have some things I need. to finish up and personal things to take care of. But I wanted to let you all know that I have my first Simply Betty Stamps project tomorrow featuring the new cuties from Jude and the Rockers. I do hope you come back. 

I'm playing along with:
Some Odd Girl - Bright and Blinding
My Craft Spot - Sunny Days

Thanks for stopping by/commenting.
**Ps. I will announce my winner(s) on Sunday. I apologize for the delay**

Explosions Everywhere Blog Hop

Welcome to the Explosions Everywhere Blog Hop hosted by Erika and Zeni. Thank you girls for having me be part of this cool hop!!

Today we have a hop full of...you guessed it...explosion boxes. How exciting to see how we all put our individual spin onto this project. We also have an Amazing grand prize sponsored by Scrapbook Steals. They are offering one lucky person a basket full of goodies including products from: Bo Bunny, American Crafts, Prima and My Minds Eye. All awesome candy. Plus Kich and Blues is giving away a set of their digis.

Ok so lets get started. You should be hoping over from Sarah (Pink Cricut) if not you can start at the beginning with Erika.

Onto my project.... From the outside it looks pretty plain. Now it is missing a key hole and some other embellishments but I couldn't find a key hole nor my embellishments. lol. 

But when you open it, Bam!! This is what you get. :)

I decided to go with a Pirates Theme for my project (which is why I'm talking about a missing key hole).

I really wanted to make it look like a treasure chest but I couldn't make it happen. 

The images used are from the Funky Pirate Line from Simply Betty Stamps. 

I used Bonnie, Lizzy, Marty and Captain Jack! Arrrgggghhhh, hehehe

They were colored using my trusty old Prismacolor pencils.  

Now to add some extra cool factors :) to my box, I created mini gatefold cards for the 4 images. This way, I don't loose a picture/journaling space and I get to have the image. I added some velcro tabs to keep them closed. Sure it adds a tiny bulk but with this project, it's ok. 

This is a shot of my base or Layer 3, however you may see it. 

Another feature I added to my box was to create an accordion fold card.

That will allow me to have more picture/journal spots.

I'm still deciding on how to decorate that portion but I will add something to it (at least some mats) 

Layer 2 (with another accordion card as one of the pockets) 

And Im done. Lol!!! Ok so that is my project for you today :)
I hope you like it BECAUSE my personal blog candy winner will win a kit created by me. I would love it if you become a follower. I will announce my winner on or after Tuesday.
Now don't forget, in order to qualify for the grand prize (pictured on the left) you must hop around to all the blogs and leave some bloggy love.

Thanks for hopping with us this Holiday weekend. Have a safe Saturday and I will see you back here tomorrow.

Your next stop is:
Gaby (Gaby Creates) Go show her some love :)

I Spy... New Challenges, Magazine Publishment, Mini Prize and More

This post might be longer than usual but I wanted to get it all in one go :)

Well first thing first, Happy Friday!! The holiday weekend is here and it is time to start up the grills (hopefully I will be doing that soon enough)

Simply Betty Challenges are back after a month of hiatus. This weeks challenge is an easy one, create for a child (card, treat bag, gift card holder, etc.) Since I'm not on the card team, I sat this week out. However, I decided to be a guest dt for The Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge blog. Why you may ask? Well, because Betty is sponsoring this weeks challenge and the prize is a good one... The whole collection of Jude and the Rockers in digi form (the only time she will be offering them as digis).

So if you want a chance to win the whole line, pop on over to the Fussy and Fancy blog and play along. Plus, this week is a simple one, just follow the sketch provided by Graphicat Designs. Here is my take on the sketch. I used Bonnie from the Funky Pirate line at Simply Betty Stamps. Isn't she a doll? I just love her stance which led me to use my "I Spy" sentiment. I just thought it went so well. Lol! I might be the only one but whatevs, hehehe. (I'm submitting this to the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge - Word)

Today is July 1st, which also means a new issue of Gingerscraps Street Magazine. This month I jumped down the Rabbit Hole and wrote about a subject I just love (and I'm certain I'm not alone). Check out who is published this month, you will definitely see some major eye candy.

As an incentive to hop on over to read my article, I created a little game for you. I made this collage of the published pieces for this month and numbered them. Your mission is to figure out who belongs to what number. Once you are done reading, come back here and leave me a comment with your thoughts and answers. Then on Tuesday, I'll pick a random winner and send you off a small prize pack (will include: dcwv mat stacks, Alice in Wonderland jolee stickers and some other items.) Click HERE to head on over to the Crafty Boutique (my article).

Image - Wonderland digi set from The Greeting Farm

And since I'm in Wonderland mood, why not create a card and play along with a few other challenge blogs. Ill be playing along with:

Anyone For Anya - Follow the Sketch (I flipped the sketch to the side)

The Octopode Factory - Alice in Wonderland 

A few other rambles before Blogger gets me...

- Previews end today for Jude and the Rockers, but it is also Release day! Yay!! So head on over to Simply Betty Stamps to get one of her awesome sale codes. She also has some Echo Park paper on sale for half off. Now where are you going to find EP Paper for less than 50 cents.

- Don't forget to give my girl, Kristal, some love over at Getting Cricky and at her store KAndrew Designs.

- This Sunday begins a new chapter at The Altered Alice, which means a new month of amazing wonderland projects.

Ok, I think I'm done. Whew!! :)

Thanks for stopping by/commenting.

Oh yes, one more thing: Come back tomorrow for a fun blog hop full of explosions and a Sweeeeeeeeet prize. Arrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!! lol