week in review!

Hi! How are ya today!

I've been thinking about adding more FAMILY/PERSONAL stuff to my blog and I think I found a great way to do it! I take LOTS of pictures with my phone- it's my go-to camera when we're out and about -- I probably take at least a picture a day with it. Each week- I'm going to blog some pictures that I've taken- kind of a snapshot into our world!

I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into our life!

Aden was chosen as a student with GOOD CHARACTER! Proud Mama right here!

The three students chosen from Kindergarten

We had ridiculously nice weather this week and decided to do some skating with our friend, Kyla! 

Always the gentleman, AJ helped Kyla up when she fell and helped her walk all the way back to the driveway.... too cute...

This dog tore this blanket off of my bed and made it HIS bed on the floor. Kills me. But he is so freakin' cute.

Top news of the week- Eric became an ORDAINED MINISTER!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Got this in the mail. Apparently they're bored in Afghanistan.

One of our favorite places to go out to dinner- Logan's Steakhouse aka "The Peanut Place!"

Me: ok, your homework says to write all your capital letters A-Z and then on the other side write all of your lowercase A-Z. Aden: what do they want me to be doing homework until midnight or something?? Ahhh... The stresses of a 5 year old.... lol...

How can you not smile looking at those little faces! The boys enjoyed a nice bath and then warmed up in their new monster towels!

 Have a good weekend everyone!

MSS January Paint the Town Challenge!

 I'm here today to share a card I made for the new 

Market Street Stamps Paint the Town Challenge! 

I am IN LOVE with the colors this month- so bright and fun!

Here's my card:

FUN FUN FUN! 

See that LOVE stamp? Yup- it's in the new LOVE BIRDS Market Fresh Kit! It's available NOW- run over and check it out! This is an exclusive stamp- you can only get it in this kit- and I love it....

I hand cut those little banner shapes and added them under the LOVE layer to add some brightness and interest! I really like how it came out!

Make sure you stop by the Market Street Stamps blog to see the rest of the amazing inspiration created by the design team girls!

And don't forget to check out the Market Fresh Kit- LOVE BIRDS! It's available NOW and it's oh, so pretty!

{LOVE supplies}

InLinkz.com

MSS Market Fresh Kit- LOVE BIRDS!

I've been waiting awhile to share the full contents of this kit with you and I'm SOOO excited! It has been so much fun designing this kit and I know you're going to just love it. 

So... how about some pictures- here is what is included in the kit:

Lovely papers from Crate Paper (Paper Heart Collection), My Minds Eye (Love Me Collection and Lost & Found 2 Collection), and Lilybee Design (Head Over Heels Collection). There are also 3 complimenting 12 x 12 cardstock sheets from Bazzill in the kit!

LOVE that large stamp, super soft velvet ribbon.... everything in the kit is just really beautiful.

This kit is perfect for Valentine's Day, but definitely is NOT limited to that! The blues, aquas, tans, and grays really play a huge role and make it easy to use the kit for all kinds of projects!

ALSO- I wanted to point out the abundance of product in these kits! With 11 full 12 x 12 sheets of paper and lots of coordinating accessories- you can make TONS of projects! I have made 2 layouts and 4 cards and haven't even put a DENT in my kit! I'm so happy to leave it on my desk and turn to it for inspiration again and again! 

If you're interested in purchasing the January LOVE BIRDS kit or would like more information, please head over to the Market Street Stamps blog and Marketplace! There are several options for subscribing to receive a new kit automatically each month or you can purchase a single kit- there's an option for everyone! There are some great perks for starting a subscription, too- make sure you check em out! 

A HUGE thank you to Jinny Newlin and Brenda Weaver for all your incredible inspiration! We couldn't do it without you guys- you're amazing!!

I hope you all love it as much as I do! I can't wait to see what you make with our premier kit!

MSS Market Fresh KITS Sneak Peeks -- CARDS!

Well, hello! 

I hope you're all enjoying the inspiration leading up to the big kit reveal! 

Tonight we have some fabulous CARD ideas for you- all using supplies from the packed-full January kit!

And, of course, we have some sneaks of the EXCLUSIVE stamp that is also in the kit- you can only get it if you buy the kit! And you want it... trust me! Hehe!

The Market Fresh Kits will be a monthly kit PERFECT to jump start your creativity! Each kit will contain a beautiful mix of papers from different manufacturers, embellishments to add flair to your layouts and cards, an EXCLUSIVE stamp, and TONS of inspiration from our talented Market Fresh Girls! Can't beat that!

So tonight we have sneak peeks of some fabulous card projects from myself, Jinny, and Brenda! Check back tomorrow night for the full reveal! You're going to LOVE this kit! This kit really can be used for ANYTHING- don't feel that you are limited to scrapbooking with it! 

Here are a couple of cards I made with the kit!

Ok- first off- VERY clean and simple and very ME! Love this one and it's my favorite thing I've made so far with the kit! I heat embossed that BEAUTIFUL, BIG stamp onto that amazing woodgrain paper (it's in the kit!)- reminds me of etched hearts and initials on a tree.... love it. The birdies are from the Follow Your Heart set- perfectly compliment the stamp from the kit! And, again, I'm in love with that ribbon- I'm gonna be sad when I run out! I'm hoarding the last bit I have for something special! LOL!

Ooooooohhh... here's that stamp again- taking center stage! This time around I heat embossed it on watercolor paper and used a couple of different Distress Stains (Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Barn Door) to create this pretty watercolor-ed heart.

Don't you just LOVE these flowers! Guess what- they're in the KIT! A whopping 10 of them! I really love em...

And this one just makes me smile... 

I started with the bright pink layer, punching the border and trying to think about what I could add to make it super special. Then I saw the journaling cards from the kit- started playing around with them and created this beautiful layered card with little to no effort at all! Isn't it great when your supplies do the work for ya! And *gasp* there's no ink on this bad boy! AHHH! I still love it....

Don't forget to visit Brenda and Jinny's blogs to see their fabulous projects! I LOVE how versatile this kit is- you'll see what I mean after you see all the projects!

And if you want to see them all in one place- head on over to the Neighborhood and join the Market Fresh Kits group! All of our sneak peeks will be over there for you to see! 

Hope you love this kit as much as I do! Check out the Market Street Stamps BLOG for all the information about the kit! YAY!

MSS Market Fresh KITS Sneak Peeks!!

I've been waiting a LONG time for this and I can't wait to share some sneaks with you tonight! As I stated in early posts, I am SO grateful to Angelica and Jorge for giving me this amazing opportunity to design the Market Fresh Kits for Market Street Stamps! I have had so much fun choosing the products for the kits and developing themes and stamp concepts to go with them- SO much fun and SO exciting! I hope you guys love January's kit as much as I do!

The Market Fresh Kits will be a monthly kit PERFECT to jump start your creativity! Each kit will contain a beautiful mix of papers from different manufacturers, embellishments to add flair to your layouts and cards, an EXCLUSIVE stamp, and TONS of inspiration from our talented Market Fresh Girls! Can't beat that!

So tonight we have sneak peeks of some fabulous scrapbooking projects from myself, Jinny, and Brenda! Check back on Monday night for some amazing CARD projects! This kit really can be used for ANYTHING- don't feel that you are limited to scrapbooking with it! AND- on Monday you'll get a sneak of the exclusive STAMP that comes in the kit! You're gonna LOVE IT!

So... without further adieu.... here are two scrapbook layouts that I made with the January kit!

Ok- I'm gonna get all sappy on ya now! HAHA! This layout is a beautiful way to represent the growth and changes of two of my little babies... my son, Aden, and my niece, Elaina! They are almost exactly a year apart in age and I feel like like they were those little bitty babies just yesterday! 

The title "don't blink" is SO true... I know a lot of you probably feel the same way about your little ones! ;)

LOVE **this** paper that I cut all the doilies from.... do you know what it is? You'll find out on Tuesday! HEHE! I love surprises.... 

I used some Mister Huey's Heirloom Blue and Shine mists to draw attention to the images and make the page feel a little bit special- love the shimmer....

I cut the letters "don't" with my Zing using one of the patterned papers in the kit! And who doesn't love some pretty Thickers? Gotta love the eye catching design of these! They really make a title stand out!

*********************

Next.... I have a sweet layout that I made of me and the hubby! If you're my friend on facebook than you've seen this picture- it's my profile picture right now- and it just makes me smile. It's one of those quick snapshots that just says SO much. You know what I mean? 

Love, love, love these Thickers (once again)- they're one of my favorite designs.... and if you look closely, you can see A LOT of the different patterned papers that are included in the kit! 

I used my new KNK Zing Cutter and MTC to create this 8 x 8 rounded square with little circles cut out. Then, I took little square scraps of patterned paper and attached them behind the cut layer with foam tape! I LOVE the dimensional look I got from using foam tape rather than just making it a flat layer. 

The ribbon included in the kit is a BEAUTY! I can't stop using it and I can't wait to show you what else I've made with it! It's so soft and pretty, but still gives a special shimmer to your projects! The button and twine are from my stash! You can see a little bit of the picture, too- I inked around the edge of my picture with white pigment ink to make it stand out a little better!

You can see the dimension of the layered peek a boo circles a little better here! Love how this design came together! 

That's all I have for you tonight, but make sure you check back on Monday night for more sneak peeks! I'll have a few cards to share with you!

And don't forget to visit Brenda and Jinny's blogs to see their fabulous projects! I LOVE how versatile this kit is- you'll see what I mean after you see all the projects!

And if you want to see them all in one place- head on over to the Neighborhood and join the Market Fresh Kits group! All of our sneak peeks will be over there for you to see! 

Hope you love this kit as much as I do! Check out the Market Street Stamps BLOG for all the information about the kit! YAY!

2011 in review!!

Hi, there!

Sorry I've been such a bad blogger!! Of course, it's never my intention to go over a week without a post, but you know how that goes! I got home on Monday from a very BUSY trip up to Delaware where we spent time with family and celebrated the holidays! No time for blogging!


So I thought I'd pop in today and just do a little cathartic recap of 2011. 2011 was a BIG year for me as a crafter- I grew in ways I didn't think possible and more importantly, I made some AMAZING friends through this fabulous hobby of mine.


I never in a million years thought that my design team term with Market Street Stamps would lead to managing the design team and designing scrapbooking kits (more about that BELOW!). Absolutely a dream come true. Couldn't do any of it without Angelica and Jorge who give me every opportunity to GROW and do what I love. Also never woulda thought that I'd be gearing up for a trip to California! What? Yup, this girl is going to CHA at the end of the month! Seriously amazing and I couldn't be more happy for MSS and all their success this year!


It was also a big goal of mine for 2011 to be published! I am happy to say that I have MET that goal! I received those happy emails from Miss Susan Opel of Paper Crafts Magazine 4 times this year! My first publication made it to the newstands back in November (check out my post about it HERE) and it was really, truly so amazing to see my name in a magazine that I've been reading for so long! And to make my goal of being published just a little bit sweeter, I was chosen as one of the World Card Making Day winners! To say that I was shocked is a HUGE understatement. They had a gazillion entries. I'm so lucky to have been chosen as one of the twenty winners and have met some great friends through winning that contest! Stayed tuned- there's going to be a FABULOUS blog hop when that issue comes out in February! Can't wait!


In addition to my crafty goals- I feel like I have accomplished A LOT as a PERSON. I am in a way better place with this deployment than I was with the last deployment. I don't know if it's just that the kids are a little bit older or that I used to it, but I feel as though I am much more independent and organized this time around. It does help to be busy with school and my hobby. Just a couple of more months until I get my hubby back and I cannot wait until I can say that deployments are a thing of the past. I put on a strong face, but deployments suck... there's no other way to put it! I feel good about the direction things are going for our family- hopefully this time next year I can say that things with family are all I could ask for! That's my goal for 2012! Haha!

So- now that you've read my novel, how about a few of my favorite projects from 2011! 

(All the projects link back to their original post!)

This was the very FIRST card I made for MSS- and I still love it so much.... those birds are so sweet...

Aden's Valentine's for his class- LOVED making these! So fun!

Vintage Wallpaper- LOVE at first sight.... LOL!

Love playing with mists- definitely something new that I'm still playin' with and LOVING!

Two of my favorite things: MSS Gone Campin' set and BG Lauderdale Collection! 

Pretty stuff....

Lovin' summer...

Favorite project of the year- so FUN playing around with new techniques...

Very homey... made me feel all warm inside!

My boys.... they'll always be in the favorites... ;)

Supa fun! Love that little pooch!

LOVE that bow.... the pop of color is so pretty!

So.... how about some news for 2012?

Remember I mentioned something about kits way up there at the beginning of the post? Well, I've been asked to design a MONTHLY KIT for Market Street Stamps!! I'm SO excited about this new venture and believe me when I say that you are going to LOVE these kits! Whether you scrapbook, make cards, make mixed media art- anyone can use this kit!

 Sneak peeks will begin on Friday (AHHHHH!) and I've been a busy little bee working on some samples to showcase the kit! Did I mention that I have two ridiculously talented ladies working with me to design samples for the kit each month?  I couldn't be MORE happy to work with Brenda Weaver and Jinny Newlin! They are some fabulous ladies!

So... make sure you check back on Friday here and on the MSS blog for more info about the January Market Fresh Kit! VERY exciting!

Here's to a fun and exciting 2012!