Fish Card Video Tutorial....

Finally! After reshooting the video tonight, it's ready:


If you want to watch it on YouTube instead, click HERE.

I hope you enjoy. Leave a comment and let me know what you think! I would love to hear your feedback. Thanks!

Technical Difficulites...

Hi blog friends. Unfortunately, I have no video to share today. I filmed one and loaded it to You Tube only for them to tell me (after it downloaded for an HOUR!) that it was too long in length and it was rejected. So, I think I am going to just breathe and try to redo it all again tomorrow. Serenity now! lol

Be back soon....

Prize Winner...

Alex just got home from school and drew a prize winner out of the bowl for me. (There were A LOT of entries! Thanks for leaving so many comments! I've loved reading every one of them and I'm excited about all of my new blog buddies!)

And the winner of the Hero Arts Week big prize goes to (drumroll please).......
Congrats Kathy! Email me your address and I'll get get your prize pack out to you.

Make sure you stop back by tomorrow. I'll have a video up featuring a project from last week's Hero Arts fun.

Thanks for stopping by!

Prize Peek....

A little peek of the big prize that I am giving away. (See THIS post for all the details and to leave a comment to win!)

And to answer some of your emails...Yes, I am collecting ALL of the comments that you guys have posted from the beginning to the end of Hero Arts week...so there are even more chances to win!! :)

As we wrap up everything, I wanted to share one more project using Hero Arts goodies that I made today while out scrappin' with my friends...

When you untie the ribbon, a notepad is revealed inside. Just something fun I created for a Hero Arts Party I am hosting soon. This will be one of the make and takes. (Email me if you live close to Cincinnati. The party is not until next month, but I can give you all the details if you are interested in coming.)

(FYI-You can find the butterfly stamp HERE and that flourish background stamp HERE.)

Okay, off to web surf some more. Just joined Facebook, even though I said I never would! LOL

Night!

Hero Arts Week-Day Five

Still have lots to share as we wrap up Hero Arts Week! Let's get started...

I learned through Hero Arts Facebook Page that today is Chocolate Mint Day....Didn't know there was such a thing. LOL They are hosting a mini challenge to create something with the colors chocolate and mint. Here is what I came up with...

I love Andes Mints. They are so yummy! I filled up a plastic container (from Stampendous) with them and finished it off with some paper, bow, and a sentiment. I also created a card to go with the color scheme. So fun! Happy Chocolate Mint Day to all of you! :)

Next up I am sharing a card set I made using some of my favorite Hero stamps....

It was hard to photograph them all so here is a close up of one of them....

After coloring each flower with copic markers, I added stickles to it to give it some shine. I am in love with that flower stamp. Reminds me of something Carrie would wear from Sex and the City!

I also have been working on these....more shrinky dinks! Look for them in my etsy shop soon! Aren't they fun?

Okay, now for the stuff you've been waiting for...the prizes!

Before I forget, congrats to IVY. She is the winner of the liquid pearls from the last post! Email me with your address so I can send you your goodies.

On to the next give-away. This one is BIG. I'm not going to show you quite yet. I'm still collecting lots of prizes and adding to it each day. I will give you a few hints tomorrow and Sunday and I will announce a winner Monday morning. So, if you are interested in winning the end of the Hero Arts Week Super Give-away, leave a comment to this post telling me a video topic you would like to see featuring one of the projects from this week.

AND...to make things more interesting, I am offering "extra credit". I will add your name to the giveaway FIVE more times if you do one of the following:

-Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment telling me you did so on this post
(ETA: To become a follower, click on the FOLLOW button under my picture on the right hand side)

-Create a card/project that was inspired by one of my projects this week. Could be color, design, theme, anything and leave a comment on this post with a link to your creation.

IF YOU DO BOTH OF THE ITEMS ABOVE, I WILL ADD YOUR NAME TO THE GIVEAWAY 10 TIMES!

The more chances, the better. :) I'll be back tomorrow with a few hints for the give away.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hero Arts-Day Four

Today's project wraps everything into one...it focuses on the stamp set spotlight and coordinates with our prize for the day! Speaking of prizes, congratulations to KATHY who won the clear buttons from yesterday's post! Kathy, email me your address so I can get your goodies to you. :)

Here is the project for today featuring THIS stamp set...

I love how the colors pop! I used a note card from THIS set and that background can be found HERE.

To create the fish, I stamped the image on watercolor paper with archival ink (water proof, smudge proof) and pounced some distress ink on my acrylic block. Then I spritzed the block with water until small bubbles formed. Then, I used the paintbrush to pick up the "watercolor" from the block. You don't have to be neat if you are cutting the image out. Here is an example of what I mean...

I will definitely be doing a video on this soon to explain better and to show you how I made the background.

Here is a detailed shot to show the shine on the fish scales made with a glitter pen and the yummy bubbles made from liquid pearls...

I thought it would be fitting to have liquid pearls as the give away for today! Want to win a bottle? Just leave a comment on this post and I'll announce a winner tomorrow.
You DEFINITELY don't want to miss tomorrow. More fun and a big bang to end the Hero Arts Week! Hope to see you back! Thanks for visiting. :)

Hero Arts Week- Day Three

Hi and welcome back! Sorry I am posting so late! Can barely keep my eyes open! I was trying to load a video to you tube for a technique that I did on one of today's card but it is giving me trouble so I might just do a week of videos next week and continue this fun! What do you think?

Before I start sharing, the winner of the HA flowers from yesterday's post is LUCILLE! Congrats! Email me with your address so I can get your goodies to you! :)

ETA...I've had many emails and questions about leaving a comment. You only have to leave a comment once. If you left a comment twice because you were worried it didn't go through, I just put your name into the bowl once. I have to moderate comments before they are published which takes a little time. Thanks!

First up is the project for the stamp set spotlight and it focuses on this ADORABLE set....
I took some American Crafts patterned paper (Dear Lizzy collection...love her designs!) and used that as my card because AC patterned paper has a solid on the inside which is perfect for card making....
(Did you see those "highlights" in her hair? I made those with a glitter pen. Hard to see but it looks cute in real life)

To create the thought bubble, I punched a scalloped circle punch towards the top of the card. Traced the inside with a black marker to give it some definition, added some circles to the thought bubble to complete the image, and stamped a greeting from THIS set inside. Now, on to the project that is linked to the prize for today....I made embellishments with SHRINKY DINKS! Oh, you have NO idea how much fun this was. Probably won't sleep tonight making more. LOL My mind is racing with ideas!
Here is a close up shot of the shrinky dinks turned embellishments. Before I placed the middle flower in the oven, I punched two tiny holes in the center to create a button! It's hard to see but there is some string in the center......Oh, the possibilities! You can find that yummy green note card HERE and that yummy punch color card HERE. They come in mixed packs so you get different colors of cards in one pack. The "you make me smile" sentiment (one of my favorites) is from THIS great set.

Speaking of buttons, that is the give away for the day! How would you like to win some of these Clear Buttons from Hero Arts? ...... If so, just leave a comment on this post and I will draw a winner tomorrow!

Okay off to go make more shrinky dinks...I mean sleep...ha!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hero Arts Week-Day Two

Hi Friends. Back today with day two of Hero Arts Week. I will try to show two projects each day. One that goes with a prize and another that's a HA product spotlight. First, here is a layout that is linked to today's prize....

This layout was SO much fun to do. However, my hand was swollen afterwards. LOL I used a BUNCH of the Hero Arts Art Flowers in different colors and layered them on a 12x12 piece of paper. I added all kinds of goodies in the middle of some of the flowers, like buttons, gems, and brads, to catch your eye. I just love the end result. I didn't put any journaling on the layout to keep it simple because I have plans to put it in a shadowbox.

The picture of Alex and I isn't the best but its one I LOVE! Yes, we are directly in the sun and standing in front of my car ready to go but it is the memory of that day that makes me smile. That young man does color my world in so many ways.

This next shot is a glimpse that the picture of us isn't too terribly bad. I'm not sure why it looks that way in the pic above. Probably just my poor photography skills. lol
and here is a detailed shot of the chipboard letters that I covered with ink and then applied sticklez to. They are super shiny in real life...Okay, on to the prize for today....I have an extra pack of these HA art flowers in earth print....

Wanna win some? Just leave a comment below about anything. :) I'll draw a winner tomorrow!

Next up is the stamp set product spotlight...a super quick card:
I created this card using THIS adorable set.... Off to plan tomorrow's fun. Have a great night. Thanks for stopping by!

Hero Arts Week- Day One

Happy Monday!...well, what's left of it anyway. LOL I hope your Valentine's Day was good. Mine was fun. I spent the day with my sweet friend Jennie creating. I got a lot accomplished and have been crafting like crazy! I want to share it all with you so I thought it would be fun to have a Hero Arts week here on the blog. I just got a shipment of new Hero goodies for the store and thought I would share some fun ideas with their products. Ya'll know how I love me some Hero Arts! :)

I still have LOTS of planning to do, including PRIZES for my awesome blog readers! So for tonight I will leave you with some cards I created for the Cards for Kids Card Drive. I purchased a fun Polaroid die from Quickutz and wanted the cards to look like a Polaroid photo with a greeting that just "developed".....

I used some Hero Arts greetings and some of their kraft note cards. And how cute are those valentine's stickers from K&CO.? I just love them.

Okay, must sleep. Make sure you stop by tomorrow for lots more Hero Arts fun! Thanks for stopping by!

Valentine Treat Bags...

We received lots more snow here in Cincinnati so since I'm snowed in, I thought it would be a perfect day to create. I wanted to show you a couple of the treat bags I'm making for my nieces and nephews and a few examples of the gifts I stick inside......I try hard to fill them with things that the kids will use instead of just "junk". For example, the one on the left is the boy version and it is for my nephew, J.T. He is two years old and loves fruit snacks, not candy or chocolate. (He actually says, "Ewww! Gross!" to chocolate. I'm not sure if he is related to me! lol) So, I loaded his bag with his favorite Toy Story fruit snacks and also got him that adorable red rubber duckie with hearts for bath time. (isn't it cute?)

The one on the right is for my niece Taylor. She loves everything pink so I wanted to change the design to fit her style. She is in first grade and is super girly. I got her that retro robot heart wallet and it has a candy necklace inside. I'm pretty sure she will love it!

Off to make some more for my other niece and nephew. And for Alex? He is super happy with cash and a Reese Cup Heart. Typical teenager! lol

Thanks for stopping by. Be back soon....

Inspired by...

Since I am snowed in, I thought it might be fun to do a random post. I was thinking today of how many things and people I am inspired by and thought I would share a few....

Target. Oh, how I love shopping there. I found lots of goodies just the other day and I was inspired by the prints and colors. First up, I bought a new shower curtain for Alex's bathroom:
Love the colors and the graphic design. It's called "typography" and it was a steal at $8.00! I'm thinking a layout will be created soon with a similar design. :)

Another steal I found on clearance were these oven mitts.... (They were only $1.25 each so I picked up two to replace my yucky ones. lol)

Aren't the patterns fun?

Moving on but still in the shopping category....I picked up this cute mailer envelope at the post office to mail the cards I am doing for the Cards for Kids Drive. I think this design would be so cute on some valentine cards.I am also inspired by my good friend Shane. Shane is one of the designers at the Bakery and she just started a blog. You can check it out HERE. Her work is amazing. I was cropping with her when she was making THESE invitations for her daughter's first birthday. She is so creative.

Speaking of talented ladies, Nichol Magouirk is one of my favorite designers. Just last month, I lifted one of her ideas from THIS post on her blog. I punched out circles instead of butterflies but I covered them with ribbon scraps like she did. Love the result on this layout I did for Alex's recent band gig pics...Some more detailed shots... Journaling:

"Another night performing at Dirty Jacks. While you
guys were rockin’ out; I looked at you and didn’t even
recognize you. When you are on stage, you transform.
You just let it all go and I can tell how much music
means to you. I asked you what it feels like when you
are on stage and you said, “It’s like something I’ve
never experienced before, a high, and I love it.” You
are so talented and it is a such a gift to watch you play."

Just love that ribbon technique! It helps me use some of the many ribbon scraps I have. I don't know why I can't part with them. They are just too pretty. lol

One last thing that I was inspired by was THIS. I just have to try it soon.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope wherever you are, the weather is better than here in Cincinnati! Be back soon...

Two Videos in One Day!

Hello. Just thought I'd share two video links today. I got an email from Rita a few days ago asking me how to make THIS card that I made for Winter's Kids Card Drive. Her son is a sailor and she wants to send him and his fellow sailors (who are helping with the Haiti relief) some Valentines. I thought it was such a good idea so I threw together a video showing not just that but some other Valentine projects as well. Here is that link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckal9w6Umn4

I've also been making videos to show you up close what exactly is in each Kit of the Month. Sometimes its nice to see on a video because photos do not always do the trick showing products well. So if you want a peek on the February Kit of the Month, "Hello Dear" click HERE. I noticed today that there is only 1 in stock. If you are thinking about picking one up, do it now before they are gone. :)

It feels so naked posting without a picture! lol

Have a great Wednesday! Be back soon...

Hello Dear...

Happy February everyone. Love is in the air! I wanted to show you the new kit of the month over at the Bakery... Erin is so talented. Here are the projects she created with the kit. First up, a super fun layout... I love the dimension she added to the hearts.... I'll let Erin tell you about her next project. My mouth dropped when I saw it. GORGEOUS!

"Here is a little tin i made for valentines day. there are 14 little "love" notes in there for daisy--i'll give her one in her lunchbox (or maybe before bed) each day of feb, leading up to valentines day."

and a super cute card.... If you haven't had a visit to Erin's blog, you must! Lots of eye candy there!

Alright, I'm off to run some errands. But before I go I have to share some exciting news... I just got an email last week from Scrapbook Trends Magazine requesting a card for publication! So exciting! It will be out in June/July. I'll keep you posted. :)

Be back soon....