Q&A

Happy Tuesday! Back today with some answers to your questions from THIS post. Thank you all for your sweet comments and questions. You guys are the best! :)

Many of you asked about getting published, so I'll start with that:
1. "What is your best advice for getting a card published?" Here are a few tips that I think will really help...

a. Think about what the magazine call is asking for. For example, if you are submitting something for the April publication of that magazine, chances are they are not going to publish your Halloween card just because of the timing. They will most likely be looking for spring themed projects.

b. Photography is so important. I'll be honest. I know very little about photography. However, I have learned a few tips that have helped me in editing my photos. You want your project to shine so snapping a good shot of it is very important. Search for photography tips on the internet. I learned lots on super talented Lisa Spangler's Blog. She has links on the sidebar for photo tutorials!

c. Get involved. I've been submitting on the Hero Arts Flickr group for quite some time. Being part of a community like that is great because you can meet new people, ask questions, and get feedback when you need it.

d. Most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP! I had submitted for a REALLY long time and had no projects picked up. I was thinking of not submitting anymore and then it happened! It could take four months or six years, just don't give up and believe in yourself. :)

2. "Did you feel like your latest submission would be a winner?" I did actually. The reason I did was because the magazine had a specific call for cards using red, blue, and cream with polka dots and the issue's theme was wedding. I felt like my card fit all the categories which would help my chances.

3. "Where do you get inspiration for your cards?" Everywhere. I know that sounds vague, but I really do! A magazine, a fellow artist, a dress, a pillow... I'm always looking at everything in my world as a jumping off point for creating. Check out my 30 Days of Inspiration series that starts HERE.

4. "How can I make money crafting?" I am doing crafting as part time work. For example, people hire me to create scrapbooks for them. I teach card classes. I also just signed up for a craft show to sell my cards. Etsy is another great place to sell projects!

5. "How many cards a week do you make?" That's a tough one. Some weeks I am in my craft room every single day and others, I don't step a foot in it. But on average, I would say around 3 or 4.

6. "What is your best advice for starting a blog?" First, I would suggest Blogger. I would also recommend THIS class taught by the fantastic Kristina Proffitt, who designed my blog.

7. "How did you arrive at the name for your site?" Well my blog is named after my online store, Scrapbook Bakery. I chose this name because I feel as if all scrapbook products are goodies/treats and wanted to emphasize that theme by sending out product in hot pink bakery boxes. :)

8. "What are your favorite blogs to stalk?" Oh boy. I have so many. My favorites are listed on the right hand side of this blog under BLOGS I LOVE. But I have to say my favorite right now is Nichol Magouirk. That girl is the most talented person I have ever "met".

9. "Any tips on attaching ribbon to cards?" Try staples or brads on the ends.

10. "What was the first work of yours that was published and how did you react when you found out it was getting published?" I did a post about my first published card HERE and my reaction HERE.

11. "What is your favorite colors/color scheme?" My favorite colors right now are yellow and turquoise. I really love them together with kraft! :)

12. "What's your fav. t.v. show?" Oh my. I have lots. I can't pick one so to name a few... Dexter (thanks to Jennifer and Jana!), True Blood, So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Keeping up with the Kardashians, I hate to admit this but...Real Housewives of NY and Jersey..I find the drama entertaining, Bethenney Getting Married, Cake Boss, and lots of shows on HGTV. Wow...I watch way too much t.v. LOL

13. "Any advice on how to build supplies for cardmaking on a limited budget?" My best advice would be to invest in stamps. They can be used over and over in different ways. Start with a sentiment/greeting set.

14. "How do you go about submitting your creations/How do you decide which cards to send in for publication consideration?" I will check the magazine calls and see if any of my cards fit what they are looking for. If not and there is a card I think is great then I will submit it to an anything goes call.

15. "How do you organize your stamps?" I'll have pics of this soon so stay tuned. They are in shelves that my sweet hubby built for me up on the wall and in vintage metal baskets.

16. "How long did it take to get your Cards prize box?" You might be waiting awhile Ashley. It took mine 3-4 months! ;)

17. "Can you tell me about the Copic Spica Pens?" Sorry I can't because I don't use them. Maybe you can find some info HERE.

18. "How often do you scrapbook?...Do you prefer SB or cardmaking?" I get to SB about once or twice a month. I enjoy them both equally but I do cardmaking more because its a smaller canvas to work on and I can produce more. I am a super SLOW scrapper.

19. "How is your sister doing?" Thanks for asking Jamie! You're a sweetheart. My sister is doing MUCH, MUCH better. She wanted me to tell you all thank you for all the comments and prayers.

Well I think I answered all your questions. Hope you enjoyed reading. I'll be back soon!

Quick Cards

Hi! I haven't really had any time in my studio to play but I did manage to whip up some cards for the Cards for Kids Drive.... Really quick and really simple. How cute is that typewriter stamp!? I did all pink for girls and green for the boys. I think I'm going to include some stickers inside for them.

That's all I got for now. Have a GREAT weekend! I'll be back soon with the Q&A post. :)

Monkey Party!

Hello friends! Thought I'd share a FEW pictures of this little guy's birthday party... That's my nephew, J.T. He turned three! I absolutely LOVE planning parties and I jumped right in when my sister asked me to help with this year's theme which was MONKEYS!

First...the details. I am a big believer that it is all about the details when planning a party. (Just like on my scrapbook pages and cards) Here are a few examples of that....
These were the "loot" bags. My mom and I were shopping at Pottery Barn Outlet last year (Yes, my sister and I plan ahead! We have the next two years of his birthday themes already picked out! LOL) and I stumbled upon a clearance bin from Halloween and found these BANANA bags! I jumped at the 70% off CLOTH bags and snatched some up!

I made the tags for each bag which included a monkey brad with googly eyes! :) A peek inside... We found plates and cups with lids shaped like monkeys at the dollar store. We also included some Curious George snacks, a wind-up monkey, a monkey figurine, and a noise maker...Moving on to the room. My sister was originally going to set up outside but J.T. was getting a cold and had a breathing treatment so we set up in her basement. Here is the banner I made using Jenni Bowlin chipboard pendants and the slice for the letters...We set up two kids picnic tables and where the umbrella usually goes, I pulled balloons through...

I also made place mats and stamped monkeys all over the paper so the kids could color while we wait for all the guests to arrive. They each received a box of crayons which we used as their name card. We placed some monkey and banana foam stickers on the table as well... The tables were set up with food and a few layouts. One from each of his previous birthdays and that yellow bowl was filled with the Monkey munch that I made. You can find the recipe HERE. So good!
More food along with the confetti that I made by stamping on some circles and cutting out leaves, etc. ...

Moving on to the games! My sister had a bowling game for J.T. that was Mickey Mouse. We just removed the paper and I added some Monkey patterned paper....It was a hit! ...

See that monkey on his hand? That was the "prize" for when they knocked the pins down...love using stamps as prizes! :)

The pinata was up next...

It was a hit as well! ;)

And what's a party without cake (or cupcakes) ... and presents!? ...

The gang...

The kids were not the only ones who had fun! ...

Yep, that's my dad. A big kid at heart. :)

That's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Drumroll please....

Lots of winners to announce!

The winner from THIS post is... MARY PAT

The winner from THIS post is... HEATHER

The winner from THIS post is... SARA

Congrats Ladies! Email me with your address. :)

Okay, off to go help my sister set up for my nephew's birthday party tomorrow. His theme is Monkeys and we are going all out. I'll make sure to take pics so I can share here. I think I want to be a party planner when I grow up. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Lawn Fawn Hearts Cards for Kids BLOG HOP

Hello and welcome to the Lawn Fawn Hearts Cards for Kids Blog Hop! We have all come together today to make cards for this wonderful cause, Cards for Kids! We hope to encourage you to also make cards for this great cause and have fun along the way, too! So please hop along with us, and make sure to leave comments as there will be prizes for commenters and participants! So let's get going! Also, if you are lost in the hop, you can start at the beginning HERE.

I always like to make cards for kids interactive like this one I made for today...The front of the card says, "Can you help Rocky the Raccoon find his friend?" and yes, I put some glossy accents on his mask to give him a little shine...The inside opens to reveal a maze! ...Get your kids involved in the card making process...I had my teenage step-son draw the maze for me. He is going to do mazes with different difficulty levels for each card depending on the child's age. :)

HERE and HERE and HERE are some more examples of interactive cards for kids.

I know that sweet Kelly is giving away prizes but I want to give out a prize too! :) Just leave a comment to this post telling me your favorite stops along the way of this blog hop that inspired you to create a card for Cards for Kids...and I will enter you to win this stamp that I used on today's card...I'll pick a winner tomorrow morning. (ETA: Extending it until Friday morning!) Happy Stamping!

NEXT STOP ON THE BLOG HOP: Jenn

July CARDS Pub & Giveaway!

Hello! Jumping on real quick to share my card that was published in the July issue of CARDS Magazine...A scan of the page...
More detail shots...

I also have a giveaway! Speaking of publications, I have an extra copy of the magazine that I was first published in! :)

Leave a comment asking me anything you want and I will choose a winner on Tuesday night.
(ETA: I am extending this until Friday night. I will post a winner then!)

You will receive this...(April 2010 CARDS magazine) along with some other goodies! I will also answer all the questions on a future Q&A post.

Hope you're weekend is fantastic!

I really want a Silhouette!

Remember THIS post? Well, I finally was able to scrap the pictures and here is what I came up with...

Journaling: "Because of this young man... I got to go to the butterfly show. It's held every year close to our house and I've always wanted to go but never got around to it. Alex surprised me today and took me. (Reason #387,462 why I adore him to pieces.)"

Ahhhh...so nice to use girly stuff. I felt I could get away with it because it was the butterfly show! :)

My super sweet friend Sandi knew that I've been wanting a Silhouette for quite some time so she cut out a bunch of shapes for me. I requested this Hero butterfly. It makes my heart melt! I applied wild honey distress ink to it and sprayed with pearlized water for shine. Added vellum underneath to tone down the patterned papers behind it...

Lovin' the sticker alphabets sheets from October Afternoon and the stitched paper from We R Memory Keepers...

Off to watch some t.v. and then heading to bed. Night! Thanks for stopping by!

Update and Layout...

Thank you so much for the sweet comments and emails about my sister. I truly appreciate every single one of them. She is doing better now (I took her home today!!!) but about two hours after I finished typing the last post (around midnight), I got an emergency phone call from my mom hysterically crying telling me to rush back over to the hospital because Missy was having severe trouble breathing and there were nurses running down the hall and doctor's yelling out orders. It wasn't looking good. I have to say I have never been so scared in my life. As Ted drove me over, I just remember praying hard and in complete disbelief that a routine surgery was now a life changing moment. I'm feeling blessed today that things are on the path back to normal.

I apologize for not being around here. I've stayed day and night taking care of my nephew so that my brother-in-law could stay at the hospital with Missy. To top things off, when I came home on Tuesday to pack some things, my air conditioner BROKE! UGH! Anyone who knows me well is probably gasping right now because my one true nemesis in life is to be hot! LOL I am always warm-blooded anyway and that just sent me over the edge along with the stress. To top it all off, we do not have the extra funds for this very costly repair so....I am going to have to forget about the trip I have been planning to NYC with Alex. Boo! :( Not the best week but moving on before I cry....

I wanted to make sure I share something creative and since I'm NOT staying at my house tonight, I'll share something I have on my computer. Jennifer and I decided to do a photo swap with our son's picture. Here is the layout I did with the pics she sent me of her ADORABLE son Colin...

I made accents out of AC paper by punching out the circles on a piece of patterned paper and pop-dotting them on another patterned paper...

another shot...Journaling written by Jennifer: "People always say that you are a 40-year-old trapped in a 3-yr-old body. It is true! You are so mature and act so grown up, but you still find time to be silly.I love that about you."

Okay, off to find a place to sleep. LOL

Have a GREAT weekend...

Please....

take a moment and say a little prayer for my sister, Melissa. I took her this morning to have a routine hernia (sp?) repair surgery...which was supposed to be outpatient....and she had some isssues breathing afterwards and fluid on her lungs. I took her there at 5:00 this morning and I'm just now getting home at 10:00 p.m. Things are looking better but she still wants to come home soon...missing her son badly....so please send some good thoughts her way. I'll be back soon. Hugs!