I'M BAAAAAACCCCCKKKKK

Well, even though I may not be in "full swing", I did manage to post my Tip of the Week for my commitment as a Diva DT at Creative Scrapbooking Divas Blog.  My tip was a technique I learned back in June that I thoroughly enjoyed and needed to share.  The technique was a Faux Linen technique I first heard about at Come and Get It Challenge Blog.

The result. . . . .

So sorry to all of my followers who may have been on the lookout for new posts.  Life was very demanding as of late, and it was very difficult to find time to set down at the computer and blog away.  I won't lie, I missed it horribly, but with 5 children, a home to keep up, a Sweet 16 party to plan and get underway, on top of being ill for about a week....I'm sure you understand my absence.

I will be better at making time for blogging now that things have seemed to slow down.  Thank you to all of those who stopped by during my absence to see how I was doing....it is so nice to have you all in my life.

Hopefully, I will be back in FULL SWING very soon!!!!!

I Missed you ALL!!!!!

Christmas in July Blog Hop ***CANDY WINNER***

Thanks to Elaine @ ExpressionsbyElaine for hosting such an extraordinary blog hop last weekend.  I gained a lot of new followers and in turn have been able to follow a lot of new blogs myself.  The hop was full of talented creations by all the Hop Stops and I was Honored to be a part of the team!  Thanks to all who made it a grand success.

Thanks also to all of the wonderful comments from all of those who took time out of their busy schedules to hop along.

I have chosen a Blog Candy Winner.....

There were a total of 41 comments.  However, some did not follow my blog which I had stated in my post was required to win the blog candy.  I hate to require that you must be a follower, but to be fair, I chose the winner from the 32 of those who left a comment AND are a follower :o)

The lucky winner chosen by.....

was

  Carri~abusybee www.doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com

abusybee - DoubleClick Connections said...

Super lay-out! Love all the fun patterns on this!

July 23, 2011 12:48 AM

CONGRATULATIONS Carri

Please be sure to get me your address so I can mail out our goodies!!!
My email is strgazrblueyes22477 at yahoo dot com

CSDivas Sunday Challenge: Scavenger Hunt (post #2 today)

Sunday Challenge: Photo scavenger hunt challenge

Sandy, CSDivas Admin Diva, thought it would be fun to have a little scavenger hunt this week!  It sounds like fun to me and I would love to see a lot of entries...WON'T YOU JOIN IN ON THE FUN????

Here are the Rules:

• Go through your home, layouts and cards aka your stash (ie. green marker, it can be an actual marker or a card that you used the marker to embellish)
• Find the item on the list
• Take a photo of it
• Upload to your blog
• Link your post back to here for a chance to win on Saturday, July 30th. (Winner will be picked by random.org)

Here is the list of items to hunt for...

1. Flowers
2. Ribbons
3. Food item/Dinner
4. Glitter
5. Favorite craft item
6. A bed
7. A family member
8. Your most recent picture that you just took (not including this challenge)
9. The color green
10. A card fold ( easel, joy fold, trifold, etc)

Here are mine in order...

1.   Flowers

These bloomed over the last couple of days here at home.  I am gonna have to do a bit of research as to what type of flower they are though.  Can I get any ideas from my green-thumbed friends?????  If they are a weed, I have to say, they are the prettiest weed I ever saw....LOL!

2.   Ribbons

This is one of 4 areas where I keep my ribbon .  

This area is the large wired ribbon.

3.   Food item/Dinner

As I was heading over to upload a pic at my email for #8 on this challenge.....this was staring me in the face....Yummy!!!  Pretty cool article to check out for some great dinner ideas, too @ Food on Shine

4.   Glitter

My "Go To" glitter for handmade flowers with pizazz...just until I get some Diamond Dust

5.   Favorite craft item

Lately, fairy head dresses have been my favorite item to make.  They are so girly and pretty.  Ariana was so excited to make one for herself on Saturday after seeing the one we made for her big sister.

6.   A bed

This is the new headboard Lance and I created about a week ago....if you want some tips on how we did it, go here for more details

7.   A family member

 

Lance Jr. with is newly crafted Rocket Ship we made on Saturday

8.   Your most recent picture that you just took (not including this challenge)

 Haylee chilling on my lap last night on the couch! 

9.   The color green

Probably my favorite GREEN LO 

(but I may be showing a bit of favoritism towards my hottie of a hubby...LOL)

10.   A card fold (easel, joy fold, trifold, etc)

This was McKenzie's beautiful creation and her first attempt 

at a Tri-Fold Card.  

I think she did a FANTASTIC job!

This SCAVENGER HUNT CHALLENGE WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
THANKS DIVA SANDY!
YOU ROCK!

My Craft Channel introduces Kathy aka Crafty Chica

My Craft Channel is at it again.....giving away ANOTHER Cricut E2... and introducing their next host!!!


Stop over to visit Kathy Cano-Murillo.  Her website-Crafty Chica is full of inspiration and ideas.  She is an artist and an author....DOES IT GET ANY BETTER FOR INSPIRATION???

Enter for your chance to win the E2 then be sure to stop back over the next few days to keep entering and meeting some of the awesome people who will be making MCC a great success!!!

Christmas in July hosted by Expressions By Elaine **great line up***

 

Welcome and thank you for joining us for our Christmas in July Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Elaine's blog. If you just happened to stumble upon this hop, please be sure to go back to Elaine's blog @ ExpressionsByElaine so you don't miss any of the wonderful projects we have to share. 

Be sure to visit & follow all the blogs to be entered for the Grand Prize! After you have stopped at all the blogs, be sure to go back to the beginning blog, Elaine @  ExpressionsByElaine  and leave your name in the inlinkz.

My project is a 2 page LO, but I have to apologize for the fuzzy pics...I didn't have my trusty photographer daughter to help this time....LOL!

I hope you enjoy the entire lineup....everyone is so very talented and I, myself, can't wait to see everyone's creations.

I will be offering blog candy to one lucky follower.  Just be sure to follow, if you don't already, and leave a comment on my blog.

 

Don't forget to stop by all the hop stops to enter for your chance to win the Grand Prize.

 

Thank you Elaine for the opportunity to be a part of your Christmas in July Blog Hop!!!

In case you get lost along the way, here is our Hop Lineup!!!

Elaine @ ExpressionsByElaine.blogspot.com 

Jessica @ Jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com ***you are here***

Sylvia @ Bellascrapbookdesigns.blogspot.com 

Lisa @ Indymermaid.blogspot.com 

Amber @ Pixiperfectcreations.blogspot.com 

Rochelle @ Twotearsinmybucket.blogspot.com 

Jen @ Jenscraftcorner.com

Cely @ Hawaiipaperparty.blogspot.com

Chris @ Chatterscene-mom.blogspot.com 

Kimberli @ Kimberliscreations.blogspot.com 

Pat @ Patsscraps.blogspot.com
Shirley @ Lookatmycutestuff.blogspot.com
Tiffany @ Sparkledmemories.blogspot.com 
Georgiana @ Carsonscricutcreations.blogspot.com
Candace @ scrappin2littleprincesses

Now head on over to Sylvia @ Bellascrapbookdesigns.blogspot.co!!!

MCC is at it again with Heidi Swapp today and an E2 giveaway

My Craft Channel is at it again.....giving away ANOTHER Cricut E2... and introducing their 8th host!!!


Stop over to visit Heidi Swapp.  Her blog and FB page are full of inspiration and ideas and she has been featured on HSN!  Enter for your chance to win the E2 then be sure to stop back over the next few days to keep entering and meeting some of the awesome people who will be making MCC a great success!

Post #3 today - My Craft Channel

If you haven't stopped over at MCC yet.....HURRY UP....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  

 I wish I would have stopped over sooner, because 

I am already hooked and can't wait to visit the site daily now.....

GRAB A COMFY SEAT, A CUP OF JOE, AND JUST CLICK BELOW

  
My Craft Channel

 for instant inspiration, ideas, giveaways, 

party planning, crafty stuff....OH MY!  OH MY!

Our Custom Homemade Head Board

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS WEEK . . . .

We also got our bedroom changed around and finally made a custom headboard.  Lance is so super good at being handy in all aspects of things around the house.  I feel so fortunate to have him in my life.  He used up some old ply board we had left over from our Bathroom Remodeling last summer.  He cut 2-6 1/2" by 6 foot slats for the bottom and scalloped the edge of another 18" wide by 6 foot slat for the top.We made a trip to Jo Ann Fabrics to pick up some fabric and were able to finish the headboard in one day.  The fabric we found was a Chenille upholstery that was on clearance...WOO HOOO  I love a bargain.  We really love how it turned out.  It allowed us to place our bed in a corner of the room, finally bring out our new duvet cover and pillows, and put the television on a wall that didn't blur the screen with incoming sunlight.  Now all that is left is to paint the walls and move the red/orange painting to another room....another day for that project though. 

I will be featuring this project on Monday, August 8th at Creative Scrapbooking Divas . . . be sure to visit the Mansion for more details on the project!!! 

I am also linking this project up to You Had Me At Craft:  Made It Myself Mondays

If you haven't started joining these parties, they are SUPER!  You really should take a peek!!!

Thank you for being so patient with me during my busy summer and being a faithful follower.  

A Fairy Special Birthday Party

So sorry if you were expecting more posts from me recently.  McKenzie and I have been working diligently on finishing up some projects and decor for her upcoming Sweet 16 Party in August.  In the last week, we mostly did a lot of outside yard work, but it was a very rewarding week as we were able to:

1 ~ finish up her invitations (used a free fairy image from google that she chose, copy and pasted it to a word doc, added the text and mushroom clip art, and voila....finito)

2 ~ create a card box (used a cardboard box, covered in inverted Christmas wrapping paper, adhered more of another fairy image my dd loved, that we printed on cardstock and fussy cut, stamped images from my inque boutique and inkadinkado clear stamps - trees and swirls and butterfly, cut the word CARDS from Jasmine Cricut Cart for the top of the box, brushed on some Studio G ink and hand-painted details on the front image using acrylic paints)

3 ~ make her Fairy Headdress (used pine garland, wired faux branch, easter ribbon, flowers from stash and new paper flowers I won from Bearly Mine Crafts via the I Am Roses giveaway)

4 ~ decorate a glass bottle as a centerpiece using the matching fairy image, Easter ribbon, and flowers from my stash.

(We are also going to be able to use the cupcake 2-Tier Tray as a Serving Dish for the Party . . . woop woop!)

I am so super excited to be able to share these projects with all of my followers as well as link up to some challenges.

Decorate To Celebrate ~ Kid Birthday Theme Decor

Craft Your Passion - TEXT IT #67 (Card Box)

Flutter By Wednesday's #162 - Photo Inspiration (Card Box and Headdress)

Penny's Paper Crafty #57 - Birthday (Invitations and Card Box)

Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC90 - Eggplant, Fuchsia and Orangesicle (Card Box)

Divas By Design - #6 - Pastels (Vase)

The Paper Shelter - 2 anything with wings (Card Box, Invitations, and Vase)

Crafts and Me #43 -Summertime (Card Box)

All Sorts Week 112 - Free and Easy (Card Box 2/3)

Emerald Faerie Garden #5 - All Things Nice (Invitations 1/3)

These projects are also being linked to the You Had Me At Craft blog, for the Made It Myself Monday Link Up Party as my first of 3 projects eligible to link up.

Thank you for being so patient with me during my busy summer and being a faithful follower.  

500 Follower Cricut Cart Giveaway!

My dear Blend (Blog Friend) Lisa @ A Mermaid's Craft, has reached 493 followers and almost 35,000 hits in only 4 months of blogging.

THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING RIGHT?!?!?!?!

She is a phenomenal friend and a talented artist.  She adds the most fabulous amount of details to all of her projects and they are always so AMAZING!  She visits my blog daily and I have grown quite fond of reading her comments and viewing her blog daily, too.

You know I wouldn't steer you wrong....go visit and be sure to become a follower to help her reach her goal of 500!!!!  She is only ***7 away***

She is giving away this awesome Oldie But Goodie Cricut Cartridge as her Candy.....Picturesque!

Way to go Lisa . . . WE ARE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU SWEETIE!