We now resume our regularly scheduled programming...

Yes, I have been MIA for a while.  I really have no idea what's been going on around here, but I have gotten nothing done the last 2 weeks.  I blame it on illness (not me - the hubs & 2 of 3 kids) and school holidays.  And I think I MAY have had a milder form of the illness as I have been completely exhausted, but that could have been hormonal, lol.

Anyway, I finally managed to finish a layout I started a couple of days ago.  I love working with pictures of my kids when they were younger - these days they just drive me crazy with their clothes everywhere and food crumbs dropped wherever.  So I like to remember the "good old days", like these:

 

That title probably doesn't say what you think it does.  The hubs has told me many times that I sound like an English teacher, and I like a good play on words.  Therefor, "sibling revelry" instead of "sibling rivalry".  And yes, I AM a dork; I like it!

I actually have a few tips & techniques to go along with this layout today. First, the layout itself is from the Magic sketch pattern book.  This pattern contains directions for making a sliding photo, including how to cut the sheet protector.  I thought it was a fun little addition to my layout.  Now, for my paper I wanted to add a little bling, so I turned one of my patterns into glitter paper.  I started with papers from the Sweetheart paper pack, plus some Gypsy cardstock.  Using some Glitz glitter glue (similar to Stickles), I traced the lines on the paper.  I have to say, I got a little heavy handed this time; I was in a hurry to finish as school pick-up time was nearing so I went a little overboard.  Usually when I do this, it turns out looking as good or better than bought glitter paper.  At any rate, I still think it looks pretty good!

For my floral embellishments, I thought it would be neat if they matched the flowers in the paper with the heart shaped petals.  Of course, I don't have any that look like that, but I found some that I could alter a little to work.  I used the Just Blooms paper flowers, and cut between every other petal.  Then I rounded off those corners so they would look more like hearts, and I added some button centers.

My other embellishments include self-adhesive gems in pink, red, & purple, and the Sweetheart MyStickease.  My title was made using the Opposites Attract Cricut cartridge, welded on my Gypsy, and the Irresistibles Lots of Dots alphabet sponged with black ink.

That's it for today - hope I gave you a few helpful tips!

Cricky Across the 50 Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cricky Across the 50 Blog Hop hosted by K Andrew of Getting Cricky! If you are here from Brenda Haskin of Simply Bren is Having too much fun then you are in the right spot. If you just arrived here and would like to start from the beginning please go to KAndrew's Getting Cricky. For this blog hop,  K Andrew is celebrating her big move across the country with a big road trip, and of course this hop across the 50 states.  She has asked us all to post a little bit about the state we are representing, and then to post our Favorite Craft Project. I am representing the great state of Illinois!

 

When you say Illinois, most people immediately think of Chicago, or maybe even the "Land of Lincoln", but there is so much more to this beautiful (but currently stinkin' cold & snow-covered) agricultural state.   Illinois is generally 2nd in corn production (right behind Iowa, of course), with a single county in Central Illinois (McLean County, where we used to live) producing more than most other states.  There are plenty of places to visit outside of Chicago as well, if you like a little different type of attraction.  There's Bishop Hill, an early Swedish settlement, which I always found interesting, probably because I'm partly Swedish.  Also, there is Dickson Mounds, a major on-site archaeological museum where you can study 12,000 years of life in the Illinois River Valley.  And one of my personal favorites, Starved Rock State Park (photo above).  

According to the legend, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise to the name "Starved Rock."  But the reason most people go is for the hiking trails, canyons, and waterfalls.  Bet you didn't know we had those in Illinois!

Now, on to the project! (Click on the photo to see it larger.)

My favorite project is generally whatever I have just finished, so that's what I've decided to share today.  I just love these pictures of my now not-so-little girls!  When they were little they did EVERYTHING together, so I included journaling to that effect.  I used a sketch pattern from the Magic interactive layout pattern book (it includes directions for various ways to make your layouts really MOVE!)  I used papers from the new Sweetheart paper pack, and added some Gypsy and Baby Pink cardstock to match.  For my main title, I used my Cricut and Gypsy with the included Gypsy Wanderings cartridge.  I cut off a decorative element by hand because I liked it better plain, then I sponged the white CS cut with Baby Pink ink.  My subtitle is some Irresistibles Lots of Dots letter stickers sponged with Black ink.  I added some pink ribbon from my stash, and some groupings of embellishments.  They include White Daisy mini-medley, pink & purple brads, heart shaped brads, and some glitter brads.  One quick tip to note:  this sketch called for a 5x5 main photo, but the quality of my photo just wasn't there (this was from film), so I just cropped my 4x6 photo to 4x5, and filled the remaining area with the embellishments.

Finally, time for some blog candy!

I have some great blog candy for you this weekend!  Items include a Perfect Day Level 1 scrapbook kit, a Miracle limited edition kit (complete with pattern sketches), and a You've Got Flair stamp set (which can go from funky to fancy).  Total retail value is over $50!  The rules to win are simple:

• You must be a follower
• Leave a comment by midnight (Central time) on Sunday, February 13.
• THAT'S IT!  I'll have random.org pick a winner on Monday.

Good luck to all!

Please make sure to leave comments on all of the blogs for a chance to win a ton of different Grand Prizes on Getting Cricky's blog, from these great companies:Scrap N Tote, Scrap N Easel, Cri-Kits, Creative Charms, Memory Miser, Scrappy Chic Cafe, Loralie Designs, My Pink Stamper, Peachy Keen Stamps, Cricut Town, The Scrappin' Table, Piktails, and Pink by Design

Please make sure to visit ALL the blogs, as EVERY single blog will have fabulous giveaways (cricut cartridges, paper packs, copic markers, yourstory bundle, clear stamp sets, and tons more). Each blogger was extremely generous with their own personal giveaways

Next stop on the hop is Angela Urell of Creative Crafting.

Sweet & Simple Valentine - sketch challenge

I'm joining the fun in February at the Heart 2 Heart challenge blog.  The first challenge this month is a sketch challenge.  As always, the rules are to use Close To My Heart products.  I came up with a sweet & simple Valentine card using the sketch provided.  Here's the sketch:

I chose to use the sketch as is, on a 5x7 card (my favorite size).  Here's the finished card:

I just love the way this turned out!  I started with some Grey Wool cardstock (gray is the new black!), and stamped with Grey Wool ink using the February stamp of the month set, Friendship.  I also sponged all of the edges with the same ink.

Next, I cut a 2 1/2x4 1/2 panel from one of the patterns in the Sweetheart paper pack, and sponged the edges with Smoothie ink.  I matted the panel with black cut to 2 5/8 x 4 5/8 and adhered it to the card, centered vertically.

I punched three 1 1/2 inch circles from Smoothie cardstock and sponged the edges in the same color.  Using the Connections stamp set, I stamped the larger circle design in Smoothie ink and the smaller design in White Daisy pigment ink, which I embossed with white embossing powder.  I didn't worry about perfect placement of the circles for this design since the overall feel is a little more playful.

Finally, after adhering my circles, I pulled out the package of MyStickease from the Sweetheart line.  I used three identical round elements and popped them up with foam adhesive tape.  I chose a sentiment from the MyStickease, sponged the edges with Smoothie and Grey Wool ink, and adhered it with foam adhesive tape as well.

Here's a shot of the dimension:

If you've got some CTMH supplies, head on over to H2H and play along with the challenges.  If you don't have CTMH supplies, why not?!  Shop online anytime, and play along with any challenge for the entire month.

Submitting this to Tip Junkie's  Tip Me Tuesday handmade projects.

Giveaway Day 3 & CTMH New Product Blog Hop

Good Morning!  I'm posting today's entry early so I can link up to a Linky Party blog hop.  First up, the layout I created for the blog hop - who says pink is just for girls?

My poor son was forced to endure some odd hand-me-downs as a third child after two girls.  However, he absolutely loved that bright pink Trix yogurt when he was younger, so I chose to play it up with the new Sweetheart papers from Close To My Heart (available February1).  I used black for my page bases to tone down the "girly" factor.  I also added accents from the new Sweetheart Level 2 Assortment of epoxy stickers, which are all black with white polka dots.

Here's the entire list of products I used in this layout:

• X7134B Sweetheart Paper Packet (NEW)
• Z1386 Sweetheart Level 2 Assortment (NEW)
• Z1393 Black Mini-Medley Accents Collection (NEW)
• Z1370 Pink Assortment Buttons (NEW)
• Z1261 Lots of Dots Irresistibles alphabet
• E1009 Building Block Alphabet stamp set
• D1348 Priceless Love stamp set
• Z282 Black Hemp
• Z1096 Neutral Assortment embroidery floss (white)
• Z2193 Cotton Candy stamp pad
• Z2102 Baby Pink Stamp Pad (sponged on journaling paper)
• Z2105 Black stamp pad
• date stamp (office supply), notebook edge punch (SU)

Now, for the giveaway and rules!  Today, I'm adding a little twist.  One commenter will win, PLUS if they tell me who referred them to my blog that person will also win!  Each person will win the Around the Block stamp set, and a paper pack or kit based on what they tell me in their comment.  Here's an image of the stamp set :

Now, here are the rules:

• One entry per person, and please be sure I have a way to contact you.
• You must be a follower.
• In your comment, tell me who referred you (if applicable); if you are mainly a scrapbooker, cardmaker, or other paper crafter; and what themes or subjects you work with most.
• Entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, February 2nd.

2011 Color of the Year

Did you know that Pantone announces a Color of the Year every year?  That's right, the people who are the first AND last word in color have given us what promises to be the most popular color in home and fashion this year.  And we all know how paper crafting follows these trends, right?  So, this year's color is RGB 203-101-134:

I know, that is quite a bright shade of pink!  But you can be sure to find similar shades in many scrapbook lines this year, and boy do they look great.  As an example, let me give you a little sneak peek of some products from Close To My Heart that will be available beginning February 1.

Announcing Sweetheart!  Actually darker than it seems here because of the specific papers used, this paper pack features the colors Baby Pink, Black, Cotton Candy, and Tulip.  Coordinating MyStickease includes loving sentiments and titles, along with hearts, flowers, brackets, and more.  The Sweetheart Workshop Kit contains the paper pack, a sweet exclusive stamp set, a Sweetheart assortment of 32 epoxy stickers in black with white polka dots, and a workshop guide, all at the discounted price of $29.95.

Presenting Sophia!  Named for Close To My Heart founder Jeanette Lynton's new granddaughter, these papers are full of fun flowers, stripes, dots, and phrases.  Featured colors are Blush, Goldrush, Hollyhock, and Pear.  (Hollyhock happens to be one of my favorite CTMH colors; it's the "perfect pink"!)  Coordinating MyStickease contain flowers, borders, and flourishes, and a great title piece.  The Sophia Workshop Kit contains the paper pack, the exclusive Sophia stamp set, a pink button assortment, Colonial White Waxy Flax, and a workshop guide, all for the discounted price of $29.95.

Return to Mayberry!  These pretty paper designs hearken back to a simpler time, including a quilted looking pattern and a slightly aged feel.  Coordinating MyStickease images include a cruiser bike, clouds, a kite, pennants, fruit & more, plus possible titles of Life is beautiful and Life's little Moments.  The Mayberry Workshop Kit includes a paper pack, an exclusive Mayberry stamp set, a package of canvas badge buttons, and a workshop guide, all for the discounted price of $29.95.

Other new products full of pink charm are the Sophia Journaling Spots, Pink Assortment Brads, and Pink Collection Ribbon (featuring the most beautiful flower ribbon EVER).  Be watching as February 1st approaches for more previews of Sweetheart, plus see the prettiest ribbon in the Pink Collection for the first time!

The online catalog is not available until February 1st, so if you NEED to see it sooner be sure to contact me to get your own copy!  While we wait, think PINK, and don't forget about the great January special promotion including the new Wings Workshop Kit.  You can view January's Inspiration brochure here and check it out for yourself.  Ready to order?  Be sure to visit my website for the fastest service, or email me for more information.  Need to see more ideas using January's new products?  You can see my earlier blog posts here and here.