hooray!  

it’s finally time for The Sampler’s first blog hop EVER!!!!!!!!!!  we are so excited to have you joining us on this little adventure and ready to inspire you with April’s kit and shower you with some FABULOUS prizes  come on down!

we are running the hop from today, April 27th through next Friday, May 4th so you have plenty of time to hop around and enter to win!  each of us has some great inspiration for you using this month’s kit and the theme: brads.  at every blog on this route you will find some really sweet ways to use The Sampler’s kit, and enter for your chance to win a “sampling” of The Sampler’s best goodies valued at $25-30 — so the stakes are pretty high!  i promise you won’t be disappointed

i came up with a pretty fun tutorial using brads, which you can see on The Sampler’s NEW blog, in my post from yesterday.  here is the card i made showcasing my new embellishment!!!

for my blog, all i’m asking you to do is leave a comment for a chance to win my prize!  i will give you a bonus entry if you use my star technique on a project and share a link back in the comments as well!  i can’t wait to see the different ways this technique can be used on projects  i’m really excited because i have never had the ability to give anything away on my blog before so i hope that i will have a good turn out…

if you’re starting out here, your next stop on your way is the lovely and talented Amber Goble!  if you enjoyed my inspiration this week then you will definitely LOVE Amber’s – so go check her out!  don’t forget to stop at each blog along the way to find out how you can win the other ladies’ prizes and get some more great ideas!!!  here’s the route:

★ HOLLY ★
YOU ARE HERE! –> ★ SHAUNNA ★ <– YOU ARE HERE!
★ AMBER ★
★ AMY S. ★
★ AMY C. ★
★ NANCY ★
★ THE SAMPLER ★

i hope you have a great time joining us for this, and we are really hoping this will be a huge success so we can keep having more of them

we also have a card challenge AND a sketch challenge running now through May 20th, so be sure to check that out as well!

if you haven’t yet, you should also visit Scrapbooking Supplies R Us to check out all the great deals and products they have available, as well as get your very own Sampler kit.  i’m not going to give anything away but you had better keep your eyes open for the May kit – it is going to ROCK YOUR WORLD!  i can’t wait to show it off!!!!!!!  thanks for coming by to visit me today, and don’t forget you have until next Friday to play along with our hop!

peace, love and stickers -

shaunnaRooskie

SUPPLIES:

* Cardstock – Bazzill “Adobe” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Patterned Paper – American Crafts “Hello Sunshine – Gossamer” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Twine – October Afternoon “Sasparilla” Wrap Pack (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Brads – Bazzill “glow” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Journal spot (graph paper) – Lily Bee “Buttercup” index journaling cards (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Alpha – Lily Bee “Buttercup”

hi everyone!

here really quick to share details about this month’s card and sketch challenges from The Sampler, as well as a few more goodies i made with this month’s kit

but first, i must share THIS piece of information!

so very exciting!  The Sampler is hosting their first ever blog hop – PRIZES AT EVERY STOP! – so come out and join us on April 27th for inspiration and PRIZES.  PRIZES!!!  okay, everyone loves prizes.  incentive to come check it out!  our design team has some great stuff in store for you  more details to come soon!

anyway, on to the challenges!

both challenges start TODAY and run through May 19th at 11:59PM EST, so you have plenty of time to work on your creations!  you can enter as many times as you’d like for both challenges, International participants are welcome to join as well.  winners will receive a “Sample” of goodies from The Sampler.  here is the inspiration for this month’s card challenge, from PageMaps – as well as my take on this sketch:

sketch from [ PageMaps ]

my take on this month’s sketch

i really liked the stitched lines and the trifold card look this sketch had to it, so i took that idea and ran with it!  shows how a sketch can go beyond just a straight copy!

here’s this month’s sketch for the sketch challenge, courtesy of our very own Holly King

you can stop by The Sampler’s NEW blog and check out today’s post for our other designer’s takes on these challenges, as well as more information about how to enter these challenges.

a few other things i had worked on for my post yesterday on The Sampler’s blog:

having so much fun with this kit!!!  it’s very “card-worthy”

be back soon with more exciting stuff —

peace, love and stickers -

shaunnaRooskie

———-

SUPPLIES:

“live life to the fullest” card
* Cardstock – Core’dinations Kraft Core No. 9 (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Patterned Paper – Webster’s Pages “Clean & Simple – Sunday Picnic” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Ribbon, Twine – October Afternoon “Sasparilla” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Flower – KaiserCraft resin flower “Orchid” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Stamp – Hero Arts / Michael’s
* Ink – Stampabilities Black Dye

“checklist” card
* Cardstock – Bazzill “Adobe” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Patterned Paper – Lily Bee “Harvest Market – Harvest Blue”; Simple Stories “Documented” 4×6 vertical journal cards (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Lace, Twine – October Afternoon “Sasparilla” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Charm – Prima Vintage Trinkets (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Flower – KaiserCraft resin flower “Orchid” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Tab – Lily Bee Index Journaling Cards “Buttercup” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Brads – Bazzill 5mm brads in Glow and Tropical (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Alpha – Lily Bee “Buttercup”

“hello” bookmark card
* Cardstock – Bazzill “Adobe” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Patterned Paper – Webster’s Pages “Clean & Simple – Sunday Picnic”; Prima “Almanac – Wordsmith” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Twine – October Afternoon “Sasparilla” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Charm – Prima Vintage Trinkets (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* Flower – KaiserCraft resin flower “Orchid” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)
* “Hello” - Lily Bee Index Journaling Cards “Buttercup” (from The Sampler April 2012 kit)

sharing my space over at the Sampler’s blog today!  go check out my post for the deets!

there’s even a bit about how i made this sweet raised wall decor out of recycled Priority Mail boxes.  i wanted raised 3D letters that looked like they have foam squares behind them – the solution was actually easier than i thought!

and a few new creations to share, using the March and April kits from The Sampler:

a quick, cute card using the April kit

and a bookmark card made with the March kit, inspired by: 

from Hero Arts via Pinterest

:/

i kind of suck at blogging.  if you’ve ever gone through my blog history you will know there are just periods where i stop writing stuff.  i guess those are the times when life catches up with me, and i prefer not to be overwhelmed so some things just end up falling by the wayside.  blogging is always one of those.  so my sincerest apologies to those who visit regularly, i have just had a lot of craziness going on lately.

now on to the updates!  yay!  lots of stuff has been going on around here…

1. PROJECTS

i have worked on a few things for The Sampler using this month’s kit.  i really love the kit – very boyish but still very versatile.  there’s a lot of goodies from the American Crafts “Chap” line, which i am in love with and would love to have more of.

“miss u” card – The Sampler March Card Challenge

The Sampler is running a card challenge through April 19th at 11:59PM EST, and this month we are featuring a sketch from PageMaps as the inspiration for the challenge.  head over to The Sampler’s blog for more info, the sketch, and our inspiration for you.  a prize pack from The Sampler is at stake, so don’t miss out!

“slip & slidin’” – The Sampler March Sketch challenge

our two oldest, and my youngest cousin.  i hate the fact that i don’t journal because i could share so much about this event. ::sigh::  maybe i should just write it on the back.  our oldest (my stepdaughter) had never played on a slip-n-slide before because in Texas, at least where we live, there isn’t really room in your yard to do this.  i mean, our backyard is literally like the size of a small animal enclosure.  so when we visited Ohio last summer, my uncle got this out for them and they had such a blast!  i actually had fun taking the pictures, too, a bit scary at times but i got a TON of really amazing shots.  i made an 8.5×11″ version of this month’s sketch, which you can see over at The Sampler’s blog, as well as enter for your chance to win a prize pack from The Sampler!  the deadline is also April 19th at 11:59PM EST, so you’ve still got a bit of time!  love to see other takes on this sketch – it’s a really interesting sketch to work with!

Kellan’s shadowbox – The Sampler March kit

i couldn’t resist these die cuts for the Silhouette as soon as they came out!!!!  i had to make one!!!!!  Lori Whitlock has been releasing some fantastic 3D die cuts lately, among them this cute 3D shadowbox (8×10 version).  she has a really great series of videos on her YouTube page as well, that guides you through the process of assembling, which i found to be very simple thanks to those videos.  about 97% of this stuff is The Sampler’s March kit, minus the truck, sailboat, yo-yo, felt corners & red heart.  there are other pieces that came from The Sampler’s January kit as well.  i really love how it turned out – but i need to get a bigger easel for it!

2.  Tattooed.  Again.

just randomly.  i’ve wanted to get it put on me somewhere for a while, so it’s on my right wrist opposite the stars on my left wrist.  it was pretty awesome.  courtesy of Ink Pit Tattoo on Beach Street in Ft. Worth.

3.  Reading List.

figured i could update this as i go along.  i have polished off three of the books from my “100 Books to Read Before i Die” list.  and really, thoroughly enjoyed all three of them despite the fact that i would probably have never selected them if i weren’t sticking to my list of “classics”.  i’m glad that i read them!

“Pride & Prejudice” by Jane Austen

okay, i admit it.  sometimes i try to put off a tough chick exterior, but i’m completely a sap for this kind of stuff.  i just hate to admit it!  this book was so awesome, i’m telling you, if you like to read books and haven’t read this book, put it on your list!  this is my type of romance novel – i love how gritty Eliza is, i really can relate to her character a lot, and i find myself falling in love with Mr. Darcy in about the same fashion that she does.  i also have to say that the dad is my favorite character… but i’ll just leave you to it!

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens

i know that March seems a pretty weird time to read this, but i thought, why not?  a good way to bring Dickens into my book world.  i learned pretty quickly that i know this book almost word for word, despite the fact that i’ve never read it but seen so many movie versions that don’t leave any piece of this out, so i wasn’t surprised a bit by anything.  it was pretty fun to read, though, it’s a lot different reading a story then watching a movie, and i liked how this was pretty short and light throughout so it was a really easy read.

“Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne

LOVED IT.  so much.  i was actually pretty sad when i finished it last night.  i loved all the characters, and it was a really crazy interesting story with lots of twists and turns, and i was always thinking “what’s next?”  this book wasn’t originally on my list, but it was one that i considered a “classic” that should have been on my list when i was browsing the free books, so i settled on it immediately.  glad i did.  it was fantastic.  – BFF SHANNON:  you really should read it!  you will def like it!!!

i started on “The Scarlet Letter” last night, but… well… i’m sure it’s a good book, but it’s really depressing so far, and i passed out reading it.  i think i might take a break from the list for a while and read the “Hunger Games” series, since everyone is raving about it.  i hate falling into those trends.  but i’ll give it a shot.

one more thing before i take off…

“droids in love”

i haven’t been crocheting a lot lately, these have actually been done for a while… just kept forgetting to take pics of them!  made the Artooie for Travis for Valentines/celebrating his new office, so he could add it to his collection of crocheted guys i have made for him.  then i got the idea to change up the colors and made the pink one – she’s really cute  (and mine!)  i have a few more of these in the pipeline that i would like to do, just need to stop creating more projects for myself!  the pattern is FREE, by the way, which is really awesome, courtesy of Penelope Senior @ peneknitcrochet !!!

besides the fact that Game of Thrones has started back up again (YESSSS!) i have nothing else really exciting to report for now.  but i’ll be back later in the week with more to share, i’m sure, i know i always say that but i’m definitely going to try  have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

peace, love and stickers -

shaunnaRooskie

SUPPLIES:

“miss u card”
* Cardstock – Bazzill? (white, light blue) from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Patterned Paper – American Crafts “Chap – Richard & James” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Felt – Creative Imaginations Creative Cafe from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Diecut – My Mind’s Eye “Lime Twist – Out of the Blue – Family” Balloon diecut from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Alpha – October Afternoon “Mini Market – gray & cream” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Bling – Doodlebug “mini jewels – bumblebee assortment” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Black fine-tip Sharpie
* Foam squares

“slip & slidin”
* Cardstock – Bazzill? (white, grey) from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Patterned Paper – Echo Park “A Boy’s Life – Imagination” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Transparency – Hambly “Mini Bicycles – yellow” 12×12 from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Alphas – American Crafts “Meadow” Thickers; October Afternoon “Mini Market – gray & cream” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Bling – Doodlebug “mini jewels – bumblebee assortment” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Flair, Tab – American Crafts “Chap” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Foam squares

“Kellan’s shadowbox”
* Cardstock – Hobby Lobby “The Paper Studio” (kraft)
* Patterned Paper –  American Crafts “Chap – Richard & James”; Echo Park “A Boy’s Life – Imagination” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Transparency – Hambly “Mini Bicycles – yellow” 12×12 from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Felt – Creative Imaginations Creative Cafe from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Alphas – American Crafts “Meadow” Thickers; October Afternoon “Mini Market – gray & cream” from The Sampler March 2012 kit
* Wood “K” – Pink Paislee “Wood Shop – Wood Chip” alpha from The Sampler January 2012 kit
* Chipboard – My Mind’s Eye “Kraft Funday Everyday Fun” chipboard – from The Sampler January 2012 kit
* Truck, Yo-Yo – Paper Bliss
* Sailboat – Jolee’s
* Heart – misc felt from Paper Lovelies March 2012 kit
* Felt corners – Pat Catan’s
* Silhouette SD
* Die cut – 3D 8×10 Shadow Box by Lori Whitlock, Silhouette Online Store

“droids in love”
* Yarn – Red Heart Super Saver in Skipper Blue, Grey Heather, Soft White, Hot Red, Turqua & Pretty n’ Pink
* Hook – 3.75mm (F)
* misc buttons
* polyfil stuffing
* Patterns – R2-D2 by Penelope Senior; Corazoncitos amigurumi hearts pattern by Mia Zamora Johnson

hi everyone!  the March kits are in over at Paper Lovelies, and i’m really excited to share with you

when i opened my kit this month, i literally almost fell over!  Echo Park “A Boy’s Life”!!!  i was seriously going to buy this with my birthday money from my gramma – so it was like a little unintentional happy birthday to me, and i thanked Carrie @ Paper Lovelies gratuitously for it.  she included some really fun extras with this kit as well, so it’s like EXTRA worth the $15.

here’s what you get:

★ Echo Park “A Boy’s Life” 12×12 double-sided patterned papers (1 each)

★ Echo Park “A Boy’s Life” 12×12 element sticker sheet

★ Echo Park “A Boy’s Life” 12×12 alphabet sticker sheet

★ Jenni Bowlin bingo card (1), chipboard butterflies (3)

★ Bazzill flowers – assorted colors (3)

★ Tim Holtz game piece (1) and tickets (2)

★ Maya Road kraft owl die cut (1)

★ American Crafts jewel brads (2)

★ diecut cardstock camera (1), clouds (2), banners (5)

★ diecut felt sailboat (1), wagon (1) – color varies

really a lot of fun stuff to work with in this kit.  i am still really enjoying it, have some cutouts made to alter some wooden letters for my son’s room – just haven’t been in “crafty” mode much lately, so i am rolling along slowly on the projects i have going.  but will post updates when i have some to share

for now, here are two things i have created so far using Paper Lovelies’ March kit – i’m sure there will be more, as i am so in love with everything about this kit that i really can’t decide which projects i want to use it on!  you should definitely go pick up yours while they are stille handy!

thanks for stopping by today

peace, love and stickers -

i really have been a bad blogger lately

just so many things going on – family stuff, projects (that either I or my best friend create for me), computer issues… i feel like i haven’t even gotten a moment of actual “leisure” time in between everything that’s going on lately!  not to mention, i turned the Dirty Thirty last Friday… lots of prep work and last-minute procrastinating that led me to be up until 4AM or later most nights plugging away at something or other!  okay, no lie, i am ALWAYS up until 4AM or later.  but usually reading instead of crafting or baking.

segway:  reading – finished the Little House series and have moved on to Pride and Prejudice, since it was on the top of my list.  and so many people seem to like it, i felt like it would be a good place to start tackling my “100 books to read before i die” list.  i’m not even ashamed to admit at this point that i really like it so far.  i really never thought i would read it, so i am pleased that i am enjoying it so far.  it’s pretty funny and i like the characters and storyline a lot.  my favorite character so far is the dad.  he reminds me of the dad from Meet Me in St. Louis, absolutely one of my all-time favorite musicals.  i will update more on that as i make my way through the book!

now, on to the inspo!

bringing you a few cards that i busted out using The Sampler’s February 2012 kit, “Oh Penelope”.  i meant to post this last Thursday but due to all the craziness going on i completely forgot it was Thursday last week, and didn’t end up getting my post up  told you i was a bad blogger.  but nevertheless, i am here now to share.  i mentioned earlier in the month that i would be featuring various sketches this month with all the projects i create, and i thought i might dig up one of my own personal sketches for this post.  the mustaches were my inspo on this – really wanted to replace the stars on the sketch with mustaches but it just didn’t work out the way i envisioned.  i did, however manage to come up with some great samples to boost your creativity using this month’s The Sampler kit!

to find out more and see the sketch i used, read my post from Thursday over on The Sampler’s blog.  of course, i would love to see what you create with my sketch and a link back to my site is always greatly appreciated

BONUS!!!

this little card i made really fast last night when i was working with the Paper Lovelies kit and needed an inspo boost – “Oh Penelope” was still sitting off to the side of my workspace, tempting me, so i put this together real quick:

it was sooo simple, too!  took less than 20 minutes and gave me the push i needed to finish up a few projects using next month’s Paper Lovelies kit – really excited to share that with you here in the next few days – i was sooooooooo in love with that kit when i got it in the mail that i almost fell over!  it was really hard to decide what projects i was going to use it for because i really wanted to do so much with it, but i’m pleased with what i have come up with so far.  stop back by in the next few days to check it out

well that’s all for me, i need to get myself in bed!  thanks for stopping by today!!

peace, love and stickers -

SUPPLIES:

“you are my favorite”

* Patterned Paper - Hambly “Little Hearts on Kraft”; My Mind’s Eye “Love Me – Stamped & Doilies”; Echo Park “Times & Seasons – Spiffy Moustache”; Simple Stories “Year-O-Graphy – Simple Basics Blue/Newsprint”; Jenni Bowlin “Red Black Extension – School Dress” (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)
* Cardstock – Bazzill Dotted Swiss – butter (from The Sampler February 2012 kit); Hobby Lobby – white (personal stash)
* Sticker - Echo Park “Times & Seasons” cardstock stickers (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)
* Ribbon – May Arts twill with blue stripe (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

“you are my sunshine”

* Patterned Paper - My Mind’s Eye “Love Me – Doilies”; Echo Park “Times & Seasons – Spiffy Moustache”; Simple Stories “Year-O-Graphy – Simple Basics Blue/Newsprint”
* Cardstock – Bazzill Dotted Swiss – butter (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)
* Transparency – Hambly grid – pink (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)
* Stickers –  Echo Park “Times & Seasons” cardstock stickers (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)
* Pearls – KaiserCraft – latte (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

“good luck”

* Patterned Paper - Echo Park “Times & Seasons – Spiffy Moustache”; Simple Stories “Year-O-Graphy – Simple Basics Blue/Newsprint”; Jenni Bowlin “Red Black Extension – School Dress”
* Ribbon – May Arts
* Stickers –  Echo Park “Times & Seasons” cardstock stickers (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)
* Pearls – KaiserCraft – latte (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

hi all!

so, i’m two days late posting this.  blame it on The Sims.  i haven’t actually been playing though, or building houses… all i want is for it to work on my computer the way it always worked before. 

i have uninstalled and reinstalled it 3x now… it is now no longer on my MacBook for the time being.  it will be, probably tomorrow, after i get around to getting BootCamp set up on here so i can make a Windows partition and play my games normally.  mostly, the games they come out with for Macs are not the good games, or they are sorry ports of PC versions, so they don’t work as well and don’t get tested as thoroughly before being released.  sadly, after my jaunts through many a forum trying to piece this puzzle together, i found that Mac users in general are complaining about the latest Expansion Pack and how it pretty much breaks everything – especially if you run Custom Content from sites other than EA, which i do excessively.  my problem?  i suppose.  i love my MacBook though, and thanks to people who are smarter than me who have also had the same problem, i now have a solution.  am i entitled to complain about it?  absolutely.  i paid a lot of money to have all the Expansions and stuff, so i could have the game.  i actually paid – not pirated.  so i’m out… $50 for the original game, $30-40/each for 5 expansions and $20/each for 5 stuff packs.  WTF?!  yes, i spent $300 over the course of the last 3 years buying these games, and they say “PC/MAC” on the box, so …. i should be able to use it, right?  RIGHT?!  yeah, apparently if i want to have a Mac, not without a whole bunch of hassle first.  let me just say this:  it took the program 2.5 HOURS to load the other night before i could play anything and then the gameplay was so laggy and terrible that it wasn’t even worth bothering.  and since then, i’ve been on this quest.

but i digress, and apologize horribly for the g33k breakdown i just had.

what were we talking about again?  oh, right!!  The Sampler!  February Card Challenge!

[ image via Etsy ]

MOUSTACHES!!!

that’s the theme this month, and we’re hoping this image will inspire you to make some really cute cards with this month’s kit, “Oh, Penelope“.  it definitely inspired us!  here is what Amber, Amy S., and I came up with for this challenge:

[ by Amber ]

[ by Amy S. ]

[ by ME  ]

i totally have so much fun playing with this kit!  there are so many fun little tidbits in there to use for stuff like this… i love how all of our cards turned out for this challenge, and i can’t wait to see what you put together too!  come join us – the challenge runs through March 9th at 11:59PM so you have a whole month to think about it  and if you haven’t picked up the February kit, “Oh, Penelope” yet, then go on over to Scrapbooking Supplies R Us and grab yourself a little Valentine’s Day treat  you know you want to!

get your challenge submissions linked up to the Sampler’s blog, via the inLinkz widget on the challenge post for your chance to win a prize package from the Sampler!  plus you get to make a really cool card so it’s a two-fer

well that’s about it for me for now, back to fighting the good fight… with my crochet hook!  i’m done with that awful mess of a game for right now, gotta finish up some last minute V-day goodies and whatnot and then maybe play some Halo because all the headache of dealing with THAT situation makes me want to kill some aliens.  excessively.

in the words of the famous LeVar Burton, i’ll see ya next time.

SUPPLIES:

* Cardstock – Core’dinations “Stormy Gray”, Bazzill Dotted Swiss “Butter” (from the Sampler February 2012 kit); Bazzill black (personal stash)

* Patterned Paper – Simple Stories “Year-o-Graphy – Blue/Newsprint”, My Mind’s Eye “Love Me – Doilies” (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

* Bling – KaiserCraft Pearls “Latte” (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

* Butterfly – FabScraps (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

* Banner – My Mind’s Eye “Kraft Funday Everyday Banners” (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

* Stickers – Echo Park “Times & Seasons” cardstock stickers (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

* Ribbon – May Arts twill with olive stripe & twill with blue stripe (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

* Journal Card – Lily Bee “Memorandum” index cards (from The Sampler February 2012 kit)

* EK Success corner rounder

inspired by the upcoming arrival of The Sampler owner Holly’s new daughter, whom she will be naming Penelope (SO CUTE!)…

we are proud to present this month’s The Sampler kit, Oh Penelope!  this kit is just absolutely STUFFED with amazing goodies for you to play with.  it includes facets of Valentine’s, Fun, Family… and some delicious Echo Park / Hambly / etc / etc / etc. goodies for you to play with!!!

so fabulous!  jog on over to Scrapbooking Supplies R Us to see more pictures of this amazing kit.  here’s what you get:

* (1) sheet Core’dinations – Kraft-Core #6
* (1) sheet Core’dinations – Kraft-Core #16
* (1) sheet Core’dinations – Snowflake
* (1) sheet Core’dinations – Stormy Gray
* (1) sheet Bazzill Dotted Swiss (butter)
* (1) sheet Echo Park “Times & Seasons – Spiffy Moustache”
* (1) sheet Simple Stories “Year-O-Graphy – Simple Basics Blue/Newsprint”
* (1) sheet My Mind’s Eye “Love Me – Doilies”
* (1) sheet My Mind’s Eye “Love Me – Stamped”
* (1) sheet Jenni Bowlin “Red Black Extension – School Dress”
* (1) sheet Crate Paper “Random – Victorian”
* (1) sheet Hambly “Mini Graph Overlay” (pink)
* (1) sheet Hambly “Little Hearts on Kraft” (red)
* (1) pkg KaiserCraft Pearls (latte)
* (1) pkg Lily Bee Design “Memorandum – ABC Cardstock Stickers”
* (1) booklet Fundamentals Petites Alphabet sticker (kraft)
* (4) FabScraps Metal Butterflies
* (1) pkg Hambly Remnants Rub-ons (white)
* (1) pkg My Mind’s Eye “Kraft Funday – Everyday Fun Wood Banners”
* custom hexagons in gray velvet & canvas
* (3) FabScraps fabric brads (red)
* (1) pkg Lily Bee Design “Memorandum – Index Journaling Cards”
* (3) lengths May Arts ribbon (twill w/ olive stripe, twill w/ blue stripe, white grosgrain)

SO. STUFFED!  there are about a million different ways to use up this kit, and i’ll be back throughout February to share some ideas and tips with you!  look for my Thursday posts over on The Sampler’s Blog as well as here on my blog for more ways to work with “Oh, Penelope”.  i’ll be back ASAP with a picture of the first layout i created with this kit, as well as our card challenge on the 10th!  so you’ll definitely want to check back in soon!

now for today’s Life.in.Lists:

I “HEART” FLAVOR.

Tami relates a story about Baskin-Robbins to open up today’s post.  unlike Tami (who shockingly chose vanilla!) i have always been a bit adventurous.  i remember going to BR myself as a kiddo, and the first thing i wanted was mint chocolate chip (since it was green, and, at the time my favorite color was green)… that started a love affair that has never ended.  my grandparents will tell you that i would go as far as ordering mint chocolate chip with pineapple or strawberry topping every time we went to Friendly’s for a sundae.  i’ve always been the weirdo that likes fruit in my salad and dessert as a part of my meal.  i will try anything – at least once – but i’m so fond of food that it doesn’t really even matter anymore!  so today’s post will be a fun one for me:  Today, some of my favorite flavors are…

* Mint.  anything and everything mint, preferably peppermint but definitely NOT spearmint.  it’s my favorite flavor AND scent.
* Chocolate.  nuff said.
* Coffee.  any kind, iced or hot.  i’m down.
* Raspberry/Blackberry.  my dad started this one with blackberry picking when i was a kid.
* Beef.  is that allowed? lol.  i love beef in all its many forms – especially stroganoff
* BACON.  baconbaconbaconbaconbacon.  i love bacon.  especially if mayonnaise is touching it.  i actually thought to make a bacon and mayo casserole once.  yeah i know it’s gross.  and prob REALLY bad for you.  but i’d eat it

allrighty, well that’s all for me for today!  thanks for taking the time to stop by – i’ll be back soon with some great inspo for The Sampler’s February kit

peace, love and stickers -

it’s here!  February’s Paper Lovelies kit is just overflowing with romantic, shabby goodies – just in time for those Valentine’s projects and layouts

it’s really gorgeous!  there is really a lot of stuff in this kit, too – even stamps!  here’s what you get:

★ KaiserCraft “Sweet Nothings” 12×12 double-sided papers (2 each):  Dozen Roses, Devoted, You & Me, With Love, Sincerely, All Yours, Silver Lining, Cupid’s Arrow, Love Letters, Memories

★ KaiserCraft “Memories” die cut sheet (1)

★ Jillibean Soup 12×12 corrugated alpha – white (1)

★ KaiserCraft pearls – blush (1)

★ small red felt heart (1)

★ Maya Road mini ruler (1)

★ Jenni Bowlin bingo card – red (1)

★ Prima mini bouquet – color varies (1)

★ Maya Road wood spool (1)

★ Maya Road game pieces (2)

★ Hug Snug seam binding – white (24″)

★ May Arts rosette ribbon – red (12″)

★ KaiserCraft “With Love” mini stamp set (1)

so very exciting

to get you started with some inspiration, you can check out my samples below, or visit our other designer’s blogs to see their creations:

★   AMBER   ★   ILENE   ★   KASSIDY   ★   LISA   ★   SARA   ★   CARRIE   ★   NANCY   ★

and here are mine:

this kit absolutely has a bazillion possibilities!!!  you definitely need to check out Paper Lovelies before they sell out – they go FAST!!!  don’t forget to stop by the Paper Lovelies Facebook page from time to time to participate in giveaways and see other creations made by the Paper Lovelies fan club!

thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today.  make sure you stop by The Sampler’s blog tomorrow to see the ultra-fabulous-super-amazing layout i made to finish off this month’s kit!

peace, love & stickers 

SUPPLIES:

“Tiny Toes”

• Patterned Paper – KaiserCraft “Sweet Nothings – You & Me, Sincerely, Cupid’s Arrow” (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Alpha – Jillibean Soup (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Flowers – Prima (rosettes from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit; petaled from personal stash)
• Pearls – KaiserCraft (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Mini ruler, game piece – Maya Road (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Hug Snug seam binding (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Rub-on – Basic Grey (personal stash)
• Metal charm – ??? (personal stash)

“With Love”

• Patterned Paper – KaiserCraft “Sweet Nothings – You & Me, Sincerely, Memories, Silver Lining, With Love” (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Pearls – KaiserCraft (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)
• Stamp “With Love” – KaiserCraft (from Paper Lovelies Feb. 2012 kit)

just wanted to stop in really quickly and share a card with you that i made yesterday for The Sampler Kit Club, using the January 2012 kit

it’s so simple, but i love it because it was a great way to use up bits & pieces of leftovers from the kit!  everything is from The Sampler’s January 2012 kit “Ready, Set, GO!”, minus the kraft, the mini brad, and the woodgrain embossing folder – those were from my hoard.  this card was also a great excuse to try out the woodgrain embossing folder that i bought at Hobby Lobby the other day.  i can’t say i’m fully pleased with it as yet… this emboss was done on a piece of the Core’dinations from the kit, and the emboss seemed to almost come right through the paper!  this piece was the second attempt.  the first i had run through the Cuttlebug twice, as i usually do to get a nice crisp emboss, and the paper was perforated all the way through in some places!  this second one was a little better, since i only ran it through once.  it was still a tidbit fragile and wanted to perforate in places if i manipulated it too much.  maybe i’m using the wrong combo of embossing plates or something… idk, i’m a n00b when it comes to this embossing stuff (heat or dry)!

the brand of this particular folder was “The Paper Studio” which is Hobby Lobby’s flagship scrapbooking brand.  comparatively, i never really have a problem with “The Paper Studio” products – they are generally pretty durable and quality is pretty good, and they keep up with the current trends at a fraction of the price.  this folder was originally $4.99, but with the 40% off any one item coupon, i snagged it for $2.99.  it didn’t seem to vary much from the Cuttlebug and Sizzix folders i have that have produced nice embosses in the past.  i will certainly be trying it again, possibly with some different / thicker paper in the future, and i will hopefully be able to give a more accurate review of this product then

[ PS - this is my personal, honest opinion and the tested results of the use of this product.  Hobby Lobby and/or "The Paper Studio" is in no way compensating me for this review, howevermuch i wish they would!!!!!  ]

oh! anyway, back to the card.  i have a tutorial for the flowers made on this card and the “hey you” card i posted earlier in the month for the reveal of The Sampler kit, so head HERE, to The Sampler’s blog, to read that post and make you own cute, quick little flowers for your own creations.  i made three flowers during the tutorial, these were a bit different from the flower from the original card, but you can achieve either result with my tutorial.

*** UPDATE ***

Shopping is a chore that I don’t always enjoy but…

1. CRAFT SUPPLIES!!!  i mean, are you kidding me?  i keep considering asking if they will let me just move into Hobby Lobby if i pay them a monthly premium…
2. CLOTHES.  i have tons of clothes.  i don’t like to wear the same things all the time, and i like everything to be matchy.  there was a time (when we weren’t dirt poor) that i couldn’t go into a store that had clothing without making a purchase.
3. FOOD.  i love food shopping.  i love food.  i love being surrounded by all the pretty packaging and smells!
4. BOOKS/MAGAZINES.  i’ve been known to spend hours in B&N just wandering around and pitching camp on the floor surrounded by stacks of books with Starbucks in hand.
5. IPHONE APPS.  it’s rare that i miss a Thursday App Store update.  you just never know what little program they’ll come out with next that simplifies another area of your life!  or… if you’re me, a game that ends up consuming more of your time than originally planned

peace, love and stickers 

SUPPLIES:

• Cardstock – Core’dinations “Marsh” from The Sampler January 2012 kit; kraft (personal stash)
• Patterned Paper – My Mind’s Eye “Lime Twist – Out of the Blue Playful”, Simple Stories “Live Life – 24-7″ from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Sticker – Simple Stories Yearography Expressions from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Chipboard – My Mind’s Eye “Kraft Funday Happy Days” from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Ribbon – My Mind’s Eye “Stella & Rose – Hattie” trims from The Sampler January 2012 kit
• Mini brads, Woodgrain Embossing folder, foam squares – The Paper Studio – Hobby Lobby (personal stash)
• “3 flowers” die cut by Lori Whitlock – Silhouette Online Store / Silhouette SD