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)

okay, first of all, let me just say this:

i. am. freezing.

WHO ORDERED THIS WEATHER? i live in Texas, for crying out loud, it should not be this dang cold!  it’s 40 degrees (feels like 35) with light rain here, and i’m freakin’ out!!!  i guess it could be worse – i could still be in OHIO (currently 28 feels like 28 there with 0 precip…), or in SPOKANE, WA, with my BFF Ryan (currently 20 feels like 20 with snow in the forecast for tomorrow), or in beautiful WASILLA, AK, (currently a completely, utterly nasty 7 degrees with 0 precip!) where Carrie and Paper Lovelies are spreading some Christmas cheer with their latest kit!  i don’t know how you do it up there, guys, but i have respect for you – i would love to come see Wasilla… in the summer… 

beautiful segway, right?  yeah, i worked on that for a while

so the new kit is out as of the 23rd!  super duper excited about this kit – Carrie has such beautiful taste and the kits always come together so well!  this kit has a little bit of everything you need to do some shabby / vintagey winter pages, packed full of Webster’s Pages “Winter Fairy Tales” line.

i mean, absolutely. gorgeous.

so many fun extras too!  i especially loved playing with the bling strip – it was so hard to figure out where i wanted to incorporate it because i wanted to use it for too many different things!  it’s so fun!!!  this kit is PACKED, too, i mean… stuffed.  the box was really heavy!  you really can’t beat this deal – you will definitely get more than your $15′s worth!  the January 2012 Paper Lovelies kit includes:

• 12 sheets double-sided Webster’s Pages “Winter Fairy Tales” patterned paper
• 1 Webster’s Pages “Winter Fairy Tales” die cut paper
• 1 Webster’s Pages Storytellers alpha
• 1 Webster’s Pages 8″ bling strip
• 2 Webster’s Pages “Winter Fairy Tales” Sentiment fabric tickets
• 2 Webster’s Pages 12″ Bloomer trims
• 2 Webster’s Pages Feather Flowers
• 2 Webster’s Pages Pins

i really enjoyed working with this line – it’s definitely a different spin on Christmas/winter themed pages, and the elements all work really well together whether you have a card or layout in mind.  this would probably also make some fabulous Christmas gift projects

here is what i came up with to inspire you for this month’s kit:

okay, so i like seriously have not done an actual scrapbook page in FOREVER.  this was huge for me.  i’m really surprised at how it turned out, not my typical style at all but it has grown on me the more i have looked at it.  i just hate that i’m not a big journaler though.  i know that’s the point but i guess i do a pretty good job of telling the story the way i see it as art on a page.  i guess that’s why i tend to lean toward cards so much more often.

well at any rate… just wanted to share that and wish everyone a Merry Christmas from our family to yours – Happy Holidays, Hannukah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa… whatever it is you do, do it BIG and enjoy the time with whoever you’re with wherever you are.  God bless.

DON’T FORGET – Perfect Sentiments challenge is observing the holiday this week and you still have until Tuesday to get those Anniversary Inspiration cards in!  keep ‘em comin’, people!

peace, love and blessings.

PPS – my apologies for the heavy, unnecessary overuse of animated GIFs in this post.  i couldn’t help myself.

SUPPLIES:

Card

• Patterned Paper, Die Cut Paper, Feather Flower, Fabric Ticket – Webster’s Pages “Winter Fairy Tale” from Paper Lovelies January 2012 kit
• Pearls – Hobby Lobby (personal stash)
• Glitter Sticker Borders – Doodlebug
• Roses – Prima “North Country”

“there was a girl named COURTNEY”

Patterned Paper, Bling Strip, Rosette Trim, green/purple alpha, Feather Flower – Webster’s Pages “Winter Fairy Tale” from Paper Lovelies January 2012 kit

• Gold Alpha – American Crafts
• Roses – Prima “North Country”
• Buttons – misc.
• Chip Hearts – K & Co.
• Chip Clouds – Studio Calico
• Label / Tab stickers – Crate Paper “Random”
• Gold Uniball
• Heidi Swapp edge distresser

on Wednesday, my oldest son’s class went on a field trip to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and Dinosaur Valley State Park.

it was like being on a totally different continent for the day!  we got to see lots of animals and drive up to the top of a mountain, and even see some dinosaur tracks!  everyone had a really good time, we learned a lot about the animals and the dinosaurs, and there were even a few pretty funny moments!!  i’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:

[ an ostrich. she walked right up to the car and tried to bonk Brodyn to get some food.  he squealed like a girl.  it was pretty funny! ]

[ a lazy herd of Sable Antelope.  look at the beautiful view behind! ]

[ a White-tailed Deer. several members of my family would have been itching for their shotguns on this excursion. hey, Dad, see all you gotta do is talk nice and hold out some food and they just walk right up! ]

[ tossing a treat to a friendly Addax. ]

[ addax. ]

[ isn't he cute ?!?!! ]

[ European Red Deer. "oh, hello there!" ]

[ baby Aoudad - SOO CUTE! ]

[ pretty kitty. ]

[ zebra snuffle. ]

yes, it was really that close.

[ they were OVERLY FRIENDLY... ]

[ he decided to find out if the steering wheel was tasty... after she managed to shoo him away, he moved on to the window edge! lol! ]

[ just not shy at all. ]

[ there is only one word for this. ROFL. ]

[ o, hai! i notiss u haz fud. we can b frenz? ]

[ i mean, really. how often do you get to do THAT?? ]

[ these guys also decided to see if various parts of the car were something they might like to eat. ]

this place would make a great family afternoon excursion – although not free or even close to cheap at $22.95/adult and $16.95/kids 3-11 on weekends during the peak season, it is worth the money and the memories that will be made!  just be sure to buy food at the office before you head out!  visit their website for more information about tours, pricing, their animals and lots more:  Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas.

we really had a lot of fun and i would definitely take the rest of the family back sometime

well, thanks for stopping by!!  have a great rest of the weekend

PS – All photos were taken with my iPhone 4 – all photos attributed to Shaunna Farral (c) 2011

hah.

this STILL cracks me up everytime i watch it.

my friend Amber… babysitting my son Kellan while we were at a wedding last weekend.  i love how at first Kellan is like, “WHAT IS GOING ON???” then about halfway through he starts to get it and then he gets really excited and starts clapping his hands and waving his arms around!!!  too funny.

i wish i had moves like Amber.  

just a quick little page i made the other night for the collage wall i’m working on…  i really REALLY love the Lime Twist paper collection – it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time!!!  lots of baby boy stuff to scrap and that collection fits my mood and style for the pictures i want to use!  i just wish i’d bought more of it…

he’s just so darn cute

the picture had a really orange tint to it after i got it back from Walgreens   i tried to use grey and played down the reds/yellows to help diffuse that… but… what do i know about design principles, right?  i really think this turned out fun, overall, and i think that it will look really cute with the rest of the stuff i’m going to incorporate into the huge “gallery” i’m building in our foyer!  thanks as always for stopping by – will be back with more crafty goodness soon! 

SUPPLIES:

• Cardstock – The Paper Studio
• Patterned Paper – My Mind’s Eye “Lime Twist”
• Clouds/Sun/Bird – Heidi Grace
• Alpha/Corners – American Crafts
• Cute sticker – My Little Yellow Bicycle
• White / Black Gelly Roll pens

as promised, another creation using my supplies from the August 2011 Paper Lovelies kit!  i really love this kit!!!!

this time a layout… i’ve been wanting to do something with this pic since the day i took it.  my stepdaughter, Courtney, and i went downtown Fort Worth one day for a photo shoot and got some AMAZING pictures.  i think this one is my favorite of all though.  it was taken inside the building my husband works at, the Transport Life Building.  his company has been doing renovations of the old buildings downtown and this building turned out awesome.  there are so many neat little things about it, and the architecture and art inside the building is PHENOMENAL.  i love visiting him at work!  i could just walk around in there and take pictures all day!!!

i’m super happy with the way everything worked out for this page – i spent hours rifling through the papers and trying to figure out what i was going to do, but in the end it all came together so well!

isn’t it gorgeous?!  please don’t mind my crappy photography… i’m still trying to work on making the most of my camera!  hard to do at night with bad lighting, though!  still need to get a lightbox built to help with that… here’s a more detailed shot to show off all the prettiness:

i haven’t made a scrapbook page in forever… i love cards so much, but it was really exciting to foray back into my first love  i’m so thankful to be working with Paper Lovelies, too – i think i was right in waiting to scrap this pic until i got the August kit – the Cosmo Cricket goodies really inspired me to capture my feelings about this picture and convey my wishes for Courtney to look back at someday!

SUPPLIES:

• Cardstock – Colorbok
• Patterned Paper – Cosmo Cricket “Odds & Ends” from Paper Lovelies August 2011 kit
• Butterflies – Jenni Bowlin from Paper Lovelies August 2011 kit
• Ribbon – vintage trim from Paper Lovelies August 2011 kit
• Bling – Kaisercraft from Paper Lovelies August 2011 kit
• Alpha – American Crafts
• Rub-on – Love, Elsie
• Heart Sticker – Heidi Grace
• Doily – Dollar Tree

so i’m kinda behind on posting some of the stuff i’ve been working on lately!  i need to catch up!!!

i had this frame laying around forever, it has a bracket that slides through two holes at the bottom that holds the glass in place and also serves as the stand for the frame.  it was originally natural wood colored, but since all of my other photo frames are black i decided to paint it.  i took these pictures of my stepdaughter, Courtney, a few weeks ago – she loves butterflies and has developed an innate skill for catching them and getting them to sit on her finger!  i thought it would be really cool to do something with these feather butterflies i had sitting around that i picked up at Hobby Lobby… this is what i ended up with:

i am really pleased with the way this turned out – i only had an 8×6″ canvas to work with so it was really tough deciding how to place things and make them fit in the space, but in the end i think it really looks nice!  i even painted the frame with black glitter to give it a little extra sparkle, but you can’t really tell that from the pic.  it is now proudly on display on our mantle!

thanks for stopping by – more crafty updates to come

MATERIALS:

• Cardstock – Paperbilities
• Patterned Paper – KI Memories “Pop Culture”, The Paper Studio
• Alphas – American Crafts
• Feather Butterflies – Hobby Lobby floral dept.
• Misc. picture frame
• Black acrylic paint, black glitter glue

my little(st) cousin, Alli, is turns 12 today!!!!  and she got her first cell phone!!! (and immediately started texting anyone and everyone she had a number for)  LOL

she’s so cute and sweet, though, i love her a ton!  i decided a few days ago to make her a Birthday card – i know it will make her day!!!

i really hope she jumps up and down in place and screams when she opens this!  (as teenage girls are prone to do, WHY IS THAT?!)  i am pretty happy with the way it turned out, although i am kind of sad that the Hambly transparency i used was a waste in a sense, since you can’t really see it after i added all the junk to the front of the card!  oh well!  i know she’s going to love it anyway!!!  it’s in the mail on its way to Ohio, so i’m sure i will get the THANKYOU!!!!!! OMG!!!!! (: (: (: text really soon!!! LOL

MATERIALS:

• Cardstock – Colorbok
• Patterned Paper – American Crafts “Teen”, DCWV “Rockstar” stack
• Transparency – Hambly
• Silver Holographic Star paper (inside) – Pat Catan’s
• Brad – Queen & Co.
• Balloon Sticker – EK Success
• Pop Foam Squares
• White DMC Floss
• Silver / Dk. Pink Gelly Roll pens

my friend Sarah is expecting a little girl in a few months, and i wanted to make something special for her; i had several crocheted afghans that were made for me as a baby/child and i treasured them more than any blankets i had – they lasted forever and they were always so warm and pretty!!  i looked around for a simple but pretty pattern to make, and decided to settle on the One-Ball Baby Blanket by Katherine Eng on ravelry.

it works up really fast and has a pretty, unique pattern to the stitches – only two basic stitches here, so not much to think about while you’re working!  there was a bit more of an elaborate border in the original pattern, but i could only go around once since i ran out of time to finish it.  i still think it turned out beautifully!  Sarah really liked it and said, “this is one of those blankets you like, never use” but i hope that she does because afghans are definitely meant to be used and loved

the pattern is also available, for free, on Coats and Clark’s website.

MATERIALS:

• Red Heart Super Saver yarn in #0373 – Petal Pink
• Size “I” crochet hook

so today is momentous in that it is the birthday of three people who are near and dear to my heart!  the nearest (and dearest!) being my son, who is TEN years old today!!!!  ten!  i can hardly believe it!!!!  seems like not that long ago he was four, and not much longer than that that me and his dad fought our way through a blizzard to the hospital…  i still can’t believe he’s TEN.  sigh.  time really flies.

there he is – pleased as punch – holding up his new Halo Lego Wraith, that he purchased with Grammie Birthday Money.

speaking of Grammie…… today is her birthday also!  that’s right.  my dear, sweet Grammie’s birthday is also today!!!!

and, in an odd coincidence, today is ALSO Travis’ grandma’s birthday!  how weird is that?  so, since she’s visiting us from Michigan and we are taking her out to dinner this evening, i spent a little time this morning making her a special card, because she really appreciates the cards i make her!  she loves gardening, and flowers, so i thought this was perfect for her:

SUPPLIES:

* Cardstock – Colorbok
* Patterned Paper – DCWV “Glitter Stack”
* Velvet Alpha, 3D Butterfly – K & Co.
* Felt Flowers – Michael’s
* Bling Flowers – Dress-it-Up Buttons
* Birthday Sticker – Making Memories
* Scalloped Punch – Fiskars
* White Gel Pen – Gelly Roll by Sakura

it’s an “easel” style card, i lifted it from one of Tami Mayberry’s card designs in September’s issue of “CardMaker” Magazine.  i think it turned out pretty good!  and i’m sure Grandma will like it, too

well, that’s all for now!  a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all my Birthdayers today!!!!   thanks for stoppin’ by!