Being a part of this year's Gallery Idol Contest was an amazing experience. Not only did I enjoy being challenged week after week but I am so honored to have gotten to know 19 very talented ladies that I am excited to add to my list of crafty friends. I was eliminated in this round and these 5 very talented girls have moved on:

Belinda Chang Langner

Regina Mangum

Kryssi Ng

Sarah Martina Parker

Vera Yates

I am so excited to have gotten down to the 3rd of 4 weeks of challenges before being eliminated and I want to thank all my friends and family for supporting me during the competition. I received some really sweet emails after being eliminated. I am so lucky to have such a huge support system and I thank you all for taking the time to write me.

Here's a look back at all my cards created for the Gallery Idol contest, I loved making each one of them.

the one that got me into the competition



the one that was a sentiment challenge



the one that was a masculine challenge



and the one that was using ribbon in a unique way challenge

I am so thankful for the chance to have been a part of this fabulous competition and I wish the 5 ladies left competing the best of luck. Each of their submissions this week were nothing short of amazing!

Gallery Idol Round 3

Round 3!

Hello friends! Round 3 of Papercraft's Gallery Idol voting will start at 12 noon today (mountain time) For this round the girls really brought their creativity for the ribbon themed challenge! The Top 10 cards are nothing short of amazing!!! Here's my card using this week's theme, using ribbon in a unique way.

Here's a closer look at my rainbow made ribbon.



This was a fun card to create and I am really thankful for making it as far as I have in the competition. Thank you SO much for your votes and support! It means so much :) Here's the link to the Gallery Idol competition so you can cast your vote when voting opens at noon!

Today was a good day...

Hey friends! Hope your week has been great so far and you've been crafting! I was so honored when my friend Kristi told me my entry in this week's round at Papercraft's Gallery Idol was featured on the Creative Imaginations blog. You can check out the post here. A very special thank you to Creative Imaginations for featuring my work!!

Today was a good day. Our friends Elise and Sam were in town this week from Oregon. They were heading home today and Lily and I got to spend the day relaxing at the beach with them before their flight.

The weather was perfect. Not too hot with a nice breeze. The kids got sand all over (of course) and we watched them run up the sand dunes and play together. I forget at times how lucky I am to have this outlet to relax in my backyard. I'll definitely be taking Lily to the beach more often and Scott too when he gets out of school next week.

I love this picture of them holding hands. So cute.

And one of them at 1 year that I found in Elise's camera. Wow time flies...these two have been friends since they were about 6 months old. It's been tough since they moved to Oregon. Sam has so much personality and Lily adores him. Elise was one of my few crafty mom friends. I'll have to find a way to get miss Lily and I to Oregon to visit. Especially since Elise is expecting baby #2.

It really was a great day.

Tomorrow I am the guest blogger at Imaginsce's blog. I've got something cute to share so be sure and stop by!

And... also tomorrow the voting results will be posted and the Top 10 announced at Papercraft's Connection for Gallery Idol. I would like to thank you so much for your comments, support and votes! I really appreciate you coming along with me on this journey.

New in my studio

Hello friends! Hope your week is going well so far. I got some happy mail this week and was excited to get some of the new fabric tapes from Love My Tapes. Don't these styles look like fun!! I can't wait to start creating with them.

Yesterday I finally finished the weekend sketch challenge at the Paper Posies Ning group. I
posted a sketch from Pagemaps.com for the girls on Friday.

Here's my take

Here's a close up of the birds I made from scraps of paper



I had such a busy day today I forgot to publish this post when I wrote it this am.

The voting closes tmr at Noon Mountain Standard time for Gallery Idol. Thanks for your sweet comments about my card and your votes!!!



Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

Time to say goodbye...

It's with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Jacksonbelle Embellishments this month. Lindsay made the announcement to the team that she is closing shop last week. Everything in the store is 50% off so take advantage of the amazing deals you can scoop up right now!

I joined the Jacksonbelle team in June of 2009 and was so excited to have been chosen as a Design Team member. I loved the fresh products that Jacksonbelle carried and the amazing inspiration I saw on the design blog. It has been a real pleasure to have had the opportunity to get to know some of the amazing designers that have served on the team since I joined. I also have appreciated Lindsay for her kindness and generosity toward us girls. I'm thankful that we got to know each other over the last year. I have no doubt that Lindsay will find her next adventure very soon!

Today I would like to share one of the first cards I posted as a Design Team member. Pink Paislee is one of my favorite things that Linds carried in the store. This card is one of my all time faves.

Yummy Pink Paislee, Prima flowers, May Arts ribbon and a Unity Stamp Co Sentiment made this card stunning.

I hope you'll stop by the design team blogs and share with them what your favorite challenge card they created was. It's always nice to know we inspired you with our cards.

Dawn Lusk

Julie Lacey

Heather Pulvirenti

Windy Robinson

Stephanie Severin

Amy Tsuruta

Pam Varnell

Lynda Benden

Tobi Crawford

Jill Dunn

Lindsey Botkin

Heather Lee-Reppen

Thanks for stopping by today!

Gallery Idol Round 2

Hello friends! I was so excited when the Top 15's cards for Gallery Idol went live today. I had so much fun browsing the entries and these girls did not disappoint! Their cards were unique, fun and just plain Fabulous!!! The theme this week: Create a masculine card with inspiration from things that "live" in the garage.

Here's my entry

And a close up of the Making Memories metal I used along with my Spellbinder Nestibilities die

Supplies: Patterned paper and die cut cardstock (Creative Imaginations); Sprocket gears (Tim Holtz Ideology) ; Faux Eyelets (Craft Essentials);Metal Sheets (Making Memories); Large Classic Inverted Scallop Circles (Spellbinders Nestabilities) ; Vinyl Thickers (America Crafts); Pop Dots (All Night Media); Adhesive (Love My Tapes)

This theme really was a challenge for me since I love to use ribbon and girlie things on my cards. I hope you'll stop by the Gallery and cast your votes! Voting is open til Thursday at Noon (MST) Five of us will be eliminated this week taking it down to 10. I can tell you right now it's gonna be a long week of waiting.
Thanks for your support!!

Cards Cards Cards...

I've been creating cards tonight...catching up on some of my favorite challenges...first up is Kazan's sketch @ 2Sketches4You

And here's my take...night pics aren't the best but it will have to do




I've mentioned that I was fixin up the house a little...well here's a few peeks




I've been wanting to frame some of my layouts for the longest time. I finally found an amazing deal on frames at Michaels. There were these 13x13 t-shirt frames for 9.99 and 40 percent off and they weren't plastic! Score!! So my vision was finally realized.



I finally hung the new curtains (the day before my parents arrived lol) I purchased for my scrap space....Voila!



And look at those super cute tins my Mom brought me with crystal tops. She even found me crystal door knobs so I could change up the one on my ribbon cupboard below




It's small but it's mine and it's coming along really nicely. Thanks for taking the tour. Now I'm working on the CPS sketch so I guess this will be a progressive post this evening...

Moving onto Round 2!!!

Yes I am over the moon excited to share with you friends that I made the Gallery Idol Top 15!! Thank you from the bottom of my heat for all of your support!! I am so honored to be competing alongside all these talented ladies!!
You can check out all the entries here at the Papercrafts blog and be sure to leave a comment to win a Bella Blvd giveaway.

And to make this even more exciting Cath from Moxie Fab visited the Top 15's blogs and hand picked some of our work to feature at Moxie Fab!!! She's also giving away some fab goodies from her stash if you leave a comment. After all...

Who doesn't love free scrappy goodies???

Voting will begin for Round 2 on Monday at 12 pm Mountain time so stay tuned for a link to vote!

Now for my regularly scheduled blog post...


I wanted to show you yet another fun thing to do with Masking Tapes

I picked up this Martha Stewart white twill for .99 cents. A steal in my book. Many of us have plain colored ribbon in our stash. So I laid the masking tape over the ribbon and was able to easily tie this bow. The greatest thing about masking tapes is that they really are forgiving.

Here's a close up of the bow and I just cut the ends to make it look complete. The tape sticks beautifully to the ribbon.



Here's my finished card. I just love this Queen Bee line from Pink Paislee and Unity Stamps, they are my favorite thing in my stamp stash. Such sweet and wonderfully designed images!
Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have an amazing weekend!!

Fun with Imaginisc's Splash Dance and some peeks at something new

Hello friends! I'm just loving the Splash Dance collection from Imaginisce! I really love the color scheme and cute little sea creatures. My problem is I have no beach themed pics. No how is that possible you are asking yourselves I know because most of you know that I live 5 mins from the beach. Well a little known truth...I hate the sand. Yep, I admit that we do live 5 mins from the beach but it's been a few years since these feet have even touched the sand let alone have a wave wash over them. I know...I agree...there is something wrong with me, LOL.

So...I created some fun cards instead!

Isn't it so cute and fun! And I even have a giveaway going on over at my Examiner page here. Head on over and leave a comment on the article and a winner will be posted Monday!

Now for the peeks...




look at these cute candle embellies!






Oh these banners are yummy!




And this pattern paper! So Cute!

It's all part of the new Birthday Bash line from Imaginisce coming soon to your favorite scrapbook store soon!!

Tmr is the last day to vote for Gallery Idol! I am keeping my fingers crossed I make it to the next round :)

Jacksonbelle Embellishments 40% off at the store

Save 40%!!

Lindsay has put everything in the Jacksonbelle Embellishments store on sale so run over there and grab yourself some deals!!

For the month of June the Design Team is creating cards with their favorite Jacksonbelle products.


Supplies: Dear Lizzy patterned paper by American Crafts, Marta Stewart border punch and doilie, Provo Craft embossing folder, Love My Tapes fabric tape lemonade and Double Sided Adhesive, Unity Stamp Co and Hero Arts stamped images and Zva Creative pearls.

Don't forget you have til Thursday to vote for Round 1 of Gallery Idol!

Round 1 of Gallery Idol 2010!

Well I never imagined I'd make the Top 20 but I'm so excited that I did. I'm truly honored to be featured along side of these uber talented designers! I remembered seeing the ad in my last issue of Papercrafts and thinking, "Wow that would be fun to enter" So I found the courage to do so and I am so glad that I did. Having the opportunity to get to know them better has been so much fun.
Today the voting begins for the first round of Gallery Idol. The theme was Sympathy, Get Well, Encouragement or Thinking of You. Here's my entry:

Supplies: October Afternoon patterned paper, Japanese Masking Tape, Prima flowers, Tattered Angels, Stampin Up border punch, Wilton doilies, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Love My Tapes adhesive.

So what do you guys think? I love my card because I created my card with my Mom on Saturday. I used two colors of Glimmer Mist on my flowers to get them the right shade of yellow. I just love Glimmer Mist! I also had to use some Japanese Masking Tape...I just love creating with it!

My parents arrived from Arkansas on Friday evening. It felt so good to have them here and so hard to put them on the plane yesterday to Kauai. I can hardly wait til they get back on the 18th. We'll be spending a week together and Mom and I are looking forward to making some cards together.

Here's my Dad and Lily playing her Ni Hao Kai-Lan game on her Leapster while she snacks a donut. What can I say, I can't say no to snacks when Nana and Papa visit. I only wish I could eat some donuts...yum! She's wearing a cute dress up outfit complete with her favorite...butterfly wings that Nana got her.
Can't wait to get more pics when my parents come back! Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

New Sketch Challenge for June

I can't believe it's already June! School's out in a few weeks, my parents arrive this Saturday and then take off for Kauai til the 18th..{wish I was going with them} then they are staying with us thru the week of the 27th. I can hardly wait to hang out and make some cards with my Mom. I miss blogging more regularly but I have been getting my home ready for my parents visit. I promise to post pics soon! It's been a work in progress with a limited budget but I must say it's come along quite nicely :)

So it's time for a new sketch at the Imaginisce blog. In case you didn't know we have a sketch contest monthly and you can win a BIG prize from Imaginisce so see below for more details. This month's sketch is designed by our very own Kim Holmes

Fun summer sketch!! So...wanna know how you can play along and win some Imaginisce goodies???Here's the deets from our blog:

Create a card or layout using 75% IMAGINSCE PRODUCTS and Kim's June Sketch for inspiration before June 25th. Post your sketch on your blog or online gallery AND then come back here and list your link to below. (Please make sure you link to the post with your layout and not just your blog). We will select a winner to be featured on our blog at the end of the month.

And of course, that means you could win your choice of the i-top Tool package or a $75 prize package!