Scrapping Everyday Miracles - January Challenge!

I can't believe it! The whirlwind of December is behind us! We had an awesome Christmas, but sometimes trying to fit in all those things in one month can be a little tiring. I had a lovely holiday, and now I'm looking forward to the new year and having a little more me time ;)

It's time again now for the challenge over at the Scrapping Everyday Miracles blog, and this month I am doing the sketch layout challenge. I actually turned the sketch on its side to do my layout. That's the great thing about sketches - you can use them as a starting point and go from there! I had an extra 3x4 photo of my girls on the day they visited Santa and I had gotten a little gift from a Christmas Tag class I went to which was these beautiful Graphic 45 postcards/journaling cards. I love the colours in them and they worked perfectly for layering.

I cut the Santa Hat with my Cricut Explore and used another Cricut diecut - the holly leaves and berries to layer in the corner. I added some Glossy Accents on to the berries and then sprinkled on some glitter while it was still wet. I cut the prongs off this sweet Christmas tree brad and added it to the center of the snowflake with a foam dot.

I dug through my stash of Christmas papers to find this pretty woodgrain paper that have some silver snowflakes along with the printed colours. I thought it worked perfectly with the Merry Christmas diecut that someone had given me in some Happy Mail!

I was just so happy with the candy cane outfits I found for the girls this year - and of course these were what they had to wear for their special visit!

Here's a look at the layout sketch this month - 

Don't forget we also have a card sketch and bible verse to challenge you as well! You have all month to enter - just visit the Scrapping Everyday Miracles blog to enter your project on the January 1st blog post link up.

Thanks so much for joining me today! I hope you had a lovely holiday and very Happy New Year!

Linked to:
DL Art - Thankful Thursday January Linky Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Winter Wonderland
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - AG Christmas
CHNC - Christmas Challenge Extra January Link up

613 Avenue Create - AG

CHNC Patterned Paper Challenge - January Link Up

Crafting From The Heart - AG 

PDE Linky Party - AG!

Crafty Project Life Page with Pretty Cute Stamps!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas! We certainly did, and I'll be back to share some layouts from our events! For today, I'm posting at the Pretty Cute Stamps blog and I wanted to share a crafty Project Life page I made using the Happy Crafting and Sew Amazing stamp sets from Pretty Cute Stamps.

I had some cute pics of my girls working on some crafty projects and these stamped images were the perfect embellishments to add to my pockets. I used some sewing themed paper from Carta Bella, added my photos and then my stamped images.

I cut the coordinating SVG outlines with my Cricut Expore, stamped them with Memento Ink and coloured them in with Prismacolor Markers. This little girl from the Happy Crafting set is so cute! I love how she can hold whatever crafty supplies up I choose!

I gently curved this Scrapbooking stamp while on the acrylic block so it would fit on my arrow sticker.

The Sew Amazing set was perfect to layer on this sewing themed journaling card! 

Here's a look at these stamp sets:

Happy Crafting 

Sew Amazing

Thanks so much for joining me today! I wish you all a very Happy New Year!!

FCCB Christmas Bingo Blog Hop!

Welcome to the FCCB Christmas Bingo Blog Hop! If you came from Michelle's blog you are in the right spot - if you want to start at the beginning visit the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog! Here is your Bingo card-

You can choose to do a line up, down, across or diagonal, completing each square in your line. Example: Christmas Cricut Cut, Hand Colored Christmas Image, Christmas Glitter. You have so many choices!

The FCCB Christmas Bingo hop is sponsored by:

Kit and Clowder Online Craft Classes

A $10 Credit Voucher will go to the lucky winner!

To qualify for the prize, be sure to use at least 1 Cricut cut on your project and if it's not obvious, let us know what cartridge you used. If you use a Cricut Explore machine, at least one cut must be from the Cricut catalog of images.

For this blog hop, you can submit up to three projects. Each project is one entry into the drawing for the prize shown above. You can link up at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog.

 For my project I've used the bottom line across of the bingo card - Christmas Glitter, Flowers and Embellishments. I chose the pillow box cut from the CTMH Art Philsophy Cricut cartridge and the poinsettia cut from the Christmas Cricut cartridge. After I cut and assembled my box I sponged some Distress Ink around the edges and then tied on some silver wire edged ribbon before gluing the poinsettia cut on top.

I added some Christmas stickers and attached a holly brad to my tag and then used red and white bakers twine to tie on my tag. Of course I had to use Stickles to add glitter to my tag and the centers of my flower cuts!

This turned out to be the perfect gift holder for some coffee gift cards as a teacher gift this year. I love dressing presents up - the plainest of gifts can look so awesome with a little extra effort!

Be sure to visit each Design Team member and leave a comment - those will be put into a drawing for the following:

Your next stop will be Sara's blog.

So here is the line-up:

Michelle
Karla That's Me!
Sara
Liz
Christina
Diana L.
Marie
Lynn
Cindy

Thanks so much for joining me today! I hope you're having an awesome week getting ready for Christmas, and taking some time to enjoy this wonderful season.

Linked to:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Die Crazy

613 Avenue Create - AG

Crafting From The Heart - AG

DL Art - Thankful  Thursday December Linkup

PDE Linky Party - AG!

Pretty Cute Stamps December Challenge - Anything Goes!

Yay! Time for another challenge on the Pretty Cute Stamps blog! This month the theme is Anything Goes - so get out your Pretty Cute Stamps sets and start crafting whatever your heart desires.

My little baby is turning four in a couple days and she wanted a robot party for her birthday. I was sooo glad to pull out my  Botday and Gears To You  Pretty Cute Stamp sets - the perfect thing to use for this party! I used lots of Cricut cuts from the Robot Party cartridge and stamped on gears and sentiments from these PCS stamp sets to create fun party supplies. I even used the super sweet little robot to make her a card using the sketch from Sweet Sunday.

Here's a look at these awesome stamp sets:

 Botday

 Gears To You

Here are some more party shots!

My 8 year old made a robot and his bot-dog by wrapping recycled cardboard boxes and adding some fun details.

Here's the party table! 

A robot veggie tray!

We made these cute slinky robots and added them to the treat bags!

I used Stazon ink to stamp on the balloons (you can see a better shot in the photo at the top!)

Erica loved her Bot Juice!

I cut shapes with the Cricut and the girls glued them on a sheet of 12x12 cardstock to make their own robots.

Here are their awesome finished projects!

 The Beep Bop Boop in the stamp set worked perfectly on these diecut cupcake toppers. A 'pinch' of Stickles added some glittery detail.

Even though it was a robot party, Erica saw the Minion plates, tablecloth and napkins and had to have them!

Thanks so much for stopping by today to share in some birthday fun! You can see another robot birthday card I made recently here and Day 12 of my December Daily on Instagram where I show some of the party prep. Be sure to head over to the Pretty Cute Stamps blog to see what all the other Design Team members have come up with for their Anything Goes projects!

Linked to:
CASology - Toy (toy robot card)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Die Crazy (lots of robot diecuts!)

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Just A Pinch! (of Stickles on the cupcake toppers)

CHNC Patterned Paper Challenge - December Link Up

613 Avenue Create - AG

Crafting From The Heart - AG

DL Art - Thankful  Thursday December Linkup

PDE Linky Party - AG!

Sweet Sunday Sketch

My Everyday Miracle!

Happy Wednesday! I'm sharing the My Everyday Miracle post today on the Scrapping Everyday Miracles blog today! I think I'm often so busy with life - activities, kids, and Christmas - especially this time of year that I don't always stop to appreciate the blessings and miracles in my life. One amazing miracle that I am thinking about right now though is my youngest daughter Erica. Her fourth birthday is coming up in a few days. As we prepare for her party it makes me think of how long we waited for her to come. We tried for another baby until just before her older sister, Amie, was 4. At that point we decided it was time to stop trying and be happy we had a wonderful family and focus on us. We got rid of all our baby clothes, toys and crib. About 6 months later we were very surprised to find out Amie would be a big sister after all. Even though there are 5 years between the girls they are very close. I just can't imagine our lives without Erica in it, and I feel very blessed that we had faith that God would lead us down the path we should be on. I know from experience there have been times my life didn't seem like it was going where it should and it was only when I gave up my agenda that it got back on track.

I found this verse from Psalms 139: 13-16 on BibleStudyTools.com that I felt was fitting for today:

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 

16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

I'm once again awed at the miracle of a baby being created as well as reminded that God knows our path before we are even born. 

Here's a layout I created using the sketch from Stuck?! Sketches December sketch, some Bella Blvd papers and Pretty Cute Stamps. The photo was taken by a talented photographer friend of mine about a week after Erica was born. Amie was so proud to be a big sister and we were so amazed at this little bundle that took over our lives and hearts.

I stamped this 3x4 cut apart journaling card with the stamps from the Any Better Than This PCS stamp set and coloured in the heart outlines with coloured pencil.

The monkey and baby onesie were on a piece of the Bella Blvd paper and I fussy cut them to use as embellishments on my page. I then layered on a couple chipboard stickers for just a pinch of something extra!

Thanks so much for joining me today! I hope you're enjoying these days before Christmas and getting a chance to relax a bit and have a little crafty fun!

Linked to:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Just A Pinch!

CHNC Patterned Paper Challenge - December Link Up

613 Avenue Create - AG

Crafting From The Heart - AG

DL Art - Thankful  Thursday December Linkup

PDE Linky Party - AG!

Stuck Sketches - December sketch

Prima Doll Christmas Tag!

It is definitely getting closer! Everyone is so excited here in our house! There are Elf On The Shelf happenings, cookies being baked, the tree is decorated, lots of Christmas crafting and concerts to get ready for. I usually don't wrap until right at the last minute, but I did want to get started on my Christmas tags! Since I'm posting at the Scrapendipity Way Of Life blog today, I thought I'd share this cute Prima Doll Christmas tag here too.

I used the smaller doll from the Merry Nice Christmas stamp set by Julie Nutting, which is a perfect size for cards and tags. I stamped her on a piece of white cardstock and then paper pieced her outfit with Heidi Swapp Believe paper from the 6x6 paper pad. I just love tights with designs on them! I stamped some snowflakes in the background with a blue tone Kaleidoscope ink pad and layered on a paper pieced bell and some holly berries, both from the stamp set. The tree is hand cut from the Believe paper and edged with some green ink and I stamped the Merry Christmas sentiment from the stamp set.

This cute little diecut poinsettia paper clip at the top left of my tag is by Kelly Purkey in the Holiday Clips set that includes steel dies for a Christmas tree, poinsettia and gingerbread man along with coordinating stamps and other Christmas stamps and sentiments. It's so cute! After I diecut the clip I stamped with red ink and then added 'just a pinch' of crystal embossing powder for some shimmer!

Here's the back of my tag. I stamped another holly berry on the back and layered on some mini journalling cards from the Believe paper pack before writing To and From. The ribbon at the bottom of my tag is from my stash and was white before I stained it with the new Lucky Clover Distress Stain by Tim Holtz. This colour is yummy!

Thanks so much for joining me today! I hope you're enjoying your Christmas activities and staying cozy and warm.

Linked to:
Cut It Up Challenge blog - Brrr! Winter! (snowflakes and a hat!)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Tag It!
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Just A Pinch!
CHNC Christmas Challenge - #259 AG Christmas

CHNC Patterned Paper Challenge - December Link Up

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra - December Linkup AG Christmas

Little Scrap Pieces - Show It Off Saturday
613 Avenue Create - AG
Crafting From The Heart - AG
DL Art - Thankful  Thursday December Linkup

PDE Linky Party - AG!

Pretty Cute Stamps - December New Release Blog Hop!!

Thanks so much for joining us for the December 2015  Release Blog Hop, where we are all sharing projects featuring the new stamps this month that are now available in the Pretty Cute Stamps Store.

If you came from Joann's blog, you are in the right place. If you just stumbled across this post and would like to start from the beginning, please visit the Pretty Cute Stamps Blog. 

For my project for the hop, I've used both the Coffee Faces and Coffee Sentiments stamp sets to create this cute and friendly get well card and matching envelope! I layered some of Shimelle's True Stories paper on a red card base with a side fold. I used my white gel pen and a black Smash pen to create some faux stitching around the edge of my papers before layering on my cute coffee images and beans. I absolutely adore the awesome sentiments in these sets!!

I first cut the SVG outlines using the Cricut Explore, and then I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and used Prismacolor Markers to colour in my images. I love all the cute and funny faces that come with this set!! No matter what mood you are going for, there is something to match!

Inside and matching envelope:

I'm pretty sure this would make anyone's day better!

Blog Candy!! There is a $15 Gift Certificate to the PCS Store available to win! All you need to do is:

1) Follow and comment on each of the blogs. 

2) For extra chances to win you can LIKE Pretty Cute Stamps on Facebook and/or sign up for the Pretty Cute Stamps mailing list. (Leave an extra comment for each on the Pretty Cute Stamps blog as your entry)

A random winner will be chosen on Moday, December 14, 2015.

Be sure to check the Pretty Cute Stamps Store to pick up your favorite sets - the New Releases will be on sale through December 15, 2015, and you can save even more by purchasing the  December 2015 Stamp Bundle! You can also pick up the SVG outlines for each of these stamps at the store!!

 December 2015 New Releases & SVG Outlines

There is also a FREEBIE cut file available for today only at the Pretty Cute Stamps blog!

Now, you can head over to the next stop on the hop- Melissa's Blog!

If you get lost along the way, here's the lineup!

Lisa: http://prettycutestampsblog.blogspot.com/

Jessica: http://www.kissinkrafts.blogspot.com/

Janna: http://www.stampingwiththedogs.blogspot.com/

Gloria: http://gloriasgoofycraftspot.blogspot.com/ 

Joann: http://jlopezdesigns.blogspot.com/

Karla: http://creative-love-affair.blogspot.ca/ (That's Me!)

Melissa: http://8ers.blogspot.com/

Larissa: http://muffinsandlace.com/

Amy: http://aocreations.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for joining me today! Don't forget to leave your comment for a chance to win :)

Linked to:
Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper - December Challenge
613 Avenue Create - AG
Crafting From The Heart - AG
DL Art - Thankful  Thursday December Linkup

PDE Linky Party - AG!

Sweet Sunday Sketch #298