The Best in Life...

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-12-27T23:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! This week's Paper Pretties challenge is to use RING IN THE NEW YEAR as the inspiration for your project. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

My card fits this challenge two ways..."RING"...I used circles...and "NEW YEAR"...as in "What the Cluck?"...where did the time go, LMBO!
I LOVE our CLUCK sets (I used CLUCK PART II)! I think they are all totally fun! How can you go wrong with the sentiment "What the Cluck?"!!!

I want to thank each and every one of your for coming to my blog, leaving me comments and supporting me these past few years. My 4 year blogiversary is coming up in a few days. I started my blog on Jan 3rd, 2008. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would still be doing this 4 years later. It has been an incredible experience. That being said...this is going to be my last blog post for a while. Life has just gotten too busy for me to keep up with posting each week. As my dedicated followers have noticed, in the first few years I posted almost daily. Within the past year, I'm down to once a week and even then I miss a few. I'm not deleting my blog by all means so you may see a post from me now and then but it definitely won't be on a regular basis. Thank you so much for all of the love and support you have all shown me! I wish you all a safe and happy 2012!

Love,
Heather

Happy Birthday Lawren!

2011-12-24T23:00:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas! Today we are blog hopping to celebrate the birthday of one of our Digi Prettie Girls...LAWREN! If you arrived here via Amber's blog you are in the right place. If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to Frances' blog to start from the beginning.

Happy Birthday Lawren! I hope you have a wonderful day!

(stamp sets used: Happy Birthday Lamb and Sweet 16 Lily)

The next stop in our birthday blog hop is the blog of Jennifer Greco. Be sure to hop all the way to the end and leave the birthday girl some love! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-12-20T23:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday! This week's Paper Pretties challenge is to use LET IT SNOW as the inspiration for your project. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

I actually made this card months ago for our single layer challenge, but at the time I couldn't find the photo so I didn't post. Come to find out I had used a different camera than I usually use for my photos and I found the picture months later....which is ok, since it works perfect for this week's challenge. I used the sets {SNOWFLAKES} and {FROSTY}, a piece of scored, white cardstock and some rhinestones...super easy!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-12-13T23:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! This week's Paper Pretties challenge is a color challenge: WHITE + ONE COLOR. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

I went very clean and simple with this week's card. I love black and white and everything seemed to come together nicely with this one. I used the Paper Pretties set {FUN QUOTES}. This is one of my favorite sets to use for a fast, fun, pick-me-up card! Sorry the photo isn't great. I took my photo tent down months ago and I've been relying on good natural light (which I haven't been getting much of). Those are actually black Kaisercraft rhinestones along the right edge (hard to tell what they are in the photo).

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a super fabulous week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-12-06T23:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! It is the first Wednesday of the month, which means a new fabulous sketch from Frances. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

Here is this month's sketch:

I used a set that I haven't inked up in ages for this week's cards, {AHOY MATEY}. I love this set, but haven't had the need to make baby cards in a while (sadly I'm getting old enough that most of my friends aren't having babies anymore). I struggled with this at first, but I love how it turned out. The sponging wasn't supposed to end up as dark as it did, but in the end, it worked for me.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a spectacular week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-11-29T23:02:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday! This week's Paper Pretties challenge is to make a Thank You card. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

I made this card several months ago for my daughter's teacher. {THANK YOU TEACHER SOPHIA} works great for teacher appreciation! Definitely more clean and simple than I usually make, but I like how it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a great day!

Happy Release Day!

2011-11-27T23:00:00.003-06:00

Welcome to our release day blog hop! If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start at the beginning! All 6 new sets are now available in the Paper Pretties store!

For my card, I used the new set {PLAY BALL}. I absolutely adore all of our teen sports images!

Thanks for hopping with us today! I'm the last stop in the hop! I hope you enjoyed our new release blog hop! All of the new sets are now available so you can now hop on over to the Paper Pretties store and start shopping!

Happy Birthday Kristine!

2011-11-23T23:00:00.003-06:00

Today is Prettie Girl Kristine's birthday and to celebrate the DT has put together a fun inspiration filled blog hop. If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start from the beginning!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTINE!

You are an AMAZING stamper and I am SO SO lucky to have you on my team! Thanks for everything you do! I hope you have an absolutely wonderful day!

(Stamp sets used: Sweet 16 Lily and Surprise Sophia)

Next stop in the hop is the blog of Cely Smith. Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to follow the hop all the way to the end to wish the birthday girl a happy birthday! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

HAPPRY BIRTHDAY ARTish!!!

2011-11-20T23:00:00.002-06:00

Today is Paper Pretties Digi Illustrator, ARTish's birthday and to celebrate the DT has put together a fun inspiration filled blog hop. If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start from the beginning!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARTish!

Thanks for everything you do! I hope you have a great day!

(Stamps used: Digi stamp BIRTHDAY BALLOONS FOR YOU, and sentiment from EVERYDAY LILY)

Next stop in the hop is the blog of the talented Jennifer Greco. Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to follow the hop all the way to the end to wish the birthday girl a happy birthday! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Taylor!

2011-11-17T23:00:00.001-06:00

Today is Prettie Girl Taylor's birthday and to celebrate the DT has put together a fun inspiration filled blog hop. If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start from the beginning!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR!

I'm so lucky to have you on my team! Thanks for everything you do! I hope you have a wonderful day!

(Stamp sets used: Smile Monkey and Surprise Sophia)

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-11-15T23:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Wednesday! This week's Paper Pretties challenge is to make a Christmas card using non-traditional Christmas colors. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

Not very often do I make a card that I absolutely love...today is one of those rare days. Everything about this card just fell together perfectly for me. I don't usually go the non-traditional route but I really love the pinks and blues in this card! I am actually not a fan of snowmen in general (They usually creep me out - I think it all comes from an episode of Scooby Doo where the snowmen come alive, LOL) but {FROSTY} is one snowman image that I think is totally adorable (nothing freaking me out about this guy, LOL).

I hope you are all having a fantastic week! Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Birthday Jen!

2011-11-09T23:00:00.001-06:00

Today is Prettie Girl Jennifer's birthday and to celebrate the DT has put together a fun inspiration filled blog hop. If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start from the beginning!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN! I'm so lucky to have you as a friend! Thanks for everything you do!

(Stamp set used: Everyday Lily)

Next stop in the hop is the blog of the amazing Kristine Reynolds. Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to follow the hop all the way to the end to wish the birthday girl a happy birthday! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-11-08T23:00:00.005-06:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. This week our challenge is to use buttons on your project. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

I used our {SCOUT COOPER} set for this week's card. Pretty simple, but I liked how it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a fabulous week!

Happy Release Day!

2011-11-07T23:00:00.000-06:00

For my card, I used the new set {SO SWEET}. This set is super fun to color and works great for all sorts of occasions!

Thanks for hopping with us today! I'm the last stop in the hop! I hope you enjoyed our November release! All of the new sets are now available so you can now hop on over to the Paper Pretties store and start shopping!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-11-01T23:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is the first Wednesday of the month, which means a new sketch from Frances! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog.

Here is this month's sketch:

I decided to use {BIRTHDAY BOY ZAC} for this week's card. The tall image worked perfectly with this sketch!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-10-25T23:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. This week our challenge is to EMBELLISH!!! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

I've had these fun pins that I picked up at the Target dollar spot forever ago...knowing that someday I would use them. That day has finally come....I layered the pin over a Prima flower and some green glittery leaves that I picked up at Michael's after Christmas last year. They made a great pairing with the DCWV green stack....and of course our fabulous {GIVE A HOOT} set!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-10-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. This week our challenge is a color challege: Black, White + 1 additional color. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

I couldn't resist inking up another Polly image. With Halloween so close, I decided to ink up {WICKED OLD BIRD}. I LOVE this image! All of our Polly images are SO fun to color!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having an absolutely terrific week!

Happy Release Day!

2011-10-11T23:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our release day blog hop! If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start at the beginning! All 4 new sets are now available in the Paper Pretties store!

Not only is it release day but it is also Wednesday so that means it is time for a new Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge! This week's challenge is to make a project using Halloween as your inspiration! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card, I used Halloween colors as my inspiration. I inked up the fabulous new set {BASKETBALL LILY}! I absolutely love our new sports themed teens!

Thanks for hopping with us today! I'm the last stop in the hop! I hope you enjoyed our October release! All of the new sets are now available so you can now hop on over to the Paper Pretties store and start shopping!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-10-04T23:00:00.001-05:00

Here is this month's sketch:

I had a great time with this sketch and absolutely LOVE how my {SKATER ZAC} card turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-09-27T23:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. This week our challenge is to make a project using a sentiment as the focal point. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card, I used the set {FUN QUOTES}. This is a great set to use for pick me up cards. The quotes in this set should bring a smile to anyone's face!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having an absolutely terrific week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-09-20T23:00:00.011-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. This week our challenge is to make a project using Fall as your inspiration. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card, I decided to use fall colors (with a summer image). {ALOHA SOPHIA} is an absolutely adorable image. I had such a fun time putting this card together.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-09-13T23:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to our release day blog hop! If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start at the beginning! All 4 new sets are now available in the Paper Pretties store!

Not only is it release day but it is also Wednesday so that means it is time for a new Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge! This week's challenge is to make a project using earth elements colors! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a comment on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card, I used the new set {FOOTBALL ZAC}

Thanks for hopping with us today! I'm the last stop in the hop! I hope you enjoyed our September release! All of the new sets are now available so you can now hop on over to the Paper Pretties store and start shopping!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-09-06T23:00:00.009-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is the first Wednesday of the month which means a fabulous sketch from Frances! We'd love for you to play along with us. If you do, be sure to leave a comment on the Paper Pretties blog.

Here is this month's sketch:

I used one of my favorite Polly images for this week's card, {HOLIDAY POLLY}. I just LOVE this image. It is so fun to color!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy Birthday Nadine and Lisa!!!

2011-08-27T23:00:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! For those of you living on the east coast, please know that we are all thinking of you!

Today we are celebrating the birthdays of 2 of our fabulous digi dt members, Lisa and Nadine with a fun Prettie Birthday Blog Hop!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NADINE AND LISA!!! Thanks for all that you do for me. You are both amazing stampers and I'm so lucky to have you on my team! I hope you both have an absolutely fabulous day!!!

{Stamps used: Surprise Sophia and Everyday Lily}

Next stop in the hop is the blog of the AMAZING Kristine Reynolds. Be sure to follow the hop to the end and wish Nadine and Lisa a happy birthday! Thanks for stopping by today!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-08-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Our challenge this week is to make a project with BACK TO SCHOOL as your inspiration. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link on the Paper Pretties blog.

For my card this week, I inked up the adorable LOOK OUT WORLD COOPER image.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a fabulous day!

Happy Birthday Jackie!

2011-08-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

Today the Paper Pretties design team has put together a little blog hop in honor of Prettie Girl Jackie's birthday! If you arrived here via Amber's blog, you are on the right path. If not, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start from the beginning!

Happy Birthday Jackie! I am so lucky to have you on my team! Thank you for everything that you do for me! I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

Next stop on the hop is the blog of Kristine Reynolds, be sure to hop all the way to the end and leave Jackie some birthday love! Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Happy Release Day!

2011-08-09T23:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Paper Pretties August release blog hop! If you are just joining the fun, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start from the beginning... you won't want to miss a single project.

It is hard to believe that we are celebrating the 1 year anniversary of the new and improved Paper Pretties. Seems like just yesterday I was sitting in my basement overwhelmed by the boxes of inventory that I had to sort through when I first took over. I remember how excited I was to get our first new clear stamps back from the manufacturer. I am so lucky to be working with such incredibly talented illustrators as well as having an absolutely amazing design team. I couldn't keep this going without you guys...thanks for sticking with me and believing in me. I want to thank all of you who continue to support me in this endeavor. I think we have come a long way in the past 12 months. Thank you!

With that being said...all 8 FABULOUS new sets are now available in the Paper Pretties store!

I forgot to mention that along with it being release day, it is also Wednesday which means it is time for a Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge. The challenge this week is to use die cuts on your project.
We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!
For my card this week, I used the newly released set PARTY POLLY! I ADORE all of our Polly images drawn by Victoria Case. They always put a smile on my face!

I'm the last stop in the hop! Thank you so much for stopping by today! All of the new stamps are now available in the Paper Pretties store...Happy Shopping!

Happy Birrthday Melissa!

2011-08-07T23:00:00.002-05:00

Today we are blog hopping to celebrate the birthday of one of our Digi Prettie Girls...MELISSA CRAIG! If you arrived here via Amber's blog you are in the right place. If you are just joining us, be sure to head back to Frances' blog to start from the beginning.

Happy Birthday Melissa! I hope you have a wonderful day!

For my card, I thought I would give you another preview of one of our August release sets, HOLIDAY CHEERS I. This set along with all of the August release sets will be available in the Paper Pretties store on Wednesday! Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog everyday for peeks at all 8 new release sets!

The next stop in our birthday blog hop is the blog of Lynda Benden. Be sure to hop all the way to the end and leave the birthday girl some love! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-08-03T07:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is the first Wednesday of the month which means an AWESOME sketch challenge from Frances! We'd love for you to plan along. If you do, but sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

Here is this month's sketch:

I inked up PARTY GIRAFFE for the first time for today's card and I am absolutely in LOVE. It is such a fun image to color!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

No Marker Challenge!

2011-07-26T23:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! The Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge this week is to make a card or project using NO MARKERS! It is time to dust off those colored pencils, crayons, inks...anything except markers!
We'd love for you to play along! If you do, be sure to post a link to your creation on the Paper Pretties blog.

I haven't used my Prismacolor pencils in FOREVER! I was actually excited about NOT using markers! I have never been very confident in my coloring ability but I really loved how HOLIDAY POLLY turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-07-19T23:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge. This week our challenge is EMBOSSING! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to link your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

Crazy as it seems...I actually have a card again this week. I inked up SIMPLY SPECIAL.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-07-12T23:00:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday...the only day I blog nowadays, LOL. It also means it is time for a new Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge. This week is all about animals! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog.

We have a ton of super fun animal stamps in the Paper Pretties store. For this week's challenge, I decided to ink up SMILE MONKEY. I think this monkey is totally adorable!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all enjoying your summer!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-07-06T00:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for a new Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge. It is the first Wednesday of the month so that means a FABULOUS sketch from Frances! We'd love for you to play along with us! If you do, be sure to leave a link to your creation on the Paper Pretties blog!

Here is this month's sketch:

Unfortunately I don't have a card to share with you this week. Life just hasn't cooperated with me lately when it comes to finding time to stamp.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-06-28T23:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Paper Pretties challenge is to make a card or project using the colors Red, Yellow, Orange + 1 Neutral. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a comment on the Paper Pretties blog!

As crazy as this is going to seem, I actually have a card for today (granted I made it almost 6 months ago when I actually had time to stamp.)
I used my favorite birthday "go to" set, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAMB. I absolutely love this image. It is fun and easy to color...great for those last minute birthday cards! The HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAMB set comes with 1 main image and 7 sentiments, great for birthday or new baby cards!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-06-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

This week the Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge is to create a white on white card. All layers of card or designer paper must be white. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

I hope you are all having a great start to your summer.

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-06-14T23:59:00.001-05:00

The Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge this week is to make a single layer card. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a comment on the Paper Pretties blog.
My bad luck continues this week. I made a card...took photos...can't find them anywhere. Go figure.
Thanks for stopping by despite my serious lack of posts lately. I hope you all have a great day.

Late again...

2011-06-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

the story of my life! Today's Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge is a fabulous sketch from Frances! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your creation on the Paper Pretties blog.

I made a card for today's challenge but unfortunately, I mailed it off without taking a photo...I hate when I do that.

Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog for the sketch and a look at the amazing cards made by the design team!

I hope you all have a great day!

Blog Candy Winner...

2011-05-26T14:16:00.000-05:00

Our vacation has really thrown off my schedule. I just realized that I hadn't picked a winner for my Cystic Fibrosis Fundraising blog candy.

First off...before I post the winner, I want to thank every single one of you who donated! It means so much to me!

With that said....the random grand prize winner of my blog candy is....
JACKIE RAKOSKI!

Congrats Jackie!

The random winner of a Paper Pretties stamp set is.....
DEBBIE B!

Congrats Debbie!

Everyone else who donated...I have some happy mail to send you too!

I need everyone who donated to email me your mailing address to hlrcrafts at hotmail dot com.

Thank you everyone for you kindness and generosity! I will be doing this again next spring with hopefully even bigger and better blog candy!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-05-25T00:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fabulous Paper Pretties challenge. The challenge this week is to make a birthday card. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to post a link to your card on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card this week, I went back to my all-time favorite CAS card layout. I have used this layout SO many times. I used the set HAPPY DAYS.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you are all having a fantastic week!

Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser Blog Candy!

2011-05-24T19:42:00.000-05:00

This post will remain at the top of my blog until May 19th. Please scroll down to see current posts.

EDITED: I am extending the deadline for donating until Tuesday May 24th. I will post the winner of the candy on Wednesday May 25th.

I FINALLY got a few moments to take some pictures of my Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser blog candy!

I'm reposting the CF Fundraiser blog candy details today. If you donate, you can leave a comment on either this post or the original post.

Here are the details again:

If you have been a follower of my blog for a while you probably remember that I have done a Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser blog candy the past few years. Well...it is time to do it again!!!!!
My good friend Chava (who I've known for over 30 years) has a 3 1/2 year old son, Alex. Shortly after Alex was born he was diagnosed with having Cystic Fibrosis. For those of you unfamiliar with CF here is a brief description:
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that: clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

Here is where my blog candy challenge comes in... Chava is participating in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Great Strides walks in Des Moines, IA on May 21st. Her fundraising goal is $500. Nearly 90 cents of every dollar raised is available for investment in vital CF programs to support research, care and education. Research and care supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is making a huge difference in extending the quality of life for those with CF. To learn more about CF and the CF Foundation you can visit there site HERE.

I'd LOVE to help Chava reach her fundraising goal. Along with selling the EASTER BABIES set to raise money, I'd like to help out a little more. I am offering a chance at some REALLY AWESOME blog candy to anyone who donates. You can donate $1 or more. (FOR THOSE LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES - YOUR DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE). All you need to do for a chance at the blog candy is go to Chava's CF donation site HERE and place a secure donation (don't worry if your name doesn't show up on her donation list instantly, I've noticed that in some cases it takes several hours). If you would prefer to send a check instead of donating online you can mail a check made out to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) to Chava. Her address is: Chava Pocernich 514 NW Cindy Ln Ankeny, IA 50023. After you donate (either online or by mail), leave a comment on this post. You DO NOT need to tell me how much you donated. I just appreciate any help you can give! I'm keeping this blog candy open until Thursday May 20th at midnight CST, in hopes of helping her raise as much money as possible...I will pick a blog candy winner on Saturday May 21st (the day of the CF Great Strides Walk). Please help spread the word!! I'd love for any of you to mention my post on your blogs, the more exposure the better.

My blog candy for a cause gets better every year (IMO). Here is what you have a chance to win this year:

Prize package is worth over $200!!!

* a $50 gift certificate to the Paper Pretties store ($50 retail value)

* your choice of 10 digital images from the Paper Pretties store ($30 retail value)

* Dino Essentials Set, Bronto, Rex, Trike, Iggy and Terry stamps from Dustin's Dino's line of stamps at Paper Makeup Stamps (all mounted on EZ mount) ($32 retail value)

* Freckled Lemonade set from Paper Makeup Stamps (mounted on EZ mount) ($10 retail value)

* Solo snail, Cottage and 4 sentiment quotes (all unmounted rubber) ($10 retail value)

* 4 designs by Leere, clear stamps from Stampavie (Shopping Girl, Going Places, Bathing Beauty and Mother and Daughter) ($30 retail value)

* Victoria Case Hearts and Hugs Summer Collection (sheet of unmounted rubber) ($34 retail value)

* Chin Up Snowman from Firecracker Designs by Pamela (sheet of unmounted rubber) ($9 retail value)

* {Tu-tu-rific} clear stamp set from Little Paper Shop (retail value $8)

* Heidi Swapp edge distressor ($3 retail value)

* 3 misc The Angel Company stamps ($5 retail value)

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-05-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. The challenge this week is to use flowers somewhere on your project.
We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to post a link to your card on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card this week, I inked up my FAVORITE fairy image EVER....GARDEN FAIRY KATIE illustrated by Victoria Case. I think she is absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love with her the second I saw this image. I actually had this card published in Scrap and Stamp Arts a couple months ago.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Did you hear the EGG-citing news...

2011-05-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

IT'S NANCY'S BIRTHDAY!!!

Nancy, I'm so lucky to have you on my design team and to have you as a friend. I'm so glad our paths crossed so many years ago on SCS! I hope you have a wonderful day! Happy Birthday!

If you just joined in our blog hop, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start at the beginning. You won't want to miss a single stop! If you arrived from Taylor's blog, you are on the right path! Be sure to follow all the way to the end and leave some birthday love for Nancy!

Next stop in the hop is the blog of the amazingly talented ARTish!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

All of the new Paper Pretties May release sets are now available in the Paper Pretties store. If you NEED graduation sets before the end of the month, be sure to order by Friday. The Paper Pretties store will be closed from May 14th-24th. All orders placed during this time will be shipped on May 25th. Shipping delay will not affect digital image sales.

Happy Release Day!

2011-05-11T00:01:00.012-05:00

Welcome to the Paper Pretties May release blog hop! If you arrived here from Taylor's blog, you are on the right path. If not, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start from the beginning!

All 5 of the May release sets are now available in the Paper Pretties store! Reminder - The Paper Pretties store will be closed from May 14th - May 24th for inventory and some family time. Any orders placed during that time will not ship until May 25th. If you NEED a graduation set before the end of the month, be sure to order before Friday!

Along with being release day, today is also Wednesday (it also happens to be our wedding anniversary - Happy Anniversary to my wonderful, supportive husband!) which means it is time for a new Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge. Our challenge this week is to add texture to your card. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog for a chance to win this week's prize.

For my card today, I used the set GRADUATION ZAC.

Here is a look at the inside of my card.

I'm the last stop in the hop. Thanks for hopping along with us today! We hope you enjoyed all of the fabulous creations! Have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Janet!

2011-05-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

I totally suck at being on time lately. Sorry my post is late this morning.
Today we are celebrating the birthday of one of our Digi Prettie girls Janet with a fun birthday blog hop! If you just joined the hop be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start from the beginning! You won't want to miss a single stop!

Janet, I hope you have a terrific birthday!

Next stop in the hop is the blog of the talented ARTish! Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you all have a great day!

Paper Pretties May Release Preview Day #3!

2011-05-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day! I hope all everyone is having a great day! Today is the Paper Pretties May release preview day #3! We will be releasing 5 brand new stamp sets which will be available in the Paper Pretties store on Wednesday May 11th. You can catch peeks of the new sets each day until Wednesday on the Paper Pretties blog!

One random lucky commenter on the Paper Pretties blog each preview day will win the set being previewed (so be sure to head on over there and leave a comment!). The winners from each preview day will be posted on the Paper Pretties blog on Wednesday. As in previous months, we will still have a inspiration filled blog hop on release day.

Join us for our release Blog Hop this Wednesday 12 AM EST 11th May, starting on the Paper Pretties Blog.
New Release Stamps available in the Paper Pretties Boutique on Wednesday May 11th.
Don’t forget to check out the Paper Pretties Blog each day to see all of the fabulous previews.

Today's preview set is called GRADUATION LILY and is illustrated by the amazing Victoria Case!

Due to my extreme lack of stamping time lately, I went with a nice CAS layout for today's card.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day! Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog every day though Wednesday for chances to win the May preview sets!

Paper Pretties May Release Preview Day #1

2011-05-06T11:33:00.001-05:00

Today I am super excited to share with you the first of our Paper Pretties May release peeks with you. We will be releasing 5 brand new stamp sets which will be available in the Paper Pretties store on Wednesday May 11th. You can catch peeks of the new sets each day until Wednesday on the Paper Pretties blog!

One random lucky commenter on the Paper Pretties blog each preview day will win the set being previewed (so be sure to head on over there and leave a comment!). The winners from each preview day will be posted on the Paper Pretties blog on Wednesday. As in previous months, we will still have a inspiration filled blog hop on release day.

Join us for our release Blog Hop this Wednesday 12 AM EST 11th May, starting on the Paper Pretties Blog.
New Release Stamps available in the Paper Pretties Boutique from Wednesday 12 AM EST 11th May.
Don’t forget to check out the Paper Pretties Blog each day to see all of the fabulous previews.

The set being featured today is called "Handy Man" and it is illustrated by Victoria Case. This is a super fun set for the men in our lives.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a great weekend! Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog every day though Wednesday for chances to win the May preview sets!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge

2011-05-03T23:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. It is the first Wednesday of the month which means a FABULOUS sketch from Frances!
We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to post a link to your card on the Paper Pretties blog!

I inked up both BIRTHDAY BOY and SWEET 16 for today's card. This sketch is a lot of fun!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check back on Friday for the first Paper Pretties May release preview!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-04-27T08:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. The challenge this week is Paper Piercing! Grab your piercing tool and have fun!
We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to post a link to your card on the Paper Pretties blog!

Before I share my card this week I want to post a huge THANK YOU to a few of our DT members that are leaving us at the end of this month. First off we have had 2 amazing guest DT members, Michele and Alaine, for the past 2 months. It has been fabulous working with you two ladies. Thanks for playing with us the past 2 months. Next off we have a couple of our permanent DT members who are leaving us to spend more time with their families, Cindy Haffner and Pam Varnell. Cindy and Pam both joined the Paper Pretties team last year when I bought Paper Pretties. They are both absolutely AMAZING stampers and they are going to be greatly missed. I am so sad to see them go, but I completely understand the value of spending time with family. Thank you ladies for everything you have done for myself and Paper Pretties!

My card this week is dedicated to all of my DT...current, past and future. Thank you for everything you do for me! I couldn't do this without you!

I hope you all having a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Cindy and Dominique!!!

2011-04-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter! I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend! Today we are celebrating the birthdays of two of our awesome DT members, Cindy and Dominique! Both of these ladies are incredible stampers and I am SO blessed to have them on the Paper Pretties DT!
If you arrived here via Michele's blog, you are on the right path. If not, be sure to head on over to the Paper Pretties blog and start at the beginning. You won't want to miss a single thing!

Happy Birthday Cindy and Dominique!
I hope you both have a wonderful day!!!!

For my card today, I inked up the new set RETURN OF CLUCK!

Next stop in the hop is the blog of the incredibly talented ARTish! Be sure to follow the hop all the way to the end to leave some love for our 2 birthday girls!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge

2011-04-20T00:10:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge. The challenge this week is a color challenge: Pink, Green, + 1 neutral.
We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to post a link to your card on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card this week, I inked up EVERYDAY LILY. I think Lily is such a beautiful image and I love the sentiment "Friends are the flowers in the garden of life"....so true!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a fabulous day!

Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser!

2011-04-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Paper Pretties Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser blog hop! If you arrived here from Delia's blog, you are on the right path. If not, be sure to start at the Paper Pretties blog to make sure you don't miss any of the fabulous projects.

Here is the blog hop list just in case you get lost along the way:

PP Blog
Frances Byrne
Jessica Fick
Kristine Reynolds
Kelly Collins
Amber Hillman
Jackie Rakoski
Jacquie Peifer
Delia Cruz

Heather Lee-Reppen

I am so glad you joined us today. Unfortunately due to some unexpected chaos in our life, I don't have a card to share today. BUT...I still have some fun things to share, so keep reading...pretty please! PLEASE read my entire post, even though it is long! It is definitely worth reading to the bottom.

All of the cards in today's blog hop are made using the ADORABLE new digital image set EASTER BABIES from Paper Pretties. All of the proceeds from the sale of this set (minus Paypal fees) will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! The entire digital set is only $7! We've only sold 8 sets so far and I'd love to see that number increase. This set is full of super adorable digital images! The possibilites are endless!

As an added bonus today, buy the EASTER BABIES digital set and receive any single digital image from the Paper Pretties store for free. Please add your choice of single digi to your cart and use promotional code: FREEDIGI when checking out.

If you have been a follower of my blog for a while you probably remember that I have done a Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser blog candy the past few years. Well...it is time to do it again!!!!!
My good friend Chava (who I've known for over 30 years) has a 3 1/2 year old son, Alex. Shortly after Alex was born he was diagnosed with having Cystic Fibrosis. For those of you unfamiliar with CF here is a brief description:
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that: clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

Here is where my blog candy challenge comes in... Chava is participating in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Great Strides walks in Des Moines, IA on May 21st. Her fundraising goal is $500. Nearly 90 cents of every dollar raised is available for investment in vital CF programs to support research, care and education. Research and care supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is making a huge difference in extending the quality of life for those with CF. To learn more about CF and the CF Foundation you can visit there site HERE.

I'd LOVE to help Chava reach her fundraising goal. Along with selling the EASTER BABIES set to raise money, I'd like to help out a little more. I am offering a chance at some REALLY AWESOME blog candy to anyone who donates. You can donate $1 or more. (FOR THOSE LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES - YOUR DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE). All you need to do for a chance at the blog candy is go to Chava's CF donation site HERE and place a secure donation (don't worry if your name doesn't show up on her donation list instantly, I've noticed that in some cases it takes several hours). If you would prefer to send a check instead of donating online you can mail a check made out to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) to Chava. Her address is: Chava Pocernich 514 NW Cindy Ln Ankeny, IA 50023. After you donate (either online or by mail), leave a comment on this post. You DO NOT need to tell me how much you donated. I just appreciate any help you can give! I'm keeping this blog candy open until Thursday May 20th at midnight CST, in hopes of helping her raise as much money as possible...I will pick a blog candy winner on Saturday May 21st (the day of the CF Great Strides Walk). Please help spread the word!! I'd love for any of you to mention my post on your blogs, the more exposure the better.

Now for the fun stuff...

I have put together a FABULOUS blog candy package worth OVER $200. I'm typing this post way past my bedtime so I'm not going to list everything right now but I promise it is FABULOUS. I will take a picture and update this post with a list of the blog candy items on Friday after I get home from work.

To be entered in the blog candy giveaway all you need to do is go to Chava's Cystic Fibrosis donation site and donate...then come back here and leave me a comment and let me know that you donated.

As an extra bonus this year, I am going to do a 2nd drawing for those of you who post about our Paper Pretties EASTER BABIES set and about my blog candy for a great cause giveaway on your blog or FB page. One lucky random person who helps us spread the news will win a Paper Pretties stamp set of your choice!

Be sure to check back to see the updated blog candy posting!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Paper Pretties April Release Blog Hop

2011-04-12T23:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Welcome to the Paper Pretties April release blog hop! If you arrived via Pam's blog, you are on the right path...if not, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start at the beginning. You won't want to miss a single project (my DT is AMAZING!). All 4 fabulous new sets are now available in the Paper Pretties store! Along with being release day, it is also time for a Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge! The challenge this week is to use 2 or more different pieces of designer/patterned paper on your card! We'd love you to play along with us! If you do be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog.

I used the new set FUN QUOTES for my card. I had so much fun playing around with my new distressing tool. I absolutely love this quote. The quotes in this set work perfect as a focal image on a card!

This is the last stop in the hop! Thanks for joining us today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Running behind...are you surprised?

2011-04-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

LOL. Running behind is the theme of my entire life right now. Hopefully things will be back to the way there were before sometime soon!
I know it is Thursday, but let's pretend it is Wednesday...and time for a Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge. The challenge this week is a fabulous sketch from Frances! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog!

Here is the sketch:

For my card, I inked up a Sophia that I had never used before...Hola Chica Sophia. I have no idea why she had never seen ink, she was SO fun to play with!

Thanks for stopping by and pretending that is it Wednesday! I hope to have my blog candy for a cause posted SOON...but you know how things are with me...always running behind!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-03-30T00:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! The Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge this week is BRING ON THE BLING! We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to post a link to your card on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card this week, I used Lady Sophia.

I also wanted to mention that Paper Pretties is helping to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We have a super adorable DIGITAL IMAGE set called Easter Babies for sale. All proceeds from the sale of the Easter Babies set (minus Paypal fees) will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The entire Digital set sells for only $7!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day! Along with selling the Easter Babies set, I will also be posting my annual BLOG CANDY FOR A GREAT CAUSE post soon. I have some fabulous blog candy to give away this year. Be on the lookout for in the next few day!

Happy Birthday Frances!!!!

2011-03-23T23:00:00.003-05:00

Today is Prettie Girl Frances' birthday! To celebrate, the Prettie Girls have put together an awesome birthday tribute blog hop. If you arrived here via Dominique's blog, you are in the right place. If not, be sure to head back to the Paper Pretties blog and start at the beginning.

Frances, you are AMAZING! I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate EVERYTHING you do for me!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday!

Next head on over to Jacquie's blog to see her fabulous creation. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great day!

Happy Wednesday!

2011-03-23T00:04:00.002-05:00

The Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge this week is to use Spring as your inspiration for your card. We'd love for you to play along! If you do, be sure to leave a link to your creation on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card this week, I used one of ARTish's adorable digi images, Pink or Blue, along with a sentiment stamp from the set Everyday Sentiments.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-03-16T00:25:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday....I think. Honestly, the way my life has been lately, I'm lucky if I know if it is day or night let alone what actual day of the week it is. A month or so ago I started a full time job outside of the home. I have been a stay at home (hard working) mom for the past 6 1/2 years and the transition to working my mom job along with a 40 hour a week paying job along with keeping up with Paper Pretties has been STRESSFUL. You may have noticed that I missed a few Paper Pretties Wednesday challenges the past few weeks. The sad thing is, I had cards done but I just couldn't find the time to blog. Thankfully back in Dec and Jan I made all of my Wed cards through July so as long as I find the time to blog I will have a card even if I haven't stamped for months.
Thank you to all of you who still stop by. I'm hoping as I get into a new work routine I will be able to keep up with all of it!

The Paper Pretties challenge this week is to make a masculine card. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog.

For my card this week, I used Cowboy Cooper. I seriously think he is the cutest Cowboy image I have ever seen! I just love him!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having an AWESOME week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge and Release Day Blog Hop

2011-03-09T06:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! It is release day at Paper Pretties and we are celebrating with a fun blog hop! If you arrived from Pam's blog you are on the right path...if not, be sure to start back at the Paper Pretties Blog so you don't miss any of the fabulous design team cards. All 4 new March releases are now available in the store! It is also Wednesday which means we have a fun challenge for you. The challenge this week is to use ribbon. We'd love for you to play along! If you do, be sure to leave a link to you project on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card, I used the new set called "Sympathy".

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day! This is the last stop in the hop. We hope you enjoyed all of our release day creations!

Happy Valentine's Day Blog Hop!

2011-02-14T06:59:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! I hope you are having a great start to the week! A couple weeks ago I saw that my friend Taylor was organizing a Valentine's Day blog hop and I couldn't resist joining in the fun! If you arrived here via KERRY'S BLOG, you are on the right path! This hop is HUGE but it is definitely worth hopping the entire way! Be sure to start at the beginning (TAYLOR'S BLOG) so that you don't miss a single project (they are all FABULOUS) and for more chances to win! Yep, that's right, there are prizes (LOTS OF PRIZES) hidden along the way. The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to win! You have until 6PM EST on Thursday Feb. 17th to leave your comments.

Here is a list of the generous sponsors:
- StampInsanity
- Meljens designs
- Pixie Dust Studio
- Lizzie Anne Designs
- Christian Paper Crafts
- Paper Pretties
- Karber Digital Images
- Di's Digi Downloads
- The Scrappychick Boutique
- Stampendous
- Pink Cat Studio
- Amber Ink
- Simply Betty Stamps
- Mark's Finest Papers
- Dreamweaver's Stencils
- Chi Chi Memories
- Little Potato House
- Kenny K digis
-Kraftin Kimmie

For my first card, I skipped the traditional Valentine colors, but stuck with a Valentine theme! I used Always in My Heart Sophia along with a sentiment from the SWAK Add-On Set from Paper Pretties.

These next three cards are made with digital Valentine images from Paper Pretties (Lil' Stinker, Romeo and Truffles).

Hope you all have a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Thanks for hopping along with us today! Next stop in the hop is the blog of the talented RACHEL SZTONYK!

Paper Pretties February Release Blog Hop

2011-02-08T23:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday and welcome to the Paper Pretties February Release blog hop (and we have a Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge for you too!).
If you arrived from Siobhan's blog, you are on the right path. If not, be sure to go back and start at the Paper Pretties blog...you won't want to miss any of the fabulous creations the design team made.
All 4 new sets are now available in the Paper Pretties boutique!

The Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge this week is to use Valentine's Day as your inspiration (this does not mean you need to make a Valentine card, just use Valentine's as your inspiration). We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your project on the Paper Pretties blog to win this week's challenge prize.

For my card I decided to use Valentine's Day as a color inspiration. I used the new set HAPPY DAYS. I absolutely love the versatility of this set. I used one of my favorite CAS layouts (this isn't the last time you will see this layout, LOL).

I'm the last stop on today's hop. I hope you've enjoyed all of the fabulous design team creations! Thanks for stopping by today!

Paper Pretties February Previews Day #3

2011-02-07T01:26:00.004-06:00

It's time for the February release previews at Paper Pretties. Today is preview day #3. Today's set is called "OH BABY!" and is illustrated by Victoria Case. All 4 new releases will be available in the Paper Pretties Boutique no later than 7am EST on Wednesday! For a chance to win this fabulous new set, be sure to leave a comment on the Paper Pretties blog today!

For my card I used the current Friday Sketchers Sketch Challenge (I flipped the sketch).

Thanks for stopping by today! Check back tomorrow for preview day #4 and on Wednesday for a fabulous release day blog hop!

Midnight Madness!

2011-02-04T10:57:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't heard, Paper Pretties is the February sponsor for the Midnight Madness blog! Each week Midnight Madness challenges us with some amazing sketches! Here are their sketches for this week:

If you play along, be sure to link up your creation on the Midnight Madness blog!

For my card, I inked up the adorable Scout Sophia. This image worked perfectly with this week's sketch. I threaded the buttons with Karen Foster Scrapper's Floss. The white floss can be colored with markers to coordinate with any designer paper.

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog tomorrow for the first of our February release previews! We have 4 fabulous sets being released this month!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-02-01T23:05:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone is having a great week! We are having a MAJOR blizzard here in Wisconsin! The entire southern half of Wisconsin has a snow day today...dream come true for me! Don't get me wrong, I HATE cold and snow but I LOVE the fact that we are literally stuck at home...forced to go NOWHERE...free to wear pajamas ALL DAY!!!! I am a homebody!

Since it is the first Wed of the month, we have a fabulous sketch challenge from Frances! We'd love for you to play along! If you do, be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

Here is the sketch:

Engineer Cooper is so stinkin cute! I just love coloring this image! It coordinates PERFECTLY with the Basic Grey Oliver designer paper! All of the Basic Grey 6x6 designer paper pads are $1 off in the Paper Pretties Boutique!

We got a huge shipment of Glitter Dots in. There are now 19 colors IN STOCK in the Paper Pretties Boutique.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a safe, warm Wednesday!!

Happy Birthday Amber

2011-01-30T09:36:00.001-06:00

It is Prettie Girl Amber Hillman's birthday, and to celebrate the entire Paper Pretties team has put together a fun and fabulous birthday blog hop! Be sure to start at the beginning (Paper Pretties Blog). You won't want to miss any of the wonderful creations. If you arrived here from Dominique's blog you are on the right path!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Amber! I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I'm so lucky to have you on the Paper Pretties team!

Next stop on the hop is Jacquie's blog! Be sure to follow to the very end where you can wish Amber a Happy Birthday! Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-01-26T07:22:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! The Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge this week is to make a card or project with sewing (regular or faux). We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to post a link to your project on the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog.

For my card, I used Cuddle Me Sophia and Everyday Sentiments. My regular sewing skills are always hit or miss so I decided to go with faux stitching for today's card.

Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog for more sewing inspiration. The new DT is absolutely incredible and their creations are all amazing!!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

It's a Prettie Birthday!

2011-01-23T23:00:00.000-06:00

It is Prettie Girl Jessica Fick's birthday, and to celebrate the entire Paper Pretties team has put together a fun and fabulous birthday blog hop! Be sure to start at the beginning (Paper Pretties Blog). You won't want to miss any of the wonderful creations. If you arrived here from Frances' blog you are on the right path!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jessica! I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I'm so lucky to have you on the Paper Pretties team!

I used the Paper Pretties set Garden Fairy Katie for my card. She is perfect for just about any occasion.

Next stop on the hop is Jacquie's blog! Be sure to follow to the very end where you can wish Jessica a Happy Birthday! Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Running a little behind...

2011-01-19T08:53:00.000-06:00

as usual. I seriously need an extra 10 hours in a day to get everything done.

Thankfully I do have a card to share today though! The Paper Pretties challenge this week is Paper Piecing! The DT made some absolutely INCREDIBLE cards this week so be sure to head on over to the Paper Pretties blog to check them out! You won't regret it!

For my card this week, I used Story Time Sophia! This little beauty reminds me so much of Annabelle (except I lack the skills to color blonde hair). Annabelle loves to read! She just finished the 2nd Harry Potter book (a pretty impressive thing for a 1st grader!). She finished the book right before bed last night and at breakfast she had the 3rd book in hand trying to read while she ate her Pop-Tart, LOL.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a terrific day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-01-12T01:03:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like I'm becoming a once-a-week blogger. I just don't get much stamping time nowadays. Honestly, looking back over the past 2-3 years, I don't know how I managed to get so much stamping and blogging done. Now that both kids are in school you would have thought that I'd have tons of time, but I find that I have less time than I ever have. Thankfully, over Christmas break I found time to make my Wednesday challenge cards for the next few months... so even if I don't get any stamping time, I'll still have something to post!

The Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge this week is to make a card or project using a unique fold. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to post a link to your project on the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog.

For today's card, I used one of ARTish's adorable digital images. Cocoa the Cat is one of my favorite digital images (the sentiment comes from the set "Everyday Lily"). I think he is so stinkin cute. I decided to make an easel card for my "unique fold".

Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog for more unique fold inspiration. The new DT is absolutely fabulous and their creations are all amazing!!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2011-01-05T01:06:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! I spent the past couple weeks doing lots of family stuff. In fact I just realized now that I totally forgot to post my Paper Pretties challenge card from last week. My mind is sort of mush after the long crazy December we had. I'm definitely looking forward to a better (more healthy) January!

Since it is the first Wed of the month, we have a fabulous sketch challenge from Frances! We'd love for you to play along! If you do, be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

Here is the sketch:

I inked up a set that I've never used before for today's card. The set is called Penny For Your Thoughts. It is available in rubber mounted on EZ mount.

I even decorated the inside.

Today is the official start of our new Paper Pretties design team! Be sure to head on over to the Paper Pretties blog for some major inspiration (these ladies have some MAJOR talent!). Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Happy Wednesday!

2010-12-22T01:33:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is having a great week! It is time for another fabulous Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge! The challenge this week, in honor of Christmas, is to make a birthday card! We'd love for you to play along! If you do, be sure to leave a link to your creation on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card this week, I used the Paper Pretties set "Happy Birthday Lamb". This set comes with 1 main image and 7 coordinating sentiment stamps for only $8!

As a special Christmas gift to all of our loyal friends and customers, Paper Pretties is having a sale now through the end of the year. Use discount code: MERRYCHRISTMAS to save 30% off your entire order at the Paper Pretties store!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2010-12-15T01:57:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge! This week our challenge for you is to make a masculine/boy themed card. We'd love for you to play along. If you do, be sure to leave a link to your creation on the Paper Pretties blog!

I still haven't had any crafting time (Beckett still hasn't gone back to school) but thankfully I made all of my December cards back around Thanksgiving. For today's card I inked up Cowboy Cooper. I think this is the CUTEST cowboy image I have EVER seen! The Cowboy Cooper set comes with one main image and 6 coordinating sentiment stamps for only $8!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Paper Pretties December Release Day!

2010-12-10T04:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Paper Pretties release day blog hop! All 7 new sets are now available to purchase in the Paper Pretties store! If you arrived here from ARTish's blog you are on the right path. If not, head back to CINDY'S BLOG to start the hop...you won't want to miss anything!

The sets this month are:

Scout Cooper

Unfortunately I do not have a card today. We have had an absolutely HORRIBLE week with 2 ER visits and a hospital stay for Beckett...leaving zero crafting time. I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things in the next few weeks. Thanks to everyone for sticking by me during my blog post drought. I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy weekend!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2010-11-24T02:14:00.002-06:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties challenge! With the craziness of Thanksgiving and family and shopping upon us, we decided to go with a simple challenge this week...Clean and Simple that is. We would love for you to play along with us. You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing (the prize this week is JOYFUL HEART) ! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC129. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

Before I get to my card I wanted to mention that Paper Pretties is having a Thanksgiving sale...15% off your entire order Thursday-Sunday. Use coupon code: GIVETHANKS when checking out!

CAS is NOT easy for me. I am just not a CAS kind of girl. This was definitely a challenge for me but in the end I had a great time. I ended up trying several different CAS layouts. I used stamps from the Paper Pretties sets SNOWFLAKES, SNOWFLAKE KISSES SOPHIA and SNOWFLAKE MITTENS.

I liked how this first card turned out so much that I made it in 3 different colors (actually I decided to mass produce this one for Christmas so I ended up making 40 of these)

I saw a card very similar to this when I was cruising blogs this week and just had to CASE it (sorry I can't remember whose blog it was).

I was having so much fun with the mittens that I made one more.

Here are a couple more easy snowflake cards. The SNOWFLAKE set is so much fun and so versatile!

Thanks for stopping by today! For those of you traveling for the holidays, may you have a safe journey. I am so thankful for all of you! I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday ARTish!

2010-11-21T05:00:00.005-06:00

I hope you are all having a great weekend! Today we are celebrating the birthday of our very own ARTish with a birthday blog hop! If you arrived via Wendy's blog you are on the right path...if not be sure to start back at Cindy's blog so you don't miss any of the birthday inspiration!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARTish!

I hope you have an absolutely wonderful day!

As part of our birthday celebration we are also releasing our Monday Whatnot images a day early! We happen to be releasing a couple birthday whatnot images this week so we thought it would be perfect to use them for ARTish's birthday blog hop!

For my card I used ARTish's new digi DESMOND DONKEY. I think this image is absolutely HILARIOUS! I love it!

You can finish up the hop by heading on over to ARTish's blog to wish her a happy birthday!
Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2010-11-17T02:54:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!
We have another easy challenge for you this week. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, our challenge this week is to make a THANK YOU card. We'd love for you to play along. One random challenge participant this week will win the Paper Pretties set "AHOY MATEY". You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC128. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card this week, I used one of our new ARTish digi images, HAPPY BABY...the sentiment is from our new set EVERYDAY SENTIMENTS.

I used the sketch from the FUSSY and FANCY challenge #23.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Monday Whatnots...What's Not To LOVE!

2010-11-15T01:06:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend! It is time for our Paper Pretties Monday Whatnot release! ARTish has 3 absolutely wonderful digis for you this week! All 3 are available in the Paper Pretties store in the digital image section.

Pink or Blue?

Happy Baby

Night Night Baby

For my card today I used Night Night Baby and paired it up with a sentiment from Garden Fairy Katie.
My sketch comes from the current Friday Sketchers sketch challenge #128. (I flipped the sketch).

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a terrific Monday!

OWH Blog Hop Candy Winner!

2010-11-14T20:22:00.000-06:00

Thanks so much to everyone who joined us in the OWH Valentine's blog hop!

The lucky random winner of 3 digi images from Paper Pretties is...

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2010-11-15 02:19:43 UTC

Cleota said...
Too stinking cute! Pun intended. :)

November 13, 2010 12:11 PM

Congrats Cleota! Please email me at hlrcrafts at hotmail dot com with your choices. You can see all of the Paper Pretties digi images HERE.

OWH Valentine's Blog Hop!

2010-11-13T09:00:00.011-06:00

Welcome to the Operation Write Home Valentine's Blog Hop! If you've arrived here from Katlyn's blog you are on the right path!

Operation Write Home's Mission: To support our nation’s armed forces by sending blank greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them.

Operation Write Home is currently accepting Valentine Cards (The Christmas card deadline has passed, please do not send any Christmas cards at this time). The DEADLINE to get your Valentine Cards to OWH is Jan 7th, 2011. Be sure to read all of the submission guidelines for Operation Write Home.

OWH is a finalist in the Joann's Craft For a Cause contest. Please go HERE and vote for OWH. You can vote once every 24 hours!

For my card today I used one of the new Paper Pretties digi stamps, "Lil Stinker". The sentiment comes from the Paper Pretties set "Sealed With A Kiss"

Thanks for joining us in our hop today! As an added bonus I will be giving away 3 free Paper Pretties digi images to one lucky person who leaves a comment on today's blog post. You have until 6PM CST Sunday Nov. 14th to leave a comment. Winner will be posted here on Sunday night.

The next stop in the hop is SAMANTHA'S BLOG.

Paper Pretties Release Day Blog Hop!

2010-11-12T04:00:00.017-06:00

Happy Friday! Welcome to the Paper Pretties November release blog hop! If you arrived here from ARTish's blog you are on the right path! If not, be sure to start back at the beginning (CINDY'S BLOG). We have 7 AWESOME guest hoppers joining us this month and you definitely don't want to miss a thing! The projects are all fabulous!

All 7 of the new sets are now available in the Paper Pretties store!

For my card today, I used two of the new sets: SURPRISE SOPHIA and EVERYDAY SENTIMENTS.

Thanks for stopping by today! This is the last stop on the hop, thanks for hopping along with us today! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Stop back tomorrow for the OWH Valentine's blog hop!

A Preview, a Birthday and an oops...

2010-11-10T05:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Wednesday! That means it is time for a Paper Pretties Wednesday challenge. The challenge this week is EMBOSSING! We'd love for you to play along. One random challenge participant this week will win the Paper Pretties set "Simply Special". You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC127. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog !

Along with this week's challenge we have a November preview and a birthday celebration! Today is Prettie Girl Jen's birthday and to celebrate the DT has put together a fun inspiration filled blog hop using today's preview set "EVERYDAY SENTIMENTS".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN! I'm so lucky to have you as a friend! We definitely need to get together soon! I hope you have a great day!

EVERYDAY SENTIMENTS is filled with 9 wonderful sentiments and 4 decorative stamps! Great for those "everyday" cards!

For my card I used used SURPRISE SOPHIA along with EVERYDAY SENTIMENTS. You might be wondering where my embossing is...that's the OOPS. I sat down to work on my card and I looked around for a good sketch...settled on the current Basic Grey challenge #32...then I looked around for some more challenges to inspire me...I decided to make another square card for the Crazy 4 Challenges square card challenge and then figured I'd use a punch to play along with the Drunken Stampers punch challenge #41...I figured that was enough, so I made my card. Viola! Done! OOPS...after all that time I spent searching for challenges I forgot I was supposed to be doing some embossing for our challenge. Since my stamping time is limited, I had to just go with the flow and post this one anyway. Next time I promise I will pay more attention to what I'm doing!

Don't forget to stop on by the Paper Pretties blog to leave a comment for a chance to win EVERYDAY SENTIMENTS.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

NEXT stop on the birthday blog hop is the blog of THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!

Paper Pretties November Preview: SKATER ZAC

2010-11-09T01:54:00.002-06:00

Today is day 5 of the Paper Pretties November previews! I hope you have enjoyed all of the preview thus far! All 7 new releases will be available in the Paper Pretties store on Friday Nov. 12th. You can see a new preview each day on the Paper Pretties blog until release day. One random lucky commenter on the Paper Pretties blog each preview day will win the set being previewed. The winners from each preview day will be posted on the Paper Pretties blog on Friday. As in previous months, we will still have a inspiration filled blog hop on release day (this month we have 7 AWESOME guest blog hoppers joining us!).

Today's preview set is called "SKATER ZAC" and is illustrated by Victoria Case . "SKATER ZAC" is the perfect addition to the growing collection of Paper Pretties TEEN SCENE stamps by Victoria Case. I absolutely LOVE this set and I hope you do too. The set comes with 1 main image stamp, and 4 coordinating sentiments.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this image. When I asked Victoria to draw me a teen skater, I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be this perfect. I love it!
For my card I used the Taylored Expressions Friday sketch #133, the Color Throwdown color challenge #117, the Crazy 4 Challenges square card challenge and the Drunken Stampers punch challenge #41.

Don't forget to stop on by the Paper Pretties blog to leave a comment for a chance to win this set.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have an AWESOME day!

Monday Whatnots and more...

2010-11-08T08:10:00.000-06:00

It's Monday, so that means it is time for some Paper Pretties Monday Whatnots! ARTish drew some absolutely wonderful images for us this week! We are switching gears a little this week and hanging up our Christmas images for some Valentine's images. This switch is in honor of the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps Valentine's Blog Hop. Operation Write Home is an absolutely wonderful group that supports our nation's armed forces by sending them blank greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them. Because of shipping deadlines, OWH has ended their call for Christmas cards and are now looking for Valentine's Day cards! The OWH blog is sponsoring a Valentine's Blog hop this Saturday! There is still time to sign up to be a part of the hop if you are interested. You can find all of the blog hop info HERE. If you are interested in donating cards to OWH, please read all of their submission guidelines HERE. Paper Pretties is proud to be a part of Saturday's blog hop. I will also have a card here on my blog for the hop!

Here are the 4 Whatnot images for today! All 4 digis are available in the Paper Pretties store in the digital stamp section (they can also be found in the Newest Products section)

For today's card, I used Truffles. I think this image is absolutely hilarious! Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Don't forget to stop on by the Paper Pretties blog for today's November release preview. We are previewing a Victoria Case set called "BEST FRIENDS".
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

CPS Challenge Blog

2010-11-07T01:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a great weekend! Not only is it Paper Pretties Nov. release preview week, but Paper Pretties is also sponsoring the CPS challenge blog this week! Be sure to head on over to the Paper Pretties blog for today's preview of "Thanks Snow Much Sophia". She is totally adorable! We will be giving away stamp sets all week long on the Paper Pretties blog so you definitely don't want to miss it!

I did find some time to play along with the CPS sketch but I didn't use one of the new release preview sets. I decided to ink up one of my favorite Sophia stamps EVER...ALWAYS IN MY HEART SOPHIA! I think she is the sweetest looking little girl. The striped tights totally remind me of Annabelle.

Here is the sketch:

Here is my card:

Thanks for stopping by today! Don't forget to stop by the Paper Pretties blog for today's November release preview and another chance to win!

Let the November previews begin!

2010-11-05T03:45:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful week! Today I am SO excited to share the first of 7 new November release sets with you. All 7 new releases will be available in the Paper Pretties store on Friday Nov. 12th. We will be previewing one set each day on the Paper Pretties blog until release day. One random lucky commenter on the Paper Pretties blog each preview day will win the set being previewed. The winners from each preview day will be posted on the Paper Pretties blog on Friday. As in previous months, we will still have a inspiration filled blog hop on release day (this month we have 7 AWESOME guest blog hoppers joining us!).

Today's preview set is called "SURPRISE SOPHIA" and is illustrated by Joni Stringfield. "SURPRISE SOPHIA" is the perfect addition to our growing collection of adorable Sophia stamps. The set comes with 1 main image stamp, 5 sentiment stamps and 2 fun swirls.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to head on over to the Paper Pretties blog for more inspiration. While you are there be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win this adorable set!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2010-11-03T03:57:00.003-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is the first Wednesday of the month which means a FANTASTIC sketch challenge from Prettie Girl Frances Byrne! We'd love for you to play along. One random challenge participant this week will win the Paper Pretties set "Snowy Snuggles". You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC126. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog !

Here is the sketch:

I absolutely LOVE today's sketch. I had such a great time working with all of the layers. I used "Bundle Up Cooper" for today's card. I love this stamp because honestly, it really could be a Cooper or a Sophia, depending on how you color the snowsuit. I've done it in both pink and blue and it really works both ways! I'm entering my card in the Fussy and Fancy Winter Wonderland Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a great day! Don't forget that Paper Pretties is looking for some new DT members! You still have plenty of time to get your application in! There are calls for Digi Prettie Girls and Prettie Girls!

Monday Whatnots!

2010-11-01T02:34:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! It is time for our Paper Pretties Monday Whatnot release! ARTish drew some fabulous holiday images for us this week. Both of these new images are available in the Paper Store in the digital stamp section! This week we have Astra and Rudolph for you.

I used Astra for my card today. The sentiment is from the Holiday Fairy Meg set. I played along with a couple challenges again: Friday Sketchers Sketch challenge and Christmas Stampin all year long (purple and silver) challenge.

Heather

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day!

Stamping for fun on Saturday!

2010-10-30T10:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone is having a terrific weekend! I've got another "just for fun" card for you today!

I played along with 2 challenges this time:

CPS Sketch Challenge

and
Creative Card Crew punches challenge

The stamps and scraps from my last card were still sitting out on the table this morning so I figured I might as well use them. The designer paper is from My Mind's Eye. I just absolutely love this line of designer paper (you'll probably see it again in the next week or so because I left it out on my stamp table). The sentiment stamp is from the Paper Pretties set "Sealed With A Kiss".
I punched the edges of the brown cardstock with a Martha Stewart border punch and then finished it off with some Prima flowers and Zva Creative pearl flourishes.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

What is this world coming to?

2010-10-29T22:00:00.001-05:00

Can it be...FIVE blog posts in one week. I can't remember the last time I had so many cards to share. I've been stamping for fun this week, just trying to get back in the stamping groove.
For today's card, I played along with Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #97. (I enjoy stamping so much more when I just stamp for fun...no requirement, just stamping because I love to stamp!).

For my card I used the super fun Paper Pretties set, "Sealed With A Kiss". This set has sentiments perfect for Anniversary, Valentine's Day and more.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Flutterby and more!

2010-10-29T10:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week. Today I have another card to share with you. I used inspiration from 3 different challenges to create this one.

Flutterby Wednesday Challenge: Purple, Orange and Black
Cooking It Up with Katie: Girly, Lilac and a Bow
and
Midnight Madness: Sketch challenge

For my card I used Paper Pretties Garden Fairy Katie. I think she is the sweetest fairy image I have ever seen. I fell in love with her the second I laid eyes on her!

Because the sketch didn't leave a lot of room for a sentiment, I even decorated the inside of my card!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a terrific weekend!

Challenge Fun!

2010-10-28T00:01:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday! Hope everyone is having a great week. I found a little time to play in my stamp room this week. I have been having a blast playing along with some of my favorite challenges! As crazy as this sounds, I have made 5 cards in the past 2 days. I'm spreading out my projects and only sharing 1 a day though, so that my poor neglected blog feels the love, LOL.

For today's card I played along with this week's SCS sketch challenge #304 and with the Color Throwdown color challenge #116 for this week. I absolutely LOVE Pirate Cooper. I think he is the cutest pirate around!

Thanks for stopping by today! I have lots more to share this week so be sure to check back! I hope you all have a terrific day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2010-10-27T04:46:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are all having a great week! The Paper Pretties challenge this week is about about being square! Make a SQUARE card or project. We'd love for you to play along. One random challenge participant this week will win the Paper Pretties set "Game On". You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC125. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card, I used the newly released set "Tis the Season Sophia". I think she is absolutely adorable. I just recently got the basic Copic airbrush tool. This image was the very first one that I tried it out on. I definitely need a lot of practice but it is a fun little toy to play with. I've never been very good at sponging backgrounds so hopefully I can learn how to get the same effect using the airbrush. I will definitely be playing with it again very soon!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a great day!

Paper Pretties Monday Whatnots...What's No To Love!

2010-10-25T04:02:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a terrific weekend! It is Monday so that means it is time for Paper Pretties Monday Whatnots ...What's not to love! We have 2 new ARTish digi images this week:

Go Go Gordon (Isn't his candy corn car just adorable!)

Patches

Both of these adorable new digi images are available in the digi stamp section of the Paper Pretties store!

For my card I used Go Go Gordon! I LOVE the candy corn car! Totally adorable! I paired Gordon up with the Happy Halloween sentiment from Wiskers Sophia. I used the sketch from this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge blog.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2010-10-20T04:06:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another fun Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!
We have another color challenge for you this week: Green, Purple and Orange (in honor of Halloween)! We'd love for you to play along. One random challenge participant this week will win the Paper Pretties set "Beach Bum Cooper". You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC124. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card this week, I used one of our new ARTish digi images, "Halley". I'm having fun working with all of our new digis. You will definitely be seeing more of them on my blog in coming weeks! I used the Sketch Saturday sketch challenge for my layout.

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog for some MAJOR inspiration. The Prettie Girls outdid themselves this week!

Paper Pretties Monday Whatnots...What's Not To LOVE!

2010-10-18T04:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! We have some super exciting things going on at Paper Pretties! Today I have the wonderful opportunity of introducing you to Paper Pretties newest Illustrator...ARTish! ARTish will be joining our team as both an illustrator and as a design team member! For her full bio, check out the "Our Team" section of the Paper Pretties store.

With the addition of ARTish to our team, we are also adding a new weekly release! ARTish's images are going to be digital downloads and we will be releasing at least 2 new digi images every single Monday....They will be called "Paper Pretties Monday Whatnots...What's not to love!".

ARTish's illustration style is such a perfect fit with our Paper Pretties family! If you love to color you will LOVE her images!

Since today is our first official Paper Pretties Monday Whatnots, we are releasing 6 awesome digi images by ARTish! All 6 new images are available in the digital stamp section of the Paper Pretties store!

For my card today I used ARTish's new image "Bob". I'm not even sure if kids actually bob for apples nowadays, but when I was a kid that was definitely the best part of every Halloween party. Isn't this image just the perfect reminder of the "good old days"! I paired "Bob" up with the "Have Fun" sentiment from "Witch Sophia". As you can see I tried a little bit of sewing again. I'm definitely getting better (THANKS Delia for the tension tip...no more loose stitches!).

I'm submitting my card for the following challenges:
Crazy 4 Challenges: Fall/Autumn
and
Basic Grey Challenge: Autumn/Harvest Time ...I used some Basic Grey Eerie designer paper.

With the addition of our Paper Pretties Monday Whatnots, we will also be adding a Digi Design Team. The digi DT call details will be posted sometime in the next few days! Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Release Day Blog Hop!

2010-10-15T04:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Paper Pretties October Release Blog Hop! We are just thrilled to have you joining us! If you arrived here via Wendy's blog you are in the right place. If you are just joining the hop, be sure to start back at the beginning so you don't miss a thing!

Paper Pretties is releasing 7 fabulous sets today! All of the new sets are now available for purchase in the Prettie Boutique. There are also a few release day specials: * Any orders that total $100 or more (before shipping) will receive a free 6x6 paper pad (Paper Pretties’ choice) with their order! * Any orders that total $50 or more (before shipping) will receive a free antiquing tool with their order! *And of course…the new stamps...Paper Pretties will be giving away one of each of the new sets. 7 sets, means 7 lucky winners. To have your name entered into the prize drawing, all you need to do is leave a comment on each of the 10 DT blogs in the hop today! Winners will be chosen on Sunday, October 17th at 5 PM CST and posted on the Paper Pretties blog. You can shop without fear... if you happen to win a set you already purchased (you know you can’t resist these amazing new images!), you may substitute a different set of equal or lesser value in its place.

Blog Hop Order:

Paper Pretties Blog
Cindy Haffner
Frances Byrne
Jackie Rakoski
Jana Weaver
Jane Matsumoto
Jennifer Greco
Pam Varnell
Jessica George
Wendy Hoff
Heather Lee-Reppen - You are HERE

For my card today I used 2 of the new sets: "Snowflakes" and "O Christmas Tree". I decided to go with another simple card because I wanted to give my sewing machine another chance. The second time was not a charm, LOL. Because I attempted to sew in a straight line this card took me longer than the other one. It didn't turn out terrible but I am definitely doing something wrong. For those of you who sew on your cards regularly...my stitches are not tight. If you look at the back of my cardstock once I'm done sewing, it has a bunch of loose loops. What am I doing wrong? I'd love for any help or advice. I really do like the look stitching gives, I just wish I knew what I was doing. To disguise my sewing errors (a little), I sprayed the entire card with Vanilla Smooch Spritz when I was done. The shimmery look definitely helps distract you from the errors, LOL. (It is hard to see the Smooch in the picture, but I can assure you that the entire card is shimmery. The picture really doesn't do it justice, it is really pretty in real life).

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful weekend!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2010-10-13T01:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are all having a great week! The Paper Pretties challenge this week is to make a card or project using Black, White and 1 additional color. We'd love for you to play along. One random challenge participant this week will win the Paper Pretties set "Everyday Picnic". You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC123. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card today I used the soon to be released set "Snowflakes". I have seen so many gorgeous cards with sewing on them lately that I decided to give it a try (again). Let me tell you...I have ZERO sewing skills. I ended up borrowing my grandmother's sewing machine to give sewing another try (I tried a couple years ago and ended up breaking the needle in half attempting to sew on a card). It was frustrating! This VERY VERY VERY simple card took me HOURS to make (it is a good thing the kids weren't around when I was working on it as I definitely had some choice words for that bleepin sewing machine).. I even practiced on scrap cardstock multiple times before moving to the real thing but I still ended up getting the needle stuck in the cardstock on my final project. Sewing is definitely going to take some time for me...in fact I don't know if it will ever be something that I do on a regular basis. I definitely need A LOT of practice. In the end, my card turned out ok...not good...but a little ok. Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a great day! Check back tomorrow for one last day of Prettie Previews before Friday's release day blog hop!

Caroling Sophia Preview

2010-10-12T01:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is having a great start to their week! It is preview time at Paper Pretties. We are releasing 7 wonderful sets this month. All 7 sets will be available in the Paper Pretties store on Friday!

For my card today I used the new set "Caroling Sophia". I think she is so sweet! I paired her up with some Basic Grey designer paper and some Kaisercraft rhinestones. The sketch is the current Taylored Expressions sketch challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today! Check back tomorrow for the Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

Let the previews begin...

2010-10-09T03:35:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of the Paper Pretties October release previews! We have 7 absolutely fabulous sets being released this month. All of the new sets will be available in the Paper Pretties store on Friday Oct 15th.

For my card today I used the new Victoria Case set "Holiday Fairy Meg". I absolutely love the fairies Victoria has illustrated for Paper Pretties...they are all absolutely stunning!

My sketch comes from the Friday Sketchers sketch challenge this week.

I took my photo at 10pm last night, so I apologize for the not-so-great quality. I'm hoping to take a new photo today when I have some good natural light.

I hope you are all having a great weekend! Be sure to check out the Paper Pretties blog for more previews all week!

Happy Wednesday!

2010-10-06T04:51:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week. I'm still trying to find my groove now that both kids are in school. I'm failing badly at time management it seems.

Anyway...Happy Wednesday! I hope you are all having a great week! It is the first Wednesday of the month, so that means it is time for a fabulous sketch challenge from Frances! We'd love for you to play along. One random challenge participant this week will win the Paper Pretties set "Bundle Up Cooper". You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC122. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

Here is this week's sketch:

I decided to stick as close to the sketch as possible. I opened up a new pad of Basic Grey Wander designer paper. This pack is full of fun travel patterns! I paired it up with the set Home Sweet Home from Paper Pretties. We just got new neighbors a few houses down from us so I thought I'd make them a card to welcome them to the neighborhood.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge!

2010-09-29T07:59:00.004-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Our Paper Pretties challenge for this week is make a project with an animal or animal print on it. We'd love for you to play along. One random challenge participant this week will win the Paper Pretties set "Wade E Bug". You do not need to use Paper Pretties stamps in order to play along, but if you do, you will get a bonus entry into the drawing! Please be sure to mention our challenge and link back to the Paper Pretties blog in your project posting. When uploading to SCS or PCP please use keyword PWC121. Please be sure to link up your project at the bottom of the challenge post on the Paper Pretties blog!

For my card I used Beary Best Friend Cooper. Isn't he adorable! I used the Friday Sketchers sketch for my layout.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day!