It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Halloween candy time!!!!

The Fun Size candies, the candy corn, the special trick or treat mixes.  It's all good!

So, today over on Sketchy Thursdays we are having a special Second Chance Challenge for which you must use the prompt "Candy Inspiration" AND this special sketch:

What's not to love?  It's candy corn flavored CHOCOLATE!!  And this pure evil, of course, is only available this time of year. 

It's hard to see on the full layout pic but these are some actual kisses flags from the candy corn variety.  (No, I did NOT eat all of them to get these...I rewrapped them for later enjoyment.)

Details:  Heidi Grace papers; Dymo labeler; Michaels trim; thread, Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses flags.

This challenge is sponsored by Scrapbook Kit Club who are becoming a regular Sketchy Thursdays sponsor beginning in October.

We couldn't wait to share them with you, though, which is why we're hosting this special Second Chance Challenge today.  Here's a peek at the Halloween-themed SKC kit you can win:

So, head on over to the Sketchy Thursdays site for some amazing Design Team inspiration and to submit your creation to the special Mr. Linky.

Hope you're having a great Tuesday!!

Heidi

Memories Always-Forever

Couple of little tidbits to share today...

This card was selected as the Gallery Pick of the Week over on Memories Always-Forever:

See THIS POST for the details.

Come celebrate World Card Making Day with Memories Always-Forever. 

Tell us HERE on MAF what inspires you the most when creating cards.  A prize worth $75 will be given for the most unique way you are inspired to create. Post a pic of some of your most unique card creations. You will have until noon October 4th to post your creations and response. Winner will be announced October 5th on MAF.  Take a look at what's up for grabs:

Here is what's included: Inspirations Metal Tags, Fiskars "Happy & You Know It" Clear Stamps, Bazzill Mono Mix Brads, Lil Davis Summer Breeze Chipboard Alphabet, Heidi Grace Alphas, Rob&Bob Cards, Junkitz Beach Matz, A Shore Thing Brads, Shaped Ribbon Lil Davis, Karen Foster Lacing Brads, Scrapworks Rubons, KF Mini BradsPC Paper Scraps.

Also, Memories Always-Forever will be hosting an online crop October 17th & 18th!!  Come join us for lots of fun challenges, games, inspiration, and giveaways!!

Hope you are having a great Wednesday!

Heidi

p.s.  Tune in tomorrow for an exciting announcement.  I'm just bursting!!

I ~heart~ Pieces of You

I have been DYING to share this one with you.  I made it for this week's SPCC Color Combo:

I have to admit, there's usually one color in every challenge - and expecially the 4 color combos - that throws me and my first reaction is there is no way I can come up with something for that.  This combo was no exception.  For some reason I could picture any 3 of the colors together but then throw in that fourth one and my creativity just curled up into a whimpering ball in the corner. 

And then I happened upon the DCWV paper from which I cut this embellishment:

And it all just fell into place from there.

This has become one of my fave layouts.  I love the way the colors are so vibrant - and it doesn't hurt that they photographed particularly well. 

This layout is an ode to my beautiful little daughter.  Is it wrong that I'm so jealous of her?  She (thankfully) takes after her father.  She has gorgeous olive-toned skin, beautiful rootbeer-colored eyes with long, thick, curled lashes, sleek, shiney almost-black hair with a shocking amount of red highlights (those she gets from me), and pillowy red lips (move over Angelina!).  Of course, I also had to get the little piggies in there.  Who doesn't love little piggies? 

Details:  DCWV paper; JudiKins Diamond Glaze; American Crafts felt flowers; SEI pearl brads; EK Success alpha stickers; Melissa Frances flat back pearls; trim - Michaels (green & red), unknown (yellow & pearls).

Head on over to SPCC to check out what amazing inspiration the design team has for you! 

And the fabulous sponsor for this week's prize pack is......drumroll please...

Scrapmaster's Paradise The Store

Look what's in store for the lucky winner:

Cast a Spell 6x6 paper kit

AND

Good Morning Sunshine paper kit

So head on over to the SPCC site and link up your gorgeous creations (because they always are!!). 

Have a great day!!

Heidi

psst...Be sure to check in on Sketchy Thursdays tomorrow (Tuesday) for a special edition sketch and challenge.  You won't be disappointed!

Because That's What Princesses Do

It's Monday so we've got a new prompt up on Spunky Scrappers:  Fairy Tales.

March 2011 issue

So, ya gotta picture this...a gaggle of Disney Princess figurines gathered in an open side table drawer with a string hanging down and an Anakin Skywalker action figure on the floor below.  And my 3-y-o daughter says, "...and the prince save her and they get married.  Because that's what princesses do." 

OK.  For some reason I had a mixed reaction to that statement.  Anyhoo...

Here's Anakin Skywalker gallantly striding (floating?) up on his trusty unicorn (or is he on the cloud?) to "save" the princess...

First time, I think, trying my hand at collage or mixed media or whatever you call it:

I think I like it. 

Details:  Paper - DCWV, K&Company, Best Occasions, unknown (matte gold); Stamps - Inkadinkado, Heidi Swapp, Unity Stamp Co.; StazOn ink; Letter Stickers - EK Success, Making Memories; Stickles; Creative Imaginations rub on & brad; Bead Party cord; Zig Milennium pen; Michaels trim; pearl-topped pin, dictionary page, Star Wars packaging, foam squares.

Head on over to Spunky Scrappers to see what the design team has for your fairy tale inspiration. 

Have a happy day!!

Heidi

psst...be sure to tune in to Sketchy Thursdays tomorrow (Tuesday) for a special edition sketch and challenge!!  You won't regret it!!!

As Far As I Can Tell...

Happy Friday Friends With Flair Unity Stamp Company fans!!

OK, I am officially OBSESSED with the camera stamp from the August KOTM.  It's made it's way onto another layout:

(You can click on the pic above to see a larger image.)

I made this layout with two challenges in mind.  First, the prompt on Category Stories "As Far As I Can Tell...". 

I'm pretty proud of my machine-stitched swirl.  I'm getting better at curves.  And, you can see in the pic above my favorite element on the whole layout...I was going for a school papers look so I stapled a piece of random paper to the upper left corner and then ripped off said paper leaving a little fragment...doesn't this always happen??!!  LOL

I also made this layout for the challenge on ScrapFIT:  no peeps and you must include some Cosmo Cricket because they're the prize sponsor for this challenge!  After giving away our own fair share of fabulous CC kits on Sketchy Thursdays these past couple weeks I would LOVE to win some of my own!!! 

Being the proud momma of a 6-y-o boy, my house is OVERRUN with all manner of action heroes and Lego people.  And, I wasn't just saying it for my layout title...I am pretty sure they're all plotting something.  Something quite disconcerting to happen upon little gatherings of figures in random locales throughout the house.  (Don't get me started on what I think my daughter's dolls are doing...)

Details:  Stamps:  Unity Stamp Co., Technique Tuesday; StazOn ink; Cosmo Cricket paper; Heidi Swapp tapes; Making Memories alpha stickers; thread, masking tape.

Another Unity layout made earlier this week you may have missed:

I Collect Dust

Click on the title to see the original post or scroll down a couple days to see more pics and details.

Have a great Friday!!

Heidi

Read - Sketchy Thursdays

The new Sketchy Thursdays sketch is up!!!! 

Isn't it gorgeous??!!  All of the Design Team agree this is a fave and you just have to check out what they did with it.  Simply amazing.

I'm beginning to notice black, red, & white is a go-to color combo for me.  I'm just really loving it. 

I also incorporated a couple other challenges into this layout.  This week's Spunky Scrappers prompt is children's books.  My kids are reading a fave book, "Never Too Little To Love".  My 3-y-o daughter actually "reads" it to me now.  She has it completely memorized.  Completely.  I had some fun on picnik.com doing a b&w focal and matte treatment the to pic of the kids.  Sometimes it's so much easier to fiddle with a pic on picnik.com than on Photoshop. 

I also used the Dreamgirls' challenge #36 "first impressions".  Prompt: use the first line of a book.  Product:  paper with words on it.  Technique:  paint washing. 

The quote, "It was love at first sight" is the first line of Catch-22.  It's hard to see but I've used paper with the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle" on it, some dictionary page, and a piece of my stamp blotter that had a script stamp on it. 

Have to say I LOVE the paint washing technique.  I don't think I've ever used it before.  The border under the stitching is paint washed with watered-down manila paint.  I will definitely be using this technique again.  Oh, no!  Looks like I've got a new obsession you'll have to suffer through. 

It may look like there's the same paint under the quote, too, but that's actually some surprisingly see-through masking tape. 

Details:  Paper - Basic Grey, Foof-a-la; Basic Grey cardstock alpha; trim - Making Memories (red circles), unknown (rest); Making Memories paint; dictionary page, thread, masking tape.

So, come play with us over on Sketchy Thursdays!!  You have until midnigth (EST) Wednesday, September 30 to upload your creation to Mr. Linky in the ST sidebar. 

The winner of this week's random drawing will get an awesome prize from A Scrappy Design etsy shop.  Such adorable stuff!  Be sure to click on over to check it out.

Aaaaand, we're also unveiling our Guest Design Team Member today who will be with us for 4 weeks! Our inaugural GDT is Mo (Maureen Kao) of MoMo Stamper!!  Yea!!!!  I soooo love her work.  Check out her blog AND her rockin' Etsy Store!!!!!

I can't wait to see what you create for us with this week's sketch!!  I have to say, last week's entries BLEW ME AWAY!  Sooooo hard to pick my fave.  And I LOVE how many entries there were!!  But please, MAKE MORE WORK FOR US THIS WEEK!!!  I want to see more.  How else am I going to come up with new ideas?  LOL!!

And, yes, I know.  Our Grand Opening Celebration has wrapped up.  ~booooo!~  But, please!  Don't leave us.  Keep playing.  I PROMISE YOU we have lots of fun surprises brewing to keep you interested.  You never know what a day may bring on Sketchy Thursdays!  Stay tuned...

Have a great day!! 

Heidi

I'm a Winner!!

Just realized I didn't share with you that I won the August drawing over on Category Stories!!!

I was alerted to this fact by a beautiful, cardboard box lounging on my porch yesterday to my surprise.  What's this??  Oh, yeah!!!!!!!

The sponsor was Fiskars.  And, holy crow, look what they sent:

Yummy!  Can't wait to get playing!! 

Thanks Category Stories & Fiskars!! 

Heidi

Running With the Rainbow Unicorn

Recently I participated in my first ATC swap organized by Miss Ally.  The theme was glitter.  First thing I thought of was glittery, tween-y stickers and paraphernalia.  And what's more girl tween-y than unicorns and rainbows??

So, anyone get the title reference?  Anyone as geeky as me??? 

It's a song sung by the stuck-up antagonist Portia on the Nickelodeon cartoon "The Mighty B".

The main refrain of the song is, "I'm running with the rainbow unicorn.  Don't you wish you were me?"

You gotta check out the You Tube video of the song!  Hilarious!

OK, so the ATC is made with a playing card base.  I created a mask for the edges by cutting the center out of one of the cards.  That way I could mist the card and glitter it without getting glitter on the edges.  I adhered the glitter with Glimmer Mist if you can believe it.  To keep the glitter from rubbing off I sprayed the cards with a fixative afterward. 

The unicorns, hearts, and clouds are cut from K&Company papers.

Details:  K&Company paper; Martha Stewart glitter; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist; Stickles; Sharpie marker; unknown rhinestones & playing card.

I had such a great time making these ATCs (and getting the other 11 entries back) that I signed up for 2 more!!  Halloween and Kawaii (Japanese pop culture) themes.  Should be fun and I'll be sure to share once they're done!

Which reminds me, it's Wednesday so the new Pink Ninjas prompt should be up!  Check it out!!

And be sure to stop by the Sketchy Thursdays blog for an introduction to this week's sketch challenge sponsor, Evalicious!

Happy Wednesday!!

Heidi

I Collect Dust

OK. so that can be read soooo many different ways. 

My intended meaning was that ~ahem~ some people believe I don't clean often enough.  ~pthtttttttttt~

So, I made this layout for this week's prompt on The Pink Ninjas, "collections".   Like my "dusty" title? 

This month's scrapjacked layout fit just so beautifully with my vision.  I especially loved the masked and misted elements at the bottom of Vanessa's layout.

Edited:  Thank you Christine for letting me know this layout also qualifies for the felt challenge on Practical Scrappers!!!!

I also loved her little bit of extra goodness in the upper right corner. 

This week's Pile It On challenge is to include punches.  I used an EK Success border punch on the picture mat.  And then, I used the punched shapes left over from the border in my upper corner...including some of the little circles!!  Thought they complemented my dust theme nicely.

Details:  Stampin' Up! cardstock and glossy paper; Making Memories paint; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist; Unity Stamp Co. stamp; StazOn ink; EK Success border punch & fibers; American Crafts felt flower & Slick Writer; Prima flowers (used as masks); Wrights trim.

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Heidi

p.s.  Check out this week's challenges over on Spunky Scrappers (childrens books) and SPCC Color Combo:

Sketchy Thursdays Giveaway for Today

Yep, we're still giving away daily prizes on the Sketchy Thursdays challenge blog.  Jump on over there today to win this awesome stamp set by Unity Stamp Company:

Folk Inspired

Have you played along with this week's sketch yet??  It's a good-er:

Get yourself linked up to Mr. Linky in the Sketchy Thursdays sidebar for your chance to win a yummy prize from Evalicious!!

Ta!

Heidi

It's Monday!

Good Monday morning everyone! 

No projects to share with you yet today (I have a few in the hopper that just need photo editing, etc.) but lots of beginning of the week "business" to disseminate.  I'll do it in a couple of posts since not all of it has been revealed online as of writing this...

SKETCHY THURSDAYS Grand Opening Giveaways continue...

Today's is sponsored by Unity Stamp Company again.

Click HERE to leave a comment or become a follower (if you're not already!) on Sketchy Thurdsdays to win this adorable and huge Unity Stamp Company set "Little Me":

Aaaand, since we know it's sometimes hard to get online on the weekends (I have this problem) we wanted to give our Sketchy Thursdays friends just one more chance to win the amazing double Cosmo Cricket prize revealed as Sunday's prize:

Jolly By Golly

Mr. Campy

Sooooo, we're extending the giveaway for that prize through TODAY!!  Click HERE to leave a comment, become a follower, etc, etc. on Sketchy Thursdays for your chance (or another chance) to win the CC prize!!

See how much we love our followers??!! 

I'm so excited for how well received our Grand Opening has been going.  I can't wait to see all the creations from this week's sketch!!

Get 'er hooked up to Mr. Linky in the ST sidebar by Wednesday night for your chance to win a great prize from Evalicious!!

OK, off to work on some new fun stuff to show y'all soon!!

Heidi

Sketchy Thursdays Giveaways Continued...Cosmo Cricket!!!

Good Sunday Morning!

Scroll down 2 posts for the Unity Friends with Flair post.

We're in week 2 of the Sketchy Thursdays Grand Opening Giveaways Extravaganza!!!! 

To start the week off right, we've got SOME MORE Cosmo Cricket.  Can you believe it??!!

Jolly By Golly kit

~AND~

Mr. Campy kit

Yes, you read it right...the winner of today's drawing gets BOTH kits!!!!! 

Head on over to the Sketchy Thursdays blog to enter for your chance to win. 

And PLEASE, don't forget...play along with us on our sketch challenge.  Just look at the amazing sketch Miss Diana has created for you this week:

Link your creations up to Mr. Linky in the Sketchy Thursdays sidebar by midnight Wednesday, September 23 for your chance to win a gorgeous prize pack from Evalicious.

Don't forget...daily giveaways on Sketchy Thursdays through 9/24!!  (Psssst...more Unity Stamp Company to come!!)

OK, off to recover from The Boy's birthday party yesterday.  Then life can get back to "normal".  Today's his actual birthday.  I can't believe my baby is 6-years-old!! 

Heidi