CARDS and more cards, for oodles of challenges!

whew! that was a heck of a long post yesterday... glad that some of you enjoyed reading my psychobabble! :) today, i'm heading out to look for a long, black dress (with sleeves, dagnabbit!) to wear in a wedding party. do you know how difficult it's been so far? i was even asked at one dress shop why on EARTH i'd want sleeves - all the girls are wearing sleeveless or strapless and adding a shrug or shawl. um, yeah, ALL THE GIRLS. i'm a WOMAN, honey, and i don't need everything hanging out, so i'd prefer a little coverage on my arms, and a dress that i might actually be inclined to wear again! anywho, my goal today is to hit up some of the thrift stores, in hopes of finding something slightly old-fashioned, as that is SO my style. gimme something from the vintage 1920s or even funky '70s dresses, and i'm in my GLORY!

now if this migraine would just pack up and leave... it's not welcome here!

okay. so there's lots going on! first of all, there are only a few days left of the Simon Says Stamp challenge on PaperCraftPlanet! HURRY! the prize is wonderfully blingy, and there are nearly 30 participants, and lots of FABULOUS inspiration, so Chris is hoping to see some more entries for this round! the challenge? well, it's BLING, of course! and what better way to reward a blingy creation than by enabling more of the same? :) play along HERE, and do it by May 30th for your chance to win!

we're one week into our new Some Odd Girl challenge, and while we went MINIMAL last time, we're looking for 3 or more different patterned papers this time (all from different manufacturers!). CLICK HERE FOR THE CHALLENGE.... and here's what i did, using this month's adorable Freebie, "Cherry Sprinkles":




papers from Basic Grey (Sugar Rush), 2 different ones from Sass (Sunshine and Lollipops), and one from K & Company (Carolyn Gavin's Greenhouse). AND, so you don't miss it, Cherry Sprinkles will only be available for a few more days, so grab him while you can! a new freebie will go up on June 1st, which also happens to be the release date for a WHOLE NEW batch of Some Odd Girl images! WOO HOO! okay, so play along with the challenge, make something new, use whatever image you'd like (though we LOVE to see the Some Odd Girl images on your projects!), and do all of this by WEDNESDAY, June 2nd at midnight, EST, for your chance to win your choice of TWO free images from SomeOddGirl.com! PLUS, Some Odd Girl is sponsoring PILE IT ON this week, so you have more chances to win, PLUS if you play along, you get a discount at the store! go check it out!

for my "Hey Sugar" card, i decided to play along at Ooh La La, where their theme for this round is "bright and cheerful" - this is a pretty stinkin' happy card, right? :)
i also saw the challenge at Inky Impressions, where they want you to use at least two letters from their recipe list, and knew i wanted to play along - how handy that this challenge runs for two weeks, as i wouldn't have posted in time! i chose Flowers, O (for round things), and S for sparkle.


so the Dollie Call has ended and we are in the process of choosing our next team for the July-December term. some AMAZING applications, and we're having a really tough time choosing! we're also amazed at how many people WANT to be Dollies! we'll be making the announcement on June 1st, so stay tuned, as you'll be meeting the new Dollies very soon! in the meantime, how about some challenges? monday i posted the new COLOR CHALLENGE, which is this one:

and i'm totally craving neapolitan ice cream. so, what can you do with Kraft, White and Fuschia? well our Dollies knocked it outta the park, and then there's my quirky little example (i know exactly who's getting this one!):




so play along with this challenge by CLICKING HERE (and linking your new project by next TUESDAY, June 1st at midnight EST - i added an extra day as i posted late!), and you could win this:


playing along at:
Pile It On: "out of the box" - for many reasons! using a 7 as the letter "L", using the teeny punched shapes from my border punch to carry on the stars/alien/space theme, using alphas to create a silly background (this certainly helped me use up some alphas!)
Secret Crafter - no patterned paper! (it was easy to make my own!)


and yesterday, i also posted the new Elements Challenge at Design Dollies - this one calls for a recipe:
1) Lace
2) The color PINK
3) Stripes
4) A crown
5) TWO 3-d elements (or more)

sounds kind of intimidating, right? well take a look at what our Dollies did with this! Mel and Kate gave us a couple of seriously FABBY scrapbook pages! here's my little contribution:

(doesn't look so tough anymore, does it?!)
play along with this one by next MONDAY, June 1st at midnight EST for a shot at Adina's yummy May prize pack!
(i had a challenge in mind when i made this, but i totally strayed from the sketch, so fegeddaboutit!)

lastly, this one is my final hurrah at The TownScrapper! Mondays continue to show visitors what kinds of stamps Phebe carries at the store... like this one! i used a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp (image courtesy of my Adina-Dollie - thanks, hun!), "Marie Antoinette":


drop by to see the rest of the Scrapettes' work, and if you're interested in being a Scrapette, check out the Design Team Call! the gals are super sweet and extremely talented, and Phebe's just wonderful. plus there are perks! (i won't tell - just go see for yourself!)

i'm entering this card in the AWESOME challenge #94 at Color Throwdown - here's the palette:

seriously, HOT! love this combination, and i can totally see myself using it again, as my new 7 Gypsies pad has some perfect papers for it!

um, what else am i missing? dunno, but this has turned into another crazy long post, so i think i'll publish now, and if i think of anything else, i'll add another post later. thanks for your patience, chickens! ;)

okay, okay, i'm posting! CKC weekend: LONG POST, lotsa pics!

SO! lots going on - some good, some bad, some just crazy stuff. and the world keeps right on turnin'!

first of all, my job was made redundant, so i was told last thursday that i would be employed until the end of the month. bad news.

had scheduled friday off, as i was leaving thursday afternoon to go up to Vel's place in Rochester - we have been counting down the days to CKC Buffalo for MONTHS! GOOD NEWS!

had to tell hubbin about my unemployedness when he got home from work thursday afternoon. that wasn't fun. he doesn't get paid throughout the summer, so it will be interesting to see how we'll manage the next few months. bad news.

hubbin was VERY supportive, and told me to FORGET about all of this and ENJOY my weekend. GOOD NEWS!

made it to Vel's place, albeit a little later than expected, and checked into hotel S. met her mom, who waited up (how sweet!) and her little dog (lido), who gets a little barky when he's excited. finally won him over with the "hand under the rug" game, and we lived happily ever after. ;)

woke up less than 4 hours later, headed out at 6:20 to pick up Mme E, then to Buffalo bound. CRIKEY! it's pretty amazing how much energy three crazy crafty gals can exude, despite the sleep deprivation! gimme some coffee and a bagel, pack up my crop goodies and my debit card, and i'm rarin' to go! look what greeted us!


we parked, we shopped, we conquered. lots of fun deals to be found - 10 cent papers, 25 cent stickers, 4 dollar punches, coupons in our yummy welcome kits, freebies, jaw-dropping deals, NEW products and heaps of inspiration EVERYWHERE. i had to restrain myself a good bit, despite the amount of drool on the front of my shirt. :D

after shopping, we took CLASSES. three of them, actually. two of which KICKED ASS, and one of which SUCKED. the first two were taught by THIS CHICK:


that's Lynn Warner, totally groovy gal. she hosted the Piggy Tales workshops we took (we had no idea how awesome they'd be, it was a fluke that we'd signed up for her back-to-back classes!). i'll show you projects later, but CLICK HERE and see the pics she posted - the second shot was from our first class - that's me on the far left, and Vel is third... oh, and that's Mme E's head poking out just to the right of Vel. hee hee.

SO. LW getting things ready before class starts, wishing she had another Diet Coke:


introducing herself and telling us the story of "the horns" (if i told you, i'd have to kill you!):


LW doing her thang, and her fabulous assistants, Jess and Maggie (they truly ROCKED!):


here's Mme E, looking all studious, the model student:


and when Vel decided to take a pic of me, i decided it would be best for her to get me snapping one of her (isn't she just frackin' adorable?!):


and Vel, merrily crafting away during the second class (handmade embellies):


the Piggy Tales classes were great - we made some cards, put together some pages that will look fabby in a scrapbook, and got lots of yummy stuff to take home. and i made a new BFF! ;) here's our group shot (hey Vel, sorry about that one eye - redeye fixer couldn't help me!):

hey, LW, would you, by any chance, happen to know where i might find the executive meeting room?

the third class, however, was another story altogether. it might not have been such a dreadful experience, had there been adequate supplies, and some good help. Susan Opel from PaperCrafts magazine (love them!) hosted:


and her projects were AWESOME, seriously. i loved the little accordion tag book and she showed us a couple of fun techniques, but OMG, her assistant (on the left):


the first issue - not enough stamps to go around. we were three at our table, and there were two blocks with stamps on them. this isn't ideal when the project is fast-paced and you're trying to cram two projects into a very short class. slowed us down HORRIBLY, and as a result, we were all frustrated because when we finished a step, the slide would have advanced two or three times and we'd be lost. not great when you've PAID to take the class, right?

second issue - the cardstock for our first project was cut to measure 7" x 12". we were told to score at an inch and a half from the bottom, and should be left with a card that's 5" high. um, my fabulous math skills told me that this was definitely not right, so i wanted to ensure we weren't supposed to score at 2" instead, or if the card was supposed to measure 5 1/2" high. well holy heck, the assistant, MICHELLE, gave me such a hard time. she ARGUED with me, saying that i needed to pay attention to the measurements on the screen, and that all i had to do was follow the instructions. SERIOUSLY. RUDE. Vel asked Susan about it, and Susan said that the score was right, but the card could be taller and that wouldn't be a problem. THANK YOU, SUSAN.

third issue - when wrapping up the first project, it was obvious we needed more cardstock as we had each used up our supplies. we were told there wasn't enough paper, and we'd have to share. SHARE? we pay for the class, and we have to SHARE with our neighbour? come on! well when MICHELLE came back to our table to hook us up, she brought ONE sheet of cardstock, which clearly would not be enough. we each needed a piece measuring 5" x 9". can you get three of those out of one sheet of 12" x 12"? um, not so much. she stood there like a deer in headlights trying to figure out the math, gave up, threw the ONE SHEET of paper on the table, and said "figure it out. do it yourself", then walked away.

it was at that point when Vel initiated our departure. we were FED UP, and should NOT have been treated this way, so there was no way we were staying for the rest of the class. made lots of noise and left in a huffy, then proceeded to the customer relations desk to lodge our complaints. we were given an outdated magazine, and asked for our email addresses, but we're still waiting to hear back from CKC. wonder what kind of compensation, if any, we should expect... apparently Vel has already emailed them (in response to an ad she received) saying it was bold of them to try to advertise and ask for her to spend more money when they haven't responded to our complaint. HEE HEE. love that girl! :)

anyway, this did not deter us from ENJOYING ourselves, i promise!
i departed for a while to meet my bestest pally Smeg, who'd driven across from St. Catharines to bring me some indian snacks and meet me for a bite to eat. HELLLOOOOOOO, Jim's Steakout! HOW I HAVE MISSED THEE! he insisted on paying (especially given my job sitchee-ay-shun), and it was fabulous. didn't have much time, but it was great to see him and catch up a bit.

when i got back to meet Vel and Mme E, theytold me they'd sat and chatted with LW for a while, which i was sorry to have missed! but then it was CROP TIME! awesome goodie bag, loads of door prizes (we didn't win anything!), and a songwriting contest. Mme E and i decided to get in on this action, in hopes of winning a Wizard with lots of extras... here we are waiting for our turn to belt out our little ditties:


and me, knockin' their socks off (ha!):


we didn't win, but we got another outdated magazine as our consolation prize! ;) we each made a few cards (i think Vel made, like, FIVE! or something ridiculous like that), and felt the energy draining from our poor bodies.

it was sad to leave, but we'd had our fill for the day (and on under four hours of sleep, we were all surprised we'd lasted that long!), so it was time to head on back to Rah-cha-cha. played with Little Dog for a bit, showed Vel's mom my haul, and the log-sawing began. :)

saturday, SHOPPING! bit of breakfast, checked email (to learn that i'd won a $25 giftie card from BasicGrey.com - holy WOOT! can i hold out for the Oliver and Olivia lines?), chatted with hubbin for a bit, then we were off! look where i went!


and here's proof! ha ha ha ha ha!

(don't i look PLEASED?!)

it was my first time at a Hobby Lobby, and OOOHHHH, i wish we had a COUPON! lots of yummies, but not much in the way of clearance! of course, the coupon for 40% off any WILTON product expired that day, and a new one for 40% off ANY ITEM started the next day. go figger.

checked out Ollie's, which had lots of intriguing things but nothing i NEEDED (Vel did get the awesome oval templates for the Curvy Cutter for $4.95, which was awesome, but i don't have the Curvy Cutter). i will definitely hit them up again though when i visit again!

had a scrummy coffee and a little lunch at Wegman's in between stops, and after hitting up Jo-Ann, it was time to head back, as i had a long drive ahead of me.

Vel, my dear, thank you SO much for an awesome time, and i am so happy to have met you and Mme E! we MUST do it again, and i hope i'll be able to get my butt up there again sometime in the summer for some crafty fun! (this girl has an awesome crafty space, i'm tellin' ya!)

so there you have it! my CKC weekend. i have a ton of projects and challenges to post (i'm seriously behind with this, crikey!), so i'll share those with you separately.

i've also decided to step down as an administrator in my Cafe Mom group, as well as a Blog Manager/Scrapette at The TownScrapper. it saddens me, and i feel like i'm letting everyone down, but there's a lot of stuff i need to take care of right now, so maybe when the dust settles i'll be able to pick up right where i left off. fingers crossed this is just a short phase and there are great things awaiting me around the corner!

new DESIGN DOLLIES challenge, plus reminders!

ONE:
have you played along with our Envious challenge yet? NO, i don't believe you have! (luff to Holmes and Karen!) what are you waiting for?! the prize is awesome, the inspiration is INCREDIBLE, and we Nerdy Girls are a nifty bunch! :)
here's the collage, to inspire you however you'd like:

pull something from the colours, the '80s music icon, the candy, the tweety, the butterfly, the bling, the footwear, the leopard or diamond argyle-ish prints, the bangle bracelets, WHATEV!
you have until the END OF THE MONTH to play along, and that will be here before you know it! CLICK HERE to join the Nerds and show us something FUNKY!

TWO:
today's the last day for the Some Odd Girl challenge - '80s themed! you don't have to put too much thought into this one - you could be inspired by colours, funky leopard prints, music, movies, or any other '80s trend. (notice a similarity with the aforementioned challenge?) we only have THREE participants so far, and they've totally captured it, so take a look at what our Odd Girls and our players have done, and you'll see how easy it is!! CLICK HERE to play along!

THREE:
have you grabbed the Some Odd Girl freebie yet? he's AWFULLY cute, see? (click him to get him, but don't right click, 'cuz the quality isn't as good that way)



FOUR:
there's also still time for you to play along at The TownScrapper - we have a SKETCH challenge this week, with THIS sweet prize to be won:


FIVE:
NEW DESIGN DOLLIES Elements Challenge! today is National Circus Day, so we're celebrating! ha ha ha ha ha! how on earth do you celebrate something like that? go to the circus? (no thanks, can't tell you how much i HATE those blasted clowns) instead, we wanna see your circus-inspired creations! here's mine:

i used Ellie, from Some Odd Girl (and i drew the ball, 'cuz i had a VISION, man!). can't take all the credit for the sentiment - Holmes helped with that one! :)

playing along with :
ABC Challenges - this week's letter is "U" for "unused" - i've had this Basic Grey Two Scoops pad for AGES, and had only ever cut a circle from one page. LOL. yes, i hoarde paper. i have a special fondness for BG, and it's imperative that i have EVERY 6x6 pad they make. ;)

and the Color Throwdown #93:

i wish i could see the colours properly on my screen - the "pink pirouette" looks like white, and i can't seem to calibrate my monitor properly to save my life!

anywho.

join the DOLLIES CIRCUS! you'll have until next MONDAY at midnight EST to play along with this one.

back tomorrow, folks! SO much to do, i hope i can remember to breathe! :D

you're gonna wish you were a ninja!

seriously, you need to GO HERE! the Pink Ninjas are having a hop, with an AMAZING guest Ninja chick, and some HOT HOT HOT prizes (some of them handmade, and absolutely delish!). have you seen their kits? if my hubbin wouldn't disown me for getting scrappy kits delivered once a month, i'd be ALL over these, as each and every kit is ree-dickerissly awesome!

check out the Thrift Shop Junkie kit (click it to go to their Etsy shop and see the deets):

it's absolutely drool-worthy. i want!

go check out their blog hop and get in on the action! (my fellow Nerdy Girl at ENVIOUS, Ally, is one of the Ninja Masters, and she's the bee's frackin' knees, folks!)

a BABY DOLLIE! plus new challenge and creations...

afternoon, my leedle chickens! how was the weekend? mine was way too short! but this week's going to fly by as i have SO much to do (The Son is attending his Junior Prom on friday, so we have many preparations all week!), before heading up to see Vel on thursday night, then we're off to CKC Buffalo on friday morning! WOOT!

so, first things first... new baby in the Dollhouse! ;) Adina-Dollie gave birth to a lovely little man on SUNDAY, and while the pic she sent was a bit fuzzy (taken on her phone), he looks like such a handsome young thang! i can't wait to meet the little fuzzpaw. :) Mommy and Baby are doing well, just staying in the hospital for a while as he came quite early, so we'll give you updates as they come in. CONGRATULATIONS, my lovely Dollie! SO SO happy for you! (folks, visit her awesome blog and leave some well-wishes if you like!)

and we have a brand new Mother-Daughter spotlight at The TownScrapper this week - this time it's not just a fabulous DUO, but a TRIO! Lori, Hannah and Ella Boyd are joining us, so drop by and see what GORGEOUS projects the three of them created with the Victoria Case stamps they chose (exclusive to The TownScrapper!)... you know what they say - girls who CRAFT together STICK together (like glue!). :)

today i give you a new Color Challenge for Design Dollies, and you REALLY need to check out the projects from our oh-so-talented Dollies HERE... they never disappoint, and they are FOREVER inspiring me! OH, and here's the prize you could win:

(i can't tell you how much i LOVE this line... and there is a TON of chipboard YUM in that pack!)

so your Color Challenge for this week?
BLUE, GREEN, BROWN and WHITE (or ivory):


my take on this one... i altered a gaudy neon yellow tin (originally purchased for something else that didn't quite pan out):



(this was my first time altering a tin, so i'm now on the hunt for the perfect paint to cover the icky yellow - the brown acrylic worked, TEMPORARILY! hee hee)

GO HERE to play along, and you might win that yummy Basic Grey prize pack of yum! you have until Sunday night at midnight EST to upload your NEWLY CREATED projects, but be sure to LINK to Design Dollies in your blog post in order to be eligible!

annnnnd i told you i had more stuff to share from my crop festivities this weekend... here's one i made for the Basic Grey challenge (to use PUNCHES - mine were a corner rounder and the MS funky edge that repeats to the left of the kitty), as well as the Paper Cutz challenge (to use an image of a dog or cat on your project - i've been waiting to use this cute Motivet kitty and this new Basic Grey "Green At Heart" paper was PERFECT for her!). here she is (don't forget to click to enlarge!):


and an angled shot, 'cuz i'm in LOVE with those green flocked flourishes!


and one more for today... this one was created for the awesome sketch challenge at Whiff of Joy this week (Adina-Dollie said i HAD to play with this stamp!), as well as the BLING challenge in the Simon Says Stamp group on PCP (the challenge there is BLING BLING BLING, baby, and the prize is BLINGY AND YUMMY! click her to enlarge, 'cuz i'm a bit proud of this one):


(behold the BLING!)


for this one, i HAD to bust out the new Cosmo Cricket De-Lovely paper, because it's just SO happy and yummy! my order arrived friday, and it was the first thing to go into my tote for the crop! :)

so there ya be, folks. hope your monday has been nifty and your week's off to a great start! and to those who left comments on my rant, THANK YOU for the understanding and the different perspectives - i appreciate every word left, and i understand where some of you are coming from. i am also NOT angry with you if you combine challenges, silly people! as you can see, i did that myself with these two cards! (but slap my hand with a wet lettuce leaf if you catch me going back in to edit my post if i find other challenges that the cards will fit - ESPECIALLY if the challenge specifies the creation must be NEW!)

ciao, chickens! *luff*

puttin' on the makeup, going for a date, and enjoying the limelight!

no, unfortunately that's not the recipe for this evening - that's the list of challenges i played with for the next two cards! i made a few others at yesterday's crop, but will post tomorrow! Mom T and i went up to an all-day crop at a store and had a GREAT time - met lots of lovely ladies, made a few new friends (who said they'd be visiting me here at The Chronicles, so if you're reading, HI NICOLE! HI HEATHER!), and enjoyed a day of crafting OUT OF THE HOUSE. it was glorious! you just can't beat 5 bucks for a space all day, breakfast, bevvies (coffee, water, pop), snacks (cookies, doritos, m&ms) and dinner (salad, pasta and garlic knots) ALL PROVIDED. plus the 40% off EVERYTHING IN THE STORE they give to their croppers. for 5 bucks. YES, FER REALZ! crazy, innit? it was our second time going, and we've already got our spots reserved for next month. :D

so friday night, i wrote out my challenges and packed up my croppin' stuff, and yesterday morning, i was off bright and early.

here are the first two of my cards...

this one's for the sketch challenge at Limelight , and the extra little challenge to use a fave flower - i've hoarded this ONE SHEET of paper for a long time, cutting out the individual flowers and poppin' 'em up and layering when the occasion would arise. i have now used up the whole sheet - i LURRRRVE this paper/these flowers! and i followed the sketch quite literally - it's a good one!


i fussycut the flower first, then traced it on the back of the paper and used my white gel pen to trace the shape for definition.


OH, and that strip of Basic Grey Euphoria paper is the last tiny piece of one 12x12 sheet that i've managed to stretch out over 6 or 7 different projects over the course of 2 years. :D

the next card, for the colour challenge at The Play Date Cafe (lime green, grass green, very pale blue) - NOT an easy combination for me, as i've realized i don't use much or own much green, but somehow i managed to find this AWESOME scrap of Rouge de Garance, and it was just too yummy to pass up. it's also for the Paper Makeup Stamps challenge, which is to use 3 flowers (they're layered - hope that's not a problem!). i love this stamp, and nabbed the PERFECT sentiment at the StampScrapArtTour a couple of months ago.




so YAY, i was able to play along with some challenges! come back tomorrow for the second installment...

BUT, before you go, check out the new challenge at The TownScrapper - ALSO a sketch! we had the very lovely Nikki and Zoe Fairbairn as our awesome Mother-Daughter spotlight team last week, and Nikki gave us a great sketch, so the Scrapettes worked their magic (as did our guests - see for yourself!). here's the sketch:


and my take on it, using "Sophie's Garden" - a TownScrapper exclusive stamp, designed by the fabby Victoria Case! (she's just so springy and cute, and i LURRRRRRVE those bunnies!)


go here to play along, and you could win THIS stinkin' sweet C.C. Designs stamp, "Bumblebee Hansel":

you have until THURSDAY at midnight EST to link your project up for the sketch challenge... make sure it's NEW for our challenge, and make sure you link back to us in your blog post. when it comes to verifying this stuff, i am very thorough - hee hee. ;)

back tomorrow with a new Dollies colour challenge!

following the rules - a RANT.

this is one of the only times you bloggers will see me SPEW FORTH IN ANGER. :) if you don't want to see this side of me, AVERT THINE EYES NOW!

i have issues with people entering cards for challenges when the rules clearly state their cards must be created NEW for the challenge.

i am beginning this post at 12:58 pm, according to my computer's clock. let's see what time it actually posts.

it's a moral issue for me, really, and maybe it's silly, but i think some people just look for all the challenges they can possibly cover with one card, hoping to win a gazillion different prizes. greedy, much? yeah, i'm not a fan.

so it's 1:03 now, according to my computer's clock. i still haven't posted, but i've read a nice rant. i try to avoid drama, but i also don't tolerate cheating, so i try to intervene as diplomatically as i can. didn't quite follow the sketch, tweaked it and made it your own? no problem, a sketch is supposed to inspire. i can be flexible. used the colours, but maybe threw in another colour or two, in order to make it work? i can live with that.

but don't try to tell me that you created a card for my challenge, when i have proof in my email that the actual challenge didn't go live until 6 minutes after you posted your creation on your blog.

egads. i have a headache, and i'm not in the mood for crap today.
go ahead, talk smack. don't play along with our challenges. you don't play fair, and you take the fun out of it for OTHERS, so you don't deserve to win anyway.

end rant.

and my clock shows 1:07 now, but i'm willing to bet the timestamp on this post will be 12:58 or 12:59. *wink* go ahead. try it for yourself to see if i'm lying.

it's FABULOUS! go see what's happenin' at Limelight!

Mandy at Limelight has a SWEET giveaway over HERE... have you folks SEEN the new Cosmo Cricket DE-LOVELY line? i'm in LURRRRRRRRRVE. it's the happiest stinkin' stuff i've seen in a long time (and i've seen a whole lotta Sass, so that's saying a lot!), and she's got a mini deck and some tiny type stickers to give away!

go visit, and tell her who you think is "fabulous".
or pretend you didn't read this, and don't go there, so i'll have a better chance of winning. :) your call, friend! ;)

winner will be drawn TONIGHT!

a few things, and Sketchy Thursdays!

hiya! can't believe it's already WEDNESDAY, crikey!

well there's lots going on - the first thing you should do is pop over to The TownScrapper to see who's next in our Mother-Daughter featured artist spotlight! we have an AMAZING team hanging out with the Scrapettes this week, and they've done GORGEOUS work with the Victoria Case stamps they chose!

next, the new Elements Challenge was posted yesterday at Design Dollies, and the theme for this week is NURSERY RHYMES! GORGEOUS samples from our Dollies, and we've seen a few amazing submissions so far! you're GOING to want to play along for the month of May, because holy wowza! the prizes! :) just go!

annnnd, we're in the middle of another Dollie Call - have received a SLEW of applications already and lemme tell ya, it's going to be TOUGH to choose our next Dollies! seriously talented folks, who want to play with US! i'm feeling a little verklempt! thank you for the love, friends! we're so glad you're enjoying what we do over there. :) check out the Dollie Call here - you have until May 25th to apply.

and because i had so much fun making my collage art for Envious last week, i decided to play in my art journal again, this time for the guest spot at Sketchy Thursdays... the sketch is awesome, and i knew exactly what i wanted to do with it. :) here's my submission (let's see if i make it to the voting this time - i love playing with those girls!): ya gotta click to enlarge!






the image is from an old greeting card - i'd saved it for a very special message to US... my hubbin and i just started therapy last week, and this is a little reminder to myself that while the road may seem long, we'll be okay as long as we tackle it together. i won't show him, but i know it's there, and i know we'll be fine. :)

fingers crossed - both for the guest spot, and the therapy!