i'm curious... are you getting these pop-ups?

okay, for the last two or three days, it seems that i'm getting BOMBARDED with pop-ups when i visit some of my favourite manufacturers' blogs. am i the only one getting those?

one is some crap to do with winning fabulous prizes if i take a survey.
the other thing i'm noticing is happening EVERYWHERE around blogger. when i go to my dashboard or visit the blogs, lots of words are highlighted and underlined - when i hover over them, i either get the pop-ups, or there's a hyperlink to some site that's not remotely related to the blog or the person. for example - Charisma is highlighted and when i hover, it shows a website for some girlie spa treatment or something. it changes, too, if i refresh. and then there are times when the dashboard just looks normal.

i'm getting SUPER annoyed. anyone getting the same problems?

oh, and tomorrow is my SIX YEAR ANNIVERSARY! we're going to Busch Gardens in VA with The Son to spend the day together and enjoy our last real vacation day together for the summer. have a wonderful day, friends! :D

Some Odd Girl challenge.... PAPER PIECING!

WOOT! it's SOGgy time! :)

seriously, the last challenge was AWESOME, and i loved seeing all the combinations with complimentary colors... this one was a bit trickier for me, because this is not a technique i use often, and with which i sometimes struggle. in the end, i was pleased, but i'm sure it's just because this little girl would look cute no matter WHAT anyone did with colouring or

PAPER PIECING!

yep. paper piecing! that's our new challenge, and we know you're gonna rock it. CLICK HERE to play with the Odd Girls and feast your eyes on all the gorgeous creations! our girls knocked it outta the park, i'm tellin' ya!

here's my Tiny Baker Tia card, using some scrummy Sass paper:

and a close-up of our little cutie, so you can see everything that's pieced (click to enlarge!):

wanna join us?! wanna win some stampy goodness? CLICK! this challenge runs through September 5th, so there is PLENTY of time for you to get your craft on and find the perfect papers to piece your project together! HAVE FUN! :)

Get your GLITTER ON!

it's time for another Charisma challenge, folks! i didn't play along this round, as it's Team Gem's turn, but there are some GORGEOUS entries, and a couple of fabby little prize packs up for grabs from:

Digi Stamp Boutique - 6 single digis of the winner's choice!

and a BRAND NEW sponsor,

The Pretty Little Ribbon Shop - THIS awesome little package:

MMMM, look at all that gorgeous PINK! i kinda wanna win it myself! :D

CLICKETY CLICK to check out what our Charisma Galz did with GLITTER this week, and join us at the Challenge Blog or on our Facebook Page to play along! :)

um, WOOT.

i ordered my netbook today from NewEgg.com! (and it's pretty.)

now i hope i can figure out how to WORK the thing. i already know i'm going to need a case, and a little portable mouse, because i HATE the touchpads.

i've also been ORDERED to purchase the Slice (if i can find it on CropChocolate.com again - they change their deals all the time and i haven't seen this one in a week or more). the VP of my bank has a special order project for me and she said she's paying me in advance so i can get the die-cutting machine and get the work done by a deadline. so i'm going to own a Slice, too!

it was a crazy, EXHAUSTIFYING week, and i'm glad today is a day of chillin'. hubbin made me a scrummy breakfast and i'm about to get some cards done. lots of 'em.

no pictures today, but i hope you're all enjoying your weekend!

i wanna see NEGATIVE SPACE at Charisma!

mornin', folks!
can't believe another week's almost gone and we are that much closer to the end of the summer... to be honest, i'm rather excited, because i'll have my morning alone time back! :) shhh, don't tell hubbin i said that! i spent this evening at the little coffeehouse downtown altering a dressform - i'll have to try to get in there to take photos, because it was my first attempt at something so big (and not exactly paperish!), and i had a lot of fun with it! there's an art exhibit opening tomorrow evening, and the owner of the coffeehouse asked me if i'd like to do something fun with the dressform to tie it into the exhibit. i couldn't pass that up!

...okay, so it's Thursday, which means it's time for a brand new CHARISMA challenge! hope you had fun doing your distressing thang last week - we had loads of fabulous entries, so thanks for joining us!

i got to set today's challenge, and i was really out to get people (my teamies included!) out of their comfort zones... it's a bit of a stretch for even me, so whatcha gonna do with this theme, hmm?

NEGATIVE SPACE!

***only 1/3 or less of the card or page can be filled***

sound tough? well my fellow Charisma Galz embraced and rocked this, so CLICK HERE to see their gorgeous creations! what's that you ask? OH! you want to know what you'll be playing for? well we're being sponsored this week by All That Scraps, and by MelJens - so you KNOW there's good stuff to be won!

i used a CC Designs stamp from All That Scraps, and went all kinds of clean and simple here:

tried something a little different with the hair, because i haven't been happy with the way my fellas' hair has turned out (like, EVER). i even got to colour him under my brand new OttLite - a birthday gift from my biffy - YAY! needless to say, colouring at night is a pleasure these days, and i can't get enough! here's the result:

MOSTLY okay with this, but definitely needs tweaking. :) at any rate, there you have it! time to get your thinking caps on and do something MINIMALISTIC - remember, 1/3 of the space only, or less! it IS possible!

you have until next WEDNESDAY to play along, so click here to check out the rest of the Charisma Galz' creations, and join us! happy Thursday, friends!

Some Odd Girls sending our COMPLIMENTS

mornin'!

bet you haven't had enough SOGgy action from me lately, have ya? well today we're launching another challenge - our FIRST with the brand new design team - at the Some Odd Girl challenge blog, and we had lots of fun with COLOUR this time around!

your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to choose two COMPLIMENTARY colours on the Colour Wheel and create a project with them. skin and hair are the exception, of course. CLICK HERE for clarification on this one, because the challenge is pretty specific in terms of what SHADES of colours you use....

i couldn't resist colouring up this cute little dude, who's now available at SomeOddGirl.com, along with a whole bunch of fun back to school images!

meet Prof Inch! (so sorry, Professor... the dog ate my homework this morning.)

my colours from the Colour Wheel are Red-Violet and Yellow-Green, which are opposite one another in position. that's what this challenge is all about!

isn't he a cutie?!

love that happy little stack of books and that big grin!

so you wanna play? CLICK CLICK CLICK to see what the rest of the Odd Girls have done for this fun challenge - there's a whole TON of inspiration to enjoy, so get goin'! :D play right up until Tuesday, August 23rd for your chance to win some digis from SomeOddGirl.com

Charisma challenge with SUPER FABBY SPONSORS!

*wink wink, nudge nudge*

SO! it's time for another Charisma challenge, and i suppose i really couldn't help myself for jumping in on it, even though it's not my team's week to submit. we have awesome sponsors, folks. seriously. The Stamping Boutique and Some Odd Girl are offering up some freebies for our lucky winners, and, well, you know me. ;)

our Charisma challenge?

DISTRESSING!

this should be an easy one, folks! ink up those edges,
tear some paper, sand away, or fray those ribbons!

i had to had to had to had to play with one of the brand spankin' new Some Odd Girl digis (released just this past Monday!), and here's how my project came out:

oh, i do love my Kaylees, and Cheerleader Kaylee is certainly no exception! just LOOK at the excitement and enthusiasm on that girl's face!

here's a closer look at my favourite gal:

and some of the little deets - i had lots of fun layering the flowers, i EVEN
busted out my stickles (!!!), and you can see the distressed red cardstock:

you could win her, ya know. or something equally fabby from SomeOddGirl.com or The Stamping Boutique! but for your chance to win, you have to CLICKETY CLICK HERE to see what the rest of the awesome Charisma Galz (meet some of my new teamies!) have done for this fun challenge, and there you can play along.

you have until next WEDNESDAY to get in on it, so have fun, and happy distressing, friends!

i decided to play along with...
Crafty Calendar Challenge - they're looking for HOT colours (check!)
Allsorts Challenges - they want to see RED card (check!)
Stampalot Challenge - "whatever you fancy" - i think Kaylee is quite a fancy chickadee!

and that be it for now! i'll be back in a few hours when it's time to kick things off at the Some Odd Girl blog - our new Odd Girls are anxious to get this party started with a new challenge!

it's HOT out - want some lemonade? :)

i decided to keep going since i seem to have caught a bit of the mojo bug this week! this one's simple, but i didn't want to overdo it with too many shades of yellow... (and believe it or not, these types of cards often take me MUCH longer to make than my usual busy style!)

i played along at Creative Inspirations

they're looking for LEMONADE! (yellow and white only)

usually i have HORRIBLE luck photographing
white on white, but today was the exception!

can't quite recall where i got that sweet brolly charm, but i thought it was perfect for a baby shower card! :)

not my usual kind of card, by any means, but it turns out that i need to get my application in for the big craft fair at Eastern High School - last year i went through TONS of cards, and the coordinator has asked me to return, saying that some people have inquired as to whether i'll have a booth or not. YAY! so i think i'm going to work on more gift boxes and lots of CAS items.

back later - i MAY even have another card or two to post tonight! xo

lots of cards - not DT stuff for a change!

hiya! what's cookin', folks?

i'm throwin' up this post 'cuz i haven't done much crafting outside of DT work lately, and i had a bit of downtime last night and this morning, so i was actually playin' along around the rest of the Blogosphere...

how's about a little SOGgy action?

i think '50s Kaylee may be my SECOND fave image from Some Odd Girl (next to the spunky new Punk Kaylee, who will be available to buy on MONDAY!) - she's just one classy chick, with a touch of sass (that hand on hip thing is a dead giveaway, right?!).

see what i mean?

i've also discovered that, while i've only coloured a couple of images in black and white, i think it's one of my fave techniques and it gives a little extra vintage class to any card - even one with lots of poppin' bright colours!

see that fabby felt flower embellie? that's from my girl Diana's etsy shop - i love the way this chick puts together a funky little accent, and her stuff is SO reasonably priced! GO SHOP! and have you noticed that i have a bit of a penchant for baker's twine lately? it's the stuff dreams are made of! i can't get enough of it, and there are SO many gorgeous variations of it, i will never get bored!

so this little lady is for the challenges at:

Papertake Weekly's "anything goes"
(with the option of metal - my flowers have those funky
little wires and i've made 'em all twisty for the occasion)
Stamp Something - use a digi

the following card is a request from my manager; a birthday card for a girl turning 25, whom she's never met. ??? sure, i can do that!

lurrrrrrve the tiny script on that black and white paper, and the gorgeous crocheted flower, sent to me by the lovely Terry O from Tellen's Place!

playing along with this one at:
Colour Create - they're looking for pink, green and white

the next card i made with something particular in mind and did something not within my usual comfort zone (if you know me, you'll understand why):

i absolutely ADORE the Love Balloon image from SomeOddGirl.com

so ridiculously versatile!

this one's for challenges over at:
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays - their theme is "Friendship"
Cute Card Thursday is looking for no designer papers

and last but not least, this one was for fun... i used the utterly STUNNING Chanter Heartsong by the utterly TALENTED Amy, and put something bright and cheery together:

of all the wonderful Amy Young stamps, i think this one is still my absolute fave!

and i played along at...
ABC Challenge - their theme is A for Auburn hair
Stampin' for the Weekend - Spots and Dots
Sketch & Stash - here's the sketch:

and my neglected stash is those cute stitched K & Company flowers that i've been hording for well over a year. i finally got to toss the package, 'cuz i actually used something up! i don't do that often enough. ;)

SO! i'm gonna do some colouring, eat some Pringles, pick up a few groceries, and hit up A.C. Moore later today to use up the giftcards and coupons i have! hope your day is equally fabby!

SALE, SNEAKS and SUNSHINE at Some Odd Girl!

it's time! this week, at the Some Odd Girl challenge blog, we're introducing ALL of the new Odd Girls (some returning - hellllooooo!), and sharing a whole new batch of sneaks with you! i have been SO excited about this day, to FINALLY share a project using what may be my absolutely favourite SOGgy to date, because she'll be available at SomeOddGirl.com on TUESDAY with the rest of this week's sneaks. :)

but FIRST, i wanted to letcha know that we have a giant SALE going on in the store! LOADS of fun SOGgies at 25% off! that's a steal, espesh when you know how dirt cheap they are to begin with! CLICK HERE to start filling up your shoppin' cart! :)

okay, so that's out of the way, i can share my sneak.... are you ready? do you remember seeing this little cutie a little while back, and how i was GUSHING about how fab she is? well, she can be yours on Tuesday, so you can start gushing too! :D

IT'S PUNK KAYLEE! WOOOOOO!

is she fab, or what?! YES! here's the whole card:



annnnnd, you can win her! and you can win ALL of the digis we're sharing this week, so CLICK HERE to head over to the Some Odd Girl challenge blog to meet all the new faces so far (we've got one more day!), and leave comments on all of this week's posts to win the sneaks!


.... playing along at Sir Stampalot for this month's Whatever you Fancy challenge!

a new look, new DT members, and BINGO at Charisma!

morning, crafty peeps! i am THOROUGHLY exhausted from a crazy week, following an equally crazy week, but i'm h0ping life, as i know it, will be getting back to normal within the next day or two. so it's back to business!

today, we unveiled a brand new look at Charisma, along with some fresh faces! a couple of little changes, and a fun new challenge - you'll just HAVE to pop over for a look now, won't ya? :)

CLICK HERE!

there's a new co-owner in town, and Gemma (WOOT, GEM!) has her very own Design Team. there have also been some PROMOTIONS.... i am very pleased to say that i am now a PERMANENT Charisma Gal! yay, me! today marks the launch of Team Carly (that's my team!), and we are very happy to bring you......

BINGO!

here are your lines:

FLOWERS GEMS CIRCLES
PEARLS MASKING RIBBON
GLITTER SQUARES CHARMS

your mission is to pick a line, horizontal or vertical, and incorporate all of those elements into your project. i actually have a DOUBLE BINGO, the top line and the right vertical line:

here's a close up on some of the deets:

Simon Says Stamp and Pink Cat Studio are our fantastic sponsors for this round (thank you!), and i have used Pink Cat's "Lily as Alice" digi. did i mention that there's a super-cute teahouse/bookstore in one of the neighbouring towns that's carrying my cards? :) yep! i'm hoping to get some tea party themed projects completed to stock her up soon, but my cards seem to be doing well so far! YAY!

SO. seriously now, CLICK HERE to see Charisma's brand new look, and to check out what the rest of Team Carly did with this BINGO challenge - some gorgeous projects, and loads of inspiration! play along by next Wednesday, and you might be one of the lucky winners for this round!

i played along at:

Crafts And Me - their August theme is Anything Goes!
Digital Tuesday Challenge - they're looking for DOILIES, and i made mine from shelf liner!