Living My Dream

The Queen and Co Girl line winner and a Dolphin Tale...

So Queen and Company sneak peek week officially comes to a close with the announcement of the girl line winner. Let's go see who it is, shall we?!?!?!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

32

Timestamp: 2012-01-28 18:28:08 UTC

I am so lovin' all these cute tapes and items being brought out this year; such

fun stuff!

Posted by: toni | January 27, 2012 at 02:24 PM

Miss Toni is the winner of six rolls of girly tape and three spools of twine - congratulations! Please email me with your address so we can send you your goodies. Thanks to all of you who entered all week!

Yesterday, Kim Watson arrived at my house. She came all the way from Capetown, South Africa for CHA and I am lucky enough to have her staying with me for a few days. We went on a dolphin excursion in Dana Point which I have never done in the 13 years I love here. And after doing it, I have no idea why I hadn't gone sooner. It was so amazing. We saw hundreds of dolphins all jumping and swimming under and around our boat.

There will be many more pics of these beautiful creatures to come, but I am off to take Kim to the mall, the nail salon, a scrapbook store, and a camera store. And then to Balboa for hippo cookies. Yum! Have a great weekend friends! suzy

Queen and Company GIRL DAY (my favorite!) and a winner!

I've been waiting for Girl day all week because I love scrapping with girly products and colors! But we will get to that...

First, we have a winner for the Magic line by Queen and Co. There was A LOT of excitement about this product line and I wish I had enough tape and twine to give to all of you! But we must pick just one...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

60

Timestamp: 2012-01-27 15:53:54 UTC

I'm so excited about this new Disney stuff! I still have lots and lots of Disney pics to scrap and I do a lot with the red/yellow/black color scheme! Loving all these tapes as well. I hope my LSS orders all of it!

Posted by: Aimee G. | January 26, 2012 at 05:27 PM

Congratulations to Aimee G! Shoot me an email with your address and we will get your prize out to you!

And here are the much anticipated girl tapes - there are actually two sets of them, eleven in total!

I made two layouts with these tapes. As many of my blog readers know, my two girls (9 and 12) and their friends love dressing up for what we call "funky girl photo shoots", so I had LOTS of pictures to pick from.

For this layout, I took a piece of 12x12 white cardstock and layered the tapes on top of it covering the entire thing. I then cut the middle out so I could use it for something else. Then I drew scallops along the inside edges and cut them out. I outlined my scallops with twine. It looks hard, but it really wasn't - just took a little time sitting in front of the TV!

For the title, I layered the lavendar dot tape over white die-cut letters and outlined them with a white Uniball.

For the snowcone, I first cut a 5" circle out of my leftover piece of white cardstock layered with tape. I then cut a cone shape out of white cardstock and attached them to my page. I wrapped some twine around the cone. I added buttons over the tape with silver rhinestones in the center of some of them. This page really demonstrates what I love about the tapes - you can create one of a kind titles and embellishments by getting creative with them!

For this page called Love You, I used the blue tape from the BOY collection (yes, they mix together well!). I also used some of the girl patterned papers and the new flowers and rhinestone swirls. I outlined my photos with the tape. I cut a circle from patterned paper for the title and outlined that with twine.

For the title, I used a marker to write it right on the layout first (but a pencil would work much better as you can see some of my black lines!). I then covered one letter at a time with wet sticky glue that dries clear. I took one long piece of twine and folded it in half. I used this double thick piece over the glue one letter at a time. You can see that one edge of each letter has the folded over piece. I'm telling you - this really isn't very hard to do. Twine just wants to curl and is so easy to work with. The only hard part is not getting glue every where as you do it! I find it is best to let my glue get a little tacky before I lay the twine down. ANY wet glue will work - I've used Scotch, Aleene's Tacky Glue and my current favorite is Zip Dry paper glue. It is kind of like rubber cement and you can rub off any excess. When it is just a little tacky, the twine sticks perfectly to it.

And this my friends finishes off our Queen and Co sneak peek week! I hope to peek at some of you at CHA in a few days and come visit the booth to see all these samples in person!

Two little tidbits of info you might find helpful if you are in the market for any of these products. They are sold online at scrapbook.com. I have ordered product from them and they are very quick and reliable. I am actually waiting for some WRMK page protectors from them so I can get started on my project life as we speak!

The second tidbit of info is, Queen and Co will be selling kits for all the layouts I have posted this week as well as kits for many other layouts done by all their wonderful designers! So be on the look out for those as they will be coming out soon as well.

Happy weekend to all my blog friends and welcome to my new blog readers - so thankful that Queen and Co has brought some new readers over here - I love all the nice comments you have all been leaving me! Thank you!!!  Suzy

Queen and Co MAGIC and a winner!

Yesterday was BOY day for the Queen and Co sneak peeks. The winner of six rolls of tape and three spools of twine is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

29

Timestamp: 2012-01-26 15:45:49 UTC

Love the tapes!!!! And your pages are gorgeous!

Posted by: Adriana | January 25, 2012 at 11:40 AM

Adriana is the winner! Please email me with your address and we will get your prize out!

Today is Magic (Disney themed) day. I've noticed from different comments here and there that the Disney tapes are the ones people are the most excited about! It is hard to find good Disney products and these are perfect for those vacation pictures.

I made three cards using the Magic line that includes papers, chipboard, tapes, twine, buttons and gems.

I didn't make any pages with this line, but there are a couple of adorable ones in their catalog that were made by their other designers. Here is one by Stacy Cohen:

And this one was made by Ginger Williams:

So with all that inspiration, leave a comment on this post to win the six Magic tapes and three spools of twine. Tomorrow I will wrap up the Queen and Co sneeks and give-a-ways with my favorite - Girl day! Happy Thursday! Suzy

Queen and Co Boy Line and a Winner!

First, we have a winner for the Queen and Co summer line of washi tape and twine:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

3

Timestamp: 2012-01-25 15:27:26 UTC

This time the winner was one of the first to leave a comment! And here she is:

Oh how great!!! I LOVE these summery colors and they are perfect for both boys and girls!! Your layouts are stunning!

Posted by: Lisa C. | January 24, 2012 at 08:07 AM

Lisa C, please email me your address and we will get a package of goodies out to you!

Today is Boy tape and twine day! I love the colors in the boy tapes because they mix so well with the summer tapes. I actually used some of these on my summer layouts yesterday as well as the summer ones.

And here are my layouts using the new boy line of papers, chipboard, tapes and twine:

For this layout, I didn't use any paper again - I just layed pieces of the tape over the royal blue cardstock as a backdrop for the photos. The tape looks so different when you put a color under it. For the letters, I glued twine around the outside edges to decorate them. I also used the multi-colored twine on the edges of the photos.

I used the tape along the edges of the layout - again, it changes the look when you put a color under it. I also covered the white title letters with the chevron tape. I outlined all the circles from their new papers with different colors of the boy collection of twine. 

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win six tape rolls and three spools of twine from the boy collection. Thanks for all your nice comments on my layouts! We still have the disney/magic theme and the girl theme to go - two of my favorites on Thursday and Friday. Have a great Wednesday! suzy

Queen and Co Summer and a Winner!

Each day this week I'll be doing a Queen and Co give-a-way of new CHA products including six rolls of washi tape and three spools of twine. The winner from yesterday for the PET themed products is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

55

Timestamp: 2012-01-24 15:30:21 UTC

The tape is cute! Would love to win it.

Posted by: Neysa Watson | January 24, 2012 at 07:15 AM

This proves that the last comment left (just a few mins ago) can win! Out of 55 comments, the number 55 comment was the one the random number generator picked. Congrats to Neysa Watson - please email me and we will send you your products!

Today, I will be giving away the summer line of tapes and twine.

Here are the two layouts I made using the new summer products:

For this layout, I covered die cut letters with the tape and also used it along the sides of the layout. No patterned paper was used at all on this! I used the twine along the photo and then decorated the tape with their rhinestones and chipboard summer designs. 

On this second layout, I used different washi tapes to create a frame around the photo. If you overlap them together, the colors show through and new patterns are created. I also used tape over orange die cut letters - because the tape is transparent, the orange shows through. I used twine along the bottom of the layout that has both orange and green in it - so cool to have multi-colored twine! I drew the design with a pencil and then covered it with clear drying glue and attached the twine in small sections. The buttons and sequins are also some of their new products.

Thanks for visiting today! Don't forget to leave a comment to win a collection of the summer tapes and twine. Tomorrow will be boy day and the summer winner will be announced. Happy Tuesday!  Suzy

Queen and Co Sneak Peek Week! (and a daily give-a-way)

I've spent the past week making layouts for Queen and Co for CHA. They have come out with some really cool new products. I especially LOVE the new tape and twine - two of my favorite products ever. This week I will be posting pictures of layouts five days in a row. I'm working with five new lines: pet, girl, boy, magic (Disney), and summer. Would you like to win these new pet tapes and twine? READ ON!!!

Queen and Co has these amazing washi tapes in all different patterns and colors - 34 in total, some for each of their six themes. They have twine in lots of different colors, some with three colors in one! They are on thread spools - totally cute! You can see them all in their catalog HERE. I've worked with several different brands of washi tape and this one is the easiet to remove and replace. It leaves no sticky residue and resticks each time you lift it and lay it back down.

Here are my two pet themed layouts. I used their new pet chipboard, new pet washi tapes and twine, and some of their new papers. To make the title letters, I covered brown die-cut letters with red/white striped washi tape. The brown cardstock changes the color since the tape is slightly transparent. I also used tape to frame my photos and created a twine frame as well.

For this layout, I also made a frame from strips of washi tape - several strips on the top and bottom of my two 4x6 photos and one strip of black and white along both vertical sides overlapping the other tapes. I used the twine around the heart.

I hope you enjoyed my first sneak peek. Each day (M-F) this week I'll be posting some pages and doing a give-a-way. Today the give-a-way is for the pet themed twine and tape - this includes six rolls of tape and three rolls of twine - how cool is that!!!!! Leave a comment on this post and I'll announce the winner on my Tuesday post. Each day - more of the same and a give-a-way for that day's theme - whooopeeee! Thank you to Queen and Co for all these goodies!

suzy

And the winner of the Dear Lizzy pinwheels is:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

7

Timestamp: 2012-01-17 18:00:34 UTC

Crazy that out of 430 comments, number seven wins, huh? Ok, I'm off to find out who you are....

so super cute and fun!

Posted by: karen | January 16, 2012 at 08:09 AM

Soooo, if your name is Karen and you left the seventh comment on this blog yesterday morning, please email me with your address and Liz will send out your goodies! Thanks to all for leaving comments. She must have a ton of blog followers as I had more blog hits yesterday then I have ever had!

Also, I wanted to post a page I made for the American Crafts blog last week. My assignment was to make a scrapbook page and layout inspired by a quilt. I was in St. George over Christmas and I went to this cute quilt store with my mom called Quilted Works. I saw this beautiful, colorful quilt on the wall and immediately fell in love with it, so I used it as my inspiration piece:

And here are my  page and card inspired by the flower designs on the quilt. There are directions to make them on the American Crafts blog here. 

Supplies: White 12x12 (71081) - AC Cardstock, Petunia’s Pastries Paper (35532) - Garden Café, Daisy’s Diner Paper (35539) - Garden Café, Rose’s Kitchen Paper (35540) - Garden Café, Poppy’s Pub Paper (35542) - Garden Café, Café Iris Varnish Paper (35541) - Garden Café, Happy Day Paper (35560) - Daydreams, Wish (61734) - Mixtape, Garden Café (89416) - Boxed Ribbon, The Classics Large Fabric Brads (85524) - Elements, Hello Sunshine Fabric Brads (85544) - Elements, Daydreams Fabric Brads (85572) - Elements 

Supplies: Carnation Corner Varnish Paper (35538) - Garden Café, Joyful Day Glitter Finish Paper (35603) - Daydreams, Delish (70073) - Flair, Garden Café (89416) - Boxed Ribbon

If you haven't been to the American Crafts blog yet today, you might want to hop on over there as they have an Amy Tangerine sneak peek up and it's divine!!! Happy Tuesday! Suzy

Dear Lizzy Blog Hop Starts Here!!!!!!!!!!

Hello blog friends! The CHA fun is starting today with a blog hop for the new Dear Lizzy line by American Crafts with lots of product give-a-ways. So follow along and leave comments on each of the blogs along the hop for a chance to win some of her deliciously adorable new products. I will be giving away this cute little pinwheel set: 

Here is some information on her new line:

Elizabeth Kartchner’s latest signature collection, Dear Lizzy Neapolitan, is fanciful & fresh featuring candy-shop colors and a diffused watercolor effect that takes you into a daydream of hand-drawn Mason jars, ice cream cones and balloons.

Dear Lizzy Neapolitan features 22 papers, including darling stitched ruffle paper & patterned vellum. Complementing the papers are a variety of embellishments from painted wood buttons, epoxy stickers, chipboard word banners, embroidered brads & wood grain chipboard pieces. Other new exciting products are Flutterbys (sewn butterfly & pendant banners), a Roller & Phrase Stamp and Paper Pinwheels. 

Your next stop on the blog hop is Kelly Purkey. Be sure to check out all the stops because there's a giveaway of the entire line once you get to Dear Lizzy's blog. 

I will be selecting a winner from all comments left by midnight tonight and announce it first thing tomorrow morning (Tuesday). Good luck to every one and have a great day!!! suzy

American Crafts Layouts (and Happy New Year!!!!)

It is such a busy time of the year, but I actually got two layouts made for American Crafts today. The first one is about this darling little puppy a friend of a friend recently got. So I decided to shoot a TON of photos of her. She is a cockapoo and the most adorable puppy I have ever seen. Luckily she was already spoken for or she would have become a member of our family!

American Crafts Products Used: Woodness Gracious Paper (35555) - Amy Tangerine, Light Bright Fabric Finish Paper (35559) - Amy Tangerine, Amy Tangerine Mini Daybook, Amy Tangerine Tags - Bits, Shaped Paper Clips - Elements, Small Good Times (42213) - Remarks Books, All Together (42219) - Remarks Fabric, Hello Thickers, Amy Letter Stickers - Remarks

This next layout is of some pictures I took while we were in Hawaii this summer. It also uses all Amy Tangerine products. American Crafts just came out with several new Daybooks - I took the mini one apart for this layout. I removed all the pages and cut 1" strips from them for the background of the layout.

American Crafts Products Used: Noteworthy Amy Tangerine Mini Daybook, Kraft Cardstock, Lovely Peacock (43245) - Thickers, Let's Go (42215) - Remarks Dimensional Stickers, Wishing (42216) - Remarks Fabric Stickers, Dreaming (42217) - Remarks Dimensional Stickers, AT Tags (77259) - Bits

So how was everyone's Christmas? We had a good time and spent a week in Utah visiting family. I got to speak to my son on the phone - he is in Argentina on a mission. I was so excited to hear his voice and it was by far my best Christmas gift! Although my new Cameo Siloette was a close second - haha. Now I just have to get it out of the box and figure out how to use that thing! Have a wonderful New Year blog friends!!! Suzy

Merry Christmas Friends!

I have to admit, I don't always enjoy the Christmas season. I get too busy and it just passes by without me taking the time to really find the joy in it. This year is especially tough for me because I miss my son and my brother - it is my first year without them here for the holidays. I am looking forward to talking to Thane on the phone though as he gets to call home on Christmas day. That will be the best part of the day for me!

I made a couple of Christmas quotes to remind me of what the season is all about:

There are things I love about the holiday season. I love smelling a fresh Christmas tree every morning when I get up. I love the Christmas songs that Tom has playing in our house all season long. I love how we sit in the living room with the tree working together while the girls are at school. I love that it is a season of giving and many of us are trying to be nicer to each other and serve more. I love the decorations! I would say I love all the goodies, but I am going without those this year on my quest to delete sugar from my diet!

But on the other hand, I have never liked the commercialism surrounding Christmas. I don't like the whole gift purchasing part - where you feel obligated to spend money on people who don't really need or want anything so you can go into debt. I prefer making people gifts so I know my heart is in it and it isn't just about obligation. I don't like people feeling like they have to spend a bunch of money, especially if times are hard for them.

The point I am trying to make is that Christmas to me is about spending time with family, enjoying the smells, treats, and songs of the season. It is the joy that finding ways to serve and show love to others brings me. Whether it be as simple as taking photos for friend's Christmas cards or drawing quotes for others to enjoy, I just love the parts that are just to make others happy.

I hope all my blog friends are enjoying this season for what it is really supposed to be about. Giving, remembering Christ, loving, family, and celebrating with those we love. I hope all of you realize you don't have to give expensive gifts to show your appreciation to others. I hope you are able to feel the spirit of the season by giving of your heart and time to those you love. I myself am really trying hard to. Which means I haven't been to the mall and I haven't purchased ONE single gift yet. And I just may not to boycott the commercialism! haha

And with that, Merry Christmas to all! Suzy

PS - This is the page I had on the American Crafts blog this week. If you go to this post, you can leave a comment by Friday to win their complete Hollyday line which I used to make this layout.