Blog Hop Winner!

***********WINNER************

Thanks to everyone that joined in the Scrapbook Steals Blog Hop this past weekend. An extra incentive to follow my blog, "like" my FB page and comment on the blog hop--I promised a box of scrappy goodness to one lucky winner. 
Her name is: Kristina Corzatt MacKeen!
Kristina, contact me with your address information and I will be sure to have your package mailed out this week!

**************UPDATE: Prize was not claimed initially - I redrew and the new winner is: Karen Nofziger! Thanks for joining the hop! Stop by and visit anytime!

7 Gypsies ATC Card-Scrapbook Steals Blog Hop

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Scrappin' Studio Designs and the Scrapbook Steals Blog Hop! 

I am sure you loved what Venetia Holbrook did over her blog with the ATC cards!

While I am a frequent shopper at Scrapbook Steals for my supplies; this time I can say I am super excited to join for my FIRST blog hop and showcase 7 Gypsies Vintage ATC cards. We were given seven cards to work with....varying colors, sizes, shapes etc.  To begin, I started to list out some ideas like what theme I wanted to stick with, what paper line I really wanted to use-and then coordinate them with embellishments. I considered going with a more vintage theme-but knowing it was my daughter's 8th birthday in July and her birthday party is the day of the blog hop (!)-I had to go with "Marissa" as the theme.

What better way to kick off your birthday month than tubing up north with a friend!

Who said dogs are man's best friend?!

Getting ready for the birthday party at the roller rink! Look Mom, I can fly!

A little birdie told me a girl named Marissa turns 8 in July! The stamped flowers I used some embossing powder in a aged copper color. Very cool.

Here I am at my table placing these photos, and a thought crosses my mind. Thank goodness my child is NOT afraid of the camera!

Happy 8th Birthday!

The card on the left has two whimsical stamped flowers, colored with watercolor pencils. I popped them off the page (along with the frame) with some pop dots. Edge has a little green zig-zag trim.The ATC card on the right is a fun one. It's like a teeny folder. Inside pics below:

On the left I made a tag to fit in the folder slots. One side is this adorable fairy and frog. (We LOVE frogs in this house!) The other side is a photo mat. For the candles, I used watercolor pencils again. Love them!

Flip side of tags

and the back of the mini folder ATC card. I used perfect pearls on the left side to give a shimmered border, but the camera didn't pick it up! 

And here are some balloons tucked in a pocket to help celebrate Marissa's birthday.

I hope you liked what you see and maybe are inspired to try some of your own if you haven't before! Getting hold of the 7 Gypsies carousel is a must for the cards! I fear that now that I have made these, I have to make more!

  It was a fun project and quite the challenge. I truly hope you like what you see and thanks for visiting. If you have a blog, grab one of my buttons below.

Sign up to follow my blog and enter below to win some scrappy goodness. 

 Feel free to leave a comment below and visit the other sites on the hop!  Have fun!

Blog Hop Order

Venetia Holbrook

Lisa Kitzke

Michelle Cunningham

Abbey Colbert

Cristine Redmond

Staci Jones

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Favorite Things Mini Scrapbook--It's Finally Done!! Going on EBay!

Booming and Blooming

Well, in my little fantasy world I could say, "Business is booming!". Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. I  am hopeful that the as I enter into the 2nd half of my first year things will only get better and the word will spread!. So, for now-I work on a few various projects to sell on ETSY and EBay. I have started another book using Simple Stories 24/Seven collection (and a few additional papers from MME and various embellishments). Here is the cover:

It's a fun book with a light-hearted feel to it. Hopefully I can complete this one during the month of June.

But Wait! There's more! Here are peeks at the WRMK book that I am finishing up this week. I love this book....it will be hard to part with it!

In addition to crafting, I've been busy working in the garden. Since my Father passed away in April, I have found myself digging out plants from his garden and transplanting them here at my home. The flowers range from Calla Lillies to Stargazer Lillies and Cannas. I see a large order of mulch headed my way in the next week or so. On top of the hundreds of flowers, I also have to get my veggie garden going. It's June already! I am soooo behind. I will post pictures as the blooms come and the yard fills with color. I can't wait! Here is the pre-picture. Yes, dull now---but wait! The beauty takes some time!

Life Happens

Well, it's already April. I can hardly believe it at all. This year has been filled with many ups and downs-it makes we wonder if that will continue all year. I expect so. As long as a few wonderful, joyeous, fun-filled days are sprinkled in (along with a little more sunshine, please Mother Nature?!) it will still be a blessed year. I've been away from the blog much too long and honestly, I miss it and my scrapping time dearly. Much time has been spent with my family since my Father was diagnosed with cancer last November. We've run the gammot of treatments available to him; none of which have worked. The combination of congestive heart failure and cancer (multiple myeloma) made the situation much worse and his heart couldn't take the more aggressive forms of treatment for the cancer. Within the last week, we all met with the team of doctors and determined that we will move Dad home with hospice care. His days ahead are certainly in someone else's hands right now. I pray God holds him close and eases any further pain and complications he has. It's been a lousy road so far, and it isn't of course expected to get better.

Earlier in March we had great hopes he was going to have more time and I felt great relief. My mind was in a better place and I had a few days to concentrate on working on a couple new mini books. I completed my "Time Flies" book and listed it in ETSY and EBAY. Here are a few pics:

I was THRILLED that it sold on EBAY. I hope the person that bought it truly enjoys filling it with memories. It was a blast to make and I am intending to make more like it! It was the first item I've sold online....I hope there are many more in the pipeline! I'll have time spread thinly these next several months, but PLEASE know I will return whenever I can. I will sneak in a few days God willing to scrap over the next few months. Of course, National Scrapbooking Day on May 4th, I will co-host a crop here in Jackson. Then later in May with my Scrappy Girls at a weekend retreat near Madison. Spending time with my Scrappy Girls is the greatest therapy--I don't get as much accomplished as I should, but it's always a load of fun. I'll be sure to post pics from the event. Stay tuned for pics of the new 6x6 album I am working on. Hoping to list it on ETSY and EBAY sooner than later. Thanks for hanging in there with me while life happens and I need to slow down on the scrapping duties, but know I am still here and working when I can. Until next time friends!

Happy Friday!
Today I am getting ready for a crop I am hosting tomorrow. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! Not only do I have to pack up all my supplies and materials for the crop (I don't even know what I am going to work on yet! HELP!), I have to assemble a pan of lasagna for dinner and go shopping for door prize items! So, obviously I have plenty to do. BUT, I thought I'd take a moment to share an awesome giveaway from Stephanie Hunt at Bella Blvd---our local scrappy designers/biz! Right here in Wauwatosa. They just finished up at CHA and are celebrating their success. She has THREE giveaways to THREE readers. Go to the link below and you could win some great prizes from their newest products!
http://iamstephanie.typepad.com/myweblog/2013/01/cha-photos-a-giveaway.html

Hope you check it out and have a great weekend everyone! Now....back to packing for the crop!

Wish I Could Be A Fly On The Wall

With the Winter CHA show coming up (January 11th-15th) in Anaheim, CA it got me thinking how fun it would be to be a fly on the wall. Peeking at all the fun, new designs. Hundreds of new papercrafting releases-- if not thousands. Just imagine! One of the new releases that has my curiosity up is the Ranger/Tim Holtz distress paints. They work just as the distress stains and inks do-react with water. But, there are so many others and today I was browsing a few blogs to see what new releases I will need to stick on my Pinterest wall so I don't forget to buy them! Here are a few that I know I will be using in projects in the VERY near future. I'd love to hear from you--which ones are you adding to your stash?! I will make a few posts here of collections that raise my blood pressure-but let me tell you they are NOT in order of preference! And believe me, my pressure is REALLY high today! I just don't know where to start they all look so wonderful! The reveal of Far and Away, from  Teresa Collins caught my eye. This collection is ideal for a mini book or a full 12x12. Hmmmm, what to do?!

In addition, Simple Stories has a collection titled 24/Seven. I already know what I will be using this for!It's really versatile and will be ideal for 8th grade graduation cards and projects I will be working on this spring. Hard to believe my son Josh is going to a highschooler next fall!

Being a huge fan of My Mind's Eye, I am curious what their new line "Collectable" will be. They've only posted a little teaser on their blog. I am anxiously awaiting an actual sneak peek-just a paper pack or maybe an embellishment or two! Please?!

"Oh My!" was what came to my mind when I saw list of Echo Park collections.They actually started announcing their releases last month already. But, the adorable collection Easter takes the cake. I will have to make a couple mini books to hold those cute pics of kiddies at egg hunts, and visits to the Easter Bunny! Then there is the wall art like the paper cone wreaths and plaques! Oh My! Here is a peek at this collection:

Authentique has come out with a lovely line that I will have to use in a mini...or two or three! This is totally on my must have in my stash list. The ideas and images floating around in my head are boundless.

I see this collection being used in so many ways. The coordinating die cuts like the Puzzle Pieces is brilliant. Honestly, all the accent pieces are a delight. The Petite Folders...Frames and Corners....ahhhh! Makes me happy!

And lastly for today, I came across Washi Tape I really love from Prima. It's a "Gotta Have!"

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE! Back to Tim Holtz, there are some new dies that are being released that really caught my attention. I already use some of the One the Edge Dies, but could ALWAYS use more. After all, isn't that what we all do best, buy more and more and more? Well, the lovely group of fellow scrappers I belong to are wonderful enablers-so that is sorta the theme for us! Here is a peek at the dies:

 

Well, gotta run for now. All these visions of projects to come has my mind racing. I hope if you are checking out the blog and see some of these pics from CHA....you will also get the itch to start creating!