Shhh. . . don't tell Sara

(**APRON STRINGS BLOG HOP WEEKEND . . .SEE POST BELOW!!!!**)

I am over-the-moon excited for my dear friends, Paul and Sara, who had their baby girl this past week. I created this 6x6 album for them (but don't tell. . .because I haven't given it to them yet!) It was posted on the October Afternoon blog on Friday, and there are more pictures there! I'd love for you to go over there and check it out!!!! It's a super simple project that you can create in an afternoon! Gotta love that!


Be sure to head down below this post to join in the Apron Strings Blog Hop. There are chances to win lots of goodies!

Have a great week!

Apron Strings New Years Blog Hop!

Happy Weekend! I am participating in the Apron Strings blog hop this weekend! I've been a card designer with Apron Strings for a few years, and I am thrilled to be starting another year on the team! If you are starting at my blog, be sure to hop around to the other designers' blogs. At each blog, you'll collect an answer to the important question. . . "WHY APRON STRINGS?" Once you've collected all the answers, send them all in an email to Lori, at lori@apronstringsdesigns.com for a chance to win a Basic Grey 2011 Calendar, shown below! (How cool is that!?)So what's MY answer to the question, Why Apron Strings?

"Full color instructions in the card kits"

And I surely didn't want to leave you without some eye candy today, plus I realized that in the midst of December's chaos, I never shared my December Apron Strings cards! SO, here are three of my favorites from the December All Year Cheer Card Kit!



And here are the other designers blogs to hop around to:

Laura Williams (thats me!)

Melanie Holzwarth

Amy Crockett

Anet Tietjen

Jennifer Halleck

Kristin Perez

Maria Swiatkowski

Sarah Fleming

Patricia Moussatche (Patchi)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure to hop around to the other designers, collect the answers, and email Lori! (Emails must be received by Sunday evening!)

Oh and I almost forgot!!!! Leave a comment on each designer's blog, for chances to win Cookie Jar Treats from the Apron Strings store! (We'll each draw a random winner on Monday morning!)

Top 10 (or so) of 2010

The fabulous Lea Lawson inspired me (as always) - this time she inspired me to share my favorite cards of the year. I am thankful that many of my favorites are out for publication, so just like she did, I'd like to share some of my favorites that I CAN share!

Oh October Afternoon, how I love you! I just love the way this card came together. It was one of those that I just started laying things down. . .and they worked!


This card features one of my favorite stamp sets from The {Stamps} of Life. And some paper from My Mind's Eye. And there's polka-dots. . ..another of my favorite things!

This was the year I started really attempting clean and simple. And this is one of the cleanest and simplest cards I created this year. And I love it. Tulip ink from Close To My Heart - it's one of my go-to colors!

My Mind's Eye blew me over again, with this ADORABLE Halloween paper. I cut and trimmed and trimmed and cut, and pieced this together on a big 6x6 card. It didn't take too much creativity, because it's basically right off the 12x12 paper, but I just had such fun with this!

Joining the team at Discount Cardstock has been a HUGE deal this past year! Cardstock, cardstock, and more cardstock!!!! Every color I can imagine!!! I created this card with their new Posh Paper Kits. November 2010 to be exact. And I paired it with stamps from Kitchen Sink Stamps. And I am pretty sure this was a CPS card. (Another amazing team to work with!)

This just might be my ALLtime favorite though, if I had to pick just one card. October Afternoon paper (but I think the green is Jillibean Soup.) Unity Stamps. Paper-piecing. My favorite technique of them all.

Thinking ahead to this year, I still need to make some goals. Some of my crafting goals of past years were: to get published (check!) join a stamp company design team team (check! check!) join a paper team (check!) feed my habit through design team work and publications. . .(check! check! check! hooray!) One of my goals NEEDS to be to do a little bit of scrapbooking. Poor child #2 has zero layouts in the book, and child #1 has bunches!

I am so blessed to do what I love, and to share what I love! And I LOVE you and thank YOU for coming by!

happy new year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

we're home sweet home.

we figured we may as well come back, since the snow melted! (wink wink!)
we had THE best time.
all-time favorite trip to my parents' cabin.
EVER.
great weather, great food, great family, great fun.
but i think we're all agreed - as much as we LOVED the snow. . .
we are SO glad we don't LIVE in it.
snow pants on.
snow pants off.
gloves on.
gloves off.
wet snow.
wet mud.
dirty shoes.
dirty bottoms.
wet jeans.

for all of you that live in snowy weather, especially if you have children - i have a new found respect, and pity for each of you. what a PAIN IN THE NECK!!! the time it takes just to get them bundled up equals the time they last outside!
The scene from A Christmas Story keeps running through my brain, "I can't put my arms down!!!"
I have GOT to get everything unpacked and put away, and finish cleaning up the Christmas chaos from before we left! And the tree. . .oh the tree will have to wait another day!
I am looking forward to the fresh start of the new year, and I'll be back soon to share some projects, and maybe some thoughts about the new year! It's always a good time to think back - and think ahead!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
(If you're still reading this blog, I'd love to know what you are looking forward to in the new year. no one talks to me anymore - or still.)
OXOXO