Muir Woods and a publication 26

Hi there! I hope you are all having a great weekend! Scott and I are having a great time visiting Jerry in San Francisco :) Yesterday we went hiking in the breath taking Muir Woods National Monument park. We actually got lost because we took the wrong turn and our 2 hour hike turned into a 5 hour hike but it was well worth it! Today we are going to rent bikes and ride around the Golden Gate State Park. 

Here are some photos from our hike yesterday: 

My boys ;)

 Jerry and I :)

 560+ acres of these magnificent California Redwoods:

 Some beautiful wild flowers along the trail:

 I'm very honored and excited to share with you my first mixed media mini album that I recently had published in the awesome Northridge Publishing Create: Mini Album Series. Surely I sound like a broken record BUT I truly believe having something published for a crafty girl is like winning the paper crafting lottery! If you want to see some beautiful projects of all sorts, please be sure to check out some of the MANY Northridge Publishing magazines! 

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend! I will be back at Midnight Eastern, April 15th to share some fun MFT projects ~ hope to see you then!
Be Sweet :)

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A featured publication... 42

Hi there dear blogging friends! I love to travel but it's always nice to return home and sleep in one's own bed. I can't wait to pick up my furry babies from the pet resort early Thursday morning! I hope they don't think I abandoned them, they are quite spoiled and my little Gretchen is rarely more than 4 feet from me. She is definitely my shadow where Griffin is a little more independent and spends many hours upside down, sleeping on the couch :)

I've always said, having the opportunity to be published is like winning the paper crafting lottery! I am quite honored to share with you a collection of cards that I had featured in the awesome Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine Issue 101. If you are not familiar with Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine, it is a magazine brought to us from Practical Publishing located in the UK and is full of fabulous inspiration from designers around the world. I recently discovered that my local Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft store carries not only Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine but many other publications offered by Practical Publishing.

The focus of this feature was Chevrons. I combined a variety of MFT stamps, Die-namics and pretty patterned paper from the Pink Paislee London Market Collection to make this suite of 8 cards.

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you have a great day/evening!
Be Sweet ;)

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Cover Girl and A Featured Publication... 43

Hi there dear blogging friends! Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! I am so excited and honored to share with you that I was recently a Cover Girl and featured in the awesome UK Magazine Simply Cards & papercraft Issue #98 that is jam packed with amazing monthly inspiration! I'm a firm believer that getting something published is like winning the paper crafting lottery!!!

 The theme of the feature was to create 6 Birthday cards, 2 Easy, 2 Intermediate, 2 Advanced using Green, Purple and Turquoise while incorporating Stenciling as the technique. 

I combined fun patterned paper from My Mind's Eye, dies from Spellbinders and stamps from Waltzingmouse and Donna Salazar.

Thanks so much for sharing in my excitement :) Hope you enjoyed my cards! Have an amazing weekend!
Be Sweet :)

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A publication... 46

Hi there! Are you all ready for the weekend ~ I know I am! It's 7:00 in the morning here and I am on my way to the airport, headed to CHA! I'm really excited to be working at the Pink Paislee booth and to meet up with some crafty friends and hopefully make some new ones :) I'm rooming with my dear sweet friend IRL, Stephanie so I know I will have a great time day and night!  If you have seen my last five posts, you can see all the fun and exciting products Pink Paislee are introducing to the papercrafting world!

Quite some time ago, my favorite die cutting manufacturer, Spellbinders invited me to submit a project for their book, Spellbinders: Quick & Easy Crafts for Entertaining, an offer I couldn't refuse! Well, my Mother's Day ensemble was chosen for publication! YAHOOO!! It even made the back cover :) This book is on sale at Annie's Attic (click HERE).

Thanks for looking! I hope you have a great weekend! I will be back tomorrow with a new CR84FN Color Challenge and maybe some photos to share! Be Sweet :)

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I've been featured! 67

Hi there! Thanks so much to all of you who took the time to leave such kind comments over the past several days ~ I sure appreciate you taking the time to do so :) Several months ago, Melanie Tickle, Editor of Simply Cards & Papercraft, located in the UK graciously invited me to create an entire "suite" of projects for Simply Cards & Papercraft 89 featuring beautiful and unique stamps designed by Claire Brennan/Owner of Waltzingmouse Stamps! This issue is currently available for purchase, click HERE, and is jam packed with awesome inspiration!

Here is one of the cards featured in the Simply Cards & Papercraft 89 issue showcasing a variety of Waltzingmouse Stamps:

Thanks so much for visiting today and I hope you visit Simply Cards & Papercraft! Be Sweet :)

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Some exciting news... 33

 Hi friends! Hope you are all having a great weekend! I have some exciting news to shout from the rooftops! I am tickled pink and honored to have had one of my projects shared in the latest and greatest LIVE PINK A CREATIVE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE ISSUE 2. VOL 1! This magazine is FULL of awesome inspiration and is available NOW for FREE download - click HERE! I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a peek and let me know what you think :)

While you are visiting the Pink Paislee blog, be sure to check out all the sneak peeks of the new and fabulous Pink Paislee products that will be revealed at CHA next week! Hope you have a great weekend! I'll be back tomorrow with an all new CR84FN Color Challenge. Be Sweet :)

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Some exciting news... 45

Hi there! Hope you are all off to a great start of a new week! Here to share a card I recently had published in the May issue of CARDS Magazine. Thank you CARDS for choosing my card! If you are looking for some awesome inspiration, be sure to check out the latest edition of CARDS Magazine!

Shown below is the card shown in the Original post. For the cards complete details, please click HERE.

Thanks so much for looking! I will be back tomorrow Tuesday, June 7th to share some JustRite Stampers June previews. Hope to see you! Have a great day :)

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Some questions answered... 57

Hi there! Hope you are all enjoying your day :) First, I wanted to share a card I recently had published in the March issue of Cards Magazine. Love that magazine and all the inspiration within! Here is what it looks like in the magazine:

Here it is in my light tent :) Click HERE for original post.

I have been meaning to share this information for quite some time. I try to answer all questions but PLEASE remember, I do have a job and family like many of you :) also, it is really difficult to respond to someone who does NOT leave an email address? hmmm....

To answer some frequently asked questions:

After my post the other day, referring to my "studio" aka "my kitchen table", I received a few emails asking if that is really where I create? "YEP it is!" and here is a pic of what my organized mess looks like:

I LOVE my kitchen nook because it is centrally located between the family room and kitchen. I just wheel those Craftswomen carts right into my work out room when company comes! I have a craft storage closet in the work out room, where I keep less frequently used items.

Shown in the photo below is my light tent set up. I use 3 lamps and a 30" light tent ~ the one on top is ONLY up there when actively in use. My hubby bought it for me from obnphoto.com Yep, that's my dining room table. When company comes, I simply store the light tent and lamps my bedroom closet :) Out of sight ~ out of mind!

I store my Spellbinders dies in these awesome 3 ring binders which my hubby found and ordered for me :) Click HERE for more info.

I buy heavy weight chipboard and magnet sheets at Michael's Arts and Crafts then my handy man trims the chipboard to size and adheres the magnet sheets. I do buy the heavy duty magnet because I am firm believer "you get what you pay for". The dies stick so well to this magnet, a sharp tool must be used to pop the dies off. Nothing more irritating when your dies fall off cheap magnet! grrrr... ask me how I know? :) LOL :)

I use inexpensive acrylic stamping blocks that my handy man altered for me! Scott created a bull-nosed edge on one side using a Dremel which makes it so much more comfortable to grip :)

Last but not least, is the item I use to photograph my cards on: a candle jar topper! I bought them at Michael's Arts and Crafts in the candle area which retail for under $5.

The photo below is something entirely not related to paper-crafting but something I am very proud of. I taught myself how to Venetian plaster! This 16" ceiling was screaming for some color, so I rented scaffolding and went to work. This ceiling is above the pool table:

Please feel free to click photo to enlarge and see detail :)

Thanks so much for looking! Please remember if you ask have a question, please feel free to email me but I DO need a return email address :) I'm just sayin'...

Hope to see you tomorrow ~ perhaps with something crafty to share :)

Be Sweet!

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