Having Fun

So.. daddy has been off for the past week and we are all having an absolute blast doing things I don't normally do with the kiddos on my own. My hubby and I took the boys to play laser tag yesterday and despite being literally terrified at the start as they were certain a huge 'monster' was going to jump out from behind the beams, they had so much fun!

We've also gone to the aquarium which was a huge hit with everyone.  Here we are above watching the beluga whale show.

Pretty amazing stuff eh?  The jellyfish were unreal - the colours were just over the top - believe me, these photos do not do them justice! There was also a 'tropical rainforest' section with a sloth (adorable), amazing birds, butterflies - just wow!

My fave photos of the day.  Look at the 'awe' in those eyes - never before seen underwater wildlife in 'real' life.  Can't wait to scrap some of these.
And.... on that note I DO have a giveaway VERY SOON!! I am simply organizing all my 'stuff' and will have everything sorted early next week!  LOTS of scrappy projects coming your way very soon!!

Graphic 45 has teamed up with Want2Scrap and will be bringing you a fantastic blog hop from August 8th - 12th. I'll also have some special Bo Bunny projects and a contest to share with you all on August 16th - stay tuned!!!

July Zva Blog Hop Winners Announced

We'd like to congratulate the FIVE July Zva Blog Hop winners! Their names will be found on the following blogs:
Ingrid
Nancy
Guiseppa
Jill
Lou
One winner from each of the 5 blogs will receive a Zva prize package worth $30.00.
Congrats winners!

Today I will leave you with a card I created for CHA which features the brand NEW Self Adhesive Crystal from ZVA: CR-04CB-105. Take a look at that amazing bird design!! The papers are from Bo Bunny's Zoology collection and the stamp (A Bird Sings) is by Hamptom Art.

Thanks so much for your visit today! Hope to see you again soon!

Zva Creative July DT Blog Hop!

Zva Creative and our talented Design Team welcomes you to join us this month for a blog hop that we feel is always extra special!

We know that it's a busy time of year with kids home from school and vacations, so we thought it would be more fun to add even more chances to win our blog hop prize! Details below.

It's CHA time which means brand new products. So please keep an eye out for them at your local stores.

As you know, Zva Creative offers so many beautiful color groupings for pearls, flowers and crystals. We want to make sure that they shine bright for you, so each designer was asked to share a creation using a specific color or color combination on their blog hop project.

The Blog Hop begins at Kim Hughes' blog. She will have the complete list of all blogs that are participating in case there is a glitch along the way. If you would like to play along, just follow along the blog path. I am linking to one of the Zva Creative designers and that designer is linking to the next and so on. Be prepared to be inspired along the way. Hidden on FIVE of the blogs is a Zva Creative prize package ...YAY! Winners will be randomly chosen after the hop is over, so it's important to leave a comment on as many blogs as you can along the way.

The Blog Hop starts today, July 25th and runs through midnight US Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, July 26th and the 5 winners will be announced on Wednesday, July 27th on each of the five winning blogs. The full list will be found on Kim Hughes‘s blog as well (linked above). We will do our best to notify each winner, but it's best if you can pop in to all of the blogs once again on Wednesday...plus, you never know what kind of inspirational creation that you may find there. All you need to do is leave a comment on this Zva Blog Hop post...you do not need to leave a comment on each and every designer's blog post to qualify. The more times you leave a comment along the blog hop path though, the more chances you will have to be one of the lucky winners.

To increase your chances of winning:

Comment to let us know that you posted on your Facebook page about our hop (link to any of the blog hop posts)

Comment to let us know that you "tweeted" about our hop (link to any of the blog hop posts)

Comment to let us know that you asked your local store to carry Zva creative products. If they already do, that's fantastic, maybe you can suggest other products that they don't carry.

The project I wanted to share with you today incorporates a whole lot of green!! I ADORE all of the new crystal bling from ZVA and the ones you see on my project above are hot off the CHA show!

Here is some of ZVA's gorgeous blooms as well! LOVE to alter these and they compliment their bling seamlessly!

The papers are from Graphic 45's Magic of Oz Collection - one of their new Summer CHA releases!  I also added in some fantastic chipboard pieces (fence, title) from Imaginarium Designs.

Sooo, you have FOUR chances on each blog to win one of our FIVE prizes! That's technically OVER 50 chances :)

The blog hop begins here: Kim Hughes

Your next stop is here: Windy Robinson Windy Robinson

Thank you SO MUCH for joining us!

ZVA Supplies:

FL-04CA-129
FL-04CA-127
Bulk 3D Flowers (various sizes of the green)
Self Adhesive Crystal: CRS-04CB-113
Self Adhesive Crystal: CRB-04CB-105

There's No Place Like Home

YEA!! I can finally start sharing all my coolio CHA project with everyone!  This layout came together thanks to a random shot of my little one's adorable Mary Janes and heart socks.  How perfect would this be for the newly released Magic of Oz collection by Graphic 45 I thought! I LOVE this line soooo much! It is playful, different and very whimsical but you do not have to limit your projects to Hallowe'en or Wizard of Oz.

The colours are wonderfully vibrant and of course there are so many gorgeous fussy cutting options - something Graphic 45 has down to a fine science!

Lots of layers (of course) with my crochet doilies, paper doilies, crazy amounts of patterned papers and something new. Here you can see some of the new Chipboard pieces offered by Graphic 45 which have recently replaced their tag sheets in their 12x12 paper collections.  I TOTALLY prefer these as they add so much more dimension to a page.

Some of their fantastic metal hinges here as well.  I think I've used at least one of these pieces on every single one of my latest projects with Graphic 45. They ROCK!

That's all for today!  Be back soon with some more scrappy goodies to share as well as some deets on my next blog giveaway! Be sure to stop by on Monday for ZVA Creative's Monthly Blog Hop!
Thanks again for the visit!!

Graphic 45 Supplies:

Metal Hinges
The Magic of Oz Chipboard Tags 1
The Magic of Oz Chipboard Tags 2
The Magic of Oz, The Magic of Oz
The Magic of Oz, Goblin Gazette
The Magic of Oz, Poppy Fields
The Magic of Oz, Munchkins
The Magic of Oz, Tenderhearted Tin Man
The Magic of Oz, Journey to Oz

Step It Up!

Bo Bunny has a new feature called Step it up! We have had several requests for simple layouts so we decided to take it a step further and give you a simple layout and then add a few extra steps to show you how you can take your layout to the next level!

This was a pretty difficult challenge for me considering I normally plan out my entire layout before even thinking about getting anything glued down.  In any regard, here is my 'simple' version or First Step.  To me, it looks quite plain - but the overall composition of the project has at least been established and for me, that's always the hardest part.

Stepped up to my Second Step I added a few extra layers like the brown background layer and extra lace layer around my main crochet doily as well as some more of the script paper with torn edges which adds a bit more texture. You'll also see some more small doilies and other smaller embellishments/layers like the butterflies.

Step it up to my Final Step - my 'Pimped Up Version' I like to call it - LOL!! Pretty much add in as many layers as you can - the more the merrier! With this final step, I've also added in some faux stitching, distressed and inked the edges of my papers, added flowers, bling, chipboard, stickers and more butterflies. To some, this looks a little too 'busy' but to me, the other versions simply look unfinished (I have real issues with 'white' space...)

The gorgeous crystal bling is from ZVA Creative and although is a little hard to see in my photos, stands out wonderfully in real life.  Here I've featured their picket fence and lamp post.

Thank you so much for your visit today!! I'll be back again tomorrow with a Graphic 45 Project to share with you all right from the Summer CHA Show!

Bo Bunny Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Elegance, Romance, Cameo, Unwritten and Fairest/Gabrielle
Noteworthy: Gabrielle
Layered Chipboard Stickers: Gabrielle
Combo Stickers: Gabrielle

ZVA Supplies:
3D Bulk Flowers in White and taupe (various sizes)
Self Adhesive Crystals - CRS04CA105
Self Adhesive Crystals - CRS04CA101
Leaves - FL04CA112
Adhesive Dots - AD01CB101

Just a Card

There is a Card Challenge over at the Bo Bunny Blog today. The Bo Bunny designers were asked to create a card with handmade embellishments.

The card I created features the gorgeous Zoology Collection.  I crafted some handmade flowers which are super easy to create. 

Firstly, I drew a few 5 petal flowers (by hand - doesn't have to be perfect) and cut out.  You will need two cut out flowers for each finished flower.  Mine are the same size, but you could layer the bottom one with a smaller flower as well.

After cutting out each flower, I lightly misted with Smooch Spritz (you could use any kind of mist, water, etc).  Using tweezers or needlenose plyers, gently twist the tips and hold for a few seconds.  They will dry in place.  I then layered two of the flowers on top of one another, punched a hole in the middle and added in some flower stems (I painted them gold).  That's it! Pretty easy!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Best Day EVER!

What a totally amazing day I had today!! Came across this wicked 21st Century Flea Market in the paper so headed down with my mom in tow and wow - such fantastic finds!

The biggest score: A vintage suitcase FULL (and I mean FULL) of lace and trims!! I am sooo in love!  The entire thing - suitcase and all - was $10.00!  And, this suitcase is HUGE!!!

Must have been from this 4 leaf clover I found last week in our backyard - LOL!  Its my third this summer so far.  We must have some kind of defective 'patch' back there because I found over 14 of those babies last year alone!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  Thanks for stopping by today. 

PS - I have a feeling my next monthly giveaway will involve quite a bit of LACE!

And Still More...

Did you think I was already finished with the CHA sneaks??? Nope! Not yet - here are a few of my favourite pieces from Bo Bunny's Blitzen Collection:

And here are a few more peeks of Graphic 45's Christmas Emporium goodies!

I am not a stamper (AT ALL) but may need to revisit that decision after seeing these awesome cling stamps!!

That's it for today!! Thanks so much for your visit!

All Done!!

YEA!! I am officially finished all my CHA assignments!! Will send off the last package tomorrow and then the excitement begins! I have SO MANY projects to show you all!! Do you realize I have THIRTEEN projects that I have completed in the last month or so that I haven't been able to share?!? Do you know how HARD that is???? EEK! Hang tight my sweet friends - I will leave you with a few sneaks of my upcoming CHA work below... Enjoy!!

Enjoy the rest of your week!!