Monday, April 4, 2011

Meet Urban Swank's 2011 Swanky Gurlz!

I am pleased to announce the new Swanky Gurlz for 2011. It was very difficult to narrow it down to only these girls, but I did want to thank every single one of you that did send in an application! I was completely overwhelmed by all the awesome submissions!!!

Liz Chidester

Hello, my name is Liz and I am soooo excited to be a part of the Urban Swank Design Team. I am a wife and mother to 4 children and we live in beautiful Utah. I love all things crafty but my favorite is scrapbooking. I have been paper crafting for about 12 yrs now and I see no end in sight. I love it! When I am not scrapbooking and doing "mom" duties, I work as a cake decorator at a local bakery.

__________________________________________________

Mandy Harrell
My name is Mandy Harrell. I have been scrapbooking for over 17 years now. I started when my first child was born and I am now a SAHM to 5 kids. I also LOVE photography. I mainly photograph my kids and they put up with me, thankfully. I am always up for fun new techniques and enjoy working with the latest products!! My scrappy style is a mix of shabby chic, mixed media, and grunge, so be prepared to see many different sides of me.
__________________________________________________


Sue Mylde

I live in Aberdeen, Scotland with my husband and two children, Lara (6) and Luc (6 months). Life is never boring in our house and I feel privileged to be able to record our family's many adventures from travelling to milestones to tooth fairy visitations. I love that our family has lived in so many different countries because it enriches our lives so much to get to know new cultures and of course, make new friends. Ever since I was a little girl I've loved colors and designs. But, I never made it in still life art class as a schoolgirl, and gave that up to be in communications (that's the other thing I'm good at, talking!). I'm so glad to let my creative, arty side out as a grown up in my scrapbook pages! I love to use my scrapbooking pages to tell so many heartfelt and meaningful stories. I have been honored to have been published in a number of scrapbooking magazines including Creating Keepsakes and Scrapbook Trends. I am so pleased to be designing for Urban Lily! I feel so blessed to be a part of many design teams including Cocoa Daisy Kits, Pencil Lines, What is Your Favorite Thing, and Sarah Hurley Designs. I have also guest designed for Pink Paislee, Bella Blvd and Making Memories. When I'm not scrapbooking, I'm reading, knitting, crocheting, traveling, watching movies or just hanging out with my family and friends. One of my favorite aspects of scrapbooking is making friends through this fun hobby. I would love to get to know you better so please drop by my blog at: http://justperspective.blogspot.com/.
__________________________________________________

Petra Offrell
Hi, My name is petra Offrell and I am super exited to be part of the Urban Swank Design Team.

I live in Malmö, Sweden. I have 3 kids, 2 cats, one dear husband and a passion for Scrapbooking, paper crafts, sewing, painting and well most crafty things you can do. At the moment however I spend most of my time Scrapbooking and have done so since I read about Scrapbooking in a magazine when my firstborn was just a baby.


I am mainly a layout maker but I also make cards and alter. I love to try new techniques and different media and I also like to challenge myself to try new things and styles. Mostly I scrap about my three kids, but occasionally I do BOM layouts as well. I love turquoise, brown, orange and lime but I find my self scrapping all kinds of colors. Papers with well coordinated colors and beautiful patterns make my heart beat a little bit faster.


I cant wait to start my first assignments with the fabolous Urban Lily products.



__________________________________________________

Leticia Seki



My name is Leticia Seki, 29 and I'm from Brazil. I´m a wife in love with my hubby Reina and a blessed mother to have my daughter Melissa (Mel). I do scrapbooking since 2006 and now It´s in my vein (I breath scrapbook!). My inspiration has always been my little daughter Mel. I started making altered and pages, alone, but with Scrapbooking I make wonderful friends! It's the best of scrap :D Since that day I saw that scrapbooking would be my new job, joined with my most enjoyable hobby. And this makes me very happy! The scrapbooking is more than a hobby for me, because it gives me great joy to be able to teach what I know and what I learn with talented people! I love scrapbooking and give myself completely in body and soul to everything that surrounds this wonderful art. As I said, scrapbooking is more than a hobby for me, is all I am!!!

__________________________________________________


Julie Detlef
I have been scrapping for 14 years now. My favorite subject to scrapbook is my family. I have been married to my best friend, Don, for 13 years. We have an 8-year-old daughter named Sydnee and a 4-year-old daughter, Shay. We reside in the wonderful state of Ohio. Of course I scrap the "big" moments, but I mainly just scrap those special everyday moments. My family is the main reason I scrap, and they are the primary subjects of my layouts. I also have a Book of Me album, a garden album, and a recipe album that I like to work in. I am super excited to be working with Urban Swank!!!!
__________________________________________________

Janet Zeppa
Hi there! My name is Janet Zeppa and I live in St.Catharines,Ontario Canada. Born here and never left. It's close to Niagara Falls if that gives you a better idea of location. I'm a wife and mother to 3 grown children. They are 31, 29 and 28. A girl and 2 boys. I am newly retired from being a Medical Laboratory Technologist but have stayed on as a casual. Have to have that extra money to feed my scrapbooking habit. :) I love to play with all the pretty papers and love the idea of my grandchildren looking through my albums one day and seeing a part of their history. I also teach classes at my LSS and am having a blast!
__________________________________________________

Adora Concepcion
Hi, My name is Adora Concepcion. I am inlove with scrapbooking! :) I have been doing it for years and I love it more and more everyday. I love the fun and creative way of preserving meaningful and everyday moments.

While I enjoy putting together a project , I also take it seriously. I put my mind and my heart in everything that I create. I consider my work as ecclectic and a little bit on the "simple" side. I also love photography which I think comes hand in hand with scrapbooking. Most importantly , I am married for thirty years and counting, to the love of my life - my husband Chris. We have 3 children and a 5 year old grandson. Besides being a full time wife, mom and a grandma, I am also a bookkeeper during day time.


I'm looking forward and so excited to be part of the Urban Swank Team!



__________________________________________________

Virginia Wong
Hello! My name is Virginia Wong. I am thrilled to be a part of the Urban Swank team. Originally from Saskatchewan, I am proud to call Calgary my home. I am a full-time Mom and a part-time Information Technology consultant. Scrapbooking is my relaxation and passion - I need to scrapbook every day, be it reading a scrapbook magazine or creating a layout. Since I started scrapbooking, I notice the mundane and the spectacular and record my family`s lives - and that makes me happy!

I love using and mixing vibrant, bold colours and patterns along with all those irresistible embellishments. My layouts often capture the everyday escapades of my two daughters, Madison and Danielle. My second passion is photography and I continue to work on fine-tuning my skills!


And with my remaining time…(!!) I volunteer at my daughters’ activities, quilt and cook! I am honoured to be a returning member of the Urban Swank team – thank you!



__________________________________________________


Marcie Morgan


Hi! My name is Marcie Morgan and I am a SAHM to three great kids ranging in ages from eleven to seventeen. I have been married to my dh for twelve years and we live in an older historical home that we share with six cats and two dogs. My friends love to call our house the zoo! But hey, I always have subjects to scrap! I have been scrapbooking for about ten years and am totally addicted! I love to make cards and altered items as well as layouts & have had the honor of being published in several different publications, including Paper Crafts, Cards, Scrapbooking & Cards Today, Creative Concepts, and several others as well as many popular ezines. I love to try new things and keep my scrapbooking interesting and out of the box. I am so excited to be part of the design team for UrbanSwank!

__________________________________________________

Andrea MacDonald

Hi there, my name is Andrea MacDonald and I have been scrapbooking since the birth of my first daughter in 2007. I am a stay at home mom to two gorgeous girls and wife to a computer geek. I am also a scrapbook educator at two different scrapbooking stores on Vancouver Island.
Besides scrapbooking I enjoy swimming, hiking, kayaking and skiing. I am currently training for a triathlon.

__________________________________________________


Leica Forrest

Leica Forrest has been an avid scrapbooker for 13 years. She is an outgoing, vibrant instructor that enjoys traveling internationally and teaching scrapbook, altered and mixed media classes. Published over 300 times, she enjoys working with many different manufacturers in this industry. Daily inspiration comes from her 3 small children, their clothes, their toys their little sayings.


__________________________________________________


Elisabetta Colavero (Eli)


My name is Elisabetta Colavero (Eli) and I'm italian. Born on the 3rd of March, 1973, I have a daughter Noemi, 7 years old who is the favorite subject of my projects. I started scrapbooking about 4 years ago, and I prefer LO and sometimes minialbums. The cards, instead, simply hates me! In the past, for 3 years, I worked for Italian Scrapbooking Association as designer and forum animator. Actually I'm in Frosted Design and Twisted Sketches DTs. I'm graduated in Agriculture, and I work for the Province of Cremona, Agricultural department. But I'm so lucky! I can work at home, so I have time to devote to my hobbies: reading, sporting, gardening, and of course, scrapbooking. For me it's like a drug... It allows me to express the artistic side of me and at the same time create something that preserves forever my fondest memories.


I love also summertime, cats, pizza, white chocolate and ice cream.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Urban Swank Design Team Call

Love Urban Lily products and want to Design with Urban Lily products? Look no further! Urban Swank is a distributor exclusive to selling Urban Lily products. We are looking for Design Team members (Swanky Gurls) to create fabulous LOs, cards and projects with Urban Lily products.

Please read carefully. Applications that are missing information/requirements will not be considered.

E-mail the following to UrbanSwank@wi.rr.com with "Urban Swank DT Call" in the subject line:
a. Name
b. City, State, Country
c. Resume/blog/gallery links (no attachments for this please) if you have them, if you don't that is ok!
d. A few sentences about yourself
e. 3-5 recent LOs, projects, altered items, cards, mini albums and/or projects representing you and your style. Recent, meaning within the last two months. Please, no more than 5 images and each must be 100k or less. Images must look great, no dark or blurry images please. Using Urban Lily products is preferred, but not mandatory. Scrap-Tastic.com has Urban Lily products for 10% off here. Otherwise you can do a search.

What is expected of a Design Team Member:
-Create 3-4 items per month that use at least 75% Urban Lily products.... LOs, mini books, projects or altered items.
-Promote Urban Lily products on your blog, fb and scrappy websites you frequent, if allowed, along with sporting the Urban Swank blinkie!
-Post creations along with simple instructions and any cool techniques to the Urban Swank Blog 2-3 times monthly.
-Participate on the Urban Swank facebook fan page.



I am mainly looking for USA residents, but if you are international, you may apply, but you will have to pay for shipping.

The DT term will be for 9 months running from April 2011 to December 31st, 2011.

Entries must be sent by 2pm CST on March 13th And the new Design Team Members will be announced on the blog shortly after.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I will answer them as quickly as possible. Have a fabulous day!

Friday, February 11, 2011

For The Love Of Ants!

Here we are... almost Valentine's Day - WOW! I created this LO because my daughter absolutely LOVES ants!!! I am not sure why and will probably never know - lol! She has even gotten bit by a few, but still LOVES them and lets them continue to walk all over her... it's a form of entertainment for her!



Supplies:
Urban Lily Paper and chipboard
Sassafrass Lass journaling spot
Helmar Adhesives Quick Fix Adhesive Runner, Craft Glue and 450 Quick Dry

Now for the FUN stuff - Prizes!!!

To win one of the three prize packages, you must comment on each of the blogs to enter to win. Please follow Urban Swank as well if you are not a follower yet :) You won't want to miss out on the Design Team Call *winks*

Here's how to participate & win:

  • Read today's post
  • Comment on this post
  • Make sure you are a follower
  • Hop to the next blog (link list at the bottom)
  • Repeat steps 1-3 on each blog!

What you could win:

  1. Grand Prize Winner
    1. PSA Essentials custom stamp, 1 Peel & Stick pack, 1 ink, 1 alignment tool.
    2. Purple Onion Designs Love Stamp set
    3. Really Reasonable Ribbon 3 Month Club Membership
    4. Nikki Sivils Prize Package ($30 in retail value)
    5. Prima Box ($40 in retail value)
    6. Helmar USA Craft Glue, Scrap dots, Quick Dry Adhesive and Gem Glue
    7. Urban Lily kit of papers and embellishments
  2. Runner-up
    1. PSA Essentials custom stamp or Peel & Stick pack of choice & 1 ink
  3. Third place runner up
    1. PSA Essentials custom stamp or Peel & Stick pack of choice & 1 ink

HOLY COW!!! Great prizes hey??

Now head on over to the Helmar Blog!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

A Fond Farewell

Hello Everyone. I hope that you are all having a fantastic week so far. CHA is upon us and many are busy busy busy. I wanted to come onto the blog today and say a fond farewell to everyone. Becky has been an absolute GEM to work with and I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of this team. But with moving and some major changes coming down the line, it is time to hang up my swanky shoes. To each of you that has left comments on my creations, I truly appreciate them and I hope that you will still follow me along my creative journey.

Today I share a little card with you that lets you know that no matter where we all are, creating and crafting keeps us together. Thank you Becky for everything. I love ya ~hugs~

Erika Taylor

Friday, December 24, 2010

Last Minute Gifts

Today is Christmas Eve and there is a bit of a frenzy at the grocery stores and malls - eek! So glad I am not out there! However I do have need for the last minute hostess gifts and a few more neighbour gifts. My solution is to spiff up a mini paint can, fill it with goodies and have my children dress up quite handsomely to make the presentation!

Here is my version of the cookie jar!



Here is a close-up of the "flower" on the top!



Supplies:  Urban Lily (pattern papers); Clear Scraps (tag); Scenic Route (chipboard star); Basic Grey (button); ribbon (source unknown); Tattered Angels (glimmer mist)

Thanks for letting me share! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
-Virginia
http://www.virginiawongmichiels.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Christmas wrapping

Hi scrappers!
Urban Lily Christmas papers are so pretty!!!
They are perfect as Christmas wrapping too... take a look:




I love how it looks my package :-).
I used:
Snowflake by Urban Lily - Oh So Merry Collection
Holly by Urban Lily - Oh So Merry Collection.

Thanks for letting me share :-)
Simona.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Brightening Your Day

Hi Everyone, Erika Taylor here today sharing with you a project that I just adore.  Usually I am creating cards and altered art, but today I've got a layout first. I so love the colors in the Mayella Collection and I know I've mentioned it before. The bright colors are truly so versatile and I love mixing them with other Urban Lily Goodness.

This layout pairs the Mayella Collection with some Mooch Collection, Blink Collection and Sugary Collection too. Did I mention Happy Everything??? Urban Lily collections are made for mixing and matching.


Here is a little close up for ya. I've used Helmar Adhesives for the layout, including Helmar Quick Fix Adhesive Runner, Helmar Liquid Scrapdots and Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive. Love those Helmar Adhesives.




I added a little distress stickles on the Mayella stripe paper. Gotta have at least a little bling on every project right? I cut the "2" from the Number Urban Cut Collection and knew that the number would speak volumes. No journaling on this layout hehe.

Try really mixing and matching your Urban Lily collections. They are work so well together. So whatcha think?

I also want to quickly let you know that I have a HUGE Blogiversary candy going on right now on my personal blog and there is some Urban Lily goodness in the mix. So stop on by and say hello.

Until Next Time
Toodles
Erika Taylor

Monday, November 29, 2010

Gift Cards by Virginia

Are you like me? I am always on the hunt for interesting, beautiful but simple and elegant gift card holders. And this is the season for giving...gift cards!

Here are a couple of gift card holders that I will be using this year - I hope you like them!

Firstly, I wanted to write a few words in my card for the recipient so I created a holder for the front of the card.



Supplies:  Urban Lily (pattern papers); American Crafts (rub ons, ribbon); brads (source unknown); Cuttlebug (die cut)

And I used the Swirl Memory Photocards to create an envelope for the gift card below. With the addition of a few rub-ons, I was done in minutes!


Supplies:  Urban Lily (photocards); stitching; American Crafts (rub ons)

Thank you for letting me share!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

BE HAPPY enjoy

2 papers, a few chipboards, glue, stitching and a picture, give you this layout:


Urban Lily products used:
Polo - Blink Collection by Urban Lily
Happy by Urban Lily - Happy Everything Collection
Answer It Chipboard by Urban Lily
Number It Chipboard by Urban Lily

& Helmar adhesives





see the tutorial for the paper garland here...

Products used:
Lola - Lulliloo Collection by Urban Lily
Accents by Urban Lily - Urban Cut Collection
Impish by Urban Lily - Mayella Collection
Helmar adhesives


Have a nice end of the year :)

Polinka

Pink Christmas Cards

I love to use unusual colors for my Christmas projects.
When I saw the gorgeous Jingle paper - Oh So Merry Collection by Urban Lily , I thought is was perfect with pink ;-).
Here are a few Christmas card:





Have a great Sunday!
Simona