Have a Safe & Happy New Year!

A few words of wisdom (from my GCD Studios stash... lol) to leave you with as we say good bye to 2010 and embark on a new year.

Keep growing... it's all about the journey.

We live. We learn. We laugh.

Enjoy every second of it.

There will never be another who is exactly like you. So go out and be the very best you that you can be.

Best wishes to you and your family in 2011!!!

December Zva Blog Hop Winners Announced

Thanks so much for blog hopping with us... your comments were all so incredible kind:) We'd like to congratulate the FIVE December Zva Blog Hop winners! Their names will be found on the following blogs:

Angelica Franssen: http://angelicascrappenings.blogspot.com/
Tanya Tahir: www.sweetaboutme-tanya.blogspot.com
Debbie Olson: http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/muse_and_amuse/
Windy Robinson: http://windyrobinson.blogspot.com/ *That's this blog!!! YEAH!*
Gail Lindner: http://www.gaillindner.typepad.com/


CONGRATULATIONS Maria Matter you've won a prize package worth $30.00!!! Please email me (windyrobinson@gmail.com) your mailing address so Zva can send out your prize:)


4 more winners from each of the other blogs above will also receive a Zva prize package worth $30.00. Congrats winners!

Sweetness in the the air... so glad that Webster's Pages Sweet Season collection transcends Christmas and is also appropriate (and cute) for Valentine's Day. Also glad that it matches those darling pink & purple paper roses from Zva... here is another project I made for Zva using both in combo with some Unity Stamps... what can I say? I'm a sucker for girly colors and just can't get myself to put them way.

Happy Wednesday!

Zva Creative December DT Blog Hop!

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

There is now an added twist to our blog hops, YAY!  As you know, Zva 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: Paper Hugs. 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 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, December 27th and runs through midnight US Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, December 28th and the 5 winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 29th on each of the five winning blogs. The full list will be found on Kim Hughes‘s blog HERE as well. 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.


My colors were black, cream and red... such beautiful colors. I selected Zva's Champagne Pearl Lines (PEW-03CB-110), Black Crystal Lines (CRW-03CB-121) and 5/8" (FLBK-03CB-104) and 7/8" (FLBK-03CB-125) red roses to pair with the vellum paper from Webster's Pages Waiting for Santa collection to make a an elegant and lavish New Year's card.

The blog hop begins here: Kim Hughes. 
Your next stop is here: Julianne McKenna-De Lumen.
I hope you have fun on the hop:) Thank you SO MUCH for joining us!

Merry Christmas Friends

Here's a heart felt wish for you to have a day full of love, laughter and cherished moments with your loved ones!

Products: cardstock (Papertrey Ink), patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey), sticker and tag (Anna Griffin), ribbon (Michael's Stores Inc)

A Christmas Greeting

Just dropping in today to share one of my most favorite poems by Walt Whitman.

A Christmas Greeting

Welcome, Brazilian brother--thy ample place is ready;

A loving hand--a smile from the north--a sunny instant hall!

(Let the future care for itself, where it reveals its troubles, impedimentas,

Ours, ours the present throe, the democratic aim, the acceptance and the faith;)

To thee to-day our reaching arm, our turning neck--to thee from us the expectant eye,

Thou cluster free! thou brilliant lustrous one! thou, learning well,

The true lesson of a nation's light in the sky,

(More shining than the Cross, more than the Crown,)

The height to be superb humanity.

Image by The Graphics Fairy

Altered Flowers

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes.  A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.  And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends."  

-Richard Bach

Here is a quick how-to for altering the flower on the card:

1) trim petals off of flowers

 2) add glue dot to petals

 3) adhere to the back of a whole flower

 4) embellish flower by inking and adding layered buttons and ribbon

Products: November Piggy Tales Academy Kit

Less than one week and counting down...

I have another card holiday card to share today... Christmas has come up so fast... I can't believe that we are less than a week out... I guess its time to pack away all of the Christmas papers and embellies and switch to hearts and flowers in preparation for Valentines Day.  But first, I have a few more holiday cards left to share this week & then some New Year's cards in the hopper for next week (my way to finishing up my card list;)... and don't forget to mark your calendar, there's another Zva Creative blog hop next Monday (12/27) where you can hop along for a chance to win some bling! 

Hope your shopping is all done and you are all at home sipping hot coco and relaxing... te, he:) Take care! 

Products: Mostly scraps from My Mind's Eye, Jillibean Soup, and Making Memories.

Inspired by...

... Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

 Believe

 Snowflakes

 Peace

Hope

...and boy would I love to make eight more, but realistically... there is just WAY too much on the "to-do" list (and I just spent the evening on the couch instead of up in my craft space...lol). Maybe next year:)
Thanks for stopping by... stay warm!

Products: patterned paper (Webster's Pages, Basic Grey), spray ink (Glimmer Mist), distress ink (Ranger),  masks (idea-ology by Tim Holtz), stamps (Webster's Pages & Jillibean Soup by Unity), trim (Webster's Pages), metal charm (idea-ology by Tim Holtz), pearls, ribbon & snowflake (Michael's Stores Inc)

Glitzy, Glitzy, Joy, Joy!

Ok, so my new issue of Paper Crafts Magazine arrived the other day & I realized that I hadn't shared a card from the November/December issue, so here it is...

...you can get all of the deets on it online HERE. What I like most about this card is that there is not one bit of Christmas or holiday product on it:) If you are a traditionalist, you could always swap out the pink bow for a red one.

Side note: lately I have been gaga over these vintage buttons from Bazzill Basics... if I could, I'd buy every single pack of them... but who knows... perhaps I'll find some of these beauties in my stocking... (hint, hint... are you reading this today Brian?)... lol... What's on your Christmas crafty list?

Easy Gift Wrap

Hello all! Today I'm up at the Precocious Paper blog to share a project using Tessa's holiday flowers on gift wrap. I don't know about you, but when it comes to wrapping all of those holiday gifts I am always looking for a crafty (but easy) ways to wrap them:) I think these flowers are a great solution! They totally doll up some of the simplest packaging... here I made a simple gift tag that can be added to a bag or package and a tri-fold gift card holder. Both only took minutes and I actually used up some scraps making them (you can't beat that!).

Here are a few "in process" shots that will show you how easy the gift card holder can be to make...

 Cut paper to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and score at the 2" and 5 1/2" mark

Fold and add adhesive along edges to make pocket. Finish off with a strip of patterned paper and adhere flower. Use a Removable Glue Dots® to secure flap.

That's all I have to share this week... hopefully over the weekend I'll get some time to tackle my December Daily album and make a few projects using that darling Piggy Tales December kit, oh! and received a white elephant gift (thanks Angie!) that I want to artsy up & share. Hope you have a great and restful weekend!

Traditional Homespun Holiday Cards

Ok, so did I say I'd be back Monday? Well... this week slipped away...lol. What a week... it must be Christmastime!  I just got tickets to The Nutcracker and I am so excited because my girls are finally old enough to go see it... I have the best memories of going to that performance every year when I was a kid and I hope this starts a new holiday tradition for our family.

Here are a few traditional holiday cards and tags that I made this season using red & green mostly paired with cream, white or kraft. I hope you enjoy!

Products: October Afternoon Very Merry collection, Jillibean Soup flowers, Prima flower centers, Martha Stewart Crafts, Sticker by We R Memory Keepers

Products: Making Memories Mistletoe collection, My Mind's Eye Lush Green collection, Jillibean Soup button twine, Mega Mixed Messages Stamp by Papertrey Ink

Products: My Mind's Eye Lush Green collection, Basic Grey button and Blumenthal Lansing button, organza and twine, rubber stamp

Products: GCD Studios Homespun Chic collection, stamp by Unity, vintage button and Bazzill Basics gingham ribbon

Products: October Afternoon Thrift Shop collection, stamp by Unity Stamp Co., grosgrain ribbon, button by Jillibean Soup,  twine

I'll be back tomorrow with my December project for Precocious Paper, using some of Tessa's darling Christmas flowers as a way to spruce up really simple gift wrap. Thanks for stopping by today!

Winter Wishes

Snow is in the forecast and I hope its hits us hard here in Cincy... yes, I'm a snow lover... please don't hate me for it:)

In lieu of a video of me doing my snow dance, I'll share the lyrics from my most favorite holiday song...

Snow, it won't be long before we'll all be there with snow

Snow, I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow

Snow, I long to clear a path and lift a spade of snow

Snow, oh, to see a great big man entirely made of snow

Where it's snowing

All winter through

That's where I want to be

Snowball throwing

That's what I'll do

How I'm longing to ski

Through the

Snow, those glist'ning houses that seem to be built of snow

Snow, oh, to see a mountain covered with a quilt of snow

What is Christmas with no snow

No white Christmas with no snow

Snow

I'll soon be there with snow

I'll wash my hair with snow

And with a spade of snow

I'll build a man that's made of snow

I'd love to stay up with you but I recommend a little shuteye

Go to sleep

And dream

Of snow, snow, snow, snow, snow

Anyone know it? It's Snow from Irving Berlin's White Christmas (also my favorite holiday movie... big surprise huh?)


A little reminder that GCD Studio's new collection by Donna Salazar is revealed today, so jump on over to check it out... I'm headed over there myself & can not wait to see it!!!


Take care & I hope you have a wonderful weekend (I probably won't be back until Mondayish)!

Products: kraft (ANW Crestwood), patterned paper (Stampin' Up & Crate Paper), pearls (Zva Creative), tag (Martha Stewart Crafts), other (twine & satin ribbon)

Piggy Tales Academy December Kit Preview

Here's a preview of December's Kit from Piggy Tale's Academy... I think it looks so yummy & fun! I can not wait to dig into it... perhaps a few Christmas cards will materialize... or I could use it for my December Daily Album... hmm, yes... I am tackling a December Daily album... oh I hope I can keep with it:) Anyway... back to Piggy Tales, if you you think you like this kit check out this starter deal where you can get 75% off your first one... its a great way to give it a try.

Take care!

November Zva Blog Hop Winners Announced

Congratulations to the FIVE November Zva Blog Hop winners! Their names will be found on the following blogs:

Camilla Ekman

Ingrid Danvers
Jolanda Meurs
Susan Lui  
Lou Collins

One winner from each of the 5 blogs will receive a Zva prize package worth $30.00. Congrats winners!


Oh & I revamped a card from a previous post & thought I'd share it because I rework my cards OFTEN. For some reason I just couldn't shake that this card could be better, so I took another stab at it...

BEFORE

AFTER

Kind of random, but I do things like that:) Have a good Tuesday!