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Lawnscaping Winter Blog Hop

bloghopHello, sweet friends!

It’s not often that I participate in blog hops, but I just couldn’t resist playing along in the Lawnscaping Blog Hop this month. After all, the theme is WINTER and since I’m obsessed with the Winter Sparrows stamps and dies, it just made sense. *wink* If you have started the hop from the beginning, you should have arrived from Karin’s blog.

If you follow my blog regularly, you know that I’m head over heels in love with sequins. It’s been a little while since did a sequin shaker card and I thought today would be the perfect occasion to do a winter one. Honestly, any day would be a good day to create one, but I made it extra special for today’s hop.

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Before I create my sequin shakers, I always plan out which sequins colors I want to use. For this card, I used the PPP Marshmallow, Sparkling Clear and Pink Peonies sequins. Don’t they look pretty together? It looks like those sweet birds are loving them, too!

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Another exciting thing about today’s blog hop: Pretty Pink Posh is one of the sponsors! This is the very first blog hop I’m sponsoring and I’m hoping many of the regular Lawnscaping participants will hop over and take a peek at my shop. For any of you wonderful gals wanting to try out my products, I have a coupon code to share!

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I know there are many other stops, so I will wrap this up. Your next stop is Andrea Garland’s blog! Be sure to leave comments on each stop- there’s all sorts of prizes and I know there will be all sorts of creative ideas, too. Enjoy the rest of the hop!

Laughing In The Moments

I never would have imagined I would be 26 and riding in an automated shopping cart. Goodness, those were for people who were either old, handicapped, pregnant or had special circumstances. For someone who was overly cautious not to  hurt themselves, active and healthy and having no prospects of a husband or starting a family in sight, to THIS….

laughingIt’s not a secret I’ve been having a tough physically journey since the accident. I’ve gotten some answers, but new issues arise and it seems like life will never return back to the way it was. You know, “normal”. Being able to hop in the car and drive to wherever I needed to go, getting up at a regular morning hour and be able to work a full day, shopping and standing at the grocery store or mall. The little everyday things that most everyone takes for granted, those are the things I long to do.

Recently, I’ve had a few trips to the store where I learned that my body isn’t letting me stand past 5-10 minutes. For a while, I was stand for up to 20 minutes or so and could keep on walking, but that isn’t the case any more. A recent shopping trip proved that now my threshold is 5 minutes, if that. There’s something about that position that gets me super light-headed, which prompts dizziness and the feeling like I’m going to faint. It’s not at all pleasant and has left me not wanting to go anywhere.

As we all know, Christmas is right around the corner and I’m so far behind on everything, it’s almost comical. I’ve been able to do online shopping, but I learned that getting wrapping paper online can either be 1) super expensive or 2) impossible (as in, it’s not available). For a girl that likes to make presents pretty and wanting to handpick her own wrapping paper, this was going to be an obstacle. (Dare I say that I almost succumbed to using Valentine wrapping paper?!)

My sister came over yesterday and we made a surprise trip to visit a friend. Since that went without incident, she offered to take me to Target to get the items I needed. After talking about our “game plan” (aka: how I could get to the back of the store), she said I should use an automated cart. My initial thought: what would people think of me?

One would think with all that I’ve had to deal with these last 16 months, I would have learned to swallow my pride easily months ago. It’s something I’m working on and (slowly) succeeding at.

After prodding from my sister and her being more than willing to help me get items, I can now say that we maneuvered the store, I FINALLY got to the back of Target to get the items I needed and many items are now crossed off the shopping list. I have a new sense of admiration for those who have to use those automated carts at stores regularly. People constantly dash in front of them, the turn radius is atrocious (yes, I did run into one shelf), you get strange looks often AND reversing leads to an annoying beep, beep, beep noise….

During this memorable shopping trip, I couldn’t help but laugh many times. I know I looked silly, this situation is less than ideal, but the fact that I could laugh through it, is proof that change is happening inside of me. Not to mention, my pride is being broken piece by piece, I’m learning to appreciate the small things and I’m learning what true friendship really means. I’m not sure if I would have learned these lessons had the accident not happened… friends, it’s all about finding joy in the journey and laughing in the moments.

I’d love to know, what circumstance or situation did you last laugh about?

Christmas Birds

I love this time of year….the delicious holiday drinks at Starbucks, big chunky scarves and boots, warm and cozy fires, time with family and friends…. what I don’t like is the sickness that tends to come with it all. With my extremely low immune system (it got noticeably worse after the accident) and then still battling health issues, this month hasn’t been all that great in terms of shopping and such. Thank goodness for online shopping and understanding family and friends. I have several packages en route and I’m looking forward to the gift wrapping process! I won’t be able to share much here on the blog, since many friends and family read my posts, but I’ll share what I can!

Today I have yet another card using the adorable Winter Sparrows set and matching dies. Have I mentioned how much I love these stamps? Just to forewarn you, I have a couple more cards to share with them and if you haven’t gotten them yet, I’d suggest adding them to your cart soon.

I’ve been doing a lot of whimsical colors late, so I went a little more traditional for this card. There’s something about the color red that is so striking and festive- whether it be for Christmas or Valentine’s Day- it’s really hard to resist it.

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I pulled out my favorite chevron twill ribbon for this card and I love how it looks with the birds. Have you tried this ribbon out yet? If not, it’s a must-have!

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excitingnewsI wanted to share some exciting things that are happening behind-the-scenes here. Being stuck in bed allows one to do a lot of thinking and I’ll be bringing a few new items to the shop very soon. I’m staying true to keeping things as embellishments and very PPP in style. Any guesses on what they might be? Also, if you have requests on some items you would like to see in the shop, I would love to hear those too!

That’s going to wrap up today’s post. If you’ve purchased from the Pretty Pink Posh shop recently, ALL orders have shipped as of today. If you have wanted to do a little shopping, here’s a 10% off savings coupon.

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Thank you so much for stopping in. Have a wonderful rest of your day!

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Razzle Dazzle Blog Hop

Hello and Happy Sunday!

Today is the DeNami blog hop and the theme for this month is RAZZLE DAZZLE. Seeing as I’m a girly girl, I truly love this theme and I couldn’t wait to create something for it. The question: what kind of dazzle would I add?

As many of you know, I recently opened the Pretty Pink Posh Shop and my love of sequins has been taken to new heights. With the abundance of them around, I just couldn’t resist adding lots of them on today’s card. I went the route of a bright and whimsical theme and I must say, it’ll be hard to part with this one. The colors= swoon worthy!

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I pulled out only three stamps for this card and each one is a MUST HAVE in my book. I used the Large Mitten (so perfect for gift tags too!), the Christmas Wishes sentiment and the Medium Polka Dots.

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Since I’m the first stop on the hop, I will wrap this up. The next stop: Dana Seymour’s blog! Dana never ceases to amaze me with her gorgeous cards and I cannot wait to see what she created for today!

Thanks so much for stopping in- enjoy the rest of the hop!

Sequin Ornament + Winners

There’s something about getting to fulfill one of your childhood dreams that is exciting. It’s even more exciting when you get to play with pretty products in the process. It’s been so amazing getting to see my little shop open and have some orders come in. Thank you to those who have ordered already! It’s honestly so fun to get an email saying I have an order and getting to see the items that were ordered and sending it off. For those who have shared about my shop or recommended it to friends, I’m sending BIG virtual hugs your way.

Today I have a new Christmas card to share and it features quite a few products from the shop. In the past I’ve shown cards featuring die cuts and sequins (see HERE and HERE) and I wanted to bring you a new one for Christmas. This one is a little unique because it actually isn’t a special die- it’s just a circle! I stamped the Large Ornament from DeNami and then used one of my Spellbinder dies to cut out the middle. Super easy!

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Want to learn how I do this technique? CLICK HERE for a video I did showcasing a simpler version of this technique! The card design is more basic, but I still do the same technique as shown in today’s card.

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Now I know many of you are waiting to see if you were one of the winners from the grand opening blog hop. If you’re one of the two ladies listed below, congratulations! Please contact me with your mailing information and I’ll get your prize pack out right away!

Winner from Amy Tsuruta’s blog- Jenn Shurkus

“I LOVE that lil tree in a jar ;) and I remember that fancy pants line from a few years ago ;) pretty sure i have some in my stash hahha”

Winner from Stacey Schafer’s blog- Kari Webster

“How fun are these bells. Loved how you used them.”border

For those who were holding off to place orders, I have a coupon code to share! Whether you are new to the world of sequins, need to replace some colors, or want to add new colors to your stash, my shop has quite a few options. I have both cupped and flat options is nearly every color and there’s also some unique shapes and sizes in there as well.

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I know this was a lengthy post, so I’ll wrap it up. I hope you enjoyed today’s card and that you’ll take a peek in the shop. Happy shopping!

10 Minute Craft Dash #31

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Colors: light yellow, bright red, green

Hello and welcome to a new Craft Dash challenge!

We have a mere two challenges left in 2013 (including this one) and I wanted to share what’s in store for the future of the challenge. Due to the low number of entries and the time it takes to coordinate sponsors, host a design team call and design color palettes, the challenge will be going on a hiatus until February. Once that time comes, I’ll revisit the possibility of re-opening the challenge. Honestly, it pains me so much to take this break….this challenge has been my “baby” for 16 months! However, I feel this is a necessary step, especially with the recent decline in challenge entries all over blog land. Not to fret, when one door closes (whether it be temporarily or permanently), others open and I’m thoroughly excited about some doors I’ll be walking through soon.

Okay, now back to the fun and excitement of today’s challenge…..let’s enjoy the challenges we DO have!

Today we have Lawn Fawn returning as a sponsor and whenever they sponsor, I can’t help myself from choosing bright and happy color palettes. The colors we have this week can be used for Christmas, or you can take it another route. Let your creativity soar!

If you aren’t able to stay within the 10 minutes, you can still link up your item! While it won’t quality for the winner spot, it still could qualify as a favorites pick!

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Now onto prize! The lucky winner will get to choose any Lawn Fawn set AND they’ll also win the adorable Peace Joy Love 6 x 6 paper pack. Talk about lots of crafty goodness!

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How to Play

  1. Create a card/craft project within 10 minutes featuring the color palette.
  2. Post the time it took to create.
  3. Be sure to include the challenge graphic in your post and link to the challenge.
  4. You may combine a total of three challenges with your entry. You may enter the challenge a maximum of two times.
  5. Subscribe to Pretty Pink Posh via Email

10 Minute Craft Dash #30 Highlights

It’s hard to believe that there are only two more challenges left in 2013! This year has gone by so quickly….how can it be that tomorrow will be the 31st challenge?!

Today I’m bringing the highlights from the 10 Minute Craft Dash #30. I absolutely loved this color palette, but it looks like many of you weren’t fans of it, or the holiday rush got in the way. While it was a little disheartening to see the low number of submissions, the quality of the ones entered were fabulous!

Congratulations to Olessya K!

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Olessya, please contact me with your email information and I’ll pass along your information to the owner of Uniko Studio. You are going to have so much fun shopping!  I know that you currently don’t have a blog, but if you decide to start one in the future, feel free to grab the badge below!

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Here are my favorites picks from this last challenge. If you haven’t already, be sure to stop by each of the blogs to take a look at the beautiful cards! {Ladies, feel free to grab the badge below and put it on your blogs!}

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Bev

Lyndal

Jane

Lindsey L.

If you are interested in getting a head start on the next Craft Dash, I have the colors that will be featured on the Pretty Pink Posh Facebook page. This is EXCLUSIVE to those who like my page. If you go there and go to “exclusives”, you get to see the next 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge a day early!

PPP_FBI hope you’ll join us tomorrow for the new challenge, which will be sponsored by Lawn Fawn! In the post, I’ll also be sharing some important news about the future of the challenge. See you then!

Featured Blogger- Laura Sterckx

 

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For those new to my blog, on the first Monday of each month, I feature one of the bloggers that I follow. When I read blogs, I always enjoy getting to know the person BEHIND the blog. Whether it be a crafty blogger, a lifestyle blogger or a fellow young single gal- I love putting away the formalities and having a “conversation” with a blogger I enjoy.

Today I’m bringing a YOUNG blogger that has so much talent. You may have seen her work in the past- she’s been a guest designer for an Online Card Class, she’s a DT member for the Simon Says Stamps Challenge blog and she’s won different challenge awards. Please give a warm welcome to Laura Sterckx!

Tell us about your blog. When and why did you start it?

I start my blog back in June 2011 so I could share my cards and communicate with people from all over the world.

How and when did you get introduced to stamping?

I got introduced to stamping in 2010. I was browsing some crafting videos on YouTube and then I suddenly came across a video from Kristina Werner. I absolutely loved how she created such beautiful cards. Shortly after, I purchased stamps and inks and I was looked. :)

The crafting/ blogging world constantly has new trends. What trends are you really into right now?

I am really into the Clear Wink of Stella pen right now! I could use that pen on every single card. It gives such a beautiful shimmer. I also really love to use sequins lately!

You’re accomplished a lot already in your crafting endeavors….in your book, what has been your proudest moment so far?

My proudest moment so far has been me joining the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog team. I always loved to join their challenge so when they first asked me to be a guest designer, I was really proud! Then, a couple months later they asked me to join their design team. I was SO happy and I still am. :)

Do you have any goals or dream for yourself in crafting? (If you feel comfortable sharing them)

I certainly do! I would really love to join the Simon Says Stamp Artist Team one day, which would be a dream come true.

What has been your favorite part about blogging?

I think that is is just wonderful that people take their time to read my blog posts and that they leave comments! They always put a smile on my face!

Okay, now onto some fun questions that are not related to crafting…

Besides crafting, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love to spoil my dog Jinny in my pare time. She is just so sweet! I also like to watch television with my parents and to go shopping with my mom. We always have a blast together! :)

How would you describe your personality?

I’m definitely creative-minded because I think a lot about card designs during the day or fun and creative things that I could try out! I am also sensitive and caring, but I love to laugh!

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?

The United States for sure! I would really like to meet my crafty friends one day. I think that we would have so much fun together making cards and chatting! I would bring Belgian chocolate with me! :)

Name 5 things that you are most passionate about:

Family, cardmaking and blogging, being healthy, visiting friends and of course, my darling dog Jinny.

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I know that some of you may have visited Laura’s blog in the past, but if you haven’t recently, be sure to stop by. Her cards are so cute and whimsical and every Saturday, she has a new video! You can find here on the following sites:

Laura’s blog

Laura’s YouTube channel

Laura’s Twitter

Laura’s Instagram

Laura’s Pinterest boards

I hope that you enjoyed this feature and are just as inspired by this gal as I have been. If you want to recommend a blogger, or yourself,  for a future Featured Blogger post? Leave a comment with the blog link and you never know- you just might hear from me!

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Pretty Pink Posh Blog Hop

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Hello and welcome to the grand opening of the Pretty Pink Posh Shop!

I am thrilled that the day has finally arrived….my shop is officially open! Today I am hosting a blog hop in celebration of the shop and I have 10 amazingly talented special guests joining along as well. Each of these gals have such a unique crafting style- something I really want to showcase for this hop. The products in my shop are sparkly and can add a little glitz and glam to any of your crafting projects. Whether you are creating Christmas cards or tags, to shopping for stocking stuffers, to getting items to add to your December Daily pages, my products fit the bill perfectly.

I honestly could have filled up a huge post will all sorts of projects, but I decided to cut back and just share two cards today. After all, there are 10 other stops and I KNOW they are packed with inspiration. I haven’t seen any of the posts yet, so you can be sure I’ll be hopping along with the rest of you gals!

My first card is one that makes my heart skip a beat. I am absolutely in LOVE with all of the bells in my shop and the small ones are so perfect for cards. I’m partial to gold at the moment, so I decided to feature them first. How darling is that wreath with three little bells at the top? *swoon*

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It’s super easy to add these bells to your cards and projects. I used some embroidery floss to thread them through and then wrapped them around my twine bow. If you wanted to hold them in place, you could also add a little glue dot or a dab of lacquer, to ensure they stay down.

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My next card features five different sequin colors from the shop: Espresso, Marigold, Gold, Pink Peonies and Pumpkin. I wanted the sequins to act as “ornaments” and kept the rest of the card fairly simple. It’s so fun to mix and match and see which sequin colors work together. Granted, my studio look like a sequin tornado hit it, but there couldn’t be a prettier “mess”, in my opinion.

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If you’re curious as to what kind of adhesive you can use with sequins, I personally use Crystal Lacquer. It comes with a fine tip that makes adding a dab of adhesive really easy.

Other options: Glossy Accents, Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, or Medium Matte.

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I wanted to properly kick-off the grand opening of the shop and I’m so grateful to have 10 of my crafty friends helping with this task. Hop on over to each of these girls blogs, leave comments and you could win one of two prize packs with items from the Pretty Pink Posh shop!

Now it wouldn’t be a complete celebration without some prizes, so I’ve put together a couple prize packs for two lucky winners. You’ll get to try out an array of the Pretty Pink Posh products and all you need to do is leave comments along the blog hop. All comments between now and December 3rd will be entered and I’ll announce the winners on December 5th.

If you like the Pretty Pink Posh Facebook page, you can leave one additional comment on this post and I’ll enter you again in the giveaway!

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To make this an extra special opening, I’m also doing a grand opening special until December 5, 2013. All orders within the United States over $35 will receive free shipping. For my wonderful international readers, I wanted to do something for you as well, so I’ll be refunding 1/2 of your shipping costs for orders over $35. It’s a win-win-win! grandopening_special

I’ve stocked up the shop and I’ll be getting some more inventory in on Tuesday. I’m going to do my best to keep up with all my inventory, but please remember that I am a super small start-up business, so it may take a little bit of time to grasp the amount of inventory I’ll need in the future. I know that I personally dislike when places are out of stock constantly, so I plan on doing everything I can to make sure my shop stays stocked.

It’s been so exciting to see my childhood dream of owning my own business come to life. Granted, it’s very small and I have no idea how the shop will do, but I am so very grateful for the support I have received thus far and hopefully, I can bring you all sorts of exciting, new products in the future!

Happy hopping and shopping! I can’t wait to start filling your orders! :)

Black Friday Coupons!

As many of you know, it’s Black Friday and there are deals abounding everywhere. I wanted to share a few of them with you, along with some of my favorite products from those shops.

ellenhutson_bfEllen is doing something unique and offering a couple different coupon codes- the first one being a SUPER amazing savings deal that is for a super short amount of time. If you aren’t able to take advantage of that savings, the other ones are great too!savings

Coupon code: EARLY2013           Coupon code: ANNIV2013

Details of Black Friday early bird savings…. Save 25% on almost every item in the Ellen Hutson shop! This discount cannot be applied to the Big Shot, Vagabond, eClips or Copic products, but it’s good for everything else! NOTE: this code is for one time use only, so be sure to add everything to your cart in your purchase. 

Shop at Ellen Hutson HERE

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Denami is offering 20% off all stamps and accessories on Friday and Saturday, November 29-30, 2013. Whether you need to get stamps to create your Christmas cards or you have a few items on your wish list, this is a great savings that doesn’t come around often. Also, there’s all sorts of accessories on the site and if you reach over $100, you get free shipping (within the US).

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I know the grand opening is right around the corner and you still haven’t seen too many samples with my products yet. However, I really wanted to let you all get in a discount for Black Friday (that runs until Saturday, November30,2013). Rest assured, come Sunday, you’ll be seeing all sorts of stunning samples from my special guests and then you can put all of your newly purchased items to use! *wink* Here’s just a few of my favorite items in the shop right now….
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Shop at Pretty Pink Posh HERE

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I hope that you’ll be able to take advantage of these great savings! I’ve already done a little bit of shopping for myself and now it’s time to tackle Christmas presents for others. Let the holiday fun begin!

If you purchase anything, whether they be from the links I listed or not, I would love to read about them! Did you brave the lines and shop at some stores, or did you do it in the comfort of your home (like I did)?

I’ll be back on Sunday for the grand opening blog hop of the shop. See you then!