Boxes of Cheer Update

july1bIt’s been a little while since I popped in, hasn’t it? I’ve been dealing with another bout of health issues that had me in bed for 18+ hours a day for over a week, but I’m slowly gaining back some energy, so I’ve been tackling work and prepping for the August release that is right around the corner.

Back in April I announced that I was going to start a project called Boxes of Cheer here on the blog. I was blessed to receive a lot of nominations and I’ve been working behind-the-scenes on the details of this little project. I emailed six different readers letting them know I would be sending them a box and only ONE of them emailed back. I’m not sure if they entered the wrong email address when submitting, my emails went to their spam boxes, or they just didn’t want to receive a box any longer. It was a little disheartening, especially since I received almost a hundred stories from the first “call”. However, I wanted to let you know that I am still going to move forward with this project and wanted to share the first box that I sent out.

This particular recipient is battling Lyme disease and is a mere 16 years old. Her mother submitted her story and I was so excited to start shopping for this dear girl. When a story is chosen, I email the person to let them know and then I pass along a short questionnaire, so I can get a feel for the items they might enjoy. Based on the answers, these are the products I sent to Carlyn.carlyn2

  1. The Book of Unknown Americans: Amazon
  2. Sharpie Ultra-Fine Permanent Markers: Amazon
  3. Essie Lilly Pulitzer polish
  4. KIND bars, Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt: Amazon
  5. American Crafts 6 x 6 paper pad
  6. Staedtler Multiliner Pens 10-pk: Amazon
  7. Aqua/ Gold Journal: Target
  8. e.l.f 48 piece Beauty Book: Amazon
  9. Blue and green candles: Amazon

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Now that I’ve sent this box out, it’s time to choose more recipients of the Boxes of Cheer project! If you are going through a hard time or know of a friend that is, please leave me a comment with their story and I will pick new recipients from THIS post. 

There are so many people facing battles both big and small. Whether you want to participate in this project with me, or maybe you want to send some cards to friends and family- let’s all take a little bit of time this week to think outside of ourselves and bless those around us and bring a little joy to their hearts. ♥

Twenty- eight

Pretty Pink Posh

You snuck up on me and I must admit, you scare me. The number 28 signifies that I’m getting closer and closer to 30 and truth be told, I’m nowhere close to where I thought I would be in life.

As a little girl, I had dreams of being married, having a family and a house with a cute picket fence by now. The reality is I’m single, never been married and have no kids. The fairytale romance still hasn’t come and I’ve experienced a lot more life, heartache and difficulties than I ever wanted. (Partly due to me being rebellious and going down paths I never should have gone) However, despite the years I wish I could erase, I learned so much that I’ll carry with me through the rest of my life.

I learned that I’m stronger than I imagined. The accident that happened almost three years ago, has been a constant reminder of this. To this day, I still have to fight through things that surfaced because of the accident, but I’m still here, FIGHTING. There have been so many days in the last three years that I have cried in pain, desperation, frustration and a million other emotions, but I have pushed through. I can’t remember the last time I had a full week of “feeling normal” since the accident, but that hasn’t stopped me from still going for my dreams, fighting for joy and trying to be the best business owner I can be. There are days when all I can do is lay in bed, despite a million to-do items and orders stacking up, but that’s okay. That, my friends, is also part of being strong.

I learned what’s really important in life. It’s not the designer purses, a huge collection of craft supplies or thousands of followers *gasp*. My family and closest friends have taught me that you could have all the luxuries in life, but if you don’t have people to walk through life with you, who GENUINELY care about you, you don’t have anything. I without a doubt wouldn’t have made it this far had it not been for my family and close friends. I am beyond blessed by their love, selfless care and compassion on me and the daily struggles I go through.

I learned that life has bumps in the road but you have to adapt to them and move along. By golly, I’m not an expert at this (it’s that Type A, first-born, control freak in me), but if you don’t adapt, you’ll be stuck right where you stopped while everyone else goes about their life.

aheadI won’t pretend that I’m not still hoping for a fairytale romance and that picket fence I mentioned above. I could write a whole post on how much I dislike dating and all that goes along with it, but I’ll spare you. In the meantime, I’ll continue to FIGHT for my dreams and goals, pursue opportunities and be the best person I can be- both in my personal life and in the crafting industry.

28, let’s do this.

Pretty Pink Posh

 

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Favorite Free Fonts #5

Oh my, three posts in a week? Since the first post was personal and the second was a paper craft post, I thought the third should be a freebie post. A little something for everyone!

I don’t know about you, but I love freebie posts. It’s so fun to get new fonts, or a special template or idea sheet from your favorite blogger(s). As I continue to grow my business, but also maintain life as a blogger, I’m thinking of ways I can continue to pour life and fresh ideas into my blog. After all, my business wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my blog (and my amazing readers).

Pretty Pink Posh II Favorite Free Fonts #5

Yellowtail  •  Motion Picture  •  Sweet Pea

   Serious Sally  •  Lighthouse  •  Smoothie Shoppe

  Wolf in the City  •  Rochester  • Always in my Heart

If you haven’t already, head on over to the FREEBIE section on the site- this is where I’ll be adding more font features and possibly some other things! What would you like to see as freebies? Computer backgrounds, idea sheets, templates? 

Have a wonderful rest of your week. I’ll be back on Monday, my birthday!

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You’ve Got A Friend

Hello, friends!

Today I have a card to share that I made during a previous crafty session. It’s so funny-some months I’m all caught up on orders and the day-to-day office work, so I have all sorts of crafty time, and then other months I’m so busy that I don’t get to craft at all. Oh the struggle of seeing all the new products laying in the studio and not getting to use them… Can anyone relate to that?

On this card, I pulled out several Lawn Fawn sets- Gleeful Gardens, Let’s Play and Happy Easter (supply list below). If you have followed my blog for a while, you know I love mixing and matching sets and brands and I really did that on this card.

Pretty Pink Posh

For my focal point, I started off with the Stitched Duo 2 and die cut it with the light blue paper from the Avery Elle Sorbet Collection (you know the one- the paper pack I bought at least six times ON PURPOSE). I then put together my scene using the Lawn Fawn stamps and added the Picket Fence die, along with a grassy “hill” made from the scallop in the Stitched Borders 2 die set. To round out the focal piece, I added this fun sentiment from the Ella & Friends set.

For the card base, I stamped the Arrow background from Create A Smile, added a light yellow and white scallop strip (die cut from the Stitched Borders 1) and then put everything together. To finish off the card, I added a couple of sequins and some flowers from the Spring Flowers Mix to the corner.

Pretty Pink Posh



Pretty Pink Posh

I mentioned that I would bring some sneak peeks and an update on where you can find Pretty Pink Posh. As you know, it’s just me doing everything here, so I’ve been really cautious about not growing too quickly and still maintaining quality customer service. Recently, I’ve been able to bring on a couple more retailers- one of them being in Japan and another one coming to the UK (not yet revealed yet)!

Find all of the current PPP retailers HERE

I’m currently working on some fun things that I’ll announce here on the blog soon. I’ll see you tomorrow for another post!

Love, Joy and Memories

It’s been a little quiet here on the blog and social media for a few reasons… one of the biggest was I was helping with and in a wedding on Sunday! Leading up to the big day, my sisters and I threw threw the bride and groom a co-ed shower brunch. I actually haven’t thrown many showers, but my sisters let me take the lead on the decor so I went for a blush, gold, white theme.

I’ll admit, I was beyond giddy with how the decor turned out and the food was absolutely fantastic. It totally helps that my sister has been a sous chef at prestigious venues- her food always looks and tastes amazing!

Pretty Pink Posh

The bachelorette party was on Friday, since one of the bridesmaids (my bestie) is living in Japan and couldn’t come earlier. My sister was the maid-of-honor, so she put together a full day of fun, memories and of course, some yummy food.

The first stop: a pottery painting afternoon. Growing up, my family and the bride’s family would often visit these places, so it was even more fun to do this altogether.

Funny fact: even though I’m okay at paper crafts, I’m definitely not creative in the pottery painting department; hence me being the one to capture pictures.

Pretty Pink Posh

After an afternoon of painting, we all go dolled up and headed out to Seattle for a night on the town. I didn’t take a whole lot of photos during this portion (and sadly, the restaurants were pretty dark, so these pictures are a little blurry). We went to the Big Wheel, took some fun selfies, walked several blocks in stilettos on cobblestone and steep hills (which I would NOT recommend), had a funny Lyft experience and ended the night with some good old fashioned ice cream.

Pretty Pink Posh

The day after the bachelorette party was rehearsal and then my sisters and I decorated/ packaged the cookies that were for favors. Who would have guessed that just piping cookies required skill? I didn’t pass the test, so I was demoted to frosting the cookies and clean-up.

It’s been around 90-98 degrees this whole week, so the place we were decorating was SO hot. Thankfully, my brother-in-law is top notch and he did a dinner and frozen yogurt run for us. Cookie decorating + sisters + music = a grand time.

Question: can you tell what shape the cookies are supposed to be? One of the groomsmen guessed acorn which was a major FAIL.

Pretty Pink PoshSunday was the day of the wedding and it was a blur of events. I didn’t carry my phone around most of the day, so there’s only a few snapshots to share. The wedding colors were gray, yellow and black and the theme: carnival!

The altar was a sheer canopy with balloons in the center- super creative and fitting for the couple and theme. Here’s a little glimpse into the day…

Pretty Pink Posh

The reception was indoors and the decor was amazing. At each table, there were marquee letters (to go along with the carnival theme), so people would look at the seating chart and knew they were sitting at Table A, B, C… Obviously I had to snap a photo of the letter P.
Pretty Pink Posh

My sister made the funnel cake and the wedding cake, which was a carnival tent. It was so fun to see everything come together, the couple happy and all the little details that the bride put into this day.

The “guest book” was a huge photo they had made into poster board and people could sign the back. So unique and creative!
Pretty Pink Posh

My sisters and I don’t often get pictures together, so it was fun to get one when we’re all dressed up. I love my sisters to pieces and since one of them is married and the other lives in California, we don’t often get to see each other. Despite the busyness and prep of the wedding, it was a blessing to not only celebrate the bride and groom, but also to spent it with both of my sisters.
Pretty Pink Posh

As the couple left the venue, there was a bubble machine, along with the guests blowing bubbles. The flower girl and one of the ring bearers thought it was the greatest thing ever. Oh the little joys in life…
Pretty Pink Posh

excitingnewsI’ll be updating you all soon on the brand new retailers carrying PPP, along with sneak peeks and info on a new release coming soon! Now that my focus is solely on work, I’ll be getting back to posting, creating and with a new computer on the way, videos SOON!

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my life- it was really fun to compile these photos to share with you and relive these memories. I would love to hear if you enjoy these sorts of posts (since they’re a rarity here).

Until next time…

3 Day Sequin Sale

It’s the moment you have been waiting for… ALL of the sold out sequins are back in stock. To celebrate the huge shipment, I’m having a 3 day sale to say thank you all for your patience and get your stash all filled up again. No more rationing them on projects!

Pretty Pink Posh

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

There will be a new sequin release coming in July with brand new mixes, colors and some of your favorites in new sizes! Plus, there are some exciting things on the horizon for PPP and I can’t wait to share them with you!

Thank you all for continued support of me and my shop. I can’t wait to start filling your orders and seeing your beautiful projects in blog land and on social media!

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Missing Creativity

Pretty Pink PoshHello and Happy Friday!

Today I have a set of cards I created using the brand new Color of Fun release from Simon Says Stamp. I was so giddy to receive a package from them and let me say, the promo picture with all the new inks had me drooling. The fun thing about getting a package from the team at SSS? I never know what will be inside!

I’ll admit, my creativity has been lackluster lately and after a frustrating six hour craft session, I decided to take a break and come back. The stamps are so fun and easy to use, but my coloring, layouts and finishing touches always made the end result “off”. Thankfully, I was determined to make something worthy of posting and the idea of using the leaves from the Explore Nature set came to mind. Perseverance is key when creativity is missing!

Pretty Pink Posh

This release didn’t have any critters and I felt like these cards needed a cute animal. I pulled out the adorable monkey from Baby Party Animals, which was part of the last Simon Says Stamp release. I think he is darling and this set has definitely found a place at the top of my go-to stamp sets.

Previous cards using this set can be found HERE and HERE.

Pretty Pink Posh



I had so much fun stamping out these leaves and coloring them all sorts of colors. Whenever I create a duo, trio or set of cards, I stamp all of my images out and then color them all in first. This allows me to pull out the markers just once and then I can easily see which colors I want to use for the cardstock, embellishments, etc…

In the middle of the wreath I felt a sentiment was necessary, so I masked off one from the My Sunshine set, which you’ll see below. It’s easy to forget how a simple technique like masking can really change the way your sets look!

Pretty Pink PoshTo finish up the card, I added some Aquamarine, Marigold and Sparkling Clear sequins for a little dimension and sparkle.

Tip: whenever you add embellishments to cards, a trio or odd numbers are a great way to go!

Pretty Pink Posh

These cards are really easy to create and with a simple change of coloring on the leaves or switching out the animal and sentiment. I can’t wait to play with the new SSS sets a little more and share those cards with you soon!

Until next time…

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Superhero Thanks + News

Today I wanted to share a card that I made several months ago and never got to share. Both my work computer and camera have been on the outs for a while, so the photos I took of this card previously never looked decent. Thanks to the gorgeous weather here in Seattle recently, I’ve been able to take some better photos and am “stocked up” for upcoming posts.  Sadly, my computer has completely crashed from old age and I’m going to need to purchase a whole new one, for those who have been asking why I haven’t done any videos recently. I tell ya, I have a love/ hate relationship with technology…

Now back to the card for today. When I made this card, I was going through a phase of needing a break from pink and purple, so I pulled out some boy-ish colors that I think look darling with these superheroes.

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One of these days I’ll have to share a snapshot or video of how I decide which stamps to use on a card. I typically pull out 5-6 stamp set that I want to use and then I’ll use a little of this set, a sentiment from another set and maybe some little elements from a different set. I always like trying to use the sets I have in new and creative ways and this is a great way to do that!

As I was putting together the pieces of the card, I needed a background and the  Teeny Star Background fit the bill perfectly. I have a thing for background stamps and this is one of my absolute favorites. To finish off the card, I used the thanks sentiment from the Stitched set by Impress and colored it in so it had an ombré feel. Such a fun sentiment that can be used in so many ways!



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excitingnews

For my customers in Japan, I have some exciting news- the store Crop Party (located in Osaka) will be carrying Pretty Pink Posh sequins and dies very soon! They placed their first order and I’ll be shipping it later this week and that means you can order right in their store! I am so very excited about this amazing opportunity and it wouldn’t be possible if you didn’t continue to share you love of PPP with your local stores.

I wanted to update you all on my sequins. I’m getting a HUGE restock shipment of the sequins that have been out of stock for quite some time. I know there are quite a few that have been waiting for this restock, so I’ll be doing a special 3 day coupon once they arrive. Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping in and spending some time with me today. Until next time…

Watercolor Blog Hop Winners

It’s the moment many of you have been waiting for…..it’s time to announce winners of the Watercolor Blog Hop. There are LOTS and LOTS of winners in this post, so be sure to look through it completely- you just might be one of the lucky winners!

Before I continue on, I must give a GIANT thank you to each one of the wonderful sponsors. This blog hop wouldn’t have been quite as amazing without all their love, support, prizes and the help of my design team and special guests.

First off, let’s start off with those who submitted in the blog hop and won prizes. Below you will see the card entry, the winners name and the prize they won.

Pretty Pink Posh II Watercolor Blog Hop WinnersAnd now it’s time to announce the lucky winners who left comments on various stops on the blog hop. For those who left comments on many blog stops, you had a higher chance of winning. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to leave your fellow crafters blog love- everyone loves getting comments on their posts!

Below in each section, you’ll see a graphic with the sponsor, along with their prize. In addition, you’ll see a picture of a blog hop card and then the winning comment beneath. I tried to make it straightforward, but alas, it was hard to fit all the necessary info!

Pretty Pink Posh II Watercolor Blog Hop Winners

I promised to provide a $20 gift certificate to Ellen Hutson or Simon Says Stamp for every 100 entries and it’s time to announce the winners of those prizes. Since we got over 400 entries, I’m giving away 4 $20 gift certificates!

Pretty Pink Posh II Watercolor Blog Hop WinnersWINNERS: please contact me at prettypinkposh (at) gmail.com with your name, list the prize you won, your choice of prize (if applicable), along with your mailing address. Each winner will have 10 days to claim their prize.

border It’s a lot of work to put these bigger events together, but when I hear how you have been inspired and loved the blog hop, it makes the countless hours of planning, coordinating, correspondence and designing graphics and posts worthwhile. It’ll be a little while before the next hop, but I do hop to do one. Any suggestions on the next theme?

Thank you for making this the biggest blog hop to date and for all the love! I hope that you’ll continue to stop by and visit me- I have some fun things in store!

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Party Animals + Updates

Hello, hello!

Today I have a card to share with you all. I’ve been sneaking in craft time here and there, some more successful than others. As I’m writing this, I just had to step away from six hours of crafting time with NOTHING to show for it. It’s funny, whenever I don’t have time to craft, I have these great card ideas and then when I finally get time to play, nothing turns out. Does this happen to anyone else?

This card is from a previous productive craft session. I used the adorable Baby Party Animals set from SSS and created a birthday scene. As soon as I saw all the different sized presents, I knew I wanted to create a present tower and the rest came together quickly. I mean, who could resist giving that little monkey gifts, right?!

Pretty Pink Posh

Lately I have been loving the edger shaped die that I added to the Stitched Borders 3 die set. It’s a unique shape and you can use it in a variety of ways. I’ve been loving adding it to the bottom of cards giving the card a little more depth.

With all the fun colors of sequins I’ve been adding to the shop, I forget how striking a gold or silver sequin can be. I pulled out the 4mm and 6mm Metallic Silver sequins on this card and really love how they stand out against the pink and green.



Pretty Pink Posh

I’ve received a few questions asking when the winners of the Watercolor Blog Hop will be announced. Since there are so many prizes and I want to make sure it’s done as organized as possible and nothing gets overlooked, I’ll be working on the post over the weekend and the post will go live next week. Stay tuned!

The second question I’ve been getting frequently: how can you be part of the Boxes of Cheer program I’ve put together. (I’m using the word program loosely… it really is me just trying to bring a little bit of joy and cheer to those who need it). I recently put up the option for you to be able to donate to future boxes and the shipping of them. I’ll be sharing the pictures of the boxes I’ve sent in the near future- just putting together the last few touches.

And the final question: when are you going to post more videos? Well, I’m sad to say that my editing computer has crashed and so I’m having to start from scratch with a new computer, programs and then re-create graphics to include in the video. I’m not sure when all of that will happen exactly since I’ll need to build a computer from scratch. If/ when I have updates, I’ll let you all know!

borderThank you all for continuing to share my site with others. It’s been so neat to see the PPP family grow and I’m excited to continue bringing cards, products and other fun things to this site.

Until next time… XO