Ready for a brand new 10 Minute Craft Dash? I am so glad that you joined me today- not only is this the first challenge of 2013, it’s also the color palette that a previous 10 Minute Craft Dash winner picked!
Seeing as we are less than a month away from Valentine’s Day, I thought I would create a lovey dovey card with these colors. I just love how versatile these colors are together! I could see all sorts of cards being made with these colors- birthday, thinking of you, wedding, baby….. the list could go on and on!
Time it took to create: 8 minutes 43 seconds
I’m so thrilled to have WPlus9 Design Studio sponsoring a prize. Not only that, I also have a lot of the WPlus9 DT joining in this challenge! These gals blow me away with their talent and I’m glad that you were able to join along today!
Now onto the fun prize! Dawn has graciously offered up a $20 gift certificate to the WPlus9 website. With a large assortment of stamp sets, dies and different accessories, you will have so much fun shopping!
How to Play
Create a card/craft project within 10 minutes using the color palette above
Post the time it took to create
Be sure to include the challenge graphic in your post and link to the challenge
You may combine a total of three challenges with your entry. You may enter the challenge a maximum of two times.
Challenge ends January 26, 2013 at 11:59pm, PST.
You can pull out your supplies before your timer starts!
Are you ready? TOMORROW will start the first 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge of 2013! Do you remember back in December when a lucky winner had the opportunity to pick an upcoming color palette? This will be the challenge where you can see the colors she chose! Not only that, I have a fantastic sponsor, along with quite a few special guests AND rumor has it there may be a video somewhere in the mix.
If you are interested in getting a head start on your project, 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 click on “exclusives”, you get to see the next 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge colors a day early!
I hope that you all will join me for the challenge tomorrow. After a little break for the challenge, it’ll be so awesome to get back into a normal routine again!
It’s not a secret to those around me that I like to spend money. One of my love languages is gift giving, which can include presents for holidays, unexpected gifts or buying a coffee or meal for someone I’m meeting with. None of these are bad things, but it’s also not great when these things prevent you from saving for your future.
I was talking with my sister recently and she asked if I wanted to do a money challenge with her. I hesitantly asked what exactly she was talking about. She said she had found a chart on Pinterest about a “new” way to save and by the end of the year, you would have over $1300. I was interested, for sure.
Back story: my sister has ALWAYS been good about saving money, even growing up. She lived minimally and this has helped her as she recently got married. On the other hand, if I were to get married tomorrow {don’t worry, I’m not}, I would be in trouble.
I took a look at my sister’s pin, but unfortunately, it doesn’t link to the original person who started this. Upon looking all over Google, I still wasn’t able to find the direct source. I did, however, find the less busy chart below.
Since I enjoy sharing the different aspects of my life, I thought I would share this with you. Yes, I do have a savings account and I will still be setting funds aside there. However, I love the idea of having another place for savings that involves small increments each week.
We are on the third week in 2013, so I have $6 in my savings jar. It makes me excited to see those little dollars bills adding up and knowing I’ll have accumulated more than $1300 by the end of the year.
Want to take on this challenge with me? With a new year in full gear, let’s make it a year of GOOD habits and bettering ourselves. :)
It’s time for the DeNami Design monthly blog hop. If you have started the hop from the beginning, you should be coming from Diana’s blog. You definitely want to be sure you visit all 19 stops; there’s bound to be lots of amazing washi tape inspiration!
I know that many of my readers are familiar with washi tape- it’s the hottest thing in blogging land right now! It took me a little while to dip my feet into this bandwagon, but now I am obsessed with it. Dozens of designs and colors and yet I’m still always on the lookout for new ones!
With Valentine’s Day coming up quickly, I thought I would create a card all about this sweet day. I have an abundance of red washi tape, so I decided to put them to use and create a washi tape heart. It’s SUPER easy to do, too! I placed stripes of washi tape on white paper, used a heart die cut and voila!
Did you happen to notice the red doily in the background? I first tried using a standard white one and it didn’t pop as much as I liked. Enter in a red ink pad and I immediately had a matching RED doily!
It’s time to head off to the next stop on the blog hop- Barbara Murphy’s blog! Barb is such a sweetie pie who is always so supportive and has great ideas- I can’t wait to see what she creates using washi tape!
Have fun with the rest of the hop, I hope you were inspired by my card. Don’t forget to leave comments on each stop for your highest chance of snagging one of the $20 gift certificates!
I wanted to send out a little reminder about the 10 Minute Craft Dash DT call. While I’ve received enough entries to last me quite a while, I didn’t want to leave anyone out. If YOU would like to submit your application, the deadline to submit is TOMORROW, January 13th, 12 pm PST!
Remember, those who are accepted will get to be a part of the very FIRST DT for the 10 Minute Craft Dash. How fun would that look on your design resume?
Thank you to everyone who has applied so far. I have a special folder for all of my applications and I must say, it’s packed FULL of beautiful creations. This is going to be a tough decision and I’ll definitely have to call in for reinforcements to help me make the final decision.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or send me an email! I’m looking forward to seeing YOUR application soon!
If you ask a blogger if they have goals or dreams for their blog, chances are they’ll say yes. Usually the list consists of having heavier blog traffic, more blog followers or pins on Pinterest. For the serious bloggers, the list consists of sponsors.
I have debated on whether I wanted to offer companies, Etsy stores or blogs to sponsor my site for quite some time. After an influx of consistently higher traffic volumes, and the amount of time blogging increasing, I decided to give it a go.
Welcome, re.Served. This is a local Seattle Etsy seller who I have purchased from multiple times {ie SEVEN times in one month} and can stand behind 100%. Fabulous items, great quality and a super sweet seller.
Here are just a FEW of the amazing things in her Etsy store.
Aren’t these items amazing? There are LOTS Of other designs, along with different pieces in the store- visit re.SErvedtoday! Oh, and if you purchase something, let me know what you got! I love hearing about all the pieces my friends have been getting!
I am so grateful to have Victoria as my very first sponsor here on Pretty Pink Posh. She has seriously been such a gem to work with and I’m a fan for life.
In closing, I wanted to mention that if YOU think your company, blog or Etsy shop might be something my growing readership will enjoy, visit my sponsors page! Please note that I will NEVER allow an ad to run if I don’t think my readers will enjoy it or the products aren’t something I stand behind. You all mean way too much to me!
I hope you have a fabulous Friday. I’m off to go spend the day with family!
Do you ever buy a stamp {or set} and then forget to use it for months? I am guilty of this occasionally. I have gotten a LOT better about my spending habits, but sometimes I’ll forget about something I purchased. This card features the set that fell into this category, Folk Art Florals by WPlus9.
I have loved this set from the moment I saw it, but didn’t want to make an impulse purchase. Since it had been about 11 months since it released and I still wanted it, I decided to go ahead and buy it. It’s not my usual style {hence the hesitancy}, but sometimes you just have to buy sets that you long for.
Sadly, most of my light colored inks are getting dried out, so I had to reach for my bold inks this time around. The beauty of this set? It looks great with all sorts of colors!
Have you heard of WPlus9 Design Studio before? If so, I’d love to hear what your favorite sets are! I recently picked up another set, along with some dies, that I’ll be featuring soon. Can’t wait to play with those new goodies!
You know the feeling that you get when a huge project is almost completed? I have that right now. For the past few months, I’ve been busy working on a new stamp release at work {ie DeNami Design} and tomorrow is the day it officially launches. Months of organizing, planning and preparing and it is almost completed. Come Friday, I’ll be breathing a huge sigh of relief.
In honor of the new release, I have a card featuring some of the new stamps! I simply adore all of these images- they are so versatile and easy to use. I recently purchased my very first ZING embossing powders and I am in love. The colors are so vibrant and they work fabulously with solid images.
I only picked up three, since I wasn’t sure if I would like them or not. Now I’m kicking myself for not getting more! You can be sure I’ll be getting more soon! Here are the links to the colors I got:
Note: I am an Amazon affiliate, so I’ll receive a small commission for anything purchased with these links {or on my sidebar on the right}.
Have you tried ZING embossing powders before? If so, I’d love to see what other colors I *must* add to my collection.
In closing, I want to point you in the direction of the DeNami blog for a look at the new Spring/ Summer 2013 release. We had all sorts of fun things happening over there this week- giveaways, videos and cards- I hope you’ll check it out!
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a fabulous day!
You all have made me one happy girl. I’m so thrilled that one of my 2013 goals was accomplished in the last 10 Minute Craft Dash. We reached a whopping 100 entries in that one challenge! THANK YOU to every single person who submitted and helped get to this monumental number.
Well, it’s time to announce the 10 Minute Craft Dash #9 Highlights. Boy, oh boy, this was a tough decision. I sincerely wish I could pick every single entry- you all did a great job using the “holiday” theme for this challenge. Alas, there can only be one winner.
Please give a warm congratulations to the winner, along with the favorites!
Congratulations to Julie Hoffman!
Please email me with your contact info to claim your prize. Also, you get to grab the badge below and proudly display it on your blog!
I honestly couldn’t just pick five entries as favorites this time around. Here are the eight cards that caught my eye. 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!}
There will be a BRAND NEW 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge coming next Wednesday, January 16th. I have a fantastic sponsor lined up, along with some special guests. I hope you all will be able to join me in the first challenge of 2013!
In closing, I want to remind you all there are five days left to submit your application for the 10 Minute Craft Dash DT. I’ve received applications from all over the world-have you sent YOURS in yet?
For those new to my blog, on the first Monday of each month, I feature one of my favorite bloggers. 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 thrilled to be introducing you all to a Amber Kemp- Gerstel from Damask Love. I was able to meet Amber a couple years back {before she became a blogging extraordinaire} and she is a doll. If you flip through paper crafting magazines, you will often see her beautiful items gracing the pages. Not only does she create and blog her crafting projects, she also has a heart of gold. The tragedy in Newtown, CT tugged at Amber’s heart and she took action and put together a wonderful cause for that community. She was able to raise thousands of dollars and assemble lots of kits for the children in that town. Her report can be found here.
Let’s get started with some blogging questions! Tell us about your blog. When and why did you start it?
When you create tons and tons of crafty stuff like I do, there is an urge to share it with all the other crafty people out there! That is precisely why I started Damask Love – as a place for me to share my projects and creations; a place to give a little bit of purpose to my hobby! Over time, the mission of Damask Love has evolved. Today, I use my blog as a place to give inspiration to crafters at all levels. I do my best to provide clear instructions for each of the projects I post so that anyone can follow along!
Do you ever find it hard to come up with blog content?
There was a time when by blog schedule was a day-to-day battle. I had no plan, really, Each day, I’d try to come up with something to post on the following day. It was chaotic and way too much pressure! When I started the new Damask Love, I also started a ongoing list of blog post ideas. Ideas that popped into my head throughout the day. Today, I have a list of over 100 blog post ideas, and whenever I’m feeling tapped out, I refer to that list.
Is there a particular feature (on your blog) that is your favorite?
When I launched the new Damask Love, I added several features to the blog that would contribute to the theme and continuity of the content. Of these features, Office Hours is my favorite! The Office Hours feature, allows me to directly answer questions that are submitted by readers. Questions like: “How do you take your photos?” or “Where do you find inspiration for your projects?” This features helps me feel like I am interacting directly with my blog readers, which is great!
What has been your favorite part about blogging?
The best part about blogging is that I am the boss of my own blog! It’s a great feeling to control my own content, when it will be posted, how it will be designed. It’s like being the editor of my own magazine! Blogging also provides such a great format for interacting with readers! I love reading all of the emails and comments! I also have a great time interacting with readers on my Facebook page, where I can have more of a conversation with everyone! Last, blogging is a great avenue for growing my own skills as a crafter and businesswoman. Growing a blog is a full time job and I enjoy every minute of it. I enjoy learning to strategies for reaching new readers and trying out techniques for engaging my readers in the content of Damask Love. All in all, blogging is the perfect format for me to share my passion for creativity and eventually growing that passion into successful business.
When you first started your blog, did you have any specific goals or dreams for the future of your blog? If so, what were they?
I started my blog two years ago, in January of 2010. At the time, I really had no plans for it. Just a place for me to post fun photos of my project. That was it. No expectations. No goals. Boy, has that changed! Today, I treat my blog as a business. It’s a place for me to reach creative people who enjoy all things DIY. Everyday I challenge myself to provide unique and creative content that will engage my readers. I strive to work with other bloggers who may teach me some of their own strategies for blog growth. I do my best to remain an relevant and active participant in the blogging community so that I can soak in as much as possible! Every day is a learning experience with blogging and the “field” is always changing! That is the great part of being a blogger. I am constantly learning and challenging myself. It never gets old.
Do you have any advice for people hoping to take their blog to the next level?
Be a good blog neighbor! Before I launched the revamped Damask Love, I sort of existed in a vaccuum by myself. I posted to my own blog but never went much further than that.
To take your blog to the next level, I think it’s imperative to stay on top of the other blogs out there. What are they posting? What trends do you notice? Who’s content to you aspire to? Who could you collaborate with? All of these questions require that you get involved in the blogging community! That said, this does take a lot of work! Each day, I give myself an hour to browse my Google Reader. This time allows me to see what is out there and how I can contribute to the themes and trends I see. Also, I am always inspired by the work of other, which gives me more ideas for how I can make Damask Love a better blog!
Okay, now onto some fun questions that are non-relevant to blogging…..
Besides crafting, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Spare time? What is that? I’m not terribly familiar with that term!!
Honestly, I don’t have a ton of spare time. Most of the minutes in my day are filled with work or blogging…and I really wouldn’t have it any other way. I love being busy. To me, busy means blessed. If I do have a few minutes of down time, I’m usually on the couch with Andrew (my husband) watching TV and catching up on emails. It’s certainly not a glamourous way to spend my time, but I love it.
You get to spend the day with any celebrity, would would it be? Why?
Oprah is the easy winner here. In my imagination, Oprah and I are besties. We eat beet salad together and talk about books that we’ve read. We go on shopping sprees at Bergdorfs and we hang out in fluffy robes at her home in Chicago…and sometimes Ina Garten comes over and we all cook together.
If you walk into my craftroom, chances are I’m watching OWN. I admire Oprah’s business sense, her motivation for success and her constant aspirations to better herself through being more self-aware. Mostly, I love Oprah because I really an truly believe that we could kick it. If I met her, I don’t think I’d really be starstruck. I’d just wanna go hang out and have a cup of coffee with her.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Greece. Hands down – mostly because I want to eat my way through the country and lay around on white sandy beaches all day!
List 5 things you are passionate about:
My husband. My craftroom. My shoes. My home. Carbs.
A great big thank you to Amber for taking the time to answer these questions. Now that you see how fun she is, I’m sure you want to follow her too! Here’s where you can find her:
Have a great rest of your Monday. I will see you tomorrow for the 10 Minute Craft Dash Highlights and info on how you can get a sneak peek at the upcoming challenge
Good morning!
It’s time to head off to the next stop on the blog hop- 
Thank you to everyone who has applied so far. I have a special folder for all of my applications and I must say, it’s packed FULL of beautiful creations. This is going to be a tough decision and I’ll definitely have to call in for reinforcements to help me make the final decision.
Good morning!
Tell us about your blog. When and why did you start it?
When you create tons and tons of crafty stuff like I do, there is an urge to share it with all the other crafty people out there! That is precisely why I started Damask Love – as a place for me to share my projects and creations; a place to give a little bit of purpose to my hobby! Over time, the mission of Damask Love has evolved. Today, I use my blog as a place to give inspiration to crafters at all levels. I do my best to provide clear instructions for each of the projects I post so that anyone can follow along!