Last month, I started a new series here on the blog where I featured a special blogger. I had so much fun with the post, and while I didn’t get a lot of feedback about it, I’m going to continue the series.
This time around, I thought I would feature one of my sweet crafty friends, Laurie. I had the honor of working with this gal for 18 months and boy, is she a sweetheart! Her work is recognizable in both blog land and in publications. She has a knack for creating CAS (clean and simple) cards that are simply perfection.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
Let’s start off with some crafty questions!
What are the next things on your crafting wish list?
Oh my. I would love to have a Silhouette. That would be one fun machine!
What is your go-to color combination?
Well, my go-to has always been Red, Kraft, Black and White. But I am trying to be more colorful recently and use all colors!
Is there a style and/or technique that you find difficult to duplicate?
I would love to be able to create more “vintagey” projects, but for some reason I can’t layer stuff on! I see those projects and I love them but for some reason, I can’t pull it off!
Okay, now onto some non crafty questions!
Tell us about your blog. When and why did you start it?
I started my blog on June 21, 2007. I started it because I started selling stamps and making cards. A friend had a blog and she sorta gave me the push and the rest is history. I can’t believe I have been blogging for 5 years! Wow!
Besides crafting, what are some other things you enjoy doing?
I have 2 kiddos and they really fill up my time! We have lots of fun things we do together and as they get older, its fun to go places and see things. I have always loved to travel. So road trips here and there are a necessity for me! I wish I had a money tree so we could go every weekend! I also love to camp, read and cook! OH and I love taking pics for people…not a professional by any stretch of the word, but I do love it!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Oh gosh. Hmmm…besides Colorado? ha! I would love to go to Ireland someday! And Australia! Those are probably my top 2 destinations on my bucket list!
Name 5 things that you are most passionate about:
God. He is first and foremost in my life. I don’t know how I would make it without Him.
My family. I love my kids so much! I pray every day that I can be the best mom and wife I can be. Growing kids these days is a hard job and I want nothing more than to raise, smart, respectful and honest people. I take it pretty seriously and want to do the best job I can. Family is so important to me and I have been blessed with a great one!
Friends. I have the most amazing girlfriends. We have a great church and the group of girls I have here is wonderful. I know I can lean on them for anything! I am one lucky girl!
Papercrafting. When I started scrapbooking back in 97, I remember saying that I would never make cards. Look at me now…sorta hooked! It has been so much fun making and selling cards. Being published several times has been a lot of fun. Its a great hobby and I have made some great friends who live in far off places! I couldn’t have done that otherwise!
Being a nurse. I am an RN. I work very part time right now so I can stay home with my kids, but I know one day I will go back to the hospital. I loved taking care of people going through a rough patch. It is such an amazing job.
I know Laurie has a crazy busy schedule and I’m so honored she spent some time with us. Thank you SO much Laurie 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:
I hope that you enjoyed this interview with Laurie. The plan is to do another Featured Blogger post next month. I have a couple ideas on who I want to feature- now I just have to get the courage to email one of the people. Must remember that going outside my comfort zone is a good thing! :)
Have a fantastic Monday- I’ll talk with you all soon!
Ooooh…..are you as excited about this new DeNami release as I am? The past few days I’ve been doing sneak peeks posts (Sneak Peek Day #1 and Sneak Peek Day #2) on the DeNami blog. I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing what stamps will be making their way into your shopping carts. Sounds like there is a wide range of favorites, which is fantastic!
Today I have the joy of bringing you a few of the cards I’ve created- this time using the new Halloween stamps! While I’ve enjoyed stamping will all of the new designs, there’s just something about these ones that make me extra happy. Let’s jump right into the cards, shall we?
You all know I’m a big fan of pinks and greens, so it was a welcome change to mix it up with these colors. For my focal point I used the new Halloween Chickies and paired it up with two of the borders from the Decorative Borders set.
To create this look: I cut four cardstock pieces, stamped on them, then adhered them to another cardstock. This ensures that they all stay together and the panel is extra sturdy.
To finish off this card, I did some paper piercing, added our delightful Citrone glitter and then twine from our Classic Twine assortment. Super easy elements to add that really bring a card together.
*Halloween Chickies available on July 1st.
This Halloween card is one of the first ones I created when I played with the new designs. There is something about the Halloween Kitty that is so appealing. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a bold image and I don’t usually use them? Or it might be the fact that I’m not a fan of cats in real life, so I “love” them on cards instead. Whatever the case may be, this was a fun stamp to use.
On this card I pulled out the new Halloween Fence in addition to the Halloween stamp set and the Teeny Star. Did you happen to notice the great ink pad colors? They are all from the fabulous Tsukineko Versafine collection. I used the Onyx Black, Spanish Moss, Habanero and Imperial Purple. Love these ink pads!
*Halloween Kitty and Halloween Fence available on July 1st. Green cardstock not carried by DeNami
Okay, now onto the SUPER fun part. There are giveaways for this collection! Leave a comment on my blog, in addition to Dana and Kanani’s blog, and a lucky winner will be randomly picked to win this collection of stamps. On top of that, there are FIVE chances to win over on the DeNami blog.
I hope you enjoyed these Halloween cards. Thanks for visiting my blog, and good luck on the giveaways!
In an effort to try and get back into a normal routine, I’m starting my Thankful Thursday posts again. Honestly, these last three weeks, it’s been hard to even really think clearly. With the devastating loss in my family, I have been on a roller coaster of emotions. My way of coping at the moment: throwing myself into work and I was eating uncontrollably. Thankfully, I believe I have that latter under control again.
Let’s get to my list of things for today:
the beautiful sunshine we had today. Sun always makes any day better.
my amazing and faithful co-worker and friend, Rebeka. SO blessed to have her in my life.
Target. Yes, the store. One stop shopping at its finest.
waterproof mascara. I never really used it before, but it has been a lifesaver recently.
work deadlines getting completed. Nothing like crossing things off left and right!
Oooohhh….remember the new series I started a few weeks back? I have someone lined up for the next one and I can’t wait to share who it is. The plan is to have it up on July 2nd!
Well, it’s off to go get some more things crossed off of the work to-do list. Until next time, I would love to hear what YOU all are thankful for.
No great challenge is without a fun prize, right? There’s a $25 DeNami gift certificate to the DeNami website up for grabs! Does this challenge sound like something you would like to play along in? You can find ALL of the details over on the CAS-ual Fridays blog. Also, be sure to stop by the DeNami blog as I have posted the links of the DeNami DT gals who joined along in this challenge. :)
Oh, I am so excited about this post. For about a year, I have wanted to feature some of my favorite bloggers, but was scared to put myself out there. If I did this, then that means these AMAZING people would look at my little blog and well, this terrified me. I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t have the most profound/ interesting/ creative posts. However, as many of you know, my posts show where I am on my journey and let you glimpse into my life. In my attempt to face one of my fears, I FINALLY took the plunge. I asked one of my go-to bloggers if she would consider being featured on my blog. My heart skipped a beat when she said yes! (I now know what guys feel like when they propose and the girl says yes)
I’ve been a HUGE fan of this blogger for quite some time. I used to listen to her as a morning DJ when she lived in Washington and then somehow found her on Twitter. I started following her and then we became friends on Facebook. We have had small interactions here and there, but nothing too earth shattering. Honestly, this woman amazes me. She is an amazing mom and wife, has ridiculously close taste in music/ tv shows/ movies as I do and is super witty. To top that off, she is incredibly business savvy and hilarious. Can you say package deal?!
Without further ado, I am honored to bring you my very first Featured Blogger…..
Tell us about your blog. When and why did you start it?
Ha! Which one! I’m a blog addict. I have a blog for my business which is www.weddingpreviewevent.wordpress.com. We (my business partner and I) started it to represent real people in the wedding industry. We’re not interested in fluff (you can find that anywhere on any blog), we’re interested in talking about life, wedding plans, botched DIY projects and more. We like to connect with those who meet the vendors we support through the Wedding Preview Event. We are the go-between between couples getting married and the experts who help create that dream wedding. We’re unbiased and super cool. Oh wait, that’s like being self-proclaimed cool. Dang it! Writing fail.
The other blog I have (I’ll stop at two for now) is called No Thinking Required. It’s basically a virtual viewing party involving 30+ women who are scattered throughout the US but still wanted to “get together” to talk about our shows, books, celeb gossip and more. This is a new venture for me. I’m a pop culture junkie and I’ve found a bunch of women who feel the same way. I launched this site about a week ago and we’ve got our ladies all lined up to do their show updates. It’s fun. I love that sort of thing. No Thinking Required is such a perfect name, too. Credit goes to Jennie, who is a high school friend who is now living in Florida.
What inspires you for your posts?
I’m inspired by anything and everything. Life inspires me. I don’t mean that in a whimsical way, though. As far as my work blog goes (Wedding Preview Event), we have a weekly schedule of subjects. I know what’s coming so whenever I hear something, read something or experience something that has to do with my subject, I jot it down in Evernote and get back to it when it’s time for me to blog. I am an idea a minute type of person so inspiration isn’t tough to come by. Dedication is the tough part. So far so good, though. I’m really really proud of our work.
As far as No Thinking Required goes, everything I write is stream of conscious. It may not have to do with the subject at hand, rather something I picked up on during a TV show or thoughts that ran through my mind after seeing just a split second of a clip.
Do you ever find it difficult to be “real” and put yourself out there?
Not really. I started blogging when blogging wasn’t the cool thing to do. I worked in radio and I literally observed everything around me and just started typing. I didn’t edit anything. Ever. That’s what I found to bring in the most readers. I could be honest and there actually were other people who were looking for honesty. Go figure. I do the same today. If you don’t like me or my writing, I’d say that my blogs aren’t for you. I’m okay with that. I won’t change my style, though, because I become extremely boring and that’s when I get writer’s block. Like, right now, I have no idea of anything I’ve written actually makes sense. I won’t go back and read my answers before I hit submit.
Are there blogs that you visit on a daily basis? If so, which ones?
Actually, no. I don’t typically read other blogs because they are boring to me. I’m not saying that mine are the best, it’s just a style thing. I’m not interested in looking through photograph after photograph with a short description afterwards. I’m interested in humor, real discussions and a unique personality behind the writing. I’m not saying those blogs aren’t out there, I just haven’t found the person who has a style that brings me back on a daily basis. There are some gossip sites I visit (www.wetpaint.com, www.dlisted.com) but as far as other wedding blogs (my industry)? Nah.
Okay, now onto some fun questions that are non-relevant to blogging…..
If you could be a celebrity for one day, who would it be? Why?
Oh geez. This is the best question EVER! I’m trying really hard not to morph multiple celebrities together to create the ultimate famous person. I think I’d be…um….agh. I don’t want to mess this up. I think I’ll go with Kelly Ripa. She has a job that I’d love. She is relaxed in her daily routine, she spends time working out, she’s got a super-hot husband and she can shop whenever wherever. I’d be game ANYDAY! Plus, I think she makes drinking coffee look fun.
What are your favorite TV shows?
Reality TV. By far. I love the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I watch Orange County but it’s become such a wannabe rich group that it’s nauseating. Don’t get me wrong, I still watch. I love Revenge, Keeping Up with the Kardashians (don’t judge), The Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars. Oooh, back to the previous question. I love Maria Menuonos. I’d stare at my abs all day and laugh like her (duh, I’d be her) just to annoy people.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
I’m kind of focused on New Zealand lately. For some reason, NZ seems like a great place to vacation. I’ve been out of the country exactly three times and I’d like to broaden my reach.
Name 5 things that you are most passionate about:
In no particular order:
1. Success
2. Organization
3. My little family. Can one be passionate about their family?
4. Designer jeans
5. Any song I’m singing. I’m a horrible singer but I’m passionate. That’s got to count for something
Okay, now how fun was that interview?? I think my admiration (or rather infatuation) of Tawsha just grew a bit more. A ginormous thank you to Tawsha for spending a bit of time with me today. Now that you see how fun she is, I’m sure you want to follow her too! Here’s where you can find her:
I hope you all enjoyed my very first Featured Blogger post. The list of bloggers I follow is quite long, so hopefully we can continue this feature for quite a while. :)
Like I mentioned above, this was a little stretching for me (to go outside my comfort zone), but I hope it was worth it for you all. I would LOVE to know what you thought of this post- a quick comment or a lengthy one *big grin* would be fab!
Have a fantastic Monday- I’ll talk with you all soon!
It’s Thursday and that means it’s THANKFUL Thursday. My week has been difficult, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to be thankful for. I think that even in trying times, there is so much to be thankful for.
my family- they are here for me through thick and thin
AMAZING friends that I’ve met through my blog and Twitter
frozen yogurt (or froyo as I call it) I’m just a tad bit addicted to this tasty treat
SWEET emails from my blog readers
This week I have been particularly blessed with many emails from various blog followers. It honestly warms my heart when I get emails saying how you like a specific post, or how one gave you courage to try something new. I must admit, I’m not the gifted writer so I am beyond flattered and grateful that you all follow me.
Okay….now on a different note…
I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time, but I just didn’t have the courage. Since I’ve been trying to go outside my comfort zone, I took the plunge. I’m not disclosing the content yet- you’ll have to come back on Monday for that! :)
Thank you so much for visiting my blog today. My question to you: what are YOU thankful for today?
The phrase above pretty much sums up my life right now. There is a chapter that has ended, but I know that there are new chapters ahead. My personality naturally gets timid and scared when new things come, but I am consciously trying my hardest not to let this happen.
I’ve heard the saying “you have to just take it by the horns”, but honestly, does that really work for anyone? I tend to think that some new chapters call for “baby steps”. I’m currently taking this approach, but if you all have other suggestions, pass them along! :)
I hope your current chapter in life is a pleasant one. If you feel up for it, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email (click the envie on the right side).
Just popping in really quickly with my take on the latest Retro Sketches #13. I just love these sketches! They aren’t too fussy, which is perfect for me. I like sketches where it leaves some “wiggle” room and doesn’t have lots of elements.
Here’s my card….
I decided to rotate my card this time around. Pulled out my well loved Whimsical Flowers set and went to town. {This card also works with the current DeNami Addict Challenge #1, which is a garden theme!}
Just a quick post saying I have to skip my Thankful Thursday post today. This morning/ afternoon I have dealt with food poisoning and have been hurled over in the bathroom for quite a bit. Guess that late night stop to a 24 hour diner really wasn’t such a great idea yesterday. Yuck!
Hoping to be 100% better soon so I can get a real post up in the next day or so. Hope YOU all are doing well!
What are the next things on your crafting wish list?
Oh my. I would love to have a Silhouette. That would be one fun machine!
