10 Minute Craft Dash #9

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I’m so excited about today’s challenge! Remember how I said I wanted to make December super fun for the Craft Dash? I put together an ultra talented group of designers in the last challenge and for this one I’m “teaming-up” with my friends over at the CAS-ual Fridays challenge!  Both of our challenges feature a holiday theme, so one of your handmade creations can fit into TWO challenges. What’s even better, you could potentially win two separate prizes!

NOTE: their challenge starts at noon– only a couple hours away, but I wanted to be sure to mention that. :)

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Just like the last 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge, there isn’t a specific color palette. The requirements? Create some sort of holiday goodness, stay within the 10 minute time limit* and post your time in your post.
 
* 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 winners spot, it might still be featured in the favorites! 

CD_9_2This card features Merry Kiss-mas by CAS-ual Fridays Stamps

Time it took to create: 8 minutes 8 seconds

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Now onto the fun prize! Michele over at CAS-ual Fridays recently started her very own stamp company called CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. Here’s a little background on her new endeavor:

“Founded in 2012, we are a small company with big ideas located in beautiful Colorado.

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps are made of the finest clear photopolymer available, and proudly made in the Heartland of America.  Our stamps are created with Clean and Simple designing in mind, however, whether you are a CAS enthusiast, or lover of all things layer-licious, you will have a blast getting inky with them!”

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How to Play

1) Create a card/craft project within 10 minutes using a holiday theme.
2) Post the time it took to create
You can pull out your supplies before your timer starts!
-Post the challenge graphic in your post, link to this challenge post.
-You may combine a total of three challenges with your entry. You may enter the challenge a maximum of two times.
-Challenge ends January 3, 2013 at 11:59pm, PST. (That’s even longer than usual!)



10 Minute Craft Dash #8 Highlights

Hi there!

You may notice that the blog is looking a tad bit different….I recently switched over from Blogger to WordPress! It may take a little while to get everything up and running smoothly- I didn’t realize how different it was! My goal is to make this site look and run seamlessly, so please bear with me as I get it there.

Today I’m announcing the 10 Minute Craft Dash #8 Highlights! Oh my, there were so many stunning entries in the latest challenge- it just warmed my heart to see so many NEW faces and participants! I really enjoyed looking at your creations and also stumbling across new blogs.
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 go to “exclusives”, you get to see the next 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge a day early!
Congratulations to May!
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Please email me (click the contact on the top right) with your contact info to claim your prize. Also, you get to grab the badge below and proudly display it on your blog!
 Here’s your winner badge- you deserve it!
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You ladies made it so hard to pick favorites- each submission was so unique and beautiful! With the assistance of some helpers, I was able to get these narrowed down. 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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Cassie D

Leigh Penner

Betty J

Lisa

Lyndal

THANK YOU to everyone who entered this challenge! I hope you all will join in the next one- I’m teaming up with another fabulous challenge and there is going to be TONS of inspiration and lots of holiday goodness!

Have a fabulous rest of your day- I’ll see you all tomorrow!

Random Loves for December

Announcement: Christmas is seven days away. Yikes! I am far from done with shopping and don’t even get me started on wrapping the presents and then wanting to do some holiday baking. Where has the time gone? I really dislike being behind on anything- deadlines, late to appointments and meetings– being behind in Christmas shopping falls in this category too. The whole not driving thing (temporary) on top of feeling under the weather really puts a wrench into things!
 
Since I haven’t had much time to craft and the Craft Dash Highlights post is tomorrow, I thought I would take today to share my Random Loves for this month. Hope you don’t mind!
I’m obsessed with Christmas music right now. I play it at work, on my phone and light up whenever it plays in stores. I’m a sucker for pop music, so I enjoy hearing the various artists takes on the classics. However, if you play me Amy Grant, Jim Brickman or Nat King Cole Christmas songs, I will never reject them.
 
 Mug (and other beautiful goodness) can be found here
 
You may remember in last months Random Loves post, I posted a Starbucks mug I was eying. I actually never purchased it. Instead I stumbled across this mug and guys, it’s the BEST. It’s a nice big mug and the quality is fantastic. Not to mention that it’s from a local Etsy seller who is super sweet. If I could afford it, I would buy one for every single one of you- that’s how much I love mine.
 

I’m not sure how these didn’t make it into my first Random Loves post. I am OBSESSED with these pens. I have them at work, in my purse, at home…. and yes, I own every single color that has been released. They are great for journaling, writing in cards, for gift tags and everything in between. (My favorite are the black, fine tip ones)
 
pants can be found here 
 
Oh my goodness, I cannot rave about these pants enough. I love the look of leggings with longer shirts, but never found any that were thick enough to be considered pants AND slimming. A recent trip to Nordstom had me stumbling across these. They are BEYOND comfortable, they are slimming and are thick enough to wear without always wearing a tunic shirt. They’re a little pricey, but I worth it (in my opinion).
 
 
I saw this featured in a YouTube video (go ahead and laugh) and have been looking everywhere for them. I was so excited when I found them at the store– I’m fairly certain my sister thought I was crazy when I excitedly showed her what I was getting. If you like peppermint and lollipops, you will love these!
I always love seeing what others are enjoying. What are a few of YOUR favorite things at the moment? It can be drinks, shows, movies, etc….  it just might introduce me (and others) to some new things!

Creating for Drawn Together

Yesterday I posted about the fundraiser that Amber is putting together called Drawn Together. This is a great cause that I think will go far in the lives of the community & children of Newtown, Connecticut.

In my effort to donate some cards, in addition to other items, I sat down and made some cards on Saturday. I haven’t created in quite a while {since I’ve been sick}, so my creativity has gone MIA. In addition, just knowing that these cards will go to those affected by this tragedy, I couldn’t help but break down a few times while making items. There still are no words….

Since I know that bright colors tend to cheer me up, I tried incorporating them into the cards I’m making. I pulled out some patterned papers and the Lawn Fawn set, Critters in the Forest, to create this card.

I’ve hoarded quite a bit of patterned paper that I love, but haven’t been able to figure out what to use them on. Enter this special cause. I’m looking forward to using them to bless others and with many of them being bright colors, I hope they’ll bring a shimmer of light into the lives of those in CT.

I’ll be back tomorrow for my Random Loves feature for December. Hope you’ll be able to join me and list some of the things you’ve been enjoying this month!

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Support those in Newtown, CT

As I mentioned in my last post, the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut area has burdened me greatly.While I deal with high schoolers at my church weekly, I have always had a heart for small children as well. As soon as I heard about this horrific ordeal, I knew in my heart that I wanted to do something to help. But what?
I logged onto the computer and saw that my friend, Amber at Damask Love, was also burdened for this community and wanted to do something. I immediately contacted her and asked what she had in mind. While there are so many different ways we can help, I wanted to “team-up” (for lack of a better word) with her and join her idea. Amber is a pediatric psychologist and has an understanding with how to help children dealing with grief and difficult situations. After hearing her idea, I immediately jumped on board and am going to do everything I can to help.
Amber did a great job describing exactly what this specific cause will do, so I’m just going to direct you to her blog- CLICK HERE to view the direct post with all the details.
You all know I don’t ask for much from you– however, whatever you can do to help this cause, I urge you to. Whether it’s donating financially, sending cards, or sending supplies for this cause, we each can help in sharing our love to those in Connecticut.
While I know our words cannot erase the pain and grief, our thoughts & prayers and these actions of love will at the very least show them others are standing behind them. We are grieving with them. We are behind them. 
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or you can contact Amber at her blog. Thank you, sweet friends, for spreading the word and supporting this cause……

Prayers for Connecticut + Join A Cause

As I type this, my eyes are filled with tears, my heart is heavy and full of emotions and my mind still not fully grasping everything that happened in CT today. I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything– all I have been able to do is pray for those affected by this horrific event.

If you know me, you know I’m a person of action. I had a dream of starting a challenge and went for it. I have big dreams for my blog and I’m going for it. Yes, there are times I have far fetched dreams, but overall, I try to be a person who has an idea and goes for it. Today’s event brought that out in me yet again.

Working on the details….but stay tuned, YOU can help join a cause that will make a difference. I know my readers are ones with BIG hearts, so I wanted to let you in on this, even though I don’t have all the details just yet. There will be several different ways you can help out- a BIG one will be in helping to spread the word once the details go live.

In the meantime, please join me in thoughts and prayers for the families. A mere 11 days before Christmas and their world has changed forever. I cannot even begin to fathom….

We cannot take for granted a single moment with the ones we love. We are never guaranteed tomorrow, so let them how much you treasure and love them.

I love you guys. I’ll give you details as soon as I have them.

Thankful Thursday: December 13th

Oh my goodness…..I just came from the 10 Minute Craft Dash #8 entries…..speechless!  The talent on these items is mind-blowing. I’m so glad I already lined up some helpers for when it comes time to announce the highlights post. If you haven’t entered yet, don’t worry, there’s still time! You have until Saturday night to get your item(s) submitted!
 
Today I wanted to do a different take on my Thankful Thursday post. Since I get some amazing comments from my blog followers, I thought I would list some of the SWEET people who leave me comments regularly.
  • Melissa Shea– my dear, you seriously leave me the sweetest comments. You know how to give me the warm & fuzzies…thank you for your sweet words and also your tweets. You’re such a day brightener!
  • Tina Milbourn– oh girl, where do I even start? You never cease to make me laugh. You always know what to say to bring a smile to my face. I’m fairly certain you’re my biggest cheerleader. So grateful for you!
  • Lisa Elton– I can still remember the day when I got my first comment from you on this blog. You always leave such encouraging comments! I’m honored you have followed me and my endeavors over here!
  • Lauren (readysetlove)– I’m so happy you found me via the 10 Minute Craft Dash. It’s been neat to follow you on your blog and Instagram and get to know you. I’m thankful for you and your sweet comments!
  • Stacy– I always enjoy seeing your name pop up in my Inbox. You’re such a sweetie pie and I really enjoy reading each of your thoughtful comments.

While I really could keep going, these are the gals who consistently leave me comments. I truly am thankful for you gals. You encourage me in so many different way- in both crafting and blogging in general.

I loved doing this feature; I may do it again in the future! Thank you to ALL of you that leave me comments, whether it be regularly or sporadically, I truly appreciate them all. Your encouraging words, words of wisdom, and everything in between just makes me so happy to read. :)

Now my question to you….what are YOU thankful for today?

 

Christmas Ornaments

Yikes! Is it true there are only 13 days until Christmas? I need to get moving on these Christmas cards- I’m only half way through my list! Oh my, let’s not even start with finishing up the shopping or wrapping the presents! Let’s hope that this sickness bug goes away soon so I can get everything done in time!

For today’s card I decided to go more traditional in my colors. While I absolutely love unique and whimsical Christmas colors, the classic Christmas always tug at my heart strings. The greens with the bright red….. *swoon*

I am such a fan of larger stamps- especially ones where I can stamp inside of them. For this card I used the Large Ornament from DeNami Design. Seriously love this stamp! For those who follow the DeNami blog, you may remember that I did a video with this stamp last year.

Click here to view the blog post and video. 

Well, dearies, that’s going to wrap up this blog post. I’m so grateful you stopped by today. These past few days you all have left some of the SWEETEST comments- I feel so blessed. Thank you for making me a part of your day; hope you leave inspired!

Find Pretty Pink Posh on Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest

 

Giveaway Winner!

I’ve been feeling under the weather, so this is going to be a quick post. Sadly all I want to do is eat hot soup, warm cozy pajamas and socks and sleep. Hoping this sickness bug goes away soon- it doesn’t make life very easy when I have things to do!

Since the giveaway for this beautiful teapot has ended, I figured I should probably post the winner.  Have I mentioned how grateful I am for Random.org? It picks a winner for me which is good- I want to choose everyone as a lucky winner! A great big thank you to all who entered. I had so much fun reading your favorite items in the re.Served store and also hearing you have “liked” them on Facebook. The owner is such a sweetheart and you all know I love supporting small businesses. :)
Congratulations to Unordinary Love! Please email me your contact information and we can get this teapot mailed out to you.
A great big thank you to Victoria over at re.Served for this amazing giveaway. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing more of her products here on the blog- I’m such a big fan now!
Talk with you later….. stay healthy!

Sweet Times, Sweet Memories

Remember the saying “time goes by faster when you get older”? I have found this to be all too true. Granted, I turned 25 this year, so I’m still on the younger side, but it’s true nonetheless. As the years are going by, I am amazed at how the days,weeks and months blend together.

I will be the first to admit that while I enjoy taking snapshots from day to day {find me on Instagram: prettypinkposh}, I’m not particularly fond of getting MY picture taken. I am overly critical and always find others look better in pictures. Their outfits are cuter, their make-up and hair more flawless, they look so skinny in comparison to me…. the reasons are endless. However, as the years go by, I’m realizing that I really need to get over this. I simply LOVE looking back on photos of special times, memories and moments of goofiness, but I’ve noticed I’m not in too many of them. I have missed out on many sweet moments for a moment of being vain. Many of these moments I won’t be able to get back- why did I REALLY care so much as to not just get a picture taken?

Since the accident, I’ve re-learned that each moment is not to be taken for granted. As we close the last part of 2012 and ring in a new year soon, I’m vowing to take more pictures and BE in more pictures. I want to be able to treasure these precious times.

As I was thinking on this subject, I realized some of you may struggle with this too. I’m going to challenge YOU to also BE in more pictures, to document special times and to set aside a moment of being vain. Do any of you struggle with this also? Will you take this on with me? 

Looking forward to seeing your responses. Let’s TREASURE the moments we have, sweet friends!