A New Series…

If you have followed my blog for a bit, you know that my posts are for YOU, my amazing readers. After many requests, I did a series called Blogging 101 that was geared towards new bloggers, or bloggers who wanted to really develop a blogging voice/ following.

Granted, I’m by no means a super expert on the topic, but I have been blogging for quite some time and my following has grown leaps and bounds from when I first started. Before I started the Pretty Pink Posh Shop, I was actively blogging, developing my blog as a brand and gaining a whole new audience outside of paper crafts. Well, as my little shop has grown and time has diminished, I’m no longer blogging “on a schedule”, but the lessons in the Blogging 101 series still apply.

Now that I have my own company, I’ve been getting emails and comments asking how one “breaks in” to the design team world. I’ve been in charge of a few teams, been on a handful of teams and I’ve been in this industry for over a decade. I don’t know ALL of the ins and outs of things, but I do have some “insider” info that I want to pass on to YOU, those interested in being on a design team. comingsoon100For those interested in being on a design team, wanting to hear what companies look for, etc., STAY TUNED. I’m working on this series with some collaborators and the first segment is scheduled for Monday, August 4th.

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Sea Friends + A Challenge

Have you had a day where you feel incredibly blessed? Lately I’ve been having some battles within myself (the stress of dealing with health issues, worrying about finances, etc…) and know that the stress doesn’t do anything but harm me physically, mentally and emotionally. Despite KNOWING these things, I still let it get to me sometimes. I was having one of those days and then I bumped into a friend at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday. We didn’t chat for long, but it was a familiar face when I needed one. Then later on that day, I received a check in the mail. Granted, it was a small one, but it was the unexpected blessing I needed to know that God still has me in the palm of His hand.

With the craziness of life and the ups and downs I still deal with physically (click HERE for previous updates), I don’t often take the time to sit down and write friends cards. I decided to spend a few hours writing notes to friends and vow to actually MAIL them this week. Today’s card is going to a friend that has become so very dear to my heart. She unexpectedly blessed me with flowers last year (story HERE) and she also happens to be the friend I bumped into this weekend.

Pretty Pink Posh I Sea Friends

Friends are a funny thing. Some friends are with you for just a season, some come in and out of your life for other seasons, and then there are lifelong friends. I have been blessed with a dear lifelong friend, but so many friends have come in and out of my life. Do I sometimes get sad that many of them seem to have gone away since the accident? Absolutely. However, I’m grateful for my lifelong friend and the friends I have in THIS season.

Pretty Pink Posh I Sea Friends

challengeIt’s been a while since I put a challenge out to you, my readers, but I feel like doing one today. Send at least TWO cards to friends, family members or someone who needs a little encouraging today. It doesn’t have to be a super long note, but let’s brighten up some lives this week.

That’s all for me today, sweet friends. I hope your week gets off to a great start!

*I wrote a previous post about “True Friends” that you may enjoy, too. Be warned: it’s a long one.


 

Guest Designer Mail Call

guestdesignerHello and Happy Saturday!

It’s a rare occurrence for me to post on the weekend, but I figured this video/post couldn’t wait until Monday to be shared. As you all know, I hosted the very first Pretty Pink Posh guest designer call recently and I promised to film a video showcasing all of the beautiful cards.

Since this was my first call, I wasn’t sure the best way to film the video…..I hope this does each designer and card justice! It was so much fun to visit the post office and see packages filmed with cards for the call, but also pretty cards and notes for me. You all are sweetie pies!

Watch the video above   I Watch the video on YouTube
 

Do you want to see more calls in the future? If so, leave a comment so I’ll know your thoughts. If I don’t hear anything, I’ll just assume you won’t want me to do this again. NOW is the time for you to share your opinions! *wink*

Thank you to these talented ladies who sent in cards for this call. I know it took some planning to create, mail and send your packages and for that I am grateful. I cannot wait to mail some of these cards to my design team and the stores that carry Pretty Pink Posh!

Vanessa
Jennifer
Vicki
Kari
Cara
Valerie
Shari
Jessica
Kim

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Today I’m off to the Farmer’s Market for some fresh fruit and flowers and then hopefully I can get some more crafty goodness finished in the studio!

Until next time….

Birthday Giveaway Winners!

Hello, friends!

I wanted to start off today’s post by saying a giant thank you to YOU, my amazing readers. I recently hosted the Birthday Giveaways and these were some of the biggest ones I’ve hosted thus far and I have YOU all to thank for that. Every person that purchases via my Simon Says Stamp or Ellen Hutson links, or sends in donations via Paypal, help make these giveaways possible. To run a successful blog, it requires quite a bit of hosting/ security fees, so these funds help keep this blog thriving and the giveaways coming!

I know many of you are waiting on pins and needles to see if you were a lucky winner. Thanks to many handy dandy program, it randomly selected the winners and here are the three lucky gals…. winners2

To these lucky gals, I have sent you emails, so be sure to check your inbox. If I don’t get a response within a week, I’ll pick another winner for the unclaimed giveaway(s). If these are your friends, be sure to let them know!

It may seem like things are quiet here on the blog, but not to worry, that means I’m working on LOTS of things behind the scenes. Be sure to mark your calendars, on August 1st it’ll be a busy day here on the blog. I’ll showcase the brand new products with a coordinating video, reveal the theme of the blog hop that YOU can participate in and who knows, there might be some other surprises along the way.

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Any guesses on what the theme might be from the graphic above? I shared this photo on my social media sites yesterday and I spotted the correct answer somewhere. If you missed the Sequin Shaker blog hop, you won’t want to miss this one! I have some amazing sponsors, prizes and special guests scheduled and it just wouldn’t be the same without YOU there.

I hope you all are having a fabulous week. I’ll chat with you soon!

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Beach Vacation Blog Hop

beachvacationGood morning, sweet friends!

Today I am participating in a super fun blog hop… it’s the StampNation Summer Beach Vacation event! I personally don’t get to take real vacations often, so I welcome any excuse to break out my beach stamps and imagine I’m taking a vacation. That’s right, it’s time to break out the sunglasses, grab a cool drink and drift off to a desert island (er, blog stops) for lots of paper craft inspiration.

I don’t know about you, but when I think of Summer, I think of BRIGHT colors and my card definitely has bright colors featured. I went all out for this card- I created a scene packed full of Summer stamps (all by DeNami Design).

Pretty Pink Posh I Beach Vacation

It’s no secret that when I participate in a blog hop, I always have the hardest time choosing what stamps to use. Basically, I pull out dozens of stamps that fit into the theme, play around with different options and then start putting my card together. It makes for a messy desk, but I’ve found this to be a helpful way for me to kick start inspiration. One of these days, I’ll be brave enough to post a picture of what my desk looks like AFTER I finish a blog hop card.

Pretty Pink Posh I Beach Vacation

It’s time to hop along now.  Make sure you leave comments at each of the blogs listed below to be eligible to win…prizes

  • One of THREE one month StampNation memberships.
  • $25 Pretty Pink Posh Gift Certificate
  • $25 Ellen Hutson Gift Certificate
  • Lawn Fawn Stamp Set of Choice & Let’s Polka 6×6 pad

For each of these prizes, one winner will be randomly drawn from all the blog hop comments. A second winner will be chosen from all the challenge entries at StampNation!

You will have have until 11:59 pm EST on July 27th to leave a comment.  Winners will be chosen randomly and will be announced on Monday, July 28th on Catherine‘s blog.

Catherine Pooler
Maureen Merritt
Kristie Goulet
Heather North
Allison Cope
Virginia Lu
Iwona Palamountain
Paulina Nakamura <—– you are here
Jean Manis
Suzanne Dahlberg
Sandy Allnock
Amy Sheffer
Tracey McNeely

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I hope you were inspired by my beach card today. I’ll catch many of you later today on Instagram and Facebook…. thanks for stopping in!
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Watercolors & Layering Sequins

Wow, you all know how to make a birthday girl feel special. Thank you for the outpouring of comments and love! The last few days I’ve received some birthday cards and presents in the mail- thank you to those who took the time to send me something. YOU all are why I do what I do and why I keep blogging. Here’s to hoping that this upcoming year is a great one!

Today I have a card featuring watercolors and layering sequins. If you watched the latest product video (HERE), you can see that the new 8mm Sparkling Clear sequins layer SO well with the 4mm sequins. This is a great way to add a little more color and bling all at once. It’s a tad bit hard to see in the photo, but I also add some “splatters” of watercolors to add even more color and fill in the white space. Pretty Pink Posh I Watercolor Balloon Animal

I’m all about fun and unique sentiments and I love the ones in the Mama Elephant Party Kit set. These are not only unique, but so versatile! You can use them by themselves, or you can use them with the balloons. Truth be told, I haven’t use the balloons stamps yet, but I couldn’t resist using this fun sentiment!

Pretty Pink Posh I Watercolor Balloon Animal

I wanted to let you all know about a coupon I just spotted at Ellen Hutson. She has a 20% off coupon on all embellishment, which includes all the Pretty Pink Posh sequins and embellies! That’s a mighty hefty discount and Ellen has a HUGE selection of my sequins, so be sure to take advantage of this great savings!

embellies14

 

Thanks for stopping in and spending some time with me today. I hope you enjoyed the card and take advantage of the coupon from Ellen Hutson! If you buy anything with the coupon, let me know what you pick up! :)

XO


BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAYS

giveaways_smallI know it’s tradition for the birthday person to receive gifts on their birthday, but I wanted to give YOU some gifts instead. I have been so very blessed by my amazing blog readers and those who follow me on social media, that I wanted to “share the love” and gift some of my favorite items to three lucky people.

I know that many, if not most, of you are visual (like I am), so I filmed a quick video showcasing what’s included in each prize….

Watch the video above   I Watch the video on YouTube
 

I’m going to make it SUPER easy for you to enter. I personally dislike when I have to post about something on my blog, jump through hoops and do a little dance to enter giveaways, so I won’t make you do any of those things.

1) Leave a comment on THIS blog post (one comment per person)

2) For additional entries, follow my social media pages:

3) Giveaways end on July 20, 2014 and I will pick winners later on that week and announce in on the blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See, I told you it was going to be easy! I know I said it in the video, but I truly am grateful for my faithful blog readers and all of the friends I have made through the various social media sites I have. Getting to know and befriend people from all across the world has been so neat and I hope these giveaways give you a little taste of how much I love you all.

Lastly, I know that many have asked for a coupon code for the Pretty Pink Posh Shop and since today’s a special day, I have one! I don’t have sales or coupons often, so this is a great time to stock up and SAVE! :)

birthday14_large

Well, I’m going to start celebrating now, so I’ll wrap this up. Be sure to let your friends know about my giveaways; the more, the merrier!

*Disclaimer: I wish I could give gifts to every one of my readers, but this girl is also on a budget. Each product I have purchased myself and I will be using my own funds to ship. If you are one of my International readers, you CAN enter. :)

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Bright Butterfly + VIDEO

Hello and good morning!

Oh goodness, has it really been a whole week since I last posted? I fully intended to post something earlier this week, but getting orders out took precedence and then I had a mishap while filming this video. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know what I’m talking about. *wink*

Lately I have been all about the BRIGHT colors; in fact, I’m wearing a neon shirt right now. For some reason, I associate the sunshine and warm weather with bright colors and it’s evident in many of my cards. Funny how that happens…

butterfly2a

Today’s card only features two stamps, but I also added in a new (to me) product- watercolors! I finally opened up my new pack and they appeared in an artsy form on this card. It’s a little outside my “normal” style, but it’s fun to change it up a bit every now and then!

In the picture below, you can see the fun addition the watercolor splashes made to the white space on the card. Granted, this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was fun to give it a whirl.

butterfly2b

In my most recent video, I showed today’s card and got quite a few requests to do a video on it. Despite it being a mini sauna up here in the studio right now (who knew that Seattle could get up to 90* in July?!), I was able to squeeze in some time to film this video. After I filmed, I realized a few scenes were off camera and the light on my camcorder was on, but hopefully you can still enjoy the video. :)

Watch the video above   I Watch the video on YouTube
excitingnews
Some of you may have seen the sneak peek I posted on my social media sites…. on Sunday it’s my birthday and I’m going to be hosting a BIG giveaway. Okay, truth be told, I’m still deciding on the quantity of giveaways, but let me just say they will be BIG. It’s been a while since I hosted a bigger giveaway and I thought my birthday was the perfect day to share a gift with YOU. Stay tuned!

That’s going to be all for today’s post. I hope you have a great day and I’ll talk with you very soon.


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A Cheery Get Well

It’s never pleasant when a friend or loved one is in need of a get well card… Sadly, this week I need to send one out. However, I’m hoping that this card will cheer up my dear friend who had to undergo an unexpected surgery. I personally tend to like happy, brighter colored cards when I’m feeling unwell, so I hope this will be the ray of sunshine my friend needs.

As you can probably tell by now, I’m pretty much addicted to creating “window” cards. There’s something so fun about getting to fill each window with something different and honestly, the possibilities are endless. I decided to fill these windows up with the Lawn Fawn Get Well Soon stamps, along with some bright colored PPP sequins. Quick and easy, but so very happy!

Pretty Pink Posh I Nurse Chick

Quick note: I’m almost sold out (again) of the Stitched Duo 1 dies, so if you’re wanting one from my shop, be sure to get it soon! In the near future, I’m going to start a Pinterest board for each of the die sets….I can’t wait to start pinning ideas! The design team has been creating all sorts of great cards with the dies and I heard a little rumor that new dies are coming very soon!

Pretty Pink Posh I Nurse Chick

For those who were wanting to see a closer peek at the new products for July, I finally got to film the video. Please excuse my lack of a voice- it’s almost completely better, but you may be able to tell it’s slightly strained in this video. (So sorry!)


Watch the video above   I Watch the video on YouTube

 I hope you all have a super great Thursday. I hope you enjoyed today’s card- thanks for stopping in!


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Sending Smiles + New Products

Good morning and Happy July 1st!

Unfortunately, today isn’t a normal release kind of day. I had fully intended to do my normal new release video/ post, but alas, my voice is almost completely gone and I’m battling dizziness, nausea and a slight fever. As soon as I’m feeling well again, I plan on filming the video and showcasing the new products to you!

In the meantime, I wanted to share a card that I made recently with some of my recent purchases, along with some sequins from the BRAND NEW Summer Mix. I love the bright colors in this mix, but it also comes with the adorable yellow flowers that are on this card. Aren’t they fun?!

ducks2a

Lately I have been into creating grassy “hills” with the curved die from the Stitched Borders 1 set. Not only are they super easy to do, they add so much to your cards and projects! For this card I used the ducks from the Lawn Fawn Hello Baby set, along with a bird from Critters in the Forest.

ducks2b

Just in case you want to order the new products (before I get a chance to film the video), here are the different links:

Summer Sequins Mix

Summer Embellishment Kit

8mm Sparkling Clear Sequins

Sunshine, Lagoon, Coral and Lime twine

That’s going to wrap up this post for today. I apologize for the lack of video and the slight delay in orders. Just as soon as I feel better, I’ll be back at work and ship everything out as quickly as I can.

XO